Latest news with #Wham!
Buzz Feed
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
13 Scenes That Made Older Songs Go Viral Again
Sometimes, all it takes is one unforgettable scene to breathe new life into a song you forgot even existed. Whether it's a '90s banger climbing the charts again, or a deep cut getting the spotlight it rightfully deserves, these 12 songs shot up in popularity thanks to the magic of soundtracks and pop culture. "Murder on the Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor dropped in 2001. Over two decades later, it went viral all over again in 2023 after Saltburn's release! "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! was first released in 1984. But it popped off again in 2001, thanks to Zoolander! "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush came out in 1985. Nearly 40 years later, it climbed the charts again thanks to Stranger Things's season 4 episode, "Dear Billy" (2022). "Something In The Way" by Nirvana quietly existed on Nevermind since 1991. But when The Batman dropped in 2022, it hit a whole new audience. "Poison" by Bell Bib DeVoe was an early '90s R&B staple. But Turk's dance routine on Scrubs's Season 5 episode "My Half-Acre" made it an instant internet classic in 2006. "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton was already a hit in 2002. Then White Chicks came along in 2004 and turned it into comedy gold. "Left Hand Free" by alt-J originally came out in 2014. But it didn't really catch fire until Outer Banks made it a Pogue anthem in 2020. "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol debuted in 2006. But it's Grey's Anatomy's heartbreaking Season 2 finale "Losing My Religion" that propelled it into stardom in "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John was released in 1971. It found a whole new audience in 2000 after Almost Famous made it an iconic pop culture moment. "Long Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt quietly broke hearts in 1970. But it shattered all of ours again in 2023 in The Last of Us's Season 1 episode, "Long Long Time." "Pony" by Ginuwine was already steamy when it dropped in 1996. Then Magic Mike took it to a whole new level in 2012. "All I Want For Christmas" by Mariah Carey took over the holidays in 1994. But Love Actually helped turn it into a rom-com Christmas special in 2003. It's wild how one perfect song in one perfect scene can flip a switch. Whether it made you cry, dance, or immediately open a music streaming platform, these moments prove that a great track can still make its mark many many years later. What's the one TV or movie moment that brought a forgotten song back into your life? Let us know in the comments! 💿 For more nostalgic content like this, check out BuzzFeed Canada's TikTok and Instagram for more content like this! ✨
Metro
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Martin Kemp reveals he might not actually be married Shirlie Holliman
Sorry, the video was not found Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp has revealed that he's not entirely sure if he's been married for the The 63-year-old singer married Pepsi and Shirlie singer Shirlie Holliman in 1988 in a beautiful, picturesque – possibly not legally binding – ceremony. Martin revealed in a recent appearance on Good Morning Britain that he never actually received any paperwork confirming that he had married his partner. 'Shirlie and I, we got married in St Lucia on a cliff top overlooking the Caribbean, and it was beautiful. 'But there was one lady there, the ceremony was about as quick as, 'Martin, do you love Shirlie?', 'yes', 'Shirlie, do you love Martin?', 'yes', 'you're married'. 'I don't think we've ever got the actual paper to say that we're married, but listen, who needs a piece of paper when you love each other?' Earlier this month, speaking on Tracks Of My Years with BBC Radio 2's Vernon Kay retold his wedding day story, confessing his doubts about the nuptials. 'I'm waiting for Shirlie, and Shirlie turns up in this old pickup truck coming up the hill, and she climbs out in this tiny white mini dress, with big high heels on, and she's hobbling up to the point where we're going to get married. He added: 'To this day, Vernon, I doubt very much if we are married.' The couple has confessed in the past that they fell in love with one another at first sight. Martin told The Mirror: 'I remember being around my mum and dad's, my back was up against the sofa because I was sitting on the floor, watching Thursday night Top Of The Pops and Wham! came on.' He said he fell in love with her on screen: 'I saw Shirlie on there and absolutely fell in love through the television. You know, you fall into that bubble where you can't think of anything else. And that's how it was for me for a couple of weeks until we finally met.' Shirlie revealed in the same interview, it was the same for her: 'I saw you in a magazine. I just got that feeling, I think I've fallen in love. That's how my crush started. After that you starred in my dreams for a long time.' The couple got together with the help of George Michael, who Shirlie worked with as a backup singer for Wham! George called Martin over at a theatre premiere and Martin gave Shirlie his number, but she was too anxious to call at first. 'I thought he might be out of my league. I left his number in my pocket for ages. George was like, 'I just don't understand why you're not calling him'. 