Bizarre

MADONNA banned professional photographers from taking her picture during the Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

Multiple sources told The U.S. Sun that the snappers were issued very strict orders not to take a single pic of the Queen of Pop, 68, despite her making multiple appearances on stage throughout the night.

Madonna also skipped the VMAs red carpet entirely, when even superstar Taylor Swift willingly posed for photos.

“Photographers in the room were told they weren’t allowed to shoot Madonna,” a source explained.

“Only a couple of CBS photographers were given permission.

“She wanted to control the photos and approve what did and didn’t go out.”

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The star was obviously visible in the main feed from the show, but very few high-resolution pictures were distributed to the media and fans throughout the night.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Madonna for comment.

Madonna had a tumultuous night with her various antics throughout the annual awards ceremony.

She first sparked concern during her kick-off performance by appearing to grimace as fellow dancers threw her body onto a platform.

While many viewers thought her reaction was part of the dance, others thought she could be in pain.

Later on in the show, she appeared to wear a knee brace.

And during her speech for Best Dance performance, Madonna told a joke about holding a laser inside her butt.

Though she was referring to a scene from her Confessions II music video, the bit didn’t land with the audience.

Despite the mixed reviews to her performance and speeches, Madonna took home seven awards total at the show.

She later seemed to be feeling no pain while partying in her hotel suite with pals Charli xcx and Julia Garner.

The trio rolled around dancing in bed to her new song Danceteria in a TikTok posted in the wee hours of the morning.

THE daughter of late actress Dame Diana Rigg has admitted to an unusual tribute of eating her ashes prior to live shows.

Rachael Stirling, 49, followed in her acclaimed mother’s footsteps by becoming an actress.

Viewers may have seen Rachael pop up in shows including The Bletchley Circle, Detectorists and an episode of Doctor Who alongside Diana.

In her new book, All About My Mother, Rachael opened up about a surprising pre-show ritual.

She wrote, as quoted by Daily Mail: “I would love to have a nightly glass of champagne before going on stage, but these days it would equate to a drinking problem.”

Rachael’s alternative on a new play’s opening night, however, is “a grain or two of my mother’s ashes“.

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She added: “Although it shocks people when I tell them, it feels absolutely natural to me.”

Her mother Diana died in September 2020, at the age of 82 and it was later confirmed she had lung cancer.

The former Bond Girl famously played secret agent Emma Peel in 51 episodes of the Avengers in the 1960s.

She was also the only Bond girl to marry 007 – getting hitched to George Lazenby in Her Majesty’s Secret Service – only to be killed moments after.

In her later career, Diana appeared in shows such as Game of Thrones and ITV‘s Victoria.

She also played Mrs Pumphrey in series one of Channel 5‘s All Creatures Great and Small.

Miranda star Patricia Hodge would later take over the role after Diana’s death.

Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosts were summoned to a shock zoom call at short notice which meant Emma Willis was sat on the loo when she was told she was told she had a new job.

Comedian Josh Widdecombe was in grave danger of giving away the news he was a new Strictly Come Dancing host whilst it was top secret – after finding out the news whilst walking around a cemetery.

Stand up star Josh, 43, revealed the bizarre moment as he and co-hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe were quizzed in a new podcast. And he wasn’t the only one being given the life changing news in a weird place, with Emma flushed with the success of a new job whilst in the toilet at her hairdressers.

The trio said after their final audition they had to wait around two weeks before they were summoned to a zoom call at short notice by BBC execs.

Emma said: “We were all in very random places. But we also didn’t know the call was happening did we? It was a very weird situation.

“The reason it kept getting put back was because I was at the hairdressers.

“I was like this could be an either way Zoom so I’m not going to get excited. And I said ‘I can’ [go on a call] but literally I’m just I’m having my hair washed. And she said okay okay.

“And then they took ages washing my hair. And they’re like ‘do you want a massage?’ I’m like ‘no no just crack on’.

“She[show boss] said can you go somewhere private? And I said the only place I can go is outside in the street or in the loo.

“So I was sat on a toilet at the hairdressers.”

Johannes was at his home when he was on the same call waiting to head out to do a stage show, and then there was also Josh who was desperately trying to find a quiet spot.

Josh explained: “I was in Birmingham because I was on tour. So I was sat in a graveyard in Birmingham because I wanted somewhere quiet.”

Looking back on the moment he knew he had the job, he added: “I didn’t like stand up and go ‘yes’ because obviously it wasn’t public then either.

“Not that anyone would have gone ‘wait a minute, he got the Strictly gig – that guy punching the air by the grave’.”

Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, the trio also explained the role of Johannes on the show, and denied previous reports he would act as a ‘roving reporter’ with the other two as main hosts.

The trio, who start fronting the show later this month, are replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman who previously hosted the BBC hit series together for 11 years.

Emma said: “There’s no like for like, so no one’s kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it’s all very kind of open. We’re having lots of production days where we go in and we play around and we’re kind of feeling each other out – well, they’re feeling us out really.”

Josh Widdicombe: “It’s going to be like total football. We’re going to be moving everywhere.”

And Emma added: “There’s definitely no backstage roving reporter, which is what has been reported quite a bit. That’s not a thing.”

* The full interview is on The Rest Is Entertainment Podcast out today.

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WE ALL love a Maccies, but instead of you bog standard local, you could head into one where there are dining train carriages.

Along one of America’s most iconic roads, Route 66, you will find a McDonalds like no other.

Barstow McDonalds in California is made from renovated train carriages and sits roughly halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The restaurant opened back in 1960 and soon became such a popular spot that it needed to be expanded.

The destination then became Barstow Station, where several buildings are attached by several train cars.

Currently there are 17 train cars that make up the Barstow Station complex, four of which are now McDonald’s Dining Cars.

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In 2013, Barstow Station McDonald’s also underwent an extensive renovation to make it more contemporary.

The location even still features a life-sized Ronald McDonald figure in the lobby.

Customers head inside the main restaurant to order, before walking through to the carriages where you can eat.

Inside the carriages, you can expect a barrel-roof with booths for seats and historic photos of the Old West and Route 66.

Don’t just head to the McDonald’s though – next door you will find a huge souvenir shop selling Route 66 merch as well as a giant sweets counter.

You’ll find the McDonald’s in the city of Barstow in the Mojave Desert in South California.

In the city, make sure to visit Harvey House Depot, where you will find the Route 66 Mother Road Museum.

You an also explore a number of street art murals.

There are several places to stay in Barstow including Route 66 Motel, which costs as little as £37 a night.

And just down the road are two Holiday Inn’s, a Hampton Hotel and a Marriott Hotel.