Now I understand why I always liked Dua Lipa!

You're in our team!

 

Liam Gallagher on the music he would run away from: “You can quote me on that”

 

Tim Coffman

Thu 20 February 2025 12:30, UK

 

Liam Gallagher has never been a man short of fearlessness whenever he got in front of a microphone. At any gig, it was him against the world every single time he sang, and that meant trying his best to hone his craft, even if it meant having a few people who saw him as a subpar singer. While Liam could also be absolutely ruthless when tearing through some of the biggest stars in the world, he had a special amount of disdain for the kind of artists that made him run away from their music.

 

Because, really, there are a lot of moments where Liam could at least entertain someone’s music for a little while. Even if the nasty feuds between Oasis and Blur were the stuff of legend back in the day, Liam could always be level-headed in retrospect, even calling them a guilty pleasure and saying that he loved the song ‘Beetlebum’ in recent years.

 

Then again, that was less about the music and more about their positions in the music world. Blur had been the eclectic art-rockers compared to Oasis’s form of stadium rock, and when looking at their anthems in the grand context of Britpop, it’s no question that Noel Gallagher had written the kind of tunes that turned the band into superstars for a damn good reason, like ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Wonderwall’.

 

However, as the band slowly rose through the ranks, they also gained some big-name celebrities as fans. Despite receiving a great deal of praise from people like Pete Townshend and Paul Weller during their 1990s heyday, it all started to go a little bit south once Robbie Williams started mingling with them shortly after his famous appearance at Glastonbury without Take That.

 

Liam had kept things professional at the time, but by the time Williams started picking fights with him in public, he wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. While Noel could be even more cutthroat when he got in front of a microphone, Liam knew to hit Williams where it hurt by going after his music.

 

Despite Noel claiming that he secretly wished he had written a song like ‘Angels’, Liam said that any of Williams’s classics would have been enough for him to walk out of any room it’s blasting out of, saying, “I’m going to be a right hard bast*rd now and say anything by f*****g fat-arsed Williams. You can quote me on that! No f*****g way! But if they played it, I’d f*****g run off. I’d rather walk. I’d rather be in the f*****g trailer.”

 

Even if neither superstar has seen eye-to-eye on many things throughout their careers, Liam has managed to reach some sort of peace with Williams in recent years. While it used to be him taking potshots at anything and everything that Williams had done, he was more than willing to bury the hatchet when he heard that his family was suffering from health problems, even posting on social media that he hoped all was well.

 

For all of the nastiness that Liam can put on in the public eye, this kind of warmness is what people often forget about when looking at the legacy of Oasis. The frontman might not have much time for songs like ‘Millennium’ whenever it comes up on shuffle, but he’s more than happy to forgive and forget if it’s for the right reasons.

 

xcWOviMI6Lk

 

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/liam-gallagher...-run-away-from/

I haven't seen this variant of advert (with graphics)

There is a video of her from the beginning of her career in a car with a friend and they sang Rock DJ loud. A woman with taste.

4 hours ago, elisabeth1974 said:

There is a video of her from the beginning of her career in a car with a friend and they sang Rock DJ loud. A woman with taste.

Do you mean Dua Lipa? :)

It's great!

Meet the hottest new Greater Manchester band with a number one album and fans like Noel Gallagher and Robbie Williams

Story by Jenna Campbell

• 23h •

Head down Park Lane in Leigh and you’ll find Spinners Mill, a Grade II-listed cotton mill dating back to 1913. Designed by Bolton architects Bradshaw, Gass & Hope - the masterminds behind Manchester’s Stock Exchange and The Royal Exchange - it’s steeped in history.

A celebrated landmark of the British industrial revolution, its neo-Baroque influenced architecture, staircase towers and engine houses make it quite the sight, while its huge chimney emerges from behind lines of houses, making it instantly recognisable as you drive into the town.

Today, visitors can explore the mill, see the original steam engine and stop by its plethora of shops and businesses - from its micro pub and tea room, to its record shop and archery centre. A place that means so much to its local residents seems like the fitting location to meet up with another Leigh gem.

Or should that be gems? Precisely, Thom Rylance, Katie Lloyd, Joe Singleton and Robert Lally, who are better known as indie pop quartet, The Lottery Winners.

Like many in Leigh they have a soft spot for the mill. In fact, they have a soft spot for many of the town’s best known landmarks, especially the pubs where they first started gigging over 15 years ago.

