Carrian Jones- A girl with a question?

Wind Up Lloyd record new tunes!

2009-09-08T12:50:00.004+01:00

Bradninch based band Wind Up Lloyd have been back in the "bunker", recording new tracks for our listening pleasure.

After a successful year of gigging; Bradninch music festival, Bradninch Rocks, The Hub...just to name a few, they've managed to spare a couple of days to record a few new tracks.

Check them out on http://www.myspace.com/winduplloyd Or become a fan on Facebook and let them know what you think!

Katie Price and Peter Andre on the Soap Awards

2009-05-13T21:00:00.003+01:00

How awkward was that!?!

Katie Price and Peter Andre presented the award for the best on screen partnership.

Linking arms when walking onto the stage, the camera panned to the audience who frankly looked shocked.

As Phillip Schofield introduced them as the presenters for the next award, the crowd of soap actors looked on with almost hysterical looks on their faces.

Oh dear...what a drama for the soap awards!

Who is The Stig?

2009-01-21T21:08:00.001Z

Everyone loves Top Gear. Men, women, children...even people who don't give a hoot about cars love it! The entertainment value in itself is reason enough to watch it.

But the question everyone wants to know is...Who is The Stig?

The racing driver who some say he never blinks, and that he roams around the woods at night foraging for wolves... all we know is, he's called the Stig!

Every episode involves either Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond or James May describing The Stig with quotes in such a way before he races a car around the track.

For years the identity of The Stig has been questioned, and always kept a secret. The original "Black Stig" was killed off in an episode of Top Gear at the beginnning of the third series, where they raced a Jaguar against a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. Needless to say The Stig failed to stop the car at the end of the runway, plungin into the ocean, with only his driving glove resurfacing.

It has been revealed that the black stig was driver Perry McCarthy, who revealed his identity in his book.

The "White Stig" has since taken over as the tame racing driver, who aims to drive cars around the Top Gear track in record time.

Picture courtesy of socialpics.com

Yesterday it was claimed that The Stig was played by stunt driver Ben Collins, who worked on the recent James Bond movie The Quantum of Solace. The News of the World claim to have found out details of The Stig's identity, but would not reveal a name.

However the Telegraph was evidently not so discrete and outed the stunt driver as The "white" Stig.

"Collins has been rumoured to be The Stig in the past due to his connections with the show, he has appeared on Top Gear as himself performing stunts. Recently a Bristol accent has been noted on a you tube video of The Stig talking to a foreign tv crew, the clip then cuts to Collins who sounds remarkably similar.

A builder who visited Collins house also claimed that he saw the iconic white suit and helmet inside a glass cabinet in the home" -http://hubpages.com/hub/Who-Is-The-Stig

Today the Telegraph online has claimed that The Stig is played by at least 3 other drivers, not only Collins. Speculation on this arose when The Stig collected an award at The National Television Awards, but it was apparently not the same person who played The Stig on the BBC2 show.

A BBC spokesmanhas said: “We never comment on speculation as to whom or what the Stig is.”

It is highly unlikely that the true identity of the Stig will be revealed by the BBC, as it is considered to be one of their best kept secrets, all we know is...

Some say he communicates only to a car's on board computer through binary code, and that he once killed a man who was towing a caravan, using only a steering wheel.

What have I been doing?!

2009-01-19T22:49:00.004Z

OK, I've been a bit rubbish of late and not written anything for a while, but that is all about to change...

I'm in Coventry on placement at Mercia FM for 3 weeks, so I'm sure I'll find plenty of midlands related news and events to blog about. My computer is rubbish so I will try to keep up the posts more often now it's meant to be fixed, but we'll see!

So whats been going on that's caught my eye...

The Golden Globes - How brilliant was Kate Winslet? She seems so down to earth for a Hollywood star, I just want to be her friend (however sad that may seem).

Winning two Golden Globes for her performance in both Revolutionary Road and The Reader was a great success for the actress. She is the youngest actress to be nominated for 2, 3, 4 and 5 Academy Awards.

She is married to Sam Mendes, who directed and produced Revolutionary Road, in which she starred with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Twilight- What an amazing film? I was a bit sceptical about it at first, all this nonsense about fighting Vampires and such like. Hated Buffy, so expected this to be a typical load of American rubbish...how wrong was I!

