Dancing on Ice - Seven Down, Seven Remain

Fourteen celebrities, seven have departed and now only seven remain, the crème of the crop in the 2010 version of ITV’s skating show, Dancing on Ice.  Under the guidance of the fantastic ice double and gold medallists at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the aim is for these celebrities, paired with a professional skater to turn themselves from bumbling buffoons on the ice, into skating perfectionists.  The prize at the end is worth it, the chance to skate the famous routine ‘Bolero,’ with the chance to become Dancing on Ice champion for 2010.

The show is now in its 5^th series and gets better with each year.  Show-stopping performances, a mean grilling from the ice-panel and the crazy costumes worn, make it a must-hit for Sunday night entertainment.  Dancing on Ice is a show for all the family to enjoy, and it is a relaxing form of entertainment, away from the dramatic soap operas, tension-filled sporting moments and gritty drama that dominate our TV schedules.  No wonder why over ten million viewers tune in every weekend.  This show has rekindled the nation’s love of ice skating.

The show has already bid farewell to seven celebrities, including GMTV medic Dr. Hillary Jones, 80’s pop sensation Sinitta, Olympic swimmer Sharon Davies and cooking author and wife of Gordon, Tana Ramsay.  Some have not been helped by the strange comments from the inconsistent Nikki Slater and the vile sayings from Mr. Frosty himself, Jason Gardiner.  Also making up the judging team is Karen Barber, assistant coach to the amateur skaters, former Spice Girl Emma Bunton and former Olympic figure skating champion Robin Cousins.  Recently, whilst Robin has been away, commentating on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, guest judges have stepped in, in the form of classical artist Michael Ball and newsreader Angela Rippon.

The favourite for the crown this year is star of the West End and former soap actress, Hayley Tamaddon.  Hayley has topped the leaderboard ever single week so far, and together with professional partner, Daniel Whiston, look tough to beat on their current form.  However, she doesn’t have the clear advantage that Ray Quinn had on everyone in the last series.  Her closest challengers are likely to be ex-Dream Team and Footballers Wives actor Gary Lucy and EastEnders actress, Daniela Westbrook.  Both have been improving with each passing week, making this year’s contest less predictable to pick a winner.

The dark horse of the competition is Hollyoaks bad boy Kieran Richardson, who has steadily been making the strongest improvement out of any of the remaining skaters.  Completing the remaining celebrities in the show are Boyzone heartthrob, Mikey Graham, ex-Coronation Street actor Danny Young, who has been stuck on a total of 17.0points for the past five weeks, much to the chagrin of his partner, British adagio skater Frankie Poultney and the Inbetweeners comedian, Emily Atack, who has done well to reach this stage, after a barrage of scathing criticism from the judges.

Four weeks left of the hit show and anything can happen, especially with Prop week coming very soon, often a trip-up for one of the favourites.  Hayley may be the one to catch, but who will add their list to Gaynor Faye, Kryan Bracken, Suzanne Shaw and Ray Quinn as a Dancing on Ice Champion is anyone’s guess.  

Portsmouth FC - The Lesser of Two Evils

Yesterday’s news conformation was no real surprise to many in the football game, but it was a sad day nonetheless.  Portsmouth made unwanted history, by becoming the first Premiership club to enter administration, since its inception into the English game in 1992.

A 9-point deduction has followed, meaning a mathematical miracle is now needed to avoid relegation from the FA Barclays Premiership, despite today’s 2-1 morale-boosting win at fellow relegation stragglers, Burnley.  However, it’s the best move possible, because it means that the club will probably be able to stay in business, which looked increasingly unlikely just a few weeks earlier. 

Portsmouth’s downfall from grace is almost unheard of, but it is a sorry state of affairs.  Less than two years ago, Pompey defeated Cardiff City 1-0 to win the FA Cup.  With it, came the prospect of European football and star playing arriving at the club, such as Peter Crouch, Niko Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe.  However, spiralling players wages began the financial mess that the club got themselves into.

Manager Harry Redknapp left for Tottenham in autumn 2008 and in a desperate attempt to balance the books; over £100m was raised in selling players, such as Crouch, Defoe, Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson.  So, how come the club got themselves into £80million in debt, it’s such a startling figure.  Basically, it was borrowing money it simply couldn’t pay-back, such as to Premiership clubs for players, TV rights money from BSkyB, work on the stadium from local businesses, plus pay-outs to former managers, Tony Adams and Paul Hart.  Former owner, Alexander Gaydamak is also owned money in excess of £30million pounds.

I feel really sorry for the players that remain at Fratton Park, the likes of international stars such as David James, Anthony Vanden Borre and Nadir Belhadj, and former Champions League winners, Steve Finnan and Kanu.  Also, the manager Avram Grant, who loves the club so much and like at Chelsea, is in a precarious and imperative position through no fault of his own and finally, the Pompey supporters, who have been through so much pain, trauma and heartache over the last 18 months.  Portsmouth FC is a community club and bankruptcy would have ripped the heart out of the city, let alone the football community.  However, despite it being a sorry scenario, Portsmouth has got themselves into this mess themselves, so there can be little sympathy, especially from the rest of the FA Premier League.