Starting out performing at watering holes like The Railway, Colliers Rest, Boars Head and The Avenue to sometimes fewer than ten people, to selling out some of Manchester’s most revered venues, and performing to tens of thousands at the UK’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury, their journey has been nothing short of inspiring.

Though they signed to record label Modern Sky UK in 2019, prior to this they toured independently and released a number of singles throughout the 2010s.

Their self-titled first album landed in 2020 and was quickly followed up by ‘Something to Leave the House For’ the following year. But it was their next, ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ that really caught people’s attention, landing them a Number 1. In the UK charts.

“It’s solid really to have done that especially in Leigh,” says Thom as he bunches up on a sofa alongside his bandmates.

“We’re the first band from Leigh to get a number one album. And we were just in Manchester the other day and people were asking for pictures - that’s crazy to us, we love that.”

They’re certainly a band on the up with a dynamism that has caught the attention of countless musicians, many of whom they’ve already supported on stage including Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Blossoms and Nickelback, amongst others.

As well as supporting Noel Gallagher at Wigan’s Robin Park last summer, the Oasis frontman even gave Thom one of his guitars.

While fellow Manchester music legend, Happy Mondays Shaun Ryder also sings of the album version of their track ‘Money’, which may explain why his bandmate Bez joined The Lottery Winners on stage during their three-night residency at Manchester Academy this past December playing, as you might expect, the maracas.

And their connections with household names hasn’t stopped there. Rather serendipitously, their 2024 hit single ‘You’ Again’ featuring Reverend & The Makers’ Jon McClure, made the BBC Radio 1 A-List and caught the attention of hitmaker Robbie Williams who subsequently reached out to the band.

Since then, lead singer Thom has stuck up quite the friendship with the former Take That member.

“Rob, I call him Rob, reached out because he heard our song and then he said he did a proper deep dive and watched everything on YouTube and every interview of us,” recalls Thom.

“He Facetimed me and we had a good chat for an hour and half, now we’re calling each other four or five times a week.

“Sometimes it’s in Lidl, sometimes when I’m in bed, sometimes when I’m on the toilet, we’ve become so close, we’ve become best friends,” he says with a glint in his eye.

“He’s become a friend and a mentor. He’s always been one of my idols.

“Just an incredible command of an audience. The first song I ever sang in public was at primary school - it was Robbie’s hit ‘Strong’. I remember being really nervous before but loving doing it.”

So it must be quite a pinch-me moment for the band to look out on the next 12 months ahead and realise that not only are they currently on their own UK and Europe headline tour, but they’ll also be joining Robbie Williams on his massive EU and UK stadium tour.

It’s a run of shows that involves performing to thousands at major venues including Emirates Stadium in London, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, Bath’s Royal Crescent, and the Co-Op Arena in Manchester.

“This tour means so much to us. It’s absolutely massive - look at the venues,” adds Thom.

“We’re going to throw everything we have at it and it’s going to turn us into superstars in our own right. We’re very grateful to Robbie for the opportunity.”

There’s some obvious - and quite understandable - nerves from the band, but Thom also feels very much up for the challenge.

“I’m ready for it, some venues are huge in terms of capacity, it’s crazy and we’re so grateful.

“The stage is my favourite place on earth, I feel like an alien all the time, everywhere I go in any kind of social situations, but as soon as I’m on stage I just feel like me, I feel confident and I love it.

“The bubble of touring and being in that little world of just us and nothing else really matters, that’s where I want to live all the time.

“I’m also looking forward to hanging out with Robbie, he’s honestly one of the funniest, most entertaining people on and off stage that I’ve ever met.”

In a matter of weeks their next album KOKO is due out too. Delayed slightly due to “manufacturing challenges”, it’ll feature long-term collaborator Frank Turner on the track ‘Dirt And Gold', as well as Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on ‘Ragdoll’, as well as link ups with Shed Seven, and the aforementioned ‘You Again’ with Reverend & The Makers.

The frontman has admitted that while getting to number 1 for their last album was amazing, the comedown was immediate and had them pondering whether they could top it.

That said, the band have always been known for their honest and authentic songwriting, something which they’ve been keen to continue on their latest record.

“I think with our songs we never really worry about what they’re going to sound like, which is probably a problem and why we have no hits, but we just let the songs be what they are, it sounds cheesy but I think I’m just an antenna and all the songs are just floating around and you’ll just pick one,” he admits.

“The worst thing in the world is a disingenuous song, I think it sounds really transparent, if you don’t mean it people won’t connect to it, so we always just mean everything we say and do, and people resonate with it.”