'I told him it was intimidating to call him. I mean, he was – he is – just so gorgeous. It was George who called Martin in the end. We were in his bedroom, and he picked up the phone, dialled the number and just gave me the phone. I was in at the deep end by then.' More Trending Martin gave all the credit to the Wham star for their relationship, saying he didn't believe that Shirlie would have ever plucked up the nerve to call. The couple went on to have two children, a daughter, Harley Moon and a son named Roman, who has become a presenter on The One Show and Capital FM's breakfast radio show. During his time with Spandau Ballet, Martin had eight UK top 10 albums, including a UK number one single In the hit song True. The band is also best known for songs such as Gold, Only When You Leave, and To Cut A Long Story Short. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Wincey Willis, ITV's first female weather presenter, dies aged 76 MORE: Good Morning Britain viewers complain ITV show 'has descended into children's TV' MORE: 13 'cursed' horror films – from tragic on set deaths to mysterious 'haunted' props
RTÉ News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Martin Kemp unsure if he is legally married
Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp has said he never received official paperwork confirming his marriage to singer Shirlie Holliman, raising questions about whether the ceremony was legally binding. Speaking on ITV's Go od Morning Britain, the 63-year-old recalled their wedding in St Lucia, describing the cliff-top ceremony as "beautiful" but unusually brief. "There was one lady there, the ceremony was about as quick as, 'Martin, do you love Shirlie?' 'Yes.' 'Shirlie, do you love Martin?' 'Yes.' 'You're married,'" Kemp said. "We've never got the actual paper to say that we're married, but listen, who needs a piece of paper when you love each other?" Kemp and Holliman, a former backing singer for Wham!, have been together for more than 35 years. The couple share a son, presenter and broadcaster Roman Kemp. The father-and-son duo appear together on Celebrity Gogglebox, where they recently discussed Kemp's cooking skills. Roman claimed that his dad once added peanut butter to a spaghetti Bolognese. Asked if the anecdote was true, Kemp admitted: "Yeah, I did it once. But Roman wouldn't eat anything when he was a kid - he wouldn't even eat fruit, so don't listen to that." Kemp said he loves appearing on Gogglebox with Roman, adding: "First of all, I get to see him. You know what boys are like - boys never go home to their parents." Martin Kemp rose to fame as the bassist in Spandau Ballet, the new wave band known for hits including True, Gold, and Chant No.1. He later became a household name as Steve Owen in EastEnders a role he played from 1998 to 2002.
Edinburgh Live
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
When Edinburgh's worst-rated hotel was city's poshest and celebrities flocked
Once the domain of yuppies and celebs, recent decades have not been particularly fruitful for Edinburgh's former Dragonara Hotel. The Belford Road establishment, which back in the day attracted a long list of A-listers, such as David Bowie, Elizabeth Taylor, Boy George, Wham!, and Sean Connery, has had a car crash in fortunes and is currently ranked as the capital's worst hotel on TripAdvisor. Now operating as budget hotel the Britannia, the Dragonara started out as the kind of hotel that was ready to "anticipate the business needs of the eighties". At the opening ceremony in July 1981, Alan Devereux, Chairman of the Scottish Tourist Board, went as far to label the Dragonara as "one of the great hotel developments that has taken place over the last 50 years in Scotland". READ MORE - Edinburgh woman sues charity and earns £8k compensation payout over 'holiday row' READ MORE - The creepy Edinburgh lodge with a dark secret unknown to those walking past The four-star property, which was originally run by the Ladbroke Hotel Group chain, was befitting of its dreamy setting overlooking the Water of Leith at Bell's Mill, and during its heyday was the venue for countless wedding receptions, AGMs, Jazz Festival events, and high-profile business meetings. In a 1981 edition of the Student, Edinburgh University's student-run magazine, the ritzy Dragonara was emphatically described as Edinburgh's "newest and poshest hotel". The hotel's Granary bar was billed as the kind of haunt suitable for couples arriving in an "MG Midget". By comparison, the Britannia Hotel currently has 2.5 stars on TripAdvisor, and has been slammed by recent guests over noisy rooms, lack of cleanliness and occasional police presence. (Image: Google) Edinburgh Live's own Sian Traynor headed to the Britannia last November to check out if the dreadful reviews were accurate and fair. During her brief stay, Sian noted, amongst other things, unwanted hairs in plugholes and mysterious white stains on the carpet. It's a real plummet in status for a hotel that, in the 1980s, was thought to be right up there with the finest the capital had to offer and was the regular Edinburgh residence for dozens of top performers of stage and screen. Gillian Smith worked at the Dragonara soon after it opened and says it was her favourite job and a place where she got the chance to bump shoulders with many famous faces. Speaking