Entertainment News

Hospitality businesses on Birmingham's golden mile ended a difficult 2022 on a high with bumper crowds of revellers pouring into bars and clubs to see in the New Year.

The good news followed the nightmare series of problems associated with the Covid-19 pandemic in the last three years, which even meant restrictions on the previous New Year’s Eve.

It was announced that former drummer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, Fred White, has died. The Chicago-born child drumming prodigy was one of the first members to join the group founded by his older brothers Maurice and Verdine.

The jazz fusion outfit was one of the best-selling groups of all time, with more than 90 million records sold worldwide. Their best-known hits include September and Boogie Wonderland.

As the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) celebrates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio in 2023, the Company has announced the opening of submissions for its new nationwide playwriting competition 37 Plays: an ambitious and ground-breaking new initiative open to anybody from anywhere in the UK.

City of Wolverhampton Council celebrated the completion of major construction works on The Halls Wolverhampton and the official handover of the iconic venue to world-class operator AEG Presents UK.

AEG Presents UK - a division of AEG Europe, the global leader in live entertainment and sport - is now leading on internal renovations to the front of house bars, kitchen, sound and lights systems, creating a space that offers both the very best facilities, as well as first-rate acoustics and musical line-ups.

It was announced that Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters, Anita (Pointer) has died – she was surrounded by her family at her home in Beverley Hills, in California.

Her family said that they were deeply saddened by her passing. "Heaven is a more loving beautiful place with Anita there," they said in a statement. The second oldest of the four sisters, Ms Pointer and her siblings rose to fame with hits including Jump (For My Love) and Fire.

British Asian comedians are making waves with their funny stand-up routines that mock South Asian stereotypes and situations.

From curries to sex to cheating finances, these comedians don’t hold back.

Queen guitarist Brian May has been knighted in a New Year Honours list that also celebrates the Lionesses' victory at Euro 2022.

England captain Leah Williamson is made an OBE and teammates Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White become MBEs. There is a knighthood for artist Grayson Perry too and a damehood for Olympic heptathlete Denise Lewis.

Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, son of musician Stephen Marley and grandson of reggae icon Bob Marley, has died, his representative confirmed to Rolling Stone. A cause of death was not disclosed by the representative, although, a report suggested that Marley suffered an asthma attack and was found in a vehicle.

The Best of Jamaica 2022 Awards Show will be aired on the Jamaicans.com Facebook and YouTube platforms tonight (January 1st, 2023), and will be hosted by media personality Jody Ann Gray and Xavier Murphy, the founder of Jamaicans.com. The Best of Jamaica Awards Show is the biggest event of the year for Jamaicans.com, the world’s leading media platform for Jamaican and Caribbean news, travel, food, and culture.

The magazine and newspaper app Readly has compiled its annual reading trends report of 2022. For the first time, it includes user data from newspapers and reveals differences in reading behaviours.

The latest insights show that 286,000 digital issues were read 146 million times on the platform with readership spiking in categories such as News & Politics, Craft & DIY and TV, Film & Cinema.

Laura Elliot and Corey Campbell, the new leadership team of the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, have revealed a broad overview of some of their plans and initiatives for the next three years, as well as their overarching artistic vision, and what has led them to the positions they now occupy. This comes in the wake of the recent news that the Belgrade has retained its status as a National Portfolio Organisation and has been awarded a 30% increase in its core annual funding from Arts Council England to £1,229,552 for the period 2023 – 26. 

The creative team behind BAFTA-nominated Death Of England: Face To Face are in development on Three Degrees with Film4, and have attached prolific British actor Sir Lenny Henry as Executive Producer. Clint Dyer (“Get Up, Stand Up” The Musical, Death of England: Face to Face), whose production of “Othello” is currently on at the National Theatre, will direct and Roy Williams (Death of England: Face to Face) is writing the screenplay.

Taylor Swift extended her record-setting 2022 performance with the debut of her tenth studio album Midnights on October 21st, released on Republic Records/Universal Music Group. In just eight weeks, Midnights has achieved over 6 million album equivalent units worldwide, 3 million in the U.S. alone, and cements her in music history as the only artist ever to have five albums with over 1 million units during release week.

The lead singer of dance act Faithless, Maxi Jazz, has died. The musician and DJ - real name Maxwell Fraser - was a core member of the group which is best known for its club classic Insomnia.

Former bandmate Sister Bliss said that he died peacefully in his sleep, in his south-London home on Friday night. "Sending love to all of you who shared our musical journey. Look after each other y'hear," she said on Twitter.

Celebrating over 25 years at the pinnacle of hip hop, it’s been a career that has seen the Doggfather cement his undisputed influence on music with chart-topping, multi-platinum records, while also solidifying his importance to wider culture as an actor, businessman and more across the board.

Known for his dour image and sharp wit, the singer found fame in the 1970s and 80s with hits like Ghost Town, Gangsters and Too Much Too Young. He left The Specials in 1981 to form Fun Boy Three with fellow-bandmates Neville Staple and Lynval Golding, scoring another run of hits.

The singer died after a brief illness, The Specials said in a statement. "Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls," they wrote.