Monthly Archives: December 2010

2010's most popular bands, comedians and shows. {Showbiz}

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2010: The Year of the ‘man band’

viagogo reveals the most popular gigs of 2010

2010 was the year of the man band with Take That topping the charts as the most popular act of the past 12 months.

According to viagogo, Europe’s largest secondary ticket marketplace, 2010 was a year of testosterone-fuelled acts as the Kings of Leon and JLS complete the top three. There was just one woman in the top ten – Lady Gaga in fourth position.

The Libertines, in their intimate comeback gig at the HMV Kentish Town Forum, was the highest priced ticket of 2010.Tickets for Libertines reunion gig sold for well over the odds with the highest price ticket going for £223, £197 above face value.

Surprisingly, Cliff Richard’s recent 70’th anniversary gigs also pulled in the pennies with fans paying £136 – £76 over face value – to get a glimpse of the golden oldie.

Top 20 most popular acts of 2010

1. Take That

2. Kings of Leon

3. JLS

4. Lady Gaga

5. Michael Bublé

6. Roger Waters

7. Bon Jovi

8. Muse

9. Black Eyed Peas

10. Westlife

11. Usher

12. Katy Perry

13. Justin Bieber

14. Rhianna

15. Leona Lewis

16. Foo Fighters

17. Eric Clapton

18. Linkin Park

19. Tinie Tempah

20. Florence and the Machine

Top 10 most expensive gigs of 2010

1. The Libertines £223

2. Sade £144

3. Cliff Richard £136

4. Van Morrison £133

5. Eric Clapton £126

6. Elton John £125

7. Roxy Music £124

8. Michael Buble £122

9. Kylie Minogue £120

10. Barry Manilow £115

Ed Parkinson, director of viagogo UK said: “This year has been all about Take That with ticket sales breaking all records but other ‘man bands’ have benefitted from a year that’s been all about the boys including Kings of Leon and The reformed Libertines. The X Factor has also played a pivotal role in driving ticket demand for certain acts, with nine acts from the top 20 appearing live on the talent show this year.”

Top 10 most popular theatre shows of 2010

1. Glee Live!

2. Britain’s Got Talent

3. Flight of the Choncords

4. Lord of the Dance

5. Doctor Who Live

6. Love Never Dies

7. BBC Electric Proms

8. Strictly Come Dancing

9. Diversity

10. Les Miserbales

As for theatre, it’s TV that is driving us from our sofas to the stalls, with two

thirds (60 per cent) of shows in the top 10 most in demand theatre productions being based on the small screen

Top 10 most popular comedians of 2010

1. Michael McIntyre

2. Frankie Boyle

3. Peter Kay

4. Lee Evans

5. Ricky Gervais

6. Billy Connelly

7. John Bishop

8. Jimmy Carr

9. Dara O’Brien

10. Tim Minchin

TV dominates the most in demand comedians list as well with newly appointed Britain’s Got Talent judge Michael McIntyre topping the funnymen league, whilst Apprentice You’re Fired host Dara O’ Brien clinches ninth place. Panel show guests Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr are also cashing in on their TV fame, taking 2nd and 8th place in the most in demand comedians’ list.

Who was your favourite entertainers of 2010? Let us know.

E4 ANNOUNCE ‘SKINS TOUR’. {TV & Music}

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JANUARY 19TH – JANUARY 29TH 2011

THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC ACTS AND DJs INCLUDING KATY B, THE WOMBATS, PULLED APART BY HORSES, DEVLIN, MONA, NERO, BEARDYMAN, JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE and TROPHY WIFE

8 FREE PARTIES! TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLY VIA E4.COM/SKINS

E4 is taking SKINS on tour heading to the eight home towns of our new SKINS generation. After 2010’s month long ‘House Party’ in Bristol this year will see members of the new Skins cast throwing a party in their own hometown – and you’re invited. Kicking off in BRISTOL on January 19th we hit the city with live performances from rising stars MORNING PARADE and WILDER plus a very special guest DJ

