Dolly Parton scored the biggest touchdown during her performance at the Thanksgiving NFL game half-time show.

The 9 to 5 singer, 77, left the audience’s hearts beating wild as she took to the stage during yesterday’s Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders game which ended with a 45 – 10 victory for the Cowboys.

Performing to a sold-out crowd at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Dolly belied her age as she strutted out in a daring, bedazzled Cowboys cheerleader outfit.

But it was the crowd left cheering for the music icon as she belted out her biggest hits 9 to 5 and Jolene as well as a rendition of Queen’s We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions.

Following her set for the 27th annual Red Kettle Kickoff, CBS announcer Tony Romo praised the Here You Come Again singer.

‘She was wearing the… Cowboys cheerleading outfit,’ he began, discussing the set with Jim Nantz. ‘You saw that coming, didn’t you?’

‘You said, “I think she’s going to go with a liiiittle cheerleading outfit tonight”, and I was like, “wow, pretty good.”‘

And they weren’t the only ones, with fans taking to social media branding the star a ‘national treasure’.

‘If a Genie gave me one wish I’d ask to be as hot as Dolly Parton at 77 or any age really,’ one person posted to X (formerly Twitter).

Another added: ‘Dolly Parton is one of those extremely rare public figures who is genuinely and universally beloved, which would be more than enough at this point to rest her laurels on, but instead, even now, she always gives it her all just for the sake of giving it her all. 💜’

One user was calling for Dolly to become the next President of the United States, saying: ‘Joe Biden is 81. Donald Trump is 77. If we have to elect an old person, let it be Dolly Parton.’

Dolly’s set was part of her larger campaign in support of the Salvation Army this holiday season.

It also coincides with the release of the country icon’s first rock album, Rockstar, on November 17.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Dolly, who has been in the music industry for six decades, revealed why now was the right time to dip her toes into the pool of hard rock.

‘I’d often thought I might want to do a rock album at some point. I’d done a few rock songs scattered here and there on my albums, and I’d done some covers of rock songs, making them kind of Country or bluegrass,’ she revealed.

‘But when I got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, a place in my heart said “I hadn’t really earned that position.” I thought ‘If I’m ever going to do a rock album, I want to earn it. I’m big on timing. It seemed the right thing to do at the right time. I’m proud I did it and I’m real proud of how it turned out.’

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The Sound on the Underground has been confirmed and it’s finally official. Girls Aloud are back.  

Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh will be touring the UK and Ireland in 2024 to honour the late, great Sarah Harding and celebrate more than 20 years since they were first formed.

And I’ll come right out and say it: they are the best girl band of all time.

No, I don’t mean ‘since the Spice Girls’ or ‘in the UK, at least’. 

I mean ever. Ever!

Look, I love girl groups. What gay doesn’t?

From the saccharine energy of B*Witched to the sleek R&B flavour of Mis-Teeq, I was totally on board with the late-90s and early-noughties boom in all-female collectives.

If you don’t consider All Saints’ Pure Shores one of the best songs of the century, or break into a strut whenever you hear the intro to Destiny’s Child’s Lose My Breath, who even are you?

In the 2010s, Little Mix became absolute giants, too, with a decade-long raft of empowerment bangers. And now, the likes of Flo are ushering in the next generation of female phenomena; while the original Sugababes are making delicious vocal magic all over again.

Spice Girls, of course, started the wave – at least, here in the UK. They came out when I was seven years old, and I was instantly obsessed. 

I’m not saying they weren’t incredible – and I’m certainly not here to get into the kind of problematic squabbles that have plagued certain corners of the Kylie and Madonna fanbases.

Their music, their unstoppable personalities, their total global domination… I exhausted the Spice album on cassette and remember buying the Spiceworld CD on my tenth birthday.

But looking back now, they really weren’t around that long – in fact, Geri departed less than two years after Wannabe’s release. And while they have several bona-fide classics in their repertoire, the overall quality of their discography is far from flawless. The non-singles on Spice are a little patchy, and final album Forever – though not without its moments – showed a marked decline in quality.

So while they must always be credited for blazing a trail and inspiring countless artists who followed in their footsteps, it’s Girls Aloud who, for me, hold the mantle of the Best Girl Band Of All Time Ever.

