Arrest in Ariana Grande Concert Bombing + Queen's Statement + Theresa May Statement

In news just in, an arrest has been made in connection with the Ariana Grande concert bombing, which killed 22 (updated from 19 people)

And, the Queen  has spoken of her shock. In a statement, she also thanked the emergency services and expressed admiration for the response of people in Manchester.

"The whole nation has been shocked by the death and injury in Manchester last night of so many people, adults and children, who had just been enjoying a concert.

I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured.

I want to thank all the members of the emergency services who have responded with such professionalism and care.

And I would like to express my admiration for the way the people of Manchester have responded, with humanity and compassion, to this act of barbarity."

Sadly, the first victim of the attack has been named as Georgina Callander, 18.

She was an Ariana Grande "superfan" from Lancashire who met her idol in 2015 and was excited to see her on stage last night.

Runshaw College, where Callander was a student, released a statement, saying: “It is with enormous sadness that it appears that one of the people who lost their lives in Monday’s Manchester attack was one of our students here at Runshaw College."


An eight-year-old girl, Saffie Rose Roussos, was also confirmed as a fatality after beaming separated from her mother and sister.

With regards to last night’s incident at the Manchester arena, we can confirm we have arrested a 23-year-old man in South Manchester.

— G M Police (@gmpolice) May 23, 2017

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has released a statement also.

This, taken from The Guardian.

She has condemned the attack in the strongest terms possible, saying that it stood out for its “appalling, sickening cowardice”.

"It is now beyond doubt that the people of Manchester and of this country have fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack, an attack that targeted some of the youngest people in our society, with cold calculation.

This was among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom. And, although it is not the first time Manchester has suffered in this way, it is the worst attack the city has experienced and the worst ever to hit the north of England ...

The explosion coincided with the conclusion of a pop concert, which was attended by many young families and groups of children. 

All acts of terrorism are cowardly attacks on innocent people but this attacks stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives …

We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage. 

She said terrorists would never win and the spirit of Manchester and Britain would not be broken. Concluding her statement, she said:

At terrible moments like these it is customary for leaders, politicians and others to condemn the perpetrators and declare that the terrorists will not win. But the fact that we have been here before, and the fact that we need to say this again, does not make it any less true. For, as so often while we experience the worst of humanity in Manchester last night, we also saw the best.

The cowardice of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of Manchester. The attempt to divide us met countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together. And in the days ahead those must be the things we remember.

The images we hold in our minds should not be those of senseless slaughter, but the ordinary men and women who put concerns about their own safety to one side and rushed to help, of the men and women of the emergency services who worked tirelessly to bring comfort, to help and to save lives, of the messages of solidarity and hope of all those who opened their homes to the victims. For they are the images that embody the spirit of Manchester and the spirit of Britain, a spirit that through years of conflict and terrorism has never been broken and will never be broken.

There will be difficult days ahead. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of those affected, we offer our full support to the authorities, to the emergency and security services as they go about their workand we all, every single one of us, stand with the people of Manchester at this terrible time. And today, let us remember those who died and let us celebrate those who helped, safe in the knowledge that the terrorists will never win and our country, our values and our way of life will always prevail.

We know that among those killed and injured were many children and young people.

She said police thought the attack had been carried out by one man but that they wanted to establish if he was working alone, or if he was part of a wider group. It would take some time to establish the facts, she said.

She said police and the security services thought they knew the identity of the attacker, but that at this stage they could not confirm his name.

She praised the emergency services for their work last night. About 400 police officers were involved in the operation, she said.

"And many paramedics, doctors, and nurses have worked valiantly amid traumatic and terrible scenes to save lives and care for the wounded."

May said the police and the security services would get all the resources they needed for the investigation, and said the UK threat level remains at “severe”, meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely, and that it would continue to be assessed.