Five owners in a season is nothing short of absolutely ridiculous, the lack of stability is comical, some of the owners don’t even know a thing about football.  To be honest, Bart Simpson could have done a better job than these Arabian men, who had no money in the first place, then took the club further into debt.  Chief executive Peter Storrie, who had such a decent reputation, has lost all his creditability, for not stepping in to sort out the fracas.  He finally stepped down yesterday and about time too, the fans who confronted him at the entrance of the ground yesterday made their point well and truly clear.  He is nothing short of a waste of space.   The FA and the FA Premier League also need to shoulder some of the responsibility.  They have refused to help Pompey in their hour of need, especially with the TV money rights, and more could have been done to prevent this scenario.

Can Portsmouth rebuild?  Yes, probably they will, but it won’t be until long-term.  In the short-term, more must be done by everyone in the game to prevent this becoming a normal situation.  It may be the lesser of two evils – administration or liquidation, but whatever the scenario, the fans and players of Portsmouth FC have lost out, in the worst possible fashion.  Togetherness and grit is needed by everyone for the South Coast club to return to their glory days.

UEFA Champions League 1st Leg Review - Still All In The Balance

Europe’s premier club competition returned over the past fortnight and the eight ties remain all firmly open in the balance.  No clear-cut winners and for the remaining triumvirate of English sides left in the UEFA Champions League, it was a mixed bag.

Premiership leaders Chelsea came up against an old friend in the San Siro.  After all the mind games and the frenzied build-up, Jose Mourinho got one over Carlo Ancelotti, as Inter Milan take a 2-1 lead back to Stamford Bridge for the rerun in three weeks time.  Crucially, Salomon Kalou’s away goal gives the Londoners a major say in the second leg.  It was a night of misfortune for Chelsea in Milan, with the damaging loss to goalkeeper Petr Cech a possible severe implication for the rest of their European and domestic campaign.  Cech went down unchallenged midway through the second half, with the initial diagnosis a possible cruciate ligament injury.  Though, not in the best form of his career, his impact among the Chelsea backline will be severely missed if the extent of the injury is confirmed as feared.  Kalou may have scored, but was also denied a certain penalty when shoved over by experienced Argentine Walter Samuel when clear in on goal.  Despite the setback of losing, Chelsea will still fancy their chances at the Bridge, but may need more than one goal to see off the ‘Special One.’

A week earlier, Manchester United had a fantastic result in the San Siro themselves, overcoming AC Milan 3-2, even if their performance wasn’t the best.  Wayne Rooney is in the form of his career, with two more crucial headers giving Sir Alex Ferguson’s side a massive advantage to take back to Old Trafford.  At times, Milan outfoxed United, with their clever movements, but their frontline, particularly Pato were extremely wasteful infront of goal.  Both Ronaldinho and an emotional David Beckham (for obvious reasons) played their part and rolled back the years with some of their silky touches.  However, like many in the side, their legs ran out of gas and United took full advantage of their fatigue in the second half.  It will be incredibly tough for Leonardo’s Serie A oldies to turn around this deficit at the Theatre of Dreams.

For Arsenal, it was a very frustrating and flapping night in Portugal.  Schoolboy defending and horrific goalkeeping led to their downfall in the Dragao, as FC Porto take a 2-1 advantage back to the Emirates.  Granted, Arsenal played well and shouldn’t have much trouble in the return, against the 2004 winners, but what can’t be hidden was Lukasz Fabianksi’s sloppy handling, which led to both goals.  The second Porto goal was nothing sort of a sketch more likely to be seen on the Armstrong & Miller show.  Although the referee didn’t cover himself in glory, by blocking Sol Campbell during the indirect free-kick process, Arsenal’s lethargic attitude to get back, coupled with Fabianski’s inability to read the UEFA Basic Football Rules Handbook meant Porto were always going to be onto a winner.  Arsene Wenger may have tried to find excuses as usual, in his post-match interview, but the infallibilities cannot be disguised in this situation.

Elsewhere in Europe, favourites and holders Barcelona’s erratic form in this season’s competition continued.  They were lucky to escape from VFB Stuttgart with a 1-1 draw.  Bitter rivals Real Madrid did even worse.  Even Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo had off-nights in their 1-0 loss at their bogey side Lyon, beaten by a wonderful solo effort from Jean Makoun.  Bayern Munich needed a shambolic linesman decision to beat Fiorentina 2-1 in Germany, deciding that Miroslav Klose was onside, when he was standing at least five yards offside.  Finally, keep an eye out on Bordeaux, who recorded an impressive 1-0 success in Greece against Olympiakos.  After almost surreal progress from a tough-looking group, including Bayern and Juventus, no-one will want to meet Laurent Blanc’s inform side in the latter stages, providing they finish off the job in France in the second leg.

It is all open and nothing is assured, the road to Madrid has firmly begun but in this season’s UEFA Champions League, anything is possible, anything.   