This film was dark and ominous, as well as being able to show romance in a genre that is usually overruled by gore and ficticious characters. The acting by Robert Pattinson was brilliant, and showed his talents, which should reinvent him from his charactere of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter.

Alexandra wins the X factor.

2008-12-14T14:16:00.002Z

It's all over for another year, with Alexandra Burke being crowned winner of the 2008 X factor.

Her winner's song "Hallelujah" already looks as though it will make Number 1 at the weekend, even though the CD isn't released until mid-week.

On winning the TV talent show, Alexandra couldn't stop crying as the host, Dermot O'Leary, announced her defeat over boyband JLS.

Her duet with Beyonce was extraordinary as it showed off her vocal range. However she did seem to lack the class of the American singer, as she was hysterical after the duet.

Hallelujah to be X factor Winner's song

2008-12-09T23:11:00.006Z

Can all great songs survive a cover version?

Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah will be the song covered by the winnner of this years X factor final, which has caused huge controversy amongst Jeff Buckley fans.

His infamous cover of the Leonard Cohen classic has been a favorite since its release in 1994. Buckley's version is perhaps the most well known of the covers, and reached number one in the US billboard hot digital songs in March 2008.

The song has been covered over 170 times, and has been involved in numerous TV shows and films. A version by Rufus Wainwright appeared on the soundtrack to Shrek, and John Cale covered it in the movie.

Fans of the original, and of Buckley's version have been buying the song in protest to the X factor. Several protest groups on social networking sites, such as Facebook, are urging fans of Jeff Buckley to boycot the version to be released byt he X factor winner.

Jeff Buckley's version reached number 43 in the UK singles chart this week, which is hopefully down to the protest against the X factor.

Evidently I watch the X factor, but one thing that any music fan hates is seeing one of their favorite songs murdered by a TV talent show.

Simon Cowell seems to be biting off far more than he can chew with this one; is it really wise to take on a Leonard Cohen classic?

Websites have discussed the fact that had Jeff Buckley or Leonard Cohen walked into an X factor audition, they would have been laughed out for not being commercial enough.

Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen fans alike have a great reason to boycot the future release of this song by the X factor winner. Each week viewers dread to hear the re-arranged versions of classic songs sung by the finalists of the show.

The likelihood is that the X factor winner will be Christmas number one, or at least in the top 10, no matter how awful their cover is.

On the other hand, I could be wrong. So could the hundreds of fans who have protested against this travesty, but is that likely? If the cover is any good, I'll apologise for this rant, but honestly its not likely to be better than Jeff Buckley's version.

Just listen to the song and imagine Eoghan's cheeky little face singing it; or maybe Alexandra's sexy version; or even JLS performing it as a boyband. Doesn't quite have the same emotional effect does it?

As my brother said to me, "unless one of them becomes Jeff Buckley overnight, they will no doubt ruin it".

Ironically the song speaks for itself; "you don't really care for music, do ya".

Diana leaves Xfactor

2008-12-07T00:03:00.004Z

The question is, who will win?!

With Diana leaving the show this week, we are left with Eoghan Quigg, Alexandra Burke and JLS in next week's final of the Xfactor.

At the start of the series this year I didn't really have a favorite, as I didn't really think that anyone stood out from the others every week.

However as the live shows went on, Alexandra proved that she had the talent to become the next Leona Lewis. Her performance last week was exceptional, but she kept the standard up this week with an entertaining performance of Rihanna's " Don't stop the music", and an emotional "Unbreak my heart".

Little Eoghan's spark and Irish charisma has clearly won his portion of the vote, as each week he just seems so happy to be there. His performances tonight were fun to watch as well as good to listen too. I was glad to hear a bit of McFly; I can't get enough of the cheesy pop.

JLS have always had a bit of an edge, despite being mentored by Louis Walsh. Probably the best thing about Louis is "The many faces of Louis Walsh" on Harry Hill's TV burp after the Xfactor show.

But back to JLS... Rihanna songs had a hell of a night tonight, with the only band left taking on the unforgettable "Umbrella".