May said there was a large cordon around Manchester Arena and Victoria station, which would remain in place for some time, and confirmed she would be going to Manchester to meet the chief constable, the mayor and the emergency services.

May said she would chair another Cobra meeting later today.

Laura Pausini Australian Concerts 2015: Ticket Info and Interview

Laura Pausini is heading to Australia for the very first time - which is huge news for dedicated followers of the longtime music songstress. Josie's Juice had the privilege of speaking with Laura about her impending Australian visit. More on that below. But first, more about Laura! Here she is pictured below:

After sold out concerts in Europe, South America and North America the Italian superstar - she's been wowing crowds and dedicated Laura lovers for over two decades - is bringing her show to Australia, to Sydney and Melbourne.


One World Entertainment presents one of Italy’s most celebrated, loved, and enduring singers and when she visits Australia for the very first time, Laura will perform in Melbourne on February 13 2015, followed by Sydney on February 14 2015, with tickets on sale NOW.

Laura Pausini first burst onto the music scene when she captured the attention of Italians -and the huge international audience - watching her win the 1993 internationally renowned Italian Sanremo song festival. I vividly recall watching Laura perform her song, then go on to win the title, as I was travelling in Italy at the time. I was instantly smitten with Laura, as were millions around the world. I immediately bought her debut album while I was there, and on on subsequent trips to Italy bought all her latest releases. As a 21 year old, Laura spoke to me with her lyrics and she endeared herself to the world in the very same way: relatable, young, fresh, and a new voice we'd never heard before.

Since then, Laura has continued to be a genuine superstar in Europe and Latin America, and has a hugely passionate Italo-Australian fan-base following her career.

Laura has gone on to record albums in her native Italian, as well as in Spanish and English. Over the last 20 years, Laura has released twelve studio albums, and sold in excess of 45 million albums!

Throughout her career, Laura has won various music awards including three Latin Grammys, a Billboard Latin Music Awards and four World Music Awards. In 2006, Laura made music history, becoming the first and only Italian female to win a Grammy award. Incredible stuff!

Laura has sung with some of the biggest recording artists including Luciano Pavarotti, Marc Anthony, James Blunt and more. In 2013, Laura released a duet with our very own international superstar, Kylie Minogue, with a single called ‘Limpido’ (translated to ‘clear’), as well as a Spanish version called ‘Limpio’, sung in in Spanish, as part of a celebration of her twenty years in the music business, with the ’20 The Greatest Hits’ album.



She also sang on Gloria Estefan’s 2013 album ‘The Standards’. In early 2014, Laura launched a global tour, which has taken her to the US, Latin America, Europe, Russia and, of course, Australia in February 2015.

And now, my interview with the gorgeous, super friendly and fabulous Laura Pausini. You guys, you must go see her. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this Italian superstar in Australia!

Laura Pausini: Hello Josie! Do you speak Italian?

Josie's Juice: Ciao Laura. Si, pero non perfetto! (Yes, I do, but not perfectly!)

Laura: Non ti preoccupare! Io non parlo perfetto Australiano! Capisco poco del vostro accento, e ho bisogno del tuo aiuto! (Don’t worry! I don’t speak perfect Australian! I understand very little of the Australian accent, so I need your help!).

Josie's Juice: E’ un piacere aiutarti. Sei priori bellissima. E' un grandissimo piacere parlare con te. (It’s a pleasure to help you – you are just beautiful. And it’s a huge pleasure to chat with you).

(At this point, I have translated the first part of our interview together, and then we actually conducted the rest of the interview in English. Laura’s English was actually quite great – she did really well and as was as lovely in Italian as she is in English).

Josie's Juice: La prima volta che ti ho visto era nel 1993, quando hai vinto il Sanremo. (The first time I saw you was in 1993, when you won Sanremo).

Laura: Ah, bellissimo! L’hanno scorso ho celebrato il mio ventissimo anniversario. Mi hai visto prioprio quando io era piccolo! (Oh, bellissimo! Last year I celebrated my twentieth anniversary. You saw me when I was so young, and just starting out!)

