All posts tagged: dazzling

Conteh review – the dazzling rise and bruising fall of a 70s boxing great | Theatre

Conteh review – the dazzling rise and bruising fall of a 70s boxing great | Theatre

Published by Sam Flores

Don King is singing the praises of his new signing. The boxing impresario, played by Zach Levene with an extravagant bouffant, sees something special in John Conteh, the light-heavyweight champion. It is a talent that goes beyond the ring. “He walks into a room and the air changes,” he says. Impressively, this is a quality captured by Aron Julius. Playing the Kirkby kid who became WBC light-heavyweight champion in 1974, he is muscular, light-footed and graceful. More than that, he sparkles. With a needling Liverpool wit, he is as cheeky as he is charming. Who wouldn’t want him to win? The best sequences in this bio-drama, written by Julius himself, are when Conteh is alone on stage giving a punch-by-punch account of his bouts, from the outsider success against Chris Finnegan at Wembley to the narrow 1980 defeat against Matthew Saad Muhammad in Atlantic City. Only one man knows what those fights felt like and Julius captures a sense of the solitary sportsman holding his focus in the midst of public acclaim. He writes those …

Oscars best dressed 2026: all the dazzling red carpet looks from Jessie Buckley, Kate Hudson to Demi Moore

Oscars best dressed 2026: all the dazzling red carpet looks from Jessie Buckley, Kate Hudson to Demi Moore

Published by Daniella Wilson

The biggest night in the Hollywood film calendar is finally here – the 98th Academy Awards! Hosted, for the second year in a row, by comedian Conan O’Brien, the toast of Tinseltown transpires onto the red carpet in their most spectacular gowns, which we look forward to seeing each year. “The Oscars are the pinnacle of the film industry. It’s the biggest night of the year for anyone working in cinema, so naturally it’s one of the most significant red carpets in fashion as well,” Ilaria Urbinati, Stylist in Residence at pre-owned watch specialist, Watchfinder & Co, tells HELLO. © Getty ImagesThe Oscars 2026 are hosted by Conan O’Brien When it comes to predicting Oscar fashion, it’s like venturing into the unknown. “The only real rule at the Oscars is that it’s black tie,” notes Ilaria, “Beyond that, there really aren’t many strict fashion rules anymore, and guests have the freedom to express their personal style on the red carpet,” she explains. “We’ve reached a moment in fashion where trends don’t dictate choices the way they …

Lily Allen review, Glasgow: Pop star transforms cataclysmic hurt into something dazzling for her West End Girl tour

Lily Allen review, Glasgow: Pop star transforms cataclysmic hurt into something dazzling for her West End Girl tour

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This It’s difficult to imagine the landscape of British pop culture without Lily Allen, one of its most influential and, at times, divisive figures. She’s been making headlines since the release of her debut album Alright, Still in 2006, and now, 20 years later, she continues to exorcise her demons in public, for her latest record West End Girl. West End Girl is a ferociously candid account of the ruptures and revelations leading to the collapse of a marriage. It is her big comeback, her renaissance, and it has been met with widespread acclaim – praised for its storytelling and Allen’s trademark candour. The Independent’s review called it a “brutal, tell-all masterpiece”. On Monday night, Allen performed it in full at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, the opening show of a tour of UK theatres and her first proper live gig in seven …

The Story Behind Queen Máxima’s Most Dazzling Tiara, With 33 Sapphires and Over 600 Diamonds

The Story Behind Queen Máxima’s Most Dazzling Tiara, With 33 Sapphires and Over 600 Diamonds

Published by Sam Flores

The tiara is composed of 33 sapphires from Ceylon (today Sri Lanka), of an intense blue, accompanied by more than 600 diamonds and presided over by a large central stone: a sapphire of more than forty carats, which would have been part of a previous jewel of the royal family. The result was a tiara of great height and presence, with floral motifs and mobile elements that allow the stones to vibrate slightly with movement, multiplying their brilliance. It was not a comfortable or discreet piece of jewelry, but neither was it intended to be. Like many royal jewels of the period, the ensemble was conceived to have versatility: some pieces could be disassembled and reused, adapting to different contexts and the needs of each queen. Throughout the 20th century, the tiara underwent a key technical modification. In 1928, it was revised by Van Kempen & Vos. It is believed that the original gold mount was replaced by platinum, a change that made it possible to lighten the weight of the piece without altering its …

Nicole Kidman stuns in head-turning orange Chanel amid dazzling Paris Fashion Week appearance

Nicole Kidman stuns in head-turning orange Chanel amid dazzling Paris Fashion Week appearance

