A youth choir from Surrey is to take part in a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall at the BBC Proms.
Farnham Youth Choir will perform with the National Youth Orchestra during a rendition of Neptune in Holst’s famous The Planets in London on Saturday.
A total of 30 singers, aged between 13 to 21-years-old, will be taking part in the concert.
Patrick Barrett, the group’s artistic director, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our young singers, whose hard work and dedication made this invitation possible.”
He added: “For our small-town choir to be invited to such a prestigious, globally recognised event is a tremendous honour.”
The performance follows the choir competing at the 2024 World Choir Games in New Zealand, where they won two gold medals.
Its three choirs rehearse with a dedicated team of professional musicians every Wednesday during term time in Farnham.
Tudor Lakatos challenges Roma discrimination through Elvis Presley’s musical legacy.
Sporting a rhinestone shirt, oversized sunglasses and a classic 1950s quiff, Lakatos captivates audiences across Romania with his distinctive renditions of songs like Blue Suede Shoes.
Rather than being an impersonator, Lakatos harnesses Elvis’s universal appeal to dismantle stereotypes about Roma people and inspire Roma youth.
“I never wanted to get on stage, I did not think about it,” Lakatos, 58, said after a recent gig at a restaurant in the capital, Bucharest. “I only wanted one thing – to make friends with Romanians, to stop being called a Gypsy,” he added, using an often derided term for people belonging to the Roma ethnic group.
The Roma, with South Asian origins, have endured centuries of persecution throughout Eastern Europe and continue to face poverty, unemployment and prejudice. In Romania, they represent approximately seven percent of the population, with one-fifth reporting discrimination experiences in the past year, according to European Union data.
Lakatos began his mission in the early 1980s as an art student during Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist regime. When anti-Roma sentiment was widespread, he discovered that Elvis’s music created connections with ethnic Romanian students while simultaneously symbolising resistance against government oppression.
Now, 40 years later, his audience has expanded. As a teacher for 25 years, Lakatos uses music to show his students they can aspire beyond the limited opportunities of their northwestern Romanian village.
“The adjective Gypsy is used everywhere as a substitute for insult,” Lakatos said. “We older people have gotten used to it, we can swallow it, we grew up with it. I have said many times, ‘Call us what you want, dinosaur and brontosaurus, but at least join hands with us to educate the next generation.’”
Despite his teaching career, Lakatos continues performing throughout Romania at various venues.
The eclectic mix of languages can sometimes lead to surprises because there is not always a literal translation for Elvis’s 1950s American English.
For example, “Don’t step on my blue suede shoes” does not make sense to many of the children he teaches because they are so poor, Lakatos said.
In his version, the lyric Elvis made famous becomes simply “Don’t step on my bare feet.”
It is a message that Elvis – born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Great Depression – probably would have understood.
Aamir Khan led Sitaare Zameen Par opened to positive reviews on June 20, 2025. It has wrapped up its box office run after almost 49 days. Although not a hit, the sports comedy drama is a success in India. Scroll below for the domestic, overseas as well as worldwide closing collection!
Sitaare Zameen Par Domestic Collection
In 7 weeks of its theatrical run, Sitaare Zameen Par accumulated 166.58 crore net in India. It is the fifth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2025 at the domestic box office. That’s not it. RS Prasanna‘s directorial has also surpassed Thugs Of Hindostan (145.29 crores) to become Aamir Khan’s 5th highest-grossing film of all time.
Take a look at the week-wise box office breakdown (India net collection) below:
Week 1 – 88.46 crores
Week 2 – 46.45 crores
Week 3 – 18.63 crores
Week 4 – 8.64 crores
Week 5 – 3.21 crores
Week 6 – 1.07 crores
Week 7 – 12 lakhs
Total – 166.58 crores
SZP was made on a reported budget of 90 crores. It raked in returns of 85% in its lifetime. While Aamir Khan’s film is a success and a profitable affair, it missed the hit tag as it could not earn double its investment.
Sitaare Zameen Par Overseas Earnings
Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh starrer performed much better than its rivals, Raid 2 and Sikandar, among other Bollywood releases of 2025. Sitaare Zameen Par concluded its overseas run garnering 69.50 crore gross.
The sports comedy drama is the 4th highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2025 at the international box office after Saiyaara (143 crores), Chhaava (100.90 crores), and Housefull 5 (70 crores).
Sitaare Zameen Par Worldwide Total
Combining both the regions, the worldwide total concludes at 266.06 crore gross. Sitaare Zameen Par is also the #4 Bollywood grosser of 2025 at the global box office. It has wrapped up its lifetime as Aamir Khan’s 7th highest-grossing film in history.
