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THE Masked Singer has hit rock bottom – and even Maya Jama couldn’t save it.

ITV’s once-thrilling guessing game has lost its spark, with this series leaving fans cringing rather than cheering.

ITV

This series has been dreadful – clues are so vague and generic they could apply to almost anyone[/caption]

ITV

Maya Jama has been the one saving grace of the current series after joining the panel[/caption]

The celebrity reveals have been underwhelming, and it feels like the show is scraping the bottom of the barrel for famous faces – has The Masked Singer finally lost its magic?

SAW IT COMING

One issue plaguing the show is the predictable pattern of celebrities signing up.

In recent seasons, the programme has leaned heavily on former band members, ex-pop stars, and soap actors – making it far too easy to guess.

Once you spot the trend, it’s just a process of elimination rather than a real mystery.

Earlier seasons were far more exciting, with a wider mix of athletes, actors, and even international celebrities keeping viewers on their toes.

But by sticking to the same familiar categories, the show has lost the element of surprise – and it desperately needs a shake-up!

With the judges realising they would rather be anywhere else, the show has had to fill in the missing seats.

Maya, 30, joined the panel this season, most likely for sex appeal and to engage fans to watch.

And she is surprisingly good at guessing the celebrities behind the mask, knowing a lot of reality stars and former famous singers.

But, the panel overall lacks talent.

And as it is a singing competition, shouldn’t there be more actual singers on there?

The judges rarely take their job seriously and seem to treat the show as a bit of a joke or one big party.

Jonathan Ross especially makes ridiculous guesses – probably thinking he’s funny and entertaining people, but should take notes from the hilarious and iconic Ken Jeong on the US series to do this successfully.

Sometimes it feels like the show is a fix because the judges forget it’s a singing competition when putting through singers to the next round.

For example, they chose to unmask Macy Gray – not because they didn’t think she was any good – but because they wanted to confirm it was her and wanted to meet her. No wonder she was annoyed.

Another of this series’ biggest problems is how ridiculously vague and generic the clues have become.

Instead of being clever hints that superfans can piece together, they’re so broad and sparse that they could apply to almost anyone.

Without more detailed, meaningful clues, the mystery just isn’t as exciting – and it’s ruining the show’s appeal!

Lastly and most importantly, the vocals… as this season’s singers have not been strong.

Pufferfish seems to be the only professional standard vocalist, and the show is trying to make up for poor singing with heavy auto-tune, making it difficult to guess who’s on the mic.

It doesn’t help that there is an incredibly high standard after last year’s winner Danny Jones and his unbeatable vocals.

CAN IT BE SAVED?

One of the few saving graces this season has been the rotating guest panellists who have helped keep things fresh.

That said, the guest judges often feel like last-minute stand-ins rather than carefully chosen additions.

Why not link them to themed weeks to make their presence feel more meaningful?

A soul singer for Diva Week, a ballad artist for Valentine’s Week – it would add an extra layer of excitement and credibility.

More viewer involvement could also be a game-changer – making fans feel like they’re truly a part of the show, rather than just passive watchers.

A simple but effective way would be adding a QR code on screen during performances, allowing fans scan for a recap of all the clues so far.

Ultimately, I’m a Masked Singer fan, and that’s why I feel so strongly that the ITV show needs to evolve if it’s to keep hold of its audience.

If it doesn’t, well, us viewers won’t be able to mask our disappointment any longer.

ITV

Macy Gray stunned everyone after storming off before her reveal[/caption]

Eroteme

ITV

Has the reality show run out of celebs?[/caption]

MANCHESTER UNITED fans have been sent into a frenzy after spotting Cristiano Ronaldo’s jet in Manchester.

Ronaldo‘s £61MILLION Bombardier Global Express 6500 jet landed at Manchester Airport this week, causing speculation that the Portuguese superstar could return to his former club once again.

