Latest news with #Passenger57
News24
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
57 - that all-too-familiar number so often echoed in local football
The number 57 carries a range of meanings and associations across various fields, from mathematics and science to pop culture and sports. Though not a prime number, it is humorously referred to as a 'Grothendieck prime' in mathematical circles. In science, 57 is the atomic number of lanthanum, the first element in the lanthanide series. Astronomically, it designates both Messier 57 — the famed Ring Nebula — and NGC 57, an elliptical galaxy. In popular culture, the number features in films such as Passenger 57 and Contagion further embed it in the public imagination. The number 57 has acquired a curious notoriety. It is frequently hurled, half-jokingly and half-derisively, at Mamelodi Sundowns, the Pretoria-based juggernaut affectionately known as Bafana Ba Style. Despite their dominance in local football and their enviable trophy cabinet, the team is often teased for drawing modest crowds to their matches—57 being the tongue-in-cheek reference to the number of spectators allegedly in attendance. For rival fans of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — the country's most passionately supported and oldest clubs — the number has become a sly shorthand for undermining Sundowns' success by pointing to their perceived lack of mass following. Senzeni na? ?????? — Tebogo Khaas (@tebogokhaas) April 28, 2025 Much like an elliptical galaxy — composed of mature, radiant stars and marked by a calm, enduring brilliance — Sundowns has perfected the art of scouting with seasoned precision. Eschewing flashy theatrics, the club methodically assembles a luminous constellation of talent from across South Africa and beyond, with stars like midfielder Themba Zwane, Brazilian striker Lucas Ribeiro, Chile's Marcello Allende, Namibia's Peter Shalulile, and Ronwen Williams orbiting its core of sustained excellence and keeping the team firmly anchored at the summit of domestic and continental football. In Contagion, it was 'Vaccine #57' that offered hope — successfully protecting a lab monkey and symbolising a breakthrough against adversity. Similarly, Sundowns denied a clear penalty despite damning VAR evidence in their CAF Champions League semifinal against Al Ahly, appearing metaphorically inoculated against despair. From Mockery to Majesty: How 57 Became Sundowns' Sacred Number, by @tebogokhaas @Masandawana @CAFCLCC @OfficialPSL @SAFA_net @KickOffMagazine — Tebogo Khaas (@tebogokhaas) April 27, 2025 Like the fictional serum, their resilience proved potent, powering them to one of their most gallant performances yet — securing a place in the final, away from home, with unshaken resolve. This, despite a paltry — dare one say, 57?—yet unwavering contingent of Sundowns supporters dotting the stands, valiantly holding their ground amid a sea of red-clad Al Ahly fanatics. Much like lanthanum — often found alongside other rare earth elements and prized for its role in catalysts, scintillators, and welding — Sundowns delivered scintillating football that has become a catalytic force in elevating the local game, while exhibiting a welded solidity in their semifinal fixtures, fusing resilience and brilliance in pursuit of continental glory. Was it sheer brilliance or a touch of divine intervention that saw that fortuitous 'own goal' fall in Masandawana's favour? Mohamed Hossam / EPA Whatever the source, it felt as though the heavens themselves had a stake in Sundowns' journey. And who's to say it wasn't a sign? After all, the word Almighty appears exactly 57 times in 57 verses in the King James Bible — surely no coincidence for a team long mocked with that very number. Could this be the prophecy unfolding before our eyes? A celestial nod crowning Sundowns not just kings, but the Almighty of the 2025 CAF Champions League? Was it sheer brilliance or a flicker of divine intervention that saw that 'own' goal fall ever so kindly for Masandawana? ???????? ????????????????, ???? ?????? ???????????????? ?? The Brazilians will do battle with Pyramids FC in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final! ???????? #Sundowns #RabatsenaGape — Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 25, 2025 At that moment, as fortune bent ever so slightly in Sundowns' favour, it was tempting to believe that the football gods — or perhaps something higher — had cast their vote. And what of the symbolism? The curious alignment with the number long used to jibe at the club's sparse but steadfast support. Could it be that the mockery has been transformed into a mantle — an omen that Sundowns is destined not merely to compete, but to ascend as the Almighty of the Champions League? Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just football's poetry playing out in real time. Either way, as Masandawana marches toward its prime, one thing is certain: the yellow number 57 will never sound quite the same again. Only time — and perhaps a few more divine 57 yellow deflections — will tell.
