Chris Cross, best known as the bassist in the English new wave band Ultravox, has died at 71 years old.
According to reports, Cross (born Chris Allen) died on March 25th, but the news was not made public until longtime bandmate Midge Ure shared a statement on Ultravox’s Instagram paying tribute to “the glue that held the band together.” No cause of death has been revealed.
“We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades,” Ure wrote. “Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed.”
He continued, “You were the glue that held the band together. You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.”
Billy Currie,...
According to reports, Cross (born Chris Allen) died on March 25th, but the news was not made public until longtime bandmate Midge Ure shared a statement on Ultravox’s Instagram paying tribute to “the glue that held the band together.” No cause of death has been revealed.
“We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades,” Ure wrote. “Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed.”
He continued, “You were the glue that held the band together. You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.”
Billy Currie,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
Steve Harley, singer for the British glam rock act Cockney Rebel and their 1975 hit “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me),” has died at the age of 73.
Harley’s family confirmed his death in Suffolk, England Sunday in a statement (via The Guardian), “We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and father has passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side. The birdsong from his woodland that he loved so much was singing for him. His home has been filled with the sounds and laughter of his four grandchildren.
Harley’s family confirmed his death in Suffolk, England Sunday in a statement (via The Guardian), “We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and father has passed away peacefully at home, with his family by his side. The birdsong from his woodland that he loved so much was singing for him. His home has been filled with the sounds and laughter of his four grandchildren.
- 3/17/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
At one point as the supergroup dubbed “USA for Africa” was assembling on January 28, 1985, at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, Paul Simon reportedly joked, “If a bomb lands on this place, John Denver’s back on top.” Such was the magnitude of mid-‘80s music luminaries on hand, everyone from Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick and Tina Turner through Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and beyond. Unless you’ve spent your whole life under a rock, sometime or other, the resulting charity single, “We Are the World,” has likely gotten stuck in your head. The song achieved instant global saturation, selling out the initial run of a million copies in the first weekend of its release.
Of course, this is pre-downloads, so we’re talking actual vinyl sales, and it’s audiences with fond recollections of those analog days and the music stars who dominated the charts during the...
Of course, this is pre-downloads, so we’re talking actual vinyl sales, and it’s audiences with fond recollections of those analog days and the music stars who dominated the charts during the...
- 1/20/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The festive 1984 hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” can usually be found on every yuletide playlist in December, despite its almost blindingly depressing lyrics.
Nearly everyone knows the story behind the song. Band Aid, an amalgamation of the biggest stars of the 1980s, was formed by Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who gathered everyone together to record the song in London to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia.
To this day, the song has raised £200m, which is well above the initial £70,000 target set by Geldof. It was so successful, in fact, that Geldof has returned to the studio several times over the following 38 years. In total, there are four versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.
With the combination of lyrics by Geldof and Ure and the voices of arguably the best singers of a generation, the 1984 song was a hit. The video...
Nearly everyone knows the story behind the song. Band Aid, an amalgamation of the biggest stars of the 1980s, was formed by Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who gathered everyone together to record the song in London to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia.
To this day, the song has raised £200m, which is well above the initial £70,000 target set by Geldof. It was so successful, in fact, that Geldof has returned to the studio several times over the following 38 years. In total, there are four versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.
With the combination of lyrics by Geldof and Ure and the voices of arguably the best singers of a generation, the 1984 song was a hit. The video...
- 12/21/2022
- by Ella Kipling
- The Independent - Music
The festive 1984 hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” can usually be found on every yuletide playlist in December, despite its almost blindingly depressing lyrics.
Nearly everyone knows the story behind the song. Band Aid, an amalgamation of the biggest stars of the 1980s, was formed by Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who gathered everyone together to record the song in London to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia.
To this day, the song has raised £200m, which is well above the initial £70,000 target set by Geldof. It was so successful, in fact, that Geldof has returned to the studio several times over the following 38 years. In total, there are four versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.
With the combination of lyrics by Geldof and Ure and the voices of arguably the best singers of a generation, the 1984 song was a hit. The video...
Nearly everyone knows the story behind the song. Band Aid, an amalgamation of the biggest stars of the 1980s, was formed by Sir Bob Geldof and Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who gathered everyone together to record the song in London to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia.
To this day, the song has raised £200m, which is well above the initial £70,000 target set by Geldof. It was so successful, in fact, that Geldof has returned to the studio several times over the following 38 years. In total, there are four versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.
With the combination of lyrics by Geldof and Ure and the voices of arguably the best singers of a generation, the 1984 song was a hit. The video...
- 12/21/2022
- by Ella Kipling
- The Independent - Music
Volker Schlöndorff with agronomist Tony Rinaudo in the République de Niger: "He was in Africa after the big famine in 1984. You know, the Bob Geldof [and Midge Ure organised] Live Aid concerts." Photo: Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff is in New York and he presented the rarely seen director's cut of his Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or (tied with Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now in 1979) and Oscar-winning film The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), starring David Bennent, based on Günter Grass's novel, and the 1981 Circle Of Deceit (Die Fälschung), with Bruno Ganz and Hanna Schygulla, during the retrospective for screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière at the Museum of Modern Art. Jean-Claude Carrière also introduced Louis Malle's Milou En Mai (May Fools), Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness Of Being, Luis Buñuel's La Voie Lactée (The Milky Way), and together with Julian Schnabel, At Eternity’s Gate.
Volker Schlöndorff with Anne-Katrin Titze: "This...
Volker Schlöndorff is in New York and he presented the rarely seen director's cut of his Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or (tied with Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now in 1979) and Oscar-winning film The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel), starring David Bennent, based on Günter Grass's novel, and the 1981 Circle Of Deceit (Die Fälschung), with Bruno Ganz and Hanna Schygulla, during the retrospective for screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière at the Museum of Modern Art. Jean-Claude Carrière also introduced Louis Malle's Milou En Mai (May Fools), Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness Of Being, Luis Buñuel's La Voie Lactée (The Milky Way), and together with Julian Schnabel, At Eternity’s Gate.
Volker Schlöndorff with Anne-Katrin Titze: "This...
- 5/13/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The documentary is backed by Screen Ireland and Eagle Rock Pictures.
The life and music of rock icon Phil Lynott is to be documented in Phil Lynott: Songs For While I’m Away, to be directed by the award-winning Irish filmmaker Emer Reynolds.
The documentary will trace how a young black boy from working class 1950’s Dublin became one of Ireland’s greatest rock stars as the lead singer of Thin Lizzy. Born in Birmingham to a father from British Guiana and an Irish mother, he moved to Dublin as a young child where he lived with his grandparents. He...
The life and music of rock icon Phil Lynott is to be documented in Phil Lynott: Songs For While I’m Away, to be directed by the award-winning Irish filmmaker Emer Reynolds.