Not bad for five regular lasses who were thrown together on a ropey reality show in 2002 – and went from strength to strength until their ultimate split in 2013 (via one teeny-tiny three-year hiatus).

With over five million album sales, an incredible 20 consecutive Top 10 hits, a BRIT Award, and countless memes that have truly stood the test of time (‘Will you just tap the f**kin’ table?!’), they are basically Gods to the generation of girls and gays who grew up with them.

They, and their teams behind them, just got it – Louis Walsh notwithstanding.

They were musically exciting, an absolute riot to follow, and – at a time when gossip mags were at their peak – they were never far from the headlines.

And at a time when the terrible reign of landfill indie had pushed pop towards the sidelines, Girls Aloud never stopped being big, bombastic and dripping in personality.

Can you imagine any other group coming out with Sexy! No, No, No… or Something Kinda Ooooh? The titles alone are head-turners, let alone the tracks themselves.

They had bite, too: shout-out to B-side Hoxton Heroes, which brilliantly takes aim at the posh indie-boys who considered themselves more ‘credible’ than a colourful girl group.

Nadine’s power, Sarah’s rockier edge, Nicola’s beautiful tones, Cheryl’s unmatched attitude and Kimberley’s low harmonies make for one hell of a versatile cocktail.

They also had – in the original sense of the phrase – ‘the X factor’. They were obviously stars, but their reality TV roots gave them a girl-next-door vibe that made them relatable – girls you could easily find down the local Chicago’s with a blue WKD.

Because they initially felt like underdogs, lurching from single to single with a wing and a prayer; their ascent, their longevity, and their eventual acclaim from critics felt all the sweeter.

By the time they scored a No1 album and single in November 2008 (fifth album Out of Control and its lead single The Promise were both huge), shimmering in glamorous gowns, they had come a long way from the stylist-free girls who were threatened with the axe after only three singles.

Now, it will of course be emotional to see them on-stage again without Sarah – a real livewire at any Girls Aloud concert, and terribly missed. 

But the fact the surviving quartet are now planning to celebrate her, and their collective legacy, tees up one of the big musical highlights of 2024.

So, I don’t care what the neighbours will say, I’m ready to Jump – for the best girl band ever. Bar none.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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The iconic girl group has been teasing a big announcement for the past week and fans can finally scream for joy as Girls Aloud are going on tour.

After teasing with tiny countdown clips, it’s official – Nadine Coyle, 38, Kimberley Walsh, 41, Nicola Roberts, 38, and Cheryl, 40, are reuniting.

Rising to the tops of the charts, and our hearts, in the early 00s, fans have been impatiently waiting for the group to confirm what exactly they have up their sleeves.

Apparently, that is an entire arena tour for the UK and Ireland in May and June of next year with tickets going on sale on Friday, December 1 – we can’t wait.

Fans had been anticipating possible new music from the group who haven’t released anything in years however, it looks like for now this is not on the cards.

Sadly, the band will be missing a beloved member, Sarah Harding, who died two years ago from breast cancer.

Sarah was on all the girls minds as they excitedly announced the reunion tour, with Cheryl who teased the final hint saying: ‘We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago.

‘The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate. But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed. She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon.

‘But now, I think there is an energy that does makes it feel right. It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later.

‘That’s a big honour in lots of ways.’

Nadine added: ‘Girls Aloud are a band that made such a huge impact on people’s lives. We grew up with the band, but so did so many other people. So for us not to do something again feels like such a shame and a waste.

‘We want to have that moment with fans where we can all enjoy it together.’

Girls Aloud had a meteoric rise to stardom on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, storming the charts with hits like Can’t Speak French, The Show, and Love Machine.

In 2009, the group went on a hiatus before returning for their 10 year anniversary in 2012 and officially splitting the following year.

Since then the women have been pursuing solo projects but the loss of Sarah so close to their 20th anniversary came as a shock to them all.

Kimberley shared: ‘Over the last year, we’ve felt this outpouring of love – obviously towards Sarah, but actually towards all of us as a group. And I guess it’s ignited something in all of us again. It feels like something has changed and it does feel like the right time to celebrate Sarah and the 20-year anniversary that we didn’t celebrate at the time.’

