nme.com - 62 224 Showbiz News and Updates

James Bond in an “elaborate prank”.In a new interview with The Guardian, the comedian said that he thinks “it would be very cool” to be named as the iconic secret agent.When asked if he would like to star in a Hollywood movie, like his colleague James Acaster in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the stand-up comic responded: “It would be very cool if I was named the next James Bond, because the collective meltdown it would inspire in a section of the British press would be so profoundly hilarious that I almost think Barbara Broccoli should do it as a prank.”Kumar added: “They’ve made enough money from the franchise, why not make the next casting of James Bond an elaborate prank?”This follows recent rumoured developments in the casting of 007, after Daniel Craig stepped down from the role in 2021 with No Time To Die.It was reported last month that Kick-Ass and Tenet star Aaron Taylor-Johnson had been offered the role by production studio EON Productions, who were awaiting his response. Taylor-Johnson has neither confirmed nor denied the rumour.Kumar took the opportunity to throw a jokey remark at Acaster in his response, adding: “I think it’s a longer journey obviously to imagine me as a spy than it is to Acaster as a Ghostbuster because, let’s face it, the guy is a fucking nerd.”Elsewhere in the interview, Kumar opened up about some of the best and worst advice he has received in his career.He explained how he was “once given some pretty horrendous advice by a comedy agent,” sharing: “They told me I should do a broad, racist Indian accent in an audition.

Slipknot have announced the line-up of homecoming Knotfest Iowa 2024 with Rammstein‘s Till Lindemann, Knocked Loose and more.The band’s annual homecoming music festival is set to take place on September 21 for one night only as a special 25th Anniversary Event at Water Works Park in Des Moines, IA. Along with Slipknot, Till Lindemann and Knocked Loose, the likes of Hatebreed, Poison The Well, GWAR, Vended, Dying Wish, Zulu, Twin Temple, Holy Wars, Swollen Teeth, Spine, and Dose are also set to perform.A ticket pre-sale for Knotfest will commence on Tuesday April 30 at 10am CT (4pm BST).

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that his views towards climate change were part of a “caricature” he portrays on screen.His famously grumpy character can be seen on hit motoring shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour, which propelled him to fame and helped him secure columns in various national newspapers.Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the release of the third season of Clarkson’s Farm, coming to Amazon Prime Video on May 3, Clarkson shared how he acted as an “exaggerated” version of himself on television.“Everyone assumes the character they see on motoring shows is me, but it’s exaggerated,” he shared. “To think that I was like I was on Top Gear is the same as thinking that Anthony Hopkins is a cannibal,” referring to the actor’s acclaimed role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs.He also spoke about previous dismissive comments he has made about global warming, now suggesting that they weren’t necessarily serious.“That was part of the caricature,” he shared.

Orlando Weeks has dropped his simmering new single ‘Dig’ featuring Wet Leg‘s Rhian Teasdale – watch the video below.The former Maccabees frontman has released his latest music in anticipation of his forthcoming album ‘Loja’, scheduled to drop on June 6 via Fiction Records – presave the album here.‘Dig’ is described by Weeks as an “under your breath half-argument, the kind that only ever happens in public,” featuring jabs such as “I’m so far from it on the other shore / I dig my heels into the hardwood floor”. Weeks added: “‘Dig’ is a tit for tat exchange where long worn-out promises are remade and road weary offences retaken.

Content warning: this article discusses rape and sexual assault.Harvey Weinstein is in poor health, according to his lawyer.The former movie producer was found guilty on February 24, 2020 after being convicted of first-degree and third-degree rape, and was sentences to 23 years in a New York state prison.Last week, The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for rape, deeming that the judge at the trial gave improper rulings.However, Weinstein remains imprisoned, serving a 16 year sentence following a 2022 California rape conviction.Now, Weinstein’s lead attorney, Arthur Aidala, has shared that the 72-year-old is in poor health, telling reporters (as per Associated Press) that his client was admitted to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.Aidala began: “They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically.”“He’s got a lot of problems,” Aidala shared.

Glastonbury‘s dance music area Silver Hayes has announced the lineup of its four stages including Charli XCX, Romy, Kelly Lee Owens, Shygirl and more.Silver Hayes, which will host four stages across four days, will “unite future-facing design with musical talent” with the field’s first indoor venue.It will see over 150 artists take to the stage, with the likes of Charli XCX, Romy, Kelly Lee Owens and Shygirl set to make an appearance. They will be joined by acts such as Bonobo, Joy Orbison, I.

