90s

As a once highly-annoying teenage girl of the 90s, I couldn’t wait to relive the songs of the Nightmare Before Christmas at Arley Hall’s light trail, but my son’s reaction was the best part

I’m at an age where I can’t claim to have been introduced to the Nightmare Before Christmas through motherhood, I was there fan-girling away when it was first released in 1993.

My equally angst-ridden school friends and I went to the cinema to watch it over and over again (it was only £2.50 back then), investing heavily in Sally’s yearning for Jack Skellington and singing the songs with gusto – how very annoying we were.

Deciding to swerve Trick or Treating this year, I booked Halloween tickets for the Nightmare Before Christmas light trail at Arley Hall instead to share the magic with my son – but mainly for my own nostalgia. However, his excitement quickly overrode mine.

At five, he already lives and breathes all things Oogie Boogie, and as we arrived at 5pm while dusk was falling across the historic Cheshire estate, an eerie mist rolled in, making the trail look like the actual film set. The natural fog caught the neon purples, eerie greens, and warm holiday ambers and the sky turned pink, making it feel like pure movie magic.

The quirky film is brought to life through 1,700 dazzling light installations, interactive video projections, intelligent LED lighting, music and 3D-printed sculptures.

Taking a walk through Halloween Town, my son danced along the path singing, but did not afford me the same rights, reprimanding me for having the audacity to enjoy Danny Elfman’s iconic soundtrack.

What shocked me the most, however, was his reaction to the installations. Normally he despises having his picture taken. Here, he morphed into some kind of Zoolander, pulling his best ‘Blue Steel’ alongside the characters and demanding photos to take back to his friends. He proudly posed beside Jack and Sally, grinned next to Zero’s glowing doghouse, and ran around like a madman in Oogie Boogie’s lair.

The trail was dotted with cosy stop points to toast marshmallows or buy a mulled wine or hot chocolate, and the pace was ideal for little legs – long enough to feel like a full, immersive adventure without causing meltdowns or fatigue.

The production values were second to none – no whiff of the infamous Willy’s Chocolate Experience here with its forlorn Oompa Loompas. From top quality staging to breathtaking light displays, the craftsmanship, attention to texture, and detailed illumination make every set piece feel authentic and engaging from every angle.

If you have a young Tim Burton enthusiast in the family – or are one yourself – this is an unmissable seasonal outing that might even land you some rare family photos.

General admission prices start at £32 for adults, with discounted tickets available for children and seniors. Dog-friendly slots are available on Tuesday evenings from 8pm. For more details on the trail, which runs until January 3, visit thenightmarebeforechristmas.com/arley.

A NINETIES chart-topper has revealed she has undergone further surgery to ease pain caused by breast cancer treatment.

The singer, 55, whose catchy debut single topped the UK charts in 1994, told fans she was recovering in bed ahead of her next gig.

Whigfield, whose real name is Sannie Carlson, shared the hospital update on Instagram.

She wrote: “Last Wednesday I underwent a second surgery to fix pain in my breast caused by scar tissue from breast cancer operations and radiation therapy years back.

“I’m now on bed rest so I can heal quickly for my next gig.”

She tagged the 90s Supershow, where she is due to perform in Germany in early November.

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The star signed off with “Happy Saturday night” — a nod to the song that made her famous.

Whigfield underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2014 and has previously urged women to get checked.

Reflecting on her diagnosis in an earlier Instagram post, she wrote: “Fighting breast cancer was a strange thing.”

She continued: “One moment I was living my best life making new music in London, the next I was stuck in a bubble of numbness.”

The Danish singer described the operations and radiotherapy as tough, but said she drew strength from fellow patients, including children, at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital.

She also recalled that many of those being treated for the disease never left the hospital.

Whigfield, who has previously spoken about living on the outskirts of Milan, shot to fame with Saturday Night, which reached Number One in the UK in 1994.

Her other hits include Another Day and Think of You.

THIS 90s pop icon has shown off her timeless beauty and looks like she hadn’t aged a day since finding fame 30 years ago.

Back in 1996, the singer, now 67, released a HUGE hit single – but do you recognise who it is?

The star in question is Welsh singer Donna Lewis who shot to fame in her mid-30s when she released her song, I Love You Always Forever.

But 30 years after she unleashed the smash hit song onto the world, the singer looks like time has stood still.

Sharing a video on TikTok, Donna could be seen lip-syncing to the hit that made her famous.

The star’s trademark blonde hair flowed around her shoulders and she sang along to I Love You Always Forever in her stunning garden.

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Writing over the video, she penned: “POV: You wrote a song everyone knows 30 years later.”

Donna’s fans went wild for the video, with one writing: “One of the best songs ever written, and would fit any decade.”

