Monthly Archives: March 2012

Desperate Housewives Spoiler: Who Dies?

Posted on by

Spoiler Alert. Anyone who doesn’t want to know what happens in Desperate Housewives should not read further.

News of the series regular who is to die in an upcoming episode of Desperate Housewives has been revealed after it was let slip in a court hearing between the show creator Marc Cherry and Nicolette Sheridan.

 

 

James Denton’s character Mike Delfino will die. Denton has been a series regular since the show started in 2004 and he plays Teri Hatcher’s husband on the show.

Denton told Entertainment Weekly: “I was really surprised. Any other year, I would have been disappointed, but at this point I figured, well, we made it… As an actor, you just hope people care.”

“I remember lying in the threshold [while filming the scene] with the blood pouring out of me looking up at the top of the porch. I’ve been there for over eight years, and I’ve done so many scenes on that porch… It was a little creepy… It was sort of fitting.”

There will be another six episodes of Desperate Housewives after Denton’s onscreen death in the episode ‘You Take for Granted’.

This season is to the last season of Desperate Housewives.

VEUVE CLICQUOT BUSINESS WOMAN AWARD 2012 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Posted on by

Veuve Clicquot announces the shortlist for its Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award at the WIE (Women: Inspiration & Enterprise) 50 Power Breakfast at The London Stock Exchange chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, bringing together shining examples of female entrepreneurship and business success across sectors ranging from fund management to fashion and hospitality. The finalists are, in alphabetical order:

· Anya Hindmarch: Founder, Anya Hindmarch

· Helena Morrissey: CEO, Newton Investment Management

· Ruth Rogers: Chef & Owner, The River Café

Regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of female entrepreneurs and business leaders, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award, now in its 40th year, celebrates entrepreneurial women who have made a significant contribution to business life in the UK. The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award nomination criteria are those ideals epitomised by Madame Clicquot: Entrepreneurship, financial success, Corporate Social Responsibility and acting as a role model.

All Finalists selected by the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award judging panel demonstrated the strongest evidence of all nomination criteria. Notable achievements included Helena Morrissey’s groundbreaking 30% Club, which helps champion the issue of women on boards, Anya Hindmarch’s entrepreneurial story and global pioneering of her ‘I am not a plastic bag’ initiative which raised the issue of plastic bag usage amongst the public’s consciousness as well as the government’s agenda, and Ruth Rogers’ steady growing business, changing how we perceive, as well as cook, Italian cuisine.

Carolyn McCall, previous winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award and current Panel member, noted: “The nominees for this year’s award are all great role models and have all the attributes that Veuve Clicquot looks for in its Business Woman Award. This award has played a vital role in recognising and celebrating women in business.”

Sian Westerman, MD of Rothschild and member of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award Panel commented: “This strong shortlist, drawn from an excellent long list, exemplifies what women can achieve in business: strong entrepreneurship and leadership, combined with a desire and ability to deliver real change in society. Spanning areas key to the UK economy of fashion, finance and hospitality, they are great role models for all who aspire to succeed in business.”

The winner of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award will be announced at a high-profile Champagne reception at The Ballroom at Claridge’s, London on the 18th of April 2012 at 6.30pm.

The Award’s 20-strong judging panel is comprised of business leaders, including Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive, easyJet, Jasmine Whitbread, CEO Save the Children, Duncan Bannatyne, Entrepreneur and Dragon, Caroline Michel, CEO, Peters, Frasers and Dunlop as well as Sian Westerman, MD, Rothschild and other key industry experts.

Christina Jesaitis, Senior Brand Manager, Veuve Clicquot said: “As we reach our 40th year of the award, social and environmental responsibility are still a key focus for our judges and this year’s finalists all represent business women that have embedded these important attributes into their organisations. The award also looks for those women that are able to act as more than just an example of a successful business woman, but rather an inspiration and mentor for future female entrepreneurs; we believe that all of our three finalists have demonstrated this quality.”

Created in 1972 as a tribute to Madame Clicquot and now operating in 27 countries, the annual Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award champions the success of business women worldwide who share the same qualities as Madame Clicquot; her enterprising spirit, her courage and the determination necessary to accomplish her aims.

