Latest news with #TakeaChanceonMe
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
After first UFC\u00a0win, Julius Walker wants to change walkout game – one ABBA song at a time
LAS VEGAS – Julius Walker met the media Saturday after his win over Rafael Cerqueira at UFC on ESPN 72. Walker (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) outworked Cerqueira (11-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) for a unanimous decision to close out the prelims at the UFC Apex. It was his first win in the promotion after a split decision loss to Alonzo Menifield in his promotional debut earlier this year. That loss was his first as a pro, but it came with a silver lining in the form of a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. Saturday, despite the win this time, Walker said he wasn't thrilled with the performance overall and found things to work on before his next fight. "I was able to get some good training in this camp, and we're only going to continue to step that up," Walker told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference. "… We were on the bottom rung, and now maybe I'm one rung from the bottom. I've got to improve and level up." But one area he thinks his game is locked in tight is his walkout song choice. At UFC on ESPN 72, he walked out to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, which is a top-shelfer when it comes to songs that are decidedly not "tough." It's not what you'd expect a 6-foot-4 light heavyweight to walk out to, though. But there is method to Walker's madness, and he seems to appreciate the finer intricacies of the fight game – like walkout music. "I walked out to that in my debut and one or two of my regional fights. My last four fights now, I've wlaked out to ABBA songs. I walked out to 'Take a Chance on Me' for my last regional fight. It was actually a message to the UFC: 'take a chance on me,' and it worked. "I've been doing 'Dancing Queen' because here's the thing: At the end of the day, the walkout song is really for the crowd. Nobody wants to hear these tough-guy, gangster rap – nobody wants to hear that. (The fans) are trying to have a good time. Everybody's up there drinking, trying to have some fun. You've got to play a song like 'Dancing Queen' so you can get some jiving going and get the crowd having a good time. So we're probably going to stick with ABBA songs." Check out Walker's post-fight news conference in the video above.
Otago Daily Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
St John to the rescue
Remarkable Theatre president Chris MacKenzie, left, with St John Queenstown watch operations manager Chris Marr and Kawarau area committee chair Kirsten Dennison. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER For Queenstown's Remarkable Theatre, it makes a neat plot. Having been homeless since the lease on their former St John ambulance station rehearsal room expired early this year, the theatre company's landed a community room in St John's current Douglas St premises. In an act of generosity, St John's given it free use of the space in which it's rehearsing up to four times a week for its September production of the Kiwi comedy, Take a Chance on Me. "Since we left, we've been looking for places," Remarkable Theatre president Chris MacKenzie says, "and while there's some things maybe in the pipeline, we needed some places to use for maybe the next year or two." He adds it's good to find somewhere in Frankton, as it's central for many cast, and the particular room they're using has similar dimensions to the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall stage they'll perform on. As a bonus, as director T. Ryan Brennan pointed out to the cast last Sunday, the noise of planes overhead encourages them to project their voices better. MacKenzie says as a "thank you" they'll give some free tickets to St John personnel and invite them to attend the final dress rehearsal. Bookings for Take a Chance on Me, running from September 11 to 20, open via Humanitix tomorrow.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Major EastEnders couple torn apart by cheating confession in iPlayer twist
This article contains spoilers for tomorrow's episode of EastEnders, which airs Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on iPlayer. Elaine Knight (Harriet Thorpe) has confessed to cheating on husband George (Colin Salmon). The couple's ordeal all kicked off earlier this week, when his son Junior (Micah Balfour) revealed that, on Christmas night, George met up with ex-wife Sabrina. She'd attempted to kiss him, and when he rejected her she dealt a vicious slap. But despite that, George kept quiet about the encounter. Elaine felt that this was a huge betrayal, and ordered him out of the house. She subsequently caught him seeking support from his other ex-wife Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), and thought that he was continuing on a path of being unfaithful. Enraged, Elaine turned to her old pal Drew Peacock (Paul Clayton) for a shoulder to cry on, and he told her to find a man who would treat her like a queen. She was boosted by his words and allowed a Prince Albert punter to chat her up… and she returned home with him. Returning home in the dead of night, George was waiting. He told her that he was deeply sorry for his mistakes, and that he wanted to make amends. In the latest edition to drop online, Elaine woke up in a state. She was full of emotion, and knew that her marriage was over. Little did she realise, George was going the extra mile to make things right, and had asked Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) to get his hands on a karaoke machine so that he could make a huge public spectacle. Elaine stared out of the living room window as her husband belted out ABBA's Take a Chance on Me. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! She was clearly touched by the gesture, but rushed off. Daughter Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) found her hiding away in the barrel store, and urged her to come clean. If she didn't, it would consume her for the rest of her life. More Trending As the punters gathered outside for Kat Slater's (Jessie Wallace) wedding to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), Elaine called George to one side. She asserted that she was going to try her upmost to show how much she loves him, but wanted to confess her affair first. View More » What will George do? If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. MORE: Huge fears for EastEnders' Linda as Phil unleashes his rage on Elaine MORE: BBC EastEnders return spells trouble for major couple in early iPlayer release MORE: All 46 EastEnders pictures for next week as cheating crisis strikes
