Shane MacGowan’s widow Victoria Mary Clarke has reacted to the news that The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ was beaten to Christmas Number One by Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’. Writing on X, she posted a link to the George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley track and said: “I love Wham!!! We loved George.” Wham! claimed the top spot on Friday (December 22), finally landing the coveted Christmas Number One for the first time after 39 years. I love ❤️ Wham!!! We loved George ❤️ Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video) https://t.co/k1nrzqC8X3 via @YouTube— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) December 24, 2023It made history as having the longest-ever journey to the UK Christmas Number One, after being held off the top on its original release in 1984 by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.
New Covid variant JN.1 symptoms explained as cases spread throughout the world
07.12.2023 - 17:43 / dailyrecord.co.uk
A new Covid variant that has spread around different countries across the world has been causing concern for health officials that the NHS may struggle to cope with the pressure it could create.
Variant JN.1, which is a descendant of the Pirola strain, has been spotted in a number of countries including the UK and Spain. It's thought that it was first identified back in September this year.
The strain is now officially being tracked by the UK Health Secretary Agency (UKHSA), and experts have warned that cases could continue to rise over the next few weeks.
Although overall Covid cases do remain low, there are concerns that they will start to build up again during the festive period when more and more people are spending time at indoor gatherings.
However, the threat of becoming seriously ill from catching Covid has been slashed thanks to vaccinations.
JN.1 is a sub-lineage of the BA.2.86 Omicron variant, which is often referred to as the 'Pirola' variant.
It has one specific mutation in its spike protein compared to BA.2.86, and the spike is what causes the virus to cause infections.
Dr Meaghan Kall, an epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said JN.1 has a weekly estimated growth rate advantage of 84.2 per cent. This means that it's spreading faster than any other strain seen in the past eight months, according to the expert.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote: 'It seems likely we must now add variant pressures to the forecast of a winter Covid wave.'
The virus is more likely to spread throughout indoor spaces, which is why officials are concerned that more Covid cases may appear in the run-up to Christmas.
JN.1 is thought to create symptoms similar to other existing variants, but with the possible addition of a few
Piers Morgan forced to deny he's the Central Park pigeon lady in Home Alone 2
Piers Morgan has had to deny yet again that he is the Pigeon Lady from the Home Alone films, as the festive classic once again returned to our screens for the holiday season. Every year, as fans re-watch Home Alone 2: Lost In New York to get into the Christmas spirit they have noticed a striking resemblance between Piers and Brenda Fricker, the actress who plays the Pigeon Lady in the film - and this year was no exception. As Christmas 2023 approached, Piers was flooded with comments online about the similarity between the pair and even tried to stop the rumours by sharing a picture of Brenda as the Pigeon Lady on Twitter, writing: "It's.
‘Fairytale Of New York’ becomes UK’s latest million-selling single
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl was originally released in December 1987 and peaked at Number Two on the UK singles chart. It was held off that year’s Christmas Number One spot by Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Always On My Mind’.The single returned to the Top 40 in 1991 and, following the download boom, ‘Fairytale Of New York’ has re-entered the Top 20 every December since 2005.
Shocking number of Christmas cards King Charles has to send all over the world
Following Buckingham Palace's release of King Charles and Queen Camilla's Christmas card, you may be wondering exactly how many people it will be sent to all over the world. Unbelievably, the image will be delivered to more than 750 people around to world - including to foreign diplomats, international leaders, Heads of State, friends, family and members of staff.
Where to watch ‘Home Alone’ in the UK
Home Alone is arguably one of the best Christmas films of all time.Directed by Chris Columbus, the 1990 comedy stars Macaulay Culkin as eight-year-old Kevin McCallister, who defends his family home against two robbers played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.The film spawned several sequels, with Culkin reprising his role in 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. A third film in the franchise, released in 1997, starred Alex D.
New Look’s fleece-lined leggings are only £9 today - and they’re perfect for chilly walks
Even though we’ve been having a fairly mild winter so far, knowing how unpredictable and quickly the British weather can change, it can’t hurt to be prepared with some extra-thick clothing to keep you warm. And a staple everyone needs in their wardrobe for a winter in the UK is a pair of fleece-lined leggings. Luckily for us, New Look has an amazing selection with their navy fleece leggings on sale today for only £8.99 here.They feature a soft fleece fabric lining to ensure you’ll stay warm all day.They also come in a dark grey colourway, also reduced to £8.99 here, or a classic black, still at the very affordable price of £11.99 here.
