Latest news with #Bimini
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bimini gives Rolling Stone UK their rundown of top queer artists for Pride Month
Happy Pride Month from all of us at Rolling Stone UK! We've decided to mark the occasion by handing our platform over to Bimini. We all know them as the breakout star of RuPaul's Drag Race, but it goes without saying they've done so much more since then, including a successful foray into music which included 2023's When The Party Ends EP. So, to mark Pride, who better than to guide us through some of the UK's leading Queer musical artists? Over to you, Bimini! Big Wett doesn't just push boundaries, they show up with a wrecking ball and smash the entire binary. From the moment they hit the scene it was clear this wasn't pop as usual. This was sweaty, sex-positive, femme-fronted rebellion with a bassline. Big Wett makes music that sounds like a chaotic night out where you end up on someone's shoulders, lipstick smeared, screaming the lyrics with your top half off and your whole heart out. It's a full-body experience filthy in the best way but underpinned by a cheeky, clever sensibility that flips the male gaze on its head. They've taken this deliciously dirty DIY pop energy and turned it into a movement one that says sexuality can be absurd, loud, joyful, and political. Big Wett isn't just performing they're liberating the dancefloor one horny, glorious track at a time. Kiimi exists in that sweet, rare space where technical brilliance meets emotional depth. They're a classically trained musician who traded scores for synths and thank the rave gods they did. There's something almost celestial about the way they build tracks glitchy, haunting, cinematic, then suddenly plunging into pulsating, chest-rattling drops that feel like therapy through BPM. Their sound is duality delicate and destructive. It makes you want to throw your head back and sob under a strobe light. But it's more than just music it's healing architecture. And as a non-binary producer in a space that's long been hyper-masculine and gatekept, Kiimi is quietly but radically reshaping who gets to make the noise and what that noise can say. Artful, emotive, and defiantly expansive. What Rebecca Black has done is nothing short of cultural reclamation. She went from being the internet's punchline to becoming a defiant queer icon, and not through apology or rebranding, but by owning the chaos and flipping the script. Her hyperpop renaissance isn't just catchy it's cathartic. It screams 'You thought you knew me? Watch this.' Her vocals have matured into something wild and elastic, dancing across glitchy production with a kind of empowered theatricality that gives shades of Charli XCX, but with a revenge-arc edge. And let's not forget this is someone who was dragged globally at 13. Now she's dropping bangers in latex, collaborating with queers across the genre, and proving that resilience can be art. This isn't a story about just surviving, bitch she thrived. That's punk. I. JORDAN's music doesn't ask for permission it grabs your hand and drags you to the dancefloor. Their sound is urgent, sweaty, bright and explosive, like being chased through a neon maze of joy and rage. But beneath the rave chaos, there's precision. You can feel the structure the tension and release, the political bite buried under euphoric highs. They remixed mine and ABSOLUTE. tune Keep On Dancing and injected it with this turbo-charged queer stamina that makes you want to march, scream, kiss, and spin all at once. And culturally? I. JORDAN is walking the talk. Their openness about identity, their refusal to box themselves in, and their commitment to accessibility in dance spaces is as much a part of the work as the beats themselves. This is music as resistance raw, radical, and real. Before most people knew the term 'queer techno revival,' ABSOLUTE. was already leading the charge. Their journey from underground London clubs to international festival stages has been built on pure vision, community power, and that unmistakable sixth sense behind the decks. When ABSOLUTE. plays it's not just a DJ set it's a sermon in sweat, ecstasy, and queer transcendence. There's an emotional arc to their sound hard yet hopeful, relentless yet healing. And just when you think they've peaked they surprise you. Their project Night Maneuvers with Dot Major? That's them again pushing forward blending club euphoria with live performance in a way that reimagines what rave culture can look and feel like. They aren't just serving beats they're curating emotional awakenings. Queer liberation but make it four to the floor. Geo Jordan is what happens when soul, identity, and production collide in all the right ways. Their work doesn't just sound good it feels important. Geo's sonic world is tender but tough, rooted in R&B and electronic textures, but pushed into something altogether more fluid and futuristic. Their new music (which I am lucky enough to have HEARD before it's released) It's genreless in the most beautiful way. Their voice floats over minimalist beats like a balm soft, aching, purposeful. But it's not just about the sound it's the message. Geo is creating space for trans joy, trans grief, and everything in between. Their art isn't performance it's a practice. They're not just making music they're making room for people to feel seen. In an industry that still sidelines Black queer voices, Geo is offering something rare vulnerability that doesn't beg for approval, but demands to be heard. Jaguar – has always had that presence that makes you lean in. For years she was the tastemaker and gatekeeper of the