Kanye West is announced as a last-minute addition to BRIT Awards line-up... after Rihanna pulls out of performance hours before show

His most recent album had a saviour-inspired name.

So it's perhaps fitting that Kanye West has been revealed as the last-minute addition to the BRIT Awards line-up - after Rihanna suddenly pulled out.

The Yeezus star was formally announced as the ceremony's headline act on Wednesday morning, just hours before the show is scheduled to take place in central London.

 

The surprise move comes after the annual awards bash was plunged into chaos following the S&M singer's random no-show at rehearsals on Monday.

Fortunately, music industry bosses were able to thrash out a desperate deal with Kanye, 37, after it was revealed he was already in the country and available.

Now, insiders say he will deliver an elaborate, high-tech performance complete with a huge ensemble of professional dancers to fill the void.

 

 

A backstage source told MailOnline: 'BRIT bosses were understandably disappointed that Rihanna was a no-show, but - after some initial panic - they're delighted to have found a solution in Kanye.

'In fact, they know he's a huge star and won't simply just fill her shoes - but he'll own the stage and stun fans with one of the biggest performances of the year.

'Now, more than ever, everyone's determined to make the event exceed industry expectations.'   

 

 

Specifically, the rapper is expected to debut a brand new track - as opposed to his recent hit Only One, and - of course - will be joined by wife Kim Kardashian as his special guest. 

Other acts who will perform include Madonna, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith, George Ezra, Royal Blood and Take That.

In a statement released by show organisers, BRIT officials said: 'With eight BRITs nominations, and three BRIT Awards for International Male Artist to his name, Kanye’s performance is guaranteed to be truly epic. 

'This will be his second BRIT Awards performance: in 2006 Kanye was joined by 77 dancers spray-painted in gold for a medley of ‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone’, ‘Gold Digger’ and ‘Touch The Sky’.  

The BRITs will be streamed on YouTube across the world for the second consecutive year and were the first awards show to live stream to a global audience through YouTube.

Candice Morrissey, Head of YouTube Music Partnerships across Europe said: 'Kanye West tops off an amazing set of performers at this year's BRIT Awards with some of the biggest British and global stars taking the stage. 

'We're excited to partner with the BRITs again this year so anyone outside of the UK who can't tune in on TV can watch their favourite artists live on the BRITs YouTube channel.' 

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Shirtless Justin Bieber gets a giant bullseye tattooed onto his back in new teaser video for Comedy Central roast

It’s no secret he’s a fan of tattoos, and Justin Bieber is getting his latest one in a new teaser video for his upcoming Comedy Central roast.

Only the 20-year-old pop star becomes a walking target as he has no idea it’s a giant bullseye that’s being inked on his back.

The shirtless singer asks, ‘How does it look?’ to which his tattoo artist responds, ‘It’s  perfect.’

ustin is seated backwards in a chair, resting his head on his folded arms as he undergoes the procedure.

The video opens with a close-up, showing him from the front and spotlighting his tattoo sleeves and the inkings on his chest. His hit, Boyfriend, is playing in the background.

Justin can then be seen from the back, where a vividly colourful bull’s eye is being given its finishing touches.

The ex-boyfriend of Selena Gomez then lifts up his head to inquire about the artist’s progress.

The latest teaser is revving audiences up for the Comedy Central Roast Of Justin Bieber, scheduled to air on March 30 at 10pm EST.

The roast is being hosted by actor and comedian Kevin Hart, with comedians Hannibal Buress and Jeff Ross also joining in the fun.

Hannibal, 32, is an actor and stand-up comic while Jeff, 49, is a regular on Comedy Central Roasts and is best known as the Roast Master General for his no holds barred routines.

The roast is scheduled to be taped at Sony Studios on March 14, just two weeks after the pop star's 21st birthday on March 1.

The tattoo teaser video comes a week after the release of another teaser video, in which Justin is being pelted with eggs.

It spoofs the 2014 incident in which he faced vandalism charges for hurling eggs at a neighbour’s house.

Comedy Central tweeted the video last Tuesday, ribbing the hitmaker by commenting: 'Watch @justinbieber learn how poor, defenseless houses feel. The #BieberRoast premieres March 30.'

In the clip, shirtless Justin is at first showing off, flexing his pecks, and checking out how his hair looks.

But then he takes a step back, raises his arms, and suddenly eggs start slamming into his chest, as he grimaces on impact. 

Also last Tuesday, Kevin Hart, 35, spoke with Ryan Seacrest, revealing he has no plans to go easy on his friend.

'I’m going to smash Bieber,' he said, on Ryan's show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest.  'It’s going to be a tough day for Biebs.' 

'The good news is that he knows I love him. The good news is that he knows I’m a real friend, so it’s no-holds-barred. I get to let loose. It’s going to be dope.'