Set for release on March 21, ‘Keep on keeping on’ is a phrase that Thom kept coming back to as he wrote the album. As someone who is very open about having ADHD, the songwriting on this album, and with previous records, has been very cathartic and a chance for him to reflect on some challenging periods in his life.

“I’ve got ADHD and I struggled a lot at school and I was kicked out of two schools which left me feeling like I was a broken person, I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

On the new record, the track ‘UFO’ is a spiritual cousin to ‘Letter To Myself’, the poignant fan favourite track from the band’s 2023 No.1 album in which Thom addressed his 12-year-old self.

As he’s explained previously: “UFO is about how I felt when I’d go to a new school after I’d been expelled.

“My UFO was in my bedroom, playing guitar, as that was how I’d get into outer space: my weird zone of playing guitar and writing songs.

“My alien friends in my headphones - Nirvana, The Smiths, Oasis - they took me away to another world, one that was so separate from feeling like an alien no-one wanted to talk to in a new classroom.”

As well as writing songs that deeply connect with their fans, the band have been very keen to use their rising profile to speak about issues ranging from mental health and ADHD to the barriers for working-class musicians trying to make it into the industry today - something they can identify with having worked their way up the ranks.

“While we do have a small platform, it is a platform and there’s things we’re passionate about and like to spread awareness for. Things like ADHD which Robbie also has, or the problems in the industry or how hard it is for working class people to get into the industry, we’ve been speaking to kids in schools, doing workshops, and doing what we can to try and help out.”

When The Lottery Winners first started out, they, like many others before them, had to pick a suitable band name. Though Thom isn’t a fan of it now, at the time, it felt rather fitting for a band with little capital or a limited fanbase at this early stage.

“It was just a terrible decision we made a long time ago and we can’t do much with it,” he jokes.

“We had no money and we were borrowing gear, catching lifts everywhere and we thought it would be funny and ironic.”

Now, as they continue their tour of iconic venues up and down the country, hope for a second number 1 album for their hometown, and prepare to join one of their biggest idols on stage this summer, it must really feel like they’ve hit the jackpot.

It's a wee bit of a nuisance getting timed out on the new BJ forum, has happened to me a few times , maybe I'm just too slow when posting comments 😂

[img]

Nice selection of songs on this album, delighted to see Misunderstood in there, to me it's a timeless track & deserves to be heard by a whole new audience ...

Robbie Williams Tracks

Have You Met Miss Jones

Misunderstood

‎Bridget Jones's Diary: The Mixtape - Album by Various Artists - Apple Music

Bridget Jones's Diary: The Mixtape | CD Album | Free shipping over £20 | HMV Store

Bridget Jones' Diary - The Mixtape (LP) – Revolution Records

Various Artists - Bridget Jones's Diary: The Mixtape Pink & Purple Vinyl 2LP - Sound of Vinyl

Edited March 7Mar 7 by Sydney11

Interesting, that on CD version there is no Misusunderstood but it is on LP and Apple Music.

On 02/03/2025 at 18:09, Better Man said:

Meet the hottest new Greater Manchester band with a number one album and fans like Noel Gallagher and Robbie Williams

Story by Jenna Campbell

• 23h •

Head down Park Lane in Leigh and you’ll find Spinners Mill, a Grade II-listed cotton mill dating back to 1913. Designed by Bolton architects Bradshaw, Gass & Hope - the masterminds behind Manchester’s Stock Exchange and The Royal Exchange - it’s steeped in history.

A celebrated landmark of the British industrial revolution, its neo-Baroque influenced architecture, staircase towers and engine houses make it quite the sight, while its huge chimney emerges from behind lines of houses, making it instantly recognisable as you drive into the town.

Today, visitors can explore the mill, see the original steam engine and stop by its plethora of shops and businesses - from its micro pub and tea room, to its record shop and archery centre. A place that means so much to its local residents seems like the fitting location to meet up with another Leigh gem.

Or should that be gems? Precisely, Thom Rylance, Katie Lloyd, Joe Singleton and Robert Lally, who are better known as indie pop quartet, The Lottery Winners.

Like many in Leigh they have a soft spot for the mill. In fact, they have a soft spot for many of the town’s best known landmarks, especially the pubs where they first started gigging over 15 years ago.

