Robbie Williams has commissioned paintings of his dead dogs The Angels hitmaker - who shares his Los Angeles home with wife Ayda Field and seven canine companions - has commemorated his deceased pooches with artwork depicting the animals in Tudor c...
British singer Robbie Williams has been accused of encouraging hugely susceptible youngsters to gamble by launching his own poker site The Take That star has come under fire from British Member of Parliament Tessa Munt who claims the official Robbie Wi...
Robbie Williams is planning to splash out on a life-size sculpture of his wife The Take That star wants a statue of actress Ayda Field for the garden of his Mulholland Drive home in Los Angeles and has even made plans to follow it up with sculptures...
Robbie Williams has reportedly made plans to splurge on statues of his wife Ayda Field and their dogs for the garden of the couple's Mulholland Drive home in Los Angeles.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Sonntag, 29. Mai 2011
THERE were tears in his eyes as he spoke to the 56,000 screaming fans. Surely it was one of the most anticipated moments in pop history.
"Twenty years in the making, 15 years in the waiting, five years deliberating," he declared. "Ladies and gentlemen - the Take That show."
Robbie Williams was back with his boys. And to say the crowd went bonkers is a gross understatement.
When the band split in 1995 I was seven years old and owned just one of their albums.
Until Friday night the only time I'd heard Take That sing as a five-piece was on their Greatest Hits album or watching old TV footage.
But when Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen AND Robbie Williams took to the stage for the first time on tour together in 15 years I was screaming as loudly as any of the women who were there the first time around.
There was some doubt from old fans - and new ones too - how Robbie would slot back into Take That.
Would he be overshadowed by the band since his solo career floundered or would his big personality and even bigger stage presence overshadow Take That?
Interestingly, Gary, Howard, Jason and Mark first emerged on stage as a four-piece. So far so good, with classic tracks including Rule The World and Greatest Day. They'd clearly been raiding the dressing-up box, too: Indian headdresses, giant moving caterpillars, dancing trees, roller-skating bees and giant bubbles.
And then... The Robster came bursting back with a bang. Literally. He soared from above on a giant glass hand while fireworks exploded.
Boy, was he back!
The trademark snarl and swagger were bigger than ever. And he didn't let us down with his cheeky-chappy persona either.
Poking fun at injunctions - despite bandmate Howard taking one out last year - Robbie ad-libbed: "Which one's fat and which one's gay? My money is on J.
"I've just done some coke and I've s****ed a whore, that's what a super-injuction is for."
He wowed us with five of his solo hits, including Let Me Entertain You, before the moment we'd all been waiting for... all five reunited on stage. Their historic return was marked with The Flood - above a cascading wall of water complete with acrobats-cum-rock climbers.
But the water supply could easily have been provided by the crowd as over-emotional fans hugged each other and sobbed with delight.
The boys had even brought a sixth member with them - a 20-metre tall robotic man. It really had to be seen to be believed. I've been to all the biggest pop shows in the last few years - Lady GaGa, Beyonce, JLS, Britney - but none have come close.
Never could the words of '95 hit Back For Good be more poignant. "And we'll be together, this time is forever..." Like all their fans, I really hope those words stay true.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Samstag, 28. Mai 2011
Robbie Williams takes up yoga
Robbie Williams has been using yoga to battle his nerves ahead of Take That's tour.
The singer - who rejoined the band last year, 15 years after he first walked out on the group- famously suffers from crippling stage fright but has taken up some calming hobbies to help with his nerves ahead of the stadium shows, which begin in Sunderland, North East England, on Saturday.
A source close to the star told the Daily Mirror newspaper: 'Rob suffers from crippling anxiety and has been worried about the lads' forthcoming concerts. A pal suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent up energy and handle stress more effectively.'
Robbie has reportedly been attending Bikram yoga sessions for the last three months, which see him strike a number of meditative poses in a room heated to 40 degrees centigrade.
The source added: 'After a couple of sessions he was hooked - and sweating like a wildebeest. While the others have stuck to the gym or pool, Robbie's been using meditation and yoga to help his stage fright and to keep sane on tour.'
The 'Rock DJ' hitmaker - who is joined in the group by Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jason Orange - previously admitted he started to get stage fright after touring for excessive amounts of time as a solo artist.
