Latest news with #TheSpiceGirls
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Christian Horner fired: What led to Red Bull Formula 1 team principal's exit
Christian Horner is out as the CEO team principal for the Oracle Red Bull Formula 1 team, ending a 20-year run that featured eight drivers' titles and six constructors titles on the international racing circuit. Red Bull announced the move Wednesday, firing Horner abruptly and appointing Laurent Mekies as the new CEO of Red Bull Racing. Mekies had been serving as the team principal of Red Bull's F1 sister team, the Racing Bulls, this season. The decision comes at a fraught time for the Red Bull F1 team after Horner and four-time defending Formula 1 drivers' champion Max Verstappen again fielded questions last week concerning Verstappen's future. Verstappen, who currently sits in third place in the drivers' standings behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren, is being pursued by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff ahead of the 2026 season. Horner called the speculation about Verstappen "a lot of noise," and Verstappen declined to comment on the situation. Verstappen's contract with Red Bull runs through 2028 but it includes an exit clause after this season if Red Bull were to be below third place in the Formula 1 constructors' standings heading into the circuit's summer break, according to ESPN. Red Bull currently sits in fourth place in the constructors' title race, trailing McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes with just two races left until the summer break. Horner, 51, had been the team principal of Red Bull racing since it began fielding a Formula 1 team in 2005. He is married to Geri Halliwell from The Spice Girls, but became a celebrity figure in his own right through Netflix's "Drive to Survive" F1 docuseries in recent years. Horner's rivalry with Wolff and Mercedes was an ongoing focus of the show. Over the past 18 months, Red Bull has also lost car design expert Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley to Sauber Motorsport. Though Verstappen won the drivers' championship for the fourth year in a row in 2024, Red Bull finished in third place behind McLaren and Ferrari. Horner's contract with Red Bull was not set to expire until 2030, according to Reuters. "We would like to thank Christian Horner for his exceptional work over the last 20 years," Red Bull CEO of corporate projects and investments Oliver Mintzlaff said in a statement. "With his tireless commitment, experience, expertise and innovative thinking, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull Racing as one of the most successful and attractive teams in Formula 1. Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history."
Scottish Sun
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I wrote music for iconic BBC show – I was inspired by Spice Girls classic
'There's a scene where you've a woman trying to assemble a pharaoh from body parts, which is a particularly ghoulish thing' SPICE OF LIFE I wrote music for iconic BBC show – I was inspired by Spice Girls classic Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE composer behind Horrible Histories hilarious songs has revealed how he was influenced by the Spice Girls hit 2 Become 1 for a scene where an Egyptian mummy is stitched back together. Matthew Scott has been tasked with putting together the music for the successful stage spin-offs of the popular CBBC series which brings history to life for children through our gory past. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 The Spice Girls at the height of their fame in the 90s. 4 The Awful Egyptians stage show comes to Glasgow in July. 4 Kids love the gore of Horrible Histories including in The Awful Egyptians. And for The Awful Egyptians, which comes to Glasgow's Theatre Royal this month, he admits he did a parody of The Spice Girls 1996 Christmas chart topper. Matthew, 68, from Slough, Berks, says: 'There's a scene where you've a woman trying to assemble a pharaoh from body parts, which is a particularly ghoulish thing. 'That's when I remembered The Spice Girls had a song called 2 Become 1 - so it's a parody on that. 'But the whole idea is you're trying to make the music as fun and attractive as you can for the irony to work.' Author Terry Deary began the series with The Terrible Tudors - which also comes to Glasgow in July - followed by The Awful Egyptians in 1993. His titles continued to describe British history throughout the centuries along with worldwide cultures including the Vikings and Romans. They were adapted for the Beeb's children's channel CBBC in 2009 and featured actors including Simon Farnaby, Jim Howick and Martha Howe-Douglas who went on to star in the hit BBC sitcom Ghosts. But Matthew reckons the best bit of his job is hearing children's recitals of his show stoppers. He says: 'The biggest buzz I have to tell you, is hearing a group of kids singing any of the songs. 