Cheryl and Ashley Split - No Surprises

After weeks of speculation about sordid affairs involving another top-paid Premiership superstar who plays for Chelsea Football Club, the news broke yesterday of Cheryl Cole’s split from her husband, Ashley.

The England left-back, who is currently out injured with a broken ankle and faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup in South Africa has seen a series of front page headlines for the wrong reasons, with allegation of affairs with up to six different women, whilst with Cheryl.  Eventually, the Girls Aloud singer has decided enough is enough and rightly so.

Following the recent furore surrounding Chelsea skipper John Terry, this is the last thing that both Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello needed.  Capello has come out today with a quote, warning the England team about their future conduct.  It will be very interesting to see what the spirit in the camp will be like, with next week’s friendly against Egypt at Wembley looming large.  Chelsea have taken action and fined Cole for his actions, reports suggesting up to £400,000.  Ashley should be hanging his head in shame, he only has got himself to blame.  Excuses are the saddest and oldest trick in the book when it comes to infidelity. 

For Cheryl, it’s time to move on and she has such incredible support from her fans and close friends.  Girls Aloud will be backing her all the way, as they have done throughout, as will her close associates from The X-Factor.  Her performance at last week’s BRIT awards showed bravery, but in reality, she probably should have pulled out, as it sounded terrible.  A few days away in the United States were the best thing she could have done, and it is clear that she has done a load of thinking.  Ashley had played away before, back in 2007 and it took a lot of courage for him to be forgiven for that.  Stupidity should have been stamped on Cheryl’s head if she took him back again.  I still think she probably still loves him, but if there is no trust in a relationship, then it just isn’t going to work.

The Cole marriage has been under scrutiny for a while now; it has been one of the most talked about celebrity couples, but nowhere near on the strand of ‘Brand Beckham.’  Yesterday’s news was no surprise at all; it had been expected for a long while.  Cheryl has now requested for the media to leave her alone and give time to sort her head out.  I would hope that will be the case, though knowing the British media, that’s probably more of a hopeful rather than expectant plea.  She can do a load better than Ashley Cole and I do hope that everything will end up working for her in the end.

My final point is on relationships involving sportstars.  The Tiger Woods shenanigans before Christmas still burn very bright, especially after his frank press conference last week.  Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton went his separate ways with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger at the start of the year, though there is now talk they are back together and now the latest implications involving Terry and Cole.  This is the case of ‘Men Behaving Badly,’ and big time.  You’d think these highly-paid global stars would be able to keep their trousers on, especially considering the farcical wages they pick up during a horrible economic period.  It would be nice to see these guys began again to dominate the back pages for their actual talents, rather than their clear lack of relationship skills on the front pages.  Lessons need to be learnt from this wave of cheating scandals, but will they….I really find that hard to believe…   

Flavio Briatore - A Finished Article

On Friday, Queens Park Rangers probably got some really good news, as after months of turmoil that have seen the West London club plunge to the lower reaches of the Championship table, their chairman Flavio Briatore stepped aside from his role.  With his Formula One future looking doomed, has sport now lost one of its most colourful figures of recent times?

Briatore took over QPR in 2007, as part of a consortium that also included fellow Formula 1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone.   Together, they promised Rangers a load of cash and the glory land of Premier League football, something the club hasn’t experienced since relegation from the top-flight way back in 1996.  The heady days of Les Ferdinand banging in the goals on a regular basis and top-half finishes in the Premiership’s inaugural years seem a long time ago.  True, money was given to spend for managers, but stability was something the Loftus Road club has not being able to achieve, with alarming results.  Nowadays, managers aren’t given a load of time to stamp their authority on a club, with Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Arsene Wenger the only three managers still at their current clubs at the end of 2002.  However, QPR were sacking managers quicker than glue was sticking to paper.  Briatore has often been known to have a short fuse and a lack of patience with people, but the way he was running the club was ridiculous.  It was seen to him more of a business venture, than a football club.

His dismissal of Jim Magilton before Christmas was an absolutely scandalous decision.  Magilton, who had stabilised Ipswich for several seasons, without taking them to the next level had steered Rangers into the Championship playoffs by late October, playing some very attractive football in the process.  However, it went sour very quickly and a bust-up with playmaker Akos Buzasky after a dismal display in a Sky televised game down at Watford was the final straw.  Briatore got involved, when he didn’t need too and suspended Magilton, sacking him shortly afterwards.  Paul Hart barely lasted five minutes and now, Mick Harford is in temporary charge, QPR’s 10^th manager in less than two years.  No wonder why no-one wants to manage there, it’s a poisoned chalice!  Saturday 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers should see the club move away from the relegation zone, which could have disastrous consequences for the club, should the unthinkable happen, but they have a long way to go, if they want to achieve Briatore’s initial ambition.  He may remain on the board at QPR, but without a leading role, the club may now have the chance to look forward to a brighter future.