As Simon said, it was either a great idea or a stupid one, but he thought it was great. To be honest, I'm a fan of JLS, but their version of Umbrella was only average. It didn't blow me away.

Their second song on the other hand, was amazing! Of course, in true Louis Walsh fashion it was a Westlife song, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! So much so that I totally forgot to look for their token colour codes that are always there somewhere.

Aston is so cute! I just want to put him in my pocket, bless him and his emotional state tonight.

And finally... Diana Vickers.

Before her laryngitis, I quite liked Diana, but since then she seems to have been shreiking a lot of her songs. I know my brother wont like me badmouthing her, so sorry Bryn, but it's true.

BUT this week I really enjoyed her performance and am sad to see her go. She did a brilliant job to come back from laryngitis and last this long.

I wasn't too keen on her Avril Lavigne cover, but I was glad to see her wear shoes for once. Her version of "White Flag" was brilliant, and it seemed like touvh and go between her and Eoghan this week.

Then again he does have the whole of Ireland voting for him!

So, this time next week, I shall be here blogging again after, most likely, numerous glasses of wine at our Xfactor Final party that my flatmate has just informed me we will be having!

Predictions...
I love little Eoghan, Alexandra has a stunning voice and JLS are a great band.

Who will win? Who knows?

The Grammy's shortlist

2008-12-05T18:47:00.000Z

The Grammy awards shortlist was released this week, with an overwhelming number of British artists in the line for an award.

The awards were established in 1958, and are considered to be the most prestigious music award in the industry, and are considered to be the music industrys equivalent of the Oscars.

The four most important awards are:

Record of the year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.
Album of the year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
Song of the year is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.
Best New Artist

The nominations for the 2009 Grammy Awards has been announced, and Coldplay lead the way for the Brits with 7 nominations.

Leona Lewis, Adele, Duffy, Radiohead and M.I.A have also been nominated for Grammy awards. Adele has 4 nominations, while her fellow nominee for Best New Artist, Duffy, has 3.

The record of the year award will be won by a British act, with Leona Lewis, Adele, Robert Plant and M.I.A. accompanying Coldplay on the shortlist.

US rapper Lil' Wayne tops the nominations with 8.

Last year Amy Winehouse made a controversial performance at the awards, when she appeared via video link. She was denied a visa to the US, as she was technically still in rehab...despite saying no no no!!

The awards will be held in February 2009 in the US.

Highlights from last years awards.

Happy Christmas, have some contraception!

2008-12-01T18:50:00.008Z

I realize that recently I've had no questions to ask, but hopefully I will have answered some.

Most of my blog posts are about entertainment and events, which is the main aim of this blog. I hope to enjoy myself in London, whilst informing others of interesting and useful events.

On the topic of entertainment...

Last night I noticed on The London Paper website, that plans to make the morning after pill free will go ahead today. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service have decided to give out the controversial contraceptive for free as from today.

The aim of the campaign is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies which arise from the festivities of the Christmas period.

Their Christmas campaign uses the slogan "Santa only comes once a year...but that's all it takes". Teamed with a picture of Santa in a steamy clinch in front of a Christmas tree, BPAS hope that this campaign will encourage women to seek advice and help from contraceptive clinics before it's too late.

Controversially, most women have been led to believe that the morning after pill is damaging to health due to the hormones in it.

Having discussed this issue with my friends, it seems that women have mixed views on whether this is a good idea or not. I'm not about to start a discussion on the benefits or problems which may arise from this campaign; everyone has personal views on this matter.

The Christmas pack which is available to women from BPAS clinics includes:

- 3 free condoms which are important for protecting against STIs - one dose of the emergency contraceptive pill
- a leaflet explaining what your options are in case the pill doesn’t work
- a leaflet giving information on our on-line sexual health services for men and women.

I hope that by the end of tomorrow I'll have some audio to go with this blog post, as I aim to use this news story as a radio package for my Broadcasting degree. In relation to this, if anyone has alternative views that that wish to express, please leave a comment or contact me and I'll try to get back to you and include your views in my radio package.

