Hot Book Du Jour: Erin French’s ‘Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story’

Mary J. Blige has shared her thoughts on not being paid to perform at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.The Queen of hip-hop soul is set to perform alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar during this Sunday’s (February 13) NFL showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and L.A.

drill videos from social media, likening the music to Donald Trump tweets.In a press conference yesterday (February 11), Adams said he was sent a number of drill videos by his son, which he called “alarming,” adding: “We pulled Trump off Twitter because of what he was spewing. Yet we are allowing music, displaying of guns, violence, we’re allowing it to stay on these sites.”Adams said: “We are going to pull together the social media companies, and state that you have a civic and corporate responsibility.”The Mayor then specifically attached blame to drill music for a rise in violent crime in New York, saying: “We are alarmed by the use of social media to really overproliferate the use of violence in our communities… this is contributing to the violence we are seeing all over this country.

Elton John has congratulated an Olympic figure skater whose gold-winning routine was backed by a medley of the legendary singer’s greatest hits.During the men’s singles figure skating competition in Beijing on Thursday (February 10), US skater Nathan Chen danced across the ice to the songs ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Bennie And The Jets’.After impressing judges with five jet-fueled quadruple jumps and a series of gyroscope-like spins, the 22-year-old, three-time world champion wound up taking home the gold that eluded him at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, validating his status as the world’s best male figure skater.“I never thought I would actually be able to make this happen,” Chen said of his win (via The New York Times). “It’s hard.

Alexander 23 has shared a brand new single, ‘Hate Me If It Helps’, co-written by Olivia Rodrigo.The sprawling indie-pop cut marks the return of the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer (real name Alexander Glantz) following the release of his 2021 EP, ‘Oh No, Not Again!’.Happy to be labelled a “bad guy” post-breakup in order for an ex to get closure, the song’s chorus hears Alexander sing: “You can hate me if it helps/ Make me out to be the villain/ Say you’re better by yourself/ So it feels like your decision/ You can tell ’em I’m the bad guy if it helps you sleep okay/ Because all you want is closure, but there’s nothing left to say/ So you can hate me if it helps/ You can hate me if it helps.”Co-written with Rodrigo – who Alexander worked with on her chart-topping hit ‘Good 4 U’ – it arrives with a beautifully shot, self-directed video. You can watch it below.This year looks set to be a big one for Alexander, whose yet-to-be-titled debut album is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2022, produced by Dan Nigro.He’s also about to head out on tour with John Mayer as support on the singer-songwriter’s ‘Sob Rock’ tour, which kicks off on February 17 in Albany, New York, and ends in Chicago, Illinois, on April 29. Yebba will also offer support.Meanwhile, John Mayer‘s first solo gig in two years was briefly interrupted this week when he was alerted to an audience member in need of medical attention.On Wednesday night (February 9), the ‘New Light’ hitmaker took to the stage at the Hollywood Palladium as part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s ‘Small Stages’ series.

Police patrols were stepped up in Falkirk town centre, including officers on horseback, as they dealt with "a number of incidents" on Friday night.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton shared an emotional post on Friday as she marked the fifth anniversary of the death of her late ex-husband, Robert Ashton. The popular TV doctor left fans saddened as she updated them with a throwback photo of her family, including the two children, Alex and Chloe, she shared with Robert. MORE: Dr.

Rihanna dresses up her baby bump in a shredded green top for the Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin party held at Goya Studios on Friday night (February 11) in Los Angeles.

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani wowed fans on Friday as they took to the stage for a special Super Bowl performance. The pair headlined the Friday evening at the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, with Gwen taking to the stage after opening act Mickey Guyton.Exclusive: Blake Shelton's 'real' character revealed by Cassadee Pope to HELLO!The pair showed off their dynamics while on stage, as Gwen teased Blake about how she would “slice him” and that he would struggle to perform after her hour-long set: "Poor Blake having to go after me, but it’s my job to get you [the crowd] fired up tonight."WATCH: Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton share rare insight into marriage after Super Bowl performanceBlake, who was the headliner for the show, admitted after his first song that he was feeling the pressure, joking: "Who decided to put me on after Gwen Stefani? The rest of the show will suck after what we just had."He later called on the crowd to sing along, quipping that he didn’t want to see headlines the next day reading 'Gwen Stefani steals the show'.MORE: Blake Shelton makes rare statement about being stepfather to Gwen Stefani's children MORE: Gwen Stefani stuns in waist-cinching dress as she celebrates exciting news with fans"I don’t want to make it a competition but I’m getting my ass kicked up here," he laughed.Gwen also appeared on stage during Blake’s set to sing their hit duets Nobody But You and Happy Anywhere.

GEORGE Clarke's Amazing Spaces fans are all saying the same thing after watching the shock transformations. Viewers of the hit C4 show took to Twitter after witnessing the home improvements.

THE Masked Singer fans are convinced that EastEnders' Barry Evans actor is Robobunny ahead of the grand finale. ITV viewers have insisted that actor Shaun Williamson who played the car salesman on the BBC One soap from 1994 to 2004 is behind the mask. Robobunny has left fans puzzled after cleverly disguising their voice during their performances.