'I was on the bus after a show once while a group of kids were singing, 'Henry VIII was a Big Fat Man' at the back. 'I was desperate to introduce myself, but thought better of it so just sat at the back and enjoyed this wonderful moment.' He adds: 'Ideally you are trying to create something that's memorable. It's a lot of fun but quite hard work too because you've got to get quite a lot of information across in each one of these songs. 'But yes I do enjoy doing parodies of pop songs because composing can be a serious business.' *Horrible Histories: The Terrible Tudors and The Awful Egyptians will be at Glasgow's Theatre Royal from July 10 - 12. For more information visit:
Metro
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
David Beckham shares touching Father's Day post among Brooklyn fallout rumours
Sir David Beckham has shared a message of support to his children on Father's Day, including Brooklyn Beckham, as the rift rumours continue. The former England footballer, 50, has had a jubilant week after he was awarded a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours – and now he's celebrating his love for his family again as the UK marks Father's Day. Sir David and Victoria Beckham share four children – Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20 and daughter Harper, 13. In a new post on Instagram, Sir David wrote: 'My most important & favourite job in life is being a dad… I'm so proud of all of you and like daddy ( sorry boys ) tells you every single day I will always be here for you no matter what… 'Mummy thank you for doing the most important part and making me a father. There is no greater gift in life than making me a dad… Happy Father's Day… I love you kiddies more than you could imagine,' he wrote. This was posted alongside 11 photos of his children, with a snap of him with each child, a few group photos from their childhood, a picture with his own father and one of Posh Spice pregnant. In the comments, Cruz replied: 'You mean the world to us and inspire us every single day dad I love you.' Romeo added: 'Love you always.' Brooklyn has not said anything, as was the case with the news of Sir David's knighthood. Over on Victoria's Instagram, she wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to the best daddy there is! You always lead with love and our four beautiful children are a reflection of that. We all love you so so much!!'. Once more including a range of family photos from across the years from glamorous events to childhood memories – and both posts tagging their eldest son. It comes days after The Spice Girls star posted congratulating Sir David on his knighthood, to which he replied in the comments: 'I love you all,' once again tagging Brooklyn. Speculation of a feud between the parents and their son and his wife Nicola has been brewing since the young couple were notably absent from Sir David's big 50th birthday bash. None of them has publicly addressed the presumed frostiness between the four of them but in a recent post, Brooklyn doubled down on his commitment to his wife. 'My whole world x I will love you forever x I always choose you baby x you're the most amazing person i know xx me and you forever baby,' he wrote in a post on social media. A source close to Victoria told Metro she was 'heartbroken'. More Trending 'Victoria is upset that things have escalated to this point. Brooklyn has made his position clear in his recent post and that has left both herself and David heartbroken,' the insider explained. Meanwhile, a source close to Brooklyn added: 'It's sad that a simple statement of love and appreciation for his wife is being manipulated into something that it isn't.' Keen-eyed fans have also noted that a tattoo dedicated to his mum seemed to have been covered up with a sketch of Nicola's bouquet from their wedding day. 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: AliExpress to stock Pop Mart's viral Labubu's ahead of unmissable sale MORE: Iconic moments that definitely scored David Beckham his knighthood MORE: David Beckham 'will finally receive' a knighthood after being snubbed for years
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Geri Halliwell-Horner poses at Edinburgh Castle - six years after near-identical image
