Have Britain's Got Talent judges found their winner?

By EMILY SHERIDAN

A little boy with a small voice: Ronan Parke, 12, received a standing ovation after his powerful rendition of Feeling Good at the London auditions of Britain's Got Talent


It's only the third week of auditions in this year's Britain's Got Talent - but it looks like the judges may have already found their winner.

Angelic schoolboy Ronan Parke was advised to 'not bother to go back to school' by Michael McIntyre after he wowed the audience at the London auditions.

The 12-year-old burst into tears when he was given three yesses after belting out a powerful rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good.


One to watch: Judges (L-R) Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden and Louis Walsh all gave Ronan the thumbs up


Emotional: The cute singer burst into tears as the judges all gave him a yes


He had taken the day off school to go the audition with his mother Maggie and father Trevor, who watched anxiously from the wings.

Despite Maggie's fears of how he would be received, the judges and the audience gave him a huge applause - making him one of the most popular acts so far this series.

Judge Michael McIntyre said: 'So you took a day off school... I wouldn’t bother going back. You’re a little star. You’ve taken a room and blown the roof off it… You’re the best we’ve seen so far.'

Guest judge Louis Walsh, who had stepped in on behalf of David Hasselhoff, said: 'I’m gonna predict really big things for you. You’re so good.'

Speaking after Ronan's audition, Walsh tipped the boy to be the breakout star of this series: 'He’s the one to beat. Little Ronan could be the winner.'


And relax: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly comfort his anxious mother Maggie



Not for the faint-hearted: Seven-year-old Olivia Binfield read a poem while her pet Boa constrictor Lucy wrapped herself around the her owner


Last chance: After years as a session musician, pub landlord Herbie Armstrong is hoping to make a name for himself as a singer/songwriter


Well we weren't expecting that: Male singing group Out Of The Blue surprised with a mash-up of Bad Romance and SexyBack


Mixed response: Martial arts and Bollywood dance trio TKD Remix, comprising of Harwinder, 25, Rajveer, 14, and Thangaes, 13, received two yesses and one np


Bizarre: Louis says he 'didn't get' a dance act based on Star Wars and Michael Jackson called Darth Dongle and the Princess



Mixed reviews: Michael and Louis disagree on an Edward Scissorhands-inspired act, leaving Amanda to decide their fate








Britains Got Talent 2011 Auditions - Out Of The Blue, click

Britain's Got Talent 2011 Auditions - Ronan Parke (Justin Bieber look a like), Click

Tracey Moran on Britain's Got Talent 2011 Week 3, Click

Britains got talent - Herbie Armstrong, Click


source: dailymail

Not very Abbey: Cart-wheeling verger carpeted by clerics after becoming wedding web sensation

By JONATHAN PETRE


The Westminster Abbey verger who became an internet sensation after cart-wheeling down the nave following the Royal Wedding has been rebuked by senior staff.

Sources at the Abbey said the man was feeling ‘fairly chastened’ after his impromptu display of acrobatics was caught on film.

Although he is unlikely to face any formal disciplinary action, Abbey staff have warned him not to speak publicly about the incident.


Flipping good time: Verger Ben Sheward lands with a smile after the wedding went without any hitches


While the Abbey has refused to identify him, sources have disclosed he is Ben Sheward, who lives in South London.

The sources said Mr Sheward is believed to have worked at the Abbey for ten years, and he has previously been pictured welcoming new choirboys by sharing sweets with them.

According to some sources, he has studied music in New Zealand and is an expert on the composer Edward Elgar.


Splendour: Only an hour earlier, the new Duchess of Cambridge was was being walked down the aisle


Mr Sheward waited until some 1,900 guests had left the Abbey before seizing his chance to cartwheel down the red carpet that William and Kate had just walked along for the first time as a married couple.

In the clip, the black-cassocked verger is shown strolling down the carpet.

As a number of apparent stragglers from the wedding service look on, he embarks on one cart-wheel, smiles, and then squeezes in at least one other before disappearing out of shot.

