Ed Sheeran won big at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Budapast – landing two major awards as stars gathered to celebrate the LGBT+ community.
The British singer-songwriter opened a car boot to receive the Best Artist award before also securing the Best Song accolade for Bad Habits.
Wearing a bold print suit for the occasion, the 30-year-old opened the awards ceremony as it returned to a live in-person show after it was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image: Sheeran, 30, performing during the 2021 MTV EMAs on Sunday night
Fellow British talent Yungblud, who closed the ceremony with a fire-fuelled performance, declared his Best Alternative award as a “tribute to individualism”.
He recalled being “terrified” as a youngster to be who he wanted to be, adding: “If you are out there and you feel you cannot be who you are – you can be.
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“Keep fighting, keep being brilliant.”
Image: Yungblud gave an energetic performance during the show
US rapper Saweetie hosted the star-studded event in the Hungarian capital and also led the support for the LGBT+ community.
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She told the crowd it is “always important we respect each other” as she relaxed on a chaise longue wearing a bikini in a mock spa location – a nod to Budapest’s spa culture.
Image: British star Yungblud won Best Alternative Award
The 28-year-old star, who wore multiple different outfits throughout the show, added: “That’s why it’s so important we stand up for the LGBTQ+ community.”
MTV recently stood by the location of the awards show despite Budapest’s recent passage of legislation widely condemned as anti-LGBT+.
Image: Saweetie hosted the MTV EMA’s in Budapest on Sunday evening
Years And Years singer Olly Alexander, presenting Best Video, said of the nominees: “They all support same sex adoption as family is family.”
Image: Olly Alexander of Brit band Years And Years presents the Best Video award
South Korean boyband, BTS, snapped up four awards, including Best Pop and Best Group, while superstar Justin Bieber failed to win a single category despite leading the way with eight nominations.
Meanwhile, US rapper and singer Lil Nas X accepted the award for Montero (Call Me By Your Name) via a pre-recorded video, claiming he was having to “work his shift at Taco Bell”.
British singer and actress Rita Ora presented the Best Latin award at the event, handing it to Colombian singer Maluma.
Image: Rita Ora attended the event in Budapest and presented the Best Latin award
German-born Kim Petras became the first transgender star to perform at the awards show while Maneskin, who won the best rock category ahead of Coldplay and Foo Fighters, were among the other acts to play.
Saweetie also went from host to award winner at one point as she won Best New Category.
She thanked God and her family before praising her fans for supporting her “since I was rapping in my car”, adding: “This is just the beginning.”
Stars chatting to press on the red carpet expressed the importance of the ceremony taking place in Budapest.
OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder told the PA news agency: “It sends a huge message.
Image: Ed Sheeran performs during the EMAs
“I’m from an extremely conservative, right-wing city and family and religious community so until I was 20 I had the same kind of thoughts of like ‘Oh, that’s bad, this is good’.
“And now I’m sitting here going it’s absurd we even have to make these statements that everyone is equal and showing love and equality.
Image: Ed Sheeran posing with his awards for Best Artist and Best Song in the winners room at the event
“These are things that should have been the absolute bedrock of constitutions and humanity for the last 100 years but, you know, it takes a minute for humans to catch up and I think we’ve finally caught up.”
Northern Irish singer JC Stewart said it was a “dream come true” to attend the event and be nominated for an award, having busked outside an EMAs ceremony a decade ago.
He said: “It’s pretty crazy, it’s a dream come true for me – I busked outside the EMAs 10 years ago in Belfast so I never thought I’d be here today. It’s all a bit much in a lovely way.”
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.
He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.
Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.
Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.
Image: Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP
Image: Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.
“I wish you well on the next journey.”
The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.
Image: Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP
Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.
He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.
Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.
He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.
In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.
The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.
Bruce Springsteen is to release seven albums of mostly unheard material this summer.
The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing “everything I had in my vault” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were “records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released”.
The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June.
Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before.
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Springsteen first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: “What was lost has been found”.
Tracks II is the follow-up to the star’s first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998.
Image: Bruce Springsteen at New York’s Carnegie Hall at a tribute to Patti Smith last month. Pic: PA
The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022.
Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin.
The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks.