List of All Articles with Tag 'celebrities'

The moment Sinead O'Connor ripped up a photo of the Pope has resurfaced as the singer has died. The Grammy-winning singer who shot to international stardom in 1990 with the hit ballad 'Nothing Compares 2 U', and released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014 has died aged 56, her family confirmed. As well as being famous for her music, she also was known for some controversial moments. O'Connor was performing on Saturday Night Live on October 1992 when she ripped up the photo of the head of the Catholic church. The then 26-year-old singer performed an a cappella rendition of Bob Marley’s 'War' to bring attention to the issue of child abuse. As she finished singing, the singer held up a picture of Pope John Paul II and tore it to pieces in front of the camera. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter She then blew out the candles on stage and walked off. The stunt was reportedly to protest the issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, long before such allegations were widely reported. The network received complaints after the stunt and O'Connor also received death threat, boos, and had to cancel lots of gigs. Remembering the incident in her 2021 autobiography, Rememberings, she wrote: "'When I walk backstage, literally not a human being is in sight. "All doors have closed. Everyone has vanished. Including my own manager, who locks himself in his room for three days and unplugs his phone." And in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role. Announcing the singer's death in a statement yesterday, O'Connor's family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time." They did not report the cause of her death. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56 and tributes celebrating her life have poured in. Her death was announced on Wednesday (26 July) by her family in a brief statement. No cause of death was given. It read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.” The singer hailed from Dublin, Ireland, and rose to fame thanks to a global hit with the 1990 ballad Nothing Compares 2 U. Throughout her musical career, O’Connor was no stranger to controversy and famously shocked the US by ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 appearance on the talk show Saturday Night Live in protest against child abuse in the Catholic Church. The news of her death stunned many, from the world of entertainment and beyond, and has led to an outpouring of heartfelt tributes for the musical icon. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter O’Connor’s death comes 18 months after that of her 17-year-old son Shane. In one of her last posts on social media, she said he was “the love of my life, the lamp of my soul”. She will be remembered not only for her singing voice but for her activism and bravery in opposing atrocities, even in the face of significant backlash. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Ryan Reynolds has been heavily criticised on social media for meeting with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. The actor visited the PM amid the ongoing actors' strike to discuss the “excellence of UK film crews". Filming on Reynold’s film Deadpool 3 has been paused amid industrial action taken by Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra). The actor posted a picture of the pair together and added the caption: “With Deadpool paused, we visited 10 Downing to discuss the excellence of UK film crews and @maximumeffort. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Aside from shooting back home, the UK is my favourite place to make a movie. Hoping to see even more film work heading to Wales. Rob [McElhenney] would have joined but he’s currently having a word with Man Utd’s youth team goalie.” Reynolds was referencing the injury Wrexham AFC striker Paul Mullin suffered after a tackle with Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop in a friendly game earlier this week. People flocked to the comments section to criticise Reynolds’ decision to meet with Sunak. “This ain’t it bro. Rishi and his party are a disgrace,” one wrote. Another said: “Oh this is disappointing ( go do your homework on how the conservatives treat the arts in this country).” A user even went as far as saying: “Sitting with this idiot is the lowest point of your career. And yea, I saw Green lantern.” “This isn't the PR win you think it is Ryan,” one more said. Meanwhile, Reynolds and McElhenney who own Wrexham Football Club are now making waves in motorsport after buying a stake in Formula One team Alpine. The pair are part of a group that also includes fellow Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan, other investors include Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners who have made the $200m (approximately £157m) investment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

TikTok sensation and student gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken about the impact fame has had on her everyday life, saying that it’s no longer safe for her to attend university classes. The viral star from Louisiana State University (LSU) has taken TikTok by storm over recent years, but it’s not always been easy for her to prioritise her safety. Dunne has been competing as a gymnast since 2014. She became a member of the US National Gymnastics Team in 2017. However, she has now revealed that she can no longer attend her LSU classes in person due to potential threats. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Speaking to Elle, Dunne said: “There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible. I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.” It’s not the first time concerns have been raised. Dunne faced a rowdy mob of young men while competing at the University of Utah earlier this year. Sources said the group of young men disrupted the competition, screaming “put Livvy in” to the point that security had to be called, according to Slate. The crazed fans made enough of an impact that LSU’s head coach, Jay Clark, said they’d be adding “security detail” when the team goes on the road. "We will be working to create a perimeter around where we get on the bus, where we load," Clark said according to TMZ. "I take our team's safety and security very seriously." Dunne took to Twitter on 8 January asking fans to "be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community." “I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job,” she wrote. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Margot Robbie is being heaped with praise after a resurfaced clip of her signing to a deaf fan went viral online. The Barbie star was at a premiere for Amsterdam last year, when the fan began signing at her. Surprisingly, Robbie, who hasn't previously disclosed her ability to sign, then gestured back that she was 'happy to meet' the fan. "As if we couldn't love her anymore!", one supporter tweeted, while others chimed in that it should be 'essential' for everybody to know the basics. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The always outspoken Piers Morgan has given his two cents on the Barbie movie, and he is not a fan. Writing in the New York Post, the journalist slammed the Greta Gerwig hit for encouraging "feminazis" and even went as far as to suggest people would want him "executed" if he had made a similar flick. Misunderstanding inherent power imbalances between men and women, he wrote: "If I made a movie mocking women as useless dunderheads, constantly attacking 'the matriarchy,' and depicting all things feminist as toxic bulls–t, I wouldn’t just be canceled, I’d be executed!" Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Elsewhere in the review, Morgan said the film had "a ridiculous misandrist message that is being rammed down the throats of literally tens of millions of people". He also called it "preachy and irritating", and we'll leave the obvious irony of that statement for you to work out, thus joining the waves of men to voice their annoyance with the film. And yet despite Morgan's upset, the film has done pretty well by all accounts. It dominated box office sales in its opening weekend and has already broken records. Morgan just doesn't have the Kenergy to deal with it. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without a key weapon during training camp, but some upside to the injury timeline ices the sting.The Kansas City Chiefs are kicking off training camp, hopeful it's the first step in a lengthy pursuit to defend their Super Bowl victory from February.Back in...

