Author Archives: Catherine Balavage

Roman Abramovich Wins Court Battle

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The clash of the titans has finished and Roman Abramovich has come out on top, winning his legal battle against exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky.

The Chelsea FC owner was said “to be a truthful, and on the whole reliable, witness” by Mrs Justice Gloster.

Mr Berezovsky had said that Abramovich had intimidated him into selling his shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft and was claiming £3bn in damages. Mrs Justice Gloster said the 65-year-old had not been an “inherently unreliable” witness.

The judge said in her ruling “On my analysis of the entirety of the evidence, I found Mr Berezovsky an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable, witness, who regarded truth as a transitory, flexible concept, which could be moulded to suit his current purposes.”

She dismissed Berezovsky’s claims that 45-year-old Abramovich had broken a promise on a deal which involved the Russian aluminium company RusAl “in their entirety”.

Mr Berezovsky said he was “shocked” at the decision and that Mrs Justice Gloster had rewritten Russian history.

There was a certain amount of mud-slinging during the three-month trail with Berezovsky calling Abramovich a “gangster” and Abramovich saying Berezovsky was “something of a megalomaniac”.

Abramovich was not in court but in a statement issued on his behalf said: “There were many serious allegations made against Mr Abramovich by Mr Berezovsky, including attacks on Mr Abramovich’s honesty and integrity.

“We are pleased that the judge has firmly rejected all such allegations and has described Mr Abramovich as a truthful and frank witness who showed a responsible and honest approach when giving evidence in this case.”

At one point the Queen watched the trial and talked to Mrs Justice Gloster

Squatting Becomes Criminal Offence

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Squatting will become a criminal offence in England and Wales on Saturday. Squatting in a residential building would mean squatters could face six months in jail or be fined £5,000, or both.

This would bring better protection for homeowners Ministers said, and “slam shut the door on squatters once and for all”.

At the moment squatting is considered a civil matter and homeowners have to go to civil court and prove that squatters trespassed before they can be evicted. After the 1st of September squatting will become a criminal matter and homeowners can complain to the police. If the police think the claim is genuine they can arrest the squatters.

The new law will also protect vacant residential properties.

The law will also apply to existing squatters to “stop trespassers rushing to occupy residential buildings before the offence comes into force”.

The housing minister Grant Shapps said: “For too long, hardworking people have faced long legal battles to get their homes back from squatters, and repair bills reaching into the thousands when they finally leave.

“No longer will there be so-called squatters’ rights. Instead, from next week, we’re tipping the scales of justice back in favour of the homeowner and making the law crystal clear: entering a property with the intention of squatting will be a criminal offence.”

Campaigners have criticised the new law saying it does not fix the fact that squatters have nowhere to go but Justice minister Crispin Blunt said homelessness was at the lowest level for 28 years and the government was spending £400m on homelessness and £164m on bringing about 10,000 empty homes back into use.

In Scotland squatting is already illegal. Homeowners in Scotland have right to eject squatters without serving notice or applying to a court for an eviction order.

Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter said: “Homeowners around the country are concerned about squatters and rightly want assurances from this Tory-led government that their properties will be protected.

“The distress squatters can cause to families, as well as the financial damage they do, is completely unacceptable.”

Win A Copy Of Curse On DVD

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Frost has teamed up with Grayson Pictures to give away a DVD copy of Cursed.

Curse is releasing the rarely seen Singaporean military chiller on Sept 17, 2012.

Set in on the Island of Pulau Hantu in the south of Singapore. CURSE tells the
terrifying tale of a military squad sent to an island to investigate the mysterious
disappearance of a group of soldiers. Accidentally disturbing a burial site, they
unleash a terrifying supernatural curse…

Curse is directed by Esan Sivalinhgam who said of the shoot: “We expected it to
be one hell of an adventure but it turned out to be the adventure from hell”. Facing
torrential downpours, extreme temperatures, venomous reptiles plus censorship
issues and stumbling across a real burial site, it was a miracle the film was
completed in its fifteen-day schedule.