Reuters

Manchester United fans have been sent into a frenzy about Cristiano Ronaldo returning for a third stint at the club[/caption]

X @manairport

Ronaldo’s private jet was spotted at Manchester airport, sparking the rumours[/caption]

A video shared by Manchester Airport’s official X account showed the matte black jet adorned with a silhouette of Ronaldo and his nickname “CR7” on the side of the plane.

With United enduring a torrid season that has seen them lose almost half of their Premier League games this season, fans are hoping that Ronaldo’s jet is a hint that the 40-year-old could be returning to the club for a third time.

Ronaldo first joined United in 2003, staying until 2009 when he made a huge switch to Real Madrid.

Before returning to Old Trafford for a short stint between 2021 and 2022.

Desperate United fans think that a third spell could be on the cards and have taken to social media to plead with their club legend to bail them out of the bottom half of the table.

One wrote: “Bring him back @ManUtd. I’ll drop my agenda”.

While another added: “Glazers out, CR7 in.”

A third commented: “He is coming for one last dance”.

Getty

Ronaldo joined United for his first stint in 2003 and left in 2009[/caption]

PA

He rejoined the club in 2021, but a sour ending saw his contract terminated in 2022[/caption]

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And a fourth wishfully posted: “Welcome home”.

It’s not actually clear if Ronaldo was in Manchester alongside his jet on Friday, but it seems unlikely given that he was playing in Saudi Arabia on the Thursday night during Al-Nassr‘s 3-2 win over Al-Ahli.

While he is also expected to line up for Al-Nassr again on Monday against Iranian side Persepolis in the AFC Champions League.

Ronaldo’s current contract with Al-Nassr is set to expire in the summer, however reports have suggested that he has agreed to a one-year extension with the Saudi club.

Many United fans may breathe a sigh of relief at Ronaldo being unlikely to rejoin the club, especially given the sour ending to his last stint in Manchester.

Ronaldo saw his contract with the Red Devils terminated after a public spat with then-manager Erik ten Hag and an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

AS her young daughter lay dying in hospital, vile Louise Porton joked: “I had two, now down to one.”

The mum made the vile remark after suffocating three-year-old Lexi Draper.

BPM Media

PA:Press Association

Lexi’s final moments were captured on CCTV[/caption]

Just two weeks later, she killed her 16-month-old baby daughter Scarlett Vaughan.

Evil Porton had brutally murdered her children because they were getting in the way of her sex work.

Now, we revisit the gruesome case that horrified the nation.

During her trial, the court heard Porton killed her children because they “got in the way of doing what she wanted, when she wanted and with who she wanted”.

The single mum prioritised her career as an escort called “Lollypop” over her two daughters.

She worked for a website called PurplePort where she specialised in erotic, cosplay and glamour work.

Boasting she was “open to all types of photoshoots”, Porton wore fetish gear and skimpy sailor outfits as she posed for risqué snaps.

Sickeningly, the aspiring model would palm Lexi and Scarlett off on relatives so she could hook up with clients for just £30.

She even told one punter how they could have sex despite being in a shared room with her daughters as long as they were “quiet”.

On one occasion, the mum claimed she had sex in a van with a man called “simple Simon” as her young kids slept inside.

Even when Porton had taken Lexi to hospital after she suffered a seizure, the vile mum sent a client topless snaps while the stricken youngster lay in bed receiving treatment.

She also exchanged a series of messages with a hospital security guard she met during Lexi’s stay and agreed to meet a photographer to perform sex acts on him.

Her vile neglect reached a violent head on January 15, 2018, when Porton dialled 999 following Lexi’s death.

When paramedics arrived, they found the youngster’s skin was “pale and mottled and her lips were blue” with rigor mortis already setting in – proving she had been dead “for some time”.

Just 18 days later Porton went through the same “charade” of pretending her daughters had simply fallen ill when she murdered baby Scarlett.

BPM Media

SWNS:South West News Service

Messages sent by Porton on the night Scarlett died[/caption]

Instead of immediately calling for help, Porton was captured on CCTV driving around as the youngster lay dying in the back of the car.

Chillingly, she remained “calm and emotionless” after the deaths and was overheard laughing at a funeral parlour as she arranged the burials.