Reel Syria Film Festival 2012

Posted on by

REEL SYRIA 2012
London
March 15-18

 

Following the successful REEL FESTIVALS 2011: SYRIA, LEBANON, SCOTLAND – a trilateral exchange of contemporary music, film and literature from Syria, Lebanon and Scotland, Reel Festivals returns for its fifth year with Reel Syria 2012, in association with Mosaic Initiative for Syria, supporting Syrian artists and showcasing Syrian culture to a UK audience.

At a time when Syria is engulfed in violent conflict, the festival will present a nuanced portrait of the country and its people. On the anniversary of the uprising, Mosaic Initiative for Syria will also raise funds for Syrians displaced and affected by the current violent crackdown.

Highlights of the festival include a performance of Score 328: SURROUND by ‘The 17’ an international public performance project conceived by artist/author/musician Bill Drummond (KLF). A Syrian film programme by DoxBox including a screening of ‘A Flood in Ba’ath Country’ directed by the late, celebrated Syrian documentary maker Omar Amiralay, an evening panel discussion on creative resistance with guests, including Asian Dub Foundation’s Steve Chandra Savale, Syrian novelists Manhal Alsarraj and Mamdouh Azzam, and other participants TBC. There will also be a fundraising Syrian-style bazaar at Kensington Town Hall.

A major fundraising music concert is scheduled, but at time of going to press, details are still being confirmed. More information will follow shortly

They have a blog that can be read here.

EVENT DETAILS

Thursday 15th March

7:00 pm – Reel Syria in association with Frontline, screening of Syrian documentary film, ‘A Flood in Ba’ath Country’ by Omar Amiralay as part of DoxBox Global Day. Q+A with Syrian Director Reem Ali £10/£8 (Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ)

Friday 16th March

5:00-7:00 pm – Literary panel discussion and readings – Culture Under Fire: Creative resistance in Syria. Join some of Syria’s best known authors, artists and poets for a discussion of cultural repression and resistance. Featuring: novelist, Manhal Alsarraj, novelist, Mamdouh Azzam, musician Steve Chandra Savale, academic, Donatella Della Ratta + more tbc (Free Word Centre)
8.30-10pm – Screening of Syrian film(s) + Q&A
Free Entry (Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3GA)

Saturday 17th March

4:00 pm – Mosaic Initiative for Syria Fundraising Syrian Bazaar (Kensington Town Hall)
7:00 pm – Art of the Revolution, Mosaic Initiative fundraising concert featuring top Syrian musicians – further programming and price info TBC (Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8 7NX)

Sunday 18th March:

1:00 pm – Bill Drummond – ‘SURROUND in Damascus’, a piece of work created for Syria in 2011 by legendary artist and musician Bill Drummond, will now take place in exile in London. 100 volunteers are needed; all will become members of The17, Bill Drummond’s international choir.
To take part, please email surround@reelfestivals.org

DoxBox is Syria’s only independent documentary film festival and has hosted guests such as D.A. Pennebaker, Kim Longinotto, Mark Isaacs and many more. In 2012 it will take place in exile, with a programme of Syrian documentary film. The film aspect of Reel Syria will come from DoxBox.
Reem Ali is one of Syria’s best known contemporary actresses. She is the director of ‘Zabad’, a 2006 searing critique of the Assad regime, subsequently banned in Syria; it premiered at Reel Festivals 2011.

Manhal Alsarraj is an award winning Syrian author. She has published a number of books including Overcoming The Bridge (1997) and As Should Be For The River (2000), which was banned from publication in Syria due to its political connotations. Her most recent novel On My Chest (2007) was published by Cadmus books in Damascus in 2007.

Mamdouh Azzam, is a Syrian novelist, whose works are a damning portrait of life under a dictatorship, as well as being beautiful works of literature. His novel Rain Palace was banned by the Ministry of Culture for religious/political reasons and his latest novel, Women of the Imagination, is a story of a book-obsessed teacher living under the Baathist regime

Steve Chandra Savale, also known by his stage names Chandrasonic and best known for his punk rave aesthetic as the guitarist for the ground-breaking British band Asian Dub Foundation. In 2009, He presented a series of documentaries for Al-Jazeera English called Music of Resistance.