Reunions over the years have been few and far between with the remaining members attending the Primrose Ball in Sarah’s honour last October.

They were then brought together once more by the wedding of publicist to the stars, Simon Jones, which thrilled fans.

Nicola, who kicked off the countdown, added: ‘I think what’s really encouraging is that whenever people ask us about reuniting it’s not, “Would you guys ever do it?” but “When are you guys gonna do it?”

‘To know we still have that love from our fans and people who watched us grow up gives us the confidence to do the tour. It will be massive celebration of everything we’ve done up to this point. We want people to leave being like, “Wow, I’ve just had one of the best nights of my life”.’

Tickets will go on pre-sale on Wednesday 29th November at 9am, with the general on sale Friday 1st December at 9am, all via girlsaloud.com.

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U2 has been forced to halt production of their next album due to one member’s health struggles.

Currently, U2 is performing a residency in Las Vegas, having been the opening act for the MSG Sphere, which cost a whopping $2.3billion (£1.8bn) to build.

Bono and co. kicked off their shows in October with jaw-dropping visuals and will perform at the epic venue until December 16.

They are performing as a three-piece at the moment, however, as drummer Larry Mullen Jr is recovering from surgery.

This also means the album has been impacted, as frontman Bono, 63, has said new music without him wouldn’t feel the same as he brings a ‘psychic force’ to U2.

Speaking to MOJO magazine, the Irish star – real name Paul David Hewson -explained: ‘Starting work on new songs is somewhat tied to Larry’s situation. Could he commit to an album project? I don’t know.’

He said of him and guitarist The Edge, 62, having to play without him: ‘It’s beyond the beyond of tough.

‘It was the late ’70s, the last time we played without Larry. I think a motorcycle fell on his foot, and he couldn’t play, and we had a drummer called Eric [Briggs]. That wasn’t a great feeling, but Eric was very good-looking, and Larry hurried back – he hopped behind the kit! But it’s not just that, you know, it’s a psychic force that Larry brings.’

While fans might have to wait for the next album, that doesn’t mean Bono can’t tease it.

He has said he understands that no one is ‘waiting’ for the rock band to release another record, but has given an update on their forthcoming release.

‘I announced it, without discussion, as “an unreasonable guitar record”. And Edge called me up and goes, “How unreasonable?” And I said, “As unreasonable as you’re ready to take it”.’

He’s also promised ‘big choruses’.

Bono continued: ‘I don’t think the world is waiting on the next U2 album.

‘I think we have to give them a reason to be interested in it.’

On his reasons for continuing to make music, he said he ‘just wants to write great tunes’.

‘Because that’s where U2 started – with big choruses, clear ideas. And let’s go back there, but do it with some petrol and some matches.’

Agreeing, bassist Adam Clayton assured fans they are ‘turning the amps on’ with the new music.

‘I certainly think the rock that we all grew up with as 16 and 17-year-olds, that rawness of those Patti Smith, Iggy Pop records… that kind of power is something we would love to connect back into,’ shared the 63-year-old.

While U2’s next album doesn’t have a release date just yet, the group recently teased that the ‘amazing’ songs will be ‘ready soon’.

In conversation with Zane Lowe in a video for Apple Music, the stars admitted some things needed ‘dusting off’ but vowed to make the next release ‘really exciting’.

U2 – formed in Dublin in 1976 – has released 15 studio albums and have become one of the world’s best-selling music acts, having sold an estimated 170million records across the globe.

Their last album, Songs of Surrender, was only released in March this year, debuting at number one in the UK and in Ireland.

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Christmas will look very different for LadBaby this year as the music duo announced they will not release a 2023 Christmas single.

Husband and wife Roxanne and Mark Hoyle have claimed the UK Christmas number one for the past five years with their witty remixes of famous songs, such as We Built This City on Sausage Rolls (a take on Starships’ classic hit from 1985) and Don’t Stop Me Eatin’ (a parody cover of Journey’s hit Don’t Stop Believin’). 

However, it’s the end of their Christmas journey as the couple have confirmed exclusively to Metro.co.uk that fans will not be getting a new jingle this December. 

‘After five amazing years we’ve decided to pass the baton over to the Great British public and we’re not going for Christmas number one this year,’ Mark told us – while aptly wearing his favourite Last Christmas jumper bearing the late George Michael’s face. 

