Comic Relief 2011 - Doing something funny for money

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

SINCE its inception back in 1988, Comic Relief has raised more than over £400 million to help disadvantaged children in both UK and Africa, thanks to its successful Red Nose Day campaign.  Over the last few years, the record for fundraising in a campaign has always been broken and this year was no exception.

     A massive £74.4 million was raised on the night on Friday and where as the final total on the last Red Nose Day finished up on just over £80 million, this figure is expected to topple this when the final totals are published in a few months time.  In total, the biggest donations came from the following:

BT raised £1.7 million for their sponsorship of the Celebrity Desert Trek

Sainsbury’s raised £10 million for sales of official merchandise, a new record for the supermarket

TK Maxx raised £3 million for sales of official t-shirts

Maltesers raised £1.1 million for a public competition

Walkers raised £1.2 million for sales of four special crisp flavours

British Airways raised £801,000 for sales of special scratch cards on selected flights

BBC raised £2.9 for some of their stars attempting various tasks

The remaining £53.7 million was provided by public donations

     BBC One again provided a full evening’s worth of entertainment to help fundraising initiatives.  The programme featured comical sketches of Doctor Who, Outnumbered, Miranda and MasterChef, which featured an appearance by none other than Prime Minister David Cameron himself.  Also, Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton attempted to pull off a high wire walk between two of London’s tallest buildings and Radio 1’s Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave succeeded in fronting the station’s longest ever show, at a staggering 53 hours, setting a new Guinness World Record in the process.

     David Walliams also proved his stern material to survive long hours by attempting to appear on as many panel shows in 24 hours.  ’24 Hour Panel People’, which was broadcast on the BBC website, saw Walliams joined by a selection of guests to participate in various shows past and present, including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and They Think It’s All Over.

     Nine famous faces endured an energy-zapping trek across the Kenyan desert to raise nearly £2 million which featured Scott Mills, Lorraine Kelly, Kara Tointon, Dermot O’Leary and Olly Murs.  Meanwhile, Ant and Dec were challenged by Comic Relief to gatecrash as many shows as they could in 24 hours unannounced and steal various items to auction off.  Daybreak, This Morning, Loose Women and The One Show were among those that were targeted.

     On the music front, the campaign has brought out two songs.  Rising boy band The Wanted provided the official track ‘Gold Forever’, the first original song for Red Nose Day since 2005.  However response of the track was largely negative.  The other is another comical edition which has Peter Kay on board again, reprising his alter ego Geraldine McQueen to team up with Susan Boyle to perform ‘I Know Him So Well,’ originally sung by Elaine Page.  As expected, this has gone down as a huge hit and it won’t be surprising if it claims top spot in the charts next Sunday.

     All in all, it has been another successful night for the charity.  Now everyone is indeed wondering how they will top those events for 2013.  A whole 731 days must pass before then.

Dancing on Ice 2011 - Half-term report

BY Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

WITH six weeks of the competition now gone, this week’s report is going to be slightly different as I will assess how each of the final eight skaters in the competition have progressed so far and at the close of this blog is a brief summary of Sunday’s ‘Night At The Theatre’ show.

Sam Attwater & Brianne Delcourt

He was little known at the start of the contest but Sam is now widely regarded by everyone with his near-perfect ability.  Few stars that compete in this show have the whole package, but Sam well and truly does.  The moves, the stunts, the chemistry with his pro partner Brianne; it’s going to be difficult to say he won’t win the competition.

GRADE: A+ Sam was simply born to skate; maybe he should do this instead of acting.

Laura Hamilton & Colin Ratushniak

Laura is also another celebrity who is regarded to not being well recognised and now has caught everyone’s attention.  The one thing that puts Laura in a different perspective than anyone else is that she is not terrified to try new and risky things and if anything goes wrong, she will work even harder to overcome it.  She is surely another star who should go all the way.

GRADE: A- Never scared to take on something new and that’s what counts for her.

Chloe Madeley & Michael Zenzini

To be honest, I had my sincere doubts over Chloe as to whether she could cope with the ability of the competition but she has totally sprung everyone by surprise.  Like Laura, she is not afraid to tackle anything and will rarely buckle under the pressure.  She will need to perhaps put in more risky moves to really challenge Laura in the leaderboard battle, but is a joy to watch on the ice.

GRADE: A- A thrill to watch, can cope easily with any troubles.

Vanilla Ice & Katie Stainsby

Vanilla Ice is also somebody who has stood up to lot of critics and proven to people that he is worth a shot on a show like this.  Something that does frustrate me is that he is so far too inconsistent.  One week, he is good and the next, he doesn’t deliver.  Regardless, he has certainly cemented his place at the front of the field.

