Hero

Had one last month who gave themselves away. They'd copied his official profile text: "Love music and Melachi and Amira". Except they'd typed it all in lowercase, and misspelt Amira as "amari". 😏 Love a self-own like that. 😁 But don't point it out to them if you see mistakes like that, they're useful clues for others that it might be a fake account. Just report and block, and let them make the same telling mistake again.

Lots, unfortunately. It's very easy to create an account on social media. As soon as a scammer has one account taken down, they just open another.

That's WHY we should pay attention, so we know what to look for in the cheaper versions! He looks good! Beaming. 😍 Nice fluffy flowers in the background, was it filmed in Germany?

I'm always suspicious of so-called fan accounts that include his official profile picture. Or that say "fan account" but then copy his official profile and bio word for word. Why? Genuine fans are usually more imaginative, and include a unique picture or info. I suspect it's usually scammers pretending to be another fan, trying to build a following of victims for a mass scam attempt. Anytime you see anything that looks similar to, or reads like, his official profile, please be wary.

Yes, another scammer. Report and block.

That is definitely a scammer. Report and block!

Not sure if it was smoking, or smoke with extra emphasis on the e. 😅 It was his intro to the battle between Olema and Marie-Flamme.

It's an interesting angle to see the coach on stage with them. I guess being on stage puts them closer to the performance, so they might see things not apparent to the others. Also it seems to be comforting for the contestants to have them there as a (slightly) more active participant than just being judged, to me it's kind of reinforced the supportive element that the coaches play. And if the contestants get overwhelmed being watched by the judging audience and coaches, they can avert their gaze and sing to their coach instead. Of course that could play into their final decision, but it might relieve some stress knowing their coach is up there with them and they have that option. Also, it gave us the "smoking" moment. 😍😄 The only thing I'm not keen on is the distracting whoops and yeahs from BF&O, and V to an extent. It's not your performance, shut up, sit down and listen! It's ok when they're sat in the chairs, but not on stage.

Hoo boy, they crammed all the emotions in that trailer! So the cross battles are voted for by the studio audience? Do the non-playing coaches get a vote too?

He's on the cover of the RT?!! Woohooh! 🎉🎉 I have no love for the RT, but it's an institution in Britain, that's great exposure! 😍

You'll find out in 7 short weeks, don't worry! I'm still elated from the final duet, wasn't expecting that song but it was brilliant. ❤️❤️❤️

Ok, so obviously we're sworn to secrecy until it airs, but I can say, what a brilliant night, full of emotion. The finalists were all incredibly talented performers, and each one deserved to be there. You will not be disappointed!

Yes, that all fits.

It looks like he's wearing one of their mens bracelets too:

I don't know about deadly, but they're definitely dangerous! He's changed suit again! Love the shade of this one, the shoes and the brooch.

That's right, it's an area inside the Arndale Mall. There's a map here: https://manchesterarndale.com/shop/map/

It's here, the Exchange Court runs through both the Lower Mall and Upper Mall levels (basically ground floor and 1st floor). The ground floor is an open space, the upper area is enclosed.

That belongs in the Wonkaland thread!

More than four stations too, wasn't it? They've just copy pasted the text from last time!

If they keep the same format, Mika and LL will each play a solo song at the start, then perform together at the end. The TV people won't want any risque lyrics, so that narrows the choice. I could see GG as the finale, it has that uplifting group energy. But, who knows? I've learnt never to 2nd guess Mika.

Just seen today's Google Doodle in the UK is in remembrance of Etel Adnan, whose poetry Mika read for this installation. Celebrating Etel Adnan http://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-etel-adnan

One week today! Whoop!

Just watched it. The little sh..! Right, something to say next time I see him! Or maybe not. I don't care. Shake on tall guy! 😂

I couldn't see that! So I was right! I've been anointed by the curls!

