Latest news with #Wagner
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE X Factor's Wagner opens up about 'feud' with Louis Walsh, his pet lion and getting death threats from PUTIN - 15 years after he and his bongos became a national treasure
It's been 15 years since Wagner burst onto screens in series seven of The X Factor. The moustachioed Brazilian with his distinctive thick accent, long locks that would whip around around the stage, and a passion for percussion, became an instant fan favourite, with millions tuning in every week to see what he would do next. Love him or hate him, no one could turn away when he belted out his rendition of She Bangs / Love Shack, but sadly his X Factor journey came to an end when he was booted out in the quarter-finals in a double elimination with Katie Waissel. While it's been more than a decade since he starred on the show, Wagner's legacy lives on and the Mail's offices are abuzz when he comes in. One of my colleagues is keen to get a picture because she dressed up as him for a fancy dress party. Another wants a video message because she used to have Wagner as her Facebook profile photo. Indeed, I too am intrigued to meet the man behind the bongos. And I can now say that in real life, he is exactly the same eccentric and chaotic star the nation fell in love with on screen. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He's an hour late because 'the train doors closed in my face!' he exclaims at me. He's upset about his journey too, because there was nowhere to sit on the train. He's also spent the morning on the phone with his bank disputing an electricity bill charge. So it takes some time to settle him down. Once inside the studio, he's more than happy to reminisce about his glory days on The X Factor but admits he hasn't kept in touch with any of his fellow contestants, which included the likes of Katie Waissel, Cher Lloyd and One Direction. 'We were not friends before we were on The X Factor,' Wagner, 69, muses. 'We became acquaintances, perhaps friends, but we have different lives and everybody followed their own path.' Surely though he's had some contact with Louis Walsh - his mentor on the show - who famously had a fiery relationship with the star. Initially Louis dumped Wagner at Judges' Houses; then brought him back as a wildcard; refused to learn how to pronounce his name; then voted against him in the sing-off, ultimately sending him home. 'The judges were actors', Wagner insists. 'Everything is planned in advance and my contact with Louis was just the for cameras. 'So yeah, I never had much contact with Louis, but I must say he was pleasant every time I met him.' Wagner is happy to reminisce about his glory days on The X Factor but admits he hasn't kept in touch with any of his fellow contestants, which included the likes of One Direction That must explain, I muse, why Louis kept mispronouncing his name, saying it like Wag-nah rather than the correct Vawg-ner. Not the case, Wagner reveals. 'It was a joke that Louis agreed with me!' he explains. 'He said "I'm gonna call you Wagner all the time and you're gonna say Louis, my name is Vawg-ner." 'That was fun and it was Louis's idea. It was smart.' Another story that created headlines when he was on the show, was the news that he once owned a pet lion. It was said that Wagner, who now lives in West Midlands, owned the creature back in his native Brazil. A throwback picture of the star wearing swimming trunks while holding the big cat's tail on a beach went viral. Now, however, Wagner admits the lion wasn't actually his. 'It belonged to a lady friend,' he explains. 'But now I don't have any pride in it anymore. 'Years later I came to the conclusion that for my lady friend to have the lion cub that meant that poachers must have killed his mother. 'So before I used to be proud but now I'm not proud anymore.' With the topic of poachers threatening to bring down the atmosphere, I'm keen to move subject of conversation onto something more light-hearted. So, I ask, whatever happened to his OnlyFans business? Wagner sent the internet into meltdown in 2023 when he announced he would be joining the X-rated subscription site and charging £8 a month for racy content with 'nothing off limits'. Yet after shocking fans with a near nude snap to promote his work, 'Daddy Wagner' as he called himself in his bio, shut down the account after just four stunts. 'That was just a publicity stunt,' he admits. 