Check out Aamir Khan’s top 10 grossers at the worldwide box office:
Dangal: 2059.04 crores
Secret Superstar: 902.92 crores
PK: 792 crores
Dhoom 3: 601 crores
3 Idiots: 395 crores
Thugs Of Hindostan: 304.95 crores
Sitaare Zameen Par: 266.06 crores
Ghajini: 189.19 crores
Talaash: 180.83 crores
Fanaa: 102.84 crores
Sitaare Zameen Par Worldwide Box Office Summary (Closing Collection)
Budget: 90 crores
India net: 166.58 crores
India gross: 196.56 crores
Overseas gross: 69.50 crores
Worldwide gross: 266.06 crores
Profits: 85%
Verdict: Plus
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates!
Must Read: Saiyaara Box Office Collection Day 22: Only 3.09 Crores Away From Axing Salman Khan’s 2015 Blockbuster!
Syra Yousuf is an actress who people have loved since her debut. She started as a VJ and we saw her as the cutest and most talented starlet who was able to win hearts left, right and center. The actress was married to Shahroz Sabzwari and the ex-couple share a daughter Nooreh Shahroz. She is the best mom and she always puts her baby girl first.
Syra Yosuf loves to spend time with her baby girl. Nooreh is growing up now and Syra often shares glimpses from their life with her fans. She took to Instagram today and shared some beautiful clicks with her forever love: her daughter. Check out the beautiful pictures below:
Fan zones were set up for ticket holders ahead of the live music on Friday night
Wembley Stadium authorities said they were investigating allegations that hundreds of Oasis fans were able to sneak into a gig at the venue without a ticket.
The Mancunian rockers recently played a series of dates there as part of their Live 25 tour.
According to The Sun, up to 200 people were asked for £350 each to be sneaked into one of the gigs via a disabled entrance.
Two concertgoers told the paper a large group was able to use a copy of the same ticket to get into the stadium, where they were then handed wristbands giving them access to the VIP area at the front of the stage.
They said two women who allegedly orchestrated the scam told them they had “10 groups of 20” waiting.
One of the concertgoers told The Sun: “We were given our tickets, which were all the same, and a woman drew a shape on our hands.
“We were told to go to the disabled door at entrance M, even though our tickets said entrance F.
“We showed our stamped hands to the person on the door, they scanned the tickets, even though we all had the same one, and let us in.
“Another member of staff then handed us a golden circle wristband and that was it. There were zero security searches. We just walked straight in.”
A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said in a statement: “Entering Wembley Stadium without a ticket is a serious offence and we are investigating these allegations.
“If they are substantiated, we will refer our evidence to the police.”
Oasis’ run of concerts at Wembley between 25 July and 3 August was the first time Liam and Noel Gallagher appeared together on stage at the London venue since July 12 2009, when they performed during the Dig Out Your Soul tour.
The band are playing at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium this weekend, followed by Dublin’s Croke Park.
The group will head to Japan, South Korea, South America, Australia and North America later in the year.
Oasis announced their reunion tour in August last year, 16 years after their dramatic split in 2009, which saw Noel quit following a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.
Hania Aamir and Asim Azhar are an ex-celebrity couple. They were together quite openly and all their fans cheered for them. But things soured between the two and they broke up publicly in a very ugly manner. They called out each other and their fans kept attacking the other side. Asim later went on to date and got engaged to Merub Ali. They have also broken up now and the old romance is rekindling.
It all started when Hania Aamir was seen attending an event where Asim Azhar was also present. Asim was performing and Hania stood in the front line. It was quite visible that he sang a few songs for her. She requested him to sing Regardless which he did. The internet is shocked as Asim Azhar just broke up with Merub Ali. A meme inspired by the Astronomer CEO at the Coldplay concert has also been made for these two.
Both the celebrities are being criticized for allegedly rekindling their romance. The internet feels this is the wrong decision for both of them.
Asim and Hania were also spotted wearing the same chain:
Hania also posted this on Instagram with Asim Azhar’s song:
The internet is bashing everyone. One user said,”This is thook ke chatna.” Another added,”Asim should have shown some dignity. He just broke up.” One said,”I am thinking of where is your self-respect honey.” This is what people think:
Emma Thompson told an intriguing story this morning at the Locarno Film Festival, where this year she is a guest of honor, that featured what she described as a creepy encounter with the 47th President, Donald Trump.
