The MTV EMAs will touch down in Manchester this week, bringing a mass of famous faces and celebrities to our city for a night celebrating the music industry.
The star-studded event will be taking place at the Co-op Live on Sunday 10 November, and also streamed and broadcast live.
Now in its 30th year, the MTV EMAs celebrates the biggest and best of the music industry across genres, with categories honouring the best music videos, collaborations, live shows and even fanbases.
This is the first time the global music celebration has ever been held in our city and it’s expected to attract some of the hottest names in the industry.
There’s a big chance, based off the nominees and already-announced performers, that we’ll have some of the world’s biggest A-listers staying in Manchester, booking up luxury hotel rooms and restaurants.
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Host venue Co-op Live has sent the rumour mill into overdrive this week by sharing photos of famous faces who have previously attended the EMAs.
It posted photos of celebrities like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, all of whom have graced the MTV EMAs stage either as performer or to receive an award over the years.
Not since last year’s surreal Chanel Metiers D’Art show, where the Northern Quarter was turned into a catwalk and Hugh Grant and Kristen Stewart popped up in town, have we been so excited about a potential event guest list.
We do know quite a few celebrities who will definitely be attending the MTV EMAs, including those who are performing, presenting or hosting at the glittering ceremony.
British R&B queen Raye, the iconic Pet Shop Boys, and backflipping crooner Benson Boone are all among those performing at the MTV EMAs in Manchester.
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Also on the bill will be Shawn Mendes, Teddy Swims, Tyla, The Warning, Le Sserafim, and Peso Pluma.
Busta Rhymes is also set to receive the 2024 EMA Global Icon Award.
Taylor Swift could be among the celebrities at the MTV EMAs in ManchesterCredit: Instagram, @beyonce
Then there are the presenters, including the main awards host Rita Ora, plus awards presenters already announced like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lucien Laviscount.
But then there are all the big names on the nominees list, who may appear in person or may just opt to send pre-recorded messages of acceptance.
Taylor Swift herself is leading the nominations for the MTV EMAs for a second year running, with seven nods, with other top contenders including Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Ariana Grande.
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It’s a huge deal for Manchester to be the host city, especially with our very own Liam Gallagher going up agains rock icons like Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Lenny Kravitz and The Killers in the Best Rock category.
Beyonce herself is nominated for a few, as is this summer’s music darling Chappell Roan, plus nods for Post Malone and Lady Gaga.
You can see the full list of nominees for the MTV EMAs – and thus the potential celebrities you could spot – HERE.
Some of the very best memes about Gary Barlow’s ‘massive’ son
Danny Jones
We don’t know why the internet does what it does sometimes, all we can tell you is that on occasions like this when seemingly the entire country is making jokes and some truly incredible memes about Gary Barlow’s ‘massive’ son, we’re just glad.
In case you’ve been living under a rock – or in his case, a planet – Gary Barlow has gone viral after sharing what clearly thought was an unassuming family picture on social media.
Well, to be more accurate, his son Daniel has gone viral due to the seemingly enormous height difference between him and his dad which, naturally, has become the funniest thing in about a decade by UK standards.
The British sense of humour is elite, we all know that, but when we tell you we’ve been literally streaming tears reacting to the endless flood of memes about Gary Barlow’s big son, we’re doing so through uncontrollable fits of laughter. Here are some of the very best we’ve come across:
Honestly, typing this out has been more of a challenge than anything I’ve ever written, mainly due to the convulsive and all-consuming chuckles.
We were today years old when we learned that there’s a word for the giggles, by the way: the technical term is ‘gelastic seizures’, so feel free to enjoy that bonus fact.
Anyway, back to the nonsense.
There’s a somewhat small comfort in knowing that while the online landscape is full of very negative things going on right now, it can still be an escape for simple-minded folks like us to laugh at a pretty tall kid from Cheshire.
