Category Entertainment News

Taylor Swift has opened up about her forthcoming album Life of a Showgirl and revealed she found inspiration after a string of ‘dramatic’ events on The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift has revealed her Life of a Showgirl album was inspired by “dramatic” events. The global megastar, 35, today confirmed the release of her latest album following weeks of speculation.

The pop star appeared on a podcast with her boyfriend, Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason, which over 1.3 million people tuned in for the live event. But while Taylor is notoriously private and rarely gives interviews, the Bad Blood songstress offered an insight into the record, which will be released in October.

Her new record, which she wrote on her Eras Tour and recorded to in Sweden, will feature 12 tracks, including a duet with Sabrina Carpenter. Speaking about the album, Taylor said: “This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant.” It comes after Taylor Swift announces Sabrina Carpenter duet and The Life of a Showgirl release date.

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She went on to add: “It comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I was in, in my life. So that effervescence has come through on this record. As you said, bangers, we were just like, there’s no other songs coming. There’s no other songs coming, with The Tortured Poets Department, here’s everything I’ve thought, felt and experienced in two or three years.

“This is 12, there’s not a 13th, there’s not another one coming. This is the record I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time. I also wanted it to be every single song is on this album for hundreds of reasons, you couldn’t take one out and it be the same album. It’s just right.”

Speaking on the New Heights podcast, she added: “That focus and that discipline with creating an album and keeping the bar really is something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. I tend to love to write lots and lots of music, so it’s a temptation to release lots of music.

“But lots of times, I’ve wanted to do an album that’s so focused on quality and on the theme and everything fitting together like a perfect puzzle, that these 12 songs for my 12th album, I feel like we’ve achieved that and I’m really happy with that.” Reflecting on the writing and recording process, which saw her complete three shows, head to Sweden and then hit the road again, Swift commented: “I was basically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating.”

Her boyfriend, Travis, joked that she was “literally living the life of a showgirl,” hence the reasoning behind the name of the record. She went on to say: “And one of the things about this record is like, it’s a record I made with my mentor, Max Martin and Shellback. And the three of us have made some of my favourite songs that I’ve ever done before.”

She explained that she worked with Martin and Shellback on her Red album for a string of hits taken from the record. “We’ve made songs that I’m so proud of,” before explaining that there were no other collaborators on her latest album, which she says felt like “catching lightening”.

But she also used the podcast to explain that it made her fall in love with Travis, joking that he used it as a personal dating app and soon realised “he’s the good kind of crazy.” He famously gushed over Taylor before the pair had even met, with Taylor commenting that the clip felt as though “he was standing outside of my apartment, holding a boom box saying, ‘I want to go on a date with you’.”

Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter said she was “freaking out” about her collaboration with Taylor. Sharing the news on her Instagram Story, Sabrina wrote: “I know someone who’s freaking out and its me.” Sabrina was recently the opener for a leg of Taylor’s Eras Tour, and she previously heaped praise on her idol.

She told Rolling Stone magazine last year: “I hold her to such a different echelon. I could never compare my life, my career, my trajectory to anything close to what she’s done.” The Life Of A Showgirl is Swift’s first album since regaining control of her back catalogue and purchasing the rights to all of her concert films, music videos, album art and photography, as well as her unreleased songs.

The US popstar re-recorded her first six albums and released them as Taylor’s Version, following a dispute with retired talent manager Scooter Braun. Braun acquired the back catalogue when he bought Swift’s former label. Her master copies were then sold in a deal with Shamrock Capital, before Swift purchased them from the company in May.

Swift has released new versions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989, but is yet to release her debut self-titled album or 2017’s Reputation. Speaking about acquiring her master recordings, Swift said: “A lot of record deals are set up in a way that artists don’t own their master recordings. Owning your master recordings means that you have complete control and power over distribution, licensing, and essentially the way your legacy is shaped.

