WHO’S PLAIT GIRL?
Star says Madonna braided her locks at his hit US show
Alan Cumming has revealed he gave Madonna a telling off for braiding her hair while she watched one of his Broadway shows.
The actor was performing in Cabaret when he got distracted by the sight of the Who’s That Girl singer fiddling with her locks during the performance.
CCumming, 56, originally from AbAberfeldy, Perthshire, kept his irriirritation secret for years before plaplayfully embarrassing the star in fronfront ofher fans.
HeH told how he feared Madonna “hahated” the show before her driver askasked him to join her for dinner.
CCumming said: “Madonna came to see Cabaret the first time I did it on BroBroadway.
“We were all like, ‘Oh, Madonna’s in, Madonna’sM in,’ and I could see her brabraiding her hair whilst she was watwatching the show.
“AAfterwards, we thought she might comcome backstage but she didn’t and I thothought, ‘Oh, she hated it, how awful’.
“Then this big man came into my rooroom and said he was Madonna’s dridriver and she wanted me to go to dindinner with her. That’s how our relarelationship began.”
CCumming reprised the role of The Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway in 1998. Speaking on the Talk Art podcast, he told how he reminded the 62-year- old about her rudeness in front of the audience at one of her London Palladium shows last year.
He said: “When she was doing her concerts, I got free tickets.
“There was a bit when she sits down next to a member of the audience and it’s usually a famous person and she has a little chat with you.
“She talked about coming to see me in Cabaret and I said, ‘I remember you were braiding your hair.’
“She was like, ‘ Was I? That’s incredibly rude.’ And I went, ‘ Yes, it was rude.’”
Cumming’s first success came as an air steward in 1990s Scots sitcom The High Life. He went on to carve out a Hollywood career in the Spy Kids franchise, as Nightcrawler in X-Men 2 and in the James Bond movie Goldeneye.
The performer has lived in New York for more than 20 years and was awarded an OBE in 2009 in part for his activism on LGBT rights
He is working on a new dance show about the life of Robert Burns, which will tackle the Bard’s poor treatment of women and the way his darker side has been “sanitised”.
Halina Watts
Louise Redknapp says more people like her close pal Caroline Flack will die unless steps are taken to silence online trolls.
The former Eternal star was left devastated by the suicide of ex-Love Island host Caroline last year.
Louise, 46, said: “I’d love to live in a world where this kind of bullying behaviour is not tolerated.
“I know of many women who suffer due to trolling. How many more will die before there is real change?”
Hitting out in her new book You’ve Got This, Louise said: “Caroline was a great friend of mine, and she was the most warm-hearted and fun person.
“She lit up every room she went into with her warmth and energy, and her smile was dazzling.”
In the wake of the tragedy in February last year, Louise and others encouraged the spread on social media of the message #BeKind, to encourage people to stop trolling.
Among those backing it was Caroline’s former boyfriend, rugby star Danny
Cipriani, who wore the slogan on his shirt after his Gloucester teammates threw their support behind it.
Louise added: “We all talked about being more kind to each other and the hashtag #BeKind snowballed.
“It felt like there was a widespread call to be kinder, both on and offline, because you never know what someone is r e a l l y going through.
“For a few days it felt like something really might shift, that perhaps people were starting to take stock of the true impact our online behaviour can have.
“But the world kept turning and the troll ing and bullying continues.”
Louise added: “We need more than just empty words.
“Onl ine spaces might be a place for free expression, but they’re also often fertile ground for bullying, boorishness and cruelty.
“There are many people out there who are written about in this way and they a re de eply unhappy. Something needs to change
– and it needs to happen now.”
Caroline’s death, aged 40, came after the Crown Prosecution Service decided to charge her over an attack on partner Lewis Burton. An inquest later heard of her agony before her suicide at home in Stoke Newi ng t on , nor t h London. A Channel 4 documentary, The Life and Death of Caroline Flack, which airs next week, will include interviews with the star’s mum and twin sister Jody, as wel l as contributions from Olly Murs and Dermot O’Leary.
In her book, Louise adds: “I’m not very quick at making friends – I can count them on one hand.
“I find it hard to trust people and I’m bad at letting people in – but once you’ve earned my trust you can’t get rid of me and I’m in it for the long haul.
“I never really had any ‘showbiz’ friends. The person I was always closest to was Caroline. We could talk to each other about our relationships and lives and there was never any judgement. I also knew I could trust her and that whatever we told each other would stay between us.”
Caroline’s fami ly have released previously unseen photos of her, including her as a teenager in school uniform and with her hair in bunches.
Her Xtra Factor co- host Matt Richardson previously told how she would “obsessively” read trolls’ comments on Twitter during the ad breaks. He said: “It would really ruin her night, even if we had a great show.”
Caroline’s life went into freefall after police were called in December 2019 following a row with Lewis.
She pleaded not guilty in court and Lewis also insisted she was innocent.
I never really had any ‘showbiz’ friends… the person I was always closest to was Caroline
Maggie Barry
The copper badge on the front grille of the new Cupra Formentor is supposed to resemble a bull… to me, it looks like a devil and that would certainly make sense – because this car is wicked.
It has various modes from Comfort through Sport and Off- road to Cupra or, as the nice chap who delivered the car to me said: “This is the madness button.”
It sits opposite the start button, both of them outlined in copper and hanging from the steering wheel.
Press it often enough and the little devil appears on the instrument panel telling you now is the moment to hit the gas. At the same time the noise from the dual twin exhausts is filtered through the sound system and thunderbirds are ready to go.
The car tightens up, a bit like your stomach, and everything becomes a tad more rigid and ready to rock. It is no mistake that among the many gizmos on this hot SUV is a lap timer.
Cupra is the performance brand of
Spanish car maker Seat (hence the bull badge) and the Formentor, named after a peninsula in Majorca, is its first ever forecourt offering.
Clearly it wanted to make an impression and it most certainly has.
The Formentor is long and low for a four-wheel drive SUV. In this version, the VZ2, it sits on beautiful 19in matte black and silver alloys. The bonnet is long and sculpted with the roof line sleekly extending into a coupe rear.
The badge – on both the front and rear – cannot be missed and the logos continue on the interior, looking terrific against the petrol-blue Nappa leather on this version.
Copper-coloured design cues continue on the steering wheel and on parts of the dash.
The bucket seats are incredibly comfortable – and well heated – and there is lots of legroom in the rear. A 12in touchscreen houses the radio and nav system along with Full Link integration and, for ease, many of the day-to- day controls like the radio – and the lap timer – are mirrored on the steering wheel. There are also two USB ports front and rear and a wireless phone charger. The ambient lighting is elegant and graceful but also practical. It flashes when a car is sitting just behind you in your blindspot.
And while this SUV really does look different, it is what is under the bonnet that makes it really stand out.
It comes at the moment with a 2.0-litre turbo- charged petrol engine with 310PS at your disposal. (There is also a 1.4-litre hybrid model and a lower- powered petrol engine is expected shortly.)
Even in Comfort mode, it performs smoothly and powerfully with very precise and responsive steering.
It is a joy to drive and, as you switch modes, quite a lot of fun too.
All in all, it will give any boy or girl racer you come across a run for their money while coping efficiently with the school run or the weekly shopping trip.
There is piles of safety equipment on board for Monday to Friday use and, when you go over to the dark side at the weekend, this demon of a car will give your fellow hellraisers a real run for their money.
The Cupra Formentor is a real devil of a car.