ITV cameras caught his antics, which were beamed to millions of viewers around the world, ensuring the unsuspecting verger became an international celebrity


Spectacle: As well as billions who saw it on TV, thousands watched the occasion from outside the Abbey


The clip had already attracted 100,000 internet hits yesterday, and comments on various websites had come from as far afield as the United States and Australia. One said: ‘I think this self-publicist should be sacked!’ Most, however, praised him.

A Westminster Abbey spokesman said: ‘The verger, like all of us, was very pleased the service had gone according to plan, and was expressing his exuberance.’ He emphasised that the incident occurred some time after the wedding had finished.


Sight to behold: Prince William and Kate emerge from the Abbey... it was enough to make one man cart-wheel


The Royal Wedding - Cartwheeling Verger


source: dailymail

Middletons go home ... £250,000 poorer: Family’s huge bill for hotel, banquets, outfits and jewellery

By ROBERT VERKAIK

All smiles: Pippa, in jeans showing off the figure that has won her fans on Facebook, leads her mother Carole, brother James and father Michael out of the Goring Hotel yesterday


After a long day and night of celebrating, the Middletons finally emerged from the five-star Goring Hotel yesterday... perhaps thinking: ‘And about time, too.’

As speculation intensifies over the family’s wealth, inquiries have revealed that the wedding has cost them at least £250,000.

The bill for the exclusive hire of the 71-room hotel near Buckingham Palace is estimated at £85,000 alone. The Royal Suite, where Kate spent her last nights as a single woman is so exclusive, it has not been officially priced.


Rear of the Year? It's already in the bag: Pippa says a final farewell before starting the journey home


But the 200-strong crowd that cheered the family outside the hotel did not detect any regrets as they headed for their chauffeur-driven car, waving and smiling.

Pippa, 27 – carrying a bag and wearing skin-tight white jeans that accentuated the derriere that has inspired many Facebook tribute sites – led out her parents Carole and Michael and younger brother James, 23.


Pricey night: The bill for the exclusive hire of the 71-room Goring Hotel is believed to cost £85,000


The family is also estimated to have paid £25,000 for two parties at the hotel. On Thursday, Kate treated 120 friends and family to a buffet. And after Friday’s ceremony, Carole and Michael hosted an extravagant wedding party for a wider circle. Beluga caviar on The Goring restaurant menu is £400 for 100g while a bottle of Dom Perignon can cost £1,530.

Even if some Middleton guests paid for their rooms and the family secured a discount they will still be facing a bill approaching £100,000.

Last night the hotel said the terms of the booking were private. Kate’s bridal gown, designed by Sarah Burton, is said to have cost up to £40,000. Carole’s outfit by Catherine Walker would have cost £10,000 and Pippa’s dress, also by Sarah Burton, about £20,000.

Kate’s earrings, from Robinson Pelham, are believed to have set her parents back £15,000. A pendant and earrings for Carole, earrings for Pippa and gold tie sticks for Michael and James cost about £30,000.

The bridal shoes, designed at Alexander McQueen, and bridal flowers would have cost at least £3,000. Morning suits for Michael and James, by Gieves & Hawkes, would have cost £10,000. The Middletons would have also paid for suits and dresses for the evening, costing up to £20,000.


My hat: Mr Middleton loses his topper as he exits the bride's Rolls-Royce



Proud moment: The father of the bride looks on as Prince William is joined by Kate at the altar

source: dailymail

Her Royal Hotness will be next to wed...

By SARAH OLIVER and KATIE NICHOLL

'Very close': Pippa Middleton last month in the arms of her 30-year-old City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon


It was the day Royal Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton dazzled the world in a dress that left very little to the imagination . . . but it emerged that she may have kept something secret after all.

For it seems that Carole and Michael’s second daughter is engaged in all but name to her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon.

The couple have stayed silent about the future of their relationship for fear of detracting attention from William and Kate.


Catching Harry's eye: Pippa and the Prince on the Palace balcony. He had already walked arm-in-arm with her down the Abbey aisle


The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Harry, who flirtatiously walked her arm-in-arm back down the aisle after the wedding ceremony, were two of her most immediate admirers in the Abbey. Outside, her appearance ignited the blogosphere and almost led to the crash of Twitter. In America and Australia too, Pippa was declared a knockout.