DUBLIN, YOU ROCKED!!! What an amazing night, so full of energy and love! After flying in on Wednesday, and having a fab time at the MFC party (thank you Mika for your incredible generosity! ) I had a creaky but good night in the hostel. The morning was promising, fair with some sunshine, but possible rain later. With a slightly thick head from the night before (don't mix drinks!) I arrived at the queue just before midday and was number 41. Some had been there since 2.30am! The queue had been moved from outside the theatre front as it was blocking shop entrances, and was now sat along the small side road past the stage entrance. Although small, the street was well used, so the day was regularly interspersed with shouts from the queue of "Look out! Macchina! Voiture! Car! Mind yourselves!". Mid afternoon the rain appeared. The nearby tourist shops did a roaring trade in umbrellas, hats and ponchos, and the queue was soon covered. We see all the best places when queuing! Late afternoon the rain cleared, and everyone tidied up and dried off. The queue had grown a bit more during the afternoon, but from about 4pm it started to fill up properly. The excitement started to grow, and the doors opened on time. I think there was a little crush as those at the front overwhelmed the security people doing the scanning, but it soon sorted itself out and in just a couple of minutes I had my ticket scanned and was in. The corridor was quite narrow so there was no room for pushing, and people were mostly calm and respectful, which was lovely! One wristband later and I found my spot, on the far left side at the barrier. Amazingly I was stood next to friends who had queued earlier! Turns out they'd gone the wrong way in the corridor on the way to the stage, so were glad to still be at the front. It was a nice spot, I had a good view and it wasn't so crowded as in the centre, so I had room to dance/jump/breathe! The theatre itself was gorgeous, all red and gold, and quite small with an intimate atmosphere. After some intro music, the support act DJ came on and ran through her set to a receptive audience. You could tell people were ready to party, they were already dancing, whooping and cheering. 🎉 Some more music played between acts, and the anticipation was high. Then the lights dimmed, the theatre roared, the band came on stage to shouts and whoops, and the opening notes of OOL played. Mika came out dressed in the red suit, looking amazing, and the crowd exploded. Right from the start everyone was jumping, dancing, singing, riding the energy wave and feeding it back to the stage. Incredible. He spoke to us and explained that the theatre was too small for the tour props (his "toys" 😂), so tonight we had him naked with no filters between him and us. An intimate setting to finish the tour, and direct communication between him and the audience. Perfect! 😍 Each song was performed with the heart and exuberance we know and love. Moments of warm laughter and humour mixed with touching moments of sadness and heartbreak, all wrapped up in a glorious shimmering package of unbridled love. Tonight we were free. 💖💖💖 During Big Girl he came and danced in the stalls with the audience, then went out back and eventually reappeared in the circle, looking a little dishevelled. He claimed to have got lost in the maze of corridors, and kept finding toilets instead of the circle door! 😂 Another dance and he disappeared again, supposedly to go to the upper circle, but ended up on the side balcony above me touch laughter! You'd think it would be easy to keep track of a very tall man in a bright pink suit, but it's not! 🤣 (Warning, don't read the next sentence if you don't like cringe/tmi)... As I was looking up at him I felt a couple of drops of sweat land on my face! 🫣 No idea, but I'm telling myself it was his. That's ok. I've been anointed. 🤣🤣 In Elle Me Dit he told us the story of his mother walking in on him in his room when he was a teenager, at a very embarrassing moment... 😲... when he was dancing on his bed in his boxers with the light off, pretending to be a star. 😂 Everyone was laughing with him, sharing the moment. Amidst the laughter, there was touching beauty with Feels Like Fire (no video backdrop but he introduced Nomfundo's part), Good Guys, and Any Other World. I can't help but think that a tour of these slower, more considered and touching songs would be an incredible success and knock the boots off some critics. His final song was WAG, ending on a high with the crowd elated, exhausted and rapturous. If there is one moment seared into my memory from Dublin, it was his reaction to the applause at the end of the show. The crowd was so loud! He took his earpieces out and was completely surprised at the sound, his eyes went wide with shock and joy, laughing "F*** me!" 🤣😍 He gestured to Wouter to take out his earpieces, and they both were just stunned at the strength of the crowd's appreciation. These are guys who have played arenas, festivals, you name it - yet it was the little theatre in Dublin that gave them that moment. It was beautiful, I was so pleased for him, it was a brilliantly joyous moment to end the tour. 😍🥹🎉💯❤️ We left the theatre and hung around hopefully, and in a short while he did come out briefly to speak and accept gifts, which was lovely especially for the Irish fans. I chatted with a girl from Belfast, it was her first Mika gig. Before the show she was shocked that people had queued from early morning to see him. Afterwards, she said she totally understood why, he's amazing. 😍 Thank you Dublin. It was brilliant!