The documentary will trace how a young black boy from working class 1950’s Dublin became one of Ireland’s greatest rock stars as the lead singer of Thin Lizzy. Born in Birmingham to a father from British Guiana and an Irish mother, he moved to Dublin as a young child where he lived with his grandparents. He...
- 1/21/2019
- by Esther McCarthy
- ScreenDaily
The age of the celebrity supergroup charity single truly began in October 1984, when Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof watched in horror as footage of the worsening Ethiopian famine played across his television screen as part of a BBC News documentary. He was still haunted by the images a week later when a chance encounter reunited him with an old friend, Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, who was just as troubled by what he had seen on the report. The men decided to channel their outrage into a new charity single.
The...
The...
- 12/12/2018
- by Jordan Runtagh
- Rollingstone.com
We can try to hide it, but we’re all going to miss Big Little Lies deeply after it wraps its all-too-brief run on Sunday.
RelatedBig Little Lies: I Want a Season 2 and I Want It Now Please and Thank You
And so, we Bll obsessives here at TVLine have compiled the ultimate playlist, featuring some of our favorite tunes from the HBO miniseries — including that irresistible theme song. What follows is an assortment of tracks sprinkled throughout the episodes, including artist and album information in case you want to add them to your personal collection.
Spoilers abound,...
RelatedBig Little Lies: I Want a Season 2 and I Want It Now Please and Thank You
And so, we Bll obsessives here at TVLine have compiled the ultimate playlist, featuring some of our favorite tunes from the HBO miniseries — including that irresistible theme song. What follows is an assortment of tracks sprinkled throughout the episodes, including artist and album information in case you want to add them to your personal collection.
Spoilers abound,...
- 4/2/2017
- TVLine.com
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
The Cancer Conflict
Logline: Two cancer patients, two different treatments. We explore why the UK has the lowest cancer survival rate in Western Europe.
Elevator Pitch:
If you get cancer, what do you chose to treat it with in the country with the worst cancer survival rate in Western Europe? You speak to experts who say chemo is the answer and then Google tells you there are loads of solutions outside the system that work, but aren’t clinically trialled and approved and the system disregards. You’re torn – and yet you still have to do something.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
The Cancer Conflict
Logline: Two cancer patients, two different treatments. We explore why the UK has the lowest cancer survival rate in Western Europe.
Elevator Pitch:
If you get cancer, what do you chose to treat it with in the country with the worst cancer survival rate in Western Europe? You speak to experts who say chemo is the answer and then Google tells you there are loads of solutions outside the system that work, but aren’t clinically trialled and approved and the system disregards. You’re torn – and yet you still have to do something.
- 11/22/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Covers are sometimes done best when the one taking on the track has a special admiration for the original artist – it goes deeper than just simply liking their music. When there’s that unique connection, the cover can turn out much better than originally imagined. For Alessia Cara, the music of Frank Ocean means a lot to her, and that’s shown off brilliantly in her new cover of his track, “Super Rich Kids.”
Stopping by Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show, Cara performed a couple of her own tracks before dishing out a version of Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids.” She prefaced it with calling it one of the “most brilliant songs ever,” hoping that she could “do it justice.” As it turns out, she’s got no problem doing it justice and then some, as her rendition turns the R&B song into something a little more jazzier,...
Stopping by Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show, Cara performed a couple of her own tracks before dishing out a version of Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids.” She prefaced it with calling it one of the “most brilliant songs ever,” hoping that she could “do it justice.” As it turns out, she’s got no problem doing it justice and then some, as her rendition turns the R&B song into something a little more jazzier,...
- 11/9/2016
- by Joe DeAndrea
- We Got This Covered
The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills are moving on!
E! confirms the hit reality TV series is coming to an end after four seasons.
A network rep tells Et, "It has been a fun four season ride with the #RichKids of Beverly Hills as the cast has grown from social media socialites to savvy young entrepreneurs, culminating in a #RichKids wedding in the season four finale."
Watch: Exclusive: Ej Johnson Opens Up About Exploring Gender Identity and Making Reality TV That Matters
Et has learned the cast was told last month that the show would not be returning for a fifth season. The last episode aired in June.
According to a show insider, "The cast was upset because they wanted at least one more season to give closure to their storylines."
"The cast is thankful though for the opportunity they had and the show wished them all the best as they move on to the next chapter...
E! confirms the hit reality TV series is coming to an end after four seasons.
A network rep tells Et, "It has been a fun four season ride with the #RichKids of Beverly Hills as the cast has grown from social media socialites to savvy young entrepreneurs, culminating in a #RichKids wedding in the season four finale."
Watch: Exclusive: Ej Johnson Opens Up About Exploring Gender Identity and Making Reality TV That Matters
Et has learned the cast was told last month that the show would not be returning for a fifth season. The last episode aired in June.
According to a show insider, "The cast was upset because they wanted at least one more season to give closure to their storylines."
"The cast is thankful though for the opportunity they had and the show wished them all the best as they move on to the next chapter...
- 11/3/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
"My whole life, even now, I'm attracted to mayhem," Todd Phillips is saying, feet resting on a spotless coffee table inside his spotless office on the Warner Bros. film-studio lot in Burbank, him having turned this lifelong attraction into so much money you can't believe it.
Take the three Hangover movies, from 2009 to 2013, all of which Phillips directed and two of which he co-wrote. Altogether, they've raked in $1.4 billion, with lunacy galore, chain-smoking monkeys, unexpected face tattoos, roofie-puffed marshmallows and so forth, ad nauseam. Crazy stuff, none of which would...
Take the three Hangover movies, from 2009 to 2013, all of which Phillips directed and two of which he co-wrote. Altogether, they've raked in $1.4 billion, with lunacy galore, chain-smoking monkeys, unexpected face tattoos, roofie-puffed marshmallows and so forth, ad nauseam. Crazy stuff, none of which would...
- 8/11/2016
- Rollingstone.com
No one could have predicted just how much of a nightmare “The Sea Of Trees” Cannes premiere was going to be. A new film from Gus Van Sant starring recent Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey had all the makings of another major awards contender, yet the movie ended up as the biggest disaster of Cannes that year, earning abysmal reviews that ranged from the bad to the downright scathing. IndieWire’s own Eric Kohn even called the film Gus Van Sant’s “worst movie” ever.
Read More: Cannes Review: ‘The Sea of Trees’ is Gus Van Sant’s Worst Movie
The bad press left many wondering if the drama would ever seen the light of day in theaters. Roadside and Lionsgate had purchased distribution rights before the film’s premiere, but the torrid response had them backpedaling on releasing it. A24 surprisingly rescued the movie earlier this summer, announcing an August release in theaters.
