Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Beyonce Knowles and John Legend were amongst the celebrities in attendance for the 60th NBA All-Star Game, while Rihanna, Kanye West and Lenny Kravitz performed at half-time.
Justin Bieber made the most of being sat beside stunning Rihanna by chatting her up all night.
Other stars in attendance at Sunday’s game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Spike Lee, Snoop Dogg, Sean Combs, Steve Tyler, Dustin Hoffman, Lil’ Wayne, Gene Simmons, Ellen Pompeo, Kelen Lutz, Drake and Piers Morgan.
The celebrities though had turned up to watch the stars on the court and the National Basketball Association’s best did not disappoint. Kobe Bryant led the Western Conference All-Stars past their Eastern Conference opponents in a high-scoring 148-143 game.
Los Angeles Lakers guard, Bryant, who played in London in October as part of NBA Europe Live, scored 37 points and added 14 rebounds to take the MVP award in front of his home fans.
The Eastern Conference put up an impressive fight and produced a fantastic comeback to nearly snatch a victory. LeBron James, of the Miami Heat, was particularly impressive recording a triple double. He had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The 2012 NBA All-Star Game is set for Orlando, Florida.
Actress and model Donna Air shares her ‘second time around’ dating stories for relationship site, www.eHarmony.co.uk
Dating Unplugged: Eight weeks of thoughts, advice, videos, pictures and comment for those who are finding love all over again
Actress, TV presenter and writer Donna Air this week unveils the first in a series of weekly blogs for relationship site eHarmony.co.uk, based on her own recent dating experiences. The blog posts will all follow the theme of ‘Dating the second time around’, the subject of a recent book by Dr Gian Gonzaga, Senior Relationship Scientist at eHarmony.co.uk. The blog can be found at: http://moourl.com/donnadating.
Donna’s articles will feature amusing first-person dating anecdotes covering topics such as dating in the fast-moving world of social media, the challenges of dating outside your age group, and finding love as a single parent. Donna herself is a single mother to a seven year old daughter, and has spent the last four and a half years on the London dating scene following the breakdown of her long-term relationship.
Donna Air said:
“The search for the perfect partner is the one thing that unites all of us, whatever our circumstances, and starting that journey again after a long relationship can be scary. I was really excited to be asked by eHarmony to share some of my stories, and hopefully help other single people in the process. It can feel like a ‘dating jungle’ out there at times but sharing our experiences with each other will help us all on that mission to find the perfect person!”
The eight weekly blogs will run from Thursday February 24th until April 25th and will sit on eHarmony Advice, which contains relationship advice articles, forums and opinion polls for eHarmony members and anyone seeking relationship advice. Advice articles and videos by Dr Gian Gonzaga, excerpts from his recent book, and videos, photos and personal stories from eHarmony-matched couples who found love second time around will also feature. The blog will be supported by a social media campaign to amplify Donna’s articles through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online channels.
Ottokar Rosenberger, UK Country Manager for eHarmony.co.uk said:
“This is the first time in the UK that we’ve worked on a series of guest-authored blogs and we’re extremely excited to host Donna’s unique content on our site. Donna has a really warm and engaging personality and we’re sure her stories will strike a chord with anyone who’s navigating the sometimes nerve-wracking world of dating. We hope readers of the blogs will also post their own thoughts and experiences.”
“We plan to run other blogs over the rest of the year on a range of love-related subjects, which we hope will appeal to our existing members, and to anyone seeking helpful and interesting relationship advice.”
JOANNA LUMLEY, KATHY BURKE, SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR, BEVERLEY KNIGHT, ANNIE MAC AND MIRANDA RICHARDSON GET LIPPY FOR ACTIONAID
Celebrities mark the 100th anniversary of INTERNATIONAL WOMENS’ DAY on MARCH 8th 2011 by letting rip on women’s rights for the launch of ActionAid’s GET LIPPY campaign.
Celebrated photographer Rankin and anti-poverty charity ActionAid have joined forces to highlight the inequalities faced by millions of women across the world.
Together they asked six high-profile women to be photographed in support of women in developing countries who are speaking up to claim their rights and improve their lives – to GET LIPPY for women living in poverty.
March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
For millions, it is the time to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements women have made since the first International Women’s Day when people marched across Europe for a woman’s right to vote, work and hold public office.
For ActionAid, International Women’s Day is also a time to shine a spotlight on the struggles women face now in the developing world and to build solidarity to tackle the urgent challenges ahead. ActionAid campaigns for a world where women and men, girls and boys, have equally good chances in life, free from want and free from fear.