This Town – featuring Self Esteem, Olivia Dean and various original songs – has been released.Including classic covers and brand new, original compositions from the hit Steven Knight drama, ‘This Town (Music From The Original BBC Series)’ is out now via Polydor Records. You can stream the LP on all streaming platforms and purchase the vinyl pressing here.The soundtrack for the series brings together the show’s genre-wide mix of timeless anthems, original songs, and iconic hits set in the world of ska and two-tone in the early ’80s.‘This Town (Music From The Original BBC Series)’ features Self Esteem’s reimagining of Jimmy Cliff’s 1970’s track ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ as well as Ray Laurél’s cover of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.It also includes Olivia Dean’s rework of the reggae classic ‘The Harder They Come’ and Celeste’s cover of ‘Blue Moon’.The tracks performed by Fuck The Factory – the band at the heart of This Town – were created by producer Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C, Wet Leg, Been Stellar and founder of the seminal Speedy Wunderground label). Carey also collaborated with singer-songwriter ESKA and musician, novelist and poet Kae Tempest in work that adds another chapter to this vital story.1. Self Esteem: ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’2. Ray Laurél: ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’3. Fuck The Factory: ‘Estella’4. Olivia Dean: ‘The Harder They Come’5. Fuck The Factory: ‘Birdsong’6. Fuck The Factory: ‘Pelicans’7. Celeste: ‘Blue Moon’8. Fuck The Factory: ‘Farewell To Matty And Her Flowers’9. Gregory Porter: ‘The World’s Going Up In Flames’10. Fuck The Factory: ‘This Town’11. Sekou: ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’“It has been a privilege to be working with Paul Whittington, Steven Knight and the entire

subreddit community with more than 47K members – while even drawing press attention from publications like The Guardian and Rolling Stone – internet sleuths were unsuccessful in tracking down the elusive song.The original poster claimed they found the song snippet amongst files in an old DVD backup.During the years-long search, users eventually narrowed the song down to a series of rights holders from the mid-1980s.One user, called south_pole_ball, discovered that one listed songwriters called Christopher Booth had created works for porn films.They then proceeded to watch through his entire body of work until finding ‘Everyone Knows That’ exactly one hour, seven minutes and 31 seconds into 1986’s ‘Angels of Passion’.Booth himself has since reacted to the discovery, writing on Instagram: “Well today, my mind has officially been blown:) WOW! #ulteriormotives #ekt”.A post shared by Christopher Saint Booth (@christophersaintbooth)The full version of the song can only be heard alongside the NSFW sound effects from the movie – or fan-edited versions – prompting new-found listeners to request the original version.Booth, who is credited on the song along with his brother Philip, has since taken to TikTok to tease: “Shall we release it?”One moderator of the r/everyoneknowsthat subreddit has reflected on the “rollercoaster ride” of the search as part of the Lostwave community, which identifies and spotlights forgotten music.

Moby has responded to Lana Del Rey‘s claim that he has “a mind like a steel trap” after he recalled a date between the pair in his memoir.In 2019, Moby shared the revelation that he once dated Lana Del Rey pre-fame in his memoir Then It Fell Apart.The excerpt detailed a brief romance, revealing that the pair had their first date at a vegan restaurant in 2006. Moby said his evening with Del Rey – known then as Lizzy Grant – concluded with the singer visiting his five-floor New York penthouse where they shared a kiss.“She was beautiful, smart, and charming,” he wrote of the ‘Summertime Sadness’ singer.In a subsequent interview with The New York Times, Del Rey confirmed that the pair had indeed been on a date, sharing: “I don’t know how he [expletive] remembers.

Chase & Status and Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz were booked to headline, and other performers included Jamie Jones, Marco Carola, LF System, Dennis Ferrer, Hannah Wants, Groove Armada (DJ Set) and Low Steppa.Now, the organisers of the Dagenham festival have confirmed that the event has been forced to be cancelled due to the weather conditions, and set to return in 2025 instead.Taking to Facebook this afternoon (April 29), the official page shared an update, explaining that the decision was made by the local council and organisers were left “devastated” by the news.“Last year, when we were looking for a new home, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham offered us the beautiful Central Park and we worked with them to create detailed plans for how the Festival would work this year and be better than ever before,” the update read.“We had invested time and money into the new site, new stages and brought in a new Creative Team to bring the weekend to life with immersive experiences and large art installations, alongside the already fantastic lineup, which we couldn’t wait to share with you.An Important Update Regarding We Are FSTVL 2024.Posted by We Are FSTVL on Monday, April 29, 2024“Sadly, and just days before we were due to attend on-site to start the build, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham accepted that they could not deliver a safe event space that was fit for the purpose of allowing us to stage We Are FSTVL 2024.”The post continued, adding how it was forced to cancel the event due to putting punters’ health at the forefront: “London Borough of Barking and Dagenham say that the difficult decision to cancel has been made for health and safety reasons after record levels of rainfall this year.“We are heartbroken