Briatore’s Formula 1 days look numbered too, after one of the most disgraceful cheating episodes in sporting history.  With Renault threatening to pull out of the sport, following a couple of years in the doldrums, Briatore took action that would have severe ramifications for many.  On Lap 14 of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, rookie Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet had an accident that brought out the Safety Car.  This led to the benefit of his team-mate, Fernando Alonso and the double world champion went on from 15^th on the grid to win F1’s first ever night race, in controversial circumstances.  Renault remained in the sport, but Briatore’s actions were soon going to come back and bite him hard.  Last summer, Piquet was axed after a string of poor performances in the Renault and then went public about the events of that weekend in Singapore.  The FIA investigated, Briatore fell on his sword and quit Renault, along with Director of Engineering Pat Symonds.  However, it didn’t stop Flavio getting a lifetime ban from the sport he truly loves.  This has been overturned on appeal, but with the matter still unresolved, Flavio faces some anxious times infront of him.  For somebody who spearheaded Michael Schumacher’s rise to fame, and Alonso’s double championship success in 2005/2006, it seems unthinkable that he won’t be around on the Grand Prix grid anymore. 

To sum up, Flavio Briatore is damaged goods and he faces a long and stressful battle if he is to return to a premier stage in sport.  Sadly, he looks like a very finished article.

EastEnders Live Episode - Now That Was A Surprise...

Last Friday, EastEnders celebrated its 25^th birthday, and in some style too.  The show’s first ever live episode went down in a grand manner, which a shock death and the revelation of Archie Mitchell’s killer, which kept everyone guessing until the final moment.

The scriptwriters and producers on the BBC show spent a load of time putting the effort into producing a gripping half an hour of drama for its millions of fans and so it proved out.  All of Archie’s suspects were acting on edge, realising that their actions on Christmas Day were coming back to haunt them.  Janine Butcher was planning to runaway, both Jack and Max Branning clearly had something to hide and Roxy Mitchell continuous questioning of Sister Ronnie’s motives may have been dogged, but certainly suggested to the normal viewer that the tension was bubbling. 

Mixing in Ricky and Bianca’s wedding was a great idea, because it meant that although Archie’s killer was going to take the main plotline, there was something just as important going on in the background.  Maybe Ricky and Bianca can break soapland’s traditional plotline of recent times and have a happy and successful marriage.  The episode also had the two longest serving characters, Ian Beale and Dot Cotton watching a very old videotape, which had moments from some of Walford’s famous characters down the years, including Arthur Fowler and Sharon Watts.

The episode culminated with the police, swarming all over Albert Square to find Bradley Branning, who was being urged by both Jack and a reluctant Max to flee before they came.  Bradley and his new wife, Stacey Slater made a break for it, as Max and Jack tried every trick in the book to stall the police.  Unfortunately, Bradley forgot the passports and had to head back to get them.  The police caught up with him and in a desperate attempt to escape their clutches, he fell off a rooftop, plunging to his untimely death.  As the Vic onlookers rushed out to see the horror, across the Square, Stacey confessed to Max that she had been the one that had done away with Archie.  The aftermath will be very intriguing to follow now.  It was revealed after the episode that Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey, had been struggling for days with a losing voice, so her scenes on Friday were even better, considering that trouble.

Though there were a couple of line/continuity errors, it went really well for a live episode and with 14million tuning it, the BBC bosses certainly got the figures they were after, completing a brilliant week for the company, which had seen ITV’s two midweek picks, the BRIT Awards and the return of the UEFA Champions League stuffed in the ratings by medical drama, Holby City. 

To conclude, credit where it’s due, well done to Dredrick Slater and his team, plus the actors/actresses for producing a captivating half an hour live drama on Friday night.  What is in store next remains to be seen, but with former Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood, who turned the Channel 4 soap from 2006-2009, EastEnders could be set for a return to the glory days, after years in the doldrums of dodgy storylines and dismal characters.  

Fashion Industry: A Crippling Victim of the Recession

Last Friday saw the beginning of one of the biggest events on the fashion calendar, London Fashion Week.  However, the fashion industry is in dire straits, thanks to the recession, which has seen the collapse of many major fashion houses across the world.

Big names such as Escada and Luella Bartley have gone bust and the tragic death of Alexander McQueen only ten days ago has sparked a major cloud over such an established and glamorous event.  Fashion designer McQueen was found dead in his flat on Thursday 11^th February, with suicide the apparent cause of his untimely demise.  An inquest has already opened into his death, and liabilities of around £32million could well be found as a main cause for his suicide.  McQueen’s amazing fashion designs may have dazzled many for over a decade, but if his perilous financial state is eventually confirmed, then his legacy could sadly be tarnished by crippling debt.  For the short-term at least, he shall be remembered for the crazy designs which were worn by many, including Lady Gaga, who paid an emotional tribute to McQueen at last Tuesday’s BRIT awards.  Her emotion when collected her three awards showed how much she had been affected by the death.