Read More: Cannes Review: ‘The Sea of Trees’ is Gus Van Sant’s Worst Movie
The bad press left many wondering if the drama would ever seen the light of day in theaters. Roadside and Lionsgate had purchased distribution rights before the film’s premiere, but the torrid response had them backpedaling on releasing it. A24 surprisingly rescued the movie earlier this summer, announcing an August release in theaters.
- 8/8/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
More than 30 years ago, David Bowie joined rock luminaries Sting, Bono, Phil Collins and many more for the now-classic holiday song, "Do They Know It's Christmas." As news of Bowie's death shocks the world Monday, Midge Ure, who wrote the 1984 hit with Bob Geldof, is speaking out about the legend's impact on the world of music. "I don't think that you could go any further than David Bowie," the Scottish musician and singer-songwriter said during an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain. "I think if you spoke to any musician who has been around in the last 30, 40 years, we all...
- 1/11/2016
- by Simon Perry, @SPerryPeoplemag
- PEOPLE.com
More than 30 years ago, David Bowie joined rock luminaries Paul McCartney, Bono, Phil Collins and many more for the now-classic holiday song, "Do They Know It's Christmas." As news of Bowie's death shocks the world Monday, Midge Ure, who wrote the 1984 hit with Bob Geldof, is speaking out about the legend's impact on the world of music. "I don't think that you could go any further than David Bowie," the Scottish musician and singer-songwriter said during an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain. "I think if you spoke to any musician who has been around in the last 30, 40 years, we...
- 1/11/2016
- by Simon Perry, @SPerryPeoplemag
- PEOPLE.com
Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
As Ultravox sang: Oooooh, Vienna! The second series of Vienna from Big Finish is out now. Star Trek‘s Chase Masterson is back as glamourous bounty hunter, Vienna Salvatori, across three new stories in one weighty boxset. Co-starring Samantha Béart as Lieutenant Jexie Reagan, Harry Ditson as Chief Doran Curtis, and Dalek‘s John Schwab as Anders, here’s the official synopsis: Tabula Rasa by...
The post Vienna Series 2 Out Now! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
As Ultravox sang: Oooooh, Vienna! The second series of Vienna from Big Finish is out now. Star Trek‘s Chase Masterson is back as glamourous bounty hunter, Vienna Salvatori, across three new stories in one weighty boxset. Co-starring Samantha Béart as Lieutenant Jexie Reagan, Harry Ditson as Chief Doran Curtis, and Dalek‘s John Schwab as Anders, here’s the official synopsis: Tabula Rasa by...
The post Vienna Series 2 Out Now! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
- 2/12/2015
- by Philip Bates
- Kasterborous.com
A group of artists including Rita Ora, One Direction and Ed Sheeran have re-recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to raise money for Ebola.
The original song, which was recorded by the charity super group "Band Aid" in 1984, was written by Bob Geldoff and Midge Ure to raise money for anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia. The single, which sold over two million copies and raised more than $24 million, featured U2, Phil Collins, Sting, David Bowie and more. (Watch the original video here.) The song has since been redone in 1989, under Band Aid II, and in 2004 under "Band Aid 20." Neither reincarnation matched the original in both sound and success.
Fall TV pop contest: The winner is ...
Read More >...
The original song, which was recorded by the charity super group "Band Aid" in 1984, was written by Bob Geldoff and Midge Ure to raise money for anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia. The single, which sold over two million copies and raised more than $24 million, featured U2, Phil Collins, Sting, David Bowie and more. (Watch the original video here.) The song has since been redone in 1989, under Band Aid II, and in 2004 under "Band Aid 20." Neither reincarnation matched the original in both sound and success.
Fall TV pop contest: The winner is ...
Read More >...
- 11/17/2014
- by Robyn Ross
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Hold up, they still don't know it's Christmas? Even 30 years after the orignal Band-Aid charity single? Kidding! Kidding. Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are updating their song with a new generation of Brits and proceeds going to "fight the spread of Ebola and to care for its victims." First, you should 100 percent donate; then it might be fun to play Identify the Famous British Singer. We've gotten you started in the tags, but was that Seal? And what do Bastille look like?...
- 11/17/2014
- by Lindsey Weber
- Vulture
The first play of the new Band Aid recording will debut during the X Factor results show on Sunday (November 16).
Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's latest version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' will also premiere its video on the ITV talent show.
A teaser trailer has been released, detailing how the song will help raise funds and awareness of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
One Direction, Bastille, Ed Sheeran and Jessie Ware are some of the artists confirmed to record the fourth version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' this Saturday.
Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Elbow, Chris Martin, Bono and Sam Smith are among the other acts taking part.
'Do They Know It's Christmas?' will be released as a digital download on November 17 priced at 99p, with a physical version costing £4 to follow in three weeks' time.
Geldof has also...
Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's latest version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' will also premiere its video on the ITV talent show.
A teaser trailer has been released, detailing how the song will help raise funds and awareness of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
One Direction, Bastille, Ed Sheeran and Jessie Ware are some of the artists confirmed to record the fourth version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' this Saturday.
Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, Elbow, Chris Martin, Bono and Sam Smith are among the other acts taking part.
'Do They Know It's Christmas?' will be released as a digital download on November 17 priced at 99p, with a physical version costing £4 to follow in three weeks' time.
Geldof has also...
- 11/13/2014
- Digital Spy
Sir Bob Geldof announced that he has begun assembling a team of pop stars to take part in a rerecording of “Do They Know It’s Christmas” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Band Aid single.
"Do They Know It's Christmas" #BandAid30
“Do They Know It’s Christmas,” written by Geldof and Midge Ure, first came out in 1984, featuring a huge array of famous singers. The Band Aid single was originally created to raise funds to combat famine in Ethiopia.
In honor of the song’s 30th anniversary, Geldolf announced that he and Ure would be returning with a new charitable album, Band Aid 30. Band Aid 30 will raise money to help treat Ebola in Africa. “Thirty years ago people wanted to help and wanted to make a difference. We want that again,” Ure said.
The original hope was to raise £250,000 to combat famine. 30 years & $230m later, #BandAid30 returns to tackle Ebola pic.
"Do They Know It's Christmas" #BandAid30
“Do They Know It’s Christmas,” written by Geldof and Midge Ure, first came out in 1984, featuring a huge array of famous singers. The Band Aid single was originally created to raise funds to combat famine in Ethiopia.
In honor of the song’s 30th anniversary, Geldolf announced that he and Ure would be returning with a new charitable album, Band Aid 30. Band Aid 30 will raise money to help treat Ebola in Africa. “Thirty years ago people wanted to help and wanted to make a difference. We want that again,” Ure said.
The original hope was to raise £250,000 to combat famine. 30 years & $230m later, #BandAid30 returns to tackle Ebola pic.