Donatella Della Ratta is an academic specializing in the study of Syrian cultural production at the University of Copenhagen. Author of several articles for leading scholarly journals, she focuses on culture of resistance in Syria and its implications.

Bill Drummond has been the bestselling musician in the world, burnt £1,000,000 as a work of performance art and written a manual on how to have a number one record. His energies are now focused on a choir called The17 and he will be presenting a piece made to take place in Syria during the festival. http://www.the17.org/scores/328,
http://www.penkilnburn.com/events/events.php

 

Reel Festivals was made possible by the generous support of the British Council .

Reel Festivals is a Firefly International project. Firefly is a charity which breaks down barriers through shared creative and cultural dialogue.

Twitter: reelfestivals / Facebook: reelfestivals

Info about Reel Festivals:
http://www.reelfestivals.org/reel-syria/

 

How To Measure Yourself Properly

Posted on by

Having correct measurements makes it easier to do clothes shopping. Your size could change from shop to shop so you should always have your measurements to hand. Here is how to measure yourself.

It is better to measure yourself in your underwear for a more realistic result. Do not pull the tape measure too tight. It should have some give to it.

Shoulder
Should be done from shoulder to shoulder in a straight line

Head
Measure around your forehead.

Bust.
Your bust measurements should be taken at the fullest part. If you are taken your bra size then you will also have to do under your bust too.

Waist
Your waist is usually the narrowest part of your body, and this is where you should measure. For the majority of women, this is an inch above your belly button. Don’t hold your breath in! It is better to know your actual size. Wearing clothes that are too small for you will just make you look bigger.

Hips
You should measure the fullest part of your hips. The part of which you sit down on usually. Not around the hip bones, which is what most people think.

Inseam
From your groin to your ankle bone. It is better to get a friend to help you with this.

Do not measure yourself around the time you have your period. You will be retaining water and your dress size will be bigger.

Once you have measured yourself put your measurements into this dress size site to see what dress size you are. It does both UK and US sizing.

Perez Hilton's "One Night in Austin" to Benefit The VH1 Save The Music Foundation

Posted on by

VH1 will donate $1 to VH1 Save The Music Foundation in conjunction with Perez Hilton’s Annual Music Event For Every Check In on Foursquare at Any Music Venue Across the Country

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation has been selected as the benefiting charity of Perez Hilton’s “One Night in Austin” event at South By Southwest on March 17, 2012. Returning to Austin for the fifth consecutive year, this legendary series, produced by The BMF Media Group, will feature performances and DJ sets by an array of today’s top artists (to be announced the weeks leading up the show). There are a limited number of tickets available and can be purchased at $25 (General Admission) and/or $50 (VIP) at www.vh1savethemusic.com/perez. 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and its mission to restore instrumental music education programs in our nation’s public schools.

In conjunction with the event, VH1 will donate $1 to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation throughout the month of March for each check in on Foursquare at any music venue across the country. With each check in, participating individuals will receive the exclusive “VH1 Save The Music” badge. Through these combined efforts, the Foundation can receive up to $50,000 in donations, enough to restore a complete music education program. Users must follow VH1 on Foursquare to unlock the badge and trigger the donation at: https://foursquare.com/vh1.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Perez Hilton’s “One Night in Austin” this year,” said Paul Cothran, Vice President & Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. “With Perez’s help, we will be able to generate a great deal of awareness for our cause, and with the additional fundraising boost provided by VH1 network and Foursquare’s generous promotion, we will be able to ensure that a greater number of children will not be deprived of access to a complete education that includes music.”

Since its inception in 1997, The VH1 Save The Music Foundation has provided more than $48 million in new musical instruments to 1,800 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.8 million children. Thanks to the generous support of celebrities like Perez Hilton and the VH1 Save The Music Ambassadors, including Katy Perry, Daughtry, Lupe Fiasco, Jordin Sparks, Matthew Morrison, Vanessa Carlton, AJ McLean and Gavin Rossdale, the Foundation is able to generate awareness about the importance of music in a child’s education.

