With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to get into the spooky spirit – so we’ve rounded up 11 Halloween films to watch with the kids this weekend. Is there any better way to unwind after a busy week than a cosy movie night-in complete with your family’s favourite snacks? With Halloween around the […]
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Continuously popping up in top 100 lists annually, there’s a few beloved baby names out there that have managed to stay in the public’s heart for the past fifty years. With baby naming trends constantly evolving, if you’re looking for a classic moniker that has been beloved by parents across the decades you’ve come to […]
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THE UK’s largest parcel delivery firm have announced their final send dates to ensure Christmas gifts arrive in time.
Evri has warned to send Christmas gifts as early as possible and not leave it to the last minute.
As the festive season approaches, Evri has announced its final send dates to ensure Christmas gifts reach loved ones in time.
With the busy Christmas period ahead, Evri is encouraging customers to send their parcels as early as possible to avoid any last-minute rush.
Thursday 19 December will be your last chance for courier collections.
The deadline for sending standard delivery parcels from ParcelShops will be on Friday 20 December by 11am.
And the final cut-off point for next-day parcels being drop off at a ParcelShop will be 11am on 21 December.
Additionally, in preparation for the busy Christmas season, Evri has extended its successful partnership with the Post Office.
Starting in November 2023, this partnership allowed customers to send Evri parcels from 2,000 branches for the first time in the Post Office’s long history.
By the end of October 2024, more than 3,200 Post Office branches will offer Evri parcel drop-off services – significantly expanding Evri’s network to over 16,800 locations across the UK.
This includes Post Offices, Tesco Express stores, lockers, and many independent convenience stores.
Depending on the weight and size of your parcel, you could send your parcels from as little as £2.62 with Evri.
Find your nearest Evri ParcelShop here.
It comes as Royal Mail is set to make a major change to second class postal services as part of a new shake-up.
Under an overhaul being considered by the industry watchdog, the postal service could be allowed to ditch Saturday deliveries for second class letters.
Regulator Ofcom, which has been consulting on the future of the universal postal service since January, said it is now focusing efforts on changes to the second class service while keeping first class deliveries six days a week.
Under the plans being considered, second class deliveries would not be made on Saturdays and would only be on alternate weekdays, but delivery times would remain unchanged at up to three working days.
Ofcom said no decision had been made and it continues to review the changes, with aims to publish a consultation in early 2025 and make a decision in the summer of next year.
Royal Mail has urged the Government and Ofcom to review its obligations, arguing that it is no longer workable or cost-effective, given the decline in addressed letter post.
In its submission to Ofcom in April, it proposed ditching Saturday deliveries for second class post and cutting the service to every other weekday.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s group director for networks and communications, said: “If we decide to propose changes to the universal service next year, we want to make sure we achieve the best outcome for consumers.
“So we’re now looking at whether we can get the universal service back on an even keel in a way that meets people’s needs.
“But this won’t be a free pass for Royal Mail – under any scenario, it must invest in its network, become more efficient and improve its service levels.”
ROYAL Mail operates round the clock throughout most of the year.
But there are a handful of days when no delivery and collection services are offered:
CHRISTIAN PULISIC scored directly from a corner – as another forgotten Premier League player suffered a howler in goal.
Pulisic, 26, is now playing his football with AC Milan.
Straight in from the corner
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2024
Pulisic gets the opener in San Siro with a direct corner into the back of the net@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/u5oUNrWfZZ
And he broke the deadlock in their Champions League clash with Club Brugge at the San Siro in unusual fashion.
Pulisic trotted over to take an inswinging corner from the left with 34 minutes on the clock.
But rather than deliver a cross for his team-mates to get on the end of, the American’s whipped centre headed straight for goal.
And it ended up in the back of the net in bizarre scenes – thanks in part to a Simon Mignolet blunder.
Pulisic and Mignolet have a combined 243 Premier League appearances – 20 goals in 98 games for Pulisic and 80 clean sheets in 245 appearances for Mignolet.
The ex-Liverpool and Sunderland goalkeeper somehow allowed the ball to squeeze in.
Former Chelsea winger Pulisic lapped up the adulation of his fellow stars and fans as replays showed Mignolet’s nightmare.
The goalkeeper got caught out and was likely expecting a touch from an attacker.
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But it did not arrive and the Belgian ended up diving helplessly to the floor as the ball flew past.
Defender Maxim De Cuyper tried his best to clear the ball off the line but got himself in a muddle, too.
Things went from bad to worse for Club Brugge just six minutes later.
That is because Raphael Onyedika saw red after a lengthy VAR check.
The Nigerian midfielder caught Tijjani Reijnders high on the ankle in the challenge – but looked shocked to be sent for an early bath.
