BMG Revenues up 10% for 2019, Company Is ‘Well Prepared’ to Weather Coronavirus Pandemic

Elizabeth Hurley has broken her silence following the sudden death of her ex-fiancé Shane Warne.MORE: Elizabeth Hurley hilariously trolls ex-fiancé Shane Warne after he debuts new lookThe actress took to Instagram to pen a heartbreaking tribute to the former cricketer, who died on Friday aged just 52 following a suspected heart attack. The former couple dated for three years and were at one point engaged, before separating in November 2013.WATCH: A look back at cricket legend Shane Warne's lifeSharing several touching photos of the pair, Elizabeth wrote: "I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever.

Johnny Brown, best known for his role as the housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman on the TV show "Good Times," has died. He was 84 and no cause of death was given by his family, who announced his death on Instagram. Daughter and actress Sharon Catherine Brown wrote on Instagram.

Activision Blizzard has said that it is facing an increased attrition rate after ongoing legal action.The annual report (via Axios) states that recent legal proceedings regarding alleged workplace harassment and strikes over QA layoffs may be responsible for an increased attrition rate at the company, and is also causing difficulty in attracting new staff members.The report said: “We are experiencing adverse effects related to concerns raised about our workplace. If we experience significantly reduced productivity, significant worker protests or strikes in regards to these matters, significant continued loss of sponsors, advertisers or players, or other negative consequences relating to these matters, our business could be materially adversely impacted.”The report continues, saying that Activision Blizzard may not be able to conduct business if it is unable to attract, retain, and motivate skilled personnel.“We have observed labour shortages, increasing competition for talent, and increasing attrition.

The owners of a foodbank and a restaurant in south Manchester are teaming up to travel to Ukraine next week to bring much needed supplies and cash to civilians.

Hibs boss Shaun Maloney fears that hot-shot striker Kevin Nisbet will be out further than the end of this season with an ACL injury sustained in the 0-0 draw with Celtic.

Dua Lipa surprised an 80-year-old superfan on The Tonight Show after he went viral on TikTok – check out the video below.Late last year, footage of Papa Richy receiving tickets for his 80th birthday to see Dua Lipa on her ‘Future Nostalgia‘ tour was uploaded to TikTok by his grandaughter. The clip, which sees Richy exclaim “Dua Lipa in concert? Are you shitting me?” soon went viral and has racked up almost 2million likes since.And earlier this week (March 3) Papa Richy got the chance to meet the pop star during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.A post shared by DUA LIPA (@dualipa)“We reached out to him, pretending that we were a radio station in New York and told him that he won a contest for the number one TikTok video of the year — he believed this, he loved it,” Fallon explained to the audience.

CHVRCHES have announced details of a huge new North American tour for 2022 – check out the new list of dates below.The Scottish trio are fresh off a three-song performance at this week’s (March 2) BandLab NME Awards 2022 in London, where they performed with The Cure‘s Robert Smith.After a UK tour that begins next week (March 10), the band will head to the US and Mexico from the end of April, playing a host of shows that take them up until the end of June. The new headline dates begin in late May.See the band’s full list of tour dates below.MARCH 202210 – Dundee, Fat Sam’s12 – Glasgow, SWG3 Poetry Club14 – Edinburgh, O2 Academy15 – Newcastle, City Hall16 – London, Brixton Academy18 – Birmingham, O2 Academy19 – Manchester, AcademyAPRIL 202229 – Atlanta, Shaky Knees FestivalMAY 202213 – Mexico City, Tecate Emblema18 – Monterrey, Showcenter21 – Guadalajara, Corona Capital27 – Napa, BottleRock Festival30 – Tampa, Jannus31 – Miami, Revolution LiveJUNE 20221 – Orlando, House of Blues2 – Raleigh, The Ritz4 – Charlotte, The Fillmore5 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club9 – Buffalo, Artpark10 – Grand Rapids, 20 Monroe Live11 – Indianapolis, WonderRoad Music Festival13 – Madison, The Sylvee15 – Omaha, The Admiral16 – Kansas City, Uptown Theater18 – Manchester, Bonnaroo FestivalDuring their set at the BandLab NME Awards 2022, the band performed their track ‘Asking For A Friend’ from 2021 album ‘Screen Violence’ and then teamed up with Smith for a world exclusive live premiere of ‘How Not To Drown’.