She also “yawned” when asked what she wanted to do with their belongings and acted like “someone who had lost their goldfish”.

But the monster repeatedly denied having anything to do with their deaths – telling cops: “Why would I kill my own kids?”

She added: “My children were never an inconvenience to me and I accommodated my lifestyle and personal life around them.

“It is correct that life as a single mother was financially difficult, but I never asked anyone for money and any suggestion that I used my daughter’s ill-health or death to make any money is wholly inaccurate and wrong.”

But her lies fell apart when police discovered she made a number of chilling internet searches on the day Lexi died.

These included how long it took a body to “go cold up to the shoulder” and “Is it true you s*** yourself when you die?”

Porton also asked: “For how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated?”

Both Lexi and Scarlett died from deliberate airway obstruction – with neither youngster having any prior medical issues.

Medics also found Porton had attempted to kill Lexi twice before eventually succeeding.

The mum was jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years in August 2019 for the “evil” and “calculated” murders.

Sentencing, Mrs Justice Yip said: “One way or another you squeezed the life out of each of your daughters, only calling the emergency services when you knew they were dead.

“I am sure at the time of the deaths, you intended to kill each of your daughters.

“Why you did so, only you will know.”

SWNS:South West News Service

Porton was filmed filling up her car as Scarlett lay dying in the back[/caption]

SWNS:South West News Service

She calmly paid for her items before making a 111 call[/caption]

PA:Press Association

PA:Press Association

SUVs. 65-inch TVs in the living room. King size beds.

Life is full of examples where bigger is supposedly better and the smartphone is another example of this.

Jamie Harris / The Sun

Galaxy S25 fits in one hand perfectly[/caption]

Jamie Harris / The Sun

I tested the Galaxy S25 for over a week[/caption]

Jamie Harris / The Sun

Galaxy S25 Ultra, left vs Galaxy S25, right[/caption]

Sure, you get a bigger battery and more powerful cameras among other things – but do we really need all that when technology is so good these days?

As The Sun’s resident tech expert and main smartphone reviewer, I recently tested the Galaxy S25 Ultra and it’s one of the best Android devices around right now.

But starting from £1249, it doesn’t comes cheap at all.

Instead, you can save hundreds and get plenty of the same great features in the main Galaxy S25.

Find out why it’s worth a shot below.

• Buy now from £799 on Samsung.com

Samsung Galaxy S25: Look and feel

The thing I love most about the Galaxy S25 is it is so much lighter at 162g.

That’s a lot less than the S25 Ultra that comes in at 218g (which, by the way, is already a reduction compared to last year’s Ultra model).

But the base S25 is also 9g less than the main iPhone 15.

Then there’s the actual size of the S25.

The display is 6.2-inches measured diagonally fitting beautifully in all hand sizes, so you can easily use it with one hand.

Samsung uses an aluminium frame that helps to keep things light but it feels sturdy all the same.

By comparison, the S25 Ultra has a more premium titanium frame – you would be pressed to tell the difference on the surface but the latter will be more resilient to drops and scratches.

The same goes for the Dynamic AMOLED display, which looks great on the S25 despite being less mighty than the Ultra.

We’re trying the mint model which looks absolutely beautiful.

Here’s the full list of colours for the S25:

• Blueblack
• Coaralred
• Pinkgold
• Navy
• Icyblue
• Silvershadow
• Mint

Samsung Galaxy S25: Performance and software

The Galaxy S25 runs on Samsung‘s own version of Android, One UI.

Whether you’re running One UI on a new phone here or an older Samsung device, it’ll always be a consistent, clean and easy look.

All the S25 devices run on Android 15, One UI 7, which is the very latest version of both, straight out of the box.

One great highlight about Samsung’s Galaxy S devices is that you get a whooping seven years of security and software updates, so if you look after the handset it could last you quite sometime – and therefore save you money on upgrades.

Meanwhile, the base S25’s chipset is the same as the S25 Ultra too, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that keeps everything running mega smooth and speedy.