Starting out performing at watering holes like The Railway, Colliers Rest, Boars Head and The Avenue to sometimes fewer than ten people, to selling out some of Manchester’s most revered venues, and performing to tens of thousands at the UK’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury, their journey has been nothing short of inspiring.

Though they signed to record label Modern Sky UK in 2019, prior to this they toured independently and released a number of singles throughout the 2010s.

Their self-titled first album landed in 2020 and was quickly followed up by ‘Something to Leave the House For’ the following year. But it was their next, ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ that really caught people’s attention, landing them a Number 1. In the UK charts.

“It’s solid really to have done that especially in Leigh,” says Thom as he bunches up on a sofa alongside his bandmates.

“We’re the first band from Leigh to get a number one album. And we were just in Manchester the other day and people were asking for pictures - that’s crazy to us, we love that.”

They’re certainly a band on the up with a dynamism that has caught the attention of countless musicians, many of whom they’ve already supported on stage including Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Blossoms and Nickelback, amongst others.

As well as supporting Noel Gallagher at Wigan’s Robin Park last summer, the Oasis frontman even gave Thom one of his guitars.

While fellow Manchester music legend, Happy Mondays Shaun Ryder also sings of the album version of their track ‘Money’, which may explain why his bandmate Bez joined The Lottery Winners on stage during their three-night residency at Manchester Academy this past December playing, as you might expect, the maracas.

And their connections with household names hasn’t stopped there. Rather serendipitously, their 2024 hit single ‘You’ Again’ featuring Reverend & The Makers’ Jon McClure, made the BBC Radio 1 A-List and caught the attention of hitmaker Robbie Williams who subsequently reached out to the band.

Since then, lead singer Thom has stuck up quite the friendship with the former Take That member.

“Rob, I call him Rob, reached out because he heard our song and then he said he did a proper deep dive and watched everything on YouTube and every interview of us,” recalls Thom.

“He Facetimed me and we had a good chat for an hour and half, now we’re calling each other four or five times a week.

“Sometimes it’s in Lidl, sometimes when I’m in bed, sometimes when I’m on the toilet, we’ve become so close, we’ve become best friends,” he says with a glint in his eye.

“He’s become a friend and a mentor. He’s always been one of my idols.

“Just an incredible command of an audience. The first song I ever sang in public was at primary school - it was Robbie’s hit ‘Strong’. I remember being really nervous before but loving doing it.”

So it must be quite a pinch-me moment for the band to look out on the next 12 months ahead and realise that not only are they currently on their own UK and Europe headline tour, but they’ll also be joining Robbie Williams on his massive EU and UK stadium tour.

It’s a run of shows that involves performing to thousands at major venues including Emirates Stadium in London, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, Bath’s Royal Crescent, and the Co-Op Arena in Manchester.

“This tour means so much to us. It’s absolutely massive - look at the venues,” adds Thom.

“We’re going to throw everything we have at it and it’s going to turn us into superstars in our own right. We’re very grateful to Robbie for the opportunity.”

There’s some obvious - and quite understandable - nerves from the band, but Thom also feels very much up for the challenge.

“I’m ready for it, some venues are huge in terms of capacity, it’s crazy and we’re so grateful.

“The stage is my favourite place on earth, I feel like an alien all the time, everywhere I go in any kind of social situations, but as soon as I’m on stage I just feel like me, I feel confident and I love it.

“The bubble of touring and being in that little world of just us and nothing else really matters, that’s where I want to live all the time.

“I’m also looking forward to hanging out with Robbie, he’s honestly one of the funniest, most entertaining people on and off stage that I’ve ever met.”

In a matter of weeks their next album KOKO is due out too. Delayed slightly due to “manufacturing challenges”, it’ll feature long-term collaborator Frank Turner on the track ‘Dirt And Gold', as well as Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on ‘Ragdoll’, as well as link ups with Shed Seven, and the aforementioned ‘You Again’ with Reverend & The Makers.

The frontman has admitted that while getting to number 1 for their last album was amazing, the comedown was immediate and had them pondering whether they could top it.

That said, the band have always been known for their honest and authentic songwriting, something which they’ve been keen to continue on their latest record.

“I think with our songs we never really worry about what they’re going to sound like, which is probably a problem and why we have no hits, but we just let the songs be what they are, it sounds cheesy but I think I’m just an antenna and all the songs are just floating around and you’ll just pick one,” he admits.

“The worst thing in the world is a disingenuous song, I think it sounds really transparent, if you don’t mean it people won’t connect to it, so we always just mean everything we say and do, and people resonate with it.”