We found the cheapest tickets for all 19 Rolling Stones 2024 concerts
the Rolling Stones vowed, “If you start me up, I’ll never stop.”43 years later, they’re continuing to make good on that eternal promise.From April through July 2024, Mick, Keith and Ronnie will embark on their AARP sponsored ‘The Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds’ in support of their recently released album “Hackney Diamonds.”Along the way, the timeless trio and their traveling band are scheduled to drop into East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium for a pair of back-to-back gigs on Thursday, May 23 and Sunday, May 26.And if you want to see the 1989 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ inimitable brand of rock and blues live, you can grab tickets for all 19 concerts as soon as today.Best of all, some shows have surprisingly affordable seats available.At the time of publication, our team found tickets going for as low as $71 before fees on Vivid Seats.That’s fewer dollars than years Mick has lived.Other concerts have tickets going for $75 to $155 before fees.Compared to Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour,’ these prices are downright reasonable.Curious how much you’ll have to pay for the show closest to you?Keep rolling and scrolling, Stones fans.We’ve got all the details you need and more about the ‘The Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds’ below.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation. complete calendar including all tour dates with new ones in bold, venues and links to buy tickets can be found here.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.)Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
Watch The Rolling Stones’ new ‘Mess It Up’ video starring Nicholas Hoult
The Rolling Stones have shared the official video for their latest single ‘Mess It Up’ – you can watch it below.The song appears on the legendary band’s 24th and most recent studio album, ‘Hackney Diamonds’, which was released in October. In a four-star review of the record, NME described the track as a “disco-flavoured jam”.Arriving today (December 19), the new ‘Mess It Up’ visuals star British actor Nicholas Hoult who is known for his roles in Skins, Renfield, the X-Men films, The Favourite and more.The clip was filmed in the US and helmed by Grammy award-winning director Calmatic (Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak).The Stones had previewed the project in a post on social media last week.
Here’s the latest in the race for Christmas Number One with Wham! facing off The Pogues and Sam Ryder
Wham! taking the lead for the peak position on the charts.The news follows a neck-and-neck race between the iconic ‘80s pop duo Wham! And Eurovision star Sam Ryder over the past week, with their respective songs ‘Last Christmas’ [1986] and ‘You’re Christmas To Me’ [2023].At the first look at the race last week, just 42 chart units stood between the two taking the top spot on the UK charts, however, this week it has been revealed by the Official Charts that Wham! are in pole position, and have widened the gap between Ryder’s Amazon Music original track – which remains at Number Two.However, it doesn’t seem likely that the charts will stay this way until Christmas, with Ryder set to play a fan-exclusive gig tonight (December 19) in Shoreditch, London, in a push to promote the song in time for Christmas Day.Similarly, today (December 19) The Pogues are sharing a special, limited-edition physical run of their own iconic Christmas song ‘Fairytale Of New York’ in a push to climb the charts.Originally released in 1988 and featuring Kirsty MacColl, the track is being reissued in memory of the band’s late singer Shane MacGowan, who died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old and his funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.All proceeds from the reissue will be donated to the Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, and the release also arrived alongside a fan campaign to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time.The push for the top position on the charts has also been endorsed by Shane MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.
Watch Madonna play ‘I Love New York’ for the first time in 15 years as she kicks off US leg of ‘Celebration’ tour
Madonna played ‘I Love New York’ for the first time in 15 years as she kicked off the US leg of her ‘Celebration’ tour in the city.Unlike the electro version of track, which featured on her 2005 album ‘Confessions On A Dancefloor’, the Queen of Pop’s version at the Barclays Center last night (December 13) saw her perform a guitar driven version of the song. You can view footage below.Paying tribute to the city where she started her career she told the crowd: “It’s so great to be home… I mean that in a way that only New Yorkers know.“New Yorkers can identify with just-not-giving-a-fuck motherfuckers.