This campaign seems like a great idea to combat the aftermath of a sexy Christmas clinch under the mistletoe, but the moral of the story?
Be safe! For more information visit www.bpas.org

Audio File

Britney Spears new album- Circus

2008-11-30T19:48:00.004Z

After last nights epic performance on the Xfactor, Britney Spears is back and ready for action!
Performing Womanizer in front of a packed Xfactor audience, including Kate Moss, marked Miss Spears' comeback.

I may be a tad biased with my views on Britney, as I've always had faith in her pop comeback, however lame that may sound! (See previous blogs on Womanizer)

Her latest single Womanizer reached number 4 in the UK singles chart, and number 1 in the US billboard top 100.

Her appearance at GAY last night celebrated her return to the UK and recent success with her comeback.

She was also presented with a birthday cake to mark her 27th birthday, this coming Tuesday.

Britney plans to tour next year, with only 2 European dates at the O2 arena on June 3rd and 4th.

The 6th album by Britney, Circus, is out tomorrow.

Welcome back Britney!

Pacha London

2008-11-30T17:54:00.005Z

When someone mentions Pacha, you think Cherries! A world famous club chain, with a cherry logo.

I like cherries, so when I had the opportunity to go to Pacha with some friends last night, I was looking forward to it.

After a few bottles if wine whilst watching Xfactor, we were all ready to hit the dance floor, but the mood was lost by the time we got to Pacha. The pub we went to beforehand was really nice. I'd definitely recommend The Shakespeare to anyone passing through Victoria on a night out.

Queuing for almost an hour in the drizzle wasn't the best start, but once we got inside we were faced with an extortionate £2o entry fee.

If you pay that much you expect the club to be good, but we were in for a shock! Cardboard chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and awful music was just the start. The place was chocka with what I can only describe as posh chavs, one of which tried to steal my new coat (I was not impressed!).

Usually I'm pretty open about going to new places. I wouldn't say I was pretentious either, I like a good boogie and a drink with mates no matter what the club's like.

The drinks were also ridiculously priced, a tenner for a vodka and coke!!

The only savior of the night once we got to Pacha, was that we had a good giggle at David Guest and the gold-digger chav girls swarming around him.

Photos taken by Carrian Jones

Body Worlds Exhibition

2008-11-25T20:47:00.003Z

Gunther Von Hagen's Body Worlds exhibition in the O2 arena has caused a bit of a stir within the art world. Complaints have been made that the exhibition is tasteless and revolting, so I decided to take a day out to see what all the fuss was about.

I was pleasantly surprised at the exhibit, as I was expecting to be a little freaked out by the prospect of dead bodies.

Von Hagen invented Plastination in 1977, when lecturing at Heidelburg's university for Patology and Anatomy. Institutions across the world use plastination to preserve medical specimens.

The exhibition aims to portray human life, and displays how the body works through using real bodies. The bodies have been plastinated, which preserves them so people can view the human body in its natural form.

Gunther Von Hagen is well known for performing live autopsies, which have been aired on television as educational programs. This exhibition provides an educational look into the human body, which was interesting and unbelievable.

As I looked at the preserved bodies and organs, I was reminded of my GCSE Biology lessons. I couldn't help thinking how useful this exhibit would be for school children, as it was so much more interesting than looking at pictures in text books.

When the exhibition came to London in 2002, there was massive controversy surrounding it. It was branded as 'sick', but Von Hagen defended his art as "educational".

Controversy has again struck up with the exhibition in the O2 arena, however it seems to be very popular with the majority of visitors.

A horse and a giraffe accompany the human bodies on display throughout the exhibit in the O2 arena, whereas the appearance of the more controversial foetus at the start of the exhibit.

The guest book credits the exhibition as "educational and insightful", "amazing", and "fascinating". However some people said it was "boring" and "revolting".

One man that I spoke to said "anyone who believes that it is revolting are idiots. This was so interesting. I've seen the TV shows and to see it in real life was amazing".

Photo courtesy of www.bodyworlds.com

Paper Heroes and Wind Up Lloyd play the Hub

2008-11-21T18:08:00.000Z

Last night I went to see Paper Heroes and Wind Up Lloyd play at The Hub in Exeter.

Both bands were brilliant, but I hope that my opinion isn't too biased, as I know the members of both bands. They have both been formed recently, and for new bands have been well received.