Josie's Juice: Yes! I can’t recall which city I was in when I saw you win San Remo, but I remember thinking: this young woman is going to be a big star!

Laura: Oh really! Wow, thank you. You believed in me from the very beginning! You are a magical fan, then.

Do you know that, in the beginning, not many people in the music industry believed in me? But the public really believed in me, they always did. And that yes, I could have had such a long and big career.

Twenty years ago it was harder to enter to the music industry. And yes, and it was even harder for a woman.

In Italy, in the 1990s, the music you’d see on the charts was mostly sung by men. There were famous women who had sung Italian songs, but they had not sold that many albums. And so, women who went to Sanremo had a smaller possibility of making a mark on the industry.

But the Italian public, that year, decided I would make my mark by supporting me. And that I would represent women in music. Winning Sanremo changed my life and after that win, the industry saw that many women could sell albums, and many have gone on to win the Sanremo title, and have sold many, many albums.

Josie's Juice: Yes, you were groundbreaking.

Laura: I was completely unknown back then, and then this [Sanremo] changed my life.

Josie's Juice: You had so many songs that suddenly, Italian and Australian youth - and all around the world, could relate to. ‘Baci Che Si Rubano’, 'Perche Non Torna Piu’', so many songs I adore! (many are below).

Laura: (laughing lots): I love that, because they are very special to me too; those songs, they are a mirror of myself. These first songs at the beginning of my career told the story of my life at the time, the the adventures of a young girl and teenager, and the stories of a young girl experiencing her school days. I was so happy to have sung those songs at that time, as they followed my life at the time, they are memories of my youth. I think they were much simpler, more innocent times back then.

They actually still make me emotional when I listen to them now, as an adult, because they take me right back to the ‘me’ at that time.

Non c’e’, Mi Rubi L’Anima, La Solitudine – they were all actually relating to my school days, my youth.

When I was at that winning Sanremo event, I was at school, still finishing my schooling. So it’s really an accurate story of my life.

Josie's Juice: How old were you when you won Sanremo?

Laura: I was 18.

Josie's Juice: How many albums have you released? Your discography is shows it’s 12 or more?

Laura: I think I have around 12, but I also have two greatest hits albums. Then I also have all my Italian and Spanish albums.

Josie's Juice: We in Australia are your perfect target market for your songs now because we grew up with your songs at around the same age you were at the time you won Sanremo, your late teenage years.

Laura: I sometimes I am unsure when I think about myself over there in Australia, because I really don’t know how much of an audience I have; I’d love to discover how many people love my music, and I guess I will find that out in February.

Josie's Juice: Oh, you DO! You have a massive audience here in Australia. Someone of my age group – in their 40s – has followed you from the very beginning and we are huge fans of you and your music.

Now, tell me about Kylie Minogue, and how you came to work with her?

Laura: Singing with Kylie was a very big moment for me, because I wanted to share songs from my new album, the greatest hits album, that included three brand new songs.

I wanted a song that shows the very opposite of me. And so, Kylie is a blonde woman, with sexy moves, and she has very different voice to mine, and I wanted to show that in singing a song with her.

I wanted to show to the people the same ‘idea’ in music, even though we are different. This is why I wanted her so much. I wanted to be with a female artist and she was the perfect one for me, and she was really lovely.

Josie's Juice: You’re a mum, are you bringing your child along with you on tour? (Laura is mummy to almost two year old daughter Paola, with her partner Paolo Carta).

Laura: Of course! She is touring with me right now. She’s travelling around the world with me, wherever I go.

Oh boy, how can I celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day without her! She absolutely the meaning of my life, so she has to be with us!