Sam Ryder would “love” The Pogues to beat him to Christmas Number One
Sam Ryder has admitted that he would “love” for The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ to beat him to this year’s Christmas Number One spot.The Eurovision star is one of the competitors in this year’s race, with his single ‘You’re Christmas to Me’, taken from the film Your Christmas or Mine 2.However, since the news broke of the death of Shane MacGowan, fans of his festive classic are rallying to get that track to the Christmas Number One. It has never gone above second place in the UK charts, peaking there on its initial release in 1987.
Official trailer lands for the new chapter of ‘Neighbours’
Neighbours, the returning soap that has been playing elsewhere (Channel 5 and previously the BBC in the UK, has been released by its new home – streamer Freevee.The series will return to screens on 18 September, with new episodes releasing daily, Monday-Thursday, at 7 a.m. BST, on Amazon Freevee in the UK and the U.S.
Watch Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson perform ‘Oh Santa!’ in New York
Mariah Carey has reunited with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson to perform ‘Oh Santa!’ in New York. The ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ star was joined by Grande and Hudson during the New York date of her ongoing ‘Merry Christmas One & All!’ tour in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night (December 9).They performed their 2020 collaboration, a re-recording of Carey’s ‘Merry Christmas II You’ cut ‘Oh Santa!’, for her Apple TV Christmas special that year, ‘Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special’.
Scots couple who hated cycling finish round the world cycle trip in aid of charity
A cycle-hating Scottish couple completed an epic around-the-world biking fundraiser in aid of a children’s hospice yesterday.
European Film Awards Kick-Off With Call For Unity Amid Geopolitical Tensions Around The World – Live Updating
Cinema professionals from across Europe are gathered in Berlin this evening for the 36th European Film Awards.
Royal Tell-All Endgame Is A FLOP! Book Calling Princess Catherine ‘Cold’ Sells HOW MANY COPIES?!
Omid Scobie must not be happy right now…
Creamfields announce new 30,000-capacity stage as “largest festival structure in the world”
Creamfields has unveiled a new 30,000 capacity indoor main stage called APEX for its 2024 edition.The festival, which will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend from August 22-25 next year at its usual site in Daresbury, Cheshire, is already sold out.The festival claims that APEX will be the largest indoor festival superstructure in the world, and promises it will be paired with “jaw dropping production”. The stage will also allow the festival to extend until 4am on Saturday night for the first time.The lineup for the dance festival’s 2024 incarnation has yet to be announced, although the organisers have confirmed that the arena hosts will include Teletech and techno promoters XXL.At the 2023 edition of Creamfields, the weekend was headlined by Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto and Four Tet.
King Charles, Kate Middleton smile in new portrait amid ‘racist’ royal scandal
allegedly expressed concern over Prince Archie’s skin color prior to his birth, which was revealed in the Dutch translation of the book, “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survial” by Omid Scobie.The father-son duo stood next to each other as Middleton stood next to William in a gorgeous pink sequin Jenny Packham gown with the Lover’s Knot Tiara.Her Majesty donned a high-collar white dress and matching white gloves. Both Camilla and Kate wore broaches that pictured the late Queen Elizabeth II near their left shoulders.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are all smiles as they appear to brush off racism row
Kate Middleton and Prince William have arrived at Buckingham Palace's annual reception to highlight the UK's diplomatic relations and the role of the monarchy within it, as they put on a united front after the ongoing "race row" as a result of Omid Scobie's Endgame book. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, looked spectacularly regal as they posed side by side in photos for the event, which came days after they appeared at the Royal Variety Show at the Royal Albert Hall, with mum-of-three Kate donning a stunning blush pink Jenny Packham gown.
Ethel Cain announces 2024 ‘The Childish Behaviour’ tour
Ethel Cain has announced her 2024 ‘The Childish Behaviour’ tour, with stops in North America, Europe and the United Kingdom.The alt-pop singer – who released her first album ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ in May last year, took to her official social media pages to share the handful of tour dates slated to commence in June 2024.Cain’s first show of the tour is set to Kick off on June 3 at Le Trianon in Paris, France. From there, the singer will head out to Amsterdam to play Paradiso on June 4 followed by a show at the Roundhouse in London on June 5.