I've seen Paper Heroes play a few times, both in Devon at The Hole in the Wall, and in London at Nambucca. The lead singer, Matt Weedon, is friends with my younger brother, and we went to the same school.
Wind Up Lloyd

Coincidentally, Matt and the three other members of Paper Heroes studied at Westminster University's Harrow Campus, where I am currently studying for my MA in Broadcast Journalism.

Paper Heroes are touring the UK, performing at small local venues and topping it all off with the occasional Skins party.

Matt sent his single into a Skinslife competition and won, leading to their first single Jenny Jones being played on Episode 9, Series 2 of Skins.

They have since been touring the infamous Skins Secret parties all over the country, and have recently released their 3 single EP on itunes.

Moving on to their support act, Wind Up Lloyd...

The lead singer of which is my younger brother Bryn. Once again I went to school with 2 of the other members of this band, although having not seen them for a long time, or even heard them play before, I was pleasantly surprised at their sound.

Their song, Everyone Knows Debbie, was a crowd pleaser; very catchy!

Having played a local festival, Bradninch Rocks, Wind Up Lloyd has recorded some rough tracks for their Myspace music page, and supported the up and coming band Paper Heroes.

Any new music fans out there should be encouraged to check out the music of both bands, as I'm sure their sound will appeal to the majority of people. Easy listening, melodic and fun!

Ice Rink at Somerset House

2008-11-19T15:28:00.006Z

This morning saw the opening of an outdoor ice rink in the courtyard of Somerset House, for the 8th year running.

I went to the ice rink this morning to report for Smoke radio news.

Speaking to skaters and observers, it was clear that everyone was enjoying the chance to ice skate in such beautiful surroundings.

Sponsored by Tiffany and co, skaters can enjoy a coffee and Tiffanys cupcake in the skate bar. Skaters can buy gifts and treats from a large Tiffanys style box in front of the rink.

The festive spirit of the event is completed with the huge Christmas tree, decorated with snowflakes and blue ice skates.

The event runs until the end of January, with discounted student skating sessions and Friday night DJ sets.

The location is easy to get to, with just a short walk from Temple underground station.

Oxford Street Christmas Lights

2008-11-13T19:21:00.000Z

The Oxford Street Christmas lights are arguably the most famous festive lights in the country.

Every year a different celebrity turns on the lights, with performances from the latest pop sensations to top off the event.

This year, the Sugababes switched on the lights and performed some of their hit songs on the Oxford Street stage by the John Lewis store.

Appearances from the Xfactor finalists helped to fill the celebrity atmosphere surrounding the John Lewis Building.

Coming out of the tube station was a mission in itself, with huge crowds waiting for the lights to mark the start of the Christmas season.

Pictures taken by Carrian Jones

Shock as Laura leaves X Factor!

2008-11-10T19:34:00.002Z

Fans of the reality TV show The X Factor have been shouting the odds about favorite Laura White being voted off Saturdays show.

Facing the public vote each week, contestants must perform in front of a live audience and the Judges; Simon Cowell, Dani Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole.

The final two to face the judges vote this week were Ruth and Laura after their renditions of Mariah Carey songs didn't receive a high public vote.

The final decision came down to Louis Walsh, who decided to send Laura, the favorite, home.

Many fans of the show have complained that Saturday's result must have been a fix, and an online petition to reinstate Laura has been created.

According to the BBC, more than 3000 fans have signed the petition which asks for her to either be reinstated or to get a record deal.

If you care as much as these other fans, sign the petition...

Info and picture courtesy of BBC and ITV- Xfactor stories

Lewis Hamilton Wins F1 Grand Prix Championship!

2008-11-03T18:29:00.003Z

Well Done Lewis!

Yesterday evening's race was nail biting to say the least. With a sudden downpour just before the race, and a wet track to start the race on, the drivers had a challenging beginning.

Hamilton kept between a steady 5th and 6th place for the majority of the race, when on the second to last lap he was overtaken and it looked as though all was lost. The rain started again towards the end of the race, forcing the drivers to change tyres yet again.

As Felipe Massa crossed the finishing line, it looked as though he had won the championship, but at the last corner Hamilton took Timo Glock to clinch 5th place and the championship title!