“My music has been sold a few times. The first time it was sold, it really ripped my heart out of my chest. I started basically defiantly re-recording my music because I wanted to own it. And this was the only way I thought it was ever going to happen. Re-recording my music, it was so exciting to get to have that opportunity. But I still thought about not owning my music every day. After the Eras tour, I had a meeting with my team and we decided this might be a good time to approach the current owners of it.”

Tracklist:

The Life of a Showgirl will be released on October 3.

Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was left visibly shaken after his family’s private jet with wife Paris and their seven children was forced to do an emergency landing

Tyson Fury has revealed he was left ‘terrified’ after the private jet he and his family were flying on was forced to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical issue mid-flight.

The retired heavyweight boxing champion, 37, had been travelling with his wife Paris Fury, 35, and their seven children shortly after the couple renewed their wedding vows for a third time in France.

The celebratory trip quickly turned into a distressing experience when the aircraft encountered a technical fault shortly after takeoff. It comes after Tyson said he was ‘living the dream’ as he recreated his first dance with Paris at their third wedding.

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According to Fury, the plane had flown approximately 100 miles before the pilot alerted passengers that there was a malfunction involving one of the aircraft’s wings.

Speaking to his followers via Instagram Stories, the legendary boxer recounted the unnerving moment.

He explained: “So, we’ve travelled 100 miles on the plane and the captain’s come over to me and said, ‘we’ve got to turn this plane around because there’s a problem with one of the wings and it won’t fix on the computer so we gotta try and get back and turn around’.”

Fury, who has been open in the past about his struggles with anxiety and mental health, admitted that the situation deeply unsettled him.

“Talk about totally sh***ing yourself. So we’re now spinning the plane around and going back to the airport where we started. Terrifying,” he added, as he looked visibly shaken while filming from inside the cabin.

Video clips posted to social media show members of the Fury family onboard the jet as it turns back toward its departure point. Tyson captioned one of the videos simply writing: “bad news.”

The scary incident occurred shortly after Tyson and his wife celebrated a significant personal milestone.

The couple, who first married in 2008, recently renewed their vows in an intimate ceremony held in the South of France. Only their children were present at the event, which took place in a small, scenic church.

Paris wore a white bespoke gown by Self-Portrait, while Tyson opted for a more casual look, pairing a cream shirt with white shorts and sandals. The couple shared a series of photos from the day with Fury’s 6.7 million Instagram followers.

In the post, Tyson gushed: “Paris Fury and I got married again; third time lucky. We had the most beautiful day in the South of France, it holds a lot of special memories for us.” The sweet video was set to Bruno Mars’ 2011 track “Marry You.”

The couple’s seven children – Venezuela, 15, Prince John James, 13, Prince Tyson II, 9, Valencia, 7, Prince Adonis Amaziah, 6, Athena, 4, and Prince Rico, 2, – were all present for the special occasion, marking another family milestone for the Fury family.

Tyson, also known as The Gypsy King, announced his retirement from professional boxing in 2022 after an undefeated career.

He has since remained in the public eye through reality TV appearances, business ventures, and continued interaction with fans via social media.

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Zara McDermott’s most recent Rise collection included a pair of £30 leggings that she hailed ‘the best leggings of all time’ – and they’re still available to shop at New Look

Ever since she launched it last year, Zara McDermott’s clothing brand Rise has continued to skyrocket in popularity, especially after it was stocked at high street fave New Look earlier this year. The most recent collection, which launched in early July, included plenty of summer staples like playsuits and comfy separates, as well as a restock and refresh of some of the brand’s hero pieces – the gymwear.

The workout clothes are the core of Zara’s Rise brand, and one piece in particular has become one of Zara’s all time favourites. The Rise by Zara McDermott Navy Ruched Bum Leggings have become a staple part of the Rise formula, with Zara calling them “The best leggings of all time.”

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In her Instagram story, Zara also wrote: “I designed these leggings myself because I was so sick of buying expensive leggings and them only lasting 5 minutes! So I created our core leggings with a premium feel fabric for a fraction of the price.”