Not ready to deal with the hideous result just yet so will continue on my quest to find the best Gary Barlow’s massive son memes for a while… pic.twitter.com/fHI8k858XU
For context, the 24-year-old Barlow child isn’t anywhere near as big as you’re probably thinking; as far as we can tell, it’s more a case of he’s just taller than his below-average height popstar dad.
According to our very intense research (that definitely didn’t take us less than a minute before we started scrolling through the memes again), Dan Barlow clocks in at around 6’2″ and Gary is roughly 5’7″.
Sorry to spoil the party and shatter the illusion. We can all just forget that bit and keep carrying on like Gary Barlow’s wife Dawn Andrews gave birth to a ‘giant’ if you like?
Honestly, just go on Twitter (no, not X; this is peak old-school Twitter comedy at its best) and look on the ‘Gary Barlow’ trending feed and take a few minutes, or an hour, to p*ss yourself at the endless wave of ridiculous memes about a boy who is basically just a bit taller than his dad.
As for the Take That star himself, the 53-year-old is yet to comment on the whole situation, probably because it’s utterly ridiculous but still, crack a joke would’ya, Gaz?
Brits are the funniest people in the universe. FACT. We also hope it goes without saying that this is very tongue-in-cheek; there is no sizeism or offence intended here whatsoever and he can see the sunny side of this sheer silliness.
Daniel Barlow just happens to be taller than the man who wrote the absolute banger that is ‘Relight My Fire’, so they’re both winners if you ask us. Happy meming!
Girls Aloud to release ‘Sarah’s Version’ of ‘I’ll Stand By You’ for BBC Children In Need 2024
Danny Jones
Pop royalty Girls Aloud are set to release a special edition of their 2004 song ‘I’ll Stand By You’, simply dubbed ‘Sarah’s Version’, for this year’s Children In Need broadcast.
The iconic British girl group returned earlier this year with a huge comeback nationwide tour which obviously sold out and they also won over crowds with their touching on-stage tributes to late singer Sarah Harding during their live performances.
Harding, 39, sadly passed away back in 2021 following a battle with breast cancer and was mourned across the country, especially here in the North, with a commemorative plaque and large mural of the Stockport-born songstress thrown up in her hometown back in May.
And now, as a way to help raise money for the annual BBC telethon and honour her once again, Girls Aloud will be re-releasing the well-known ballad.
‘I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)’ features Sarah on lead vocal throughout using vocals we discovered in the vault from the original recording sessions. The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all 🎙
Originally a cover of the 1997 track by The Pretenders and given that they were still so early into their career, the Noughties hitmakers naturally did multiple takes before landing on their final edit.
That being said, a version that has been rediscovered in digging through the archived recording sessions features Sarah Harding on lead vocals and now the band are set to let her voice shine through.
Airing for the first time on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 6 November, ‘Sarah’s Version’ has already gone down an instant hit 20 years from its release, with the emotional punch of hearing Harding’s clearly hitting listeners hard.
‘I’ll Stand By You’ went straight to the top of the UK Singles Chart when it was first released and was their second-ever number one. We have a very strong feeling that the importance of this re-release will see it do exactly the same – just in time for Christmas, no less.
Fans were left spellbound during what was casually referred to as ‘Sarah’s moment’ on the Girls Aloud reunion tour, where they truly did allow her singing to become the star of the show:
As if the charity single wasn’t a tear-jerking enough prospect already, ‘I’ll Stand By You – Sarah’s Version’ is also set to be released on 15 November, just two days before what would have been Harding’s 43rd birthday. We’re not crying, you are.
In aid of The Christie and the Sarah Harding Legacy Project, more than £1 million has been raised in the Stopfordian’s memory and for breast cancer awareness through initiatives like the creation of the mural and members of the hospital doing charity runs, bike rides, swims and more.
Speaking on social media, the band added: “The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all.”
BBC Children in Need 2024 takes place next Friday (15 November) and highlights from their reunion tour, where ‘Sarah’s Version’ was first heard by the masses, will be shown on ITV at 8pm the following Sunday.
Daisy Jackson -
7th November 2024 
