Natasha Bedingfield has been told by fans that her music heals their "inner child".
The 43-year-old pop star released her debut album, 'Unwritten', back in 2004, and Natasha has revealed that she still loves receiving positive feedback from her fans.
The singer - who has Solomon, seven, with her husband Matt Robinson - told PEOPLE: "Recently at shows, people are often coming away saying they feel like their inner child has been healed, and I love that."
Natasha is set to perform at lots of festivals this summer, and the 'Love Like This' hitmaker is already looking forward to hitting the road.
She said: "I have so many festivals. It’s so exciting.
"My band is amazing, and I’ve been singing for so many years, so my show is just great. And everyone sings along and it’s a great time.
"I love so many different songs, I love performing new songs. I love singing other people's songs, too. 'Purple Rain' feels like it opens up some kind of magic. It's like Ali Baba's cave just opens up when you sing it."
Natasha's 2004 single 'Unwritten' has recently enjoyed a revival, featuring in a large number of TikTok videos and in movies such as 'Anyone but You'.
The pop star previously revealed that the popular track was inspired by the Beatles.
Natasha told the Guardian newspaper: 'Unwritten' started as a poem. Then I found the right songwriter in Danielle Brisebois - who’d had amazing experiences as a child actor and in the band New Radicals. She helped me with the idea that every child is a blank page and can write their own future.
"We recorded it in Venice Beach. For the verse, I had the Beatles’ Indian period in my mind."
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The Toronto Maple Leafs reached an agreement on a contract extension with 23-year-old forward Nick Robertson, avoiding an arbitration case. Robertson signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs, earning him $1.825 million against the salary cap. While Robertson signed an extension with the Maple Leafs, it’s not likely he sticks around in Toronto for too much longer. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thought Podcast, the Maple Leafs have more players on their roster than they’d like and Robertson is the low hanging fruit in the lineup. “The Maple Leafs have to clear some bodies there,” Friedman said. “There’s a lot of them” Robertson has been connected to teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, but it’ll be up to the Maple Leafs to decide if/where they want to send him. “I definitely think the Maple Leafs have work to do here,” I don’t know what their timeline is, but nobody expects them not to do things before puck drops, that’s for sure.” For a number of years, Robertson was one of the top prospects in the Maple Leafs system but hasn’t been able to find regular time in the NHL lineup. Whether through his own development as a professional hockey player or the Maple Leafs not having room in the lineup, Robertson hasn’t seen much NHL time in his career. Robertson appeared in a career-high 69 games during the 2024-25 season, recording 15 goals and seven assists for 22 total points. Usually relegated to the bottom six of the Maple Leafs’ lineup, Robertson has played in 156 career games with 32 goals and 24 assists for 56 points. Originally a second-round pick (53rd overall) of the Maple Leafs in 2019, Robertson’s time in Toronto might be coming to an end soon. Getting a new contract signed, even for a year, takes away another hurdle to cross for interested teams.
Despite the day belonging to ESPN and its reporters, it was Mark Maske of The Washington Post who broke the news first. Per Maske, the NFL and Disney-owned ESPN have completed the long-rumored deal, giving ESPN NFL Network and certain other media assets (including RedZone and NFL Fantasy) in exchange for 10% equity stake in ESPN. The second non-binding agreement, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, sees the NFL license to ESPN certain NFL content and intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets. “Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” CEO of The Walt Disney Company Roger Iger said in a statement released by ESPN’s Lily Blum. He continued, “Commissioner (Roger Goodell) and the NFL have built outstanding media assets, and these transactions will add to consumer choice, provide viewers with even greater convenience and quality, and expand the breadth and value proposition of Disney’s streaming ecosystem.” Given ESPN’s streaming abilities — through multiple streaming apps such as ESPN Watch, ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — the agreements should make available lots of content exclusive to the NFL and NFL Network available in multiple formats in addition to the usual cable and satellite option. The statement also cites an additional platform in what they’re calling “ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service.” While YouTube TV still owns the rights to air NFL Sunday Ticket and ABC/ESPN/Disney/NFL Network, FOX, CBS/Paramount/Nickelodeon, NBC/Peacock, Amazon and Netflix all have individual rights to air certain games, ESPN gets “broad rights to the RedZone brand and will distribute the NFL RedZone Channel to pay TV operators for continued inclusion into their sports packages.” Though ESPN gets broad rights to the brand and TV distribution rights, the NFL will continue to own, operate and produce NFL RedZone and retain the rights to distribute it digitally. ESPN’s platforms will now license an additional three NFL games per season (all to air on NFL Network) and will adjust its overall NFL game schedule with four games shifting to NFL Network, as well. The league will continue to own and operate its retained media businesses such as NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com, the NFL Podcast Network, the NFL FAST Channel and the official sites for all 32 teams. The two parties’ fantasy applications, NFL Fantasy Football and ESPN Fantasy Football, will merge, “creating the official Fantasy season-long game of the NFL and one best-in-class digital experience.” While much of the news is being presented by the parties involved as a shiny new present for NFL fans, there are some perceived negatives to the agreements. While Iger calls the transactions additions “to consumer choice,” in reality this is a step closer to a monopoly. At the moment, existing contracts keep the NFL readily available from several different streamers and television channels, but when those contracts expire, how willing will the NFL be to dole out games to networks other than the one it has a 10% stake in? ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio offered his usual candor in a making another relevant point about ESPN’s reporting responsibilities. When issues such as the ownership collusion case we’ve seen this summer break the NFL news circuit, how critical will ESPN be towards its minority owner? Ultimately, the transactions are still subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals (including those of NFL team owners and federal regulators) and customary closing conditions. There’s still quite a ways to go, but Tuesday’s agreement gives a peek into what the NFL media future will look like.