Here are Laura's early songs. First, the song with which she won the 1993 Sanremo singing contest:

(Sorry about this copycat video… the song is authentic, though!). My fave Laura song:



Tickets to Laura’s concerts are sale now via www.ticketek.com.au or call 132 849 or see this direct link: http://www.laurapausini.com/eng/

Laura Pausini – Australian Tour Dates:

MELBOURNE: February 13, 2015, Margaret Court Arena
SYDNEY: February 14, 2015, QANTAS Credit Union Arena

Updated: Laura's video about her arrival in Australia:

Nelly, Lupe Fiasco & B.o.B tour of Aus & NZ 2015 - WIN Tickets!

The concert for three musical powerhouses is about to hit Australia - and Josie's Juice readers have the opportunity to see this fantastic event by winning tickets right here. Two double passes are on offer at each of the Australian concerts, and the one New Zealand concert. Read below for more. (UPDATED 5 Jan, 2015: ONE DOUBLE PASS ON OFFER TO WIN for the Perth show, and TWO DOUBLE PASSES on offer for the New Zealand show).

Double Grammy award-winning rapper Nelly will be touring Australia and New Zealand with Lupe Fiasco and B.o.B for the ultimate hip hop concert, and arena shows will be in Australia and New Zealand from 8 January to 17 January, 2015.

With over 21 million albums sold, the tour marks Nelly’s first visit to Australia in four years, and first ever arena tour. Joined by Lupe Fiasco and B.o.B, the trio will kick off the tour on January 8 in Sydney, finishing up in Perth on January 17, playing at a variety of stadiums and arenas nationally. 

Here are the Australia-wide dates:

Sydney: 8 January, Qantas Credit Union Arena

Newcastle*: 9 January, Panthers

Brisbane: 10 January, Riverstage

AuCkland: 14 January, The Trusts arena

Melbourne: 16 January, Sidney Myer Music Bowl

PERTH: 17 jANUARY, HBF Stadium

*Nelly & B.o.B only for Newcastle show

You can buy tickets NOW (selling fast!) through: www.epicpresents.com.au

And to find out more about the concerts, go to: www.epicpresents.com.au

Follow and join the social media conversation here: #Nellylupebob2015

And follow the tour on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/nellybobtour

And now, the Josie's Juice reader giveaway!

Here is all you need to do to be in the running to WIN one of TWO double passes available to win for EACH of the Australian shows (so, 4 tickets are up for grabs at each show), and TWO double passes available to win at the one New Zealand show:

- 'Like' the Josie's Juice Facebook page

- Follow me on Instagram and Twitter if you are on the social media platforms. Also, share the Nelly, Lupe Fiasco and B.O.B photo on my @josiegags Instagram page by taking a screenshot of it, then using these hashtags: #regram #josiesjuice #competitions #giveaways #prizes #Nellylupebob2015

- Share this link on your Facebook wall (so other people can see it, and also enter)

- Comment below on why you'd like to win a double pass to the concert, and indicate which concert you'd like to attend, AND email me at josiegags@optusnet.com.au so I can contact you in case you are a winner, and include your phone number in this email (so many people forget this step and don't enter a valid email address below, and I spend lots of time trying to track you down, or simply give the prize to the next person - not fun for anyone!)

(If you find it hard to comment below because your device won't let you - sometimes that happens on an iPhone, for example - simply send me your entry and address via email at josiegags@optusnet.com.au).

*Competition is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only. Australian residents are responsible for their own travel to and from the venue, and New Zealand residents are responsible for their own travel to and from the venue.

Good luck! Tickets will be drawn closer to the event date.

And now, some musical highlights from Nelly, Lupe Fiasco & B.o.B:

The Wiggles Celebration Tour - plus The Wiggles through the ages

I adore The Wiggles.

Okay, my kids do. But what they have given to my twins and I is immeasurable.

You see - and I know this is sometimes a controversial thing to say, but I don't care - they have been an exceptional babysitter over the past few years. Not only 'babysat' but they've been extraordinary early childhood teachers to my toddlers and countless others all around the world.

