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You can recognise it in an instant, that iconic voice and a candid style of songwriting beyond her years. The sound of Amy Winehouse was a sound unheard of since the days of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. But the name ‘Amy Winehouse’ seems to be as synonymous with talent as it is tragedy. On this season we’ll dive deep into the life of Amy. From her rise to fame, her artistry, to her pain, her loves, and her losses. Could she have been saved? What does her death tell us about the pervasive grip of addiction and fame? CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Emma Gillespie and Tia Ucich Guest booking: Kally Borg  Audio Production: Madeline Joannou   With thanks to: Dr Peter Hughes Eleni Papavasileiou Polly Taylor  Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a celebrated album with her debut, Frank, and with that distinct voice and sound, Amy Winehouse got very famous, very fast. Everyone wanted a second album, but Amy had entered a whole new world. On this episode, we’ll hear how Amy’s very private struggles with mental health and addiction became headlines for a relentless tabloid culture. And, in one of the most volatile love affairs in pop culture history, how would the story of Amy and Blake become a cautionary tale about the dangers of codependency? CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Written and produced by Emma Gillespie with Elissa Ratliff, Tia Ucich & Kally Borg Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Guest booking: Kally Borg With thanks to: Dr Peter Hughes Eleni Papavasileiou Polly Taylor Dean McCarthy Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A month before Amy Winehouse’s death, her performance at a music festival in Serbia was resoundly panned. She was intoxicated for the whole world to see, but the silver lining of what would be labelled 'the worst gig of her career' meant she didn’t have to go on tour. It meant Amy, and those who loved her, had their hopes pinned on a chance for Amy to get better again.  On this episode we’ll explore the final years in the life of Amy Winehouse. After her closest friends were convinced Amy was doing better than ever, how did she die? Why was she sent on tour when she was not only unwilling, but unwell?  Plus, we’ll take a closer look at the 27 club. What is this unique curse that looms over the legacies of these young artists? CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Written and produced by Emma Gillespie with Tia Ucich & Kally Borg Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Guest booking: Kally Borg With thanks to: Dr Peter Hughes Eleni Papavasileiou Polly Taylor Dean McCarthy Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories It was after 10 pm, on November 2nd, 2021 when 35-year-old Peng Shuai - China’s beloved global tennis star - sat down and began typing. Truncated sentences of an open letter, detailing an affair and sexual assault involving one of China’s highest-ranking political figures. It took only a few minutes before the post had amassed thousands of shares, likes, and comments. But within half an hour, it vanished. And moments later, so too did Peng Shuai. CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Writers: Emma Gillespie, Tia Ucich  Producers: Emma Gillespie Guest booking: Kally Borg  Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff   WITH THANKS TO: Sydney Pead, Yaqiu Wang and Drew Pavlou   GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For three long weeks in November 2021, the tennis community, news organisations, and human rights advocates the world over had one question; Where Is Peng Shuai? In the aftermath of a Weibo post detailing allegations of sexual assault against one of China’s top political figures, concerns for Peng Shuai's freedom were escalating swiftly. Then suddenly, proof of life. In this episode, we’ll learn more about the Chinese propaganda machine, and how it’s working to convince the world of Peng Shuai's safety, whilst censoring her story. CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Writers: Emma Gillespie Producers: Emma Gillespie, Kally Borg, Tia Ucich Guest booking: Kally Borg  Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff   WITH THANKS TO: Yaqiu Wang, Drew Pavlou, Tom Steinfort & Sydney Pead Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the world began to wonder how and if Peng Shuai would be used in the games, and whether the IOC was going to have anything to say to the Chinese Government about their silencing of the tennis star. So how did the Chinese propaganda juggernaut shift its attention to the global sporting stage? And what happens when the international community’s peak sporting body is accused of silencing a sexual assault survivor? Plus, we investigate China’s Me Too movement. What does the story of Peng Shuai tell us about feminism