The stellar cast includes Adrian Psang, who starred in rge award-winning
SPIRALLING; SPYGAME, NIGHTWATCH and most recently BAIT 3D.

Curse is available on DVD from 17th of September]

CURSE will be the first release by newly-created Grayson Pictures. For a chance to win, follow @Frostmag on twitter and tweet “I want to win Curse DVD with @Frostmag” or subscribe to our newsletter.

Lauren Laverne interviews David Walliams at BFI Screen Epiphany

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Frost has a short video of Lauren Laverne interviewing David Walliams at his BFI Screen Epiphany discussing Bond film: The Spy Who Loved Me. Find out why this is David’s favourite film.

Win! The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists Special Screening, Workshop

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Frost Magazine has teamed up with Sony Pictures to give some lucky readers and their children (or niece or nephew) a chance to go to a special screening of Pirates! and then attend a special workshop.

Event: The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists Special Screening and Workshop
Date: Tuesday 4th September (Exact times TBC)
Venue: The Pirate Castle in Camden, London
Schedule
– Arrivals and pirate-themed food and refreshments
– Aardman Animation workshop – learning how to make the Polly Dodo character from the film out of clay (1 hour)
– Screening of The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (1.5 hours)
– Finish

To win just follow @Frostmag on Twitter and tweet “I want to go to Pirate screening with @Frostmag” or subscribe to our newsletter.

Featuring the Voices of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tenant, Imelda Staunton and Brendan Gleeson

The Pirates! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS

On Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on September 10

Special Features Include Games, Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes and More! Blu-ray™ and DVD Include UltraViolet™

It’s going to feel like a ‘plunderful life’ when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment debuts THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on September 10. From the Academy Award®-winning Aardman (Chicken Run) and Sony Pictures Animation (The Smurfs), comes the all-new, swashbuckling stop-motion animated film that’s sure to entertain families from beginning to end. This critically acclaimed action-packed comedy adventure follows the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant (About A Boy), and his band of misfits (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey and Ashley Jensen) as they frolic on the high seas in a madcap quest to win the coveted “Pirate of the Year” award. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure! The film also stars Brian Blessed (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) as The Pirate King, Salma Hayek (Puss In Boots) as Cutlass Liz and Jeremy Piven (TV’s “Entourage”) as Black Bellamy.

THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS, Aardman’s most ambitious stop-motion film to date, is directed by Peter Lord, a founding partner of Aardman, director of Chicken Run (with Nick Park), and a two-time Academy Award® nominee for his short films made with the company. The film is co-directed by Jeff Newitt. The screenplay is by Gideon Defoe, based upon his books. Production Designer is Norman Garwood. Producers are Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Julie Lockhart. Executive Producer is Carla Shelley.

The Blu-ray and DVD boast hours of kid-friendly extras, including Filmmakers’ Commentary and two behind-the-scenes featurettes: “From Stop to Motion,” taking fans on a journey through the making of the film, and “Creating the Bath Chase Sequence,” a look at the various stages involved with shooting the bath tub scene. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is the “Pirate Disguise Dress-Up” game, in which fans can help our swashbuckling pals get past Queen Victoria by disguising them in various silly get-ups. Additionally, two short films with optional commentary from Director Peter Lord are exclusive to the Blu-ray.

Owners of the Blu-ray and DVD will be able to add THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS to their free cloud-based UltraViolet account, enabling them to access their film through any UltraViolet-compatible service or device – from PCs and tablets to TVs and smart phones.

Mike Nicholson Interview: The Truth About Hillsborough.

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Frost Magazine has an exclusive interview with Mike Nicholson, the director of a new Hillsborough documentary. Mike has worked very hard on his documentary and it is definitely one to watch. Read our amazing interview to find out more.

How did the documentary come about?

I took a documentary makers course at Raindance when I first bought my video camera, and the tutor said that your first film should be about something you know a lot about, and something you are passionate about. That was it for me; it had to be about Hillsborough.