And ALL of The Wiggles' songs are so darn catchy, dammit! Immediately, all of the quartets' songs infiltrate your brain and before you know it, you're humming them in the car. By yourself.

I mean, it's no surprise these guys come up with such catchy ditties... I do recall when one half of the group Anthony Field and Jeff Fatt were in the soft rock pub band 'The Cockroaches' in the 1980s - and I distinctly remember Anthony Field as a night-fill packer at my local Woolworths when I worked in the deli section. But he flew under the radar then - almost unrecognisable.

And then, Anthony, Murray Cook [who was a member of several bands], Jeff, and Greg Page - formed The Wiggles together, after Field and Page - who were uni students at Macquarie University studying to become pre-school teachers - needed to fulfill a uni project... which then led to the recording of their first album and tour in 1991.

Thanks to their collective backgrounds they cleverly combined music and child development theories in their videos, TV programs, and live shows. Since forming, other regular characters have been developed: Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog, plus a troupe called "The Wiggly Dancers", who have all toured with them and appeared in their CDs, DVDs, and television programs.

More than two decades later, The group has franchised their concepts to other countries, developed Wiggles sections in amusement parks in Australia and the US, and have won several recording industry awards - it's not an ARIA's without a win from The Wiggles!

The Wiggles were named Business Review Weekly's top-earning Australian entertainers four years in a row and earned A$45 million in 2009.

They have earned 17 gold, 12 platinum, three double-platinum, and ten multi-platinum awards for sales of over 17 million DVDs and four million CDs. By 2002, The Wiggles had become ABC TV's most successful pre-school television program.

And so, that is why, I am as eager as my kids to see The Wiggles tomorrow - tickets are still available at shows on Sunday December 8 at Allphone Arena at Sydney Olympic Park for The Wiggles 'Celebration Tour' and for shows at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Saturday December 22 and Sunday December 23.

For more on The Wiggles, click here.

And to buy tickets for the final Wiggles shows [10am and 1.30pm] at Allphones click here.

And to buy tickets for The Wiggles shows at the Sydney Entertainment Centre [also at 10am and 1.30pm], click here.

Here is a clip the group has prepped for the final shows:



And here are some 'vintage' clips! Including 'Hot Potato':



And 'Fruit Salad':



And their latest offering called 'Surfer Jeff' - we have the DVD and sing the songs in the car, backed up by the 'Surfer Jeff' CD - is a real winner. Such a brill new slew of instantly catchy songs. Here's the title track:



What has The Wiggles meant to you and your family over the years?

[Josie's Juice blog gratefully acknowledges being a guest of The Wiggles Celebration Tour].

Tina Arena: Live in Melbourne, Studio TV

Tina Arena. Her 2012 Australian concert. Televised for the first time on Australian TV.

It's on tonight, on Studio, on Foxtel.

I went along to the concert earlier this year and was so moved, and became even more enamoured with the divine Ms Arena.

My concert review is right here.

Don't miss it: 'Tina Arena: Live in Melbourne', Australian Television Premiere: Saturday 17 November, 8.30pm.

Tina Arena: concert review, Sydney Symphony Orchestra at Sydney Opera House

Tina Arena is one incredible performer - not only a national treasure, but an international gem. I was lucky enough to go along to her first Sydney concert and was entranced, enthralled... and was so joyful watching and listening and immersing myself in her talent, accompanied by the incredible Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.

Tina's second song was 'Oh Me, Oh My' and I recognised it right from the first bar. I have never heard an artist sing a song as perfectly as they do in the recorded version. It was pure aural heaven.

Tickets are still available for the Thursday 5 July and Friday 6 July shows at Lyric Theatre, QPAC, with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Tickets through: qtix - www.qtix.com.au or 136 246.