He continued: ‘We never expected it to be five, I’ll be totally honest. It’s one of those things that just happened over the years and we thought it was amazing that the public got behind us in the way that they did. Five years ago when we started this, we knew the importance of food banks in this country and we wanted to raise funds and awareness for that so we did that one [song], that was lovely.’ 

Mark explained how he and Roxanne thought their ‘whirlwind ride’ as LadBaby would start and end with We Built This City on Sausage Rolls in 2018, but demand grew with each year and they even caught the attention of Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran, who lent their vocals to the duo’s 2021 track Sausage Rolls For Everyone. 

In 2022, their final Christmas chart-topper came in the form of Food Aid, a reworked version of Sir Bob Geldof’s festive Band Aid classic Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which surpassed a record previously set by The Beatles. 

‘Our idea was always to stop at five,’ Mark insisted. 

Rox added: ‘We was only meant to do one!’ 

Mark admitted he was ‘excited to see what’s coming next’ now that they’re out of the race, but stated: ‘The legacy for us is we want charity songs to dominate every Christmas, we want all the top 20 to be charity songs for good causes, having fun, because that’s what Christmas is, it’s time for family and time for giving.’ 

Early contenders for the Christmas number one include AC/DC’s Highway To Hell and the train station cat from Stevenage, so the public can’t say there isn’t variety this time. 

LadBaby’s news will be a huge disappointment to fans who have been itching to know what song they had chosen for 2023. 

‘It’s funny because people always give their suggestions like, “Ello LadBaby, I’ve got an idea for this year’s Christmas number one”,’ he said. ‘Our postman, literally two days ago, was going “Right, I’ve worked it out, I know which song you’re doing this year”. It’s lovely that people still want to support and see us do songs.’ 

Mark and Rox share two children – Phoenix Forest, seven, and Kobe Knox, five – but the little ones are too young to know – or even ‘care’ – about LadBaby (although no doubt when they’re older, Phoenix and Kobe will be proud of their parents raising over £1.3m for charity so far). 

‘I think my kids are just really excited about Santa coming,’ Rox laughed, while Mark added: ‘I don’t think our kids have ever cared.’ 

Not everyone has supported LadBaby’s chart success as they’ve been met with a host of criticism over the years, with some feeling that other charity singles or classic Christmas songs also deserved the number one. 

Addressing the criticism, Mark said: ‘You see [the trolling], of course you see it, and it’s not nice but we don’t pay attention to it. We know the reasons why we’re doing it. When you’ve got a song going for Christmas number one, the only important thing is raising awareness for this important charity.’ 

But, do they see where the frustration is coming from? 

‘What I think is very funny is, before we started doing the Christmas number ones, the number ones before us were mainly what popular songs were in the charts at the time. I think what’s lovely about part of the journey we’ve done is, if we can get the Christmas number one, then anyone can,’ Mark explained. 

He added: ‘There are so many charities that deserve that spotlight. That level of exposure for a charity is unmatched.’ 

Rox also said: ‘That’s why it’s good to go for a charity because the amount of eyes they get on them – we meet the people whose lives it changes and it’s really important for charities to do that.’ 

The biggest misconception the couple want to set the record straight on (aside from Mark’s height – he’s a staggering 6ft8in) is that they were in it for the money all along. 

‘There’s always this false narrative that goes around that we’ve somehow taken this money from charity and it’s just not true,’ Mark stated. 

‘What’s sad is that when these things go round, it doesn’t hurt us it hurts the charity we’re representing but it also loses people’s faith in donating to charity if they think it’s not true. We have always 100% given all of our profits from all of our songs to the Trussell Trust. It goes to the record label and it goes to the Trussell Trust. 

‘We need to remember Christmas spirit.’ 

It’s fair to say one of the highlights of LadBaby’s career was collaborating with Sir Elton and Sheeran on Sausage Rolls For Everyone in 2021. Not only did they get a song out of the music icons, but Rox and Mark have managed to stay friends with the pair. 

‘We’re always in touch with Ed, he invited us to his show last year. I’m always messaging him asking, “Are you doing a Christmas song this year? Let me hear it!”’ Mark revealed. 

