Latest news with #Voyage
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mel B celebrates 50th birthday party without Victoria Beckham and Geri Horner
The Spice Girls reunited to celebrate Mel B's 50th birthday in a leopard-themed bash over the weekend, however rumours swirled after some of the band's members didn't turn up. The pop singer and women's activist also known as Scary Spice held the event at Habbibi, a bar in Leeds city centre on Saturday (31 May). Attendees were instructed to wear leopard print in ode to her characteristic style throughout her career. Among the guests at the party were her fiancé Rory McPhee, sister Danielle Brown, and comedian Leigh Francis, commonly known by his alter-ego Keith Lemon. Of her former band mates, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and Sporty Spice Mel C were also in attendance. Bunton wore a long-sleeved leopard-print minidress, attending with her partner Jade Jones who wore a patterned shirt. Mel C wore a sports-themed take with a leopard-print dress and trainers. But Geri Horner and Victoria Beckham were notably absent from the celebrations. Insiders said Beckham had prior work commitments and that Horner had declined the invitation, according to The Sun. The Independent has contacted representatives for both for comment. However, the singers did share heartfelt messages to their bandmate on social media. Horner shared a throwback photo from the heyday of their career in the Nineties, writing: 'Happy 50th birthday Mel B, wishing you a very wonderful year ahead.' Meanwhile, Beckham shared a picture of the pair in Tokyo, Japan in 1998, writing: 'Happy birthday Mel B!! Kisses xx.' The missing singers did not go without notice as fans commented: 'PITY not seeing Victoria and Geri there. They were probably 'BUSY' with their duties.' 'The way Mel B celebrates all her Spices but two of them never celebrate her is sad,' speculated another. 'Her, Emma and Mel C deserve better than those other two.' The five members of the group have not performed together since the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, with a 2019 reunion going ahead without Beckham. However, all five members attended Beckham's 50th birthday last year. But Horner told The Sunday Times in March that 'there will be something' with all five members involved in the future. 'My hope is we come back together as a collective,' she said. 'It's more respectful to come as one. We'll come as one.' Despite rumours of a personal falling out with Mel B, Horner said all five Spice Girls are in a group chat. Rumours have also circulated that the group are planning on launching a gig as avatars, akin to ABBA's Voyage.
Cosmopolitan
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Sabrina Carpenter Could Star in ‘Mamma Mia 3'
It's been seven years since Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again hit theaters, and you know what that means. It's time to 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!' another Mamma Mia movie. (Sorry, I can't help myself.) And according to a new report, I'm not the only one who thinks so. The outlet reported that not only are the powers that be working on a third film, they've got their eyes on Sabrina Carpenter to star in Mamma Mia 3. To be clear, there are no immediate plans for production on Mamma Mia 3. But the film is in development. But according to producer Judy Craymer, the creative team behind the Mamma Mia films have a script in place and are prepared to bring the whole gang back together—even Meryl Streep, whose character was sadly killed off in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. 'We know what we want to do with the movie, and it will happen,' Judy told Deadline in a new interview. 'And I mean, we brought together an amazing group of movie stars that were all connected through it and huge friendships evolved.' And who better to join the all-star cast than Sabrina? As a singer and actor, there's no question that Sabrina is qualified to star in a movie musical, but as an ABBA fan, she's specifically well-suited for the Mamma Mia franchise. Over the years, Sabrina has consistently cited ABBA as one of her musical inspirations. She's covered ABBA songs on tour (including the titular 'Mamma Mia'), used ABBA's Voyage concert as costume inspo, and even named her two cats after founding ABBA members Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus. As for what role Sabrina would play in Mamma Mia 3, Judy has some ideas, telling Deadline that the singer could 'be a goddess or some relation who would look very much like Meryl Streep.' Perhaps she could be a distant cousin of Amanda Seyfried's Sophie, or, if Mamma Mia 3 features a big enough time jump, she could play Sophie's daughter. Amanda herself gave that last idea the green light during an appearance on ABC, saying, 'If Sabrina Carpenter wants to play my daughter, I'll make it happen.' Sounds like a plan to me!