Set for release on March 21, ‘Keep on keeping on’ is a phrase that Thom kept coming back to as he wrote the album. As someone who is very open about having ADHD, the songwriting on this album, and with previous records, has been very cathartic and a chance for him to reflect on some challenging periods in his life.

“I’ve got ADHD and I struggled a lot at school and I was kicked out of two schools which left me feeling like I was a broken person, I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

On the new record, the track ‘UFO’ is a spiritual cousin to ‘Letter To Myself’, the poignant fan favourite track from the band’s 2023 No.1 album in which Thom addressed his 12-year-old self.

As he’s explained previously: “UFO is about how I felt when I’d go to a new school after I’d been expelled.

“My UFO was in my bedroom, playing guitar, as that was how I’d get into outer space: my weird zone of playing guitar and writing songs.

“My alien friends in my headphones - Nirvana, The Smiths, Oasis - they took me away to another world, one that was so separate from feeling like an alien no-one wanted to talk to in a new classroom.”

As well as writing songs that deeply connect with their fans, the band have been very keen to use their rising profile to speak about issues ranging from mental health and ADHD to the barriers for working-class musicians trying to make it into the industry today - something they can identify with having worked their way up the ranks.

“While we do have a small platform, it is a platform and there’s things we’re passionate about and like to spread awareness for. Things like ADHD which Robbie also has, or the problems in the industry or how hard it is for working class people to get into the industry, we’ve been speaking to kids in schools, doing workshops, and doing what we can to try and help out.”

When The Lottery Winners first started out, they, like many others before them, had to pick a suitable band name. Though Thom isn’t a fan of it now, at the time, it felt rather fitting for a band with little capital or a limited fanbase at this early stage.

“It was just a terrible decision we made a long time ago and we can’t do much with it,” he jokes.

“We had no money and we were borrowing gear, catching lifts everywhere and we thought it would be funny and ironic.”

Now, as they continue their tour of iconic venues up and down the country, hope for a second number 1 album for their hometown, and prepare to join one of their biggest idols on stage this summer, it must really feel like they’ve hit the jackpot.

Great opportunity for the band to showcase their songs to a huge audience

😂

Graham Coxon: ‘I saw Robbie Williams and Danny Dyer doing Parklife. It’s flipping bizarre’

The singer-songwriter and Blur guitarist belts out Elton and karaoke and is a recent Abba convert, but which song does he think would make people hurl at his funeral?

As told to Rich Pelley

Mon 17 Mar 2025 08.00 CET

Share

The first song I fell in love with
My dad used to have Beatles evenings that he referred to as Abbey Road Nights. I was only two or three, so I couldn’t read but I could use the record player. Sometimes when I wanted Strawberry Fields Forever, I’d get Turn! Turn! Turn! by Mary Hopkin and wonder why it didn’t sound like the Beatles.

The first single I bought
Roxanne by the Police, from Lion Records in Colchester.

The song I do at karaoke
Blue Eyes by Elton John. I saw a clip of Robbie Williams and Danny Dyer doing Parklife. It’s flipping bizarre, although I do like Danny Dyer. That song is overplayed now. People want to have a knees-up, like Knees Up Mother Brown or Roll Out the Barrel.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf. Come to think of it, I’ve probably done that more times at karaoke than I have Blue Eyes.

The best song to play at a party
I recently rediscovered New Frontier by Don Fagan after finding it confusing the 80s. Now I have to have it on four times in a row. It’s got sinister, sarcastic lyrics and an amazing groove.

The song I can no longer listen to
Anything by the Carpenters, apart from Goodbye to Love. The rest makes me feel as if I’ve injected acid and sugar, which makes me sad because of the tragedy of the Carpenters.

The song I secretly like but everyone I hate
I don’t really admit to liking Barbra Streisand, even though Evergreen is beautiful. I’ve also only recently been able to palate Abba and got obsessed by Lay All Your Love on Me.

The song that changed my life
When I was teenager, getting into Van der Graaf Generator, Caravan, Matching Mole and Robert Wyatt, Ladies of the Road by King Crimson changed my life, because it was so odd. I was learning the sax, as well as the guitar, and it’s got the filthiest tenor saxophone solo ever.

The song that gets me up in the morning
My dad had Blow By Blow by Duke Ellington on vinyl. Paul Gonsalves’s sax solo cuts across the rest of the album. I thought it was so out there, like free bebop getting freer. I still listen to it every morning.

The song that makes me cry
I’ve got three. I tested them this morning. If You Go Away by Scott Walker. The Way Love Used to Be, and Moments, both by the Kinks. When I listened to The Way Love Used to Be, the lump in my throat was pretty hefty. So I think that has to win.

The song I’d like played at my funeral
It was going to be I’m Your Man by Wham! but I don’t want people chucking at my funeral. I want them to be in emotional agony. So Inheritance by Talk Talk.

The Waeve are on tour to 21 March. The band’s new EP, Eternal, is out now. The 10th-anniversary vinyl rerelease of Blur’s The Magic Whip is out 25 April.

Graham Coxon: ‘I saw Robbie Williams and Danny Dyer doing Parklife. It’s flipping bizarre’ | Graham Coxon | The Guardian

Edited March 17Mar 17 by Sydney11

STAR LINE-UP

Two huge Hollywood A-listers AND pop superstar join Celebrity Apprentice cast for surprise task

Other famous names brought in by the competitors to help on the task have also been revealed

Close

THE line-up for this year’s Celebrity Apprentice has had an impressive upgrade thanks to the inclusion of two ­Hollywood heavyweights and a singing superstar.

Multi-award-winning actors Olivia Colman, and Benedict Cumberbatch will sprinkle their considerable star power on the BBC special, I can reveal.

3

Olivia Colman (left) and Benedict Cumberbatch (right) will join Lord Sugar (centre) on this year's Celebrity Apprentice

Robbie ­Williams will feature too. 😉

The A-Listers are among a host of extra celebrities who have been roped in by the show’s candidates for one of Lord Sugar’s tasks.

The Apprentices have been asked to delve into their contact books to lean on their starriest pal — and they more than deliver. Other famous names brought in by the 12 competitors to help on the task are TV stars Gary ­Lineker, Rylan Clark and Dermot O’Leary plus musicians Craig David and Tom Grennan.

’s celebrity Apprentices were already an impressive bunch but the extra names featuring in one surprise task have considerably upped the ante. “Benedict and Olivia are both huge names and of course are beloved by fans so everyone was very excited when the candidates mentioned they would be calling on the duo for help. "The starpower is off the scale.” Earlier this month I revealed the full line-up of candidates taking part in the celeb special.

Two huge Hollywood A-listers AND pop superstar join Celebrity Apprentice cast for surprise task | The Irish Sun

Edited March 18Mar 18 by Sydney11

Celebrity Apprentice ‘bags Oscar-winning actor’ for new series

Ruth Lawes

Published March 18, 2025 1:01pm Updated March 18, 2025 4:14pm

Comments

Celebrity Apprentice will reportedly feature appearances from two huge stars (Picture: BBC/Naked/Ray Burmiston/Rufina Breskin)

The starriest show on TV this year is not poised to be a Netflix drama, but the BBC’s very own Celebrity Apprentice.

That’s right, the star power on Lord Alan Sugar’s reality TV show is said to be ‘off the scale’ after reportedly bagging two of Hollywood’s biggest stars and one of the UK’s most successful popstars. If reports are to be believed, none other than Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman, 51, and Robbie Williams, 51, are going to be dishing out their business advice. It was also claimed Benedict Cumberbatch, 48, was due to appear on Celebrity Apprentice but this was denied by his representative to Metro, who said he was filming another project.

Before you get too excited, they will not be competing on Celebrity Apprentice but instead will be called upon by their friends, who are among the candidates.

Get personalised updates on The Apprentice

Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.

A source told The Sun: ‘Lord Sugar’s celebrity Apprentices were already an impressive bunch but the extra names featuring in one surprise task have considerably upped the ante.

‘Benedict and Olivia are both huge names and of course are beloved by fans so everyone was very excited when the candidates mentioned they would be calling on the duo for help.

Benedict’s rep confirmed he(Picture: Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images)

Similarly, it has been claimed Olivia will share her business advice (Picture: Marc Piasecki/WireImage)

‘The star power is off the scale.’

Metro has contacted the BBC, Benedict, Olivia and Robbie’s reps for comment.

It will not be the first time Robbie has made an appearance on Celebrity Apprentice – in 2019, he supported his wife Ayda Field-Williams, who was a candidate on the show.

The BBC has not officially released the line-up for Celebrity Apprentice but The Sun claims the candidates include Rob Rinder, ex-EastEnder Jake Wood and JLS singer JB Gill.

They will be joined by TV host Angela Scanlon, Gladiators star ­Legendand stand-up Shazia Mirza.