He said: 'I'm not the kind of person who can do nine months. I can do two months solid, not a problem. But nine months - I'm not built for it. I go loopy.
'But mentally, all I'm projecting is very positive, all I can see is it being healthy and happy and an amazing show.'
Mark has also admitted he recently suffered a bout of stage fright ahead of the shows, in support of the band's 'Progress' album.
He said: 'A few weeks ago I had a pre-tour panic, a bit of a meltdown, which I went through for a couple of days. I wasn't getting much sleep, but I came through the other end and I've been all right since.'
The group will play 36 stadium shows across Europe, ending on July 29 in Germany.
A capacity crowd witnessed history in the making last night as Robbie Williams rejoined Take That in Sunderland for the opening night of their Progress Tour. KAREN WESTCOTT reports.
THERE were two towering statues, fireworks, shooting flames and even cascading water, but in the end all they really wanted to see - and sing along with - was Take That.
In one of the most eagerly anticipated shows for decades, Robbie Williams reunited with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald to leave 54,654 screaming fans baying for more in this
Stadium of Light spectacular.
Fans fortunate enough to witness Take That's Circus Tour - which also kicked off in Sunderland in 2009 - were adamant last night had eclipsed even that.
The North-East crowd were left in no doubt that the show - the first of four at the Stadium of Light - was the place to be.
By the end of the UK leg of the Progress Tour - the first since 1995 to feature Williams - the band will have played to around 1.5m people.
The four regular Take That members made an undramatic entrance on stage at 8.30pm but as the night wore on the show became more and more awesome.
Bursting into song, they instantly had everyone on their feet, singing every word of every song for the rest of the night.
They began with Rule The World, and their initial five song set included Greatest Day and Shine.
"Sunderland this could be the greatest night of our life", said Gary. "It's brilliant to be here."
They left the stage and the crowd - consisting of children, parents grandparents and largely 40 somethings - chanted for Robbie.
He emerged from a giant screen and shouted: "Sunderland can you feel me. It's fantastic to be back on stage. The last time was 2006."
He launched into Let Me Entertain You and after completing five songs he was joined by the others. Then together, once more, Take That entertained with both old favourites and songs from the new
Progress album.
One of the highlights was Relight My Fire.
The set was incredible - with one of the giant statues steadily moving out from the stage into the centre of the arena as the show progressed - arms outstretched, almost like the Angel of the
North.
Grown women, complete with face paint, deeley boppers, banners and feather boas came close to tears and screamed like teenagers.
Tracey Jones, 40, from the Eastbourne area of Darlington, had queued in the snow in the early hours back in November when the tickets went on sale.
"I did not think the Circus Tour could be bettered but this is brilliant. It's completely different , you can't compare it," she added. "Robbie's presence was fantastic."
Abbie Bell, 12 of Haughton, Darlington, was with her nanna Caroline King, 57, who lives near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
Of the 30 children in Abbie's class at Longfield School, 20 have tickets to see one of Take That's Sunderland shows.
"It's absolutely fabulous. I think Robbie Williams singing has been the best bit so far," said Abbie." I totally love Angels."
Julie Mather, 49, a nurse, of Aycliffe Village, said: "It's spine tingling. I can't speak, I'm speechless."
And Eileen Lee, 43, from Hexham, admitted that this was her first ever concert.
"Wow what a concert to be at," she added. "Robbie and Take That on one stage is amazing."
Colindlynch, Newcastle upon Tyne says...
3:06pm Sat 28 May 11
Oh the green eyed monster mags are out and about lol its amazing and so so funny....top dogs in the premier and top dogs in the music venue department aswell!!! superb ha way the lads!!
BP4200, Coxhoe says...
6:15pm Sat 28 May 11
What's funny about 5-1?
MSG, Darlington says...
7:08pm Sat 28 May 11
Did the Pet Shop Boys play support. If so, what were they like?
Id have gone to see them rather than a run of the mill boy-band.
I wish bands would come to the Darlo Arena after the Elton John success.
Did the Pet Shop Boys play support. If so, what were they like?
Id have gone to see them rather than a run of the mill boy-band.
I wish bands would come to the Darlo Arena after the Elton John success.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
The singer and Take That star Robbie Williams has handed his proxy share votes to Port Vale Supporters' Club ahead of next Wednesday's crucial extraordinary general meeting.