- 11/11/2014
- Uinterview
Some of music's hottest British stars are coming together to help fight the Ebola epidemic. One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin, Bono, Sam Smith, Elbow, Ellie Goulding, Bastille and Paloma Faith have all agreed to record a re-worked version of "Do They Know it's Christmas," with proceeds from the single going towards the U.N. effort to fight the virus in West Africa. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are spearheading the new Band Aid effort on the 30th anniversary of the Christmas charity single's original recording from 1984. "It's the worst-kept secret in music history," joked Geldof at a press conference in London on Monday.
- 11/10/2014
- by Monique Jessen, @moniquejessen
- PEOPLE.com
Fame Academy may only have lasted two series, but boy, did it burn bright. And even though it was over ten years ago that it was on our screens, we're still belting out David Sneddon's utter tune 'Stop Living The Lie' at our DS karaoke sessions.
But the news of series two's Alistair Griffin teaming up with Kimberley Walsh for a Tour de France single got us thinking - what happened to all of our favourite Fame Academy contestants? Well, here's what we could find out about 16 of the students over both series...
Series One
Ashley House
Ashley might have been eliminated in week one of Fame Academy (the shame) but he's not let that little disappointment hold him back. He went on to guest star in an episode of Cbbc's Mi: High... look, we promise, this gets better. He's now a sports presenter who helped launch Arsenal TV,...
But the news of series two's Alistair Griffin teaming up with Kimberley Walsh for a Tour de France single got us thinking - what happened to all of our favourite Fame Academy contestants? Well, here's what we could find out about 16 of the students over both series...
Series One
Ashley House
Ashley might have been eliminated in week one of Fame Academy (the shame) but he's not let that little disappointment hold him back. He went on to guest star in an episode of Cbbc's Mi: High... look, we promise, this gets better. He's now a sports presenter who helped launch Arsenal TV,...
- 7/4/2014
- Digital Spy
Spotify helps you find the words, in bed late with Parker Young, Russia considers outlawing swearing
Coldplay’s Christ Martin is a big fan of One Direction, especially Harry Styles. ”I think One Direction are the biggest band in the world, their songs are great. I’m saying One Direction are brilliant and I’m not kidding. You know why? Because their songs are really good and I don’t think that any of them are going to go solo. I think they appreciate their chemistry from watching their movie… Harry has come to a couple of our shows, I think I probably said the same thing about chemistry. I can’t remember – I was too enamoured with his hair cut. I was like this, ‘I was pretty sure I was a straight guy before’ – I was having a hot flush.”
In sad news, after failing to find a buyer,...
Coldplay’s Christ Martin is a big fan of One Direction, especially Harry Styles. ”I think One Direction are the biggest band in the world, their songs are great. I’m saying One Direction are brilliant and I’m not kidding. You know why? Because their songs are really good and I don’t think that any of them are going to go solo. I think they appreciate their chemistry from watching their movie… Harry has come to a couple of our shows, I think I probably said the same thing about chemistry. I can’t remember – I was too enamoured with his hair cut. I was like this, ‘I was pretty sure I was a straight guy before’ – I was having a hot flush.”
In sad news, after failing to find a buyer,...
- 4/29/2014
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
Frank Sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. Jon Ronson, who played in his band, and has co-written a film inspired by the character starring Michael Fassbender, remembers Frank's creator Chris Sievey as being even more eccentric than his papier-mache alter ego
In 1987 I was 20 and the student union entertainments officer for the Polytechnic of Central London. One day I was sitting in the office when the telephone rang. I picked it up.
"So Frank's playing tonight and our keyboard player can't make it and so we're going to have to cancel unless you know any keyboard players," said a frantic voice.
I cleared my throat. "I play keyboards," I said.
"Well you're in!" the man shouted.
"But I don't know any of your songs," I said.
"Wait a minute," the man said.
I heard muffled voices. He came back to the phone. "Can you play C, F and G?...
In 1987 I was 20 and the student union entertainments officer for the Polytechnic of Central London. One day I was sitting in the office when the telephone rang. I picked it up.
"So Frank's playing tonight and our keyboard player can't make it and so we're going to have to cancel unless you know any keyboard players," said a frantic voice.
I cleared my throat. "I play keyboards," I said.
"Well you're in!" the man shouted.
"But I don't know any of your songs," I said.
"Wait a minute," the man said.
I heard muffled voices. He came back to the phone. "Can you play C, F and G?...
- 1/13/2014
- by Jon Ronson
- The Guardian - Film News
Bill O’Reilly fears “dopey kids” will try being transgender, Keahu Kahuanui is a stud, John Barrowman cackles about the return of Malcolm Merlyn
Sir Ian McKellen gave a wide ranging interview, discussing his career, religion, and any regrets he may have had about coming out. “It was very easy, but I was 49 years old. I hadn’t given much thought about it before then, to tell you the truth. I was living very happily and openly as a gay man. It all happened in a bit of a rush when I decided to come out. I was angry because of a law that was anti-gay in the United Kingdom, and it was easier to come out in my indignation. When people are worrying about coming out, they’re worried about what other people will think, they’re worried about whether they’ll lose the love of their family. I...
Sir Ian McKellen gave a wide ranging interview, discussing his career, religion, and any regrets he may have had about coming out. “It was very easy, but I was 49 years old. I hadn’t given much thought about it before then, to tell you the truth. I was living very happily and openly as a gay man. It all happened in a bit of a rush when I decided to come out. I was angry because of a law that was anti-gay in the United Kingdom, and it was easier to come out in my indignation. When people are worrying about coming out, they’re worried about what other people will think, they’re worried about whether they’ll lose the love of their family. I...
- 11/24/2013
- by Ed Kennedy
- The Backlot
'Who is Annabel Giles?' we mused aloud upon discovering she was the latest star to join I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
The former model will enter the jungle along with Strictly Come Dancing star Vincent Simone tomorrow (November 22).
So as we anticipate Giles's arrival on the show, we find out more about the star with 9 fun facts - with some forgotten photographs and quality '90s TV reminiscing.
She appeared on You Bet!
Remember the show where a panel of celebrities bet on whether members of the public could successfully complete difficult and often dangerous challenges against the clock? Well, Giles took part in the show back in 1992 along with Olympic athlete Kriss Akabusi (whatever happened to him?!), Judi Spiers, Andrew O'Connor and then-host Matthew Kelly. At least three DS icons right there.
She's done panto
And here she is promoting the Babes in the Wood...
The former model will enter the jungle along with Strictly Come Dancing star Vincent Simone tomorrow (November 22).
So as we anticipate Giles's arrival on the show, we find out more about the star with 9 fun facts - with some forgotten photographs and quality '90s TV reminiscing.
She appeared on You Bet!