Those in the Abbey who watched her arrival thought just one thing – that Pippa looked smoking-hot in what was probably the kind of dress Kate would have chosen if she had been a Bucklebury bride and not marrying into the House of Windsor.


We are amused: Pippa pulls a face as a beaming Harry makes a wisecrack


But the revelation of the day was not just what a wonderful rear view Pippa offers – her bottom now has its own internet appreciation society, which already had 54,000 members last night – it was her polish, her self-possession, her grace and her diligence towards her sister.

Just as the fraternal bonds between William and Harry were plain to see, the Middleton girls seemed to have a powerful, loving link, with Pippa the best supporting actress in her sister’s romantic drama.


Pippa with Alex on Bond Street where tailors Ede and Ravenscroft was closed to the public while he was fitted for his suit for the wedding


Much has been written about Kate, already the subject of several biographies, but what do we know of Pippa? Philippa Charlotte Middleton is Carole and Michael Middleton’s second daughter (she is 27 to Kate’s 29) and their middle child. She was not even at school when her parents founded their company, Party Pieces, on which they would build the family’s financial and social success.

She lived the first ten years of her life in a four-bedroom Victorian villa in Bradfield Southend, Berkshire, before the family moved in 1995 to the mansion where they remain today, two miles away in the village of Bucklebury.

Like her sister, Pippa attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire before following in her footsteps to a Scottish university. But while Kate chose St Andrews, where she met her Prince, Pippa selected the party town of Edinburgh.


Without overstepping the mark, he managed to deliver just enough of his trademark cheeky charm to add a youthful sparkle to the day


Chelsy may have been back with him for the big day, but there's no wedding on the horizon for them


source: dailymail

Same place, same pose... but two very different stories

By POLLY DUNBAR

Happy: William and Kate surrounded by, clockwise bottom right, The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Pettifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton


The echoes of a Royal wedding from an earlier era are difficult to ignore.

The backdrop is the same: the opulent red-and-gold decor of the grand Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. And the mischievous smiles on the faces of some of the bridesmaids and page boys – and endearingly bewildered expressions on the others – are strikingly similar.


The 1981 wedding party. From back, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Diana and Charles, Edward van Cutsem; front: Lord Nicholas Windsor, Clementine Hambro, Catherine Cameron, India Hicks, Sarah-Jane Gaselee and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones


But, 30 years after the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, the official wedding picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton also reflects the differences between the two couples' relationships.

The photograph of Charles and Diana, taken by Patrick Lichfield, seemed to capture a moment of spontaneous informality, with the wedding party collapsing in a fit of giggles. But, as we now know, the warmth was not reflected in the marriage itself.

By contrast, Kate and William's picture, by photographer Hugo Burnand, appears more formal, despite little Tom Pettifer's insistence on leaning in as close to the bride as possible.


Full of joy and not a care in the world: William and Kate smile broadly as they stand arm-in-arm in the official wedding album


Despite the organised nature of their shot, they look relaxed, their smiles unforced, and her hand rests on his knee.

Mario Testino may have received praise for his engagement portraits of William and Kate, but their choice of Hugo Burnand to take their official wedding pictures has cemented the latter's status as the Royal Family's favourite photographer.

Mr Burnand, 47, has been entrusted with capturing many of the Royals' most important occasions in recent years, including Prince Charles's 60th birthday and his marriage to Camilla. He has also won the respect of the Queen and Princes William and Harry after taking their pictures on previous occasions.


The family photo: Front row left to right is Grace van Cutsem, Eliza Lopes, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Louise Windsor, William Lowther-Pinkerton. Back Row left to right is Tom Pettifer, Camilla, Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate, Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, James Middleton and Philippa Middleton


Mr Burnand, 47, has been entrusted with capturing many of the Royals' most important occasions in recent years


source: dailymail

Whisked away by helicopter... but Wills's back to work on Tuesday

By IAN GALLAGHER

Newly-weds: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace as they prepare to board a helicopter to fly off on their honeymoon


Honeymoon postponed to a later date

Couple staying in an undisclosed location in Britain, possibly Scotland

The Middletons return to their quiet country home in Berkshire


She awoke at Buckingham Palace a Princess, the first day of a new life that must have once been impossible to contemplate.