It has been reported Robbie will also join Benedict and Olivia on the BBC show (Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Celebrity Apprentice 'bags Oscar-winning actor' for new series | Metro News

I like THAT :)

Five pop singers who should have been rock stars

Dale Maplethorpe

Thu 20 March 2025 14:00, UK

It’s worth saying that the term ‘rock star’ has changed a great deal over the years. Now, it is used in a much more general setting to describe someone good at doing something. Real estate agents and bankers can be rock stars in their chosen fields. In this instance, the definition will revert to its original when it was applied to the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant, simply meaning someone who plays rock music and is bloody good at it.

In that sense, the rock star club is quite an elite one. While a lot of people play rock music, very few are widely regarded as being so good within the genre that the term definitively applies to them. So, what makes a good rock star?

Being a good rock musician lies at the heart of it; however, there is more to it than that. Rock stars need to embody a sense of rebellion, have an undeniable look, and be willing to take risks, both societal and creative, ready to take whatever criticism comes with them.

When considering these different criteria, there are actually a large number of pop stars who would have been better suited to the world of rock. Whether that’s because of their talent, look or not-giving-a-f*** nature, it feels a shame that they don’t operate within the world of rock music. Here are some of our top picks for pop singers who should have been rock stars.

Pop stars who would be better rock stars:

5 - Fergie

When Slash announced he was making a solo album that would see him collaborate with a range of different artists, some names on the tracklist were expected: Dave Grohl, Iggy Pop, and Ozzy Osbourne. However, the one that stood out and got sceptics’ backs up was the Black Eyed Peas lead singer Fergie. All those reservations were put to bed the minute people heard the song, though, as Fergie showed she had a voice ideally suited for rock ‘n’ roll.

“I got hip to Fergie being probably as good or better a rock singer than she is a pop singer. I heard her do ‘Barracuda’, the old Heart song, and I was like, f***ing wow!” recalled Slash, “I ended up doing a couple of shows with her where she sang ‘Barracuda’ and ‘Sweet Child O Mine’. She one of the most phenomenal rock ‘n’ roll singers, male or female, I’ve ever heard.”

4 - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars has already dabbled in rock music in the same way he has dabbled in near enough of every genre out there. He has repeatedly proved that he is an incredibly versatile singer, which is commendable, but it leaves you wondering what he might have been able to achieve had he wholly committed to the world of rock.

His voice is perfectly suited for it, as whether he is singing high or low, he can pack a lot of aggression and emotion into his notes. There is more to it than that, though; Mars is a showman, putting on a great gig everywhere he goes and dominating every inch of the stage. He has inescapable rock star quality.

3 - Lady Gaga

In many ways, Lady Gaga can already be considered a rock star. Her willingness to embrace different styles and sounds in her albums is inspiring, and she is never afraid to go against the grain in a sense of rebellion with what she does. Many sometimes see her as a controversial performer, and isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll is all about?

We can only imagine the Alice Cooper-esque shows she would likely put on if she completely threw herself into making heavy rock music. Her voice is capable of dominating most songs in the genre, her dance moves mean she could put on a fantastic show, and her complete fearlessness and originality mean she would be amazing at playing gigs, unlike anything you’ve seen before.

2 - T-Pain

Many people think that T-Pain uses autotune because he has to, but this isn’t the case. He decided to use autotune to explore the creative freedom that this effect brought with it. There is a common misconception that he can’t sing as a result, but he has an excellent voice that would slide right into any rock band worth its salt.

Still not sure? If you need any more convincing, then be sure to listen to his cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’. They’re incredibly difficult vocals to nail, not just technically but also because grit and anger have to be laced throughout them. T-Pain absolutely nails them and proves himself worthy of rock star status in the process.

1 - Robbie Williams

Let’s face it, Robbie Williams already thinks he’s a rock star, so he may as well just do it, right? It feels like an odd juxtaposition to see someone on stage yell, “For the next two hours, your ass is mine!” Before busting into a lukewarm version of ‘Rock DJ’. If you wanna be a rock star, Robbie, just do it.

He certainly has the attitude for it; his cheekiness combined with a stage persona that can take over the biggest of platforms is the same thing that draws people to rock concerts. He also has a fantastic voice that would no doubt work well on plenty of rock songs. Seems like a no-brainer at this point.