DEATH in Paradise fans have praised newcomer Sergeant Naomi Thomas after she replaced Florence Cassell on Friday's episode. BBC One viewers were devastated after Florence said an emotional goodbye to San Marie and DI Neville Parker after her undercover mission came to an end earlier last month.

MARK Wright and Michelle Keegan are boosting the security measures at their new mega-mansion with two-metre high gates. The Sun revealed the couple's plans for gates at their dream home in Ongar, Essex back in January after Mark's £65,000 Range Rover was stolen.

A NEIGHBOURS superfan has vowed to re-watch every single episode after it was axed by Channel 5. Ben Fenlon, 42, said he was devastated when TV bosses revealed it was for the chop after nearly four decades.

KYLIE Jenner finally revealed her newborn son's name nine days after giving birth to her second child. Kylie, 24, has announced the name of her baby boy as Wolf Webster.

BRENDAN Cole has denied having an advantage over his Dancing On Ice co-stars thanks to his 15 years on Strictly Come Dancing. The 45-year-old has received harsh criticism from viewers thanks to his dance background, with some going as far as to call it a fix.

MATT LeBlanc was seen sporting stubble and baggy sweats and looking quite unrecognizable amid fan fears for his Friends costar Matthew Perry. The actor, who played Joey Tribbiani on the massively popular show, is not often seen in public.

BROTHERS Oliver and Zac Barker played George Crawley on Downtown Abbey for two seasons, a Christmas special and the big screen adaption. Now seven years on from the final series, the duo, who are actually triplets, are all grown up.

ACTRESS Anya Taylor-Joy shows a bit of bottle in an ad for perfume. The star of The Queen’s Gambit looked stunning in red for the Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid ad.

BRENDAN Cole has insisted he's not worried about the infamous Dancing On Ice curse - because he's happily married. Most recently Love Island stars Kem Cetinay and Wes Nelson saw their relationship splits coincide with their time in the ITV competition.

Drill music, the hardcore gangsta rap that has found regional strains in several different places including New York City, was condemned by the city's Mayor Eric Adams on Friday at a press conference. Adams said that he was first exposed to drill when his son sent him some music videos, which he called "alarming." The Mayor went on to compare the videos to tweets by former President Donald Trump, who was permanently suspended from Twitter for inciting an insurrection at the United States Capitol.

It's the stuff of post-rock legend: in 1993, Efrim Menuck, Mauro Pezzente and Mike Moya recorded a demo cassette called All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, their first as Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The tape's run was limited to 33 copies, and all of them quickly disappeared out of the hands of the band, and into the ether without being heard by most of the band's fanbase.

VICTORIA Pendleton has told how she was edited to appear "ruthless" in Rock The Boat and the axed show made her more picky when choosing TV projects. The two-time Olympic gold cyclist said she felt frustrated when the one-off series aired her clash with co-star Craig Charles.

FOR 36 years Sally Dynevor was just famous for playing Coronation Street’s Sally Webster – but that all changed when daughter Phoebe shot to fame on global TV hit Bridgerton. Now the actress seems to be increasingly sharing the limelight with her high-achieving family, which is why she decided it was the right time for her to sign up to Dancing On Ice. The soap veteran credits her husband Tim, a screenwriter, and their three go-getting children for giving her the courage to step out of her comfort zone.

IT’S her biggest hit since hosting Big Brother. As The Masked Singer’s latest run reaches its finale, panellist Davina McCall says she knew right away the show would be huge. Davina, 54, has been waiting for a show that makes waves like reality smash Big Brother.  She says: “I’ve been in showbiz for 30 years and I’ve presented plenty of turkeys.

HE is the world’s most bankable leading man and my favourite actor. But Tom Cruise’s A-lister lifestyle is just starting to bite with movie chiefs.

IMAAN Hammam wears her heart on her slip ahead of Valentine’s Day. And while the 25-year-old Dutch model may be way too young to have been a Spice Girl, she certainly has “girl power” according to Victoria Beckham, 47.

Courteney Cox has delighted fans as she's shared an unseen photo of herself and Jennifer Aniston from their Friends days. Friends stars Courteney, 57, and 53 year old Jennifer shot to worldwide fame as they starred in the hit sitcom alongside Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc from 1994 to 2004. And just as fans thought they'd seen everything from the show, Courteney has shared a never-before seen image taken on the set of the famous comedy series.

SUPERMAN star Tom Holland has revealed that he FAILED an audition for Peaky Blinders before finding fame. The 25-year-old actor admitted that he auditioned for the BBC Birmingham-based series but didn't make the cut.

ADELE let her hair down on a wild night of boozing, pole dancing and partying with drag queens — before crowning the topless winner of a Porn Idol contest. A drag artist who frolicked with the superstar singer until after 2am yesterday said: “She was a good-time girl who was ready for a party.” Smartly dressed Adele, 33, arrived unannounced at a gay nightclub following a demure appearance recording The Graham Norton Show earlier in the evening.

RITA Ora has been dealt a major blow after Disney announced it had shelved the Beauty and The Beast prequel series. It came just days after the singer — who has starred in 50 Shades Of Grey — revealed she was playing a major character in the new TV show.