“Music is the answer! For the first time ever, I am going to be selling tickets to my annual SXSW event! These tickets will GUARANTEE entrance to what is always the hottest party in all of Austin. This year, I have decided to donate all of the money raised through ticket sales to The VH1 Save The Music Foundation. It combines two things I am passionate about – music and inspiring youth. I can’t wait!” said Perez Hilton.

Using Perez Hilton’s “One Night in Austin” as the marquee event, fans are encouraged to use Foursquare to check in at various SXSW events as well as any music venue across the country throughout this month. With the support of VH1 and Foursquare and by simply checking in each time you enjoy live music, you can help The VH1 Save The Music Foundation raise needed funds to continue their work in American public schools.

VH1 will also be bringing several new documentaries through its VH1 Rock Doc franchise to SXSW. VH1 News, Tune (VH1 Music Blog) and the “Top 20 Countdown” hosted by Jim Shearer will be sharing highlights of Perez Hilton’s “One Night In Austin.”

For more information or to see how you can get involved, please visit www.vh1savethemusic.com or join The VH1 Save The Music community on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vh1savethemusic and on Twitter at @vh1savethemusic.

Lenny Kravitz Supports UNICEF's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Efforts

Posted on by

Lenny Kravitz – GRAMMY award-winning singer-songwriter, record producer and actor—is using his voice and talent to do more than dazzle the stage and screen. He is throwing his support behind the global push by UNICEF and its partners to help save and improve the lives of millions of children and their families around the world by providing them with access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

“I was born in New York City and have always taken access to clean water as a given,” said Kravitz. “No child should die of diarrhea from drinking dirty water. That thousands of children under the age of five continue to die every day because they lack clean water and basic sanitation is simply unacceptable.”

Earlier today UNICEF announced that the world has met the Millennium Development Goal for drinking water, with 89 percent of the global population now with access. However, that still leaves more than 780 million people, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, without access. In addition, around 2.5 billion people—almost half the developing world’s population—lack access to improved sanitation. This all adds up to bad news for the children who are being left behind.

Kravitz will be appearing in Public Service Announcements and take to Twitter and Facebook with a message that all children can—and must—have access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Kravitz, who recently released the album ‘Black and White America’, and who will be starring in ‘The Hunger Games’ later this month, is joining forces with UNICEF to help mark World Water Day (March 22) and will send a global message of the importance of investing in children and providing them with clean water and sanitation.

In the United States, Kravitz will be lending his support for the UNICEF Tap Project by encouraging his fans and dining patrons across the country to pay $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free during World Water Week, March 19 – 25. With $1, UNICEF can provide a child with access to clean, safe water for 40 days, or 40 children with access to safe water for one day. Funds raised through the 2012 UNICEF Tap Project will provide children and families with clean drinking water in Viet Nam, Togo, Mauritania and Cameroon.

Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have serious repercussions on a child’s health, often causing diarrhea and other easily preventable diseases. Children, particularly girls, often miss school, because they are responsible for gathering water for their families, which can require many hours of their time. In addition, many schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities for girls, causing them to drop out of school. Without safe water, sanitation, and good hygiene, sustainable development is difficult to achieve.

Since 1990, UNICEF, governments and partners, have helped more than 2 billion people gain access to improved water sources and 1.8 billion people gain access to improved sanitation facilities. The efforts include drilling wells and installing water pumps, helping communities build latrines and teaching lifesaving hygiene to schoolchildren and mothers, and providing safe water and sanitation to communities during emergencies.

Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

Posted on by

Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

Three quarters of people across the UK have too much clutter at home, according to a poll by Storage.co.uk. People love their “stuff” so much, they don’t want to lose it, even though they’ll never use it. The survey found that emotional attachment and the idea they may be useful one day are people’s top reasons for holding on to things they don’t need. Another common cause of clutter (one third of respondents) is the hope that their stuff may be valuable.

An unexpected find was that younger people are more motivated by nostalgia about the past than the older generation. Three in five 18 to 29 year olds cling to clutter because it brings back good memories, compared to only two out of five 50 to 69 year olds who hold on to clutter for the same reason.