Other fashion houses have already disappeared from the eyes of many in the public in the last 18 months, largely due to the recession.  People may think that MFI and Woolworths were the two biggest names to have been dissolved by the credit crunch, but those who are linked into the fashion industry would soundly disagree.  The French fashion house, Christian Lacroix is probably the biggest name to have gone bust.  It collapsed last year and although it was seen as a flamboyant and extravagant house, it never actually turned over a profit, reporting losses of between £5million & £10million before the start of the credit crunch.  Another name that disappeared and sadly missed is Hardy Amles.  Set-up way back in 1946 by Edwin Hardy Amles, his chain designed dresses for the dearly missed Diana, Princess of Wales and the strip for England’s 1966 World Cup football success.  However, in 2008 it went bust, and just twelve months later, so did Luella Bartley, which was the outlet often, in use by singer Lily Allen and Kate Moss.  Luella Bartley only started trading business at the turn of the millennium, but its longevity didn’t matter when its main investor withdrew financial backing, possibly aware of the problems the UK was about to suffer.  Bartley was highly recommended and was gaining a decent reputation in the British fashion industry, so her demise sent a ripple of shock and dismay through the whole industry.

London Fashion Week is bound to forget its troubles briefly for the coming days, as it will play hosts to outrageous designs and gorgeous models, but for how long is it going to remain glamorous and successful to the naked eye of the general public.  It is quite clear that the fashion industry has been severely dented by money trouble, just how long can it continue to be a driving success…it is unknown. 

Alexander McQueen, you will be missed by everyone, RIP.

Skins: The Series So Far

It seems remarkable to think for the obsessed fans that we are halfway through the fourth series of E4’s award-winning teen drama Skins.  With only four episodes left for the current cast, before they all get replaced, I felt it was a good opportunity to sum up my feelings on the current series.

All fans were promised at the start of this series that Skins was going to be darker, deeper and grittier than ever before and there is no doubt that this has turned out to be the case.  The death of a random girl, Sophia at a club night just two minutes into episode 1 highlighted the consequential actions that many have felt already throughout the series.

Episode one focused on Sophia’s death and held some severe ramifications for Thomas.  Thomas (Merveille Lukaba) was under-used in the last series, so it was only right for him to have the first episode this time around.  It showed his weaknesses and struggles, which left him questioning his beliefs, friends and family.  He then strayed away from Pandora (Lisa Blackwell) with the beautiful vicar’s daughter Andrea.  Well there are some uses for a hospital laundry room I guess…It spelt the end for Thomas and Pandora’s relationship and probably best, it had been going downhill ever since Pandora ended up being charmed by the Cookie Monster, Cook (Jack O’Connell). 

If the first episode was a little bit vague for a few, the second episode reminded the viewers of the drama and emotion that can be felt through watching a TV programme religiously.  For Emily (Kathryn Prescott), the second episode saw her character go through a vast amount of feelings and expressions, which led to the unravelling for a dark secret.  Emily and her new sweetheart, Naomi (Lily Loveless) return from the summer break as loved-up as ever.  However, Naomi is being haunted by Sophia’s death, as she dealt the MDMLA which sent Sophia to the balcony pole in the nightclub that resulted in her death.  Immediately, ‘Naomily’ is put under scrutiny, as Emily tries to get to the bottom of Sophia’s demise, as she is convinced Naomi is hiding something from her.  Along with leaving home, the stress piles up on Emily and in a dramatic rooftop scene, sees a sketchbook which confirms the worst suspicions for her and to the shock of the audience, reveals that Naomi had an affair with Sophia.  For now, ‘Naomily’ is another relationship that has taken a battering from shocking revelations, but unlike Thomas & Pandora, has more chance of surviving.

Episode three saw attention turn to the volatile Cook, and his downward spiral, which began with him beating up an unlucky individual infront of 83 witnesses at a house party.  We meet Cook’s mum, whose lack of parenting skills have meant that Cook has had to grow up the hard way, probably leading to his violent swings in behaviour.  After smashing up a Bentley, he confides in Naomi, who is still hurting from previous revelations.  Cook realises he must start taking responsibility for his actions, and not only admits the assault at the party; he reveals to the police that he dealt Sophia the powder, not Naomi.  A two-week sentence in custody follows, but will it see a different Cookie when he leaves.

Last night, Katie (Megan Prescott) got her turn to star in her own episode.  Once again, it was a one-hour madness peak, which saw the Fitch family go through an emotional rollercoaster, leading to the repossession of their house.  Katie is also told that she can’t have any kids in the future, devastating her, but rather than going on a complete downward spiral, she works especially hard to get all the Fitch family, including the out-of-control Emily back together as one, strong unit.  It was the best episode by far in the series, possibly in Skins history, as it was full of emotion, drama, funny lines and quirks and for once, a satisfactory ending.

In the coming weeks, Freddie, JJ & Effy will all have their turns to star in their own episodes, before the finale, but there seems to be more questions than answers developing so far in this series.  Is JJ going to get his girl?  Can Naomi & Emily sort out their differences?  Will Cook be a better person for his stint in jail?  Has Effy gone too far and blown her love dream with Freddie?  The next month is bound to answer all these questions and more.  There is no doubt however, that ‘Generation 2’ of Skins have left their mark on the show and hopefully, very prosperous acting careers in the future.  