in China? CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Writer: Emma Gillespie Producers: Emma Gillespie, Kally Borg, Tia Ucich Guest booking: Kally Borg  Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff   WITH THANKS TO: Yaqiu Wang, Pan Wang, Tom Steinfort & Sydney Pead Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories She was the queen of Nickelodeon, beloved by teens of the noughties. But just as her movie career was taking off, something happened to Amanda Bynes. In this two-part series, we’re looking back on the life and career of Amanda Bynes before, during and after things got out of control. We’ll dive into the paparazzi culture that hounded and taunted young Hollywood starlets, and question our historic understanding of the mental health issues at play. What caused Amanda Bynes to crumble alongside a generation of young stars? And where has Amanda been for the last nine years? CREDITS: Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Sydney Pead With thanks to: Laura Brodnik Louisa Hatfield SOURCES: Entertainment Tonight Paper Magazine Nickelodeon Dreamworks film She's The Man Splash News TV GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories From 2013 until just a few weeks ago, Amanda’s Bynes life was controlled by a conservatorship, governed primarily by her mum, Lynn. In the wake of Britney Spears’ bombshell revelations about her own conservatorship, the #freebritney movement turned its attention to Amanda. Knowing what we now know about conservatorships and how they can be manipulated, why did it take more than eight years for Amanda to regain control of her own life? CREDITS Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Sydney Pead With thanks to: Laura Brodnik, Host of The Spill Louisa Hatfield, Former Editor of New Weekly, Woman's Day Sarah Wentz - Lawyer at Fox Rothschild, U.S. Megan Radford - #freebritney Campaigner SOURCES: Entertainment Tonight 9 News New York Times - Framing Britney Spears TMZ GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Become a Mamamia Subscriber for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories Seven hundred years ago a woman betrayed by the ruler of Monaco cursed the future of his family: no descendant of the House of Grimaldi would ever find happiness in marriage. On this season of Extraordinary Stories our host Emma Gillespie dives into the modern-day impact of that curse. Did it play a part in the tragic demise of the Hollywood star turned princess Grace Kelly? CREDITS Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Sydney Pead With thanks to: Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews Maddalena Mastrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia SOURCES: Entertainment Tonight Graham Bassinger, 2017 MGM archives The Times GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories To lock down the future of the Grimaldi dynasty, Prince Albert II needed to marry and produce a legitimate heir. So when he met South African olympian Charlene Wittstock, the palace breathed a sigh of relief. Beautiful and elegant, Charlene would make the perfect princess. But when Albert’s past life as “The Playboy Prince” caught up with him, the star-studded princely wedding in Monaco almost had everything except a bride. The tabloids were reporting Albert had a new love child, and that Charlene had tried to escape the tiny country three times. The world wondered if Charlene really wanted to marry into the Grimaldi family, and if she did, why was she crying on her wedding day? Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Sydney Pead With thanks to: Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews Maddalena Maestrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia SOURCES: Entertainment Tonight The Times Graham Bassinger, 2017 SABC, Top Billing Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Subscribe to MPlus for unlimited access to Extraordinary Stories Charlene Wittstock had made it through years of tabloid speculation about her marriage to the Prince of Monaco, but in 2020, just as she found some peace, a new, yet very familiar scandal involving her husband rattled the palace. Then, in a matter of weeks Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene left the country and wouldn’t return for almost a year. Had a serious illness kept her away from her children and her husband’s new paternity battle? Or did Charlene not want to come home? CREDITS Host: Emma Gillespie Written and Produced by Sydney Pead & Emma Gillespie Audio Production: Madeline Joannou Executive Producer: Sydney Pead With thanks to: Professor Chandrika Kaul- Historian, University of St Andrews Maddalena Maestrostefano - Royal Correspondent, Royal Central Chelsea McLaughlin - Entertainment Reporter, Mamamia SOURCES: Entertainment Tonight South Africa Radio 702 PEOPLE Every Day podcast Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.