I Love You Always Forever was such a smash hit that it not only charted in the UK, the song also did well in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, and the U.S.

In fact it was such a huge hit in America, the track reached Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following the success of the song, in 1997, Donna enjoyed success at the Brit Awards, and was nominated for British Female Solo Artist.

The singer initially signed with Atlantic Records, but after releasing her second album, decided to go independent.

Over the years Donna has continued to release new music and can often be found touring.

Away from the spotlight, the singer lives in New York with her business manager husband, Martin Harris, and their son, Archie.

STEPPING on to the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2023 was a big moment for Texas, who had last played at the festival 24 years earlier.

But whatever expectations frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and her band had for the gig were blown out of the water, because it sent them stratospheric once again and gained them thousands of new fans.

Now they are capitalising on their expanded fanbase by heading out on an 11-date arena tour of the UK and Ireland next October, and releasing a 30th anniversary version of their No1 album White On Blonde, featuring hits including Say What You Want, Black Eyed Boy and Halo.

And as good news comes in threes, today Texas have also released a new single, Another Way To Cry.

In an exclusive chat, Sharleen told me of their success: “I think it tastes sweeter than it ever has.

“The honest truth is that when we did that Glastonbury a couple of years ago, you never know how it’s going to go, but that Glastonbury changed everything. Suddenly there was a whole new audience that wanted to see Texas and we announced that tour off the back of that.

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“It just was a moment of, ‘Wow, people really do still want to see us.’ When you look out into that audience, the ages vary all over the shop. It’s quite extraordinary.

“There’s been lots of people going, ‘When are you going on tour?’ so it’s good that there is still that desire to see us, and for us, that just makes the desire to go and play even stronger than it’s ever been.”

If you have not seen Texas yet, I urge you to snap up tickets when they go on general sale at 10am next Friday, October 30.

There, you will be able to hear the Scottish rockers’ new single, which is a rollicking, brassy singalong with Sharleen’s bluesy voice shining strong.

The accompanying video — an ode to the film Paris Texas, which was the inspiration for the band’s name — sees her exploring the Scottish highlands and bumping into fellow Scot, Trainspotting star Robert Carlyle.

On shooting the visuals, she said: “We had every season in the space of an hour, which was extraordinary, but that’s Scotland. We had scorching sun, pouring rain then sleet and hail stones and wind.

“It was fun, alongside our mates the Highland cattle, which was fantastic.”

And she insisted the Highland cows in the video were genuine. She continued: “It’s not AI, they were actually there. There was one point where me and Robert were walking down the road and they were coming right up, and they’re gigantic and they’ve got horns.

“If it just moved its head in the wrong direction and you’re anywhere near that horn you’re getting whacked by it.”

Thankfully they emerged unscathed and Sharleen has since been back in the studio.

Asked if there is an album of new music on the way too, she said: “Yeah, we’re working on a new record.”

As for White On Blonde, which will be out on February 5, Texas are chuffed it is being released on vinyl for the first time after they were recently fleeced trying to buy another of their records on the format.

She explained: “There was only ever vinyl made for the Press. We actually had to buy one of the old albums back because we’d given them away.

“We ended up buying our own record back for £1,200, about a year ago, because we needed it for a video. It was hysterical. I was literally like, ‘What? £1,200!’”

And they have got someone special on board to write the liner notes — Peter Kay.

Speaking about the comedian, who directed and starred in the 2006 video for their song Sleep, she said: “Peter is such a big music and Texas fan, and he’s a big friend of ours. He’s so geeky in his knowledge of music and stuff like that.

“It just felt exactly right because of his connection to the band and the fact he made the video for us and he bought White On Blonde and he’d always talked about it.

“It felt like the absolute right thing to do.”

I DON’T HAVE RIGHT TRAITS

SHARLEEN turned down the chance to go on The Celebrity Traitors in her native Scotland – insisting she’s a “s*** liar.”

She was approached by the series producers, but doesn’t think she’s competitive enough to be a success on Claudia Winkleman’s hit show.

She explained: “I’m very flattered to have been asked and I said, ‘Thank you, but no.’ I couldn’t do it.

“I absolutely love The Traitors. It’s such a great, unbelievable programme and I’m watching it currently and I just couldn’t do it. I’d be all over the shop.

“I’d gladly play the game. But I’m a s*** liar. That is the truth. I wouldn’t remember who I told a lie to or what I did and I’m not that big of a player.

“I’d probably go, ‘Nah, you’re alright.’ The thing is, the only place I’m really competitive is on a stage.

“In games I’m really not competitive at all. So I’d probably be really rubbish.”