. Other performances include some of the hottest new acts of 2011 including KATY B, DEVLIN, MONA, PULLED APART BY HORSES, KID ADRIFT, JAGGA, TROPHY WIFE, THE MIDNIGHT BEAST, WILDER AND BEARDYMAN . Guests DJs include the brilliant NERO, KISSY SELLOUT, YASMIN, JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE (RADIO 1) plus Ibiza Rocks resident DOORLY. The shows finish with a huge party in Oxford on January 29th with a headline performance from superstars THE WOMBATS plus hometown boys TROPHY WIFE and the hotly tipped THE GOOD NATURED. Exclusive footage from the shows including band interviews and live performances will be shown on E4.com/skins

Tickets are available now

For more info go to www.e4.com/skins

The full line-up is as follows, with further artists to be confirmed:

WEDNEDAY 19TH JANUARY – BRISTOL – PROPAGANDA AT THE SYNDICATE

IN ASSOCIATION WITH PROPAGANDA – WWW.THEPROPAGANDA.COM/BRISTOL

Special Guest DJ + Live performances from MORNING PARADE and WILDER AND THE PROPAGANDA DJS

THURSDAY 20TH JANUARY – SWANSEA – MONKEY CAFÉ

KATY B, (Live) JAGGA and DJ set by NERO

FRIDAY 21ST JANUARY – HEREFORD – SAXTYS

DJ sets by KISSY SELLOUT (RADIO 1) and NICOLA BEAR (IBIZA ROCKS)

SATURDAY 22ND JANUARY – ASHFORD – LIQUID AND ENVY

PERFORMANCE FROM DEVLIN. DJ set by YASMIN

TUESDAY 25TH JANUARY – EDINBURGH – THE CAVES

Special Guests TBC + Performances from KID ADRIFT and FLUX DJs

THURSDAY 27TH JANUARY – LONDON – BRIXTON ELECTRIC

Performances from PULLED APART BY HORSES, MONA and MIDNIGHT BEAST. Plus appearances from JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE (RADIO 1) and PROPAGANDA DJs.

FRIDAY 28TH JANUARY – BRIGHTON- THE PIER

Special Performances by BEARDYMAN, MORNING PARADE and DOORLY

SATURDAY 29TH OXFORD – 02 ACADEMY – PROPAGANDA

WWW.THEPROPAGANDA.COM/OXFORD

Performances from THE WOMBATS, TROPHY WIFE and THE GOOD NATURED

Black Swan. {Film review/preview}

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Black Swan is a horror film. But a quiet one. You are not sure what is real, what is not. Neither does the protagonist, Nina, played to the hilt by Natalie Portman. It’s the role – and performance- of a lifetime. Portman does not let it down. She trained for 5 hours a day, for 10 months to take the role. She plays the anorexic, self harming, psychologically unravelling ballerina so well, at times, it is hard to watch. Though, a lesbian sex scene (in which Portman actually has sex with herself; a scene that is rumoured to have upset her father) should draw the crowds in.

Like Darren Aronofsky’s previous films, Black Swan is a head fuck. Nina lives with her mother. Her life is controlled by her mother and ballet. She is desperate to be perfect. Barbara Hershey is great as her mother. Vincent Cassel effortlessly brilliant as the cruel, cold artistic director. Winona Ryder is stellar as the retiring, washed up ballerina forced into retirement. Dealing with the winding down of the body clock, replaced by the younger model. It’s uncomfortable to watch, and important to note that there is only 10 years between Portman and Ryder. The truisms that strike with reality are painful. Times has let her down. The industry she has given her life to has tossed her out.

The brutality of pushing your body is heard in the film. The cracking of bones, the splintering toenails. This is a dark, gothic film. It’s not just about ballet. It’s also about an ageist society and an artist trying to lose themselves to the role. It is darkly beautiful, scarily apt and even just that little bit depressing. It’s definitely one to see.

Somewhere. {Film Review}

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Somewhere is a film that goes, well, nowhere. This is not an insult. It’s a complement. It’s a beautiful film. It’s not a good or a bad film. It is a film that is entirely depending on taste. It’s a lot like Lost In Translation. Lonely people trying to connect with each other. There is no back story to Dorff’s character. What you know is that he is rich, famous, separated and has an 11 year old daughter. Everywhere he goes there are irate women he has loved and left.