Williams became Vale's majority stakeholder when he bought club shares worth £249,000 in 2006. But now he has given the supporters' club permission to cast his share votes at the meeting, which will decide the fate of the club's five-man board, reports The Guardian.
A spokesman for Williams said: "In order to give Port Vale fans a voice at the forthcoming EGM on 1 June, Robbie Williams has decided to give his [proxy] vote to Port Vale Supporters' Club.
"The supporters' club are now responsible for giving the fans an opportunity to be heard at the EGM. The Vale directors will be voted off the board if they fail to attract support from at least 50% of the share votes cast at the EGM."
The supporters' club, who approached Williams a month ago, has been consulting fans for five months over how it should use Williams's share votes at the meeting.
Dave Felstead, spokesman for supporters' club said: "The Port Vale Supporters' Club will seek the views and wishes of our membership, the members of other major Port Vale supporters' organisations and Port Vale fans generally on the matters to be addressed at the EGM.
"We shall exercise the proxy in good faith in a manner we believe to be in the best interests of the Port Vale Football Club, taking full account of the views and wishes of the majority of fans who have expressed their views and wishes to us."
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
Williams, who rejoined the band last year, suffers from crippling stage fright. So he has taken up yoga to help with his nerves ahead of the stadium shows, which begin in Sunderland, northeast England, Friday night.
"Rob suffers from crippling anxiety and has been worried about the lads' forthcoming concerts. A pal suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent-up energy and handle stress more effectively," contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.
The 37-year-old has reportedly been attending Bikram yoga sessions for the last three months.
"After a couple of sessions he was hooked, and sweating like a wildebeest. While the others have stuck to the gym or pool, Robbie's been using meditation and yoga to help his stage fright and to keep sane on tour," the source added.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
27 May 2011Last updated at 09:13 ET
Take That and Robbie Williams are set to embark on a record-breaking tour of the UK and Ireland.
Some 1.67 million tickets have been sold for 29 stadium dates, beginning in Sunderland later.
Fans overwhelmed ticket agencies in October when it was announced that Williams would tour with his bandmates for the first time in 16 years.
He is expected to play a selection of solo hits, as well as joining in with the pop group's back catalogue.
Take That will initially perform five tracks, without Williams, who will then perform five solo tracks - with no backing - before the two come together for a selection of hits.
The reformed five-piece will play four dates at Sunderland's Stadium of Light before eight shows at the City of Manchester Stadium.
They then move on to Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow and Birmingham before a record eight nights at Wembley Stadium.
Michael Jackson, who played seven consecutive shows there in 1988, held the previous record.
The Progress Live tour has seen Take That break their own record for total ticket sales.
Their last tour, which took place in 2009 without Williams, sold 1.08 million tickets.
The set has been built on an air base in Bedfordshire, where rehearsals have been taking place amid tight security.
Singer Mark Owen has admitted to feeling some pressure.
"A few weeks ago I had a pre-tour panic, which I went through for a couple of days," he recently told Music Week magazine.
"Not much sleep, but I came through the other end. We're confident with it now and I think the show will be brilliant."
Robbie just took his place - it was great to see him back but he didn't overshadow everybody else"
End QuoteDianne RobersonTake That fan
And the return was greeted rapturously by the 54,000-strong crowd in Sunderland.
"It was absolutely amazing - everything we hoped for and more," said Dianne Roberson, 52, from Derby.
"Robbie just took his place. It was great to see him back but he didn't overshadow everybody else."
Williams was absent for the first five songs as his bandmates performed tracks like Greatest Day and Rule the World, which were recorded before he rejoined the band.
As they departed, Williams landed on stage to deliver a string of hits that represented his supremacy over his old bandmates in the late 1990s and 2000s, such as Angels, Rock DJ and Let Me Entertain You.
He also proved that he is still the most compelling showman among them, with the hyperactive dance moves and an intense party presence that became so familiar in the days when he was the undisputed king of British pop.
That solo success has faded somewhat. Meanwhile, his bandmates are trying to maintain the momentum of their comeback. It made sense that they should rejoin forces.
So, after the typically rousing Angels, the five reunited on a platform high above the stage for their first song together, The Flood.