Country music singer Jason Aldeon is facing an intense wave of backlash after his song, “Try That In A Small Town”, went viral online, prompting many people to accuse him of dog-whistle racism. The song sets footage of Black Lives Matter protests alongside lyrics like: “Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own.” The song continues: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The BLM protests were a direct reaction to the murder of African-American man George Floyd by a white police officer. The clips in the music video, which also include an attempted convenience store robbery and other apparent crimes, alternate with shots of Aldean and his band performing in the public square of Columbia, Tennessee. To make things worse, the video is shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse, which at times appears to be on fire with images of burning US flags projected onto it. It’s the same building where a mob hanged 18-year-old African-American Henry Choate from the balcony in 1927. Columbia is also the site of an infamous 1946 race riot that nearly resulted in the lynching of future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. Another lyric goes: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well that s--- might fly in the city / Good luck.” Country Music Television (CMT) confirmed Tuesday that it had pulled the video from rotation. Social media has been ablaze with the controversy for much of the last week. Democrat state representative for Tenessee, Justin Jones, called the song "heinous", and a "shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism". One user said that if Lil Durk, a black American rapper, made a response to Aldean's video called "Try That On The South Side of Chicago", it would likely be denounced as violent. Others shared videos explaining exactly why people are interpreting the song as dog-whistle racism. Aldean has stood by the song, saying: “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage – and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far.” Needless to say, the people defending him are all the ones you might expect. Top Republicans have jumped to Aldean’s aid, including former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. “Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. The conservative influencer Ben Shapiro posted a video to his YouTube channel titled “Jason Aldean REFUSES To Get Cancelled”, in which he discusses the controversy and takes Aldean’s side. Most recently, Aldean has been filmed at a concert over the weekend defending the song further. He said: “What I am is a proud American.” “I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls*** started happening to us.” “I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that. I can tell you that.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Margot Robbie has recalled the time she faked her own death because she didn't like her babysitter. The Barbie star opened up about the hilarious event to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, which saw her cover herself in tomato ketchup and lie on the kitchen ground with a knife. The nanny's reaction made it worthwhile for Robbie, who ran out of the house screaming. "We got a new babysitter," the actress told Ball. "And I wanted my old babysitter back, Talia, who was like sixteen and I thought she was so cool." Robbie added: "And then we got this much older lady in and I was just not happy about it." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The final straw for Robbie was when her new nanny asked her to take a bath. "She told me to go have a bath and I didn’t want to, and she was very cranky and I thought, 'I’m going to show you,'" she joked. "And so I got a big kitchen knife and the ketchup and I lay sprawled out naked on the tiles, covered myself in ketchup and put the kitchen knife. "And I waited for like 45 minutes for her to find me. But, it was worth the wait." Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the hotly anticipated film, chimed in and said, "you produced your own death," to which Robbie admitted she had. Robbie went on to share another incident to prove she was a "dramatic child". "I also once practised like a pratfall on the cinema stairs at the shopping centre where I’m from," she told the BBC. "People started calling an ambulance so, I guess I was a bit of a dramatic child." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Margot Robbie has confessed to a cruel prank she pulled on a babysitter as a child, which resulted in her faking her own death. The Barbie star admitted being disgruntled about the prospect of getting a new babysitter, and decided to get her own back. "I wanted my old babysitter back, Talia, who was like sixteen and I thought she was so cool", she told the BBC. She then admits: "I got a big kitchen knife and the ketchup and I lay sprawled out naked on the tiles, covered myself in ketchup and put the kitchen knife there." The babysitter reportedly ran out of the house screaming. We don't blame her. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Andrew Tate's house arrest has been extended, so he's passing the time by posting videos of himself riding his Bugatti...scooter that is. The disgraced influencer uploaded the clip to Twitter, of him riding around the house on his electric scooter, joined by a number of people along the way, all riding the same one. It comes after he confessed to buying 10 'Bugatti scooters' after his Bugatti cars were seized in a raid by Romanian police. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Actor Matt Damon has opened up about some of the perils of the acting profession and revealed it was “hell” having to kiss his co-star Scarlett Johansson. The Hollywood actor made the confession during a game for LadBible in which the actor, alongside his Oppenheimer co-star Emily Blunt, had to say whether they agreed or disagreed with a statement. The topic of kissing co-stars came up when the actors were posed with the statement, “You should tell someone if they have bad breath”. Both actors strongly agreed with the statement and revealed that rather than tell a person they had bad breath, they would instead ask them if they wanted some gum. Damon then went on to tell the story about kissing Johansson while shooting the 2011 film We Bought a Zoo, joking it was “hell” having to kiss her and saying, “Can you image how horrible that was for me”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Matt Damon & Emily Blunt Argue Over Bad American Food | Agree To Disagree | @LADbible www.youtube.com He explained that they did a kissing scene before lunch and both thought they were done, but instead, the director returned to the close-up shot after Johansson had eaten an “onion sandwich”. Damon said: “We went to lunch and she and I both thought it was over. She ate an onion sandwich for lunch and she came in and Cameron Crowe had set the camera up and it was a tight shot of the kiss, and she goes, ‘Oh s**t, I literally just had an onion sandwich!’.” The actor said that for the rest of the scene, he poked fun at her for her onion breath that he actually couldn’t even smell. Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt is released in cinemas on July 21st. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.