Speaking to a packed audience for a career Q&A, Thompson was asked about shooting the 1998 Mike Nichols feature Primary Colors. One day on the film’s set, Thompson said she was sitting in her trailer when the phone rang.
“It was Donald Trump. He said, ‘Hello, this is Donald Trump?’. I thought it was a joke and asked, ‘How can I help you? Maybe he needed directions from someone,” Thompson joked.
The veteran British actress continued: “And then he said, ‘I’d love you to come and stay at one of my beautiful places. Maybe we could have dinner.’ I said, well, that’s very sweet. Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you.”
Imitating Trump’s unique speaking voice, Thompson said she was initially confused why the former Apprentice host called her or how he found the number to her trailer phone. But she quickly connected the dots.
“I realized that on that day, my divorce decree had come through,” Thompson said. “And I bet he’s got people looking for suitable people he could take out on his arm. You know, a nice divorcee, that’s what he was looking for. And he found the number in my trailer. I mean, that’s stalking.”
Thompson added: “I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump, and then I would have a story to tell. I could have changed the course of American history.”
Elsewhere during the session, Thompson spoke about multiple titles in her filmography, including Richard Curtis’ Love Actually. Thompson said she is continually confused by the film’s popularity because of its formal peculiarities.
“I mean, it’s honestly a constant source of astonishment to me that that film lasted, not that I don’t like the film. I like it very much, but it’s weird,” she said. Pointing to the now-viral moment in the film when her character finds out that her partner had been unfaithful, Thompson said he believes it “touched a nerve because we get a heartbreak, especially women, we have to hide it because we don’t want people to see it.”
“So really, what moves you is not her crying. It’s her covering it up afterwards and then tidying the bed and going downstairs and being cheerful,” Thompson said.
When quizzed on her role in Harry Potter, however, Thompson was less interested in her analyzing performance.
“It’s not really an important part of my creative endeavors. I’m really sorry. I don’t even be rude to those of you who like Harry Potter, but you know, I came in, did a bit with glasses and a lot of hair, and then left having been quite well paid,” she said to loud laughs from the Locarno audience.
Thompson was handed the Leopard Club Award for career achievement last night in Locarno. The festival runs until August 16.
Photos by Carole Radziwill Words by Jacqui Palumbo, CNN
August 9, 2025
They were one of the world’s most publicized couples but kept their wedding a secret — even from some of the guests.
On the cusp of fall in a one-room church on Georgia’s Cumberland Island, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy were married in 1996 in front of their closest family and friends. Despite the relaxed nature of their nuptials that weekend — the tiny, rustic chapel; makeshift outdoor dance floor and late-night beach bonfires — the wedding has become fabled, and Bessette-Kennedy’s unconventional choice of an elegant slip dress has since redefined bridal style.
Though additional images and anecdotes have trickled out over the years, a trove of snapshots has been shared exclusively with CNN ahead of the network’s premiere of its three-part CNN Original Series “American Prince: JFK Jr.,” airing on August 9.
The snapshots were taken by Carole Radziwill, a former journalist (and, more recently, a “Real Housewives” alum) who was close to the Kennedys. Her late husband, Anthony, was JFK Jr.’s cousin and best man, and her Instamatic film shots were part of a scrapbook she made for the couple.
“It’s almost like they eloped with 30 of their closest friends. It was very much like that,” she said. “You didn’t get the sense that anything was overly planned. They just let things happen the way they happened. And there was something so beautiful about that.”
Radziwill knew upon arrival about the wedding plans, from its intimate setting to the dress by Narciso Rodriguez. Bessette-Kennedy knew the designer from her time working as a publicist at Calvin Klein. But for some of the guests, she said, the wedding itself was kept under wraps until the last moment to prevent the press from finding out about it.
“It became apparent pretty quickly that nobody in the world knew we were there or why we were there,” she said. “That in itself was magical, because we were just like, ‘Oh, my God, they pulled it off.’ Mostly Carolyn pulled it off, because she was determined to be married privately.”
The weekend’s events were attended only by the high-profile couple’s closest family and friends.
Bessette-Kennedy with friends Jules Watson and Jessica Weinstein.
In Radziwill’s snapshots, she took unposed pictures of the couple chatting and laughing with friends and family at the rehearsal dinner. JFK Jr. and Ted Kennedy chat with the pastor outside of the white and red chapel; friends and family gather under a canopy tent for the reception. Anthony Radziwill, who died from cancer less than one month after the deaths of JFK Jr. and Bessette-Kennedy, poses happily with his cousin while he gets dressed for the ceremony, JFK Jr.’s arm slung around him. After the ceremony, the newlyweds stand close to cut a sprawling floral three-tiered cake, and, on the dance floor, Bessette-Kennedy wears her husband’s suit jacket as he holds her close.