Remember the show where a panel of celebrities bet on whether members of the public could successfully complete difficult and often dangerous challenges against the clock? Well, Giles took part in the show back in 1992 along with Olympic athlete Kriss Akabusi (whatever happened to him?!), Judi Spiers, Andrew O'Connor and then-host Matthew Kelly. At least three DS icons right there.
She's done panto
And here she is promoting the Babes in the Wood...
- 11/21/2013
- Digital Spy
Ultravox's '80s classic 'Vienna' has been named the greatest ever single to peak at number two in the UK. The song was voted the winner in a poll carried out by BBC Radio 2 and the Official Charts Company, who set out to decide the best ever track to miss out on reaching the coveted top spot. "We are extremely pleased and very humbled to have been given this honorary number one, especially knowing the outstanding records which were also in the running - 'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'Hound Dog' and 'Wonderwall' to name just a few," said Midge Ure. 'Vienna' was a popular hit upon its release in 1981, but was famously pipped to the UK chart summit by novelty track 'Shaddap You Face' by Us comedian Joe Dolce. "Ultravox's 'Vienna' has beaten off some truly great, (more)...
- 1/2/2013
- by By Lewis Corner
- Digital Spy
"It's time to look beyond all the unhelpful cliches about poverty and see if there's a bigger, wider truth to be explored."
The BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser is intent on doing just that, with his documentary strand, celebrated for all manner of subjects from Oscar-winning 'Man on Wire' to 'Mandelson: The Real Pm?' joining forces with more than 70 broadcasters around the world as well as the Open University for what Fraser calls "his most ambitious project yet".
Nick Fraser says there are lessons to be learnt from those living in poverty
Why Poverty? - a series of films commissioned to cover as wide a scope around the subject as possible - moves from the hospital wards of Sierra Leone to the duplex apartments of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, in its mission to uncover the threads of what we tend to brush under the carpet of 'global inequality'.
The BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser is intent on doing just that, with his documentary strand, celebrated for all manner of subjects from Oscar-winning 'Man on Wire' to 'Mandelson: The Real Pm?' joining forces with more than 70 broadcasters around the world as well as the Open University for what Fraser calls "his most ambitious project yet".
Nick Fraser says there are lessons to be learnt from those living in poverty
Why Poverty? - a series of films commissioned to cover as wide a scope around the subject as possible - moves from the hospital wards of Sierra Leone to the duplex apartments of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, in its mission to uncover the threads of what we tend to brush under the carpet of 'global inequality'.
- 11/19/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
"It's time to look beyond all the unhelpful cliches about poverty and see if there's a bigger, wider truth to be explored."
The BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser is intent on doing just that, with his documentary strand, celebrated for all manner of subjects from Oscar-winning 'Man on Wire' to 'Mandelson: The Real Pm?' joining forces with more than 70 broadcasters around the world as well as the Open University for what Fraser calls "his most ambitious project yet".
Nick Fraser says there are lessons to be learnt from those living in poverty
Why Poverty? - a series of films commissioned to cover as wide a scope around the subject as possible - moves from the hospital wards of Sierra Leone to the duplex apartments of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, in its mission to uncover the threads of what we tend to brush under the carpet of 'global inequality'.
The BBC's Storyville editor Nick Fraser is intent on doing just that, with his documentary strand, celebrated for all manner of subjects from Oscar-winning 'Man on Wire' to 'Mandelson: The Real Pm?' joining forces with more than 70 broadcasters around the world as well as the Open University for what Fraser calls "his most ambitious project yet".
Nick Fraser says there are lessons to be learnt from those living in poverty
Why Poverty? - a series of films commissioned to cover as wide a scope around the subject as possible - moves from the hospital wards of Sierra Leone to the duplex apartments of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, in its mission to uncover the threads of what we tend to brush under the carpet of 'global inequality'.
- 11/19/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Aol TV.
With over 118 million album sales worldwide, more chart hits than any other rock group and a total of 415 weeks in the UK Singles chart, it's safe to say that Status Quo are sort of a big deal. Considered by many to be one of - if not the - most influential rock band from the UK, the boys have fronted sell out tour after sell out tour, bringing a euphoric sound to the millions for the last 43 years.
Now, with the release of the fly-on-the-wall documentary Hello Quo!, the boys are set to conquer yet another media outlet. Produced by well-known music filmmaker Alan G Parker, the documentary depicts the phenomenon that is Status Quo, combining behind-the-scenes, never before seen footage with fantastic interviews from Brian May, Paul Weller, Sir Cliff Richard, Thin Lizzy, Buzzcocks, Slade and Midge Ure (to name but a few).
And so, with this in mind,...
Now, with the release of the fly-on-the-wall documentary Hello Quo!, the boys are set to conquer yet another media outlet. Produced by well-known music filmmaker Alan G Parker, the documentary depicts the phenomenon that is Status Quo, combining behind-the-scenes, never before seen footage with fantastic interviews from Brian May, Paul Weller, Sir Cliff Richard, Thin Lizzy, Buzzcocks, Slade and Midge Ure (to name but a few).
And so, with this in mind,...
- 10/15/2012
- Shadowlocked
Ultravox have released a new album with frontman Midge Ure for the first time in 26 years. The electronic pioneers released the band's 11th studio album Brilliant on Monday (May 28), the first with Ure since 1986's U-Vox. Ure revealed that the group's current line-up (Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann), perhaps the most well-known, decided to work on new material after they reunited for a tour in 2009. "It's been an interesting process. If we sat and talked about this two years ago, it wasn't on the cards," Ure told BBC Breakfast. "We got together two years together to tour, and during it we talked about the possibilities [of recording a new album]. "Once we got the idea of how to process this, we went ahead and started." The frontman (more)...
- 5/31/2012
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
How many of you are graduates of the class of 1999? Was your school also under martial law lockdown and your teachers actually military-grade cyborgs reprogrammed for academic professorships? Was “Come the Day” played at your graduation ceremony?
If Roger Ebert put on a film festival for overlooked b-movies, Mark L. Lester’s Class of 1999 would have to be included in the inaugural line-up. Coming out in 1990 during a time in which inspirational movies about the trials and tribulations of inner city school teachers dealing with troubled urban youths (or in the case of The Principal, Jim Belushi doing a ridiculous Walking Tall riff as the badass white high school principal beating up minority drug dealers with a baseball bat), Class of 1999 put a sci-fi thriller spin on the genre by setting things in the dystopian future of 1999 (that year really didn’t turn out so bad in hindsight...
If Roger Ebert put on a film festival for overlooked b-movies, Mark L. Lester’s Class of 1999 would have to be included in the inaugural line-up. Coming out in 1990 during a time in which inspirational movies about the trials and tribulations of inner city school teachers dealing with troubled urban youths (or in the case of The Principal, Jim Belushi doing a ridiculous Walking Tall riff as the badass white high school principal beating up minority drug dealers with a baseball bat), Class of 1999 put a sci-fi thriller spin on the genre by setting things in the dystopian future of 1999 (that year really didn’t turn out so bad in hindsight...
