Archives for April 2024

The dad of a young footballer who tragically died over the weekend has paid tribute to his ‘beautiful boy with an infectious smile’. Ross Aikenhead passed away at his family home in Sale, Trafford, on Saturday (March 30). The 24-year-old, who played for Winsford United in Cheshire this season, had been living with epilepsy over the last 10 years. Ross was found unresponsive on Saturday morning, and paramedics said he had suffered a seizure before he had died. Tributes were paid to Ross at local football grounds yesterday, including at former club Wythenshawe Town, where a minute’s silence turned to applause before kick-off against Wythenshawe FC. John Aikenhead, who describes himself as Ross’ ‘proud father’, says he will smile whenever he thinks of his talented son. READ MORE: Mum’s heartbreak after having to terminate pregnancy to free her baby girl from pain He told the Manchester Evening News : “For people who didn’t know, Ross had epilepsy and this is what led to him being taken from us far too soon. The world will be a different place now for anyone who knew Ross. “He was a beautiful boy with an infectious smile. I am determined not to live my life sad every day because he is not here. It is my mission to carry him in my heart and smile, not cry, when I think of him. “Ross adored his football and anyone who knows me knows how much I loved to watch him play. He played for so many teams in his short life.” John added: “Ross was loved much more than words can say and he will be deeply missed by all but especially by me, his mum, Sam, his sister Maisie and his brothers, Joel and Luke.” It’s not yet known if Ross died directly because of the seizure, or if he had suffocated as a result of it. Luke Aikenhead, Ross’ brother, told the M.E.N.: “Ross was epileptic, he had his first seizure about 10 years ago. It’s something he had been suffering with, but he took his medication for it. “He used to have fits in his sleep, and on Friday night he’s had a seizure in the night. My dad’s gone to wake him up in the morning, and he’s just not woke up.” Ross had been born at the same Sale home where he lived all his life, and Luke has plenty of joyful memories shared with his brother. He said: “We’re all like mates – a big group of mates. “People are always round our house for parties, barbecues. The amount of people that have got round us and supported us, and people that knew him for 24 years of age, is wild. “He played football for lots of lower league clubs. He played golf and boxing as well, but football was probably his biggest love.” Ross was a bathroom fitter and former Ashton on Mersey School student. As a junior he played football for Ashton on Mersey, from around the ages of five to 16. Ross joined North West Counties League First Division South side Winsford for the 2023-24 season from Wythenshawe Town. Winsford’s game at Cheadle Heath on Saturday was postponed following Ross’ death, but the club played local rivals Barnton yesterday. A minute’s silence was held for Ross before the match. In a message on Twitter this morning (Tuesday), a Winsford United spokesperson said: “We would like to thank everyone for their kind messages at this tragic time, many clubs observed a minutes silence or applause at their games yesterday which is very much appreciated. Thank you.” Ross’ family has been grateful for the support from grassroots football sides following his death. John said: “I am so thankful for the lovely words from all the clubs he has played for: Hyde United, Wythenshawe Amateurs, Wythenshawe Town and Broadheath Central. “I have never seen him so happy as he has been lately, playing at Winsford Utd. He was living his best life and was destined for better things. I will always be grateful for the way Winsford welcomed him and helped him flourish. “I watched him grow stronger as a footballer, a leader and a man. They helped him find his confidence and his voice. I am overwhelmed by the amount of messages and tributes showing the love people had for my son.” The family says Winsford United will be hosting a tribute to Ross before the side’s match at home against Ashville on Thursday, for anyone who wishes to attend. It will take place before kick-off at 7.45pm, at the Barton Stadium, in Winsford.

Reviewed by: Birmingham Aquarium joke gets surprising local support Did you see the Bham Now April Fools’ Day Breaking News Instagram post about converting Brookwood Village into the Brookwood Aquarium? The nutty story, which was conjured up by our creative social team, has spawned a movement of sorts, including a change.org petition supporting the idea. But the idea, meant to garner a few chuckles, picked up a big supporter today on social media — John Boone, a Principal at Orchestra Partners in Birmingham. Falling for the Brookwood Aquarium April Fools’ joke Falling for the Brookwood Aquarium April Fools’ joke