Do you think that people know the truth?

I think the people of Merseyside know the truth, and many people outside the area do as well of course. Even as the disaster was still unfolding, Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in charge of policing Hillsborough on that awful day, set the lies in motion. He gave the order to open a perimeter exit gate that allowed thousands of supporters into the ground at once, and he also failed to cut off access to the tunnel that led to the already full central pens. Once the enormity of his decision started to dawn on him, he lied, and said that Liverpool fans had forced the gate causing an inrush.

Duckenfield later admitted to that ‘disgraceful lie’ as it was called in the Taylor Report, but it had already set the tone for many media reports, and by the time he retracted it the damage had been done. I still meet people today that believe the lies printed all those years ago. I just hope that the findings of the Independent Panel are reported widely, and in headlines, so that the wider people who only say the lies will finally see the truth.

What did you think of the Taylor report?

I personally think that the Taylor Report was very thorough, and correct in its findings. Lord Justice Taylor found that a breakdown of police control was the main cause of the disaster, and rejected claims from senior officers who appeared to be in arse-covering mode that Liverpool fans wee ticketless, drunk or aggressive. As I said before though, the general publics don’t read such reports to get their news, so its findings are largely invisible to the wider public.

What is the legacy of the Hillsborough disaster?

All seater-stadia. You can never say never, and we should always guard against complacency of course, but I can’t see how another disaster of this magnitude could happen in today’s game and that’s great.

Daughters, sisters, brothers, father’s and sons all died at Hillsborough, and all they wanted to was to enjoy the national game with their family & friends. Today’s game looks after its supporters so much better than it used to, and that has got to be a good thing.

At least three people who survived the Hillsborough have committed suicide. Do you think more could and can be done to help?

I don’t know if more could have been done. I am no expert on post-traumatic stress disorder or grief, and I wouldn’t like to say to be honest. I can say that fantastic organisations such as the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, who still to this day have a shop on the Walton Breck Road opposite the Kop, offer counseling and help for those who are struggling to come to terms with their experiences at Hillsborough.


It has been over 20 years since the disaster now. Do you think there is risk that people might forget?

The families and friends affected will never forget.

What is the aim of your documentary?

I understand that some of the big TV companies are currently working on broadcast documentaries on Hillsborough to coincide with the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report, which is due this September.

TV content tends to be guarded by rights though, and it is rarely open and freely given away online for anybody to see after it has been broadcast, and if it is, it is for a short window of time.

I want this documentary to be online forever; so future generations searching for the Hillsborough Disaster will be able to find something factual that in the main was told by those who were there. I won’t charge a penny for it, and it will be freely available to anybody with the will to learn the truth. I just want the truth to be told really.


Who did you speak to?

I have spoken to survivors, the bereaved, professional people such as firemen and nurses who were their as fans that day, and ended up working in the most horrendous of circumstances. I’ve also contacted The Hillsborough Family Support Group, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Hope for Hillsborough. I have also spoken to fans who were at Hillsborough for previous semi-finals, and a professor who is one of the world’s leading experts in crowd dynamics. I still have some interviews to conduct, and I hope to have at least part one ready online by the end of September.

What can be done to make sure this never happens again?

I think football learnt its lesson after Hillsborough. The stadiums in the first two divisions at least are well maintained, they are all-seater, and there are no fences to keep supporters penned in like animals.


What do you think people don’t know about the Hillsborough disaster?

The truth. The South Yorkshire Police managed that event badly, and caused the deaths of 96 men, women and children, and as I have already said they started to lie about the cause while the fans were still dead and dying on the pitch.

I think I was naive enough before Hillsborough to believe that the Police are there to protect you, and they don’t tell lies, but that innocence went away after Hillsborough forever.

There is a lot of talk now about the freedom of the press, what with the News International phone hacking scandal, but while I agree that a free press is important, that can only work if they are responsible enough to tell the truth. When The Sun printed a headline that it later described as ‘the worst mistake in our history’ they caused unbearable pain and stress to people who were still arranging funerals for those lost on the 15th April 1989. The lies and the cover-up are often referred to as the second disaster of Hillsborough, and I agree with that sentiment.