- 5/26/2012
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
Chopped my finger off while preparing dinner – strange, I didn't hear a big, dramatic chord in the background. Whispered sweet words in my wife's ear – strange again, I couldn't hear the beautiful sound of harps trilling in the background. And stranger still, when I tripped over in the street, I didn't once hear silly whaa-whaa-whaaaaa comedy music. Just deafening laughter from passers by.
Yet whenever I see most TV programmes and films these days, there's musical cues ahoy to be found in the background. TV, in particular, can't seem to get through a programme without striking up the band. Even In EastEnders – although music is strictly limited to a pointedly chosen classic hit from years gone by. Say that furious hard nut Derek Branning is threatening hapless cheeky chappie Alfie Moon in the Queen Vic over a packet of pork scratchings, the cunning producers will heavily signpost the scenario with...
Yet whenever I see most TV programmes and films these days, there's musical cues ahoy to be found in the background. TV, in particular, can't seem to get through a programme without striking up the band. Even In EastEnders – although music is strictly limited to a pointedly chosen classic hit from years gone by. Say that furious hard nut Derek Branning is threatening hapless cheeky chappie Alfie Moon in the Queen Vic over a packet of pork scratchings, the cunning producers will heavily signpost the scenario with...
- 4/25/2012
- Shadowlocked
The Christmas number one: a supposedly hallowed achievement, and yet both Mr Blobby and Bob The Builder have both walked away with it in the past. In recent years, the market immediately before Christmas has been over-populated by the deluge of “talented” winners from Simon Cowell’s pop processing plant on the moon (probably) and vocal dissenters seem to have turned the Christmas Number One into some sort of insipid personification of everything that is wrong with the music business.
But, there have been some shining lights in the history of the Christmas Number One, despite the infamous ear-bleeders and the outrageous stories of classic songs being overtaken for the accolade by awful one-hit-wonders. And this article is hereby devoted to listing said highlights.
Somewhat unthinkably, there is no place for “Fairytale of New York”, for which we can thank the Pet Shop Boys, whose cover of “Always On My Mind” took the 1987 spot,...
But, there have been some shining lights in the history of the Christmas Number One, despite the infamous ear-bleeders and the outrageous stories of classic songs being overtaken for the accolade by awful one-hit-wonders. And this article is hereby devoted to listing said highlights.
Somewhat unthinkably, there is no place for “Fairytale of New York”, for which we can thank the Pet Shop Boys, whose cover of “Always On My Mind” took the 1987 spot,...
- 12/21/2011
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Watching this week's episode of "Glee" and seeing its rendition of the classic '80s charity song, "Do They Know It's Christmas," brought to mind the debacle that was Bob Geldof's last attempt at re-creating his Band Aid group.
For those that grew up without access to MTV, VH1, or any other music television outlet prone to replaying holiday music videos on a 24-hour cycle following Thanksgiving, Band Aid was a charity group created by Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for poverty in Ethiopia. Major recording artists joined together and recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas," with proceeds helping the cause at hand.
Phil Collins, Bono, Simon Le Bon, Sting, George Michael. Essentially every singing superstar of the era joined forces for a cause, and the end result was a melody that withstands the test of time. It's nearly impossible to watch the music video and...
For those that grew up without access to MTV, VH1, or any other music television outlet prone to replaying holiday music videos on a 24-hour cycle following Thanksgiving, Band Aid was a charity group created by Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money for poverty in Ethiopia. Major recording artists joined together and recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas," with proceeds helping the cause at hand.
Phil Collins, Bono, Simon Le Bon, Sting, George Michael. Essentially every singing superstar of the era joined forces for a cause, and the end result was a melody that withstands the test of time. It's nearly impossible to watch the music video and...
- 12/14/2011
- by James Sims
- Aol TV.
While the Glee cast has remade the 1985, "Do They Know It’s Christmas," the stars are keeping the song’s original purpose intact -- to raise money and awareness for countries battling poverty and famine, FOXToledo.com reports.
The founders of the Band Aid Charity Trust, a nonprofit that supports famine-struck developing countries, first composed the song 26 years ago in support of its cause. Glee decided to commit its vocal chords to the same mission by recording its own version of the song and donating 100 percent of sales to the nonprofit, the news outlet reports.
"The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it," said Band Aid co-founder Bob Geldof, according to Hollywood.com. "It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably...
The founders of the Band Aid Charity Trust, a nonprofit that supports famine-struck developing countries, first composed the song 26 years ago in support of its cause. Glee decided to commit its vocal chords to the same mission by recording its own version of the song and donating 100 percent of sales to the nonprofit, the news outlet reports.
"The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it," said Band Aid co-founder Bob Geldof, according to Hollywood.com. "It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably...
- 12/14/2011
- by Eleanor Goldberg
- Huffington Post
While the Glee cast has remade the 1984, "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" the stars are keeping the song’s original purpose intact -- to raise money and awareness for countries battling poverty and famine, FOXToledo.com reports.
The founders of the Band Aid Charity Trust, a nonprofit that supports famine-struck developing countries, first composed the song 27 years ago in support of its cause. Glee decided to commit its vocal chords to the same mission by recording its own version of the song and donating 100 percent of sales to the nonprofit, the news outlet reports.
"The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it," said Band Aid co-founder Bob Geldof, according to Hollywood.com. "It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably...
The founders of the Band Aid Charity Trust, a nonprofit that supports famine-struck developing countries, first composed the song 27 years ago in support of its cause. Glee decided to commit its vocal chords to the same mission by recording its own version of the song and donating 100 percent of sales to the nonprofit, the news outlet reports.
"The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it," said Band Aid co-founder Bob Geldof, according to Hollywood.com. "It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably...
- 12/14/2011
- by Eleanor Goldberg
- Aol TV.
The stars of hit TV show Glee have shown off their generous side by recording a special version of Do They Know It's Christmas? in aid of charity.
Actors including Lea Michele and Cory Monteith have recorded their own version of Band Aid's 1984 hit single and will be donating all the the money raised to The Band Aid Trust.
The charity was set up in 1985 and helps support projects in third world countries, and Bob Geldof, who co-wrote the track and co-founded Band Aid, is ecstatic about the new version.
He says, "The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it. It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably unaware of the great tragedy unfolding amongst the hungry, poor and dying of Somalia as a result of drought and a bitter and pointless civil war. This song was made specifically with that intent.
"Band Aid would like to thank from the bottom of its heart all the producers and actors of Glee who have gone beyond their normal brief of entertainment and entered into the spirit and understanding of that recording and its artists 26 years ago and its many subsequent iterations, by opening their website to the topic of poverty and the poor and linking it through to the Band Aid and the One Campaign sites.