underground, championing queer talent, Black excellence, and femme-forward dance music on BBC Introducing and beyond. She curated the soundtrack for our sweaty late-night liberation before most people even knew her name. But now she is flipping the mic on herself and thank God for that. Her move into releasing her own music feels less like a pivot and more like an ascension. It gives range, rage, and renaissance. Her voice cuts through you. It is soul and steel all at once. One moment you are dancing and the next you are spiralling about your ex. Jaguar does not just sing she channels. Her sound holds space for softness and strength, emotion and euphoria, and the result is a beautifully femme, powerfully queer spiritual experience in club form. The scene is better because she is in it and now that she is on the mic too there is no stopping her. She is a true force and we are lucky to witness the glow up and the takeover. Bentley isn't writing breakup songs he's scoring full pop operas of emotional destruction and post-heartache glamour. Think if Robyn made out with Troye Sivan in the bathroom of a glitter-covered gay club at 3am that's the vibe. His voice glides across tracks with this perfect mix of heartbreak and hedonism, sadness and sass. He's taken what could have been trauma and turned it into a disco ball. Bentley is unapologetically pop but make it flesh and blood pop. And in a time where queer male artists are still often boxed into clichés, Bentley's showing you can be emotional and extra, damaged and divine. His songs don't just slap they validate. Heartbreak has never sounded so anthemic or looked so good in thigh-high boots.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Glastonbury 2025: post your questions for drag legend Bimini
Roll up, roll up! This year you can find the Guardian's ringleaders – OK, interviewers – from Friday through to Sunday at noon on the Astrolabe stage, with cracking conversation between culture's most exciting minds and our journalists Zoe Williams and Miranda Sawyer. On Saturday, get up close and magical with the illusionist formerly known as Dynamo, AKA Steven Frayne, fresh from his 47-date residency in Soho. Here's hoping he can magic away any lurking rain clouds. Then on Sunday, it's garage-rock rapscallions Pete Doherty and Carl Barât of the Libertines, who'll be talking to us before they dash off to their Pyramid stage performance. Kicking things off on Friday, Bimini will be charting their rise from their breakout moment on RuPaul's Drag Race in 2021 to being a multi-hyphenate punk-drag storyteller – pop artist, podcaster, published author, you name it. The Great Yarmouth-born, non-binary fashionista has become a key advocate of activism through drag and for the LGBTQIA+ community. Expect a frank conversation featuring their trademark wit, as they discuss anything from the power of drag and life outside the gender binary to how to pull off the best festival fit and look fierce in the shower queue. Want to hear their hot takes? Let us know! Please post your questions in the comments section below and the best will get asked on stage. And if you can't be on the front row this year, you'll be able to read what happened – and what our guests got grilled with – later on the Guardian's website.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hooters Girls from Alabama and Florida deliver school supplies to Bimini
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Hooters employees from the Gulf Coast recently visited two schools in Bimini, Bahamas, to deliver some much-needed supplies. Mobile mom gives birth in hospital parking lot The trip served a dual purpose: to help school children and to shoot the 2026 Hooters Calendar. Hooters Girls — the restaurant chain's waitresses, known for their bright orange shorts, tight white shirts and upbeat personalities — who made the trip represented restaurants in Pensacola Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin and Mobile. The women visited and , where they donated items requested by each school's principal. Participants included Alyssa Vargas (Pensacola Beach, Florida), Lauren Broussard (Pensacola Beach, Florida), Emiko Young (Panama City Beach, Florida), Breanna Keene (Mobile, Alabama) and Jada Fretwell (Destin, Florida), according to a news release. The team delivered an air conditioning unit, three microwaves, three water coolers, and a bubble machine to Bimini Primary School. They also handed out popsicles to the children. They distributed hygiene kits, a printer, copier and scanner with ink, and a bubble machine to Gateway Christian Academy. They also served cotton candy for the school's annual Autism Awareness Fundraiser. The women work for Hooters Bayou Fox, which owns and operates five restaurant locations in Florida and Alabama, according to a spokesperson for the chain. 'This year, the Bayou Fox Hooters employees from Mobile, Pensacola Beach, Panama City Beach, and Destin joined the Hooters Girls from South Florida for the calendar shoots and giving back to the schools in Bimini,' Carly Dockery of Hooters Bayou Fox said. 'This is the first time the ladies had the chance to travel to and explore Bimini,' Dockery said. 'The visit to both schools during our calendar shoots in Bimini was the highlight of the trip for our group. Everyone enjoyed spending time with the children and the opportunity to hand-deliver our donations of items that the schools needed. This was no one-off for the chain, which regularly finds ways to help others. 'We love being part of this community, and giving back is something we're really passionate about,' Dockery said. 