Tag Archives: Entertainment

The Last Leg Host Adam Hills Challenges Labour To Give New Pay Rise For MPs To Charity

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The Last Leg presenter Adam Hills has challenged Labour to donate the recently announced pay rise for all MPs to charity.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that MPs are set to get a 2.9% pay increase, taking their salary from £84,144 to £86,584 from 1 April.

The news was discussed on the topical Channel 4 panel show on Friday night, where Adam and co-host Alex Brooker branded the move “tone deaf”.

Alex said: “It’s pretty tone deaf given the strikes with the nurses at the moment. And you’ve got Rishi Sunk trying to placate them going, ‘Well, we’ll be able to give you a pay rise next year.’ That’s not really how strikes work.”

Adam agreed, and went on to discuss a recent committee suggestion that departing MPs should be presented with a medallion of service when they step down.

He continued: “Do you know what I would love to see Labour do this week, by the way, is go: ‘We’re not going to take the pay rise, we’re going to donate it to charity.’

“What a lovely challenge that would be. What a lovely point that would make.”

Adam was met with a round of applause from the studio audience after making the suggestion.

However, comedian Dara Ó Briain, who was a guest on the show, disagreed.

Dara O Briain
Dara O Briain

Jane Barlow – PA Images via Getty Images

“Can I say no to that?” he said. “Because yet again, one side of the debate has to be morally pure and the other will just take the cash, and that seems unfair in some ways, and wrong.

“Also the whole point is to encourage people to come into politics, and yeah a lot of them are rotten, but if you’re constantly staying to them, ‘You have to very obviously give your money away whenever you get it,’… I don’t know.”

He concluded: “I think holding Labour to some higher standard just because they’re Labour is wrong.”

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which sets MPs’ pay, previously said that the increase would be the same as the average rise for public sector workers last year.

Ipsa chairman Richard Lloyd said: “In confirming MPs’ pay for next year, we have once again considered very carefully the extremely difficult economic circumstances, the government’s evolving approach to public sector pay in the light of forecasted rates of inflation, and the principle that MPs’ pay should be reflective of their responsibility in our democracy.

“Our aim is to ensure that pay is fair for MPs, regardless of their financial circumstances, to support the most diverse of parliaments.

“Serving as an MP should not be the preserve of those wealthy enough to fund it themselves.

“It is important for our democracy that people from any background should see representing their communities in Parliament as a possibility.”

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Susanna Reid Defends Madonna After Comments About Her Grammys Appearance: ‘She Should Be Proud Of Herself’

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Susanna Reid has defended Madonna after the star spoke out against misogynistic and ageist comments about her appearance.

The Good Morning Britain presenter said the Like A Prayer singer should “feel proud of herself”, while criticising those who have been passing comment on Madonna since she popped up at the Grammys over the weekend.

Discussing a recent Instagram post, in which Madonna said she was once again “caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in”, on the ITV breakfast show, Susanna said: “She’s 64 years old and I think she is damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. If she aged naturally people would still be focused and obsessed with her appearance.

“People are going to be obsessed with how Madonna appears and she thinks it is an example of misogyny, ageism and she also blames the long lens of the camera which took her photo.”

Madonna speaks onstage during the Grammys
Madonna speaks onstage during the Grammys

Frazer Harrison via Getty Images

She continued: “Frankly, do you know what? I think she should just look however she wants to look and there we go and there you have it.

“She should feel proud of herself whatever she does.”

The Queen of Pop appeared on stage at Sunday’s Grammys to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ performance of their hit collaboration, Unholy, during which she paid tribute to her fellow “troublemakers and rebels”.

It prompted scrutiny and speculation on social media and in the press, with some questioning if the 64-year-old had undergone cosmetic surgery.

Responding to the criticism on Instagram, Madonna said: “Many people chose to only talk about close-up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face.

“Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women pass [sic] the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her if she continues to be strong-willed, hard-working, and adventurous.

“I have never apologised for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start.”

Madonna pointed out that she’s been “degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come.”