And though the bride arriving at the ceremony is not among the images, that moment is forever etched into Radziwill’s memory.
“It was already dark by that point, so they were lighting the inside of the church with candles. It was very impromptu,” she said. “I just remember the doors opening in the back of the chapel and her walking in. She just looked so beautiful. And the light was insane. It was like a movie.”
“I mean, literally, I was like, ‘Scorsese couldn’t have done this better,” she said.
The simplicity of the weekend is something she looks back on fondly, as the group came together to celebrate the couple before anyone else knew. “There’s an elegance to the casualness that I think is hard to replicate — certainly now and even then,” Radziwill said. “It’s just who they were as human beings.”
Best man Anthony Radziwill with JFK Jr. before the ceremony.
“Anthony and John were so close… I don’t think that there was ever any doubt in Anthony’s mind when they got engaged, he would be best man.” — Carole Radziwill
Radziwill was JFK Jr.’s cousin. He died from cancer a few weeks after the couple’s fatal plane accident in 1999.
The officiant meeting with Sen. Ted Kennedy, JFK Jr., and John Perry Barlow, a political activist and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, outside of the chapel.
The couple at their rehearsal dinner.
Bessette-Kennedy dancing with Anthony Radziwill during the reception.
“The dress was very simple, remember this is the ‘90s — women were not wearing slip dresses as their bridal dress.” — Carole Radziwill
Kennedy family members and friends outside of the chapel.
JFK Jr. speaking at the rehearsal dinner.
The reception took place at a handful of tables underneath a white canopy tent.
“There’s an elegance to the casualness that I think is hard to replicate – certainly now and even then.” — Carole Radziwill
Bessette-Kennedy’s rehearsal dress also evoked the minimalist spirit of her wedding gown.
Dinner by candlelight for family and friends.
The couple dancing together after their ceremony on a makeshift dance floor, JFK Jr.’s suit jacket keeping Bessette-Kennedy warm.
Born in Wolverhampton, Kevin Rowland, 71, was a hairdresser before forming Dexys Midnight Runners. The band had their first hit in 1980 with Geno. In 1982, Come On Eileen was Britain’s bestselling single; the following year, it went to No 1 in the US. Over five decades, Dexys released six studio albums including The Feminine Divine in 2023. As a solo artist, Rowland released two albums, The Wanderer in 1988 and My Beauty in 1999. Bless Me Father, Rowland’s memoir, has just been published. He lives in London and has a daughter.
When were you happiest? On stage – the Old Vic in 1981 and Glastonbury last year.
What is your greatest fear? Insanity. I am on a recovery programme – clean from drugs and drink for many years – and if I stopped doing all that stuff I’d go crazy pretty quick and pick up drugs again, because I was a real fucking addict.
What is your earliest memory? Going pretend fishing in County Mayo, Ireland, with a stick and a bit of string tied to it, when I was three or four.
Which living person do you most admire, and why? Gerry Adams, because he’s got incredible integrity and vision, and he’s had to put up with so much flak.
What would your superpower be? Eternal youth.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? The Labour party.
Who is your celebrity crush? Elizabeth Taylor when she was 40 years old.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? Don’t get me started!
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you? My dad said, “You’re going nowhere.” I was seven or eight.
Would you choose fame or anonymity? Knowing what I know now, I’d choose anonymity – it’s better for the soul.
What is your guiltiest pleasure? I watch a lot of pranks on YouTube.
What has been your closest brush with the law? I’ve been arrested about 15 times. In 1980, I was attacked by five youths. I ran into a building site and came out with a scaffold pole and hit one across the back. As I had two previous convictions for violence, it was looking like prison, but for a guilty plea, I got a nine-month suspended sentence.
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What did you dream about last night? I was in a social situation but I didn’t have any trousers.
What is the worst job you’ve done? I worked in the stores of Edgware hospital when I was about 17, and it was grey and depressing.
What has been your biggest disappointment? My brother Pete passing on in 2005.
If you could edit your past, what would you change? I’d have stuck with the original Dexys Midnight Runners look we started in 1978, which became known as the New Romantic look a couple of years later. Our management and record label talked us out of it. Later, Duran Duran and Spandau came out with that look and that made us look old-fashioned.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? The contentment I have now.
Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? Sex.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you? Shakespeare said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – I think that’s true.
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