Getting Lippy…. ActionAid asked the celebrities to send a message of support to the millions of women in the developing world who are struggling everyday to improve their lives.
Since ActionAid believes that more unites women than divides them, the charity also asked the celebrities to say what they thought was the best and worst thing about being a woman today.
JOANNA LUMLEY said: “I have travelled in all kinds of countries so I know some of the terrible disadvantages women have been struggling under and continue to struggle under all across the world. I want them to know that we are going to help, we are there for you.”
On what the best and worst thing about being a woman is “It’s obvious what women are best at. Multi-tasking, we are genetically able to multi-task – men can’t do that. What’s worst? The way we have been discriminated against in all religions and in all societies throughout all time. It’s incredible to think it’s not even 100 years since women got the vote in this country – bad.”
The British public can also GET LIPPY and send their messages to: www.actionaid.org.uk/iwd
Facts and statistics
1. One in three women will experience violence at some point in their lives.
2. An estimated 5,000 women worldwide are murdered each year in what are referred to as ‘honour killings’.
3. At least three quarters of civilians killed in war are women and children.
4. In Afghanistan, 80 per cent of women experience domestic violence.
5. More than 200,000 cases of rape have been documented in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
6. Nearly half of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls under 15.
7. Over two out of three people living in extreme poverty are women.
8. Women make up 70% – 80% of the world’s poor, illiterate and refugee populations
9. Sexual and domestic violence persist, despite some major advances in legislation.
10. In many parts of the world women aren’t allowed to own property or keep money they earn.
11. More girls than boys are denied an education.
12. While we have some prominent women heads of state, men still have a monopoly on decision-making — from village councils to national government and disaster response committees — so policies tend to ignore women’s needs.
Fearne Cotton, Alistair McGowan and Harry Hill go Mad for the Fairtrade Facebook Fearne Cotton, TV Burp star Harry Hill, Zoe Ball and DJ husband Norman Cook, ex-model and presenter Lisa Butcher, Fast Show star Mark Williams and more are all going Fairtrade Mad on the Fairtrade Fortnight Facebook Challenge at http://www.facebook.com/FairtradeFoundation .
Each day, the celebs are inviting people to take part in a different, fun challenge such as creating a wacky Fairtrade Banana Smile, Outrageous Fairtrade Label Waving, painting a Fairtrade Chocolate Moustache, Random Acts of Fairtrade Kindness, Fairtrade Your Mum, create a Fairtrade fruit inspired hat, and the Fairtrade Ice Cream Pile Up.
Other celebrities have pledged to take part in the challenge, including singer Mica Paris, Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, chef Sophie Grigson, How Clean is Your House presenter Aggie McKenzie, as well as Tory MP and DFID Minister Stephen O’Brien.
Alistair McGowan is launching the ‘Outrageous label waving’ challenge by replacing his tennis ball with a Fairtrade pineapple as he impersonates John McEnroe. ‘We are all thinking a lot about the sustainability of our world,’ says Alistair McGowan. ‘I believe that we have to start with the people who produce the foods and goods we put in our shopping baskets. When I buy Fairtrade I know the farmers and workers receive enough for their products so that they can put food on the table and enjoy a better standard of living’.
Each challenge comes with a fabulous prize for the funniest, most outrageous and creative contestant. Up for grabs are prizes like a Sainsbury’s supported trip to the Dominican Republic to visit Fairtrade certified banana farmers; a flower arranging lesson with top florist Simon Richards who designs all of Marks & Spencer’s floral arrangements; a cupcake making course with cake-maker extraordinaire Lilli Vanilli whose bespoke cakes are sold in Harrods; a week’s holiday in Sri Lanka which includes a visit to Fairtrade tea growers who sell their tea to Jacksons of Piccadilly; a Starbuck’s ‘sensory weekend’ with all sorts of delights; a Green & Black’s chocolate Masterclass; and a year’s supply of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream.
The rules are simple. Log onto the Fairtrade Facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/FairtradeFoundationUpload a photograph of yourself taking part in one of the daily challenges and encourage your friends and family to vote on your entry. The entry with the most votes wins. The funniest and wackiest photograph is likely to win. For those who don’t win the grand prize, there are lots of great are Fairtrade-inspired consolation prizes.
On a rainy Saturday morning in February, the Frost Editors went to Innocent HQ (aka Fruit Towers) to take part in a workshop held to launch Innocent Smoothie’s Mini Movie Competition. Kind of like the most pleasant post apocalyptic scene I can imagine, we were greeted by a lush gate of green grass and vans also covered in grass. In side was more grass, picnic tables, bean bags, unusual random objects, some very tiny fences and lots of smiley happy people. As soon as I was through the door I was inundated with beverages both hot and cold.
