We love this selfie Bradley Cooper took for Ellen during the Oscars. It has got to be the most star-studded selfie ever.
Is this your favourite selfie ever?
Copyright: Ellen.
Category Archives: Culture
The Oscars Red Carpet – Get The Look
Emma Watson
0.50 Carat Diamond Hoop Earrings in 18k White Gold- £999
Jennifer Lawrence
0.50 Carat D/VVS2 18k White Gold Stud Diamond Earrings- £999
Kerry Washington
5.00 Carat Tennis Diamond Bracelet- £9,969
All available from Vashi.com
What do you think?
Somewhere Over England Book Review
Somewhere Over England almost had me just with the back cover. I love books about World War II, female protagonists and history. Somewhere Over England has all in abundance and a whole lot more besides.
Set in 1930s England, 18-year-old Helen falls in love with Heine, a young German photographer. She bravely puts aside the prejudice of her friends and family to marry him. He fled Germany because of the growing powers of the Nazis, but there power is growing and the worst is yet to come as storm clouds gather over Europe and World War II looms. What happens next is an unputdownable story of love, war, compassion and struggle.
Heine is interned and Helen has to face the horrors of London during the blitz alone as their young son is evacuated. Heine is political, he sees Hitler for what he really is and knows that a war is coming, they help refugees before anyone knows their will definitely be a war, but his weakness is that he is too much of a political fighter and cannot always see his family. Helen is sweet and fresh at the beginning of the book. She longs for love and the proper family she never had. Helen becomes stronger and stronger, even feeding the family and selling her own pictures. She becomes a strong, bolshy, independent women and makes Heine find his way home to them. The book perfectly captures early love and marriage.
As World War breaks out the family is divided and times are tough for everyone. The historical facts in the book are excellent. This really is a riveting book with a lot of depth. It is interesting and you learn a lot. The prejudice that people go through is horrendous. Chris, Heine’s and Helen’s son, hates being half-German and even hates his own father sometimes. He is horribly bullied sometimes and finds his identity hard. Will he ever see the difference between being a German and being a Nazis, and be proud of his heritage?
This is a wonderful, layered book. One that you never forget after you have read it. Essential reading.
For more on Margaret Graham: www.margaret-graham.com
www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk
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The Most Viral Moments in Oscar History
Here you are, the most viral moments in Oscar history, just for you. Enjoy!
Jennifer Lawrence Backstage Interview at Oscars
Jack Black and Will Ferrell Oscars Performance: Get Off the Stage
Jack Nicholson Interrupts Jennifer Lawrence Interview at Oscars
Hugh Jackman’s Opening Number at Oscars
Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey Oscars Duet
Adrien Brody Kisses Halle Berry at Oscars
Michael Jackson Performs Ben at Oscars
Roberto Benigni Goes Crazy after Oscars Win
Russell Crowe Acceptance Speech for Gladiator
Tom Hanks Gives Acceptance Speech for Forrest Gump Win
Most viral Oscar moments measured by Visible Measures and its True Reach methodology and patented video platform to analyse over 8.1 billion video views across the web during 2013.
Visible Measures has tracked over 3 trillion video views, 500 million videos, 16,000 video campaigns since 2005, and sees over 380 million people cross its platform every month. Pretty impressive.
no:carrier | Music Profile
Artist: no:carrier
Location: San Francisco, California, USA/Ingolstadt, Germany
Styles: Electro Noir, Electropop, Synthpop, Darkwave
Similar to: The Crüxshadows, Wolfsheim, Portishead, Depeche Mode
CD: Confession EP
Members/Instruments:
Cynthia Wechselberger – vocals
Chris Wirsig – keyboards, vocals
Production: Chris Wirsig
Tracklisting:
1 Confession – Single Mix
2 Hero To A Fool
3 Confession – 1st In 14 Mix
4 And Sometimes – RMX 2011B
5 Confession – Inspired By F.P. Mix
6 A Bright Room
Websites:
Official
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Bio:
Electro Noir Pop – a description that fits no:carrier best. “We can’t be compared easily. We have our very own sound that includes elements from several styles – from Dark Wave to Synthpop, from Acoustic to Electro,” says Chris Wirsig, main songwriter and producer of no:carrier. “We found our own way, we are not going on the trodden paths. We stay true to our ideals and write exactly the songs we want to write.”
no:carrier, originally founded in 1995 in Germany, but active in its current line-up since 2001, is now a long-distance musical affair, with Chris Wirsig living in San Francisco while singer Cynthia Wechselberger still resides in their home country Germany. But as with all long-distance relationships this can add some spice to the mixture.