The Ruched Bum Leggings are still available in all sizes from eight to 18, and you can pick them up online at NewLook.com for just £30. The leggings have a flattering high waisted fit with a wide waistband which not only smooths and sculpts but stops it from rolling down when you move around.

They have a full length leg and a ruched bum – or ‘bum scrunch’ – detail which helps create the illusion of a lifted, rounded bum. They’ve been designed to be comfortable enough to wear everywhere from yoga class to brunch with friends, with plenty of stretch that moves with you no matter what you’re doing.

There are also several other brands that do a similar design, with Gymshark’s Adapt Fleck x Whitney Leggings also featuring a high, wide waistband and subtle bum scrunch design. They’re currently on sale down from £50 to £20 and come in 14 different colours.

Tala is also a huge favourite thanks to its soft, premium fabric and plenty of stretch, with the Tala Sculpt Seamless Scrunch Leggings in Dark Olive now £37 down from £56. Meanwhile Next has a super affordable pair of self. Seamless Bum Scrunch Leggings for £26, which come in two colours, whilst Ryderwear’s Stonewash Scrunch Seamless Leggings are slightly pricier at £47.99 but feature carefully placed sculpting panels.

The Life Of A Showgirl singer shared the emotional moment as she admitted to ‘hitting the floor’ and ‘bawling her eyes out’

Taylor Swift couldn’t help but get emotional as she shared a life-defining moment in her career with fans. The Life Of A Showgirl singer guest-starred on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason’s, podcast, New Heights, when she opened up about her upcoming album.

During the episode, they covered many topics, from how Travis and Taylor first met and what it was like to all 12 tracks on her brand new album, which is set for release on October 3 and includes a duet with Sabrina Carpenter. In a heartwarming moment on the show, when Taylor recalled the day she reclaimed her master recordings, she struggled to hold back tears.

The 35-year-old revealed that she had been saving up since she was young, aiming to eventually own her music. Taylor mentioned that re-recording her songs was the closest she could get to truly owning them. Once her record-breaking Eras Tour came to a close, Taylor and her team spoke to Shamrock Holdings, a private investment firm that holds her master recordings.

Getting back control of her own music, which she wrote herself, was a pivotal moment in her life and meant much more to her than just money. The singer’s choice to reclaim her master recordings stemmed mainly from her wish for artistic independence and a profound personal bond with her music.

She sees her master recordings as a reflection of her life’s achievements, encompassing her songwriting, photography, and music videos. In a bid to get complete control over their usage, she set up a meeting for her mum and brother with Shamrock Holdings, without lawyers.

After she explained to the company how crucial this was for her, she attempted to work out a deal. Her mum, Andrea Swift, soon called Taylor up to let her know that she was uncertain about where this could go.

Fortunately, it all worked out. Welling up, Taylor said: “A couple of months after the Super Bowl in Kansas City, I get a call from my mom. She’s like, ‘you got your music.’ I very dramatically hit the floor. Bawling my eyes out, weeping, like ‘really?'”

She continued: “I said to myself, ‘go tell Travis in a normal way’. He was playing video games and he put his headset down. I was like ‘I got my music back!’ And I was in heaven crying, this changed my life.”

On YouTube, thousands of fans have shared their thoughts on the new podcast episode, with many pleased to see Taylor so happy. One fan wrote: “I don’t think the Kelce brothers realise what a true gift this was for fans. I’ve never heard Taylor speak so openly and candidly for so long.”

A second put: “This podcast made me realise I don’t think I’ve ever heard Taylor talk this much or in a natural setting ever.” Another said: “Travis and Taylor are the definition of ‘you’re not too much for the right person’.”

Commenting on their relationship, someone else said: “Her saying her teenage self wanted this type of love is so full circle and wow I’m crying.” One more said: “‘I’m the luckiest man in the world’. WE LOVE A MAN THAT KNOWS WHAT HE HAS.”

