Latest news with #Smile
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Radiohead's Thom Yorke Releases Statement on Israel and Gaza
Thom Yorke, June 2022 (Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns) Thom Yorke has released a statement about Israel and the war in Gaza. The Radiohead and Smile frontman began his statement by acknowledging the pro-Palestine concertgoer who shouted at him about the war during an Australian show last year. 'Some guy shouting at me from the dark last year when I was picking up a guitar to sing the final song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne didn't really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,' Yorke shared. 'Afterwards I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.' Yorke continued by stating his opposition to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his government. (Around the time Radiohead last performed in Israel, in 2017, Yorke also made clear his opposition to Netanyahu.) 'I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease,' the musician wrote. 'Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently.' Additionally, Yorke called the blockade of aid to Gaza 'horrific.' Yorke also condemned Hamas, admonishing the Palestinian Islamist group that governs the Gaza Strip for the October 7, 2023, attacks that precipitated the Israeli military's offensive in the region. 'Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th?' he asked. 'The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.' For much of the rest of his note, Yorke discussed the largely online conversations about Israel and Palestine. 'I sympathize completely with the desire to 'do something' when we are witnessing such horrific suffering on our devices every day. It completely makes sense,' he said. 'But I now think it is a dangerous illusion to believe reposting, or one or two line messages are meaningful, especially if it is to condemn your fellow human beings. There are unintended consequences.' The musician also made reference to 'those i work with,' likely alluding to his Radiohead and Smile bandmate Jonny Greenwood, who has been a subject of interest with regard to the war in Gaza. Greenwood is married to Sharona Katan, an Israeli artist of Egyptian and Iraqi descent, and he has collaborated closely with the Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. The musicians also recently had two UK concerts canceled after pressure from the the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Find Thom Yorke's full statement below. Some guy shouting at me from the dark last year when I was picking up a guitar to sing the final song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne didn't really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Afterwards I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour. That silence, my attempt to show respect for all those who are suffering and those who have died, and to not trivialize it in a few words, has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance. This has had a heavy toll on my mental health. I would hope that for anyone who has ever listened to a note of the music of my band or any of the music i have created over the years, or looked at the artwork or read any of the lyrics, it would be self-evident that I could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanization of others. All i see in a lifetime's worth of work with my fellow musicians and artists is pushing against such things, trying to create work that goes beyond what it means to be controlled, coerced, threatened, to suffer, to be intimidated .. and instead to encourage critical thinking beyond borders, the commonality of love and experience and free creative expression. Sounds naff … but true. For others let me fill in the blanks now, so we're nice and clear. I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease. Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently. I believe this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden itself behind a terrified & grieving people and used them to deflect any criticism, using that fear and grief to further their ultra-nationalist agenda with terrible consequences, as we see now with the horrific blockade of aid to Gaza. While our lives tick along as normal these endless thousands of innocent human souls are still being expelled from the earth… for what? At the same time the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not all been returned? For what possible reason? Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes. I also think there is a further and extremely important point to make. Social media witch-hunts (nothing new) on either side pressurizing artists and whoever they feel like that week to make statements etc do very little except heighten tension, fear and over-simplification of what are complex problems that merit proper face to face debate by people who genuinely wish the killing to stop and an understanding to be found. This kind of deliberate polarization does not serve our fellow human beings and perpetuates a constant 'us and them' mentality. It destroys hope and maintains a sense of isolation, the very things that extremists use to maintain their position. We facilitate their hiding in plain sight if we assume that the extremists and the people they claim to represent are one and the same, indivisible. If our world is ever able to move on from these dark times and find peace it will only be when we rediscover what we share in common, and the extremists are sent back to sit in the darkness from whence they came. I sympathize completely with the desire to 'do something' when we are witnessing such horrific suffering on our devices every day. It completely makes sense. But I now think it is a dangerous illusion to believe reposting, or one or two line messages are meaningful, especially if it is to condemn your fellow human beings. There are unintended consequences. It is shouting from the darkness. It is not looking people in the eye when you speak. It is making dangerous assumptions. It is not debate and it is not critical thinking. Importantly, it is open to online manipulation of all kinds, both mechanistic and political. What is the alternative? I can't answer that easily. I do know in communities around the globe this subject is now dangerously toxic and we are in uncharted waters. We need to turn back. I am sure that, to this point, what I have written here will in no way satisfy those who choose to target myself or those i work with, they will spend time picking holes and looking for reasons to continue, we are an opportunity not to be missed, no doubt, and by either side. I have written this in the simple hope that i can join with the many millions of others praying for this suffering, isolation and death to stop, praying that we can collectively regain our humanity and dignity and our ability to reach understanding .. that one day soon this darkness will have passed. Thom Yorke Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Lily Allen reveals ‘extremely heavy few weeks' after social media ban
The LDN singer's ex-relationship has put a huge strain on her mental health (Picture: Getty Images) Lily Allen is feeling the weight of a tough year – and she's not keeping it to herself. The British singer has revealed she's been 'incredibly low' in recent months, following the breakdown of her marriage to actor David Harbour. On her podcast Miss Me?, which she co-hosts with friend Miquita Oliver, Allen opened up about the emotional toll her separation has taken. She described a sense of spiralling, paired with intense panic attacks that left her feeling out of control. The 00's icon also revealed she was often bored whilst living in New York and has now stopped using social media to improve her mental health. She admitted she has gone cold turkey on her use of social media in order to get her mental health back on track, 'I'm nearly two weeks into a complete social media ban.' She's still recovering from the breakdown of her marriage to David Harbour (Picture: James Shaw/REX/Shutterstock) The Smile hitmaker has been very open about her mental health on her podcast (Picture: BBC Sounds) The singer went on to say, 'I don't have that much to do here in New York during the day and so I guess I would find myself sitting on Instagram and scrolling or being narcissistic and posting or reading my responses and getting that dopamine fix.' Allen compared her ban of social media to withdrawing from drugs: 'I think I was having withdrawal symptoms. It was horrible, I mean, I really did feel like I was withdrawing from drugs or something, it was crazy.' In a raw moment of honesty, Allen admitted she needed professional help to improve her worsening mental health. The 40-year-old subsequently checked herself into a trauma treatment centre near her US home. This wasn't about rehab, she clarified – it was purely to address her mental health. The facility, which offers intensive therapy and costs around £8,000 a week, became her temporary home while she worked through her feelings post-breakup. Allen recently found out her now estranged husband, Harbour, was on the celebrity dating app Raya. This news triggered a spiral of poor mental health for the pop icon. She didn't hold back as she described the sting of discovering that detail. Allen took a break from the podcast late last year (Picture: lilyallen/Instagram) The former couple ironically met on the dating app Raya back in 2018. Speaking on the Jonathan Ross Show, Lily was just swiping for fun when she came across her ex-lover David, ''I didn't know who he was. I thought he was just like a sexy policeman from a reality TV show because he was wearing a policeman's uniform. It was a still from Stranger Things. I'd never seen Stranger Things,' Turning 40 was another major milestone, one she approached with both celebration and reflection. She shared snippets of her birthday online, surrounded by friends and family who she said 'really showed up' for her. Now back in London and living with her two daughters, Allen says she's working on building a calmer, more grounded life. 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.