'I was never fully naked there. I always had my bits covered.' Wagner sent the internet into meltdown in 2023 when he announced he would be joining the X-rated subscription site and charging £8 a month for racy content with 'nothing off limits'. Another publicity stunt, he confesses, was his claims that he feared being assassinated by the Kremlin. In 2023 he shared his fears he will be assassinated after getting death threats from people confusing him with the Russian mercenary group with the same name. Wagner said ever since the Wagner mercenary group launched its assault on Moscow, he had received messages threatening to cut of his testicles and those of 'his troops'. He also said he thought the Kremlin was 'hacking' his website and mobile phone as he had noticed 'changes' on his devices. But the singer added he was 'ready for them' and he would use his 'black belt in karate' to 'take on and defeat any Russian assassins'. 'It was a silly thing... a joke', he reveals. 'Putin knows very well damn well who who the real Wagner was... that was only gibberish.' For now, Wagner is writing a sitcom about a Brazilian man who accidentally books himself in to see a prostitute rather than a physiotherapist - with chaos ensuing. He hasn't abandoned music, however, and is the frontman of Kings With Wings: The Wagner Rock Band - a name he says is inspired by his love of birdwatching. 'I got lots of bookings but I felt so awkward singing She Bangs, because my God, that is a stupid song but people love it,' he explains. 'I sang She Bangs wherever I went. But with the band I'm having my own repertoire. I'm singing great songs, Jumping Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley... 'And there's nothing like singing with musicians instead of singing to backing tracks.' So while The X Factor itself may now be a distant memory, for Wagner and his bongos, his legacy lives on.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida man shot after pointing BB gun that resembled 'realistic-looking' rifle at officers: police
A Florida man was shot after pointing a "BB gun that resembled a realistic-looking rifle" at officers in the Orlando area, police said. Matthew Wagner, 20, was hit with gunfire midday Thursday in Kissimmee when police responded to a "911 call for a man armed with a rifle" near a shopping center, according to Chief Charles Broadway. "Upon arriving on scene, our officers encountered an individual holding a rifle. Our officers gave several verbal commands and warnings to put the rifle down," Broadway said. "The subject then pointed this rifle at the officers and at that time, the officers were forced to shoot the subject to defend themselves and others in the area. The officers immediately started to render aid until EMS arrived to transport the subject to a local hospital," he added. Florida Deputy Killed In Shootout Outside Dollar General Store Broadway said Wagner is in stable condition following the shooting. Read On The Fox News App The three police officers involved have now been placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office are reviewing the incident. "Right now, we do not have a motive and do not know why the individual pointed the rifle at our officers, but I'm thankful that none of our officers were injured and I want to acknowledge the quick actions of our officers who responded under such a high-pressure circumstance," Broadway continued. Toronto Man Pleads Guilty After Wild Airport Assault On Tsa Agents In Miami Was Caught On Video "An early review of the evidence found the rifle to be a BB gun that resembled a realistic-looking rifle," he also said. It's unclear if Wagner will face charges. "I [saw] a young man with a gun in his hand… and he looked like he was looking up at the trees," witness Dexter Brown told Fox35 Orlando. "He was walking very slow... like he was hunting for birds or squirrels or whatever. I don't know what it was." The station reported that the BB rifle is a Daisy Christmas Wish Red article source: Florida man shot after pointing BB gun that resembled 'realistic-looking' rifle at officers: police
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Peter Seiffert, Acclaimed Star of Wagner's Operas, Is Dead at 71
Peter Seiffert, a German tenor admired for his clear, powerful renditions of Wagner, died on April 14 at his home in Schleedorf, Austria, near Salzburg. He was 71. His death was announced by his agent, Hilbert Artists Management, which didn't specify a cause but said that Mr. Seiffert had suffered from a 'severe illness.' Mr. Seiffert was the archetype 'heldentenor,' or heroic tenor in German, one of the rarest and most sought-after types of voices in opera. The leading roles in much of Wagner's work — Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan, Parsifal — demand big tenor voices of exceptional strength and stamina, able to withstand the most extreme vocal demands over hourslong performances. Wagner himself wanted a tenor that was the opposite of what he had been hearing in the Italian opera of his day, which he considered 'unmanly, soft and completely lacking in energy,' he wrote in an essay on the performing of the opera 'Tannhäuser.' Mr. Seiffert had the sort of voice that Wagner sought, in the view of critics: It projected strength. Over the nearly five hours of 'Tannhäuser,' his voice rang out clear and true, from the bottom of his range to the top. The effort was intense. 'You don't become the knight of the High C just for fun and games,' he told the online magazine Backstage Classical in 1996. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sask. Legions cancel meetings for group that wants sovereignty referendum