Rox then dished: ‘Elton rang Mark’s phone when he was in the car park once. That was amazing. He’s lovely and was like, “Amazing what you’ve done, congratulations”. That was really lovely, they’re good people.’ 

Recalling the extraordinary memory, Mark quipped: ‘It’s quite a moment when you’ve just come out of Sainsbury’s doing your Christmas shopping and you get a phone call from Elton John. It’s a beautiful moment and it’s moments like that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives because it’s not every day those things happen.’ 

LadBaby may not be releasing a single this year but they are still working with the Trussell Trust, having just released their latest Greg the Sausage Roll children’s book 12 Days of Christmas, while they have also teamed up with Pukka to release a Christmas Dinner Pie which, quite frankly, sounds like a dream. Of course, proceeds go towards the charity they have worked with for five years. 

As our time with LadBaby drew to a close, there was just one burning question left on our mind: How many sausage rolls have they devoured over the past five years? 

‘I dread to think but it’s going to be a beautiful number,’ Mark laughed. 

‘Our youngest son Kobe just refuses to eat sausage rolls – we’ve done all these songs about sausage rolls and he doesn’t like them which is very funny! You’ll always see him trying to eat one and then turning it down.’ 

Mark and Rox haven’t shut the door on returning to music one day and, if they do, there’s only one person who they’re interested in collaborating with next. 

‘Mariah Carey, if you’re watching…,’ Mark teased.

‘A couple of years ago when we were in the studio doing one of our other songs, we were all talking about Mariah Carey and we rewrote All I Want For Christmas to All I Want For Christmas Is Sausage Rolls and we wrote the whole thing in 10 minutes which was the funniest thing ever. 

‘So, not this year but Mariah, if you ever want a LadBaby All I Want For Christmas Is Sausage Rolls, we’re ready and welcome.’

Pukka’s Christmas Dinner pie (RRP: £2.00) is available at Tesco for a limited time. 10p from every pie sold goes to the Trussell Trust to support their mission to end the need for food banks. 

Greg the Sausage Roll: 12 Days of Christmas is out now and all five Christmas charity singles are available to purchase, download and stream.

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Beth Ditto-fronted indie band Gossip have announced they are reuniting for their first new music in 11 years and we’re feeling all the nostalgia.

The pop-rock trio, formed of vocalist Ditto, 42, guitarist Nathan ‘Brace Paine’ Howdeshell and drummer Hannah Blilie, will release their new album Real Power on March 22, 2024.

Speaking about the Standing in the Way of Control hitmakers’ triumphant return, Ditto said: ‘When we began, so much about Gossip was about running away – that was always in the music.

‘We survived. We came from nothing, and we got the f**k out of there. And to be here 20 years later and still making music together is just incredible.’

The first single from the record, Crazy Again, came out today, and Ditto says it is about ‘being in love and feeling so safe.’

The group have worked with Grammy-award-winning producer Rick Rubin, who helmed the band’s 2009 album Music For Men.

The 11-track album was recorded at Rubin’s home studio in Kauai, Hawaii, and the process was temporarily halted by the pandemic, resuming when restrictions lifted.

The music video for Crazy Again was shot in Kansas City in the US and saw Gossip collaborate with director and audio-visual artist Ssion, who directed their 2010 Men In Love music video.

The band’s music has commonly explored themes of culture, gender and sexuality.

The title track of their noughties studio album Standing In The Way Of Control was a queer anthem written in response to the Federal Marriage Amendment, a subsequently-defeated proposal by the George W Bush administration in the US preventing states from recognising same-sex marriages.

In 2019, the group completed a tour for the 10-year anniversary of Music For Men with dates in London and Manchester, among others.

The group released their last album A Joyful Noise in 2012 and will release Real Power more than 12 years on – in March 2024, via Sony Music Entertainment.

Speaking to Vulture in 2022, Monarch star Ditto teased the completion of the impending new album.

‘Music didn’t really go anywhere. I put out a solo record in 2018. It’s just, the pandemic happened. But Gossip started recording in 2019 and a record was being produced, and because of the pandemic, it’s taken like two years,’ she revealed.

‘It was signed, sealed, delivered, and written a long time ago. The final edits and mixes came in yesterday. So there’s a new Gossip record already done.’

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