D’Angelo Russell isn’t holding back when it comes to his early NBA journey, and he’s putting the Lakers on notice. In a recent appearance on the Wy Network, the veteran guard reflected on his time with the Brooklyn Nets and credited the franchise for instilling the habits that saved his career, contrasting it sharply with his first stint in Los Angeles. “The organization of Brooklyn is different,” said Russell. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.” Russell went on to explain how his time with the Nets transformed his mindset and work ethic, saying the team taught him how to train, recover, and prepare like a professional, habits he didn’t develop during his early years with the Lakers. “Then I got to Brooklyn, where it’s all structure, and it taught me how to be a professional," Russell continued. "I always approach the game to where I was nonchalant and I felt like I could just wing it… they taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover.” Unlike many of today’s athletic point guards, Russell has never relied on elite speed or explosiveness to impact the game. Russell thrives on the perimeter, whether it's working as a playmaker, spotting up for threes, or simply helping his team find an open look. It wasn't until he joined the Nets that he learned to maximize his game and put in the work required to keep his game in the best condition. “That’s why I’m still playing to this day," said Russell. "I’m not a guy that’s athletic, I had to take care of my body, I had to recover, I had to eat the best way. I couldn’t just show up. And that’s what Brooklyn really taught me.” Drafted second overall in 2015, Russell began his NBA journey as a member of the Lakers. He was given major expectations from the very start, but he struggled to live up to expectations in Los Angeles, underperforming in his first two years before he was traded to the Nets in 2017. During his second season in Brooklyn, Russell made his first All-Star team in a breakout campaign, where he averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game on 43.4% shooting. To this day, it's his only All-Star appearance, but his game has never been the same since. According to Russell, he learned how to make the most of his career in Brooklyn, and he experienced more structure and order there than he ever did in Los Angeles. That's true for his first stint there (which involved a falling out with Nick Young) as well as his more recent return to L.A., where he played two seasons alongside LeBron James before ultimately being pushed out. He never felt appreciated or comfortable on the Lakers, a reminder that Russell never found his rhythm in Los Angeles. Fortunately, he's in a better place now with the Mavericks. After averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 36.7% shooting in 2024-25, he's hoping to deliver his best season yet alongside Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and young star Cooper Flagg. While D’Angelo Russell’s time with the Lakers was filled with growing pains, his journey has come full circle as he prepares for the next chapter in Dallas. Now equipped with the discipline and perspective he lacked as a young player, Russell has the chance to redefine his career on a team built to compete in the West. His comments on the Lakers may sting for fans in L.A., but for Russell, they reflect a hard-earned evolution and a reminder of where he truly found his footing in the NBA.
The New York Giants had a surprise on their quarterback depth chart on Tuesday morning. Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson entered training camp as the clear favorite to win the starting job before New York's Week 1 contest against the Washington Commanders. Per the depth chart released by the Giants on Tuesday, Wilson is indeed QB1. Behind Wilson is veteran quarterback Jameis Winston, and rookie Jaxson Dart sits at QB3. Tommy DeVito is QB4. Dan Duggan of The Athletic thought Winston being listed as QB2 was a surprise, as Dart has taken the bulk of second-team reps early in training camp. The Giants could be giving Dart extra reps in practice to help his development before the preseason. Dart, whom the Giants traded back into the first round to grab, is expected to be a long-term solution for New York in the future. However, the Ole Miss standout might not be ready to play in 2025, at least to begin the season. Winston probably gives the Giants the best opportunity to win games if Wilson has to miss time due to injury, as he did last year. Also, it's worth mentioning that keeping Winston at QB2 doesn't hurt his value if the front office tries to trade him before the regular season.
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