Category: 5. Entertainment

LOS ANGELES — Singer, actor and reality TV star Tamar Braxton said Tuesday that she “almost died” in a weekend accident that she doesn’t remember.

“I was found in a pool of blood from my friend with a face injury,” Braxton wrote in an Instagram post. “I fractured my nose, lost some teeth and mobility.” She added, “I don’t even know what happened to me.”

Braxton, 48, earlier in the day had posted “Thank you God for waking me up today,” in an Instagram story.

She said she was getting calls after and was struggling to talk so she shared what had happened to her.

The post also said “the way I look at life now is totally different. As my health is on the mend my mental journey begins… pray for me for real.”

An email to Braxton’s manager seeking more details was not immediately answered.

Braxton was part of a singing group with her sisters, including Toni Braxton, who went on to a major solo career.

They and other family members appeared on the reality series “Braxton Family Values” starting in 2011, and Tamar Braxton has since appeared in spin-offs and other reality shows.

As an actor, her recent credits include the TV series “Kingdom Business.” And she has spent much of the year on a solo singing tour.

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Ori Kam has announced he will be stepping down as the violist of the Jerusalem Quartet from October.

In a video posted to social media, Kam mentioned challenging times for the quartet over the last few years, which ’has made it harder for the four of us to hold onto a single musical and professional vision.’

He also cited changes in his personal life and new professional opportunites as reasons for leaving the quartet, of which he has been a member for 15 years.

Kam thanks the ensemble’s management, concert presenters, as well as his former quartet members.

’Your dedication to the music and the traditions we hold dear, not to mention to the audience, has always been at the heart of this ensemble.’

’As Ori embarks on new paths, we wish him the very best of luck and continued success,’ the Jerusalem Quartet said in a statement.

The ensemble will be joined by two violists in the upcoming 2025/26 season; Mathis Rochat, who will perform in the quartet’s North American tours, and Alexander Gordon, who will perform in the quartet’s European and Israeli concerts.

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

In the second volume of The Strad’s Masterclass series, soloists including James Ehnes, Jennifer Koh, Philippe Graffin, Daniel Hope and Arabella Steinbacher give their thoughts on some of the greatest works in the string repertoire. Each has annotated the sheet music with their own bowings, fingerings and comments.

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.

Victoria and David Beckham deeply hurt after Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s latest move.

Brooklyn and Nicola renewed their vows recently after three years of getting married. While Nicola’s family was part of the intimate ceremony, Brooklyn’s parents were not invited.

Now, insiders revealed that while Victoria is heartbroken, David is keeping them together, as reported by Closer Magazine.

The source said the entire Brooklyn, Nicola drama has left the Spice Girls alum “bewildered,” adding, “There are no answers or explanation, which is torture for her. She’s estranged from her own son, which is apparently all the work of his new wife.”

“She doesn’t care about Nicola anymore, that relationship has sailed – but she wants her son back,” the source noted.

However, they went on to add that “David is holding them together.”

“He’s worried about the impact of all this on her mental health – he’s big on keeping her upbeat and giving positive energy, casting off toxic people and building their forcefield up together,” they added.

Noting, “He’s reassured Victoria that what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger.”

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s rift with David Beckham and Victoria began when they snubbed the footballer’s lavish 50th birthday party.

Vienna has been chosen to host the Eurovision song contest 2026, the world’s biggest live televised music event, Austria’s public broadcaster announced, with the final set for 16 May.

Austria’s JJ won this year’s competition, held in Basel in Switzerland, with his song Wasted Love, which blends techno beats with operatic vocals – making his home country the 2026 host.

Vienna, which previously hosted the glitzy TV extravaganza in 1967 and 2015, edged out Innsbruck, the capital of western Tirol province, to stage next year’s contest, the public broadcaster ORF announced on Wednesday.

The final of Eurovision’s 70th edition will be held at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena, with semi-finals set for 12 and 14 May, Eurovision said.

Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting the Swedish group Abba to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Céline Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.

About 166 million viewers in 37 countries watched this year’s contest, with a record 60% of viewers aged 15 to 24 tuning in. The competition got even more views on Instagram and TikTok.

The show has often drawn controversy, with pro-Palestinian activists staging protests in Switzerland in May after Eurovision allowed Israel – who was runner-up – to participate in the contest despite the devastating Gaza war.

After his win, JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, in an interview called for Israel to be excluded from next year’s competition, sparking a storm of criticism in Austria, a staunch supporter of Israel.

JJ, 24, has since sought to defuse the controversy, saying via his record label, Warner, that he was “sorry if his comments had been misinterpreted”.

Austria’s far-right Freedom party, which came top in elections for the first time last year but failed to form a government, has described Eurovision as a “queer, leftwing, woke spectacle” and criticised Vienna for wanting to stage it despite the high costs.

Basel put up nearly $40m (£30m) to host the contest.

Under the slogan “Europe, shall we dance?”, Vienna – more commonly known for classical music and the baroque splendour of its architecture – pushed to host the contest, citing its experience with big events.

It also touted its “enormous” accommodation capacities, its “excellent” transport links, and its “cosmopolitanism”, with 2 million people living in the Austrian capital.

The the Wiener Stadthalle hosted Eurovision in 2015, after the previous year’s edition was won by the drag performer Conchita Wurst. Located in central Vienna, it opened in 1958 and seats 16,000 people in its main hall.

When Vienna last hosted the Eurovision contest, the city installed traffic lights showing same-sex and heterosexual couples instead of a single figure – which proved so popular that authorities decided to keep them for good.