Boone has been behind the development of several of Birmingham’s most ambitious projects in the past few years, including: Founders Station Merchantile on Morris Urban Supply The Frank He has also developed Vision & Development plans for Gadsden and Phenix City. Here is his response to Bham Now’s Linkedin poll, which showed overwhelming support for building an aquarium at the abandoned mall site. What would you want to see done with Brookwood Village? Retail shopping options — 19% Condos — 10% Aquarium — 68% Other (Please comment) 3% 568 votes John Boone: Your satirical post is one of the best development ideas I’ve ever heard for that property. If anyone wants to put a fund together and do it, give me a call and we’ll make it work financially. We caught up with Boone to ask him what’s behind his support. “I have this bad habit of falling for April Fools’ jokes every year even though I know it’s April 1. So that morning, I’m scrolling on Twitter, and I see a bunch of stuff that’s ridiculous. I don’t take it seriously because it’s April Fools’. Well then I see Bham Now’s post about Brookwood turning into an aquarium. I didn’t think for a second about it. I was like, Oh, that’s a really cool idea. Later on, I realized oh, yeah, that was an April Fools’ joke! It then occurred to me that satirical posts about what should be done with the property is actually better than most of the real proposals that I see in the news. So I thought that was pretty cool. And posted my support for it.” ~John Boone, Orchestra Partners Bham Now social team stumbled across a good idea Bham Now social team stumbled across a good idea

Boone then told me the Bham Now social team in their quest to fool people may have stumbled across a really good idea. “They were actually thinking like a good economic developer.” He described how developers of successful projects come up with the use of a property – an anchor — that is going to help build a brand around a larger project (retail, condos, possibly offices). An Aquarium would do that. People would visit it like they do the McWane Science Center, Birmingham Zoo and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Brookwood Aquarium? Can’t wait to see what is developed Brookwood Aquarium? Can’t wait to see what is developed

And Boone wasn’t kidding about supporting an Aquarium or a similar creative idea financially. Boone and his partner Hunter Renfroe have pioneered the use of Seed Funds in real estate development. Boone looks forward to seeing what Colliers and Fairways have in mind for the old Brookwood Village property. Meanwhile, he didn’t mind being fooled.

BTS member Park Jimin is riding high on the crest of his success as an international soloist as his track Like Crazy hits 1 billion streams on Spotify. The record is extremely significant as his song became the fastest Korean song and the fastest solo song by a Korean act to reach this milestone within a year of its release. Furthermore, as of April 4, 2024, it is also the first and only song by a Korean solo artist and the first and only song composed by the artist himself to achieve this feat. South Korean artist Jimin of BTS debuted the song Like Crazy on March 24, 2023, as the second single off his first solo studio project FACE . Musically, the English version tackles the weight of fame and the dread of forgetting oneself, while the Korean version talks about realizing one has lost someone special and clinging to a world in which they still exist. A synth-pop song, which was co-produced by Pdogg and Ghstloop, has been mastered in two languages (English and Korean). Pdogg, Blvsh, Chris James, Ghstloop, Jimin, BTS bandmate RM, and Evan wrote both versions. Like Crazy by BTS’ Jimin becomes the first and fastest solo by a Korean act and Korean song to mark this feat Like Crazy by BTS’ Jimin becomes the first and fastest solo by a Korean act and Korean song to mark this feat
Jimin has consistently provided his supporters with content in the run-up to FACE . A week before the EP’s release, he released Set Me Free Pt.2 on March 17, 2023, to formally launch the FACE chapter. Prior to this, he had collaborated with BigBang member Taeyang on Vibe in January 2023 and released songs that were previously exclusive to SoundCloud and YouTube. According to Rolling Stone, FACE was named among the top albums of 2023 internationally. Rolling Stone praised the album by the now-solo performer as a captivating display of the pop prowess of the smooth-voiced singer-dancer. Jimin became the fourth Asian artist to reach the top of the Hot 100—after Kyu Sakamoto, Far East Movement, and BTS—and the first solo South Korean artist in history to score a No.1 debut on the Hot 100 and reign over it for four consecutive weeks. As of April 8, 2023, Jimin’s Like Crazy became the 66th song to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States since the chart’s establishment in 1958. Like Crazy is the title track from the idol’s debut solo album FACE which he released internationally on March 24, 2023. The song obtained 10 million streams, making Jimin’s debut admission to the Streaming Songs chart at No.35 and it sold 254,000 downloads and CD singles combined in the first week of its release. The song debuted at number two on the Global Excl US chart after receiving 61.4 million streams and 48,000 purchases in non-US regions. The song further became the third No.1 on the Digital Song Sales chart of the BTS sensation and received 64,000 radio airplay audience impressions. Jimin’s FACE made the greatest album launch by a Korean soloist on the 2023 United World Charts, according to a report published on November 28, 2023, by the South Korean media site Star News. Like Crazy was nominated for a 2023 Fact Music Awards Best Music (Spring) nomination, however, it didn’t win in the category. In October 2023, it was nominated for two awards: the MAMA Awards’ Best Dance Performance-Male Solo and Song of the Year. Furthermore, it was also nominated for the Billboard Music Awards’ Top Global K-Pop Song and Top Selling Song. It received nominations in December for the Circle Chart Music Awards’ Global Streaming genre and the Golden Disc Awards’ Digital Song category.

