Buckingham Palace approached so many different British celebrities and musical acts to perform or appear at the coronation concert, and they all turned down the gig. Adele, Ed Sheeran and Elton John all said no, and Sheeran was even publicly bullied by the palace about it. What’s remarkable is that the palace then turned to American stars, and the Americans have decided to show up. It’s so bizarre – like, the British media endlessly cries about everything being “too American,” and now American entertainers are saving Charles’s ass. How much is Katy Perry getting paid for this gig? What is Lionel Richie getting out of it? Well, those aren’t the only (American) names. Tom Cruise will be there. So will Nicole Scherzinger (she’s American but lives in the UK). Will Nicole sing “Don’t Cha”? They’re also bringing poor Winnie the Pooh into this.

King Charles III’s coronation is set to be a memorable occasion – if only for the eclectic lineup that will be appearing at a concert thrown in the new monarch’s honor. The latest stars to be confirmed for the Coronation Concert, which will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle the day after the historic ceremony, are “Top Gun” actor Tom Cruise, Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger and tubby little cubby Winnie the Pooh.

For the coronation, which will honor King Charles’ ascension to the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth last year, Cruise and Pooh will appear alongside “Dynasty” star Joan Collins, singer Tom Jones, adventurer Bear Grylls and dancer Oti Mabuse in a series of pre-recorded VTs in which they will reveal “little-known facts about the King.”

Also newly confirmed for the concert are Paloma Faith, Tiwa Savage, Steve Winwood, Olly Murs and club DJ Pete Tong, who will play his Ibiza classics. The concert will also feature world-renowned pianist Lang Lang as well as recent “The Piano” winner Lucy. Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor will also appear on stage to deliver a spoken word performance to introduce the Commonwealth virtual choir.

They will join artists including Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, who were announced earlier this month. “Downton Abbey” star Hugh Bonneville will host the proceedings, which are being produced by BBC Studios.

[From Variety]

There does seem to be a palpable sense of relief that at least the palace managed to book some celebrities, although this is not really a glittering or electric lineup of musical acts and A-listers. I guess even Tom Cruise turned down a live appearance – it sounds like he just filmed something which will be shown at the concert, same with Pooh and Bear Grylls. Like, I think the actual coronation ceremony is going to be full of crappy optics, but the absolute shambles of the chubbly concert should not be underestimated.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.