She concluded: “I look forward to many more years of subversive behaviour – pushing boundaries – Standing up to the patriarchy – and Most of all enjoying my life.”

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV1.

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Netflix Announces Cast For New Drama Based On Prince Andrew’s Newsnight Interview

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The cast has been announced for Scoop, Netflix’s new film based around Prince Andrew’s infamous interview on Newsnight back in 2019.

Over the summer, it was revealed that Newsnight producer Sam McAlister’s book – which went into detail about what went on behind the scenes to secure the interview – was being adapted for the big screen.

It’s now been revealed that Rufus Sewell, whose credits include Victoria, The Man In The High Castle and The Holiday will portray the Duke of York in the drama.

Rufus Sewell
Rufus Sewell

Taylor Hill via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Gillian Anderson will play former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis.

Gillian is best known for her roles in the TV series The X-Files, The Fall and Sex Education.

Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson

David M. Benett via Getty Images

In 2021, she also won an Emmy for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of The Crown.

Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes will also make appearances as Sam McAlister herself and Prince Andrew’s former private secretary Amanda Thirsk, respectively.

Netflix has said Scoop will give viewers the “inside track” on how Prince Andrew first came to be grilled by presenter Emily Maitlis over his relationship with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The streaming giant added that it will look at “navigating Palace vetoes, to breaking through to Prince Andrew’s inner circle, the high-stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal – to the jaw-dropping interview itself”.

The Crown producer Philip Martin, who directs Scoop, said: “Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew – to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections.

“It’s a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how – whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms – we judge what’s true.”

Following the interview in November 2019, and the furore over his friendship with Epstein, the Duke stepped away from public life.

The interview was recently sent up in the Channel 4 special Prince Andrew: The Musical, which aired over Christmas.

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Nick Ferrari’s ‘Shocking’ Toothbrush Comments Have Left People Enraged

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As the cost of living crisis rages on, LBC presenter Nick Ferrari has left many angered and shocked after saying people shouldn’t become parents if they can’t afford to buy their children toothbrushes.

His comments were in response to figures released by the charity Beauty Banks and the British Dental Association, which found 83% of secondary school teachers said they or their school have given students toothbrushes or toothpaste.

Responding to this heartbreaking stat, Ferrari said: “If you are a mum – and/or a dad – and you haven’t got money to buy your child a toothbrush, you should never have become a parent in the first place.” Yes, you heard correctly.

The repercussions of oral hygiene poverty are huge and devastating for children.

The new report found one in two teachers said children isolate themselves because of oral hygiene issues, while one in four miss school because of it. One in three have witnessed bullying directly linked to a student’s oral hygiene issues.

Sali Hughes, co-founder of Beauty Banks which donates personal hygiene products to people living in poverty, branded Ferrari’s comments as “shocking”.

She told HuffPost UK: “Suggesting that women who find themselves poor should never have had children, at the very best fails to comprehend the unprecedented scale of financial difficulty for families since Covid, a global energy crisis, recession, and a cost of living crisis that has seen essentials like food and toiletries rise sharply – and unmanageably – in price.

“Circumstances have changed so dramatically for so many families that Beauty Banks has seen a 75% increase in product requests from food banks, hostels and schools, with toothpaste and toothbrushes now being the most asked for toiletries items.”

She concluded: “If Nick Ferrari can’t conceive of such poverty, then he is very fortunate. But this is the demonstrable reality for many modern Britons. I suggest that rather than belittling people living in poverty, and rubbishing frontline teacher testimony, he should listen, try to understand, and affect change.”

Many factors can contribute to people ending up in poverty, including rising living costs, low pay, lack of work, and inadequate social security benefits.

According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, around one in five people in the UK (20%) were in poverty between 2020-21. That’s 13.4 million people. (And this data was compiled well before the worst of the energy crisis took hold.)

It’s believed around one in four children in the UK are living in poverty and, according to the Child Poverty Action Group, 75% of these children have at least one parent in work.

After LBC shared a clip of Ferrari’s response to the report, hundreds of people – including TV host Carol Vorderman – had plenty to say about it, with the former Countdown star calling his language “humiliating”.

