Latest news with #Kelis
Metro
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Huge UK festival under threat over environmental concerns with £31,000 raised
Beloved South London festival Mighty Hoopla's future could be uncertain after environmental campaigners threatened to take legal action against Lambeth Council over Brockwell Park's live events. They have raised concerns about the impact these festivals have on the green space, which has been open for public use since 1892. The Brixton park, also home to Brockwell Lido and a famous view of the city, hosts annual music festivals annually across two consecutive weekends, including London favourite Mighty Hoopla, which has boasted pop headliners over the years such as Sugababes, Kelis, and Steps. The LGBTQ+ friendly festival is due to take place on the first weekend of June 2025, with headliners confirmed as Ciara, Jade, Kesha, and Loreen. Brockwell Live – who organise the summer series of festivals in the London park – runs hosts a Bank Holiday Weekender, which sees festivals Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross The Tracks, and City Splash take place on the first May weekend, and Mighty Hoopla the following weekend. The Lambeth Country Show – produced by Brockwell Live in partnership with Lambeth Council – takes place on the third weekend in the series. However, a Crowdjustice page has been set up with the aim of limiting the live events as ecological concerns mount. On April 9 the campaigners sent Lambeth Council a pre-action letter challenging its decision to grant the area a certificate which allows commercial events to take place in the park without planning permission. The local residents who have formed the group, called Protect Brockwell Park, intend to begin a legal challenge against the council over its live events policy. They say the events are responsible for 'damaging our trees, disturbing wildlife, compacting the soil, and fencing off huge areas of the park for weeks at a time'. Continuing, the Crowdjustice page – having now raised over £31,000 at the time of writing to 'cover legal costs' – said: 'We have repeatedly raised our concerns with Lambeth Council, but our voices have fallen on deaf ears. 'Lambeth has ignored petitions that have garnered thousands of signatures, local residents' distress, and the adverse ecological impact on the park over the years.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video They aim to stop live events without 'full public consultations', introduce evidence-based impact assessments of these events, and they also demand an evaluation of the long-term impact these events have on the park, as well as the introduction of Glastonbury-style fallow years to give the ground a rest. 'Permanent damage' to the grasslands has already occurred, they say, from HGVs carrying heavy equipment, as well as a footfall of 180,000 people in a week's window, and the running of 'polluting' generators. 'Still embedded with rubbish and suffering from flooding as water can't drain freely through compacted ground,' the group says, adding: 'Trees are dying as heavy equipment has piled up in root protection zones. While last year's festival got more than just a bit muddy, fans still flocked to Brixton for Nelly Furtado, B*witched, Jessie Ware, Rita Ora and Bambie Thug. There were fears the festival would be cancelled when photos taken at Brockwell Park's City Splash Festival the week before resembled a mud bath. But Mighty Hoopla announced that in the conditions the festival had passed its health and safety check and it would be going ahead as planned. 'Since 2021, 32 protected species have disappeared, with noise and light pollution disrupting key habitats and impacting protected bats,' the group continued. The group claimed profit is being prioritised over the health of the park, and those in the local community who use it. 'If we do not stop these events, the Park won't recover, and nor will our community,' they said. In response, a Lambeth Council spokesperson told Metro: 'The council has received a pre-action protocol letter in relation to a judicial review claim for Brockwell Park, and are currently considering this.' On the specific concerns about the events, spokesperson said: 'Brockwell Park is hugely valued by the council and our communities. 'The council invests £500,000 a year in maintaining Brockwell Park which has won numerous awards including a Green Flag given by Keep Britain Tidy in line with the international standard for high quality parks and green spaces, as well as several London in Bloom awards. 'Events in Brockwell Park run for a short period before summer and generate significant cultural opportunities and entertainment for younger people across the borough. Events also support businesses in the area, the majority of which are small businesses who experience increases in footfall during the events programme. 