'Over the past year, our Hooters Girls have helped feed the homeless through local ministry partnerships, dropped off meals to first responders and teachers, and supported youth sports by sponsoring school athletic teams.' And that's not all. 'Every back-to-school season, we organize backpack drop-offs at local schools so families who need a little extra help can still send their kids to class with everything they need,' Dockery said. 'And when the holidays roll around, we host Christmas events to make sure local children wake up to presents under the tree and food on the table — because every kid deserves to feel that Christmas magic. A recent highlight, Dockery said, was presenting the first Truck Show at Hooters of Destin, 'raising money for local causes while having a great time with our community.' 'The Hooters Calendar is one of our favorite traditions in the Gulf Coast — it celebrates the amazing women who represent the brand both in the restaurants and in their communities,' Dockery said. To be considered, 'girls must be current Hooters employees and true standouts — role models who live the Hooters values both on and off the clock,' she said. The , according to the chain's website, boil down to one acronym: S.E.R.V.E. And that stands for: Show You Care Elevate the Spirit Respect Everyone Value Feedback Exceed Expectations So, how does a Hooters Girl get selected for the brand's famous calendar? 'Typically, photographers select girls based on submitted photos, but this year we took a different route,' Dockery said. 'We invited the top three winners from our local Hooters pageant, one girl from Mobile, Panama City Beach, and Pensacola Beach Hooters. 'We also selected two more top team members from our Pensacola Beach and Destin locations who go above and beyond every day.' So, why did Hooters choose to help schools in the Bahamas? 'Bimini Primary School and Gateway Christian School were selected 10 years ago, as part of Hooters of South Florida's desire to give back to a small island community we loved,' Kristi Quarles of Hooters of South Florida said. 'The donations to the local schools added the opportunity for Hooters Girls to see the impact of that support and receive thanks in the form of smiles and hugs from the children.' She noted that the schools' needs guided each donation. 'At Bimini Primary School, there is no cafeteria; the children bring their breakfast and lunch from home. They were in need of microwaves to reheat their meals,' Quarles said. 'The drinking water in Bimini is brought to the island in large barrels, and the machines to dispense (it) were needed so each classroom had their own. 'The AC was requested as the unit had recently died in one classroom and that specific teacher was VERY grateful!' As for Gateway Christian, its 'printer, scanner and photocopier had recently died; it was requested along with the hygiene kits for their middle school children,' Quarles said. Giving back didn't end with the contribution to the two schools. In fact, the calendar itself supports a cause. $1 from every Hooters Calendar sold goes to the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund, according to a spokesperson for the chain. It's a part of 'Give a Hoot' fundraising efforts planned for October. Kelly Jo Dowd was an original Hooters girl and the 1995 Hooters Calendar Cover Girl, who died from breast cancer in 2007. In 2024, the 'Give a Hoot' fundraiser netted $605,112 for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, according to the chain's website. 'The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano,' the organization's website states. Valvano was a 'legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach, ESPN commentator and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,' as the website states. And the V Foundation's funds go a long way. '… Because the V Foundation has an endowment to cover administrative expenses, 100% of direct donations is awarded to cancer research and programs,' the website states. So, whether the Hooters Girls are serving chicken wings and cold beers, boosting the spirits of those in need, or posing for the calendar that ultimately helps people with cancer, one thing is certain, Dockery said. ACAP third-grade test results released — how Baldwin and Mobile schools scored (complete list) 'No matter what the event is,' she said, 'our girls always show up ready to serve — not just wings, but smiles, support, and a whole lot of heart.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Countdown's Rachel Riley, Amandaland's Lucy Punch and McFly's Dougie Poynter take on SHARKS in outrageous new reality series that makes I'm A Celeb look tame as full line-up revealed
Countdown's Rachel Riley, Amandaland's Lucy Punch and McFly 's Dougie Poynter are set to take on sharks in an outrageous new reality series that makes I'm A Celebrity look tame. Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters is due to hit our screens next year on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. The new series, which will coincide with 50th anniversary of Jaws, will see a bunch of famous faces, who are terrified of the sea, face their fears head on by taking a plunge surrounded by the scary predators. Filming will take place in Bimini in the Bahamas - where 7-10 different types of sharks live on the island. The celebrities who are confirmed to take part are Rachel, 39, Lucy, 47, Dougie, 37, Ade Adepitan, 52, Helen George, 40, Sir Lenny Henry, 66, and Ross Noble, 48. The official press release states: 'The show will dare a group of ocean-phobic celebrities to confront their greatest fear – sharks. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the. The line-up of the brand new reality TV show Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters has been revealed - and it's due to hit our screens soon 'Throughout their adrenaline-fueled, challenge-heavy journey in the Bahamas – the shark capital of the world – these A-listers will push past their limits to come nose to nose with nature's 'villains.' 'Their firsthand experiences will provide immeasurable excitement and new perspective. 'They'll come to appreciate sharks' valuable place on the food chain and in our ecosystem, recognizing that a world devoid of these notoriously terrifying creatures is downright frightening. 'Those taking part will be getting up close and personal with a number of different breeds of sharks throughout filming.' Head of Factual Entertainment at Plimsoll Productions, Karen Plumb, said: 'The team at Plimsoll is uniquely positioned to pioneer this format that blends conservation with wildly entertaining pop culture. 'We're constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin – delivering 50 years after Jaws – will transform the world's perception of these critical predators before it's too late.' Head of Entertainment Commissioning ITV, Katie Rawcliffe, said: 'We're super excited to be combining the work of Plimsoll - a Blue Chip natural history production company - with the expertise of ITV Entertainment. 'SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters promises to be a once in a lifetime challenge for some of the bravest celebrities out there.' Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters is due to hit our screens next year on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player Rachel is best known for presenting Countdown. She joined the show as the numbers expert in 2009. Meanwhile Lucy has appeared in various films and TV shows over the years. However she's arguably best known for appearing in Motherland, Amandaland. Film wise she's had roles in Hot Fuzz, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Ella Enchanted. Dougie has been part of boyband McFly since they joined forces in 2003. Some of their best songs include Five Colours in Her Hair, Obviously, Star Girl, Shine a Light and I'll Be OK. Ade is known for being a TV presenter and wheelchair basketball player. He's landed roles in Desperados, Casualty and Freight, but also presented the likes of Xchange and the Paralympic Games. The star has also won gold at the Paralympic World Cup for the Men's wheelchair basketball in 2005, as well as various other medals in the Paralympic Games and Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. Meanwhile Helen is best known for playing Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife. She's also played characters in the likes of Hollyoaks, Hotel Babylon, The Three Musketeers and D.I Ray. Comedian Lenny has been a well-known face in the industry since the 70s. He will be joined by another funnyman Ross, who has starred in TV shows such as Have I Got News For You.
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Brit comedy legend, boyband star and Strictly contestant sign up for ITV's new SHARK attack reality show
ITV have confirmed the line-up for its new SHARK attack reality show - including a comedy legend, boyband star and Strictly contestant. Titled SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters, the programme will see a group of famous faces encountering different types of sharks. 9 9 9 9 Among those taking up the challenge will be comedy icon Sir Lenny Henry, McFly 's Dougie Poynter and Countdown star Rachel Riley. Rounding out the line-up are Ade Adepitan, Helen George, Ross Noble and Lucy Punch. These ocean-phobic stars will be tasked with diving alongside different types of shark - as breeds get bigger and bigger each time. It will air to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Oscar-winning film Jaws. Filming will take place on Bimini, an island in The Bahamas, which is home to shark types such as Hammerheads, Bull sharks and Tiger sharks. The Sun first revealed news of the jaw-dropping reality show last year. At the time, the programme was in its early stages and no one had been cast yet. SAS: Who Dares Wins and I'm A Celebrity's Bushtucker trials out the water. A source said at the time: 'Shark! Celebrity Infested Water will literally do what it says on the tin but in the most jaw-dropping way possible. 'Very few people have the guts to scuba dive, never mind swim with sharks but a group of celebrities will be called on to do just that. Ade Adepitan meets baby elephants in Nairobi orphanage for BBC One doc Our Changing Planet ITV also hoped to book a high-profile naturalist to provide a voiceover and convey a marine conservation message. Karen Plumb, Head of Factual Entertainment, Plimsoll Productions, said previously: 'The team at Plimsoll is uniquely positioned to pioneer this format that blends conservation with wildly entertaining pop culture "We're constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin – delivering 50 years after Jaws – will transform the world's perception of these critical predators before it's too late.' Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning ITV commented: 'We're super excited to be combining the work of Plimsoll - a Blue Chip natural history production company - with the expertise of ITV Entertainment. "SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters promises to be a once in a lifetime challenge for some of the bravest celebrities out there.' SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters is coming soon to ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. 9 9 9 9 9