After two critically acclaimed albums, “My Own Dream” in 2002 and “Between The Chairs” in 2011, the duo is back in 2013 with even more variety. Still firmly rooted in Dark Wave and Synth Pop, no:carrier’s sound and topics are broader than ever, incorporating Arabic instruments, drums and percussion from different cultures, with topics ranging from melancholic introspection to defiant declarations to tragic real-life biographies.
First harbinger of the new songs was the 5 track single “Last Scene”, released in June 2013. The song reflects a dubious past, a “last scene of a play we shouldn’t have staged”, and was praised in magazines like Side-Line, Nachtaktiv, Amobss-Mag and ReGen. The follow up single, “The Nine Days’ Queen”, released in December 2013, deals with the tragic life of Lady Jane Grey who ruled England for nine days and later was beheaded. A third precursor to the new album “Wisdom & Failure”, the “Confession EP” is released late February 2014 with the album following late April/early May.
Interview With Author Sophie Duffy
How did it feel to win the Yeovil Literary Prize, and then a host of others?
I was very surprised when I had an email to say I’d won the Yeovil Prize back in 2006. I see that moment as a breakthrough though it was another 5 years before The Generation Game was published by Legend Press, after it won the Luke Bitmead Bursary in 2010.
Do you have a favourite book that you have written?
I feel closest to the characters in The Generation Game as I lived with them for so long. I still think about them and wonder what they are up to. Particularly Philippa Smith.
What is your writing routine?
I wish I had one! I am not the most organized and have a house full of teenagers which can be a distraction. Supplying food. Washing countless socks. Nagging. Driving around Devon lanes. However, I do now have a room of my own, an office at the bottom of a garden. A glorified shed. It is full of all the tat I’m not allowed to display in the house. I love tat. So I try to get out there in the mornings. But inevitably my plans are scuppered.
How do you come up with your ideas?
They come from small thoughts. A memory. A conversation. A person who passes in and out of your life. Those small thoughts then grow into something more substantial. Something that nags away in the back of my mind, eventually pushing through and saying ‘write me’. I write about families and so I get inspiration from every family I meet, all with their different quirks, make-ups, rules, traditions and skeletons in the cupboard.
Do you ever get writers block?
Not really. I can faff around a lot and resist the act of sitting down and actually writing. But when I do sit down with the intention of writing, the words usually come. If I am struggling, then I read and read and read. It’s all part of the creative act.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Hmm. A while. Eighteen months to two years to get down a decentish first draft. Then maybe another year to rewrite. It’s a long, slow process for me.
What’s next?
I’m rewriting my current novel. I have the plot and the characters but I was telling it wrong. So I have changed the voice and it seems to be working much better. I hope.
Tell us about CreativeWritingMatters.
I used to be an early years teacher and moved on to youth work. I love teaching and was delighted to join Cathie Hartigan along with Margaret James running workshops and courses for www.creativewritingmatters.co.uk in the Exeter area. We also appraise manuscripts and mentor novelists online. Last year we launched the Exeter Novel Prize and had over 250 entries. We now have a shortlist which is being considered by my agent Broo Doherty of DHH Literary Agency. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Exeter on 22nd March. Very excited.
Advice for wannabe writers?
Persist. Don’t give up. Be determined. Read. Do a writing class. Join a writing group. Enter competitions. And write whenever and wherever you can.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Be bold.
http://www.sophieduffy.com/
The Generation Game
This Holey Life
Nikki Gemmell Interview | Books
Nikki Gemmell is a talented Australian author, best known for writing the best-selling erotic trilogy The Bride Stripped Bare, With My Body and I Take You. She has recently released her first children’s book, The Kensington Reptilarium. Scarily talented and productive, it was an honour to interview her.
You have written eight novels and four works of non-fiction. How do you manage to be so prolific?
In that exhausting lifestyle triumverate of the modern harried woman – work/family/social life – something has to give. I just don’t believe you can have all three. In my case it’s the social life that’s been sacrificed. I just get too knackered. Having kids has also made me much more disciplined. I don’t spend their school hours unpacking the dishwasher and tidying the house – I write, solidly. Am constantly gleaning little pockets of time to get it all done (in fact am typing this now, in the car, on the side of the road, having just dropped off my son to a basketball match.)
You write a lot about female sexuality. What draws you to write about it?
Honesty connects. Nowhere more powerfully than in the sexual sphere. There is so much vulnerability, bewilderment and misconception about sexuality, and it feels exhilarating (and necessary) to write about it utterly truthfully.
Lire included you in a list of the fifty most important writers in the world. How did that feel?
It’s a little tuning fork in my head – to try and live up to it!
You have written your first children’s book, The Kensington Reptilarium: what made you choose that genre?
Several of my own children who were too addicted to their wretched screens. I wanted to write a kid’s book that would ignite the flame of reading passion in them, because I just couldn’t get it to catch alight (to my despair and mortification.) Lo and behold, the Grand Scheme of Maximum Distraction actually worked.