As for decluttering habits, the survey found that women sort an area of the home more frequently than men, who mostly tackled the job once or twice in the last twelve months.

The main barriers stopping people from having a good clear out is lack of time and feeling they have better things to do, suggesting they struggle to put the task high on their list of priorities. In some cases, clutter can really get out of control and become a bigger issue in people’s lives. For around one in ten people clutter is damaging their relationships with others, affecting their health and sometimes having a negative effect on the amount of money they have.

Rachel Papworth from Green and Tidy, a professional declutterer and organiser, says: “We live such busy lives, it can be hard to make time for decluttering. If you’re struggling to fit it in, think about how much time you’ll save when you can easily put your hand on whatever you’re looking for. Plus decluttering saves money, protects your mental and physical health, and reduces your environmental impact”.

According to the survey, quirky items of clutter getting in the way at home include a train piston, “hundreds” of old train tickets for travelling to see a fiancé, a camel saddle, carpet samples for a would-be rug , an empty Rotastak hamster cage, seven inch white platform boots, “thousands” of LPs and a lifesize cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber.

Storage.co.uk surveyed men and women in the UK to find out attitudes and habits towards clutter as part of their National Declutter Week campaign to launch on 7 March.

Storage.co.uk is calling on all home occupiers to consider unused stuff sitting at home and to make a big decluttering effort in National Declutter Week from 7 to 18 March. Storage.co.uk has linked up with hospices across the UK to direct donations of saleable items. To view participating hospices, visit http://www.storage.co.uk/national-declutter-week/adopt-a-hospice.

BRITISH STARS HELPING TO SOLVE THE UKs GROWING GANG CULTURE

Posted on by

Jaime Winstone, BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, Shortee Blitz, Bashy (AKA Ashley Thomas) and Clement Marfo Join Ex Gang Leaders, Dawn Butler and the Metropolitan Police in the ‘Fight Against Gang Crime’

Recent studies document over 250 active criminal gangs, with 176 gang rapes (involving 3 or more attackers) reported over the past 2 years*. Six months after the ‘London Riots’ – in which ten per cent of the youths charged were girls – the national government have announced that they will invest £1.2m of funding to help girls involved with gangs, who may be have been violently or sexually abused by male members.

However, former girl gang leader and youth charity owner, Jenifer Blake and SKET film consultant, Tracy Miller believe that “film and education is the key to tackling gang violence”. Tracey and Jenifer will be hosting a school ‘film screening’ tour alongside high profile guests, including actress BAFTA winner Adam Deacon, Bashy (AKA Ashley Thomas), Jaime Winstone, KISS FM DJ Shortee Blitz and music artist Clement Marfo to educate young people about the risks of being involved in a gang. There will be a screening of clips from the film SKET, starring Ashley Walters (about girl gang culture), followed by a Q&A and debate session at Westminster Kingsway College, on Thursday 8th March. Dawn Butler, representatives from The Metropolitan Police and The Home Office will also take part in the event.

Sket – Tackling Gang Crime Event

Jenifer Blake’s reign of terror lasted from the age of 13 to 37 and included robberies at knifepoint and drug dealing. Jennifer, who once hated the police and abused them on a regular basis, now has a Metropolitan badge and works closely with them as a liaison between gangs on our London Streets, and helped to keep the community safe during the Hackney Riots.

Now in her thirties, Tracey Miller’s biological father was a convicted pedophile and her mother was a manic-depressive who took knives out on anyone that upset her. To deal with all the hurt andpain in her home life, Tracey soon became a gang leader to protect herself.Tracey was shot in the Brixton riots and stabbed a man several time for disrespecting her.

The purpose of the event is to educate young people about the risks of being involved in a gang and the consequences. The film SKET will be used as a discussion point to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of being involved in a gang and as an interactive tool to generate debate around this.

Schedule of Events, Thurday 8th March:

9.30 am – Guests to arrive and be seated

10.00 am – Clips to be shown

10.30 am – Q&A begins

11 – 11.30 am – Media Photocall

* Women’s Resource Centre 2010