Latest news with #Confessions
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Lucy Steeds wins 2025 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for 'luminous, seductive tale'
North London native, Lucy Steeds, has won the fourth annual Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for her novel The Artist - a sensorial and seductive tale set in 1920s Provence Lucy Steeds has won the 2025 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for her novel The Artist, which has been praised for its 'atmospheric, sensory prose'. The North London author began writing the novel - set in 1920s Provence - while living in France. Described by Waterstones as a 'luminous, seductive tale of art, cruelty and love' the story revolves around three key figures: a renowned and reclusive painter, his unworldly niece with an explosive secret and an aspiring British journalist hoping to make a name for himself. But in the heat of the Provençal summer, tensions between the three come to a head. As the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize winner, Steeds will receive £5,000 and a 'promise of ongoing commitment' to her writing career. The Artist was selected from a shortlist of six books which also featured Confessions by Catherine Airey, Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal, Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter, and When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén. The winner was chosen by a panel of booksellers informed by votes and feedback from more than 650 booksellers from Waterstones shops. Bea Carvalho, Head of Books at Waterstones, says: 'From a shortlist of six stunning books, The Artist stood out for its atmospheric, sensory prose, and its headily evocative sense of time and place.' 'Lucy Steeds is a writer of staggering, rare talent: she is able to conjure vivid brushstrokes, sticky heat, and the smells and tastes of Provence, through words on the page,' says Carvalho. 'This is a gorgeously claustrophobic novel to be fully swept away by: The Artist has something for readers of all tastes and heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice.' Born in North London, Lucy Steeds studied English Literature for her BA and World Literatures for her MA at the University of Oxford. She attended both the Faber Academy and the London Library Emerging Writers Programme. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. Steeds has previously been nominated for the BPA First Novel Award, the Yeovil Literary Prize, the Page Turner Awards and the Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Award. 'I started writing [The Artist] while I was in France, but I think it's really dangerous of a writer to believe you can only create an environment by being there physically. So I had to - even when I wasn't physically there - encapsulate the essence of what it was,' Steeds shared on The Waterstone Podcast. She says it was by going through 'all the senses' that she was able to write the novel - 'smells and tastes and textures were really important for this book'. Waterstones launched the Debut Fiction Prize in 2022, celebrating the best work of debut fiction written in any form. Previous winners of the prize include Alice Winn and Ferdia Lennon, who won last year for his novel Glorious Exploits, which went on to win the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize and The Authors' Club 2025 best first novel award. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What did Andrew Tate do? Influencer accused of choking, sexual assault by alt-right YouTuber Lauren Southern
(Image via @cobratate & @Lauren_Southern/X) Andrew Tate is back in the headlines, this time, not for his usual controversies, but for a deeply serious accusation. Former alt-right figure and political commentator Lauren Southern has accused the internet personality of sexual assault in a newly released chapter from her upcoming book. The revelation has sent shockwaves through social media and reignited scrutiny around Tate's ongoing legal issues. Lauren Southern accuses Andrew Tate of sexual assault in latest book chapter On July 15, 2025, Lauren Southern shared an emotional and detailed account of her alleged experience with Andrew Tate. The disclosure came via her Substack post, where she published free chapters from her upcoming memoir This Is Not Real Life . In Chapter 11, titled Confessions , Southern recounted a disturbing night where, according to her, Tate carried her back to a hotel room while she was heavily intoxicated. — Awk20000 (@Awk20000) She alleged that what began as an unwanted kiss escalated into repeated instances of strangulation and sexual assault, despite her clearly saying 'no' multiple times. 'I tried to fight back. He repeatedly strangled me every time I regained enough consciousness to pull at his arms,' Southern wrote. 'You better not tell the press,' Southern claims Tate warned The chapter doesn't just recount what allegedly happened that night; it also describes the moments that followed. Southern claims that Tate warned her not to speak to the media. As she describes it, while hastily packing her bags to leave the hotel room, the former kickboxer allegedly said she 'better not tell the press' about what had occurred. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Never Put Eggs In The Refrigerator. Here's Why... Car Novels Undo Southern responded by reminding him of her public stance against feminism, a stance she now views as having helped suppress her own trauma for years. Southern says she was in denial until more evidence surfaced Though the incident described took place years ago, Southern says she kept silent for a long time. In her Substack post, she admits to having initially denied to herself that anything was wrong, in part, because of her ideological alignment and personal image at the time. Over time, however, that denial began to break. As more media coverage and court records surfaced about Tate's alleged involvement in grooming and sex trafficking, Southern says her "comfortable state of denial" became impossible to maintain. 'At least when I met him, I had no idea,' she wrote, referring to the multiple allegations and charges currently levied against Tate. Neither Andrew Tate nor his legal team has responded publicly to the allegations at the time of writing. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Keke Palmer's ‘Just Keke' album channels public relationship drama into reclamation