Last month, when the roast was announced, Justin was quick to tweet his excitement.

'For years I have wanted Comedy Central to roast me. They said only if I provided them w/ more material so for a year now I have worked hard.'

And he certainly has. From his legal annoyances to a Calvin Klein ad to that bleach-blond hair, Justin's past year is ripe for parody.

However, he recently said in a YouTube video that he's far more pleasant than he's perceived to be.

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Ellie Goulding cuts an elegant figure in soft pink fairytale gown at Elle Style Awards 2015

She may have been without her faithful Prince Charming for the night.

But Ellie Goulding, making a rare appearance in absence of boyfriend Dougie Poynter, was still the belle of the ball.

The 28-year-old looked exquisite in a soft pink evening gown at Tuesday night's Elle Style Awards 2015, walking the red carpet with all the poise of a princess.

The ELLE Style Awards is always a glamorous affair and how couldn't it be with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Cara Delevinge, Alexa Chung and Erdem in attendance?
If you're not sick of seeing glamorous dresses and pretty shoes after weeks of awards (Fashion Finder never tires of it mind,) then here was another chance to ogle high-octane glamour.
Ellie Goulding is a girl who often opts for a more laid-back approach when it comes to her fashion choices - a jeans, tee and Converse kind of girl a lot of the time, so it was lovely to see her channel a totally different look here. She went for a dress totally off the scale compared to her usual style, a pretty princess number was her dress du jour.

The Starry Eyed singer appeared to show no fatigue after travelling the length and breadth of London to put in stylish appearances at the London Fashion Week shows.

And to mark the end of the four day event, Ellie provided a climax to her fashionable show wardrobe with this demure get up.

It was to be a rare evening without her beau as she flew solo on the red carpet to great effect at the midweek bash. 

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What will Ian Beale say?

He was recently part of soap-land's biggest storyline. 

But, according to reports, EastEnders actor Ben Hardy is about to swap the confines of Albert Square for the bright lights of Hollywood in a potentially career-transforming move.

A report by TheWrap claims the handsome TV star is in advanced talks to be cast as a significant character in upcoming action movie X Men: Apocalypse. 

The 24-year-old, who is best known for his portrayal of Peter Beale in the long-running BBC soap, will allegedly assume an as-yet undisclosed role in the forthcoming production.  

If formally added to the project, he will join an impressive cast-list which includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. 

The film, directed by Brian Singer, will also feature emerging talents such as Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan and Alexandra Shipp. 

Although Hardy's agents are yet to respond to enquiries by MailOnline, fans of the drama are already aware that the movie upgrade could certainly be a possibility after Hardy's BBC character recently revealed he was moving to New Zealand.

 'I'm going away for a while to stay with Steven in New Zealand,' he explained in a recent scene

For the past twelve months he's been a suspect in the unexpected death of his on-screen sister Lucy, who was killed off in a dramatic plot twist, last year.

As part of a thirtieth anniversary live show, the murderer was revealed as her half-brother, Bobbie Beale - played by 12 year-old actor Eliot Carrington. 

Taking to Twitter to congratulate the boy, he said: 'So the secret is finally out....phew...weight off... Elliot who plays Bobby was superb. Going live at 12 years old and smashed it!'.

The week of the big reveal garnered more than 11 million viewers. 

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Was Claudia Lawrence murdered in her home by secret lover?

Police investigating the disappearance of chef Claudia Lawrence six years ago are today carrying out another search near her home after receiving a new lead.

The operation is focusing on the alley at the back of her house in York after the police chief in charge of the inquiry predicted more arrests 'in the coming weeks and months'.

The detective in charge of the new investigation has suggested Miss Lawrence may have been killed in her home on the night of March 18, 2009 by a secret lover who then left by the alleyway.

Nobody has seen or heard from Miss Lawrence since she returned from work in March 2009 and failed to return the following day. The university chef would have celebrated her 41st birthday on Friday. 

North Yorkshire Police officers and a sniffer dog focused on the dirt alleyway behind her red-bricked terrace home in Heworth Road, York, today, lifting paving slabs and moving bins.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn of North Yorkshire Police said: 'One hypothesis is something could have happened overnight with another person in the house and then the alleyway was an obvious way out.'

He added: 'I know people have lied to us. People may lie because they are in a relationship, and there could be a number of reasons why they are withholding information.

'We have significant leads, my team, and myself are determined that if anybody is lying to us we will be arresting people because I am convinced people have information which they are not telling us about. We need to eliminate people who have previously not come forward.'

Fingerprints have been lifted from Miss Lawrence's home and Det Supt Malyn said anybody who has had a relationship with her to contact the police. 

Miss Lawrence's father, Peter, today said it is 'dreadful' that people may have been lying to police investigating his daughter's disappearance.