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Take a chance auditioning
Production manager Susan Moore, left, Remarkable Theatre past president Melanie Grindell and director Ryan Brennan studying the script for Take a Chance on Me. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Auditions for Queenstown's Remarkable Theatre's 2025 play, set in the unpredictable world of dating, are on this weekend. Described as "a laugh-out-loud comedy", Take a Chance on Me, by noted veteran Kiwi playwright Roger Hall, will run over eight performances during September at the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall. It follows six hopeful singles navigating the highs and lows of modern romance — primary school teacher Fleur, homemaker Lorraine, lawyer Eleanor, plumber Brian, pharmacist Tim and banker Dan who's just been made redundant. Also being cast are two main ensemble roles, male and female, who each play over a dozen characters. According to the audition pack most characters will be involved in scenes with elements of intimacy, but not nudity. This year's director's Ryan Brennan, who's had over a decade's experience in Hollywood as an assistant director for multi-camera sitcoms — he was in the adult ensemble of Showbiz Queenstown's musical School of Rock in 2022. Auditions, each around 15 minutes, take place at Te Atamira on Saturday between 10am and 6pm, with callbacks, if needed, on Sunday between 2 and 5pm. For further information or to book a time, visit
Metro
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
I experienced Abba Voyage's new show - here's what's different
Abba Voyage celebrated its third anniversary on Tuesday night, and I had the extreme delight of being there to celebrate. The widely acclaimed experience has been running for three years and appears to have been attended by everyone and their mums, and I don't mean figuratively, as the event has become a sweet mother-daughter event bringing together Abba fans of every generation. On Tuesday night, the Pudding Mill Lane arena opened its doors to press and celebrity fans for what can only be described as the best Tuesday night I may have ever had. Some major changes have been made, and while some fans might be sad to learn a song has been dropped from the original set list, they'll be delighted to learn the gig now includes four additional bangers. Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Money, Money, Money and Take a Chance on Me, some of Abba's most beloved hits are now included in the set list, scattered throughout the new lineup. Obviously, these songs are some of the band's most famous, and the addition has somehow made the already perfect and incredibly profitable show even more sublime. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Of course, the flawless production means that every song is unique and with frequent laser and light shows accompanying each song. These additional four hits are no different, with Supertrouper getting some of the loudest applause of the night, and the staging of each feeling fresh and exciting to keep audiences captivated. One change that won't please everybody is the removal of the hit song When All Is Said And Done. While it's a beautiful song and was very much a beloved part of the original lineup, I didn't feel like the show would have improved by keeping it in. The show felt well choreographed and while every fan might have a personal favourite song not in the line-up (for me it' could be's either If It Wasn't For The Nights or Slipping Through My Fingers) the set list is still ace, with a mix of some of the classics and some of the lesser-known hits. The additional songs also mean that the runtime is now 100 minutes rather than 90 minutes, which means fans are getting even more bang for their buck! At the beginning of the concert, I noticed fans taking snaps of people in a box, it was then later announced that the people were none other than former married couple, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad from Abba! At the end of the concert, Frida said to the concertgoers: 'Thank you for all of your support over the years. It's hard to imagine that's 50 years or more. I am turning 80 this year! I love you, thank you.' In a statement ahead of the concert, Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida said: 'When we first opened, we never imagined that we'd still be in London three years on. 'We're very grateful that so many of you have joined us. Of course, the reason for us being able to sustain our concert for so long is because of our incredible audience. As we say in Sweden… Vilken resa!' As a special post-concert treat for the third anniversary, Benny and Frida were joined by Elvis Costello and Guy Garvey for an intimate performance for invited guests. More Trending Guy sang The Winner Takes It All, while Elvis sang Knowing Me Knowing You, with Benny playing a grand piano for both acoustic performances. The audience, including celebrity guests Richard Osman, Rob Brydon, and Eleanor Tomlinson, all joined in at the chorus and listened in rapture as Benny, 78, commanded the complete attention of the room. While this obviously isn't going to be something that happens at every concert in the future, it was incredible to see the ageing popstars support their digital legacy and 'Abbatars' as they can see with their own eyes how much their catalogue of music continues to have an impact decades on. ABBA Voyage is available to book until January 2026. 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: Buffy The Vampire Slayer directly sparked 00s rock band's 'ridiculous' reunion MORE: Iconic actor leaves fans 'in tears' after surprise appearance at Scissor Sisters' London gig MORE: 'Gigs don't have to cost £400 – the next Taylor Swift could be down the road'