At first glance you might think these photos had been taken on the same day. However, they were actually six years apart as Geri Halliwell-Horner created a near identical photo during a visit to Scotland. The 52-year-old singer - better known as Ginger Spice during her time in The Spice Girls - posted a photo taken at Edinburgh Castle ahead of a book signing in the city. In the photo, she could be seen posing next to a bagpiper, decked out in a kilt at the castle. The moment came ahead of a book signing in Edinburgh and, later in the day, St Andrews, in Fife, to promote her latest book Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire. The singer had posted a video on social media ahead of her visit to Scotland on Saturday. Alongside it, she wrote: 'I can't wait to see you all in Edinburgh for my last stop on this amazing book tour for Rosie Frost Ice on Fire. 'Thank you to everyone's love and support on the book and look forward to seeing you at Topping St Andrews.' Sharing the latest photo at the castle, she wrote: 'When in Scotland...'. In a video, filmed outside the castle and posted on social media, Halliwell-Horner stood next to the kilt-clad piper, leaning on his shoulder. Addressing the camera, she said: 'Here we are in my favourite place - Edinburgh, Scotland, on the final day of the Rosie Frost tour. As she continued, she said the book stood for 'courage, power and' before the kilt-clad man ended the sentence, shouting: 'Freedom.' The video then continues with the bagpiper explaining to the singer that he is from Glasgow, adding: 'But everyone thinks I'm English.' She could also be seen introducing the piper at her book signing, referring to him as 'James 1st' in a nod to King James, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. During the event, Halliwell-Horner said: 'Scotland has such a special place in my heart. 'Every time I've come here the reception has been just charged and amazing. It fills me with energy. 'I met a chap earlier today and I thought 'He's wonderful' and so, hey, you have James 1st, King James 1st, came after Queen Elizabeth 1st, which is quite apt and I thought 'Well, let's celebrate that.' She then turns to the interviewer on stage, asking: 'Shall we let him in? Let's let him in. His name is James.' The musician then came in playing Scotland the Brave. Horner captioned the video, writing: 'Just a regular day in Scotland with our very own James 1st.' Halliwell-Horner posed for an unmistakably similar photo outside Edinburgh Castle in 2019 ahead of the Spice Girls gig in the Scottish Capital that year. As with the latest photo, she wore a tartan skirt in muted tones along with a white, turtleneck top. She had captioned the 2019 photo writing the world Edinburgh along with a loveheart emoji. The visit to Scotland comes after Halliwell-Horner left This Morning viewers baffled when she showed off not one, but three different accents during an appearance to promote her new book. The new book - which retails from £7.99 - is the second in a trilogy that began with the 2023 bestseller Rosie Frost And The Falcon Queen. Revealing what the book is about, she told hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond: 'Rosie Frost, she is set in present day, she's orphaned, but this is un-airbrushed orphan grieving and she's sent to an island. 'The island is a bit like Jurassic Park but for endangered animals at a school built by Queen Elizabeth I. 'She's sent there, they are all descendants of Tudors. So if you like history it's all in there. 'It's then a page-turning action adventure, and she has to find the courage to face up to bullies. 'It's the second book and she finds out her mother was murdered and wants revenge. And there's a little bit of love in there as well.' When asked if she would ever want to play the characters she has written, the noughties star replied: 'I thought I would want to play a teacher if it became a film. I do the accents for the audio book. 'You haven't got a Brummy in there, but I do some accents.' 'What accents do you do?' Alison asked, before Halliwell-Horner said: 'I had an acting accent coach there.' She then switched into a Southern American accent as she described one of the characters. 'She's like 'oh my God Alison, you got to be out of your mind'.' She then put on an Irish accent as she said: 'Then we got a Dermot, he's kind of just Dermot, 'what are you talking about?'' Finally, the singer changed into a French accent. 'Then we have Madame Lure, 'you're just so elegant. I'm so proud of you',' she said. She also recently revealed that the film adaptation of her first Rosie Frost book could be on-screen by 2027 - confirming that the 'biggest producer in Hollywood' has the rights to the series. She said: 'We're looking at the writer now to make the scripts…I get to help choose Rosie, and they're including me and they are just amazing people.'