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has praised Lewis Hamilton as an "inspiration", saying that the British public should be very proud of his brilliant .achievement.

Hamilton is now the youngest person to have won the F1 Championship at 23 years old.

Additional information from F1.

E4 Zombies

2008-10-28T16:46:00.001Z

Last nights premier of the series Dead Set on E4 has had mixed reviews.

It seems that the program has a satirical nature, showing that reality TV like Big Brother turns its viewers into zombies.

Davina McCall's performance as her zombie character was amusing, showing her gorging on human flesh.

The series is running every night this week as part of a Halloween special on E4.

Written by Charlie Brooker, it's sure to pull in audiences from everywhere.

Tune in tonight at 10pm on E4 to catch up with the flesh munching zombies of Big Brother.
Info and picture courtesy of E4.com

NEWS- Hudson's nephew found dead.

2008-10-28T11:47:00.000Z

It has been confirmed that the body found by Chicago Police yesterday was that of 7 year old Julian King.

Actress Jennifer Hudson identified the body as that of her nephew yesterday, it has been confirmed by MTV news.

The body was found around 5 miles away from where the bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were found last week.

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Condolances go out to the families involved in this tragic loss.

Source MTV News.

Body found in hunt for Hudson's nephew

2008-10-27T14:18:00.000Z

Police in Chicago have found the body of a young boy in an SUV.
The body is unidentified at the moment but actress Jennifer Hudson's 7 year old nephew has been missing since Friday when her mother and brother were shot dead.

Source BBC Breaking news

Are Jordan and Peter Andre breaking up?

2008-10-27T13:31:00.001Z

Speculation around their relationship has been rife in the tabloids recently. Their life has been hugely publicized thorough their TV series Katie and Peter:The next chapter on ITV after they met on I'm a Celebrity Get me out of here. They have been married for 3 years and their private life has been splashed all over the press ever since. The couple have 2 children together, and Peter Andre sees Katie's disabled son Harvey as his own.

This celebrity couple seem to have bitten off more than they can chew, renewing their wedding vows, 3 young children, recently moving house, Katie's horse riding and Peter's apparent move to create a makeup line for men all combined with a film crew, no wonder the couple seem to be under strain!

It seems sure to all blow over sooner or later, or is this the start of more divorces in celebville?

Peter Andre and Katie Price are shown out at Bungalow 8 in London.
Credit: Will Alexander/WENN

Billie Piper gives birth to Baby Boy

2008-10-21T17:09:00.001+01:00

TV star Billie Piper has given birth to a baby boy!

The 6lb 11oz baby boy has been named Winston James Fox.
Billie gave birth early this morning by emergency caesarean. Mother and baby are both said to be doing well.

Laurence Fox, Billie's husband revealed Billie had been in labour for about 26 hours before going to hospital. "The emergency caesarean only took about 20 minutes," he said.

Courtesy of http://www.billie-piper.net/

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is being shown on ITV2.

Peter Kay- chart success yet again!

2008-10-21T11:03:00.000+01:00

Peter Kay’s alter ego Geraldine McQueen beat last years X-Factor winner Leon Jackson to the number 2 spot with her first single ‘The Winners Song’.

Jackson’s single 'Don't Call This Love' made it to number 3 in the charts behind Peter Kay's large, transsexual spoof reality show winner.

Last Sunday, Kay's spoof show ‘Britain’s Got The Pop Factor And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice', saw Irish transsexual Geraldine win the channel 4 show.

After fighting off competition such as R- Wayne, a grieving grandson and 2 up 2 down, comprisng of two wheelchair bound sisters and their husbands, Peter Kays alter ego conquered all with 'The Winner song', co-written by Take That's Gary Barlow.

Leon’s number 3 is likely to be disappointing as he is bound to be compared with previous winner Leona Lewis’s chart topping success since winning the X-factor in 2006.

Leon can be consoled by some kind words from Geraldine, who said of her rival;

‘Leon is a lovely wee boy, he’s a Scottish Michael Buble. There’s enough room for everybody.’

Neither single could knock Pink off her number one spot with 'So What'.