GRADE: C+ If he can get rid of his indifferent form, the marks will shoot up.

Jeff Brazier & Isabelle Gauthier

Jeff has so far underachieved by many people’s expectations.  He started off struggling with the pressures of the competition and a save through the ‘Ice Pick’ has seen him take notice and improve well.  The only question now is can he keep up with recent revival of form?

GRADE: C+ Poor start but has certainly picked it up in recent weeks.

Johnson Beharry & Jodeyne Higgins

Nobody knew who Johnson was before he began as he hadn’t been in any form of celebrity work. So, considering that he couldn’t skate at all when training began, he has put in the effort and to be fair, he deserves to still be around.

GRADE: B+ He is the surprise package so far and he is still capable of more.

Kerry Katona & Dan Whiston

Kerry knew from the start that it wasn’t going to be easy, having just come from the brink of a shattered reputation.  However, she must have never thought it would be this hard.  Most skaters by now should have faith to try and skate on their own but this is week six now and she still can’t do such a thing.  This proves how pathetic, lucky and lame she has gotten.

GRADE: F Kerry must try harder . . . really harder!

Denise Welch & Matt Evers

Denise also doesn’t care about winning; she is just out there to enjoy the experience.  Giving credit, although her skating abilities are certainly not on par with others, she never complains, she just does the best she can.

GRADE: D- Determination means she deserves to be here but for how much longer?

Night at the Theatre

The sixth week was another of DOI’s theme nights, with a showcase of popular songs from popular West End musicals.

For once, front runner Sam struggled with the ability and choreography in his routine but of course his natural talent meant he would finish top again.  However, this time it was a shared lead with Laura who finally pulled out a performance worthy of a challenge.  It may still be a long shot, but is Laura keeps improving, who’s to say she can displace Sam at the top of the leaderboard?

Chloe and Vanilla Ice once again provided solid performances for strong scores whilst Jeff continued his improving form by matching Chloe’s score to finish joint 3rd.  Johnson and Denise also registered their highest scores so far as they continued to search for better quality in their routines.

Comedy Dave and Kerry were the two celebrities who less than impressed both the judges and the public and both had to skate again in the skate-off.  However, the judges committed suicide once again as Jason Gardiner and Emma Bunton stupidly decided to give useless Kerry another chance, overruling Robin Cousins’ decision to save Dave and professional partner, Frankie Poultney.

It’s another measure to show that some people believe that DOI is losing its magic it had before.

Regardless, the competition steps up another gear next Sunday with the ‘Ultimate Skills Test’ awaiting each of the eight remaining couples.  

Dancing on Ice 2011 - The final 12

BY JASON WRIGHT (Entertainment expert)

The final twelve celebrities had been chosen and now the competition proper of Dancing on Ice began.  The judges were back in the game with their scores counting towards the overall result, the return of half marks (still going up to 10.0) and now having complete control in the skate-off.

Here is a look at how the twelve stars coped last Sunday.

Vanilla Ice & Katie Stainsby

Skated to: Minnie the Moocher

Taking advice on what Jason Gardiner had said in his qualifying heat, Ice attempted to prove he can adapt to slow-paced routines.  This performance though wasn’t captivating enough, although he at least managed not to make any silly errors.

Scores: Jason 5.0 Robin 6.0 Emma 5.0                     TOTAL: 16.0 (5th)

Chloe Madeley & Michael Zenzini

Skated to: The Climb

Chloe made a huge impression in her first performance so it was going to be a bit of a challenge to keep it up.  Overcome with concern over having been given the difficult ‘Frog Lift’ move to execute, bearing in mind this stunt eliminated singer Sinitta last year on Week 1, this certainly wasn’t going to be easy.  However, she held her nerve and not only pulled it off but took it to new heights.  She is one to watch out for.

Scores: Jason 5.5 Robin 7.0 Emma 6.5                     TOTAL: 19.0 (4th)

Denise Welch & Matt Evers

Skated to: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

There did seem to be a bit of confusion when Denise skated out without her partner but it was all part of an elaborate plan as Matt emerged out from a row of back-up skaters.  That was sadly as good as it got as the routine itself showed no progress made from her first performance.

Scores: Jason 3.0 Robin 3.0 Emma 3.0                     TOTAL: 9.0 (11th)

Dominic Cork & Alexandra Schumann

Skated to: Feel

Dominic is already displaying two sides to his performances.  After his qualifier last week was criticised for not having much content, the former cricketer made sure this was the case on Sunday.  The reference to having two sides are that although it’s not up to the standard, he really is trying and that should still give him loads of confidence.