NEW YORK (AP) — A sheer dress silhouetting a black body suit, Usher's signature crowd interaction and a tweet from her child's father: that concoction created a nearly two-week social media frenzy starring Keke Palmer back in 2023. Now, the multi-hyphenate creative has channeled that experience into her new album, 'Just Keke.' 'It was tough … I didn't even realize I was in such grief,' said the 31-year-old about the fallout of her extremely public breakup with her ex, Darius Jackson. 'I get to put that same emotion into a song, and I get tell those people that's been watching me since I was nine … what's going on in a way that it can translate.' Following 2023's 'Big Boss,' her third solo studio project, out now, is an 18-track visual album conceptualized and directed by Palmer and her team. Tayla Parx, who's written for Alicia Keys, Justin Bieber and Dua Lipa, handled the bulk of the writing and executive produced with Palmer. The storyline follows Palmer musically navigating celebrity, motherhood and self-reflection. But her vulnerability about her well-publicized relationship drama is the album's throughline. 'That's what artistry is … mine is about transmutation, it's about bringing closure,' said Palmer, who's usually mum about her romantic relationships. 'I have to address something that I would never address, especially nothing on an intimate level — that's just so not me. But I knew that I had to because now that it's become public, it's become a part of my work, and I have to respond to it as such. And that just caused me to have to grow.' While attending Usher's popular Las Vegas residency in 2023, the Emmy winner danced closely with the music icon during his routine audience interaction segment. Social videos of the interaction prompted a viral tweet from Jackson, her ex-boyfriend and child's father, criticizing her attire, writing, 'It's the outfit tho.. you a mom.' While he was quickly admonished online, the conversation eventually moved beyond social media to articles and think pieces tackling subjects ranging from patriarchy, women's attire, and having children before marriage. Standout tracks on 'Just Keke' include 'My Confession' — a tongue-in-cheek interpolation of Usher's hit 'Confessions, Pt. II' — as well as the previously released '125 Degrees' and 'Off Script.' She passionately belts out her love on the ballad 'Unless It's You,' while 'Misunderstood' finds her asking, 'Don't you see me throwing out a lifeline? / You too busy pinning me the bad guy / Maybe we ain't doing what we should / or maybe we're just misunderstood.' 'What the project, I think, speaks to as well is just like reclamation,' said the 'Nope' star, admitting the album could reignite criticism about her personal life. 'I'm just Keke, hate it or love it. This is me, this is my story, this is how I see things, I see my life … the whole point of it, too, is making peace with just saying what you got to say and letting it be that.' While Palmer's mic is still hot, she's extremely booked and busy on Hollywood lots: a sequel to 'One of Them Days,' and she stars with Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in 'The Pickup' from Prime Video in August. The 'Akeelah and the Bee' actor will lead Peacock's upcoming TV adaptation of Mel Brook's 'The 'Burbs,' and she'll join the team on 'Spaceballs 2' with original stars Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis, the latter a reclusive '80s and '90s star who's since largely stayed out of Hollywood. Palmer says she'll judge the success of 'Just Keke' not necessarily by sales or Billboard charts, but by potential opportunities that arise, whether it's creating and directing visual albums for other artists, helming her own musical and comedic variety show, or even embarking on her own world tour. 'It could look like so many things, and I'm open to all of them,' said Palmer. 'As long as I know that I put my all into this, I know I can't lose.' ___ Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Newsweek
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Meghan Markle Podcast Loses in Charts to Her Biggest Critics
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Meghan Markle's podcast was outperformed during its nine-week run by rival shows from staunch critics. The Duchess of Sussex launched Confessions of a Female Founder on April 8 and the final episode dropped on June 3. At its height, Meghan's show hit second place among Apple podcasts but quickly slipped down the charts after the first two episodes while on Spotify it hovered around 21st place. That put it behind some big-name political and debate podcasts from commentators with whom she does not see eye to eye. Meghan Markle listens to the radio through headphones during a visit tot Reprezent 107.3FM at Pop Brixton, in London, England, on January 9, 2018. Meghan Markle listens to the radio through headphones during a visit tot Reprezent 107.3FM at Pop Brixton, in London, England, on January 9, 2018. Dominic Lipinski -Meghan Markle's Position in the Spotify Charts Newsweek reported Confessions came into the Spotify charts at number 24 on April 10 and archived versions of the site show that by April 12 it had dropped out of the top 100 again. By April 14, it was back in at number 21, polling in the same position on several other dates leading to June 7, according versions of the chart list that were archived across April, May and June. The show has since dropped out of the top 100. Meghan's Position in the Apple Podcast Charts Historical Apple chart data is more difficult to recover due to the way the website is set up, with archived versions limited to the top six podcasts only. Confessions did particularly well on Apple after its first episode, which featured Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd, dropped