'This boosts our local economy and provides jobs and income for residents, especially at a time when high streets and small traders have struggled, and when pubs are closing in record numbers.' The council went on to explain how the festivals are positive for younger people and help fund the free Lambeth Country Show, adding that they 'work hard' to engage local people. For 2025, Saturday's headliner is R&B legend Ciara while Sunday sees the iconic Kesha take to the stage. Eurovision's two-time champion Loreen is the special guest on Sunday June 1. They will join the likes of Jojo, Jamelia, Daniel Bedingfield, Omar Rudberg, Mutya Buena, Vengaboys, Kash Nash & The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, G Flip, Pixie Lott, and Lemar. 2025 will see Jayda G, Allie X, Girls Don't Sync, Elkka, Lion Babe, Big Freedia, The Illustrious Blacks and Tom Rassmussen taking to The Bump stage. 'Running the Lambeth Country Show in partnership with Brockwell Live saved the council £700,000 last year from the cost of putting on, as well as securing more than £150,000 for park investment and local community projects,' the council said. 'Further the events run by Brockwell Live in the lead up to the Country Show are really valued within our LGBTQ+ community – which is the biggest in London – really getting behind the Mighty Hoopla for example. When heavy rain last year put the Mighty Hoopla in question, we were heavily lobbied to make sure it went ahead. More Trending 'Similarly, City Splash celebrating Caribbean and African music and culture is much loved by our Black communities and beyond.' Adding that they are 'working hard' to minimise disruption the events have on locals, Lambeth Council said they have a 24-hour help line and staff in the streets for the events to cater for any concerns from local people. 'We have also moved the date of events in Brockwell Park to earlier in the year, so the entire park is available throughout the school summer holidays,' they added. 'Any impacts from the events on the park are fixed with our event partner. We are committed to addressing all potential issues promptly and effectively, whilst ensuring Lambeth's residents continue to have access to a diverse and meaningful range of events.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Priced out of the area of your dreams? Try these more affordable postcodes next door MORE: I'm a Pope lookalike who's never actually been booked as the Pope MORE: 7 freebies 2025 London Marathon runners can claim this weekend
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill Murray Finally Breaks His Silence About Those Kelis Dating Rumors
Bill Murray is clearing the air about his rumored relationship with singer Kelis. 'I met this girl named Kelis,' the actor, 74, recently said on SiriusXM's 'Sway in the Morning.' 'I got great press that I was dating her, which really raised my cred.' Murray told host Sway Calloway that he first took notice of the 'Milkshake' singer when he spotted her in Ol' Dirty Bastard's music video for the 1999 hit tune 'Got Your Money.' 'I love that video,' the 'Ghostbusters' star continued. 'I watched that. I kept going, 'That's the silliest thing. How did I miss that when it came out in the first place?' It's so crazy, and I'm going, 'Who is the girl with the red hair?' And it was Kelis, so I just had to meet her sometime. She's turned out to be spectacular.' Elsewhere in the interview, Murray revealed that he recently reconnected with Kelis, but he shut down the gossip that they had dated. 'No. No, but, you know, one of us could be on the rebound any second,' he added. The gossip about Kelis and Murray kicked off in 2023 after multipleoutlets reported that the 'Bossy' artist was romantically involved with the Oscar-nominated actor. He was also spotted watching her perform at several of her shows in June 2023. Amid the internet's incessant interest in their purported relationship, Kelis denied the rumors. After a fan commented on a June 2023 Instagram post asking her to 'address these Bill Murray allegations,' Kelis replied, 'lol no babe, I wouldn't bother at all.' Kelis and Murray were both previously married twice. Watch a clip from 'Sway in the Morning' below. Leslie Jones Says Racism From 'Ghostbusters' Made Her Cry 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Captures $44 Miillion In Theaters Dan Aykroyd Explains Spooky Way He Came Up With Original 'Ghostbusters' Idea
Fox News
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Bill Murray finally addresses Kelis dating rumors: 'Really raised my cred'