Tickets are also on sale for the Sunday 5 August show, at The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall – with Orchestra. Tickets through: Arts Centre or Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com.au)

And, tickets for the Wednesday 1 August show at Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Tickets on sale now from www.bass.net.au

Un-missable and incredible: that's our Tina Arena.

[Photos courtesy Tina Arena official concert program].

Prince: FIRST Sydney concert report

If you're on a Prince high right now chances are you were one of the 'Beautiful Ones' to have experienced his first Sydney concert last night (his next concert is tonight, and the last on May 22; check the web for his other Australian concerts).

The experience was like no other.

Prince is... matchless.

Not only is his unique falsetto voice still in completely top form [he could teach the new wave of singers a thing or two about vocal licks], his electric guitar skills are otherworldly.

I can't think of an artist like this [help me here if you can] who can do it all like this: sing like an angel, dance like a demon, and play guitar like a man possessed.

There were a million highlights last night.

His last song - before he came back for an encore [we waited more than ten minutes but it was worth it] - was Purple Rain, and his moving rendition ran for at least 15 minutes. His guitar riffs seared right through your heart. It may sound dramatic, but if you're a true Prince devotee, you'll know what I am talking about.

Notably missing were his raunchy tracks 'Erotic City' and 'Darling Nikki', with reports suggesting this exclusion is a nod to his devotion to his adopted Jehovah's Witness faith.

The concert was far from asexual though. The crowd went absolutely nuts when Prince invitingly asked the crowd: "What are you doing tomorrow? Want to stay the night?"

The set list was squarely devoted to paying homage to his renowned tracks ['Kiss', 'Raspberry Beret', 'I Would Die For You', 'When Doves Cry'... he started the concert off with those words, 'Dearly Beloved' - the crowd lost it].

It was just as his 'old school' fans hoped. [The crowd was a mix of young and old, but the average age of ticket holders was most definitely the fans who immersed themselves in his Purple-ness the first time around... people in their 40s.]

Prince acknowledged these devoted fans, telling the crowd: "Old school, tell the new school how many hits Prince got!" 

The old school fans went ballistic! It's a fan's dream to be acknowledged for sticking around, isn't it?

We knew what he was talking about. In the 1990s especially, Prince was King. [It's not like he ever went away. And so strong is his pull, the man doesn't even need to release an album to need an excuse to go on tour.] After all, these songs shaped our youth, captured our imagination, tapped into our teen and twenty-something sexual selves.

A few spoilers, although apparently each night will be different:

Prince re-enters the arena for his encore on a push bike [my friend Sheree took this brilliant shot... she managed to touch him as he tried to pedal through the crowd, with security running around him]:

And Prince gets several people from the crowd on stage to dance with him and his extraordinary fellow singers: 

Prince throws his jacket into the crowd. That blew me away... really! Doesn't he need it again? And Prince throws his guitar to his stage hand after one of many mind-blowing guitar solos:

Here are some more Prince pics to feast on:

And here, Prince tells the whole crowd to turn on all our mobile phone lights and camera lights... the effect is breathtaking:

And now, the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Prince has been invited to appear on 'The Voice'.

Says music editor Kathy McCabe [who always gets the music scoops]:

"It is understood Prince has been invited to perform a medley of his greatest hits on the Channel 9 juggernaut on May 21, the night before his third Sydney concert.

Like many of music's biggest names, Prince has embraced opportunities to perform in front of huge television audiences - notably the 2009 finale of American Idol."

Read more here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/prince-has-been-invited-to-perform-a-medley-of-his-hits-on-the-voice/story-e6freuy9-1226353440111

Imagine that?

So, did you go last night? Are you going tonight? Will reports on the incredible show make you want to buy a ticket if you haven't already?

It'll be the best money you've spent on a concert. Ever. Yep, I said it. The concert experience of a lifetime. Unforgettable [special mention to my darling husband who bought me the ticket for Mother's Day... what a man.]

Pic credit: all photos [bar last ]: Sheree Grech Neal