Latest news with #TheBestofthe
NZ Herald
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Comedian Bill Bailey returns to Rotorua with new show Vaudevillean
'Bill Bailey returns with a show that celebrates this great tradition, as the versatile multi-instrumental, multi-lingual, purveyor of humour and musical prowess, who could lay claim to being perhaps the foremost practitioner of this great tradition, an entertainer, a performer, a modern Vaudevillian,' the statement said. In 2023 Bailey brought his show Thoughtifier to New Zealand which included stops in Rotorua and Tauranga. Bailey plays at Rotorua's Sir Howard Morrison Centre on November 21 and tickets are on sale now. Bill Bailey. Photo / Supplied He was one of a growing list of top touring international comedians visiting the centre since it reopened in 2023 after five years closed for significant renovations. UK comedian Sarah Millican's performance in January sold out within weeks of going on sale. Ben Elton, also from the UK, performed in April and Australian Heath 'Chopper Read' Franklin visited in May. Other upcoming comedy shows at the venue included two more UK performers - comedy hypnotist Frankie Mac performs on July 25 and Jimmy Carr's Laughs Funny tour will visit in January. Music fans would also be well served, with The Best of the Bee Gees yesterday becoming the latest tribute act to announce a Rotorua show. A media release said the Australian act would bring their two-act Greatest Hits and Saturday Night Fever Show performance to the Sir Howard Morrison Centre on August 12. The North Island tour is the first time visiting New Zealand for the group, which has been performing for 26 years. Other tribute acts visiting Rotorua this year include Creedence Clearwater Collective, Dancing in the Shadows of Motown, The Fleetwood Mac Experience, Queen: It's a Kind of Magic, Tina: The Ultimate Tribute To The Queen of Rock 'N' Roll, and Taylor: A Tribute to the Eras of Taylor Swift.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Voice Is Still Great': ‘80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice
'Voice Is Still Great': '80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice originally appeared on Parade. Holly Johnson, the campy, over-the-top lead singer of the iconic 1980s pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, has still got it. The 65-year-old showman put his unmistakable vocals on full display during a recent performance at London's Royal Albert Hall, leaving fans in awe of his timeless voice. And judging by Johnson's on-stage attire, the singer hasn't lost his flair for drama a video shared to social media, Johnson can be seen taking the stage in an oversized, sparkling black coat paired with a black leather crown. As he belts out the band's 1984 hit The Power of Love from their Welcome to the Pleasuredome album, it's clear his distinctive, rich baritone still hits all the right notes. Johnson has never sounded better—and Frankie Goes to Hollywood fans took note. Compliments came in fast. One fan wrote, 'He's still got that voice—strong as ever,' while another shared, 'Love his voice!' Yet another wrote, "It's good how his voice is Still Great."Fans also had something to say about Johnson's dramatic attire. One wrote, 'Love the coat,' while another summed up the performance perfectly: 'Only a few singers in 2025 sing like they did in the '80s—Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), and Jim Kerr (Simple Minds).' Alexa, play The Best of the '80s playlist, please. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 'Voice Is Still Great': '80s Icon, 65, Dazzles Crowd With Timeless Voice first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Country diary: Divers, porpoises and otters – this is a kinetic wildlife spot
I'm two weeks into a trip to Luing – pronounced 'Ling' – in the Firth of Lorn in Argyll and Bute. From my 'office' on a slate beach of the best skimmers in the world, I've witnessed beautiful sunsets, wild storms, snow and horizontal rain. Beneath me are thousands of sea-worn slates of all sizes, spoil from the long-gone mines of this Slate Isles archipelago. The Vikings used these waters long before the merchantmen and navy vessels, and there are still a few lobster men plying their trade here. I first landed in 1971 and have regularly seen porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales and, on occasion, basking sharks, but no trip here is complete without otters. This time, the first ones surfaced during the two-minute ferry across Cuan Sound, soon followed by two more enjoying the flume ride along a spring water runnel, a 'sheugh', towards the open sea. Amid the splashing and spluttering as they blew across the surface of the water like kids in a bath, they drew me on through a lush flush of wild watercress which I collected to later make soup with. They led me to the remains of an earlier catch being cleaned up by gulls, with a white‑tailed sea eagle watching on. The big bird looked a bit tatty in her winter weeds and headed off for the dark and jagged Belnahua, another of the Slate Isles. I spotted an increasingly rare great northern diver sailing offshore, body slung low in the water. These are winter visitors to the UK, favouring shallow coastal areas for the ready supply of fish, squid, crustaceans and molluscs. Occasionally nesting in Scotland, they breed in Iceland, Greenland and the other side of the Atlantic where they are known as loons, famously seen and heard in the film On Golden Pond. The bird ducked its head under the surface then propelled itself down with its powerful webbed feet. The wings are then used for further propulsion. Diving to depths of up to 60m, they can stay submerged for three minutes and usually swallow the fish before surfacing. It is fun, if futile, to predict when and where the diver will emerge. With its jewel-like red eyes, my diver, like the white-tail, was a little scruffy, as it was morphing into its remarkable black and white chequered summer plumage, like the kinetic paintings of Bridget Riley. • Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- The Guardian
Country diary: Divers, porpoises and otters – this is a kinetic wildlife spot
I'm two weeks into a trip to Luing – pronounced 'Ling' – in the Firth of Lorn in Argyll and Bute. From my 'office' on a slate beach of the best skimmers in the world, I've witnessed beautiful sunsets, wild storms, snow and horizontal rain. Beneath me are thousands of sea-worn slates of all sizes, spoil from the long-gone mines of this Slate Isles archipelago. The Vikings used these waters long before the merchantmen and navy vessels, and there are still a few lobster men plying their trade here. I first landed in 1971 and have regularly seen porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales and, on occasion, basking sharks, but no trip here is complete without otters. This time, the first ones surfaced during the two-minute ferry across Cuan Sound, soon followed by two more enjoying the flume ride along a spring water runnel, a 'sheugh', towards the open sea. Amid the splashing and spluttering as they blew across the surface of the water like kids in a bath, they drew me on through a lush flush of wild watercress which I collected to later make soup with. They led me to the remains of an earlier catch being cleaned up by gulls, with a white‑tailed sea eagle watching on. The big bird looked a bit tatty in her winter weeds and headed off for the dark and jagged Belnahua, another of the Slate Isles. I spotted an increasingly rare great northern diver sailing offshore, body slung low in the water. These are winter visitors to the UK, favouring shallow coastal areas for the ready supply of fish, squid, crustaceans and molluscs. Occasionally nesting in Scotland, they breed in Iceland, Greenland and the other side of the Atlantic where they are known as loons, famously seen and heard in the film On Golden Pond. The bird ducked its head under the surface then propelled itself down with its powerful webbed feet. The wings are then used for further propulsion. Diving to depths of up to 60m, they can stay submerged for three minutes and usually swallow the fish before surfacing. It is fun, if futile, to predict when and where the diver will emerge. With its jewel-like red eyes, my diver, like the white-tail, was a little scruffy, as it was morphing into its remarkable black and white chequered summer plumage, like the kinetic paintings of Bridget Riley. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