Geraldine beats Leon

Madonna and Guy announce divorce

2008-10-15T18:07:00.000+01:00

Divorce gongs are a gonging in the world of Hollywood, as Madonna and her husband of 7 years, Guy Ritchie announce their divorce.
They have 3 children together and Madonna even made a controvertial appearance on the red carpet with her film director husband for the premier of his most recent film Rock n Rolla.
The couple have issued a short joint statement this afternoon to announce the end of their relationship.
Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg has said that the couple have not yet agreed a
settlement.

So which celebrity couble will be heading to splitsville next?

Britney- Hit me baby one more time

2008-10-13T16:25:00.001+01:00

Womanizer
The video's out and as steamy as ever!

Britney Spears appears to be on the brink of a massive comeback. This comes after her recent success at the MTV VMA’s where she won 3 moon men awards for her “piece of me” video.
Britney at VMA's

Her last few albums have not been well received, and combined with her very public breakdown, her title as Pop Princess has been seized.

Now 2008 looks like it could be the year for her to relinquish that title, as her life appears to be almost back on track. After going through rehab for drugs and alcohol, finally getting rid of ex Kevin Federline, and working to get herself fit and healthy, Britney may well be topping this all off with a brilliant new album.

Spears plans to release a new fragrance in January 2009, and if all goes well with the new album this may also become a top seller. Plans for a 90-minute documentary called Britney Spears: For the Record is set to air on MTV on Nov. 30. This one off will include interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and documentary clips where she is said to come clean about the past few years of her hectic life.
documentary

Her new song Womanizer will be the first release from her newly recorded album Circus. The single was leaked on a radio station in Tenessee as a rough mix of the track, but it is now available with a steamy video to boot.

The video shows Spears as a sexy office worker, waitress and a chauffeur; tempting the male womanizer with each character. As is customary with a Britney video, she bares all in a steamy sauna scene.
video

The song itself is packed with catchy lyrics, which will no doubt make an unforgettable dance tune, whether we like it or not.

Spears describes the song as “a girl anthem, it about men cheating on women. Basically saying we know what you’re up to”. She has described her upcoming album as her best work yet, and with its release on her 27th birthday in December, we don’t have long to wait.

Does this mean she's back for good?

Lack of war reporting

2008-10-10T17:47:00.000+01:00

Obviously it's important to know how the economy is affecting us, but we also need to know about our troops fighting in foreign lands. maybe this is close to me as a very good friend's husband is in Iraq at the moment, but one story shouldnt be dominating the news like this.

I've noticed over the past week that all there seems to be in the news is feature after feature about the credit crunch. Have journalists forgotten that a war is being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Getting to grips

2008-10-04T16:27:00.000+01:00

OK, so I haven't been able to blog for 2 days as I dont yet have the internet at home. Finally managd to find an internet cafe that lets me get onto this website though. Had a go at twittering yesterday, but it just wasnt meant to be, couldn't quite get to grips with it!

So the internet is being installed within the next few weeks so I can finally get to grips with these blogs. It's taken so long to find a service provider in the area; false advetising from many companies!

Another thing that's wound me up a bit this week is this gold statue of Kate Moss. Millions of pounds spent to make her look like a goddess made from gold seems like utter madness to me. Each to their own I suppose.

Promise the next blog will be more than a short rant about my week.

Dont know?!

2008-10-01T15:59:00.000+01:00

Today's afternoon session saw us creating an online magazine through using blogs. Being assigned the entertainment news for today I created a basic entertainment news update for today.

So, here it is!

Dirty Pretty Things Split- Exclusive
Carl Barat, Dirty Pretty Things frontman has told NME.com that the band have split. A statement from the band to NME read "It's been a glorious three years which we all would gladly live out again, but it is time for us to try new things”.

First Bond Duet
The official music video for the newest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace has been unveiled. Another Way to Die is the first Bond theme to be a duet, which was written and produced by Jack White, joined by Alicia keys on Vocals. The Quantum of Solace premieres later this month.

Britney the comeback kid
Britney Spears appears to be on the brink of a massive comeback. This comes after her recent success at the MTV VMA’s where she won 3 moon men awards for her piece of me video. Her new song Womanizer will be the first from her newly recorded album Circus. Spears describes the song as “a girl anthem, it about men cheating on women. Basically saying we know what you’re up to”.