"This is entertainment with purpose."...
Actors including Lea Michele and Cory Monteith have recorded their own version of Band Aid's 1984 hit single and will be donating all the the money raised to The Band Aid Trust.
The charity was set up in 1985 and helps support projects in third world countries, and Bob Geldof, who co-wrote the track and co-founded Band Aid, is ecstatic about the new version.
He says, "The reverberations of this little song continue down the long 26 years since Midge Ure and I wrote it. It could not be more timely now that Glee with its vast global audience of young people re-introduce it to a whole new constituency who are probably unaware of the great tragedy unfolding amongst the hungry, poor and dying of Somalia as a result of drought and a bitter and pointless civil war. This song was made specifically with that intent.
"Band Aid would like to thank from the bottom of its heart all the producers and actors of Glee who have gone beyond their normal brief of entertainment and entered into the spirit and understanding of that recording and its artists 26 years ago and its many subsequent iterations, by opening their website to the topic of poverty and the poor and linking it through to the Band Aid and the One Campaign sites.
"This is entertainment with purpose."...
- 12/13/2011
- WENN
Pete Townshend, The Feeling and Boy George were part of a star-studded line up that rocked the Royal Albert Hall for The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala supported by Novae.
The music extravaganza, hosted by Edith Bowman and Patrick Kielty, raised vital funds – and the roof – for the youth charity’s vital work with disadvantaged young people. The fundraiser comes in the wake of news that more than a million 16 to 24 year-olds are out of work, the highest number since records began in 1992.
A long list of Prince’s Trust supporters performed at the Rock Gala – the tenth in The Trust’s history – including singer songwriters Chris De Burgh, Nik Kershaw, Julian Lennon, Cerys Matthews, Alison Moyet and Joss Stone , rock legends Kenney Jones, Mark King and Midge Ure, urban saxophonist YolanDa Brown, classical music star Charlie Siem and comedian and musician Tim Minchin.
Read more...
The music extravaganza, hosted by Edith Bowman and Patrick Kielty, raised vital funds – and the roof – for the youth charity’s vital work with disadvantaged young people. The fundraiser comes in the wake of news that more than a million 16 to 24 year-olds are out of work, the highest number since records began in 1992.
A long list of Prince’s Trust supporters performed at the Rock Gala – the tenth in The Trust’s history – including singer songwriters Chris De Burgh, Nik Kershaw, Julian Lennon, Cerys Matthews, Alison Moyet and Joss Stone , rock legends Kenney Jones, Mark King and Midge Ure, urban saxophonist YolanDa Brown, classical music star Charlie Siem and comedian and musician Tim Minchin.
Read more...
- 11/25/2011
- Look to the Stars
Justin Bieber isn't the only teen-fave that's dropping a holiday release this year. The cast of "Glee" is returning with second edition of Christmas songs on Nov. 15, led by the first songs from the set "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The large-ensemble piece is a take on the 1984 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure-penned Band Aid charity song; the Fox show's Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Lea Michele (Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt), Kevin McHale (Artie), Heather Morris (Brittany), Mark Salling (Puck), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) and Naya Rivera (Santana) all appear on the track. Other well-known songs to make the...
- 10/25/2011
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
Rock legend Pete Townshend will be joined by a plethora of acts at a very special celebrity charity concert in London next month.
The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala 2011 will feature the legendary The Who guitarist in a lineup that also includes YolanDa Brown, Kenney Jones, Mark King, Julian Lennon, Cerys Matthews, Imelda May, comedian and musician Tim Minchin, Charlie Siem and Midge Ure. More acts are yet to be announced.
Read more...
The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala 2011 will feature the legendary The Who guitarist in a lineup that also includes YolanDa Brown, Kenney Jones, Mark King, Julian Lennon, Cerys Matthews, Imelda May, comedian and musician Tim Minchin, Charlie Siem and Midge Ure. More acts are yet to be announced.
Read more...
- 10/6/2011
- Look to the Stars
Hit entertainment show, Popstar to Operastar contiunes with our best selling recording artists and challenges them to ditch the pop and become opera divas!
Presented by Myleene Klass, this year’s celebrities include X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and Buck Fizz star and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker.
They may have topped the charts but our singing sensations will be hoping they can be number one in the classical arena.
Helping them to hit the high notes are mentors Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon – the highly regarded operatic duo will be using their expertise to guide our celebrity novices as they attempt to control their falsetto and deliver a world class performance.
Critically acclaimed actor, writer and theatre director...
Presented by Myleene Klass, this year’s celebrities include X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and Buck Fizz star and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker.
They may have topped the charts but our singing sensations will be hoping they can be number one in the classical arena.
Helping them to hit the high notes are mentors Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon – the highly regarded operatic duo will be using their expertise to guide our celebrity novices as they attempt to control their falsetto and deliver a world class performance.
Critically acclaimed actor, writer and theatre director...
- 6/11/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Move over Jedward, there’s a new duo on the block!
Popstar To Operastar competitor Melody Thornton has revealed that their friends on the ITV show have started calling her and X Factor winner Joe McElderry ‘Jelody’.
The ex-Pussycat Dolls singer star says people have been surprised with how she and the 19 year old singer “gel” so well, and Melody even admitted she would consider collaborating musically with Joe.
Asked whether the pop-tastic pair are likely to collaborate in the future, she told Bang Showbiz: “I love Joe. They call us ‘Jelody’ because we gel. We’ve already clicked and we have chemistry so we’ll see, hopefully.”
Melody narrowly avoided being voted off the ITV1 show – which trains pop stars to sing in an operatic style – on Sunday night (05.06.11), finishing in the bottom two alongside Ultravox singer Midge Ure, who was sent home instead.
However, the 26-year-old star...
Popstar To Operastar competitor Melody Thornton has revealed that their friends on the ITV show have started calling her and X Factor winner Joe McElderry ‘Jelody’.
The ex-Pussycat Dolls singer star says people have been surprised with how she and the 19 year old singer “gel” so well, and Melody even admitted she would consider collaborating musically with Joe.
Asked whether the pop-tastic pair are likely to collaborate in the future, she told Bang Showbiz: “I love Joe. They call us ‘Jelody’ because we gel. We’ve already clicked and we have chemistry so we’ll see, hopefully.”
Melody narrowly avoided being voted off the ITV1 show – which trains pop stars to sing in an operatic style – on Sunday night (05.06.11), finishing in the bottom two alongside Ultravox singer Midge Ure, who was sent home instead.
However, the 26-year-old star...
- 6/8/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Midge Ure became the first celebrity to leave ITV’s Popstar To Operastar last night, when he and former Pussycat Dolls star Melody Thornton found themselves in the bottom two after receiving the lowest amount of public votes.
