Latest news with #TheBeatles
Metro
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Netflix viewers rush to watch 'astonishing' drama about beloved British icon
A three-episode drama about the British TV icon Cilla Black's rise to fame, starring Sheridan Smith, has smashed into the Netflix top 10. The synopsis for ITV series, Cilla, from 2014 – also featuring Aneurin Barnard and John Hanshaw – reads: 'Working as a typist, Cilla Black dreams of stardom – but when her voice garners attention, fame brings its own mix of triumphs and trials.' The show came out a year before the real-life singer and TV show host died in 2015 from a form of stroke known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Cilla was well known across the UK after starting her career as a singer – supported by The Beatles in the 60s. After topping the charts with hits like Anyone Who Had a Heart and You're My World, she pivoted to TV show hosting. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Most famously, she was the face of the long-running dating game show Blind Date from 1985 to 2003 and captivated audiences with her unique charm and onscreen personality. The show specifically portrays her early career and the life-changing impact of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein on the Liverpool native who was born Priscilla Maria Veronica White. The titular star is played by Sheridan herself, to rave reviews. 'Brilliant portrayal of Cilla by Sheridan Smith who also sings all the songs! Wow! The whole cast were fabulous. One not to be missed!,' Julia Hawkes wrote on Google reviews. 'Great performance by all and gives a great feel for the early 60's in Liverpool,' Helen McEntee echoed. 'Brilliant. Loved this series, Smith always smashes it,' Sarah Jane added. 'Its so so so so so good!! Sheridan Smith is astonishing, I genuinely forget I'm not watching Cilla herself!' Emma Hilts said. As well as receiving the seal of approval from Black herself, the praise was also echoed by critics at the time. 'Smith makes sense as Cilla because both women are talented performers whose lovable, down-to-earth personalities disguise an unswerving/hard-nosed ambition,' The Independent shared. 'Smith's rendition of Anyone Who Had a Heart, which closed last night's episode on a triumphant high, was if anything more impressive than Black's own recording, her voice darker, bluesier and better suited to contemporary tastes. It could easily be a hit in its own right,' The Telegraph reflected. Speaking about the experience bringing together this legend, Smith told The Mirror: 'This show is about Cilla and capturing the buzz of the Merseybeat era. There's never going to be a time like that again. More Trending 'I wish I was around in that era, but playing Cilla is the next best thing. She is an icon and I just hope I do her story justice.' The sitcom star reprised her role as Black to play her on stage in 2020 for Bill Kenwright's stage production Cilla The Musical. View More » Cilla is available to stream on Netflix now. 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: Stranger Things fans 'furious' after Netflix announces major news about season 5 release dates MORE: 7 best shows to binge if you're already missing Doctor Who after finale MORE: Netflix fans lap up new number 1 film based on shocking real-life murder
Forbes
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Beatles Set A Record 60 Years Ago, And It's Been Matched Once More
Morgan Wallen claims the top three spots on the Hot 100, matching a feat first managed by The ... More Beatles back in 1964. Drake, Taylor Swift, and others have also done so. UNITED KINGDOM - CIRCA 1964: Rock and roll band "The Beatles" pose for a portrait on the roof of the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth during their six night residency at the Gaumont Theatre, August 1963. (L-R) George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney. (Photo by Michael) The Beatles don't maintain the same kind of chart supremacy that welcomed the group when it arrived in America more than half a century ago. While the band does regularly return to Billboard's rankings, it's typically not with the same vigor, and occasionally only with one or two titles at most. The rock legends still see their name pop up in articles from time to time, as records they set and feats they managed back in the 1960s continue to stand as some of the most impressive of all time. Even though a number of those achievements have since been matched — or even bested — the fact that The Beatles are still mentioned alongside some of today's most powerful figures is a testament to the group's legacy. A record The Beatles set 60 years ago has now been replicated once more — this time by a musician focused on a genre that has never succeeded in this way before. Morgan Wallen dominates the Hot 100 this week with several tracks taken from his new album I'm the Problem, as the singer-songwriter claims the highest three spaces on the chart at the moment. He and Tate McRae debut their collaboration 'What I Want' at No. 1. That's followed by 'Just in Case,' the previous single from Wallen's full-length, which soars to a new peak of No. 2. At the same time, the focus track 'I'm the Problem' lifts from No. 6 to No. 3, after once peaking in the runner-up spot. Wallen is now just the sixth musician to occupy the highest three slots on the Hot 100 at one time. Many of the artists who have done so achieved the feat only in the past half-decade or so — and Wallen is the first country act to join this very exclusive club. One name does stick out, however, from the bunch. The Beatles accomplished this showing for the first time in 1964. The band filled at least the top three spots on the Hot 100 for five separate chart weeks that year. It would be more than half a century before another musical act would manage such a showing. Ariana Grande completed the trifecta in 2019 for just a single frame when her album Positions arrived, becoming the first star since The Beatles to do so. Both Taylor Swift and Drake have managed the feat on three occasions, with separate albums. Kendrick Lamar also became a member of this exclusive grouping just last year — and he managed to do so more than once.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