The Royal Canadian Legion won't allow a group pushing for a sovereignty referendum in Saskatchewan to hold meetings in Legion halls. Unified Grassroots is encouraging people to sign a petition calling for a referendum on a sovereign Saskatchewan. Its website says the purpose of the referendum would be "to empower the provincial government to negotiate new terms for Saskatchewan's relationship whether as part of Canada or as an independent nation." In an email to CBC News, the provincial executive director of the Legion's Saskatchewan Command, Chad Wagner, said Unified Grassroots's "public calls for actions like Saskatchewan separation, and therefore their events, do not align with the Legion's founding principles and the promotion of Canadian unity." Nadine Ness, the president and founder of Unified Grassroots, said the town halls are about more sovereignty for Saskatchewan — which could still be within a united Canada. "It's teaching people about the democratic processes that we have in our country," she said. "So people either want this to be a democratic country or they want this to be an authoritarian country." Unified Grassroots had planned to hold eight of its upcoming town hall meetings in Legion halls across Saskatchewan, including in Prince Albert, Meadow Lake, Humboldt, Nipawin, Weyburn and Estevan. Those events have now been cancelled by the Legion. Ness said she learned about the cancellations from the local Legion halls she had booked. She said one told her this directive came from Saskatchewan Command, while another said it came from Dominion (or national) Command. Ness said she has asked for an explanation, but as of early Thursday afternoon, she had not heard from either of them. "They won't return my calls," she said. "They have my phone number. They never once reached out to us to even see what it was about." In the emailed response to CBC News, Wagner said each branch of the Legion has autonomy, but the branches must be run in line with the Legion's core principles. Wagner said the Legion "simply reminded" its branches of its policies. He said groups like Unified Grassroots are not within the Legion's objectives, thus the events were cancelled, adding the Legion will not entertain an event that encourages or promotes separation. In a video on social media, Ness said the word "separation" doesn't appear in advertising for the town halls, but acknowledged separation is one of several possible outcomes of her group's efforts. "We don't know what the outcome is," she said. "We're going to try to do everything we can so that it doesn't get to separation, but it is still on the table." In her interview with CBC News, Ness said her group is now receiving invitations from across the province to host town hall meetings in quonsets and barns.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
IWU hosts NCAA Div. III Softball Championship games this week
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — The NCAA is in central Illinois and it's a good thing. Illinois Wesleyan is hosting the NCAA Division III Softball Championship this week. Eight teams, from coast to coast, are in Bloomington to compete for the national title at Inspiration Field. The double-elimination tournament runs from May 29-June 4. 'It's an opportunity to host teams from all over the country and to showcase Bloomington-Normal and see what we are all about. And, of course, Illinois Wesleyan,' said IWU athletics director Mike Wagner. The eight teams playing in the 2025 Div. III Softball World Series are Virginia Wesleyan from Virginia Beach, Randolph-Macon College of Ashland, Virginia, Linfield University of Oregon, Saint Mary's in Minnesota, Rowan University of Glassboro, NJ, Texas Lutheran, Trine from Angola, Indiana and Redlands College of California. IWU made the NCAA field and won two games in the regional but fell short of getting home to play for the national title. Nonetheless, the Titans hope to provide a championship experience for everyone as the tournament host. 'We'll try to make this experience the best we possibly can for the student-athletes and the teams that are in town here for this week,' Wagner said. IWU will host the NCAA Div. III volleyball national tournament in November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