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE ABBA icons and former couple Frida Lyngstad, 79, and Benny Andersson, 78, send fans wild as they make heartfelt speech during surprise appearance at band's Voyage show in London to celebrate third anniversary
ABBA icons Frida Lyngstad and Benny Andersson made a surprise appearance at the band's Voyage show in London on Tuesday evening. The Swedish stars, who were married from 1978 to 1981, were showered with applause as they made impromptu speeches ahead of their avatar doppelgängers taking to the stage. Frida, 79, stunned in a chic cream ensemble as she joined pianist Benny, 78, who opted for a snazzy printed blazer, in the balcony, former bandmates Agnetha Fältskog, 75, Björn Ulvaeus, 80, who were also previously married were not present. Speaking to the audience she said: 'I love you very much, thank you for all your support over the years, it's hard to imagine it's nearly 50 years ago'. Before declaring: 'I'm turning 80 this year' to wild cheers from the audience as she signed off: 'I love you thank you'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Taking the microphone Benny then pretended to tell a rude joke, quipping: 'Two men walk into a bar' as Frida collapsed into giggles. Although they got together before ABBA officially formed staying together during the band's success was hard and eventually the band broke up due to divorce. Frida and Benny first met in 1969 and were living together, before getting married in 1978 right at the heart of ABBA's international fame. Two years later, in 1980, they broke up and divorced the following year. An Expressen interview in 1981, Benny said: 'I don't know how other people deal with things like this. 'Frida and I are still friends and I'm still a member of ABBA. We are still good friends, but we are not married anymore. 'We discussed what was going to remain in the group in spite of all we have been through. We decided to stay together for the sake of the music.' Frida said: 'Now that Benny and I have broken up, we are able to work much better together. Our relationship is not as intense as it was, but we are still in contact. Speaking about their split Frida said: 'We have always been very honest about relationships and after long and hard talks we decided to go our separate ways' (pictured 1974) Former bandmates Agnetha Fältskog (L) Björn Ulvaeus (Far left) who were also previously married were not present (ABBA pictured at the show's opening in 2022) 'We have chosen to be completely honest with each other. We have always been very honest about relationships and after long and hard talks we decided to go our separate ways. 'We simply grew out of each other. It came down to our different goals in life. We have always been honest and talked about everything. We talked and talked and finally, we agreed that a divorce would be the best solution. 'There was a lot of tears and a lot of discussions. But there was no way back. Breaking up became a necessity.' And so it seemed the band had to break up too. ABBA Voyage, launched in 2022, has holographic avatars of the band singing crowd favourites such as Dancing Queen and Waterloo. And the recreation of music legends is likely to be a huge hit with fans and the economy. The positive financial impact of the Swedish hit-makers' new venture in London has been revealed in a new report. The four-piece band are represented as digital avatars in the popular attraction at Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Park in east London, previously home of the London 2012 Olympics. And ABBA are evidently making 'money, money, money', to quote one of their hits, according to the new study. ABBA's hologram showed ABBA Voyage has pumped £322million into the British economy - with more than a million tickets bought at up to £181.50 each.
Pink Villa
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Who Was Michael Tretow? All About Legendary Music Producer Behind ABBA's Greatest Hits Amid His Death At 80
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of an individual's death. Michael Tretow, the man behind many of ABBA's greatest hits, has passed away at the age of 80, as confirmed by his family. ABBA's trailblazing sound engineer was the mastermind of the legendary band's unique studio sound. Tretow's family informed the news of his demise to Swedish publication Aftonbladet, who asked for respect of their privacy and will not report the circumstances of his death. Born in Sweden, Bo Michael Tretow started making music and recording experiments during his teenage years. His career took off when he became a sound engineer at Metronome Studio in Stockholm. There, he met Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, a chance encounter that would go on to influence the course of pop history. Tretow became a crucial element in the ascension of ABBA to international stardom. Dubbed by fans and colleagues as the "fifth member" of the band, he was responsible for developing the group's iconic Wall of Sound aesthetic, with dense layering and melodic complexity. His engineering skills were involved in all of ABBA's albums, aside from their 2021 album, Voyage. Benny Andersson paid Tretow the ultimate compliment by describing him as "a fantastic inspirer and joy-maker," while Anni-Frid Lyngstad highlighted that he would always be a part of the ABBA sound. Agnetha Fältskog remembered last visiting Tretow before his death, commenting that even in sickness, his sense of humor and spirit were still intact. Aside from his contributions to ABBA, Michael Tretow had a successful solo career as a musician and contributed his skills to numerous film and advertisement soundtracks. He is survived by his wife and son.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
ABBA lead tributes to the man who shaped their signature sound
ABBA have led tributes to their sound engineer, Michael B. Tretow, who has died aged 80. News of the Swedish record producer's passing was confirmed to the Swedish publication Aftonbladet. ABBA's manager Görel Hanser confirmed the sad news. No cause of death is known at this time. After being chosen by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson to be their sound engineer in 1970, Michael worked on all of the 'Waterloo' hitmakers' albums except for 2021's 'Voyage'. In a touching tribute, Benny Andersson told the outlet: "You meant more to us four in ABBA than anyone else. 'I hope and believe that you felt it throughout all the years that have passed since we worked (and continuously laughed) in the studio. 'Our music lives on, it seems, and you are the one who made it timeless. You were a fantastic inspirer and joy-maker, and the finest sound engineer the world has ever seen. 'I miss you. And I've saved all your coconuts!' Björn Ulvaeus said the way he shaped the Eurovision-winning band's sound 'cannot be overestimated'. Anni-Frid Lyngstad said: 'No one fit the bill as well as you. 'For us, you are forever part of the ABBA sound and you will never be forgotten.' Fourth band member, Agnetha Fältskog, recalled spending time with Michael just recently. She reflected: 'So glad I got to spend some time with you a few weeks ago… You were so sick, but your laughter and humour were still there. 'So many memories are preserved, your encouraging words during the recordings meant so much. We are sad now, a talented and unique person has left us. Sleep well Micke, you are in our hearts forever.'