Perth Now
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Lily Allen's social media avoidance is like 'withdrawing from drugs'
Lily Allen has compared ditching social media to "withdrawing from drugs". The 40-year-old singer-and-actress is two weeks into her social media platforms ban and she initially felt "incredibly low" for the first time in months as Lily previously has battled "emotional turmoil" following her split from 50-year-old actor David Harbour in 2024. The 'Lost My Mind' hitmaker described how she dealt with an "extremely heavy" wave of "sadness" and "loneliness" after initially avoiding social media, and Lily admits not getting that "dopamine fix" of "scrolling" for two weeks made her "initially really sad". Speaking on her and 41-year-old radio personality pal Miquita Oliver's 'Miss Me?' podcast, Lily - who lives in New York with her two daughters, Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 12, who she has with her 47-year-old ex-husband Sam Cooper - said: "I think, like, the beginning of last week, I was feeling incredibly low, like lower than I felt in months. It was extremely heavy. This was like a different kind of sadness, heaviness, loneliness, whatever. "And then I realised, maybe, this is because I'm not filling the gaps with scrolling. I've suddenly got this time for, like, reflection or, do you know what I mean? "Because I don't have that much to do here in New York during the day. I run, sort of like, various errands, and I get food ready for the girls when they get home from school, and I meet up with people for lunch, and I'm very active in my recovery. But in terms of work, there's not much going on. "And so I guess I would find myself sitting on Instagram and scrolling, or being narcissistic and posting and reading my responses to my - getting that dopamine fix. "And I haven't had it for nearly two weeks. And I think it made me initially really sad. "I think I was having, like, withdrawal symptoms from it. "It was horrible. I mean, I really did feel like I was withdrawing from drugs or something. It was crazy. "But it took me a minute to think, 'Oh, yeah, it's probably that." Lily - who previously said she was attempting to be "less of a narcissist" in 2025 - took a mental health break from the 'Miss Me?' podcast earlier this year because she had been "spiralling" and suffering from panic attacks during the challenging few months. And the 'Smile' hitmaker revealed in January 2025 that she checked into a treatment centre to work on herself for Ethel and Marnie's sake. Lily said on the podcast at the time: "I went into a treatment centre for a few weeks, which was great. "I did lots of group therapy and some like individual therapy. I needed some time and space away from everything. "And I did a lot of shadow work - lots of work about my inner child stuff. "It wasn't easy by any stretch. And it's a journey, it's a lifelong journey of healing. It's not a quick fix."
Time Out
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Lights Out: Nat 'King' Cole
Coming off two successive Oscar nominations for acting in film, Coleman Domingo returns to his stage roots as the co-author—with director Patricia McGregor—of a biodrama that examines a pivotal night in the life of the pioneering Black recording artist and TV star Nat "King" Cole. Dulé Hill (The West Wing) plays Cole and Daniel J. Watts (Tina) plays Sammy Davis Jr.; the ace supporting cast includes Krystal Joy Brown, Kenita Miller, Kathy Fitzgerald, Christopher Ryan Grant, Ruby Lewis, Elliott Mattox, Mekhi Richardson and Walter Russell III. Cole standards such as 'Nature Boy,' 'Smile' and 'Unforgettable" are newly arranged by musical supervisor John McDaniel, and Edgar Godineaux and Jared Grimes step in as the choreographers.
Daily Tribune
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Support for children with cancer
Bahraini writer Zuhair Tawfiqi has announced that all proceeds from his debut publication, (Spirit of the Law) book, will be donated to support children battling cancer through the 'Smile' initiative — an affiliate initiative of the Future Society for Youth dedicated to offering psychosocial support to children with cancer and their families across the Kingdom of Bahrain. The announcement was made during a book launch ceremony held on Wednesday, May 14, at the Safeya Kanoo Hub for Arts. The event was attended by His Excellency Ali Bin Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of the Shura Council, along with several government ministers, members of the Shura Council and the Council of Representatives, and representatives from the diplomatic corps in Bahrain. As part of the ceremony, Tawfiqi presented a copy of his book to Sabah Al-Zayani, President of the Future Society for Youth.