HARGREAVES ON BELLINGHAM
“I SAW the Super Cup and Jude Bellingham played the best game of his life.
“He’s playing a bit more in his natural position, a little bit deeper. He’s the perfect midfield player.
“Jude is just going to get better and better with Kylian Mbappe and Endrick.
“I know a lot of people have not seen much of Endrick but to go with him and Rodrygo, Valverde, Modric, Courtois and Alaba, Rudiger, Carvajal . . .
“That is some collection of players, it’s amazing.”
HARGREAVES ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DARK HORSES
“PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, just in the way Luis Enrique plays. He plays such aggressive football and they’ve got so many really good ball players.
“I’m happy to see they’re focused on young French players. That’s probably what they should have done long ago.
“Inter are really good. They’ve got a clear identity to how they play under Simone Inzaghi.
“Marcus Thuram came on a free, it’s amazing no one else picked him up.
“They’re not the most offensive team but often those teams do really well in the Champions League.
“They don’t make mistakes in silly moments.”
HARGREAVES ON PREM CONTENDERS
“MANCHESTER CITY have the best squad and they’re using four centre-backs so defensively they’re a bit more stable.
“Arsenal need a little bit more experience in the Champions League.
“To win the Champions League might take a little bit more time in the transfer windows. But they’re going to win trophies, it’s a question of when.
“Liverpool have crazy firepower. Federico Chiesa is an amazing player and he’ll suit the Premier League because he’s crazy explosive.
“I’m excited for Aston Villa as Villa Park is going to be one of the best atmospheres in Europe this season.”
HARGREAVES ON PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
“MICHAEL OLISE is going to be great at Bayern Munich.
“Playing at Crystal Palace he probably didn’t get the notoriety he deserved but he’s such a good finisher and technically really good.
“Endrick at Real Madrid is cool because people don’t know a lot about him. He’s still so young but he’s just got it.
“Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen is an amazing player with a really unique style. His numbers from last season were crazy.
“As a young kid, putting himself in the Ballon d’Or conversation is rare. He’ll be playing at Real Madrid or Man City in a couple of years.
LADY GAGA is going all out to make sure her comeback is as epic as ever.
I can reveal the Bad Romance singer enlisted choreographer Parris Goebel, who masterminded Rihanna’s 2023 Superbowl performance, for the video for her new single Disease, which will be out on Friday.
The clip, which was shot earlier this year, is headed up by Ukrainian director Tanu Muino, who previously directed Dua Lipa’s Illusion.
It comes after Gaga reached a new peak of a staggering 107.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify – and ahead of the charts on Friday where she is already fighting for No1 with her Bruno Mars duet Die With A Smile.
On Disease, she sings: “Breathe me in, let me stay.
“I’ll take your pain, let you fade away.
“Your pulse is racing can’t you see?
“I’m the cure, you’re the need.”
She later adds: “I could play the doctor.
“I can cure your disease.
“If you were a sinner, I could make you believe.
“Lay you down like 1, 2, 3.”
The track is understood to have been co-produced with Cirkut who previously worked on Katy Perry’s Dark Horse and Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball.
Earlier this year she admitted it was her fiance Michael Polansky who inspired her to go back to pop.
She recalled: “He was like, ‘Babe. I love you. You need to make pop music.’”
Thank you, Michael.
MADONNA has long been a Billie Eilish fan, and now the chart-toppers have met.
Madge took daughters Stella and Estere to see Billie sing in New York, and posted a snap with her on Insta.
The Queen of Pop defended Billie when she was trolled by dim internet sad acts after changing her look for her Happier Than Ever album cover.
She said: “Billie started off in a non-sexualised category, not pandering to the masses and not using her sexuality, which is her choice.
“Women should be able to portray themselves any way they want.”
Hear, hear.
MEGAN THEE STALLION has surely nailed her upcoming new album – and showed off some impressive fingernails too.
The US rapper dazzled in a slinky black dress with a thigh-split after announcing the release this Friday of Megan: Act II – a follow-up to her self-titled record that came out in June.
The three-time Grammy winner was pictured on the red carpet at a New York awards bash.
She has been a busy lady of late, as she also recently completed her upcoming documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words, which will debut on Prime Video on October 31.
The project is being kept top-secret, with no one in the industry allowed to see it before it’s release – so I expect it will be explosive.
RAYE and Shawn Mendes will be among the acts to perform at next month’s MTV EMAs.
The chart-topping artists will take to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live for the annual bash, alongside Teddy Swims, Benson Boone and rising Mexican rock band The Warning.
I told earlier this month how Rita Ora is expected to host the bash on November 10, but there will also be some extra-special guest presenters.
Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, hunky actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lucien Laviscount and British actress Jodie Turner-Smith will help to hand out the awards.
It’s going to be a big night and Bizarre will bring you all the action.
HITS Radio has created a special documentary charting the rise of Dua Lipa.
A Radical Return celebrates the star’s stellar year so far and features yours truly looking back at Dua’s incredible Glastonbury set, where she invited us on to a platform with her family and friends to watch the show.
The docu airs at 9pm on Thursday and is hosted by Hits Radio DJ Mary Mandefield.
THE BLESSED MADONNA’s album Godspeed only came out on Friday but the American DJ is already working on the follow-up.
The acclaimed producer said: “It’s album time but I’m always sort of working on the next thing.”
In an exclusive chat, she also opened up about working with Kylie Minogue on their collab Edge Of Saturday Night, which is on the record.
She said: “We’re friends now.
“She’s Kiki in my world.”
On whether she’d tried Kylie’s hit wine brand, she joked: “I’d drink her bathwater, for what it’s worth.
“I mean, what can’t she do?
“She probably turned water into wine just by breathing on it.”
And asked if she thinks they’ll collaborate again, she added: “I would do anything she wanted, so yes I do.”
SPECULATION about the status of Chris Martin’s romance with Dakota Johnson has been swirling for weeks after insiders claimed the pair have called off their engagement.
But the Coldplay frontman isn’t taking the gossip to heart and looked pleased as punch in my exclusive snaps as he went to watch Charli XCX at The Forum in LA with a female pal.
Back in August, reps for Dakota hit back at claims they’d broken up and insisted she was still with the British superstar.
Since then the pair haven’t been seen together and their reps have gone cold when we’ve asked whether they’re on or off.
Either they’re bored with the rumours, or there really is trouble in paradise . . .
ROCK duo the Nova Twins – aka Amy Love and Georgia South – have been telling me how stunned they were after Sir Elton John summoned them to his dressing room at Glastonbury last summer.
In an exclusive chat, Amy said: “He called after we played The Other Stage.
“Someone was like, ‘A car’s waiting to take you to the Pyramid Stage. Elton wants to meet you before his Glasto set’.
“We went to the Pyramid Stage and there was Slash and Debbie Harry.
“We were just a bit like, ‘What the f*** is going on here?’
“It’s 20 minutes until he’s due on stage and he’s chatting away.
“He’s so lovely as well.”
The girls said they have just finished their next album, which is out next year, and Georgia added: “We kind of write how we feel at the time, we don’t overthink it.”
That’s my motto in life.
SHE’s landed just about every accolade going over the past year thanks to her record-breaking Eras Tour and 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department.
But Taylor Swift will be adding another string to her bow by the end of 2024 – after inspiring a cringe worthy festive film.
We’ve been told that Taylor’s OTT romance with Travis Kelce is the basis for the plot of Lifetime film Christmas In The Spotlight, which tells the story of a pop superstar falling in love with a sportsman.
But Taylor, whose PR machine controls every inch of her public life, hasn’t been sent a screener – which means she’ll have to watch her fictional love story play out on screen at the same time as us.
An insider said: “Taylor has been so busy on her Eras world tour but she is aware of the film.
“She hasn’t been sent a screener so it’ll make for interesting viewing for her, depending on how they play out their love story on film.
“Taylor loves a tacky Christmas flick but whether she’ll like this one is another thing.”
If Christmas In The Spotlight includes that alleged break up contract between Taylor and Travis, I can imagine she won’t.
Tay and Travis’ relationship has played out in the public eye ever since they were first pictured together last September at an American football game.
Since then, their romance has become one of the most talked about in the celebrity world, mostly thanks to Travis gushing about the singer at every given opportunity.
Taylor, who is normally more reserved, has happily played along and even got Travis up on stage for a skit during one of her Wembley gigs in London over the summer.
As long as the film script sticks to the positive, I am sure Taylor will let it slide.
But woe betide them if they get it wrong… her lawyers can be pretty punchy.
NEVER Mind The Buzzcocks has always been good for celebrity revelations, but tonight’s episode contains the Sky show’s most surprising one yet.
Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado is a guest on the panel and spills the beans on her unlikely A-list crush – Oasis legend Laim Gallagher.
Host Greg Davies reveals: “Nelly wrote to him to ask if he would be interested in marrying her.”
The Maneater star, who wears an Oasis T-shirt on the show, confesses: “I did send two fan letters to Liam Gallagher.
“And I think I sent a photo!”
Poor Nelly never heard back from him at the time.
But perhaps notorious tweeter Liam might have something to say now?
Never Mind the Buzzcocks airs tonight at 9pm on Sky Max and NOW.