Skins 4
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The BRIT Awards 2010 - A Celebration of Top-Notch Music

This blog was first published on February 17th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

Last night saw music’s biggest night of the year at London’s Earls Court. As ever the BRIT awards didn’t disappoint with a night of questionable fashion dresses, stunning music performances and surprising winners.

The big winner of last night was Lady Gaga. Gaga was nominated in three categories and won in all three for Best International Album, Best International Breakthrough Act & Best International Female Solo Artist. She was very emotional and thanked her fans massively for what she considered, was a major surprise. However, her fashion sense was less to be desired. Once again, Lady Gaga’s personality toppled her music. She clearly was affected by the tragic death of fashion designer, Alexander McQueen last week and her performance live was terrible. It was an unrecognisable piece and by pressing the same button regularly on an electronic keyboard, it felt like a 6-year old could have done a better job. Nevertheless, it was a moving tribute to a sorely missed figure in the fashion industry.

On a British side, JLS were the starring performers, with one of the most breathtaking live performances of the night and two awards. It has been an incredible year for the boy band, the 2008 X-Factor runners-up and the group is probably amongst the biggest band for a generation. They were very gracious and thanked almost everybody for their awards. Their win of Best British Single for ‘Beat Again,’ was a major surprise, as the smart money with the bookmakers was with Cheryl Cole’s hit ‘Fight for this Love.’

Speaking of Cole, it was clear that she is struggling personally with her life at the moment, following further revelations of Ashley Cole’s shocking behaviour, which could well end their marriage. She looked down all night and her performance certainly wasn’t that inspiring. One of the best performances was the much-anticipated duet between Dizzee Rascal and Florence + the Machine. The duet for “You’ve Got the Dirtee Love’ might hit the charts as a charity contribution for the Haiti earthquake appeal. It was a great link and both were big winners too on the night. Dizzee edged out Robbie Williams for the title of Best British Solo Artist and Florence thoroughly deserved her award for the MasterCard Album of the Year, for the stunning album ‘Lungs.’

Funny moments of the nights included Lily Allen’s orange wig disguise so the cameras couldn’t pick up a disappointed face for Best British Female Solo Artist. Unfortunately for Lily, she couldn’t hide from the screen as she won the award, her first BRIT. Plus, it completes a full circle for the outspoken artist, who severely criticised the BRITS for their purpose just three years ago. Six years after their breakthrough, Kasabian finally won their first BRIT for Best British Group. In collecting the award, Tom from the band fell over on the stage, probably leaving him with bruising in the morning. However, the award win will probably make up for that.


Liam Gallagher’s childish acting was the one low point of the entire night. Oasis won the Best British Album for 30 Years, (celebrating the 30th anniversary), but didn’t thank his brother Noel on stage, following their bitter split last August. He then chucked his microphone and BRIT award into the crowd, reportedly smashing Alan Carr’s glasses. Gallagher was then called a k##b by the presenter, Peter Kay and rightly so. It was a shameful act and his expletives used in the ITV2 after-party show suggested it wasn’t a heat-in-the-moment incident.

To finish off, Robbie Williams is well and truly back. His medley concert performance at the end, to celebrate winning the BRIT Outstanding Contribution Award was sensational. He delighted the crowd with a showcase of old and new songs, anyone who can question Robbie’s well-being should think again about what they are saying if they watch his performance last night.

The BRIT awards in recent years have been dismal, with drunken performances, low-quality presenters and a distinct lack of organisation. However, it returned to its glamorous days last night, and apart from one individual who tried to ruin things, it was a great ceremony and probably a spectacular party. 2009 was a great year for UK music, let’s hope 2010 continues the tread…

EastEnders - 25 Years of Cliffhanging Drama

This Friday, the BBC’s flagship soap opera, EastEnders will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. The residents of Albert Square have given us a fair share of drama, scandal, tearjerkers and happy endings over the past quarter of a century and it still is doing what it is doing best now: Creating the serial drama that we all love so much. On Friday, EastEnders celebrations will be marked with the show’s first ever live episode at 8pm – which will follow the wedding of Ricky and Bianca, plus the revelation of Who Killed Archie Mitchell on Christmas Day last year?

In preparation for Friday’s birthday, I’ve come up with my favourite ten all-time EastEnders moments from the past 25 years.

10. Pauline dies on Christmas Day (2006)
The fabulous and late Wendy Richard played Pauline Fowler right from episode 1 on February 19th 1985, all the way through for twenty-one years. Pauline was seen as interference to some, but she only wanted the best for her family and was also a main pillar for the community. By 2006 though, things had turned sour for Walford’s favourite mum, as her suspicions about Sonia Jackson led her to desperate action. Once her son Martin and husband Joe found out that she had lied about dying, Pauline was shut out by her nearest and dearest. Sadly, on a snowy Christmas Day in 2006, she collapsed and passed away peacefully by the bench of her first husband, Arthur. It was a sad end to one of Albert Square’s favourite characters.

