Latest news with #XFactor
The South African
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Spice girl Mel B turns 50 with a roaring bash in Leeds
Mel B, the former Scary Spice, celebrated her 50th birthday in true Spice Girls fashion. The party was loud, leopard print ruled, and the guest list sparkled with pop royalty. Mel B strutted into her party wearing a dazzling sequin leopard print mini dress, complete with dramatic shoulder pads. She rocked her signature swept her hair in a tight bun. 'I wanted to remind everyone of my girl band glory,' Mel B joked. The former X Factor judge brought her partner, Rory McPhee, and her daughters Angel (18) and Phoenix (26). Mel's mum, Andrea, also joined the festivities, and Phoenix even flashed a leopard print T-shirt emblazoned with 'Spice', according to the Daily Mail . Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) and Mel C (Sporty Spice) arrived in style. Emma, 49, stunned in her own leopard print mini dress, while her husband, Jade Jones, looked dapper in a trilby and patterned shirt. Mel C kept it sporty in an Adidas leopard V-neck maxi dress (retailing at about R1,300) and Nike Air Max 90s with matching spots. The trio posed for photos, laughed, and reminisced about their wild days on tour. 'Fifty years on this planet, my darling Mel B! Oh, the adventures we've had!' Mel C gushed. 'You're a rock star and I love you more than words can say'. But where wereformer spice girls Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell-Horner? The two missing Spices sent their love from afar. Victoria posted a throwback snap from 1998 in Tokyo, writing, 'Happy birthday @officialmelb!! Kisses xx.' Geri chimed in: 'Happy 50th birthday, wishing you a wonderful year ahead.' The party theme was clear: leopard print everywhere, even the cake was adorned with cat spots and the words 'Happy Birthday Melanie' iced across the top. Comedian Leigh Francis and his wife Jill Carter joined the fun, both decked out in animal print. 'We wanted to go wild for Mel,' Leigh laughed as they made their way into the restaurant. The Spice Girls, formed in 1994, gave us hits like Wannabe and Viva Forever . They've reunited a few times, but fans are still hungry for more. Mel B teased, 'We are doing something… I'm probably going to get told off, but I've said it!' Mel C, ever the realist, added, 'Mel likes to manifest things. If she says it enough, it might happen!' If you're a fan, you know what to do: throw on some leopard print, crank up 'Spice Up Your Life,' and celebrate with Mel B in spirit. As Mel B herself might say, 'Zig-a-zig-ah, and don't forget to party like a Spice Girl!' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE X Factor's Wagner exposes 'fakery' on controversial talent show: 'Nothing you saw on TV was real'
X Factor star Wagner has claimed that the controversial ITV talent show was 'scripted' and that 'nothing viewers saw was real'. The singer, 69, reached the quarter-finals of the show in 2010 in a season that was won by Matt Cardle and also spawned chart-topping boyband One Direction. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Wagner has lifted the lid on went down behind the scenes, confessing he had hardly any contact with his mentor Louis Walsh and insisting producers pulled all the strings. 'The judges are actors', he claimed. 'It was a reality TV show but nothing is real... Everything is planned in advance and my contact with Louis was just the for cameras.' Insisting that the vocal coaches had more of a mentor than the judges, he went on: 'So yeah, I never had much contact with Louis, but I must say he was pleasant every time I met him.' 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. Wagner continued: 'I don't think the judges even got to choose the songs. I'm sure the producers would pick the songs for us.' He added that the judges' feedback also wasn't genuine, claiming the vocal coaches would give feedback to producers so they could script the televised interactions... 'They [the judges] would look at the camera, but every now and then they would look away and read the script. Some would look more than others!' He mused: 'The show couldn't trust the "judges", everybody became a judge! At first it was that image of Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne were "experts in music", but then all of a sudden everybody was in and everybody became judges... 'The script was to make sure the entertainment would keep going because they couldn't rely on the judges to be witty or quick thinking.' When wildcard Wagner appeared on the show, critics of The X Factor staged an internet campaign for him to win the show, saying they should vote to keep him in to 'p**s off' Simon Cowell. Yet ultimately, he was was eliminated in sixth place after a unanimous vote by judges in a sing-off against Mary Byrne. At the time, Simon suggested that an internet campaign to 'derail' the show by making him the unlikely winner had failed. 'There were people out there trying to derail this show,' he said after Wagner's exit. 'We've put this show back in the hands of the public.' Discussing the show, Wagner mused: 'It's not democracy, it's showbusiness. 'They knew that they wanted to promote One Direction and everybody else were just extras in the play. 'All I know is that on the day that was sent home a girl from merchandizing said that I was the only one who had sold all my merchandise. 'She said that I was at the top of the votes and One Direction was behind me - and then I was eliminated!' There is no suggestion that the vote was rigged. Wagner also revealed that Louis faked interactions between the pair. In every episode, Louis kept mispronouncing his name, saying it like Wag-nah rather than the correct Vawg-ner. 'It was a joke that Louis agreed with me!' Wagner explained. '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.' Created by Simon in 2004, The X Factor helped to launch the careers of some of the UK's biggest stars, including Little Mix, Olly Mursand Alexanra Burke. But behind closed doors, the ITV show was far from a rosy experience for many of its contestants, with some claiming that bosses convinced them to fake certain moments in a bid to boost ratings. While the series pulled in a record 18 million viewers at its peak, in later years it came under fire for manufacturing results and storylines, and was quietly placed on hiatus in 2018. Despite not winning The X Factor, Wagner still managed to cash in on his fame, selling personalised videos to fans. 'From the videos I would get £100,000 a year,' he revealed. 'I used to make an average of £2,000 a week just on videos. So that was good.' Yet when sales dropped, Wagner ended up trying out a new business, briefly owning a hair transplant clinic in his native Brazil. But it wasn't a role he enjoyed and Wagner ended up returning to the UK where he started his band: 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 explained. '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.'