He said: 'I heard that and it's obviously absolutely dreadful that anyone would do that.

'We know that people lie to the police but in a case like this that involves Claudia's disappearance and everyone can see what it's done to the the family... come on.' 

Speaking at his house in York, Mr Lawrence added: 'The police told me that they were going to be down there because they thought there was significance in the alleyway at the rear of the house - basically that's all I know.

'It's a criminal investigation and they need to be careful about what they say.

'I think it's just positive that they are looking, They've got a team out and they're still active and it keeps it in the public eye.'

Mr Lawrence said: 'Somebody clearly does know what happened and maybe from a misguided sense of loyalty they've kept quiet. Hopefully this very thorough investigation, and keeping it in the public, will make them change their mind.'

Mr Lawrence said: 'Friday is Claudia's 41st birthday, so that's the sixth birthday that we've had to do without her company and her jollity. It's a long time.

'It's difficult all the time but when there's a birthday, when you get the anniversaries and at Christmas it's just worse. Claudia ought to be with us. How might she have changed in six years? What have we missed in all that time?'

Fresh forensic examinations have also recently been carried out at Miss Lawrence's former home, which has remained empty since her disappearance. 

Det Supt Malyn said: 'The review remains very active and the team are currently working on a lead that may indicate the alleyway at the rear of Claudia's house is significant.

'I have always thought that if something happened to Claudia inside the house then the most obvious route out would be to use the alleyway.' 

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Oscar 2015 Winners

Best Picture
Birdman — Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu — Birdman
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne — The Theory of Everything
Best Actress
Julianne Moore — Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons — Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette — Boyhood
Achievement in Costume Design
Milena Canonero — The Grand Budapest Hotel
Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling 
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier — The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Foreign Language Film
Ida  – Pawel Pawlikowski
Best Live Action Short Film
The Phone Call — Matt Kirkby and James Lucas
Best Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 — Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Original Screenplay 
Birdman – Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo
Achievement in Sound Mixing
Whiplash — Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley
Achievement in Sound Editing
American Sniper —  Alan Robert Murray Bub Asman
Achievement in Visual Effects
Interstellar — Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley and Paul Franklin
Best Animated Short
Feast — Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Best Animated Movie
Big Hero Six — Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Achievement in Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel — Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock
Achievement in Cinematography
Birdman — Emannuel Lubezki
Achievement in Film Editing
Whipalsh — Tom Cross
Best Documentary Feature
Citizen Four — Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Best Original Song

Glory — John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn

Best Original Score

The Grand Budapest Hotel — Alexandre Desplat

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Imitation Game – Graham Moore

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Oscars 2015 nomintions

Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel led this year’s class of Oscar films with nine nominations apiece, including nods for Best Picture and Best Director. The Imitation Game had eight nominations. American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s movie about Chris Kyle, tied with Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, the movie that took 12 years to make, with six nominations—and Bradley Cooper nabbed a Best Actor nod, nudging out Selma’s David Oyelowo and Nightcrawler’s Jake Gyllenhaal.
Meryl Streep extended her seemingly unbreakable record with her 19th Oscar nomination for her Supporting Actress work in the musical Into the Woods. She won’t be the favorite this time, as Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette, who received her first nomination, has been the frontrunner all awards season. Robert Duvall, who turned 84 years old last week, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Judge. It’s his seventh career nomination, and he surpasses Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild) as the oldest male acting nominee in Oscar history. (Emmanuelle Riva was 85 when she was nominated for Amour.)
Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Best Director
Alexandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Best Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, Ida
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Roger Deakins, Unbroken
Best Foreign Language Film
Ida, Poland
Leviathan, Russia
Tangerines, Estonia
Timbuktu, Mauritania
Wild Tales, Argentina
Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper, Jason Hall
The Imitation Game, Graham Moore
Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything, Anthony McCarten
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle
Best Original Screenplay
Birdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Boyhood, Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher, E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song
“Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie; Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
“Glory” from Selma; Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
“Grateful” from Beyond the Lights; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me; Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again; Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois
Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
Best Documentary—Short
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth
Best Film Editing
Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach, American Sniper
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Barney Pilling, The Grand Budapest Hotel
William Goldenberg, The Imitation Game
Tom Cross, Whiplash
Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game, Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar, Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
Into the Woods, Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Mr. Turner, Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts
Best Animated Short
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life
Best Live Action Short
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call
Best Sound Editing
American Sniper, Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman, Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar, Richard King
Unbroken, Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro
Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Birdman, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Interstellar, Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
Whiplash, Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Best Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy, Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Interstellar, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past, Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer
Best Documentary – Feature
Citizenfour
Finding Vivien Maier
Last Days of Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga
Best Costume Design
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mark Bridges, Inherent Vice
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive, Maleficent
Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turner

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