Somewhere is a very European film. The scenes are long and left to play out. There is a lot ( too much) female nudity. The opening of the film is Stephen Dorff driving around a circular track. There is one work said in the first 15 minutes. It’s full of metaphors and melancholy. The ennui of over privilege. A movie actor in an empty existence of sex, parties and alcohol. Saved, intermittently, when his daughter comes to stay.

The tangents of Sofia Coppola’s previous films are here; daddy – daughter relationships, young girl’s trying to find their way, expensive hotels, bored rich people. It is a film of human relationships. A slow burner. The performances of Ellie Fanning and Stephen Dorff are pitch perfect. It’s definitely worth seeing,

Ones to watch: Hannah Rothschild. {Film}

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Hannah Rothschild is exceptionally talented. With a skill at getting to subjects that other people wouldn’t, No doubt helped by her famous last name. Though it’s relevant – her documentary on Peter Mandelson, Mandelson:The Real PM? , was no doubt helped by the fact that her brother, Nat, is good friends with Mandelson – like other directors with famous last names, Sofia Coppola etc, Rothschild makes the most of the proverbial foot in the door. She let’s her talent shine through. Her documentary, The Jazz Baroness, is a triumph. It’s a documentary of contrast in race, class, wealth, and of music and love. Pannonica Rothschild was her great aunt.

Pannonica de Koenigswarter fell in love with the geniuses of jazz. She was born in 1913 into the British branch of the immensely wealthy Rothschild family, brought up in a mansion called Waddesdon, and died in 1988 in a small house in Weehawken, New Jersey, surrounded by 306 cats. Her life changed when she heard Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight.” She became friend and champion to some of the greatest jazz musicians of the twentieth century. Twenty songs were named after her, Her love of jazz took over her entire life, it seems she gave up everything to be near it.

Another documentary was on renowned socialite, bon viveur and ridiculously well connected Nicky Haslam. Titled ‘Hi Society: The wonderful world of Nicky Haslam. In Mandelson: The Real PM? she follows Peter Mandelson around in the run up to the election, at one point Mandelson is heard soothing Gordon Brown, at that time still Prime Minister. Rothschild comes across as fearless, she doesn’t seem to be scared of Mandelson, to ask the hard questions, despite his connection and friendship with her family.

In The Jazz Baroness Rothschild gets interviews with Clint Eastwood, who let’s her use footage from ‘Straight No Chaser.’ which her great aunt featured in, As well as the dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Thelonious Monk’s son, her father Jacob Rothschild and her great-aunt Miriam. The documentary is not just about Rothschild’s great-aunt Pannonica , it’s also about her trying to find a place in her famous family. She confesses about pressures ‘real or imagined’ and she chooses to become an artist. Luckily for her, it seems, she has found her place after all. As she says;

“Real glamour isn’t about Bentleys or fur coats or silver dishes; it’s about being able to walk down Fifty-second Street and hear in one night so many great musicians play tunes dedicated to you.”

I look forward to Hannah Rothschild’s next project.

Hannah Rothschild’s website.

NEW RESEARCH ADDS WEIGHT TO EXERCISE HELPING DIETERS. {Health}

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Dieters should add regular exercise to their programmes in a bid to shed those extra pounds – and keep them off.

Latest research reinforces the importance of combining healthy eating and exercise with more than 90 per cent of those opting for this combination reporting it as a successful weight loss formula in the Fitness First study.

The research into the effectiveness of diets alone, and alongside regular exercise, also gives a resounding thumbs up to the sensible approach of steady weight loss and exercise with dieters shunning the more extreme and niche diets as ineffective in the long term.

Exercise three or four times a week was judged to provide the best complement to dieting, a realistic aim for those looking to lose weight.

Fitness First surveyed more than 2,000 people on their diet and fitness habits and the results also reinforce how many more women than men sample different diets with 55 per cent of women dieting and just 23 per cent of men.