It was the first in a sequence of numbers from their latest album Progress, which was written and recorded as a five-piece.
Dancers suspended on wires were drenched by a waterfall as they sang, before Williams dived in slow motion onto the stage. The other four, less acrobatically, were lowered in lifts.
Another four tracks from Progress followed, each with finely honed dance routines.
They included a battle on a giant chess board where all the pieces had come to life. The battle was decided by a breakdancing contest between Jason Orange and Howard Donald, as Williams rapped from a high umpire's chair.
Physical spectacles and special effects are virtually obligatory in any major pop concert, and Take That's visual vignettes veered from the fantastical to the futuristic.
The connections were often hard to fathom. There were, at various times, druids with pots of incense, a giant, pipe-smoking cloth caterpillar, a lone ballerina and masked dancers swinging burning lanterns.
The centrepiece of the stage set was a 40-foot animatronic figure that slowly made its way from crouching to standing amid the crowd, presumably representing the progress of man and the band.
Classic hits
The inter-band banter felt almost as rehearsed as the dance routines.
"Fifteen years ago, Robbie left the band," Orange said at one point.
"Sacked, not left," Williams retorted in mock accusation.
The final quarter of the show was what the fans had really come to see - the five members singing the classic hits.
That segment started with Gary Barlow sitting at the piano, surrounded by his bandmates, just like the good old days.
They avoided dwelling too long on the past by rattling through some of the standards in a medley - Million Love Songs, Babe, Everything Changes and Back For Good.
Then there were full versions of Never Forget, which had 54,000 pairs of hands in the air, a fittingly feelgood Light My Fire, and Pray, including the original dance routine.
The maturing man band may be a bit less supple on the dancefloor than the well-oiled boy band of yore, but the passage of time cannot be held against them.
Otherwise, they have still got the charisma and tunes, as well as the ability to sweep their long-term fans along on an escapist nostalgia trip.
One concert-goer, Nicki Darby, 31, from Hartlepool, put the group's popularity down to the fact that Take That had been there at key moments in their fans' lives.
"They hold childhood memories," she said.
"I've got memories of growing up, living my life and getting into my 30s with them. They've been with me the whole time."
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
The Angels hitmaker - who rejoined Gary Barlow and mates just last year after quitting the band back in 1995 - suffers from extreme nerves before gigs, but has decided to employ these calming techniques to ease his worries before the group's 36-date tour across Europe.
An insider close to the superstar confirmed that "Rob suffers from crippling anxiety" and, as a result, "has been worried about the lads' forthcoming concerts", so has thrown himself into yoga in an attempt "to keep sane on tour".
So, with Take That preparing for tonight's tour opener at Sunderland Football Club's Stadium of Light, 37-year-old Robbie has seemingly taken the advice of a pal, who "suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent up energy" as a means to handling "stress more effectively".
Robbie, who has apparently been taking classes in Bikram yoga - which sees practitioners gather in a 40oC room to strike several meditative poses - since February, has become "hooked" on the Hindu discipline "after a couple of sessions".
But, while he has been "sweating like a wildebeest" during his yoga sessions, Gary and the rest of the band "have stuck to the gym or pool".
The Millennium hitmaker - who will be joined on stage by Gary, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Mark Owen - has previously confessed to developing stage fright after gigging excessively as a solo singer.
Robbie has said he finds it tough committing to extensive tours as he is "not the kind of person who can do nine months" on the road, believing that he can handle "two months solid" but is "not build for" sprawling tours as he goes "loopy".
However, he is "very positive" about the band's Progress Live tour and insists that all he is projecting is the feeling of "being healthy and happy" as he hopes to enjoy "an amazing show" this evening.
But it's not just Robbie who has struggled with bouts of stage fright, with 39-year-old Mark admitting to suffering from pre-gig jitters, as well.
The Clementine hitmaker confessed to having "a pre-tour panic - a bit of a meltdown" for a "couple of days" just a few weeks ago, when he "wasn't getting much sleep", although he did come "through the other end" and has "been all right since".
Take That's tour ends in Munich's Olympiastadion in Germany on July 29.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
Robbie Williams has got himself hot, sweaty and all worked up about his Take That comeback gig tonight - doing yoga.