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How The Face magazine turned style into an art form
A dizzying barrage of video images of late 20th-century Britain opens this celebration of one of the most influential and controversial publications of the age: The Face . Margaret Thatcher, Boy George, The Spice Girls, Oasis, Damien Hirst, you name them, are all there in Culture Shift , all set to a gleefully tacky synth-pop soundtrack that takes us straight to the moment of the magazine's launch at the dawn of the Eighties. That most scorned of decades is suddenly everywhere in art. And if Tate Britain's exhibition The 80s: Photographing Britain wants to rub our noses in the grim and gritty side of the Thatcher era, this show wants to put a big celebratory smile on our faces when we're barely through the door. And in the early stages of the exhibition, at least, it's almost impossible not to succumb. Say what you like about the UK's original music, fashion and culture magazine – and it's had many detractors – it defined the brash, high gloss, unashamedly aspirational aesthetic of the early boom-and-bust era. And before just about anyone, likely even Margaret Thatcher herself, had realised there was going to be a boom-and-bust era. Founded by former NME editor Nick Logan, The Face launched as a glossy music-centred lifestyle magazine, a sort of Vogue from the street, an idea that seemed almost unimaginable at the time. Where 'rock photography' had previously been defined by gritty documentary reportage, invariably black and white, Logan put an emphasis on colour and sumptuous large format photography. This shift in production values brought about an immediate sea change in pop image-making, judging by the stunning, and hugely evocative images in the first room. Adam Ant looks positively Pre-Raphaelite clutching a rose in a 1980 image by Jill Furmanovsky. A very young Boy George looking like he's barely holding it together is captured by Derek Ridgers, while John Lydon glowers manically in a tartan suit for Sheila Rock. If Lydon had famously sneered at Sid Vicious, 'you're not a fashion model when you're a Sex Pistol', The Face effectively turned all its subjects into models, even before its shift from a glammed-up music mag to a principally fashion-focused publication. Sade on the cover of 'The Face' in 1984, as photographed by Jamie Morgan (Jamie Morgan) In 1983, Logan introduced a new wave of fashion photographers, including Robert Erdman, Mario Testino and Jamie Morgan, used to working with stylists who turned mere images into 'narratives'. 'Buffalo style', devised by Morgan and stylist Ray Petri, from a Jamaican term for 'attitude', introduced a new kind of hyper-masculine homoeroticism, with well-muscled models – both Black and white – standing foursquare to the camera in leather skirts, kilts and the shortest of shorts. The best way of promoting Black and gay emancipation, such images implied, was by demonstrating it was already happening. While The Face aimed to respond to – and lead – what was happening on the Street, the effect, from Eddie Monsoon's ecstatically zinging Neneh Cherry (1988) to Janette Beckman's wonderful snap of Run-DMC on their home street in Queens, was like looking in on some endless über-cool party. And if you felt you weren't invited, it was because you weren't working hard enough on your 'style', that great Eighties buzzword that The Face did so much to popularise. The images in the second part of the show, on the 1990s, are generally even bigger and more technically ambitious, but feel less extraordinary, perhaps because the rest of the world had caught up with The Face 's distinctive hyper style. Kurt Cobain in a dress and Beckham's six-pack dripping blood don't feel as edgy as they're intended to be. Corinne Day's England's Dreaming depicts a young woman in tight black vinyl trousers sprawled on a sofa surrounded by fag butts, tea cups and beer cans. The shot represents a Face -pioneered trend in anti-fashion photography – sometimes dubbed 'heroin chic' – yet it is still patently a fashion photograph. The arrival of digital photography around the mid-Nineties made everything possible but left the viewer feeling that nothing was that surprising. Inez & Vinoodh's For Your Pleasure (1994), which photoshops one of the duo's quirkily provocative fashion tableaux onto an existing slide of a rocket launch is without doubt technically remarkable. Yet while the wall texts describe it as 'surreal and ambiguous', it lacks the bite and edge of real Surrealism. 'Girls on Bikes (Sarf Coastin')' by Elaine Constantine from December 1997, as featured in 'The Face: Culture Shift' (Elaine Constantine) There's barely an image here that isn't brilliant on its own terms. The level of visual invention is stunning, yet the relentless pursuit of page-turning wow factor becomes monotonous. The Face set out to emancipate the reader by reviving the Sixties Mod idea of 'the face', the working class guy who is better dressed and infinitely more stylish than the city gent. Yet by identifying itself so closely with the self-regarding world of fashion, it didn't shift the culture quite as much as it could or should have done. The Face shrank from being too closely associated with the early 21st-century convergence of instant celebrities and supermodels – arguably putting itself out of business in the process. Yet its Eighties ideal of classless aspiration enabled a new kind of everyday mega-personality, typified by the Beckhams, Naomi Campbell and Harry Styles, all of whom feature in the exhibition. And at the end of the day, however much The Face tried to convince us we could all achieve street-level stardom by taking on 'style', they're all actual superstars, while the rest of us are still in the proverbial gutter, however much cool stuff we buy. 'The Face: Culture Shift' is at the National Portrait Gallery from 20 February until 18 May