Listening to a presentation at Fruit Towers
Inspiring this competition was Innocent’s recently made TV advert. Their Superhero ad differs from everything else on the TV at the moment as theirs is Lo-Fi. Using absolutely no CG and embracing the ‘I can see the strings’ mentality the ad was typical of the Lo-Fi style of Ben Wheatley (the ad’s creator) who gave us a presentation on film making.
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After letting us into the little secrets of the advertising industry we were given lunch in picnic hampers! Apart from the crumbs, there was one thing one everyone’s mouths…how can THEY get a job at fruit towers?! We then were split into groups and given Mini Movie Making kits, containing a bottle, a cape, stick, string, farmyard animals, tiny people and other random things presented in a show box and tied up with beautiful movie reel ribbon.
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Mini Movie Making Kit
So there we were with our teams, a theme, camera equipment and the knowledge gathered in the morning’s presentation. We storyboarded away, filmed and created masterpieces. I can’t find our mini movies on the internet anywhere so you will just have to take our word for it. Everything we did had to be edited “in-camera”, meaning we couldn’t edit anything at all on the computer afterwards, this resulted in lots of giggles to the “cut”‘s and “action”‘s being left in.
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Catherine Balavage with a chicken at Fruit Towers
The Innocent Mini Movie competition is now open and you have until 17th April to submit your own lo-fi advert. The winner (voted for by the public) will receive £5000, tickets to the London Film Festival and your advert will be broadcast on national telly. There’s a lose brief, your mini movie must be no more than 30 seconds, contain no CG, music (although sound effects are allowed) no branding (other than innocent) and they must be submitted via
Despite his illness troubles Apple fans were relieved to see Steve Jobs take to the stage to introduce the new iPad, the iPad2. The product is an improved version rather than a radical new design but in any case consumers are set to benefit as the iPad2 starts at the same price as its predecessor $499 for the base 16GB model with new improved features.
• Tapered design and 33% thinner
• Faster chip (dual-core A5 CPU, claimed to be twice as fast as its predecessor)
• Dual Web Cams (Rear facing 720p HD resolution)
• Integrated gyroscope for games
• 3G Units available
• The same 10 hour battery life as its predecessor
• Available in black and white
• App store with 350,000 Apps
As the tablet market continues to expand the iPad2 is set to help Apple stay one step ahead of its rivals for the time being.
Prices $499-$829
The iPad2 is released on March 11 in the US and internationally on March 25
There is a myth in society that women are incredibly complicated and you can’t make them happy. Well that’s a load of rubbish, women are actually simple and, yes, you can make her happy! Here are a few tips below which will hopefully make you a better boyfriend and make your girlfriend happier.
Be independent, have your own goals and purpose and never depend upon her
This is vitally important; a woman will never love a man whom depends on her. A woman wants to feel the strength of her man and his ability to confront any situation. If a man is constantly depending on his woman for support, whatever that may be financial, emotional, physical etc; he appears weak. In other words he is not really a man.
When you depend upon your girlfriend. Your girlfriend will think she is acting like your mother. Nothing could be less attractive to her. Always remember, your girlfriend is not your mother.
Women hate it when their men constantly moan and whine. Well it’s not just women, everybody hates it. We all know whining or moaning is unattractive and yet many of us continue to do it regularly because it makes us feel better.
When you moan or complain your basically saying life is unfair. Whether it is or isn’t doesn‘t matter. By moaning or whining you’re not taking responsibility for your own actions. You’re feeling sorry for yourself. It’s not just unhealthy for your relationship, it’s unhealthy for yourself. Successful people don’t complain, they don’t feel sorry for themselves they get on with things. They create solutions and work around tricky situations.
Your girlfriend is not someone to unload all your grievances onto. Remember, your girlfriend is not there not support you, you are there to support her. When we moan and say how everything is so unfair we are showing ourselves as weak. We are using our women as a crutch and this goes back to our first fundamental principle. Never depend on your women.
Why would your girlfriend want to be with a moaner? This is clearly a man who can’t cope with the world, who will never be successful and who most importantly won’t be able to support her and can’t be relied upon.