That’s a change from last year, when the S24 series confusingly had different chips in some countries, including the UK – now they all have the same.

The end result is no annoying lag as you run multiple apps, even demanding ones like games.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Features

Another area all three versions of the S25 are the same on is features.

And the big focus once again is on AI tools.

Samsung has moved closer to Google this year and its Gemini digital assistant.

The base S25 still has all the same wonderful features, with the added bonus of being more friendly on your pocket and in your hand

I’ve used it to do handy things like identify food in my fridge via the camera on the phone and come up with a decent recipe.

Samsung’s other star new feature is Now Brief, an AI companion that acts as a central hub for everything going on in your day.

This keeps you in check with not only your calendar and weather but learns about your habits so will warn you about things such as traffic.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Battery

Battery is one area where, on paper, the base S25 and S25 Ultra differ.

Put simply, the Ultra is bigger so has a larger battery inside.

With varied use – such as browsing, watching videos, light gaming and messaging – I got a good day’s battery out of the S25, whereas the Ultra marches much stronger into the second day.

However, the reality is most people charge their phone at night so the bigger battery doesn’t really matter.

Comfortably getting you through a day without getting too close to zero does matter, and the base S25 device does just that.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Camera

And that brings us to the final big difference, cameras.

The Ultra has more lens than the other models – but again, for most people, it doesn’t really matter as you still get beautiful shots, as you’ll see from the examples I took below.

They both look just as stunning, only when zooming in from quite a distance will you really notice a difference.

But seriously, how often do you really need to zoom in massively?

Jamie Harris / The Sun

Jamie Harris / The Sun

But the S25 still takes beautiful shots[/caption]

Jamie Harris / The Sun

Another example photo from the S25[/caption]

Martin Keown issued an apology to Ruud van Nistelrooy over their infamous clashes during Arsenal’s historic Premier League rivalry with Manchester United.

Keown is responsible for one of the most iconic images of the Premier League era when he celebrated Van Nistelrooy’s missed penalty at Old Trafford in 2003.

Earlier in that game which ended goalless, Van Nistelrooy angered Arsenal’s players for his part in Patrick Vieira’ sent off’s red card.

After smashing the crossbar with his penalty, Keown clumped Van Nistelrooy on the head as soon as the final-whistle was blown, while Arsenal’s players then began pushing the Dutchman which sparked a brawl between both sets of players.

Keown and Van Nistelrooy were reunited over 21 years later ahead of Leicester City’s Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday, and the pair exchanged a lengthy handshake before addressing their rivalry on TNT Sports’ pre-game coverage.

‘After all these years… apologies for all the shenanigans that went on back in the day,’ Keown said.

Van Nistelrooy replied: ‘Ahh, no, what happens on the pitch. I’m happy that I have him in front of me and not in the back of me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGF8gPeIlhi/

‘No, it was good, they were good rivalries, weren’t they?’

Keown then said: ‘Oh, great days.

‘I’m glad you’re standing there and not next to me because you loved to stamp on me.’

Van Nistelrooy replied: ‘I would like to block you out as well, and then fall over!’

When asked about his personal rivalry with Arsenal during his pre-match press conference, Van Nistelrooy added: ‘Back in 2003, I was gutted to miss the penalty.

‘That was the big thing. It was my responsibility to win the game for my team, and I didn’t do that.

‘Other than that, I wasn’t really bothered by what happened, as I was only focused on trying to help United win trophies.

‘Of course the competition was always fantastic and in 2004, in the same fixture, there was another penalty moment and that for me is what it’s about.

‘You step up again and this time you score. You can see in my emotion with the celebration after the second one that it meant a lot to me.’

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The UK-based 49s, held its latest lunchtime draw on Saturday, 15 February 2025. Today’s UK 49s Lunchtime results showcased a reasonable selection of low and high numbers, and featured – as the booster ball. UK 49s Lunchtime Results Pending… The next 49s draw, which will be the Teatime draw, is scheduled to take place later […]

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