to Edinburgh Live , she said: "I was in my early twenties when I started at the Dragonara. My role was Conference and Banqueting Assistant. "I loved it from day one. It was an exciting place to work, and, at the time, it was one of the best, if not the best hotels in Edinburgh. "I met so many celebs there. They were usually very polite and we were often given tickets for shows. "I once showed Boy George to his room and met Wham!, Duran Duran, Hot Chocolate, Kiss, Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton and Elizabeth Taylor. One time I was working in the cocktail bar and U2 walked in for an interview. "I remember the actor George Segal staying at the hotel, and Vidal Sassoon holding a product launch there as well. He was a lovely man and I ended up with lots of product! "It was just a really fun place to work, lots of socialising and no day was the same as the last." Gillian added: "I hate that it now has such an awful reputation. It's quite upsetting remembering how beautiful it once was and how proud all the staff were compared to now. "It would be wonderful if it was bought by someone who could turn it back to what it was before." While many people's memories of the Dragonara in the 1980s are coloured by pomp and prestige, the hotel is also associated with a very tragic episode in Edinburgh's recent history. In 1984, Shu-Kee Leung, a Hong Kong-born waiter at the Dragonara, was charged with the brutal killing of 19-year-old Pauline Reilly at Annabel's disco in Fountainbridge. Leung was sentenced to life in prison following a seven-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The Dragonara changed hands in 1988 and has since been owned by a number of different companies, including Menzies Hotels and Travelodge. Britannia Hotels purchased the property in 2013 for a reported £10 million.
Wales Online
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Martin Kemp says 'it was as quick as that' as he opens up on marriage 'doubt'
Martin Kemp says 'it was as quick as that' as he opens up on marriage 'doubt' Martin Kemp has opened up on his relationship with wife Shirlie Holliman, admitting that he doubts the couple are actually married despite tying the knot in St Lucia in 1988 Martin Kemp and Shirlie Kemp (Image: Jeff Spicer, Jeff Spicer/WireImagevia Getty Images ) Martin Kemp has revealed that he's not entirely sure if he and his wife Shirlie are officially married, despite having a ceremony in St Lucia over 35 years ago. The Spandau Ballet star reminisced about falling for Shirlie "through the television" as she performed with Wham! on Top Of The Pops back in 1982. Speaking to the Mirror, Martin recounted how he was completely smitten with Shirlie after her performance, finding himself in a "bubble" where he could "couldn't think of anything else" until they finally met a few weeks later. Shirlie, on the other hand, had developed a "crush" on Martin after seeing him in a magazine, which led to their mutual friend George Michael orchestrating their first meeting, reports Devon Live. Despite feeling too daunted to ring Martin herself, Shirlie got a helping hand from George Michael, who made the call and handed her the phone. Shirlie Holliman and Martin Kemp (Image: Jeff Spicer, Getty Images ) Article continues below The pair, both aged 63, have been inseparable since they started dating and held their wedding in St Lucia in 1988. However, during an appearance on Tracks Of My Years with Vernon Kay on BBC Radio 2, Martin expressed doubts about the legality of their nuptials. He shared a vivid memory from their wedding day: "I remember that, on the day we're getting married, I'm standing on this clifftop that is overlooking the Caribbean and it's sparkling, and there's only me there and the lady who's going to marry us." Continuing the story, he described Shirlie's arrival: "I'm waiting for Shirlie, and Shirlie turns up in this old pickup truck coming up the hill, and she climbs out in this tiny white mini dress, with big high heels on, and she's hobbling up to the point where we're going to get married. "This lady says 'Martin, do you love Shirlie?'. Okay, yep. 'Shirlie, do you love Martin?'. Yep, you're married. It was as quick as that. To this day, Vernon, I doubt very much if we are married." Martin said that he doesn't believe the couple were ever given a wedding certificate, but stressed that he "thinks we're married, so it's all good". Martin, Harley Moon, Shirlie and Roman Kemp (Image: (Image: Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) ) The couple have enjoyed 37 years of marriage in the years since, as well as having son Roman and daughter Harley Moon. However, it's not been all plain sailing for the pair. In 1995, the actor was diagnosed with two brain tumours and was unable to work for three years. The couple had to downsize their home and Martin had invasive surgery to remove the largest, leaving him with dyslexia, memory loss and epilepsy. Shirlie admitted that she feared Martin would die during the second, riskier, operation before stepping in and saying to the doctor 'I don't think we want to do that". Article continues below She spent the next few months searching for an alternative method and eventually settled on a treatment using lasers to blast tumors without the need for surgery. The procedure was a success, with Martin saying he has "no doubt" that Shirlie saved his life.