It is no secret he suffers from stagefright and he knows the eyes of the world will be watching his proper stage reunion with Take That for their Progress gig at Sunderland's Stadium of Light this evening.
So, determined to beat his "crippling anxiety" ahead of the band's summer tour, he has taken up meditation and Bikram yoga, of which Lady Gaga is a devotee.
For the past three months, 37-year-old Robbie has been sweating it out in a studio heated to 40C (104F) while mastering the discipline's 26 poses, from the "camel" to the "balancing stick".
Robbie reckons his twiceweekly sessions of the tough 90-minute exercise regime has helped him shed a stone and overcome his nerves.
My insider tells me: "Rob suffers from crippling anxiety and has been worried about the lads' forthcoming concerts.
"A pal suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent-up energy and handle stress more effectively. After a couple of sessions he was hooked - and sweating like a wildebeest. While the others have stuck to the gym or pool, Robbie's been using meditation and yoga to help his stagefright and to keep him sane on tour."
Robbie - seen here in our exclusive pics from Take That's new Love Love video, featured in the latest X Men movie - has admitted to struggling on the road. He has said: "I just went on tour for too long before. I'm not the kind of person who can do nine months. I can do two months solid, not a problem. But nine months - I'm not built for it. I go loopy."
He believes meditation has helped, too: "Mentally, all I'm projecting is positive. All I can see is being healthy and happy, and an amazing show."
Tonight he will perform a two-hour spectacular with Gary, Howard, Mark and Jason in front of 50,000 fans.
It kicks off a run of UK shows, ending on July 9 at Wembley.
An NLV statement read: "We appreciate Robbie taking the time to become acquainted with the complex situation."
It continued: "The Supporters Club is ideally placed to canvass the views of fans and shareholders alike, ensuring that the views of the shareholders are properly represented at this important meeting concerning the future of the club.
"We are confident the fans will appreciate the opportunity for their voice to be heard at the EGM via the Port Vale Supporters Club."
Chaudry had offered to purchase 51% of shares in the League Two outfit but club rules state that no one person can own more than 24.9%.
The refusal to accept the bid has led to angered supporters setting up the meeting to discuss the club's future.
Geschrieben von Robbie Williams - Yahoo! News Search Results
Freitag, 27. Mai 2011
ZEN ... Robbie Williams is using Bikram yoga as a method to calm his pre-show nerves. Source: The Daily Telegraph
SINGER Robbie Williams has taken up Bikram yoga to calm his nerves ahead of upcoming stadium shows
Robbie Williams has been using yoga to battle his nerves ahead of Take That's tour.
The singer - who rejoined the band last year, 15 years after he first walked out on the group- famously suffers from crippling stage fright but has taken up some calming hobbies to help with his nerves ahead of the stadium shows, which begin in the UK today.
A source close to the star told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Rob suffers from crippling anxiety and has been worried about the lads' forthcoming concerts. A pal suggested Bikram yoga to refocus his pent up energy and handle stress more effectively."
Robbie has reportedly been attending Bikram yoga sessions for the last three months, which see him strike a number of meditative poses in a room heated to 40 degrees centigrade.
The source added: "After a couple of sessions he was hooked - and sweating like a wildebeest. While the others have stuck to the gym or pool, Robbie's been using meditation and yoga to help his stage fright and to keep sane on tour."
The 'Rock DJ' hitmaker - who is joined in the group by Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jason Orange - previously admitted he started to get stage fright after touring for excessive amounts of time as a solo artist.
He said: "I'm not the kind of person who can do nine months. I can do two months solid, not a problem. But nine months - I'm not built for it. I go loopy.
"But mentally, all I'm projecting is very positive, all I can see is it being healthy and happy and an amazing show."
Mark has also admitted he recently suffered a bout of stage fright ahead of the shows, in support of the band's 'Progress' album.
He said: "A few weeks ago I had a pre-tour panic, a bit of a meltdown, which I went through for a couple of days. I wasn't getting much sleep, but I came through the other end and I've been all right since."
The group will play 36 stadium shows across Europe, ending on July 29 in Germany.
Greece's cabinet approves a draft bill committing to austerity reforms required to get new bailout funds, amid warnings of "chaos" if parliament fails to ratify it.
Williams claimed a 24.9% stake in Port Vale in 2006
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