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk hand in hand after a lavish bash for 300 people on Friday night


After a light breakfast, the new Duchess of Cambridge emerged from the garden entrance of the Queen’s official residence still on a high, and still wearing the joyous smile that bewitched billions on Friday.

The couple are thought to have spent their first night as man and wife in the ground-floor Belgian Suite of the Palace, which is traditionally reserved for visiting heads of state.


Day of joy: The newly-weds thanked Buckingham Palace footmen and spoke briefly to the pilot before boarding the helicopter


As they strolled hand-in-hand along a gravel path and out on to the lawn, they were bathed in bright sunshine.

Wearing a light blue dress, dark jacket and platform shoes, the same ones she wore at the Goring Hotel on her last night as a commoner, Kate giggled at Prince William’s asides and looked relaxed and confident.

They had wanted a people’s wedding, with limited pomp, and in keeping with that unfussy spirit William announced his intention to go straight back to work.


Taking flight: The Queen's helicopter, a maroon Sikorsky with its own crest, takes the Royal couple from Buckingham Palace to a secret location to 'unwind'


It came as a surprise. Sources had previously indicated that the couple would jet off immediately for a two-week break, somewhere ‘hot and sunny’

But postponing the honeymoon to a later date, William, who wore his trademark chinos, light blue shirt and navy jacket, will now return to his job as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot on Anglesey, probably as early as Tuesday.

Saturday night, however, the couple were staying at an undisclosed location in Britain, possibly Scotland, where they planned to ‘unwind’ over the long weekend.


Maid of honour Pippa Middleton, brother James and their mother Carole emerge from the Goring Hotel on Saturday after Friday night's wedding celebration


Shortly after the happy couple left the Palace, Kate’s family checked out of the exclusive Goring Hotel nearby, posing briefly for photographs in their casual clothes.

Kate’s father Michael told the gathered crowd: ‘We had a wonderful time.’

The family then returned to their quiet country home in Chapel Row, near Bucklebury, Berkshire. The village has been bedecked with Union Jacks and bunting as the residents held their own wedding festivities.


Party's over: The scaffolding is removed from the Goring Hotel, central London after the Middleton's departed on Saturday afternoon


Memorial: Kate's wedding bouquet was returned to lie on the tomb of the unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey - a tradition for all Royal brides


Busy day at the Abbey: Tourists flock to Westminster Abbey on Saturday where the trees are still in place after the Royal Wedding on Friday


Clear-up: Cleaners sweep up rubbish left behind outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday after Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated their marriage on Friday


Sleepy: Guests leave the Buckingham Palace party. The guests started to depart at 11pm on Friday and the last left at 3am on Saturday

source: dailymail

The universe's reaction to the royal wedding

By TOM LEONARD

Coming to a halt: Despite the early start, thousands gathered in New York's Times Square to watch the ceremony on the big screens


Proudly republican America predictably led the charge as the world celebrated the royal wedding with wall-to-wall media coverage and celebrations as far away as Antarctica and even outer space.

The event drew an estimated two billion television viewers around the world, with many broadcasters scheduling royal-themed programmes long into the day.

Some of the biggest names in US broadcasting, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer, had decamped to London in an operation comparable in scale to a presidential election.


Big fans: Mardi Cockburn, left, and Margo Flewelling hold up their flag showing the Royal couple at Old Government House in Fredericton, New Brunswick


Personal greeting: These astronauts at the International Space Station sent a celebratory message to the couple


Molly Davis, left, and Amanda D'Aquila joined the large crowd in Times Square to watch the royal wedding on the screens


Aided by squads of British analysts, they provided American viewers with advice on such crucial etiquette questions as who will now courtesy to whom as well as the inevitable minute dissections of the wedding dress.