Eminem has replaced Matt Damon as the brand-new Crypto.com celebrity spokesperson.The legendary rapper – real name Marshall Mathers – took to his official social media on April 26 to share the new advert, which features a boxing training montage and Eminem providing a voiceover which includes crypto terms like “proof-of-work” and the phrase “Fortune favours the brave.”In the caption, Eminem wrote: “You know what it’s always been”. According to a statement shared by Crypto.com, the ad is set to “Premiere Saturday during the Lakers NBA Playoff game held at the Crypto.com Arena.” The ad will also be shown at other high-profile sporting events, including the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and an upcoming UFC event.You know what it’s always been.

Billie Eilish has announced a ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ 2024-2025 UK, North America, Europe and Australian world tour. Check out dates and ticket details below.In support of her upcoming third studio album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT‘ – which is set for release on May 17 and available for pre-order / pre-save here – Eilish will embark on a massive world tour.Kicking off on September 29 at the Centre Videotron in Québec, the ‘Bad Guy’ singer will make her way across North America through the end of December 2024.

Britney Spears has claimed that there is “no justice” after being left to foot the bill of $2million in legal fees following her conservatorship battle.A judge ruled that Spears should be made to pay the legal fees of her estranged father, Jamie, following the battle around her conservatorship – with the costs amounting to the equivalent of £1.6million.The period ranges between 2008 and 2021, when the pop star was under her father’s strict conservatorship, and the judge’s ruling brings an end to the long-running dispute.

Jean de Florette and Cyrano de Bergerac, was summoned for questioning by French police today (April 29) regarding allegations from two separate women dating from 2014 and 2021.Depardieu is yet to comment on the allegations, though has previously denied other accusations of sexual assault.The 2021 complaint that the actor is being questioned about was filed earlier this year, with the woman – a set designer – claiming that Depardieu assaulted her while working on 2022’s Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).According to her lawyer, the actor was “passing through a corridor where Mr Depardieu was sitting” when he “grabbed her, trapped her between his legs and touched her body up to her breasts” (via BFMTV and BBC News).“She felt completely powerless, incapable of escaping this trap,” they added.The second woman, who filed a police complaint earlier this year, claimed that while she was working as an assistant on 2015’s Le Magician et le Siamois (The Magician and the Siamese), Depardieu grabbed her body all over and made “inappropriate” comments.Depardieu was placed under formal investigation over the alleged rape and sexual assault of actor Charlotte Arnould in 2020, with the case remaining open.

The Wolfe Tones‘ frontman Brian Warfield has spoken to NME about their upcoming final shows and long-lasting legacy. Check out footage from the show above and our interview with the band below.The legendary Irish rebel band have chosen to commemorate their 60th anniversary as a band by formally calling an end to their career with a run of final concerts.Their final ever shows will take place in Dublin’s sold out 3Arena on October 11 and 12, and before that they will play to their biggest ever audience at London’s Finsbury Park on July 5 – you can get your tickets for that here.They warmed up for those huge shows with a surprise intimate performance in Finsbury Park pub The Faltering Fullback last night, when NME caught up with frontman Brian Warfield to discuss coming to terms with the end of the band, their legacy to “the Irish diaspora” and their impact on the current boom in Irish guitar music.NME: Hello Brian – 60 years of the band you formed as a teenager are coming to an end. Have you come to terms with it?Brian Warfield: “Yeah, we more or less have.

Liam Neeson‘s recent film In The Land Of Saints And Sinners has topped the Netflix film charts.The little-known Irish action thriller, which first premiered last year, comes from director Robert Lorenz and follows a hitman (played by Neeson) who comes out of retirement when an IRA bomber arrives in his small village.After being released on Netflix last week, the film is currently (as of April 29) sitting at Number One on the Top 10 film chart, ahead of titles such as Jurassic World: Dominion, Forrest Gump and Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver.As well as Neeson, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners also stars The Banshees Of Inisherin‘s Kerry Condon, Game Of Thrones‘ Jack Gleeson, Star Trek‘s Colm Meaney and Belfast‘s Ciarán Hinds.The film, which sits at 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, first premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, and was released in US cinemas last month.In other news, earlier this year it was confirmed that Neeson’s Naked Gun reboot, which will reportedly see him play the son of detective Frank Drebin, is set to premiere on July 18, 2025. The film will be co-produced by Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, with The Lonely Island‘s Akiva Schaffer set to direct.Speaking previously about the project, Neeson joked in 2022: “I’ve been approached by Seth MacFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films.