Scores: Jason 3.0 Robin 4.5 Emma 4.0                     TOTAL: 11.5 (8th)

Laura Hamilton & Colin Ratushniak

Skated to: All the Lovers

The first qualifying heat proved that being top of the judges’ leaderboard doesn’t necessarily save you from the skate-off and Laura proved this theory.  Sunday night was the aim to win huge support from the public and so her routine was packed full of new elements of which she passed with flying colours.  Laura will probably be someone who will split support; you will love her or hate her.

Scores: Jason 6.0 Robin 6.5 Emma 7.0                     TOTAL: 19.5 (Joint 2nd)

Steven Arnold & Nina Ulanova

Skated to: Rhythm of the Night

Steven is fast becoming the new Todd Carty, a man who can’t skate if his life depended on it yet is adored by the public for his efforts.  To give benefit to the doubt, some improvement was made but very little.  Experts will scorn that he is not taking it seriously and that he just doing it for the moral support.

Scores: Jason 2.0 Robin 2.5 Emma 2.5                     TOTAL: 7.0 (12th)

Jeff Brazier & Isabelle Gauthier

Skated to: I Want You Back

After making a solid start in qualifying, Jeff’s second performance was very timid.  He made several key mistakes, lost marks and received plenty of criticism.  Whilst his hit back at Jason Gardiner was something of a highlight, it seemed to spark controversy from everyone else.

Scores: Jason 3.0 Robin 4.0 Emma 4.0                     TOTAL: 11.0 (9th)

Comedy Dave & Frankie Poultney

Skated to: The Way You Look Tonight

Having proved some doubters wrong last time in proving he was able to skate, Comedy Dave went out this week to now prove he can make the odd improvement now and again.  Unfortunately, the build-up promised in this performance didn’t materialise but once again, praise has to go to him for trying.

Scores: Jason 2.5 Robin 3.5 Emma 3.5                     TOTAL: 9.5 (10th)

Jennifer Metcalfe & Sylvain Longchambon

Skated to: California Gurls

The competition had got off to a horrible start for Jennifer, having made it through by the skin of her teeth in the qualifier and was then dealt a further blow when a horrible fall in final rehearsal just hours before the live show resulted in her leg thigh being cut open.  After being patched up and given the all clear to skate, she went out there and delivered a masterful performance.

Scores: Jason 6.0 Robin 7.0 Emma 6.5                     TOTAL: 19.5 (Joint 2nd)

Sam Attwater & Brianne Delcourt

Skated to: Stop and Stare

In recent years, the celebrity that gets the highest marks in their first performance usually goes on to win.  With that theory in mind, the omens are certainly looking good for Sam.  This routine really did justify that fact and finished up streets ahead of the rest on the leaderboard.  This could well and truly turn into ‘The Sam Attwater Show’ at this rate.

Scores: Jason 8.0 Robin 8.5 Emma 8.5                     TOTAL: 25.0 (1st)

Johnson Beharry & Jodeyne Higgins

Skated to: I’m Into Something Good

It was certainly a huge baptism of fire for Johnson, launching himself into the public spotlight two weeks ago and to give credit, it was a good performance.  He kept up the momentum in this performance, considering he was still recovering from a broken finger.  If Johnson keeps this up, he may become a surprise contender.

Scores: Jason 4.0 Robin 4.5 Emma 4.0                     TOTAL: 13.0 (7th)

Kerry Katona & Dan Whiston

Skated to: Respect

Kerry is one of those who will perhaps take the time she needs to learn something new.  Some emphasis on this fact was shown in this routine but once again, the partnership between her and Dan is very strong.  There will be no doubt she will go a distance but how far is yet to say.

Scores: Jason 4.0 Robin 5.0 Emma 5.0                     TOTAL: 14.0 (6th)

The Result

Getting a high score with the judges was now crucial to survive the skate-off.  If not, they had to rely on a strong fanbase to get them through.  In the end Dominic and Steven would have to go head-to-head to stay in the show.

The judges made the final decision for the first time this year and unsurprisingly, all three opted to keep Dominic in the competition.  It was good while it lasted for Steven but a little surprising that he went now, considering his popularity; you would have thought he would last longer.  Jason Gardiner however was less sympathetic and caused more outrage by saying “I’m disappointed it isn’t a double eviction tonight” before casting his vote.  Sometimes that bloke goes too far.

Attention will now turn to this Sunday’s show with a surprise twist.  Whatever it is, it will no doubt be designed to shake up the competition.  We will find how that will work on Sunday, and I will return next week at the same time for the week’s report.