Black Sabbath’s “great contribution” to British music and beyond in an open letter.The plea comes after band members Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi performed at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in their hometown of Birmingham earlier this month (August 8).Khalid Mahmood, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, shared the letter to the monarch on Twitter last week (August 11), writing in the tweet: “I am humbly requesting Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II @RoyalFamily to bestow and honour to @BlackSabbath for their services to music.”The letter, which was signed by six other MPs and the leader and deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, read: “Please forgive the direct nature of this letter. We, the undersigned humble subjects, humbly ask you to bestow an honour on the Black Sabbath rock group, who were formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.”I am humbly requesting Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II @RoyalFamily to bestow and honour to @BlackSabbath for their services to music.
BBC Reveals $53M Spend On Diverse Shows As It Updates For First Time On Commitments Made In Wake Of Black Lives Matter Protests
28.07.2022 - 13:41 / deadline.com
The BBC spent £44M ($53M) on 67 diverse TV shows last year, setting the corporation on track to hit its £100M ($121M) target by 2023/24.
The figures were unveiled in the BBC’s first ever Diversity Commissioning Code of Practice Progress Report, coming two years after it forged the fund in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests for diverse stories and shows, committing to a further £12M ($14.5M) for a similar radio pot soon after.
To qualify for the fund, shows have to meet two of three criteria: “Diverse stories and portrayal on screen,” “Diverse production leadership” or “Diverse company leadership.” In the case of the fund, diversity refers to ethnic diversity, disability and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
According to the report, the BBC spent £44M on shows that were able to prove they had met two of these, accounting for 67 shows. Of those 67, the vast majority (65) met the first criteria, 25 met the second and 49 the third.
Shows such as BBC Three’s Tonight with Target, disability drama Then Barbara met Alan and format Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star were flagged as diversity success stories.
The BBC’s diversity radio fund spent a further £4M ($4.9M) on 90 shows and its Diverse Talent Development Fund invested £2M ($2.4M) to support 146 programs.
“The BBC is for everyone and audiences from all backgrounds rightly expect to see themselves represented in our programmes,” said outgoing BBC Director of Creative Diversity June Sarpong. “That’s why we are leading the way by making the biggest financial investment to on-air inclusion in the industry. I’m delighted by the progress we’ve made in the first year which is an important milestone and provides a solid foundation for us to go even further
Ryan Reynolds says Blake Lively had “not good” reaction to Wrexham AFC purchase
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney, with their takeover documented in upcoming series Welcome To Wrexham.Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday (August 9) opposite guest host McElhenney, Reynolds revealed that Lively wasn’t impressed by the purchase.“I remember after you reached out with this absolutely insane idea and I remember seeing Blake, saying, ‘I have bad news and I have really bad news. The bad news is I slipped into someone’s DMs again.
Out Gay Footballer Josh Cavallo Shows Off His Abs In Shirtless Bathroom Selfie
Out gay Australian footballer Josh Cavallo is on a fitness journey and he now has the abs to prove it. Cavallo recently shared a shirtless bathroom selfie video with his chiselled abs on full display. “Your body is simply a result of your mind’s thoughts.
Travis Scott Performs First Solo Headline Show Nine Months After Astroworld Tragedy
Thania Garcia Travis Scott performed at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.The evening marked the rapper’s first headlining show since last year’s tragedy at his music festival Astroworld, which saw a surge in the concert crowd leave 10 individuals dead and many other injured.Scott ran through his usual setlist of popular hits but gave the English crowd a taste of some unreleased music starting with a performance of “God’s Country.” The glitchy song originally appeared on an early tracklist for Kanye West’s 2021 album, “Donda.”In addition to “God’s Country,” Scott performed “Lost Forever,” an unreleased track that features Westside Gunn and James Blake. Scott briefly debuted the track at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards back in May.
‘House Of Dragons’ Star Matt Smith Admits Sex Sells, But He’s Not Buying
Matt Smith has a take on HBO’s House of Dragons that reminds one of an old West End stage play and film, to wit: “No Sex Please, We’re British.”
Joey King Spent Up to Three Hours a Day Perfecting Her British Accent for ‘Bullet Train’
Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorJoey King hit the zeitgeist hard with 2018’s Netflix rom-com “The Kissing Booth,” and scooped up an Emmy nomination for her work in 2019’s “The Act,” a heart-wrenching limited series about the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard by her daughter, Gypsy Rose. She can now be seen in Hulu’s “The Princess,” where she learned action-hero stunts, and is set to appear in Hulu’s adaptation of Holocaust-themed “We Were the Lucky Ones.” Up next for King is David Leitch’s “Bullet Train,” a high-octane thriller out now. The heavyweight cast includes Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, Bad Bunny, Michael Shannon and Brian Tyree Henry.
Prince William's sweet words to Lioness captain Leah Williamson revealed as they hugged at final
The Duke of Cambridge beamed with pride as he awarded the Lionesses with trophies after seeing them win at the Euro 2022 final.MORE: 17 times the royals gave fans the biggest hugsImages of Prince William hugging various members of the England team swiftly went viral, and it has since been revealed that the royal was the one who initiated the warm embrace.WATCH: Prince William presents the Lionesses with their trophyEngland women's captain Leah Williamson, who played the 120-minute match at Wembley, told the England YouTube channel: "I think I went to shake his hand and he said, 'Leah, bring it in' and I said, 'Thank you sir'. He was like, 'I’m very proud of you all.'"READ: Princess Eugenie pens emotional message as she enjoys summertime with familyMORE: Prince William and Princess Charlotte send good luck message to LionessesLeah, 25, also revealed she was thrilled to receive such a special message of congratulations from the Queen.
Muse’s NFT album of ‘Will Of The People’ will be first new format in the charts for seven years
Muse have announced plans to release an NFT version of their new album ‘Will Of The People’.The non-fungible token edition of the band’s ninth LP will become the first release of its kind to qualify for the charts in the UK. It is the first new format to be added since album streams in 2015.The Muse NFT album will retail for £20 and will be limited to 1,000 copies globally when it is released on August 26.
Muse's Will of the People NFT album release: Rock group will break new ground with world's first-ever Official Albums Chart-eligible 'Digital Pressing'
Muse are bidding to become the first act to reach the Official Albums Chart with an album delivered as an NFT (non-fungible token).
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds both wow in their latest cover shoots
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are undeniably one of Hollywood's power couples, engaging in witty online banter and supporting one another enthusiastically in all of their endeavors. MORE: Blake Lively gives famous fans 'nightmares' as she shares The Shallows throwbackWhen they both appeared in the Green Lantern movie in 2010, they initially became acquainted. The two later married in 2012.