Mufasa, the prequel to 2019’s The Lion King, has been released, confirming that Beyoncé and Donald Glover will be back.The new Disney film, which was confirmed a few years ago following the success of the remake, tells the origin story of King Mufasa, and is directed by Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins, while 2019 film scribe Jeff Nathanson returns as a screenwriter.“This story begins far beyond the mountains and the shadows, on the other side of the light,” Rafiki (John Kani) narrates in the clip, which showcases the photorealistic style used in the 2019 film.“A lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood. A lion who would change our lives forever.

Russell Brand has revealed he is getting baptised to “leave the past behind”.The comedian was accused of multiple counts of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 in a joint investigation between Channel 4, The Times and Sunday Times last year. The star has strongly denied all the accusations.In a post shared on Instagram last week, Brand confirmed that he was “taking the plunge” and “getting baptised”.“What’s been explained to me is, it’s an opportunity to die and be reborn,” he said.

Housemarque Studios has set social media ablaze with a mysterious teaser, with many fans speculating that a Returnal sequel is due to be announced in the coming days.Returnal was originally released in 2021 for the PlayStation 5, while a PC version was shared in 2023. Housemarque Studios’ roguelike third-person shooter quickly became a beloved, critically acclaimed title and now fans are convinced a follow-up is due to be unveiled.Earlier today (April 29) Housemarque Studios shared a black and white teaser image of broken glass and a pair of eyes alongside the word “tomorrow”, with many assuming a proper announcement is due on Tuesday, April 30.pic.twitter.com/F4R6TYFyZ1— Housemarque (@Housemarque) April 29, 2024While many fans are simply embracing the unknown, a number are speculating that the image hints at a follow-up to Returnal.

Kanye West is being sued for racial discrimination by one of his former security guards.The lawsuit has been brought forward by Benjamin Deshon Provo – who worked for the rapper (who now goes by Ye) at both his Donda Academy school and at a warehouse used as storage for the Yeezy brand of clothing.In the filing, the former employee alleges that the artist subjected his Black employees to “less favourable treatment than their White counterparts”, and People reported that the lawsuit also claims that Ye “frequently screamed at and berated Black employees”, and ultimately fired Provo for refusing to cut his dreadlocks.The former member of staff began working for the controversial rapper in August 2021, after six months at the Donda Academy. This, he alleges, is when the school relocated and “assigned additional job duties” to employees “as a result of a lack of staffing”.In the lawsuit, he accuses Ye of demonstrating a “stark difference” in the way he treated his Black employees compared to other members of staff, and claims that the rapper was “always abrupt, abrasive, and demeaning of Plaintiff and his Black counterparts” (via Metro).

JayaHadADream has spoken to NME about how it feels to have won a coveted slot at Glastonbury this summer after winning the festival’s 2024 Emerging Talent Competition.The Cambridge born Jamaican-Irish artist came out on top of the eight acts in a live final at Pilton’s Working Men’s Club this weekend (Saturday April 27) after already beating thousands of online entries. The rapper won over a judging panel – including Glasto boss Emily Eavis, industry professionals and Glastonbury main stage bookers – with her high-energy thought-provoking hip-hop.

Manor Lords released in Early Access last week, and developers are already looking to the fanbase to help shape the future of the game.Manor Lords is the work of one-person developers Slavic Magic and is already proving to be a hit on Steam. Over 170,000 users were playing the game concurrently over the weekend (according to SteamDB), and Manor Lords is currently the second most popular game on Steam based on sales, with close to 18,000 positive reviews.However Slavic Magic’s Greg Styczeń has taken to Discord (via PCGamesN) to ask fans about the future of Manor Lords’ trade system.“When press and content creators got the build two weeks ago, they often said that the trade is OP and that it’s too cheesy/exploity to just sell one type of good and make your town rich that way,” Styczeń said in a post.

Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and more. The offer put forward by Concord was $1.25 per share (£1).Blackstone has already acquired the rights to songs by Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake, and this current deal will see more than 65,000 more tracks added to its catalogue.As highlighted by Reuters, Blackstone has also invested in U.S.