She will test you
A good girlfriend will test her man. Women may often pick at things which may seem trivial. Men often don’t seem to understand this and some men get bothered and annoyed by it. Why do women test their partners, because they want to be certain about their man? Is he trustworthy, does he have integrity is he strong and can he cope? The strong man relishes such challenges and is more than happy to be tested. What sort of things will she do? A test might take many different forms, perhaps you contradicted yourself (integrity test), A weak man may think her picking as unnecessary and trivial but the strong man recognises his integrity has been questioned and will then seek to allay his girlfriend’s fears. Other tests might be physical or mental strength tests etc.
Use body language, don’t try and have an argument with her
This is a classic problem which most men fall into at some point. Weaker men may joke about how it’s impossible to have a rational argument with a woman. But men often fail to see things from the women perspective. For a start she usually doesn’t give a damn what your arguing over and this isn’t to say she can’t have a rational argument when she wants to. As an example maybe you were supposed to do something with her but you didn’t. What’s she’s really upset about is usually that you’ve shown you lack integrity and can’t be trusted, not that you didn’t do thing were you were going to.
Maybe you had a great reason for not doing that thing with her. But here’s the thing NOBODY CARES, least of all her. Never try and talk or argue her round. Instead use your body and body language to communicate with her. Reassure her of who you truly are.
JAMIE’S DREAM SCHOOL Nearly half of British children leave education without the qualifications they need to succeed. Jamie Oliver was one of them: he left school at sixteen with just two GCSEs.
Now he wants to do something about it. So he’s bringing together some of Britain’s most inspirational and expert individuals to try to persuade twenty young people, with just a handful of qualifications between them, to give education a second chance.
The kids, aged from sixteen to eighteen, will be taught a range of subjects, supervised by an experienced head teacher, John D’Abbro.
The science teacher is Professor Robert Winston, history is taught by Dr David Starkey, politics by Alastair Campbell, drama by Simon Callow, music by Jazzie B, art by Rolf Harris, maths by Alvin Hall and sport by Olympic gold-medallist Daley Thompson.
Other experts lending their weight to the project include former poet laureate Andrew Motion, hip hop vocalist Tinchy Stryder, sailor Ellen Macarthur, photographer Rankin, barrister Cherie Blair, actor Dominic West, classics professor Mary Beard, explorer David Hempleman Adams, environmentalist Jane Poynter, school dinner lady Nora Sands and former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan.
The project comes as 47% British children fail to gain five GCSEs at grade A*-C, including English and Maths.
The issues faced by the students are diverse: Angelique moved home and school because of increasing violence in her area; Aysha lost the year before her GCSEs when her family sent her back to Bangladesh for unruly behaviour; Connor, from an old East End family, couldn’t see the point of school and has been doing odd jobs labouring since leaving; and Jamal was bullied at school.
In the first programme of the series, David Starkey shows the class some Seventh Century ‘bling’ from the Staffordshire Hoard, worth millions. A traditionalist, he plans to take a firm hand with bad behaviour, but he gets off to a difficult start when he and a student trade insults.
Meanwhile, actor Simon Callow wants to enthuse the children about Shakespeare by showing how relevant the bard is to today’s society. Robert Winston, a doctor, scientist and founding father of IVF wants to try a very hands on approach with the kids, so he has them dissecting rats and a pig. And Jazzie B, who found fame with group Soul II Soul, wants to turn the students into composers.
The project’s just begun, but Jamie already has a crisis on his hands – while David Starkey demands that the students’ discipline is addressed, head teacher John D’Abbro thinks it might be the distinguished historian who needs to re-think his approach.
As well as the intensive and inspirational reintroduction to learning provided at Dream School, the project will be providing long-term expert support to help the kids get back into education.
The series raises the issue of why so many young people are unengaged by education and asks what more could be done by society and the educational system to help them. It also aims to find out if the new teachers can translate their real-life expertise into the realities of the classroom.
“Nearly half of Britain’s young people leave school without the recommended minimum of qualifications – I was one of them!” says Jamie Oliver. “So I wanted to see if we could inspire some of these young people – a handful of those kids who hadn’t been inspired at their own schools – by creating a school where the teachers were absolute experts in their subjects.”
“I have to say that I’ve never admired teachers more than I do now. Until you’ve tried it, you can’t possibly know what it’s like standing in front of a group of young people who aren’t interested in what you’re saying. And I think all the Dream School teachers came away with this huge respect for teachers.
“I thought they were all really smart kids – a lot of them had trouble paying attention, but once you got them inspired in whatever subject grabbed them, their qualities really shone through.
“How did we cope? I won’t spoil the programme, but let’s just say that some teachers found it more of a challenge than others.”
Jamie’s Dream School is a seven-part documentary series made by Fresh One Productions.