Hollyoaks star Paul Danan has spoken out about relapsing during the first UK lockdown, which left him homeless and alone in a hotel room taking cocaine and suffering from hallucinations. The actor, 43, has spoken candidly about the experience and how getting through it has got him to the “best ever” place he has been. He spoke to The Sun: “I felt so terrible, guilty and ashamed when I started using again.

Gogglebox firm favourites Giles Wood and Mary Killen have sent fans into a spin with throwback pictures of the pair from nearly 40 years ago. Giles took to his Instagram to share the three black and white snaps of the couple back in 1986.The popular TV couple first met at the age of 21. Giles was studying at Wimbledon Art School at the time, while Mary was a model.

Smash Mouth have revealed their new singer via a cover of Rick Astley‘s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ – watch that below.Late last year, the band’s vocalist Steve Harwell announced that he was retiring due to ongoing health issues that he’s been battling for several years.With the new Astley cover, Smash Mouth have revealed that Zach Goode will be their new singer.As Stereogum point out, his previous gigs include roles in bands called Ghoulspoon, Divided by Zero and Secret Seven, and a job fronting a “mock-senior citizen Weezer/Beastie Boys performance art band” called Geezer.Hear his first performance as vocalist of Smash Mouth below.When leaving the band, Harwell told fans: “Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream. To my bandmates, it’s been an honour performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with.“To our loyal and amazing fans, thank you, all of this was possible because of you.

The BBC’s website, Facebook and Twitter were all blocked in Russia overnight.

Stacey Solomon brought her adorable baby daughter Rose onto Loose Women with her on her first day back on the popular ITV show. Stacey gave birth to Rose, whom she shares she fiancé Joe Swash, in October and had been on maternity leave until today, Friday 4 March. Her Loose Women colleagues gushed over how lovely it was to have Rose in their pre-show meeting, for Stacey to then bring her tot on screen later on in the programme.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorRussia’s media regulator announced that it was blocking access to the Facebook network in the country, claiming parent company Meta’s restrictions on Kremlin-affiliated media accounts violated a Russian law banning censorship.In the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Meta previously said it was “globally demoting” content from Facebook pages and Instagram accounts from Russian state-controlled media outlets such as the Russian military’s Zvezda TV channel and Sputnik to make them harder to find on its platforms. In addition, the social giant has banned ads from Russian state-controlled media and demonetized their accounts.Meta is among a host of other internet media platforms that have restricted or blocked Russian state-sponsored media since the war commenced, including YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit.

Megan Barton-Hanson and James Lock appear to be back on, after splitting in December. Love Island babe Megan, 27, was filmed by The Only Way Is Essex star Lock, 35, giving him a kiss the cheek as they celebrated Megan's birthday on Friday. Megan was the first to show her on-off beau James off on her social media after their split.The blonde beauty shared a video on her Instagram story showing off gifts, flowers a card and a raunchy cake in a hotel room.

LONDON – BMG parent company Bertelsmann says it is "well prepared to emerge safely" from the current coronavirus crisis with group revenues rising to €18 billion ($19.3 billion) in 2019.BMG contributed €600 million ($645 million) to that total, a 10% rise on the previous year when revenues totaled €545 million ($586 million at today's currency conversion rates).The record label and publisher's operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were up 12.7% to €138 million ($148 million), according to Bertelsmann's year-end financial report.BMG is the first label to announce earnings since the coronavirus outbreak shutdown large parts of the music industry.Reflecting on the pandemic, Thomas Rabe, chairman and

European broadcasting giant RTL Group on Friday reported a 10% increase in 2019 profit as revenue reached a record €6.65 billion ($7.44 billion), driven mainly by higher sales from global content unit Fremantle and its digital business.