There were also plenty of reminders that not every parent is already living in poverty when they have children – and that circumstances can (and sadly often do) change.

Photographer and activist Misan Harriman, who is an ambassador for Save The Children UK, issued a video statement in response to the comments, which he branded “unacceptable”.

“We have to have a duty of care to the most vulnerable in our society and if a parent cannot afford a toothbrush, they are vulnerable. They need help, not criticism.

“As a nation we need to ask ourselves who we are – and I do not recognise any place where parents that are going through hell are stamped on. We have to be better than this.”

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Madonna Hails ‘Troublemakers And Rebels’ As She Pays Tribute To Sam Smith And Kim Petras At Grammys

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As pop music’s OG trailblazer queer ally, it was fitting that Madonna introduced Sam Smith and Kim Petras at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

Ahead of the ceremony, the Queen of Pop shared a video on Instagram of her in her outfit by designer Loree Rodkin, which was giving us high end equestrian vibes (complete with riding crop, obvs).

After taking to the stage at the Crytpo.com Arena in Los Angeles, Madonna paid tribute to her fellow “troublemakers and rebels”.

“Are you ready for a little controversy? Here’s what I’ve learned after four decades in music,” she began.

“If they call you shocking, scandalous, troublesome, problematic, provocative or dangerous, you are definitely onto something.

“I’m here to give thanks to all the rebels out there, forging a new path and taking the heat for all of it.

“All you troublemakers out there need to know that your fearlessness does not go unnoticed. You are seen, you are heard and, most of all, you are appreciated.”

She concluded: “So now, speaking of controversy, it gives me great pleasure to introduce two incredibly talented artists who have risen above the noise, the doubt, the critics into something beautifully unholy. Here are two Grammy award winners, Sam Smith and Kim Petras.”

Sam and Kim then took to the stage for a fiery (literally) performance of their hit Unholy, which featured cameo appearances from RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Gottmik and Violet Chachki.

Earlier in the night, Kim took a moment to honour the transgender trailblazers that came before her as she celebrated her first ever Grammy win.

Kim and Sam triumphed in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their collaboration Unholy, which topped the charts upon its release last year.

(L-R) Kim Petras and Sam Smith onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
(L-R) Kim Petras and Sam Smith onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Emma McIntyre via Getty Images

Taking to the stage to collect the prize, the German singer and songwriter revealed to the audience that Sam “graciously wanted me to accept this award because I’m the first transgender woman to win this award”.

“I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me, who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” Kim said.

Kim went on to give a special mention to Madonna, for her “fight for LGBTQ rights”, and claimed she wouldn’t “be here” without the Queen of Pop or her own mother.

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Grammys Host Trevor Noah Makes Adele’s Dream Come True With Celebrity Encounter

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The Grammy Awards have long been a place where musicians’ dreams come true – just ask Adele.

But while the chart-topping star has been the recipient of 16 Grammys in the last decade, even she couldn’t have predicted the wish that Trevor Noah would grant her during this year’s ceremony.

On Sunday night, the South African comedian kicked off the 65th Grammys by mingling among the stars in the audience, before finding a spot by the Someone Like You singer.

He then disclosed to the crowd that Adele had always wanted to meet Dwayne Johnson, but had never had the opportunity.

“I found out that he’s a huge fan of yours, too,” he then teased.

Trevor then lamented to the singer that there was no one in the venue by the name of Dwayne Johnson, before joking: “But I do have someone called The Rock.”

The pair then shared a sweet introduction before the awards started being dished out.

Towards the end of the night, The Rock was called back on stage to present the award for Best Pop Solo Performance, which ended up going to Adele for her hit Easy On Me.

“Get up here, bestie!” the former wrestler joked, before Adele delivered a short speech that somehow still managed to include an emotional outburst, an anecdote about her divorce and an F-bomb.

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This year’s Grammys saw Beyoncé taking home the most awards with four wins, although the coveted Album Of The Year prize went to Harry Styles.

Check out the full list of winners from the 2023 Grammy Awards here.

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