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
X Factor's Aiden Grimshaw unrecognisable 15 years since appearing on show
Aiden Grimshaw, who appeared on The X Factor back in 2010, looks completely unrecognisable now, 15 years since he wowed the judges on the popular ITV talent show Aiden Grimshaw is barely recognisable 15 years since appearing on The X Factor alongside One Direction. The fresh-faced hopeful captivated the celebrity judges on Simon Cowell's TV talent show back in 2010, when he boldly covered Kanye West's smash hit Gold Digger in his audition, without a backing track. Louis Walsh branded the then-18 year old "absolutely brilliant", Nicole Scherzinger said "I love your voice" and Simon Cowell added, "You're one of the best we've found, certainly in Manchester and possibly – in your category – throughout the competition." Progressing week by week not only with 1D but also Rebecca Ferguson, Katie Waissel, Cher Lloyd, and eventual victor Matt Cardle, gap-year student Aiden secured a respectable ninth position. Following his X Factor stint, Aiden signed a deal with record label RCA, releasing his debut single Is This Love, which peaked at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. He then dropped his album Misty Eye, hitting number 19. In 2018, Aiden revealed he'd been using the alias Butterjack to release music, only to then steer back to his original name. In 2023 it was announced that he'd signed a new deal with a Dutch record label. Aiden now looks so different from his clean-shaven, quiff-haired X Factor days, often sporting a beard on his Instagram page and most recently appearing with a moustache and tousled hair. A week ago, he talked about writing more songs, alongside a picture of himself playing a guitar. The singer told his 19k followers: "Back to it, 20 consecutive days of sun. 13 days of coughs. 6 songs written - Nearly 2 bank holidays. 1 europa final loss. A fresh bill of health a new month - new music exciting new things. Mays been a ride." Aiden has also opened up about his regrets of not fully capitalising on the opportunity The X Factor presented him with back in the day. Speaking to the Metro, he shared his reflections, saying: "My only regrets about the show are that maybe didn't shoot as hard as I could have in some of the aspects afterwards because of trying to be cool. Now, I would just go for everything because why would you not do that? That's so stupid. But I enjoyed it." He also talked about the pressure of the show, continuing: "'There was a lot of pressure to find what to do and my not wanting to be uncool stopped me from exploring all paths and being out there." Aiden was romantically linked to Cher Lloyd during his time on The X Factor, and talked about his bromance with Matt Cardle. The pair were said to spend all their time in the house chatting and making each other cups of tea. Aiden said: "Matt and me are really good mates, he's a great bloke. We've got a really great bromance going on."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former X-Factor star bringing 'unbelievable' performance to North Lanarkshire
A former X-Factor star is set to perform an "unbelievable" concert this summer. Nicholas McDonald will take to the stage at Airdrie Town Hall on Saturday, June 28. The event will kick off with two opening acts before McDonald and his band perform. Tickets for the event are priced at £26 for general admission and are available to purchase online here: All those are encouraged to book their spaces soon, as VIP tickets have already sold out. More information about the event can be found by contacting the box office team on 01698 274545. Details can also be found on the North Lanarkshire Council culture website.
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Simon Cowell says he felt 'kind of lost' following death of parents, Entertainment News
Simon Cowell felt "kind of lost" following the death of his parents. The 65-year-old music mogul — who has 11-year-old son Eric with his fiancee Lauren Silverman — lost his dad in 1999 and then his mother in 2015, and admitted that becoming a father himself has "had a huge impact" because he was able to have that sort of love again. He told People: "[Fatherhood has] had a huge impact on me because I loved my parents so much, and once they left, I was kind of lost for a while, and then Eric kind of saved me. "Because that love comes back a hundred times more powerful. "I mean, it's extraordinary and it never goes. "So I didn't expect that, and when it happened, it was like, 'Wow.' I mean, it's incredible." The Syco founder has helmed the Got Talent franchise since its inception almost 20 years ago, and has even found that his role as a judge on the American iteration of the competition series has "got easier" over time because he is able to incorporate things that his son might like into the show. He said: "[Being a judge on AGT] got easier since I became a dad, because as Eric got a little bit older... I suddenly started to watch acts through his eyes thinking, 'Would he like that?' "Because you want your kids and their friends to love the show. So when he comes down with his friends, they're having the best time. "And that's a great feeling." What's more, the former X Factor judge — who has been responsible for introducing acts such as One Direction, Little Mix and Fifth Harmony to the world — has realised since starting a family that some things in life are "more important" than work. He said: "You realise that there are other things more important actually than your career. "I know it sounds corny, but I mean, it is the truth. If I wasn't where I am in my life today, I think it would feel quite empty." ALSO READ: Ah Niu reminisces about late mum while acting in new CNY movie: 'You only know what you had when you've nothing left'