IVE have dropped their sophomore mini-album ‘IVE Switch’, alongside a music video for title track ‘Heya’.Both the album and music video dropped on April 29 at 6pm KST, marking their first music of 2024. The new album features six new tracks including ‘Heya’, with B-sides such as the Wonyoung-penned ‘Blue Heart’, ‘Accendio’ and more.In the music video for ‘Heya’, the six members of IVE are seen traversing a colourful world that appears to be made of paper mache as they perform the choreography to the upbeat new song.“Heya, heya, heya / It’s time to swallow you in a bite / Heya, heya, heya / It’s already my victory / When I see you, I can’t resist,” they chant on the chorus.In a press statement about the new album, Wonyoung said: “This is an album in which many unique attempts are made to show a more expanded ‘different [us]’ based on the independent and confident appearance that we previously showed.”She also spoke about ‘Blue Heart’, a song she wrote about the scrutiny female idols face in the K-pop idols.

Spotify has announced record profits of over €1billion (£860m), following staff being laid off, subscription prices rising and costs being cut across the board.The growth of the company comes as streaming continues to dominate the music industry, and the platform has gone on to offer its subscribers access to podcasts and audiobooks too.Currently, the Swedish company has around 615million users across the globe, and has invested a huge amount of money in growing the brand since its initial launch back in 2006. However, reports of the profit come following a year of the brand cutting costs and laying off staff.Late last year, Spotify announced that it was cutting down 17 per cent of its workforce in order to save costs.

U2‘s Adam Clayton has announced his divorce from wife Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho after 10 years of marriage.A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the news to the Sunday World yesterday (April 29), who said they had parted on good terms and were “amicably divorced”.They will continue to co-parent their six-year-old daughter Alba together. Clayton is also father to a son, born in 2010, from a previous relationship.In a statement, their spokesperson said: “After more than 10 years of marriage, musician Adam Clayton and lawyer Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho have amicably divorced.“Both will continue to be fully involved in the care of their daughter and they request that the family’s privacy be respected.”The couple met in de Carvalho’s home country of Brazil before marrying in September 2013 at a Dublin registry office after four years together.

Austin Powers star showed off a new grey buzzcut look as he attended an AFI Life Achievement Award Gala honouring Nicole Kidman over the weekend.Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet, the actor paid tribute to Kidman, calling her “one of the most versatile [people]”.“You admire her and you like her too, which is a very rare combination with any performer… I think everything she does is so elegant and first-class and fantastic,” he added.Myers also spoke on the red carpet about the possibility of a new Austin Powers film, telling ET: “I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project,” before adding that there are “absolutely” more stories to tell.These echo similar comments Myers made in 2022, having last played the comic spy in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember.However, speaking in 2019, director Jay Roach expressed doubt over whether a fourth film will get off the ground, notably after the death of star Verne Troyer in 2018.“We’ve been trying to think up an idea that could earn a fourth film for a long time, but it’s always up to Mike. He and I always thought there was more to do with Dr Evil,” he told The Independent.“To be honest, I don’t know how we’d do it without Verne.

Stagecoach festival this weekend, which prompted many fans to walk out.The country artist performed a gospel-inspired set at the festival in Indio, California on Friday (April 26) which featured numerous covers including 2Pac‘s ‘California Love’ and Snoop Dogg‘s ‘Gin And Juice’.He was also joined on-stage by regular collaborator Joanna Cotten, accompanied by his guitar and backed by a 16-person choir. But the performance was reportedly met by boos and some audiences left to watch Nickelback instead.The performer has since responded in a press release issued after the show (per Billboard), sharing that the set was “the most difficult” he has “ever attempted”.“I’ve always found that taking it back to where it started, back to chasing who Bob Seger loves, who Springsteen loves, who Willie Nelson loves, you chase it back to the origin.

The Office actress Angela Kinsey has revealed that she refused to say a joke in the series on personal grounds.The star played the role of Angela Martin on the sitcom, though was asked on a recent podcast with co-star Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) how she felt portraying an “uptight Christian” when she had “warm, meaningful relationship” with her faith in real life.Speaking in response, Kinsey told Soul Boom: “There were one or two times where there would be a joke written for her that I thought was just really stereotypical, maybe one-note. I like to think of her as a full, well-rounded person.“I do remember there was a particular storyline between Angela and Oscar, where Angela was being super judge-y,” she went on to reveal.“I never went up to [creator] Greg [Daniels] about any joke, but there was a joke at Oscar’s expense, and I went up to Greg and I was like, ‘I can’t.’ I think Angela invoked Jesus in the moment.

The Social Network, focusing on the January 6 riots.The screenwriter, who also created The West Wing, won an Oscar for his work on the 2010 drama, which looked at the origins of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg.Sorkin spoke on a new podcast interview about the January 2021 riots, which saw supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol building in Washington D.C.