What happened to Taylor Swift’s master recordings?

In 2019, Scooter Braun’s company, Ithaca Holdings, snapped up Big Machine Records, which held the rights to the star’s initial six albums. The following year, in 2020, he flogged the master recordings to Shamrock Capital for $300 million (£221 million).

When Scooter Braun acquired the rights to Taylor Swift’s master recordings by acquiring her old label, Big Machine, Swift openly shared her profound disappointment. She said she felt “stripped” of her life’s work.

She also mentioned that she found out about the sale when it was made public and called it an act of aggression, emphasising her annoyance at not being able to make a counteroffer. She also raised worries about Braun’s past of “incessant, manipulative bullying”.

Fast forward to the end of May, just gone, the Grammy-winning artist broke the news via a statement posted on her website and Instagram. She shared the statement alongside pictures of herself against a white background, sporting a casual blue polo shirt and jeans, posing with her first six records

Lorna Raver has died aged 81.

The actress, who starred in a number of huge 90s and 00s films and TV shows over the decades, died on May 12 but her death has only been announced this week.

Horror fans will best remember Raver as Mrs Ganush in demon flick Drag Me To Hell, starring Justin Long and Alison Lohman. Her character, an elderly gypsy lady, sought revenge after being denied a mortgage extension from the bank. Lohman’s character had denied her request, leading Mrs Ganush to curse her.

Speaking about the role to Dread Central back in 2009, she admitted she wasn’t a horror fan.

“Originally I only read the bank scene, which seemed ordinary enough,” she said. “Then, when I finally got the full script, I realized just how over the top most of the movie was.”

Opening up about her ignorance of the horror genre and director Sam Raimi’s past credits in the Evil Dead Franchise, she said in Jason Norman’s 2014 book Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene With Today’s Horror Actors that she was “not fully aware of what [she] was getting into”.

However, she said of Mrs Ganush: “What I liked about the character was that she was powerful.”

Raver also made cameo appearances in a number of major shows like ER, Star Trek: Voyager and Desperate Housewives over the years.

Born in York, Pennsylvania, she grew up learning the art of performing at the Hedgerow Theater in Pennsylvania. She later moved to New York City to appear in premieres of Between Daylight and Moonville and Last Days at the Dixie Girl Cafe off-Broadway. From there, she moved to Chigago as a stage actress before moving on again to LA to work in TV and life theatre. She won the LA Weekly and Drama-Logue awards for some of her performances.

In 2005, she starred as Big Kathy in Malcolm in the Middle and went on to acquire actring credits in a number of shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Nik/Tuck and NYPD Blue.

She also featured in 26 episodes of CBS’ The Young and the Restless between 1997 and 2007, initially playing Helen Miller and later starring as Rebecca Kaplan in 2006. Just three years later she received critical acclaim for her performance in Drag Me To Hell.

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As teenagers across England and Wales nervously receive their A-level results today, in previous years members of the Royal Family have been among them, with not everyone going home with the results they wanted

Being a Royal doesn’t exempt you from school exams – just ask Prince William, Prince Harry or even King Charles.

As A-level results are released today for nervous teenagers across England and Wales, it’s worth remembering that members of the Royal Family, including the Princess of Wales, have been in their shoes, anxiously awaiting their grades.

Some royals have excelled academically, earning top grades and securing places at prestigious universities where they achieved impressive degrees. However, others didn’t fare as well with formal education and have fewer qualifications to their name. Here’s how they all did in their school exams….

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Prince William

William began his studies at the esteemed Eton College in 1995 and when he collected his A-level results five years later in 2000, his grades were a slight mixed bag. He achieved an A in geography, a B in art and a C in biology.

These grades secured him a place to study History of Art at St Andrews University in Scotland, but he later switched courses to Geography.

Before embarking on university life, William took a gap year, travelling to Chile, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. His time at university proved to be significant in more than just academics as this is when he met his future wife Kate and their romance blossomed. He graduated from St Andrews with a 2:1 degree.