on April 8, landing it in second place by April 12 and 13. And its second episode, featuring Reshma Saujani, founder of nonprofit Girls Who Code, also landed Confessions in fifth place on April 15. However, Newsweek has not been able to find record of the podcast returning to the top six beyond that point and news reports recorded it dropping out of the top 200 by April 26. All of which puts it someway behind high-profile rivals and critics of the couple. Tucker Carlson Former Fox News host Carlson consistently came in the top 10 on Spotify throughout this period, usually fifth or seventh, with The Tucker Carlson Show. He has previously said that Piers Morgan losing his job for doubting Meghan's account of suicidal thoughts "was the most insane thing I've ever seen." He added in the January interview with Morgan: "Meghan Markle does not represent Black people in the United States." Candace Owens Candace came in ninth or tenth place in the week's when Meghan's show was at 21st. In January, Owens denounced Meghan and Harry for visiting the L.A. wildfire disaster zone, telling Newsweek in a statement: "I agree with the general public sentiment that Meghan and Harry are inauthentic ambulance chasers." Joe Rogan The Joe Rogan Experience was at the top of the Spotify charts on Monday, and was consistently among the top few shows on both Spotify and Apple throughout the period. Its host has been far less personally critical of the Sussexes than Carlson, Owens and others but Harry and Meghan took aim at him in January 2022, during the COVID-19 era. The couple released a statement via their spokesperson confirming they had been "expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all-too-real consequences of Covid-19 misinformation on its platform." The comment was widely interpreted as a veiled swipe at Rogan, who also appeared to read it that way and hit back during a light-hearted skit on his Netflix comedy special Burn the Boats in August 2024. Rogan joked he wanted to do magic mushrooms with Harry and wait until they kick in before saying: "I'm going to hover over him and say, 'Are you sure vaccines are safe? B****, you're not a scientist!'" Other High-Profile Critics During the weeks in which Confessions was number 21 on Spotify, Meghan outperformed Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly, who are both consistent features of the Spotify and Apple top 100 lists but at times lower down. The fact Meghan's show quickly dropped down the lists, however, will leave hosts like Shapiro and Kelly able to claim a greater degree of consistency. Shapiro gave an interview to Piers Morgan in 2023 in which he said: "They're just the worst. I actually read Prince Harry's awful memoir and the number of things that are obviously not true, and the absolute self-delusion, and arrogant self-delusion..." Kelly regularly criticizes Meghan. For example in 2023, she addressed Prince Harry: "Your wife's a bully. Her former press communications person who worked for both you and your brother, Jason Knauf, is on the record about the bullying she committed against people who were younger than or were less powerful than she was within the palace, who she made cry all the time." Meghan has denied bullying palace staff. Link Lauren, a former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aide, also hit a peak on Apple when his show Spot On first launched on May 12, entering the charts in fifth on May 13. It too subsequently dropped down the list and was positioned at 159th on Monday. Lauren earlier this year said: "Meghan Markle the Duchess of Scamalot just dropped the trailer for her new Netflix show and let me just say it was one of the most out of touch things I've seen in a while. "Most Americans right now, most people in the world, are struggling to put food on the table, they're struggling to pay their rent, to pay their mortgage. Who wants to watch an ex-duchess traipse around her mansion picking flowers?" Both Meghan's two podcast series, Confessions and the 2022 show Archetypes, have opted for limited runs which means they have come and gone in the space of only a few months, never cementing a long-term position in the charts. That may well work for Meghan in terms of the range of commitments she has, including her Netflix contract and online shop, though a longer-term consequence may be that her shows become less embedded in the public imagination as a result. Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
BreakingNews.ie
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Mimi Webb announces October gig in Dublin's 3Olympia
Mimi Webb has announced an October gig in Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre with tickets going on sale next Friday. After recently announcing her second album, Confessions, Mimi Webb has announced a headline UK and European tour this autumn. Advertisement Tickets will go on sale starting at €39.90 on Friday, June 20th at 9am from Written and produced between Los Angeles and London, Confessions represents a bold leap forward: a fearless, raw, and honest exploration of heartbreak, empowerment, and self-discovery. The record looks to provide the signature up-tempo pop anthems fans know and love. 'I dug deep and figured out what I want to say not just as an artist, but as a person,' Mimi Webb said. Advertisement 'I decided to be brutally honest. It's easy to be like, 'Everything is wonderful'—even when there's so much happening behind the curtain. I wanted to open up and scream, 'This is who I am!" Her new single 'Love Language', which she shared the Bradley&Pablo directed video for earlier this week, follows her acclaimed single 'Mind Reader' with chart-topping Grammy award-winning label mate Meghan Trainor. Mimi Webb has sold out headline gigs on multiple continents. She also supported Jonas Brothers, Tate McRae, and Benson Boone on tour. She has appeared at US festivals such as Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, ACL, and Outside Lands in addition to UK and European festivals a la Reading, Leeds, Isle of Wight, Electric Picnic, Mad Cool, and more.