Is there a charity that people can donate to?

There are three main organisations that I know of, and they each operate for slightly different reasons. You can visit their web pages here:

The Hillsborough Family Support Group – http://www.hfsg.net

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign – http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/

Hope for Hillsborough – http://www.hopeforhillsborough.piczo.com/?cr=

When will the documentary be released, and where can people see it?

The documentary will be a three-part series, and I hope to have the first part live in September.

It will be released first at www.thehillsboroughdisasterdocumentary.com

For updates and news, please follow @HillsboroughDoc on Twitter of like the Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hillsborough-Disaster-Documentary/283632178348441

How To Throw A Successful Dinner Party

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Julia Dowling, Managing Director of Snapdragon Parties, shares her tips on dinner parties

People don’t come to a dinner party for the quality of food, they come for the company and to be entertained. Many hosts make the mistake of putting too much time into the food and not enough time into other things.

1. Invite: set the tone, first off by the way that you invite people. While it’s old fashioned and highly unusual, hand written invites, particularly on ‘at home cards’ are classy and a great way to invite people to a dinner party.

2. Connect: a good host thinks about the connections between people – a successful dinner party is one where people get on. When you think about who to invite, think about who you believe will genuinely get on together, particularly if they don’t know each other.

3. Plan: plan the flow of your evening and inject some pieces of originality into the way you do things. Decorate your home, try to serve your guests something a little unusual during the course of the evening, such as an unusual dry sherry as a pre-dinner aperitif, or for an injection of entertainment, get in a mixologist.

4. Embellish: find a way to use candles and flowers intelligently without breaking the bank. A beautifully laid table helps the food taste better!

5. Breathe: as a general rule, red wine should be served at room temperature, opened in advance and poured into a decanter to let it ‘breathe’ – allowing the oxygen to bring out its flavour. However, with particularly mature red wine (15 years old or more), you should be careful about opening it too long in advance as old wine can ‘deteriorate’ relatively quickly.

6. Match: give consideration to food and wine pairings – there are many good examples on the web. Take people a little off piste to introduce them to something new and get them talking.

7. Eat: Although it might open up a whole can of worms, make sure you are aware of any intolerances or allergies and look after your vegetarian guests every bit as much as the others!

8. Listen: make sure there is a good flow of conversation (each guest should be involved) and be careful with your music choices. If you have music playing whilst you eat make sure it doesn’t make it difficult to talk.

9. Sit: really think about the seating plan and don’t leave it to chance. Don’t worry about the boy-girl thing too much and if people are having a ball don’t insist everyone moves.

10. Relax: Remember that this is a dinner party in your home. Relax and entertain, don’t feel like you need to be on parade. If you aren’t enjoying yourself, your guests won’t be either. If something goes wrong make a joke of it and don’t worry. Line up some taxis to arrive at midnight to ensure your guests get home in comfort.

First Man On The Moon Neil Armstrong Dies.

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Neil Armstrong, who was the first man on the Moon, has died aged 82.

The US astronaut set foot on the moon on 20th July 1969 and uttered the famous words, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

His family released a statement saying he died from complications from heart surgery.

US President Barack Obama said Amstrong was “among the greatest of American heroes – not just of his time, but of all time”.

Armstrong received the Congressional Gold Medal in November last year, the highest US civilian award.

Armstrong spent three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Buzz Aldrin said: “It’s very sad indeed that we’re not able to be together as a crew on the 50th anniversary of the mission… [I will remember him] as a very capable commander.”

In 1971, he left NASA to teach aerospace engineering.

Armstrong was born in 1930 and was raised in Ohio, he caught the flying bug at six and flew Navy jets in the Korean War, he joined NASA in 1962.

His family called him a “reluctant American hero” who had “served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut”.

Neil Armstrong famously said:

“I think we’re going to the moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner soul… we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”

“I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.”