She added: “I want to be a fan, but not a fan in it. I want to be a fan watching it. I’m very happy with that situation.”

JADE-D BY PRINCESS FAILURE

JADE has revealed she was “devastated” not to land the role of Princess Jasmine in 2019’s live-action remake of Aladdin, after the role went to Naomi Scott.

The Little Mix star, who auditioned for director Guy Ritchie, said: “I was pretty devastated. I think I got down to the last few. I sent a letter once I knew they’d reached out, saying that Jasmine was my sort of idol growing up.

“She was the only character I could really look up to as someone of Arab heritage, so Princess Jasmine was who I dreamed of being.”

On Channel 4’s The Assembly, she added: “I did three rounds of auditions. I sang A Whole New World in Guy Ritchie’s living room.

“I didn’t get the part and that’s fine. But I was quite sad for some time, definitely. I was gutted, I can’t lie.”

JUDI DENCH says panned 2019 Cats movie was a “waste” of Andrew Llloyd Webber’s “goodwill and talent.”

She starred as Old Deuteronomy in the much-mocked movie and in her new memoir, she writes: “Oh God, I can’t bear it – and he had waited so long for it to be made.

“What a waste of all that goodwill and talent.”

JAY-Z’S UP FOR THE BIG GAME

JAY-Z has chosen himself to be the headline act for next year’s Super Bowl half-time show, according to a report in the US.

Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus were said to be in talks to perform at the show in Los Angeles on February 14.

Instead the rapper, who’s firm Roc Nation has had a deal with the NFL since 2019, will be taking centre stage.

He has yet to comment on the story, although he’s set to perform two shows at the SoFi Stadium in LA this Friday – where the big game will be held –so he may well announce it there.

His wife Beyonce previously headlined in 2013 and then joined Coldplay during their set there three years later.

And I imagine he’d want her as a guest if he takes to the pitch, too.

Jenna’s looking pawsome

JENNA ORTEGA has been to London, Rome and New York in the past week and she’s had a special someone by her side the whole time – her pet pooch.

The Wednesday actress, who wore this beaded dress for the US premiere of her new film Klara And The Sun in the Big Apple on Monday, said her whippet Twigs helps her stay grounded.

Jenna, who posed for pics in New York with co-star Amy Adams and director Taika Waititi, said: “My dog follows me everywhere.

“It’s hard doing the job that I do, travelling to all of these different hotels and foreign countries, so to have something that is consistent and true, and looks after me, and I look after her, it’s nice.”

That dog must have racked up more air miles this week than I have all year.

BLUNT’S A TRAITOR FUME RESIDENTS

RESIDENTS of the London borough of Acton have dubbed James Blunt a traitor.

He filmed his new Circles music video there, but then pretended it was somewhere else.

I revealed snaps of the Celebrity Traitors star riding around on a mini tractor while shooting the video in a park last week.

But locals soon spotted James had renamed Acton’s mainline station “Battersham”, leaving them fuming.

“We thought James was going to put Acton on the map with his video,” a friend, who sent me snaps of James recording his video, told me after seeing the clip.

“It’s not Battersham, this is Acton. And we’re proud of it.”

NO DIRTY A.I TRICKS IN DANCING SEQUEL

THE producer behind the Dirty Dancing sequel insists they won’t bring back Patrick Swayze using AI.

Jennifer Grey will reprise the role of Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and film bosses are working out how to celebrate late actor Patrick, who died in 2009.

Producer Nina Jacobson said: “That’s one of the things that you really have to focus on: how to let people mourn him in a movie. And don’t worry – we won’t be bringing him back with AI.”

She said they are “trying to chase the feeling of that original movie”.

Nina added: “Being able to tell a young love story that could take some of those risks but also inspire those feelings felt like an incredible chance for us.”

PHIL JOINS PIRATES CREW

PIRATES Of The Caribbean is being brought to life by Secret Cinema – and they’ve got a household name on board to help out.

I can reveal Phil Daniels, who starred in EastEnders, and whose voice featured in Blur’s 1994 hit Parklife, has joined the cast as Captain Barbossa.

Johnny Depp’s character Jack Sparrow will be played by Olivier Award winner George Maguire.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure, opens in February and has already had its run extended by six weeks due to demand.

It will also be the first production by Secret Cinema –  which allows punters to watch films on the big screen while the action also unfolds around them – at its purpose-built flagship venue in London’s Greenwich.

Time to ready my sea legs.

LIAM GALLAGHER is winding up Oasis fans by claiming they’ve already finished a new album – but I’m not so sure.

Responding to someone on X who wrote: “Oasis have SEVEN great albums and those songs will LIVE FOREVER”, rocker Liam said: “8 including the new 1.”

I’ll believe it when I hear it.