Kate Middleton

William and Kate have long been known for their competitive nature – and Kate outperformed William in their A-levels, earning better grades than him on results day. She attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire for her A-levels and her diligence resulted in As in Maths and Art, and a B in English.

Her impressive grades secured her a place at St Andrew’s University in Scotland – where she would meet her future husband. Like William, Kate took a gap year before starting university and the pair undertook a very similar trip, although their dates didn’t overlap. Kate graduated from St Andrews in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art.

Prince Harry

It’s fair to say that Prince Harry wasn’t as academically inclined as his older brother William during his time at Eton. He left the prestigious school with slightly lower grades – a B in Art and D in Geography at A-level.

However, during his school years, Harry was House Captain of Games, represented the school in rugby, cricket and polo, and was a member of the Combined Cadet Force. After completing his A-levels in 2003, Harry took a gap year, travelling to Australia, Africa and Argentina. He opted not to attend university, instead joining the Army where he embarked on a successful military career.

King Charles

King Charles had a unique education compared to his sons, as his father, the late Prince Philip, was adamant about sending him to Gordonstoun, a private school in Scotland that blends academics with outdoor activities.

He left with five O-levels (GCSEs) and two A-levels – a B in History and a C in French. He then proceeded to Cambridge University where he earned a 2:2 degree in History. It’s rumoured that his bodyguard, who attended all lectures with the young prince, also sat the exams and achieved a First.

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle, having been educated in America, did not follow the same exam system as the rest of the Royal Family.

Meghan, who began her secondary education at Immaculate Heart High School in 1992, was known as a diligent and focused student. The US doesn’t use GCSEs or A-levels for student assessment, and while Meghan’s SAT scores (the test used for university entry) haven’t been disclosed, it’s known that she achieved the grades necessary for university admission.

She went on to earn a double major in Theatre and International Relations from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 2003. During her university years, she undertook an internship at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she picked up Spanish. She also studied French for six years.

Queen Camilla

Camilla first attended Dumbrells School in Sussex, before moving on to Queen’s Gate School in South Kensington. However, she only managed to secure one O-level and didn’t achieve any A-levels.

Following this, she attended Mon Fertile, a finishing school in Switzerland, and also studied at the Institut Britannique in Paris.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice

Princess Eugenie is likely the most academically accomplished Royal in terms of grades. Her two As in Art and English Literature and B in History of Art, surpassed her older sister Princess Beatrice, who received an A in Drama and Bs in History and Film Studies.

Beatrice went on to earn a 2:1 from Goldsmiths University in History of Ideas. Eugenie studied English Literature, History of Art and Politics at Newcastle University and graduated at the end of her three-year course in 2012 with a 2:1.

Lady Louise Windsor

Lady Louise Windsor, the youngest granddaughter of the late Queen, received her A-level results in 2022. Now aged 21, she’s following in the footsteps of her older cousin William and his wife Kate by studying at St Andrews University.

Buckingham Palace didn’t disclosed Louise’s results, but given that St Andrews is one of the country’s top universities, with standard entry grades set at AAA and minimum entry grades of ABB for English – the course she’s studying – it’s safe to assume she did very well. The eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is about to embark on her fourth and final year.

Princess Diana

Princess Diana didn’t fare quite as well academically, failing all her O-levels twice. Despite this, she reportedly excelled in deportment, having attended a finishing school in Switzerland.

Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward

Princess Anne was educated at Benenden school in Kent where she achieved six O-levels, and three A-levels in English, History and Politics. Prince Andrew, like his older brother, attended Gordonstoun, with his academic achievements mirroring Anne’s – six O-levels and A-levels in English, History and Politics.

Prince Edward also attended Gordonstoun, securing nine O-levels and three A-levels in English, History and Politics. He then went on to earn a 2:2 degree in History from Cambridge University.