9. Jamie dies on Christmas Day (2002)
What is it with a good old tearjerker in the festive season eh? Lovebirds Sonia Jackson and Jamie Mitchell were as happy as anyone could be. Sadly, happy endings in the Square are not a regular theme and as Jamie was preparing to pop the question to Sonia, he was mowed down by Martin Fowler, who was busy texting rather than concentrating on the road. Tragically, Jamie, after some poignant scenes with Sonia passed away from his injuries on Xmas Day 2002 and guilt-stricken, Martin did the next best thing, gets together with Sonia less than a year later!

8. Who shot Phil Mitchell? (2001)
In the spring of 2001, Phil Mitchell was making a load of enemies, but nothing’s new there then! On March 1st, he was gunned down on the steps of his home and only quick reactions from club owner Beppe di Marco saved his life. The hunt was soon on for Phil’s assailant, culminating in an episode in April when the five suspects all got a knock on the door at the same time. It was eventually revealed that Lisa Fowler, Phil’s former flame pulled the trigger because Phil had done the dirty on her with her best friend, Melanie Owen. Some revenge! Over 17million people tuned in to the two episodes.

7. Steve is killed in a high-speed car chase (2002)Phil Mitchell and Steve Owen hated each other’s guts. Neither could stand one another, each attempting to beat one another at their own game. When Phil started losing the plot, Steve and wife Mel, with Lisa in tow made a desperate bid to flee Walford. When a bitter Mark Fowler revealed to Mitchell where Steve was going, trouble loomed. Phil caught up with Steve and cue, a high-speed and wacky car chase. Eventually, Steve lost control and crashed into a motorbike store. With the car alight and about to go up completely, Phil managed to save his daughter, Louise, then made a reluctant attempt to save his enemy. But it was too late for Steve, who was burnt to toast and paid the ultimate price on March 1st 2002, exactly a year on from his wedding anniversary to Mel.

6. Tiffany’s Death (1998)
It’s New Years Eve 1998, and Tiffany Mitchell is in a horrible place. Her husband, Grant had a fling with Tiff’s mum Louise, and now she was scared what her abusing lover would do to their child, Courtney. Unnoticed to everyone in the Queen Vic, Grant sneaked upstairs and took Courtney. Tiff made a desperate plea to Grant and chased after him, only to run into the path of an innocent Frank Butcher, who couldn’t avoid Tiff and knocked her down. Outside the Vic, there was disbelief from Tiff’s best friend Bianca and Peggy, as all they could do was watch poor Tiffany pass away. An unsuccessful music career for actress Martine McCutcheon followed.

5. Kat Confesses All to Zoe (2001)
When teenager Zoe Slater announced her departure from Albert Square to Spain at Lynne’s hen night in August 2001, Kat was not happy and refused to allow her sister to go. Then followed one of those most memorable scenes in EastEnders history as Kat chased after Zoe through the Square. Zoe wouldn’t budge; before Kat revealed the devastating secret that she was Zoe’s mother! Stunned was not the only word that could be described for that revelation. Zoe was devastated and ran away onto the streets for months, whilst Kat tried to commit suicide in the local park. Maybe some things are best being kept secret!

4. Peggy/Frank/Pat Love Triangle (2000)
Frank Butcher was a comedic character, always getting into a spot of bother and in the summer of 2000, he started playing away from wife Peggy, with former wife and old flame, Pat Evans. Their fling started on a holiday week to Spain and continued, even ending up with Frank turning up at Pat’s naked, with just a spinning bow tie around his neck in an absolute comedy classic! On Bonfire Night, Frank and Pat planned to runaway together, but Peggy found out and infront of a packed Queen Vic, read out Frank’s goodbye letter, to the embarrassment of Pat & Frank. Peggy gave both a good old slap, rightly deserved too! Peggy broke down, Pat’s husband Roy chucked her out onto the street, and Frank eventually went away from Walford on his own, leaving Pat devastated.

3. Max & Stacey’s Fling (2007)
It started on Christmas Day 2006 and ended a year later. Cheating Max Branning couldn’t keep his hands off Stacey Slater, so rather than playing peacemaker in Stacey’s crumbling relationship with son Bradley; Max used the bedroom a lot to give Stacey comfort. When it came to the crunch though, Max couldn’t leave wife Tanya and Stacey went back to Bradley, getting married in the process. However, on a filmed camcorder, Stacey and Max shared a farewell kiss, which was captured by Lauren Branning. With Xmas day in full swing, a DVD was unwrapped which saw all of the Branning/Slater family watch the infidelity on television. Heartbreaking and gripping television drama! It started Stacey’s decline into illness and Max was buried alive at one stage by Tanya as revenge. To be honest, things in that family haven’t been the same ever since.

2. Den Issues Angie with Divorce Papers (1986)
The first golden couple of Walford, Den and Angie Watts went through an emotional rollercoaster. In EastEnders most watched-ever episode (over 22million), the nation saw Den give Angie the best Christmas present that any wife could want, divorce papers!! You wouldn’t want to be on the Watts Christmas dinner table, that’s for sure.