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/five-pop-singers-who-should-have-been-rock-stars/

On 21/03/2025 at 20:46, Better Man said:

I like THAT :)

Five pop singers who should have been rock stars

Dale Maplethorpe

Thu 20 March 2025 14:00, UK

It’s worth saying that the term ‘rock star’ has changed a great deal over the years. Now, it is used in a much more general setting to describe someone good at doing something. Real estate agents and bankers can be rock stars in their chosen fields. In this instance, the definition will revert to its original when it was applied to the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant, simply meaning someone who plays rock music and is bloody good at it.

In that sense, the rock star club is quite an elite one. While a lot of people play rock music, very few are widely regarded as being so good within the genre that the term definitively applies to them. So, what makes a good rock star?

Being a good rock musician lies at the heart of it; however, there is more to it than that. Rock stars need to embody a sense of rebellion, have an undeniable look, and be willing to take risks, both societal and creative, ready to take whatever criticism comes with them.

When considering these different criteria, there are actually a large number of pop stars who would have been better suited to the world of rock. Whether that’s because of their talent, look or not-giving-a-f*** nature, it feels a shame that they don’t operate within the world of rock music. Here are some of our top picks for pop singers who should have been rock stars.

Pop stars who would be better rock stars:

5 - Fergie

When Slash announced he was making a solo album that would see him collaborate with a range of different artists, some names on the tracklist were expected: Dave Grohl, Iggy Pop, and Ozzy Osbourne. However, the one that stood out and got sceptics’ backs up was the Black Eyed Peas lead singer Fergie. All those reservations were put to bed the minute people heard the song, though, as Fergie showed she had a voice ideally suited for rock ‘n’ roll.

“I got hip to Fergie being probably as good or better a rock singer than she is a pop singer. I heard her do ‘Barracuda’, the old Heart song, and I was like, f***ing wow!” recalled Slash, “I ended up doing a couple of shows with her where she sang ‘Barracuda’ and ‘Sweet Child O Mine’. She one of the most phenomenal rock ‘n’ roll singers, male or female, I’ve ever heard.”

4 - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars has already dabbled in rock music in the same way he has dabbled in near enough of every genre out there. He has repeatedly proved that he is an incredibly versatile singer, which is commendable, but it leaves you wondering what he might have been able to achieve had he wholly committed to the world of rock.

His voice is perfectly suited for it, as whether he is singing high or low, he can pack a lot of aggression and emotion into his notes. There is more to it than that, though; Mars is a showman, putting on a great gig everywhere he goes and dominating every inch of the stage. He has inescapable rock star quality.

3 - Lady Gaga

In many ways, Lady Gaga can already be considered a rock star. Her willingness to embrace different styles and sounds in her albums is inspiring, and she is never afraid to go against the grain in a sense of rebellion with what she does. Many sometimes see her as a controversial performer, and isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll is all about?

We can only imagine the Alice Cooper-esque shows she would likely put on if she completely threw herself into making heavy rock music. Her voice is capable of dominating most songs in the genre, her dance moves mean she could put on a fantastic show, and her complete fearlessness and originality mean she would be amazing at playing gigs, unlike anything you’ve seen before.

2 - T-Pain

Many people think that T-Pain uses autotune because he has to, but this isn’t the case. He decided to use autotune to explore the creative freedom that this effect brought with it. There is a common misconception that he can’t sing as a result, but he has an excellent voice that would slide right into any rock band worth its salt.

Still not sure? If you need any more convincing, then be sure to listen to his cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’. They’re incredibly difficult vocals to nail, not just technically but also because grit and anger have to be laced throughout them. T-Pain absolutely nails them and proves himself worthy of rock star status in the process.

1 - Robbie Williams

Let’s face it, Robbie Williams already thinks he’s a rock star, so he may as well just do it, right? It feels like an odd juxtaposition to see someone on stage yell, “For the next two hours, your ass is mine!” Before busting into a lukewarm version of ‘Rock DJ’. If you wanna be a rock star, Robbie, just do it.

He certainly has the attitude for it; his cheekiness combined with a stage persona that can take over the biggest of platforms is the same thing that draws people to rock concerts. He also has a fantastic voice that would no doubt work well on plenty of rock songs. Seems like a no-brainer at this point.

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/five-pop-singers-who-should-have-been-rock-stars/

Being a good rock musician lies at the heart of it; however, there is more to it than that. Rock stars need to embody a sense of rebellion, have an undeniable look, and be willing to take risks, both societal and creative, ready to take whatever criticism comes with them.

Rob fits that criteria for sure ✌