The Beatles concert that helped usher in a sports-rock connection forever
INDIANAPOLIS — It's something to see, really. It hangs as a permanent display in the Indiana Farmer's Coliseum about five miles north of downtown, and from a distance it looks like just another old gatefold from The Beatles' 1967 album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.' Walk closer and you see it's something else. It's the same image you see when you unfold that old vinyl masterpiece, but it's actually a work of art, designed by Corey Heimann, and it's actually a series of 2,368 solved Rubik's Cubes, whose colors make up the mosaic. Heimann designed it last September to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Sept. 3, 1964, the day The Beatles performed their only two concerts in Indianapolis, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. A total of 29,337 fans watched the two shows, and though The Beatles described the audience as 'relatively quiet,' George Harrison would recall a memorable stop in this city on the way to the airport.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
John Lennon's Scots holiday home won't have a plaque to say so after plans dropped
His worldwide fame as one of The Beatles means every town and city craves a connection to his legacy. However, plans to mark the Edinburgh home where John Lennon spent his childhood holidays have collapsed following a bitter fall out among officials. As a schoolboy Lennon regularly spent part of the summer holidays with his aunt and uncle at the two-storey property in the capital's upmarket Murrayfield area. He penned the Fab Four's song Rain while staying at the house and also returned to visit at the height of Beatlemania. To mark the connection, a commemorative sign was proposed by Pete Gregson of the Murrayfield Community Council (MCC), which initially backed the project in 2023. Just weeks later Mr Gregson was asked to resign by fellow councillors after they took exception to comments they claimed he wrote online about the 'situation in Gaza'. Minutes from subsequent meetings show the issue was resolved, with Mr Gregson continuing to be on the community council until choosing to leave this year. However, in the wake of his departure, the plaque proposal has now been officially dropped. MCC secretary Hamish Ross said: 'A new Community Council was formed following the 2025 election cycle. 'Local plaques are not on the agenda at the moment and the leading light behind this particular one stood down at the elections.' Lennon's aunt Elizabeth – known to her family as 'Mater' – was the sister of his mother Julia, and lived at 15 Ormidale Terrace with her son Stan Parkes and her second husband Robert Sutherland. The proposed wording on the plaque read: 'John Lennon visited Ormidale Terrace regularly until the age of 17 in 1957 to visit his aunt and cousin; he often performed for the family on his aunt's piano. 'The cupboard under the stairs was where he penned The Beatles ' song Rain, the 1966 B-side to Paperback Writer. His long summers here ranked among his happiest childhood memories, describing Edinburgh as one of his favourite cities, enjoying the Festival, the Tattoo and the rugby at Murrayfield. 'He even brought Yoko Ono here in 1969.' Marlene Wood, 62, the current owner of the £1 million townhouse, said some people liked the idea of the plaque 'but others definitely opposed it'. She said: 'We already get people ringing the doorbell to ask for a look around. 'I think some neighbours were worried the street would become a tourist attraction. The taxi drivers know the house, so I see them slowing down and people staring out.' In a letter written in 1978 to his cousin Stan, two years before Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment, he expressed his regret at the house being sold by the family. He wrote: 'I would have bought 15 Ormidale. Wish, wish, wish.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Which galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way? The Saturday quiz
1 Who opened a Fossil Depot in Lyme Regis in 1826?2 Which galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way?3 Which creatures make up a fifth of all mammal species?4 Which sci-fi writer was the first person in Europe to buy a Mac computer?5 What machine gun was named after a Czech city and London suburb?6 At 410 miles, what is the UK's longest road?7 Which band did Quincy Jones call 'the worst musicians in the world'?8 Notker the Stammerer was an early biographer of which emperor?What links: 9 Derwent, Derbyshire in 1944; Capel Celyn, Gwynedd in 1965?10 Observatory Circle resident; reclusive New Hampshire author; Tim Martin's pubs; Wardle and Makin's shops?11 Mijaín López (5); Vincent Hancock, Katie Ledecky, Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps (4)?12 Cassandra in Troy; Martha Mitchell in Washington DC?13 Annoy; computer glitch; minor illness; small insect; spying device?14 Behind the Candelabra; Green Book, Impromptu; Ray; Rocketman; Shine?15 French butterfly; German chess knight; H2O; Pulp singer; Restoration monarch? 1 Mary Anning.2 Andromeda (in about 4.5bn years).3 Bats.4 Douglas Adams (Stephen Fry was the second).5 Bren gun (Brno and Enfield).6 A1.7 The Beatles.8 Charlemagne.9 Villages 'drowned' to create reservoirs.10 JD: JD Vance; JD Salinger; JD Wetherspoon; JD Sports.11 Consecutive golds by modern Olympians in one event: Greco-Roman wrestling; skeet; 800m freestyle; long jump and 200m medley.12 Warnings/prophecies not believed: Trojan priestess in Greek myth; Watergate conspiracy.13 Various definitions of bug.14 Films about pianists: Liberace; Don Shirley; Chopin; Ray Charles; Elton John; David Helfgott.15 Types of spaniel: Papillon; Springer; Water; (Jarvis) Cocker; King Charles (II).
