George Michael won’t be doing a hologram tour, his former song writing partner and friend David Austin says. “We were going to see if we could do a hologram idea in the middle of the Royal Albert Hall,” Austin said. “But I went around to some people who did the Tupac hologram and they were really s***.”
Speaking at a screening of documentary Freedom Uncut last night, Austin compared a Michael Jackson show in New York to a “tribute act”, and said: “The problem with holograms is people just don’t engage, 20 minutes in... people are on their phone... There won’t be a ‘HoloWham’.” An ABBA hologram concert is showing in Stratford, while a George Michael video show will tour this year. The ex-Wham! singer, left, died in 2016.
Austin also said he wouldn’t put out unfinished songs like Amy Winehouse. “George’s body of work is his body of work,” he said.
Rogers lands lifetime prize
The River Cafe’s Ruth Rogers, left, won the lifetime achievement award at the National Restaurant Awards last night. She called on the industry to “do better” on pay and conditions. The River Cafe has been criticised for allegedly keeping staff’s tips. It was a bad night to go out for dinner, as many of London’s best chefs were at the awards ceremony.
Matt’s training run
Just like Kate Bush, Matt Hancock is Running Up That Hill. As we wrote yesterday, the former Health Secretary is climbing the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc, next month for the Cambridge Children’s Hospital. This morning, the Tory MP was photographed training for the feat with a quick jog outside Parliament. Isn’t there anywhere else Matt could have picked to go for a run...?
Gary Neville tackles Andy Burnham
Gary Neville seems to be making a play for Andy Burnham’s crown as politics’ “King of the North”. The former Manchester United player has joined Labour and claimed to a recording of the Political Party podcast last night that Burnham had “backed out a little bit” in his fight with Boris Johnson over Covid tiers during the pandemic. “If you’re gonna go, you go to the very end,” he said. Burnham wouldn’t dream of giving him any tackling tips...
Lightyear’s astronaut Buzz
ELLA Baig, the heavily pregnant partner of Olympic boxer Nicola Adams, channelled singer Rihanna by showing off her bump at the premiere of Toy Story spin-off Lightyear in Leicester Square last night. The event saw stars Keke Palmer, Chris Evans and Taika Waititi pose with astronaut Major Tim Peake, who has a cameo. Around the corner at the Londoner hotel, actor Michael Dapaah and presenter June Sarpong embraced at a British Fashion Council Fashion Fund Award, attended by model Sabrina Elba.