However both men and women favour diets such as WeightWatchers, Slimming World and Slim Fast over lesser known options such as the Duken or Maple Syrup diets.

Derek Crawford, UK national fitness manager for Fitness First said “It is good to see so many people taking up exercise to help keep them in shape but they key is to incorporate an enjoyable fitness regime into your lifestyle which is a common sense approach to keeping fit and healthy.’’

He said men were keener to incorporate fitness into the weight loss programme but said that it was important for everyone to exercise regularly.

Five most popular diets

Women
WeightWatchers
Slim Fast
Slimming World
Atkins
Rosemary Conley

Men
WeightWatchers
Atkins
Slim Fast
Slimming World
Rosemary Conley

Eliza Doolittle and www.bitchingandjunkfood.com collaborate.

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Eliza Doolittle and www.bitchingandjunkfood.com

If there is any type of person that would perfectly represent Bitching and Junkfood it has to be young indie British songstress, Eliza Doolittle.

Having sported Bitching and Junkfoods signature cut of denim shorts at a string of events and in her recent film clip, “Rollerblades” as well as featuring Bitching and Junkfood as one of her “favourite labels” in press, the Bitchy girls have now created a pair of customised fringed shorts for Eliza that appear in her new video, Skinny Genes.

The Bitchy girls and Eliza are now in discussions to develop the relationship with exciting new projects in negotiation, stay tuned.

ROCK AROUND THE WOK FOR LESS. {Food}

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You can rock around the wok for less this festive season thanks to Wing Yip’s great recipe suggestions which will allow you to provide authentic Oriental cuisine for up to 10 people for under £20.

Authentic dishes can be prepared easily with Wing Yip’s Mai Siam Hamper which contains sauces ranging from Thai Green Curry Paste to Thai Sriracha Chilli Sauce. At just £15.00 this hamper pack offers the base for a vast selection of fantastic meals and Oriental feasts.

Complete with a range of sauces, coconut milk, tableware and a wok for preparing these great authentic meals at home. The hamper is ideal for Oriental meal ideas designed to make parties an easy and cheaper option this festive season.

Christmas leftovers can be turned into a tasty Oriental feast, with just a little preparation and a few additional ingredients.

Why not try Thai Red Curry? Quick and easy to prepare, it will provide a great opportunity to put all the leftover turkey meat to good use. Use Mai Siam Thai Red Curry Paste with a dash of Sweet Chilli Sauce and coconut milk – all included in the hamper.

Side dishes are a must at any banquet. To accompany the mouth watering Thai main dish, why not keep it authentic and serve with noodles or fragrant rice.

Everything you need including Oriental beers, wines, fortune cookies, chopsticks and tableware, is available online or from Wing Yip superstores in Birmingham, Manchester, Cricklewood and Croydon.

Customers can access more than 800 Wing Yip products, 100 Oriental recipes and store information by visiting www.wingyipstore.co.uk

Thai Red Curry with Turkey

Red Curry is the most well known Thai curry. The basis of the curry is the dried chillies that are ground to a paste together with lemon grass and galangal. This recipe uses leftover turkey.
Ingredients

* Large turkey pieces cut into bite size pieces
* 4 tsp Mai Siam Red Curry Paste
* 1 tbsp vegetable oil
* 57g fine beans (cut into 3cm lengths)
* 1 tin coconut milk
* Handful Sweet Basil
* 2 tsp fish sauce (to taste
* 1 tsp palm sugar (to taste)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a wok and gently fry the red curry paste, adding 2 tbsp coconut milk to cook out the curry paste.
2. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the oil separates from the curry paste.
3. This is the best time to add the turkey pieces which should be stir fried in the mixture for about 3 minutes.
4. Next add the coconut milk, palm sugar and the fish sauce.
5. When turkey is cooked add the fine beans and cook further until beans are al dente.
6. Lastly, scatter the sweet basil over the curry and turn off heat.
7. If curry is to be eaten later, allow curry to cool uncovered.

· Serves 2 – 3