Jared Leto and  Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak played an April Fool’s Day prank on the show’s audience and contestants on Monday night by having Leto temporarily host the show. Instead of Sajak walking on set arm-in-arm with co-host and presenter Vanna White, it was Jared Leto — who proceeded to then carry on hosting the show as normal.”All right everybody, grab those devices, it’s time to give away some money,” said Leto in host-mode. “A $1000 in our first toss-up, the category is on the map.” Get 30 Seconds to Mars Tickets Here Eventually, Sajak stepped back in to hosting duties, but neither Sajak nor Leto acknowledged the swap. Jared Leto shared the televised clip of his entrance on Instagram, writing “How’d I do?” as he and Vanna White made their way onstage. Watch the clip of Leto hosting the beloved game show below. April Fools’ prank or none, those who felt the shock of seeing Wheel of Fortune hosted by someone other than Pat Sajak will have to get used to it — the longtime gameshow host will be leaving Wheel of Fortune at the end of this season, and he’ll be replaced by Ryan Seacrest. Meanwhile, Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars are gearing up for a European tour, followed by a lengthy North American stretch in the summer with AFI, Poppy, and KennyHoopla as support. See Thirty Seconds to Mars’ tour dates here, and get tickets here.

As far back as 2009, Jonny Greenwood was fed up with the faff of the world’s most studious stadium band. “He can’t stand it anymore, the pace of the way we work,” Thom Yorke said that year. Despite the guitarist and composer’s impatience, he was prone to obsessing over what Yorke called the “extra things”: the sly strings and choked squeals that thread razor wire into Radiohead’s pillowed luxury. “‘Come on, we need some wrong notes,’ he’s always saying. OK, you got ’em,” Yorke joked. But never have we heard Greenwood quite like this. On Wall of Eyes , the second album from the Smile, his hostile harmonies and expediency in the studio nudge the trio somewhere new; it is his most exciting and volatile performance since In Rainbows . No time for their usual effortful cohesion: Producer Sam Petts-Davies resolves to stress, not conceal, the eclecticism of Yorke and Greenwood’s songs, while drummer Tom Skinner squirrels around making nests in their inhospitable time signatures. After the debut’s big bang, Wall of Eyes connects the particles into somewhere you, and perhaps these restless musicians, might like to make a home. More than anything on A Light for Attracting Attention , the Beatlesy “Friend of a Friend” and riotous “Bending Hectic” present contrasting spectacles of the Smile’s allure. The former draws inspiration from lockdown footage of Italians uniting in song on their balconies; the coda juxtaposes that pandemic solidarity against the elites’ response. “All of that money, where did it go?/In somebody’s pocket, a friend of a friend,” Yorke laments, invoking the COVID cronyism of Britain’s Conservative Party. But the tune is divine, even hummable—his deftest lunge for your heartstrings since unshelving “True Love Waits.” At the other extreme, “Bending Hectic” indulges Yorke’s time-honored passion for calamitous automobile events—in this case the last moments of a public figure, apparently disgraced, who vows to drive off the Italian mountainside. The band plays the car-crash suicide ballad as a brilliantly twisted love song: Such is the narrator’s hubris that, when an orchestral crescendo signals the plunge, and Greenwood’s lustrous string bends transmute into tire squeals, we hear the infernal crusade as a valorous final act.