Do you have a favourite book that you have written?
Shiver, my first novel – a story extremely close to my heart. The Bride Stripped Bare – because it transformed my life. And The Kensington Reptilarium – because it was such enormous, liberating fun.
What is your writing routine?
Get the kids, work solidly, then pick them up and give my life over to them. My trick is to get household chores done around them – never in cherished writing time.
How do you come up with your ideas?
I’m constantly on the prowl with a notebook in my handbag – it records ideas, titles, quotes, conversation scraps, magazine articles.
Do you ever get writers block?
I used to but not anymore – writing is a business to me now, as well as a passion. It pays bills, so I just have to plough on or my kids won’t be fed. I literally can’t afford to be blocked anymore.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Usually a couple of years, but I’ve actually written one of them in three weeks (not saying which!)
What’s next?
The publishers want a sequel to Kensington Reptilarium, as it did well for them. Then I’m thinking of an historical novel after that. Something different for me. I’m addicted to change, trying new things. Not afraid of failure in the slightest. It’s how you progress in life.
Advice for wannabe writers?
Tenacity is all. And discipline. Focus. The capacity for hard, gruelling work. Talent only gets you so far.
Best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Write as if you’re dying – it’s a great motivator. It stops you making that seventh cup of tea.
http://www.nikkigemmell.com/
Nikki Gemmell’s Threesome: The Bride Stripped Bare, With the Body, I Take You
Honestly: Notes on Life
Shortlist for Guardian Film Awards announced
The shortlist for the Guardian Film Awards, which was based entirely on readers’ votes, has been announced.Steve McQueen’s slavery drama ‘12 Years a Slave’ dominates across the lists, with nominations for best film, best director, best scene, best line of dialogue and biggest game-changer. It also scores two nominations in the best supporting actor category – for Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o.
Joshua Oppenheimer’s film, The Act of Killing, is also in contention for best film and biggest game-changer – a category which seeks to celebrate innovation in cinema, whether it be technical, creative or financial. It’s up against Gravity, Spike Jonze’s Her, 12 Years a Slave, The Act of Killing, and Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England.
Cate Blanchett and Adèle Exarchopoulos join Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bruce Dern in the race for best actor, while documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer is up for best director alongside Steve McQueen, Spike Jonze, Alexander Payne and Paolo Sorrentino.
Guardian film editor and awards judge Catherine Shoard said:
“It’s really heartening to see what the readers have done with our longlist. By voting for the likes of Adele Exarchpoloulus in the best actor category, and Paolo Sorrentino and Joshua Oppenheimer for best director, they’re shown that regular movie-goers are capable of an imagination – and an inclusiveness – that seems to be beyond the members of most awards bodies.”
Shortlists
Best film
– 12 Years a Slave
– Gravity
– The Great Beauty
– The Act of Killing
– Blue is the Warmest Colour
Best actor
– Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
– Bruce Dern, Nebraska
– Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
– Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
– Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Colour
Best supporting actor
– Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
– Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
– Jared Leto, The Dallas Buyers Club
– Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
– June Squibb, Nebraska
Best director
– Spike Jonze, Her
– Joshua Oppenheimer, The Act of Killing
– Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
– Paolo Sorrentino, The Great Beauty
– Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Best scene
– Alan Partridge lip-synching to Roachford in the car in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
– The opening scene of Gravity
– The first party in The Great Beauty
– Patsy returning with the soap in 12 Years a Slave
– The struggle back to the car while overdosing in The Wolf of Wall Street
Best line of dialogue
– She was the Picasso of passive-aggressive karate. Irving (Christian Bale) in American Hustle
– Something to eat and some rest; your children will soon enough be forgotten. Mistress Ford (Liza J Bennett) in 12 Years a Slave
– Anxiety, nightmares and a nervous breakdown, there’s only so many traumas a person can withstand until they take to the streets and start screaming. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) in Blue Jasmine
– I think if Jesus was here now he’d tip you out of that fucking wheelchair and you wouldn’t get up and walk. Martin (Steve Coogan) in Philomena
– What a story; everything but a fire in the orphanage. Liberace (Michael Douglas) in Behind the Candelabra
Best film festival
– Cannes
– Sundance
– London
– Sheffield Doc/Fest
– Toronto
Best marketing campaign
– Philomena
– Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
– Anchorman: The Legend Continues
– Blue is the Warmest Colour
– World War Z
Biggest game-changer
– The Act of Killing
– Gravity
– Her
– 12 Years a Slave
– A Field in England
Best cinema
Free readers’ vote.
So-bad-it’s-good film
Free readers’ vote.
Lifetime achievement
Judges’ vote.