Published by Daniella Wilson

Nicole Kidman stole the show on Monday night when she arrived at The Peninsula Paris for a lavish Paris Fashion Week event.  The 58-year-old was glowing in a bold, long-sleeved orange gown, courtesy of Chanel’s Spring 2026 collection, featuring white textured detailing. She accessorized with gold dangly earrings, a thin gold chain and a burgundy purse, and wore her blonde locks down past her shoulders in gentle waves.  Nicole kept her makeup natural and orange-toned, with a subtle nude lip and bronze eyeshadow. She attended the luxurious event in celebration of the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, which shines a light on the automotive industry, heritage and craftsmanship. The Babygirl actress has been turning heads during Paris Fashion Week, and arrived at the Chanel Haute Couture spring/summer 2026 show on Tuesday in a sleeveless black gown with feathered details on the neckline and flared waist.  The dress fell to her knees and provided a slim silhouette, and she accessorized with black and white shoes, black sunglasses and a black Chanel purse. Nicole returned …

The Traitors finale, review – Rachel and Stephen’s win was dazzling, but the BBC must heed this warning

The Traitors finale, review – Rachel and Stephen’s win was dazzling, but the BBC must heed this warning

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter When Alan Carr won The Celebrity Traitors back in November, I wondered whether the success of that series had salted the earth for its civilian sibling. Just 56 days after the Carr supremacy (only a week longer than a Liz Truss premiership) The Traitors returned at the start of this year with a groan. Did the country have the enthusiasm for another month-long obsession? Wouldn’t Traitors fatigue set in? But it was New Year’s Day and, with nothing else to do, I, like many others, threw caution to the wind. Along with almost 12 million Brits, I started another round of the parlour game that’s gripped the nation. And – dammit – again I got sucked in. Whether it was traitorous Celtic duo Rachel and Stephen forging an unshakeable bond in the turret, rogue “Secret Traitor” Fiona self-immolating, crime novelist Harriet …

Stunning Footage Shows Space Station Drifting Through Aurora’s Dazzling Lights

Stunning Footage Shows Space Station Drifting Through Aurora’s Dazzling Lights

Published by José Betancourt

Earlier this week, the Sun unleashed a powerful X-class solar flare, a major burst of electromagnetically charged particles that lit up the Earth’s night sky as they entered our planet’s atmosphere. The effect was stunning: a dazzling display of auroras reaching as far as southern California. Forecasters told CNN that it was one of the largest solar storms in decades, making for a particularly unique opportunity to watch the show unfold. Our art director spotted the cosmic light show in rural Maine, where he said they were “quite beautiful and vibrant.” But as one could imagine, the views are even more spectacular above the Earth’s atmosphere from the vantage point of the International Space Station, as demonstrated in a stunning video shared by Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui on X earlier this month. The video shows gorgeous hues blanketing the Earth’s night sky, dancing high above the surface like a diffused, multicolored glow. Yui was one of the four crew members who were recently medically evacuated from the ISS this week, although it remains unclear which …

Grammy Museum celebrates Selena with dazzling new exhibit

Grammy Museum celebrates Selena with dazzling new exhibit

Published by Sam Flores

The Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles has unveiled a temporary exhibit in honor of Selena Quintanilla. Until March 16, fans can experience “Selena: From Texas to the World,” a pop-up that showcases some of the late singer-songwriter‘s most treasured (and glittery) items for the first time outside of the Selena Museum, which is in her hometown of Corpus Chrisi, Texas. Curator Kelsey Goelz told The Times that the collaboration has been a long time in coming for the Grammy Museum, which commemorated Thursday’s exhibit opening with a Selena mural by Mister Toledo outside the facility. “We’ve been in a museum since 2008 [and] have always wanted to do this,” Goelz said. “So I think it was just about meeting the right people and finding the right time.” The Grammy Museum curated the exhibit with the help of Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister and executor of the Selena estate. She is very protective of her younger sibling, as was the family patriarch, Abraham Quintanilla, who died a month before the exhibit opened. (Rebecca Sapp / Getty …

Final farewell to Brigitte Bardot as Saint-Tropez mourns its ‘dazzling ambassador’

Final farewell to Brigitte Bardot as Saint-Tropez mourns its ‘dazzling ambassador’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Brigitte Bardot, the legendary French screen siren and animal rights activist, will be laid to rest on Wednesday in Saint-Tropez, the French Riviera resort she called home for over half a century. The iconic figure, who died on 28 December at the age of 91, will be honoured with both a private service and a public homage. A private service for invited guests, including family and representatives from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals, is scheduled for 11 am at the Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church. Local authorities have arranged for the ceremony to be broadcast live on large screens at the port and two town plazas, allowing residents and admirers to participate in the farewell. open image in gallery A flower lays by a statue representing actor Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) …