Unlikely pair battle it out for UK number one spot.
Pink and Oasis go head to head in the UK charts with two very different tunes.
Both songs are their first releases from their respective new albums. Pink is currently a few thousand ahead with So what, but Oasis’ single the shock of the lightning could claw it back by Sunday.

Sport:
A record breaking 8 countries are in discussion over where the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be held. The most recent addition of Scotland hoping to co-host with neighboring England, Ireland and Wales is now in discussion. The final decision on the venue will be made in May of next year.Scotland

Last nights 3-0 victory over Aalborg, saw Man Utd stars Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney pulled out of the game due to injury.
England coach Fabio Capello will be choosing the starting line-up for the World cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus this weekend, so will be keeping an eye on Rooney’s recent ankle injury.

Can we fix it.... yes we can!

2008-10-01T10:19:00.000+01:00

Crunchy
This morning's trip to the Harrow Campus was once again bombarded with stories about the credit crunch. Friends on the tube were discussing it, the Metro had stories about it, and the national newspapers were churning out similar pieces.

In amongst all this, the Metro had a story on a boy who cheated death when a knife was plunged into his skull. The picture of the x-ray was astonishing, showing a huge blade through his skull! Amazingly he survived this awful attack.

I'll be honest, I'm not really a politics buff as you may be able to tell. All the discussion on the Tory and Labour leadership dispute isn't exactly what I'd call stimulating. It seems like the age old thing of "if we'd been in charge, everything would be different".

Endorse it.
I find the recent Gurkha story amazing that it's taken this long for them to have the right to live here. These men fight with our British soldiers for the well being of our country, yet they weren't allowed to live here. Joanna Lumley has added a celebrity slant to an important story which the everyday housewife may have never been interested in. She is right in saying, "this is a chance to right a great wrong"(BBC news).

Does celebrity involvement really make the little people take notice of the news?

7 years on: The Twin Towers

2008-09-30T12:27:00.000+01:00

Most people can remember where they were when the planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11th 2001. This morning I watched video footage of the disaster in my broadcast journalism class, some of which I had never seen before.

Without sound the video wasn't quite as shocking. Without the screams of the witnesses and the sounds of the building crashing down, it somehow seemed easier to note down exactly what the pictures portrayed, rather than being caught up in the emotion of the event as it unfolded.

My view of the event footage showed to me this morning was as follows:

• Two planes hitting the twin towers, view from the ground underneath as a plane hits.
• Shots of people hanging from windows of the towers.
• Flames and smoke coming from the buildings.
• One tower falls; dust and debris cover the streets.
• People running away from the scene as it falls.
• Second tower falls.
• Huge dust cloud covers the area.
• People running away from the cloud.
• Firemen seen rescuing people from buildings.
• People covered in dust escaping the area.
• Film crew shown in amongst the debris as the dust cloud covers them.
• Streets and cars are shown covered in dust and debris from the fallen towers.
• Ambulance and fire crews helping people.

Although 7 years on, the video is still shocking, this raw footage shows how editing and sound can make things much more effective.

So many films, websites and conspiracy theories behind the 9/11 disaster have emerged in the years following, which can make an interesting point that not everyone was as devastated by the event as the news industry made out to be.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=911_morons

This is a brilliant view on the 9/11 conspiracies.

Maybe the "shock and awe" factor of this event is lost due to the footage being seen over and over again?

This is the beginning!

2008-09-30T11:26:00.000+01:00

This is the beginning!

Moving to London has already made me question a lot of things, and I've only been here 3 days. Why does everyone have to be in such a rush? Why do I find the tube so confusing? And why did the decorators stay in my flat until 10pm last night?

Obviously the majority of news at the moment is about the economic crisis, both here and in the US. I'll be honest, I don't really know much about it, and I didn't really think that the "credit crunch" would affect me. Now, here I am living in a new city, meeting new people and having to actually think about things like bills and the cost of living.

This year will be a real eye opener for me in many ways, not only socially and culturally, but by the looks of things economically as well.

The question is... how much will this economic crisis affect my new and exciting life here in London?