The royal theme continued on many channels with daytime show hosts and audiences alike wearing hats and tiaras in studios kitted out in Union flags and suits of armour.


Better weather than London: Under cloudless skies, hundreds of Britons watched a live broadcast of the ceremony on a beach in the Gulf emirate of Dubai


The ABC network even found their own all-American William and Kate to marry on air. However, the presenters on the American morning talk show The View marred the celebrations with controversial comments.

Comedian Joy Behar said the Queen had dressed like a 'bumble bee' while comedian Sherri Shepherd asked 'where are all the black people?'

There were wedding parties, often accompanied by full English breakfast, across the US.

Hundreds gathered in New York’s Times Square, waving Union flags and wearing fancy hats, to watch on a giant TV screen.


In the swing of things: These four Brits model masks of the Royal family as others watch events unfold at Westminster Abbey


'It brought tears to my eyes,' said Heather Mauro, 28, an occupational therapist. 'Everything was perfect, prim and proper, just like the English do.'

More than 250 guests wore prince and princess attire to watch the event in the wedding pavilion at Walt Disney World in Florida.

About 220 miles above Earth, NASA broadcast TV coverage of the royal wedding live to the international space station where the crew watched it and sent a congratulatory message to the couple.


Party time: Members of the 4SCOTS pose with a wedding cake (and the happy couple) made by army caterers in Helmand province


Time out: Soldiers from across the Army took time off from their duties in Kabul, Afghanistan, to enjoy a drink during the wedding ceremony


Cheers! Expatriates raise a glass to the Duke and Duchess as they watch the wedding on a TV in Kabul


Down in Antarctica, British scientists battled outside in high winds to toast them at the Halley survey station.

France could have been expected to be more lukewarm, especially given the Sarkozys’ absence from the guest list.

But despite complaints from L’Express newspaper that ‘not one Frenchie is invited to the wedding of the century’, the Gallic media gave the wedding top billing with all major TV channels providing live coverage.


Fancy dress: One reveller in Sydney, Australia, used the occasion to don their best Prince Charles mask


Wedding reception: Dressed in their best dresses, crowns and other royal theme costumes, party-goers at Sydney's Lord Dudley hotel, react as they watch the wedding


Dressed for the occasion: People drink champagne from the bottle as they concentrate on the wedding at the Palace Theatre in Ontario, Canada


Something to remember: These two women take photos of others at an early morning breakfast at a hotel in Nova Scotia


Union flags and pictures of William and Kate dominated front pages with Le Figaro offering a 79-page supplement entitled “So British”.

In Italy, there was rolling coverage of the wedding both on state and commercial TV, with four channels broadcasting live from London.



Big screen event: Franziska von Bergmann, Marlies Koepke and Jennifer Tapp follow the wedding in a cinema in Munich


We remember the last one: Elderly residents of this retirement home in Hamburg watch events unfold on the TV


Tear-jerker: Two women can barely contain their delight as they watch the wedding at a shopping centre in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong


In one of countless ex-pat wedding parties around the globe, British residents of Rome gathered to watch events on a giant TV screen and eat specially-made Sicilian chocolates decorated with images of the couple.

In Germany, wedding fans had to take the day off to watch it as employers enforced a strict ban on following it on workplace TVs and computers.

Bild newspaper bemoaned the sorry state of German nobility on its front page, pointing out the '25 most embarrassing' to its readers and asking; 'Why don't we have royals like the Windsors?'


Not missing out: These British tourists in the Turkish city of Aydin watched the ceremony in a local cafe


Patriotic: Three women show off their Union Flag dresses and William and Kate bags in a pub in Aydin


Formal affair: British Ambassador to Romania Martin Harris and his family watch the Royal Wedding at the British embassy


At Tsinghua University in China nearly 200 couples tied the knot at a collective wedding ceremony that coincided with events in London.

The international joy was not universal. The Iranian state news channel groused that the “people of this monarchical country” were having to pay for the "most expensive" royal wedding in British history at a time of “economic stagnation”.

It added: 'The people of this country are forced to work around-the-clock so that princesses can pile up cash.'


source: dailymail