Bill Murray is keeping it real. The "Groundhog Day" star, 74, recently set the record straight over rumors that popped up two years ago that he was dating singer Kelis, who is nearly 30 his junior. "I was fascinated, I met this girl named Kelis, who – I got great press that I was dating her, which really raised my cred," the "Ghostbusters" actor joked on SiriusXM's "Sway in the Morning" while talking about how much he likes hip hop. "Not all of us believed that," co-host Sway Calloway said while Murray smiled and nodded. "That was false humility again," Murray joked of mentioning Kelis. He said he first discovered Kelis in rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard's 1999 song "Got Your Money," in which she was a featured singer. "I was fascinated, I met this girl named Kelis, who – I got great press that I was dating her, which really raised my cred." "It's so crazy," he said of the music video, adding that he wondered who the "girl with the red hair" was, "and it was Kelis." Murray said he decided he wanted to meet her, "and she turned out to be spectacular." He said that he spoke with her recently and found out she had just bought land in Kenya. "She's in Africa," he said. "She's not afraid of the dark. She just goes out there and goes, 'Well, I think I'll just go to Africa and start a farm.'" "So you weren't dating?" Calloway asked. "No," Murray confirmed. "Sway, long story short," one of his co-hosts joked. Murray laughed, "But, you know, one of us could be on the rebound any second. She might need a plowman down there." In 2023, the U.S. Sun reported that Murray and Kelis had been "getting close for a while" while they were seen together at some of her performances. The rumors spread a year after Kelis' second husband, Mike Mora, died of cancer in 2022. Murray divorced his second wife, costume designer Jennifer Butler, in 2008. Kelis responded in a June 2023 Instagram post of her in a bikini, saying, "lol no babe, I wouldn't bother at all" after a commenter asked her: "Ma'am would you care to address these Bill Murray allegations?!? Cuz damn! What he doing with all that?!?" She also wrote, "everyones dumb and will believe everything but the best part is we are both blessed, rich and happy. So who's really laughing."
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bill Murray finally denies ever dating Kelis: ‘Raised my cred a lot'
Bill Murray has finally clarified that he and Kelis never dated, almost two years after rumours of a romance between the two first emerged. The Lost in Translation star, in an appearance on SiriusXM's Sway in the Morning podcast, recalled the rumours, which he said 'really raised my cred a lot'. 'I was fascinated, I met this girl named Kelis. I got great press that I was dating her, which really raised my cred a lot,' Murray told hosts Sway Calloway, Heather B, and Tracy G. Murray, 74, talked about meeting Kelis, 45, for the first time, saying that he loved the music video for rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard's 1999 song 'Got Your Money' where Kelis sings the chorus. 'That song just kills me. I love that video. And I kept going, 'That's the silliest thing. How did I miss that when it came out in the first place? It's so crazy.' And I'm going, 'Who is that girl with the red hair?'' he said. 'And it was Kelis, and I just had to meet her sometime. And she turned out to be spectacular. 'Actually, I spoke with her recently. She bought land in Kenya, in Africa. She's in Africa. She is not afraid of the dark. She just goes out there and goes, 'Well, I think I'll just go to Africa and start a farm.'' When Calloway asked Murray to confirm if he ever dated the 'Milkshake' singer, he clarified that he hadn't, but didn't rule out the possibility of it in the future. 'Hey, you know, one of us could be on the rebound any second,' he said. Rumours of a romance between Murray and Kelis sparked in June 2023, when the actor was spotted at two music festivals she was performing at. The pair were also seen together backstage, and multiple outlets reported that Murray and Kelis were dating. Responding to a comment about the rumoured relationship on her social media in 2023, Kelis wrote: 'Lol yeah maybe for now everyone's dumb and will believe anything but the best part is we are both blessed, rich and happy. So who's really laughing. Now that's funny.' To another fan who asked if she would 'care to address these Bill Murray allegations', she wrote: 'Lol no babe, I wouldn't bother at all.' The Independent has reached out to representatives for Kelis for a comment. At the time, fans were baffled by the rumours of the unlikely couple and reacted mostly with surprise, with one person joking: 'This was NOT on my 2023 bingo card.' Kelis has two children with her late husband Mike Mora, who died from stomach cancer in March 2022 at the age of 37, as well as another son with ex-husband Nas. Meanwhile, Murray has been married twice. He was married to Margaret Kelly from 1981 to 1996 and shares sons Homer and Luke with her. He later married Jennifer Butler in 1997, but they split in 2008. Murray had sons Caleb, Jackson, Cooper, and Lincoln with costume designer Butler, who died in 2021 at the age of 54.