Daily Mirror
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Liz Hurley's love life - Billy Rae Cyrus to Shane Warne's devastating admission
Liz Hurley's turbulent love life has been like something you would read in a film script, so after appearing to go public with Billy Rae Cyrus, fans hope there's a happy ending Actress and model Liz Hurley has got everyone talking over her budding new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus. Fans she will be hoping that luck has finally found its way into her love life. The fashion icon, 58, appeared to confirm love is in the air with legendary country star, 62, after posting a photo on Instagram of the two of them cuddled up on a wooden fence in a grassy field. Liz can be seen smiling in a plaid shirt and straw hat with her potential new man wearing a green bunny ear headband, plants a kiss on her cheek. The caption-free image, jointly posted from both of their verified Instagram accounts, was enough to send the internet into a frenzy. The photo comes just months after Billy Ray's high-profile split from singer Firerose, fuelling even more speculation about the timing and sudden nature of this new pairing. The British beauty, best known for her roles in films such as Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Bedazzled, is currently believed to be filming in the Caribbean. She is starring in her son Damian's debut feature film, where Billy is also reportedly involved in the production. The two are thought to have grown close during the project. Liz has yet to find her Mr Right with fans desperate for her to find happiness. It's not for the want of trying, and there have been a number of close calls along the way with some very big names. Shooting to fame alongside floppy-haired actor Hugh Grant in the 80s, the pair dated from 1987 to 2000 and all looked rosy for Hollywood's golden couple before his infamous Divine Brown 'drive' hit the headlines. It was during Liz's relationship with Hugh that actor Tom Sizemore allegedly began his own affair with Liz in 1992 on the set of Passenger 57. Writing in his book By Some Miracle I Made It Out Of There, Tom claimed that, just a few days after meeting, the pair consummated their relationship. "That night we went back to her hotel room, which had a little kitchenette, and she made roasted chicken with green beans and broke out two bottles of wine. I think I was in love by the time I had my second glass," he wrote. "Then she went into the bedroom and came out in lingerie that would make her later outfits in the Austin Powers movies seem tame, and she got on the coffee table and stripped. And it was a goddamn good routine, too. She knew what she was doing because in the middle of it she looked at me and asked: 'Is it too bright for you?'" In 2001 the former Gossip Girl star also had an 18-month long non-exclusive fling with multi-millionaire Steve Bing with whom she shares her only child, Damian. The Film producer denied that he was Damian's father but a paternity test proved he was and the pair have had a strained relationship since, with Liz previously even publicly refusing to accept the yearly child support payments of £100,000 that Bing offered through the courts. Then in 2002 Liz began dating Indian textile heir Arun Nayar, eventually marrying in 2007 in a glittering ceremony attending by stars such as Sir Elton John, before filing for divorce on April 2 2011 citing his 'unreasonable behaviour'. Soon, one of sports biggest names caught her eye. Liz began dating Aussie cricketer Shane Warne who she's had an on/off relationship with for a long time. Some time later he admitted his years with her were the happiest of his life and he still misses the love they shared – and admitted that he felt threatened by her friendship with her ex Hugh Grant. Bowler Shane also told of his regret at cheating on wife of 10 years Simone with Liz, 53, who he met in 2010. And he said of his 2013 split with Liz: 'The long periods apart were too difficult. The more you're apart, the more you ask questions. I got jumpy about the time Elizabeth spent with Hugh Grant, for example. 'I still care for her. She showed me what a relationship should mean.' The couple were together for three years. The death of the cricket legend in 2022 shocked the world. He died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52, while on holiday in Thailand leaving fans, family and friends devastated. Liz has also been linked to former NBA player Steve Nash and businessman Theodore Forstmann years before his death. There were more romance rumours in 2019 after the film favoruite and Justin Theroux were spotted attending several events together in Morocco.