1. Sharongate (1994)
For me, EastEnders best ever storyline, which reached a dramatic conclusion. 20million viewers tuned into BBC1 on October 26th 1994 for the revelation of ‘Sharongate.’ In 1991, Sharon Watts had happily married Grant Mitchell, but soon things turned sour between the couple and Sharon then indulged into a two-year on/off affair with Grant’s brother, Phil. Its bad enough doing that, even worse was a drunken Sharon admitted all to best friend Michelle Fowler on a tape recorder, when Michelle was doing a college project on marriages. It wouldn’t be long before Grant found out and sure enough he did, in heartbreaking fashion. After listening to the confession in the car, Grant walked into the Queen Vic, where Phil was celebrating his engagement party with Kathy Beale and motionlessly switched the tapes over, so everyone in the pub overheard Sharon’s secret confession to Michelle with the famous line: “One moment we were looking at one another, and the next, we were ripping each other’s clothes off.” Sharon fled to the States and Phil and Grant had a good old punch-up in the Arches to settle the score. Although he forgave Phil, it scarred Grant for good and wrecked all the trust in the Mitchell brother’s relationships.

25 years of dramatic endings, EastEnders has seen it all and it can go from strength to strength. Former Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood takes over the running of the show from next week, and if he can manage to do what he did with the Channel 4 soap, then EastEnders could turn out to be the ultimate king of the UK soap operas again, after a very sticky and lean period.

Tune into the live episode on BBC1 on Friday at 8pm, and my prediction is it was Phil who killed Archie Mitchell.

Gordon Brown - A Likeable Guy, But Is It Too Late?

This blog was first published on February 15th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

 

Last night, Prime Minister Gordon Brown opened his heart out to millions of television viewers, but is it going to be too late for his future, with the General Election only a matter of months away. If we believe Sky sources, it could be as early as May 6th. Did it have any effect on his personality with the voters, or was it just a media-management exercise?

Politically, Gordon Brown certainly has his critics, both from inside and outside the political circle. In fact, he barely raises a smile for the cameras, and is often made an easy target when things go wrong within the Labour party. He is an independent man, who loves his job of leading our country and is determined to do the right things that he believes in. Let’s face it, he hasn’t had it easy in the tenure as Prime Minister: A global recession, war conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and having to overcome numerous party opposition challengers to remain top dog. On ITV’s ‘Piers Morgan’s Life Stories’ last night, many of us got to see Gordon Brown the man, Gordon Brown the normal bloke, rather than the perception to many, Gordon Brown the clueless Scottish Prime Minister.

The way he was talking to Piers, it was clear that he hasn’t had an easy time of it, from the numerous operations required to save the sight in both his eyes, to the day he finally got the keys to No.10 Downing Street. 1994 turned out to be a key year for our country. Labour leader John Smith died from a heart attack, and Brown was many people’s favourite to succeed Smith as leader. However, after a series of discussions, it was decided that Brown would step aside for Tony Blair, a decision that changed the way Labour thought in their desperation to win back the country. Three years later, Blair was swept into office with a landslide vote and Brown had to bite his lip for a whole decade, watching Blair achieve his aims that deep down, he must have thought he could have done too. Last night, he admitted a deal was struck with Blair over the leadership decision in 1994, and admitted that the strain on his friendship with the former Prime Minister was fairly strong. However, he conceded it was the right decision at the time, and that’s something I fully agree with.

The most emotional part of the whole interview was Gordon opening up to the public about the tragic death of his and wife Sarah’s first child, Jennifer. This happened nine years ago and for someone, still clearly affected by the pain of this horrific event, to open up to the British public this sad tale was an act of courage and bravery. Watching it, I really felt sorry for him, nearly being reduced to tears. Some will say it would be for the symphony vote, but I wholeheartedly disagree with that viewpoint. At least he held it together, unlike Alistair Campbell’s shameful attempts at waterworks over the Iraq enquiry last week, when interviewed by Andrew Marr.

Whoever asked Gordon Brown to do this, whether it was Sarah, Peter Mandelson or just his advisors, the interview went across really well and was a very creditable performance. Piers Morgan was the right man for the interview too. Piers is a close friend of the Brown’s, he knows what they have been through and he didn’t make it hard for Gordon to speak – better than Jeremy Paxman, who might be a stronger interviewer face-to-face, but would have ripped the Prime Minister to pieces in the same scenario, with his interrogative question.

The final outcome of the General Election shouldn’t be affected by this, but for me, Gordon Brown has won a few more friends and a load of respect for his dignified and gracious appearance and accounts last night. The leadership debates will be his next big test, to see if he really has a future in running the country. Though maybe we need a change for the better in this country, Gordon Brown is a likeable, nice guy and nothing should be drawn personally against him. It could be worse; you could be a BNP member, supporting the coward that is Nick Griffin! Thumbs up Gordon, you deserve a lot of credit!