The decision between the two singers was then in the hands of the judging panel and while Rolando and Vanessa Mae voted to save Midge, Simon Callow voted to save Melody, leading to Katherine Jenkins casting the deciding vote, as this week’s head judge.
The Welsh singer voted to save Melody saying:
“The biggest improvement for me, and if we were to give them another song, they could come up with more, is Melody.”
Upon being voted out, Midge Ure said: “I’ll have to go back to my day job. No-one wants to go in the first round but I think I did a reasonable job and I go out with great aplomb.
The decision between the two singers was then in the hands of the judging panel and while Rolando and Vanessa Mae voted to save Midge, Simon Callow voted to save Melody, leading to Katherine Jenkins casting the deciding vote, as this week’s head judge.
The Welsh singer voted to save Melody saying:
“The biggest improvement for me, and if we were to give them another song, they could come up with more, is Melody.”
Upon being voted out, Midge Ure said: “I’ll have to go back to my day job. No-one wants to go in the first round but I think I did a reasonable job and I go out with great aplomb.
- 6/6/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Midge Ure has become the first celebrity to leave Popstar to Operastar. The Ultravox frontman and Live Aid mastermind exited the competition after being voted into a sing-off with Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton by viewers. After performing 'Questa O Quella' from Verdi's Rigoletto again for the competition's judges, Ure initially appeared to have kept his spot on the ITV show, as panelists Rolando Villazon and Vanessa-Mae gave him their backing. In their comments, Villazon branded Ure as the "performer that felt more comfortable", while Vanessa Mae stated that the 57-year-old "took a risk and really had fun and made me believe". However, their co-judge Simon Callow sided with Thornton after declaring that she "embraced the extra possibilities" of her performance of 'Habanera' from Carmen, leaving (more)...
- 6/5/2011
- by By Daniel Sperling
- Digital Spy
Midge Ure admitted that he was nervous about taking to the Popstar To Operastar satge tonight, because he has never had any classical or porofessional musical training….in fact he can’t even read sheet music.
The Live Aid legend told cameras that he doesn’t want to put on a ‘cartoon opera voice,’ adding ‘I don’t intend to be Pavarotti…because I’m not!’
He had a hard time acting out his song in rehearsals but when he performed on the live ITV show, Midge seemed a little more self assured.
The 57 year old singer took on Questa O Quella from Rigoletto and probably had a less typically classical voice than either Melody Thornton or Joe McElderry who sang before him. He was definitely uncomfortable with the genre of music, however there was something very likeable about him on stage.
Katherine Jenkins: This seems to really suit...
The Live Aid legend told cameras that he doesn’t want to put on a ‘cartoon opera voice,’ adding ‘I don’t intend to be Pavarotti…because I’m not!’
He had a hard time acting out his song in rehearsals but when he performed on the live ITV show, Midge seemed a little more self assured.
The 57 year old singer took on Questa O Quella from Rigoletto and probably had a less typically classical voice than either Melody Thornton or Joe McElderry who sang before him. He was definitely uncomfortable with the genre of music, however there was something very likeable about him on stage.
Katherine Jenkins: This seems to really suit...
- 6/5/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Midge Ure has admitted that while he was at first unsure about whether to accept a role on Popstar To Operastar, he eventually decided to take part in the show because he looked forward to the ‘challenge.’
The the Live Aid legend will return to our screens this evening on the first episode of the ITV series. He will face competition from fellow pop singers, trying to master the art of opera, X-Factor winner Joe McElderry, Erasure frontman Andy Bell, ex-Pussycat Dolls babe Melody Thornton, Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz, Claire Richards of Steps, Toploader front man Joseph Washbourn and soul singer Jocelyn Brown.
Speaking to The Daily Record Midge revealed why he decided to join the show lineup saying:
“Initially, when they asked me to take part, my gut instinct was – why? Then I thought, ‘When am I ever going to get the chance to do anything like...
The the Live Aid legend will return to our screens this evening on the first episode of the ITV series. He will face competition from fellow pop singers, trying to master the art of opera, X-Factor winner Joe McElderry, Erasure frontman Andy Bell, ex-Pussycat Dolls babe Melody Thornton, Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz, Claire Richards of Steps, Toploader front man Joseph Washbourn and soul singer Jocelyn Brown.
Speaking to The Daily Record Midge revealed why he decided to join the show lineup saying:
“Initially, when they asked me to take part, my gut instinct was – why? Then I thought, ‘When am I ever going to get the chance to do anything like...
- 6/5/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Hit entertainment show, Popstar to Operastar returns with a new batch of best selling recording artists and challenges them to ditch the pop and become opera divas!
Presented by Myleene Klass, this year’s celebrities include X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and Buck Fizz star and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker.
They may have topped the charts but our singing sensations will be hoping they can be number one in the classical arena.
Helping them to hit the high notes are mentors Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon – the highly regarded operatic duo will be using their expertise to guide our celebrity novices as they attempt to control their falsetto and deliver a world class performance.
Critically acclaimed actor, writer...
Presented by Myleene Klass, this year’s celebrities include X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and Buck Fizz star and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker.
They may have topped the charts but our singing sensations will be hoping they can be number one in the classical arena.
Helping them to hit the high notes are mentors Katherine Jenkins and Rolando Villazon – the highly regarded operatic duo will be using their expertise to guide our celebrity novices as they attempt to control their falsetto and deliver a world class performance.
Critically acclaimed actor, writer...
- 6/4/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
Myleene Klass hosts this hour special which unveils the cast of 2011 in Popstar To Operastar: The Curtain Raiser.
Ahead of the celebrities’ first live performance on Sunday 5th June, viewers will get to see the preparation, nerves and trepidations as the contestants are all facing as they get ready to unleash their first operatic performances.
This series sees X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker taking on the challenge.
The cameras have followed the celebrities every step of the way from their first tentative moments during their early rehearsals through to their last minute preparations for their first live performance. Capturing the tears, tensions and tuneful arias of our singing stars as they attempt to hone their operatic style.
Ahead of the celebrities’ first live performance on Sunday 5th June, viewers will get to see the preparation, nerves and trepidations as the contestants are all facing as they get ready to unleash their first operatic performances.
This series sees X Factor winner Joe McElderry, soul diva Jocelyn Brown, Erasure front man Andy Bell, singer/songwriter Midge Ure, solo recording artist formerly of the Pussycat Dolls Melody Thornton, Steps singer Claire Richards, Toploader’s Joseph Washbourn and former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker taking on the challenge.
The cameras have followed the celebrities every step of the way from their first tentative moments during their early rehearsals through to their last minute preparations for their first live performance. Capturing the tears, tensions and tuneful arias of our singing stars as they attempt to hone their operatic style.
- 6/4/2011
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
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