Frost interviewed the beautiful and talented Claudia Gerini. Prolific and mufti-lingual, Claudia can be seen in Labyrinth, broadcast on Friday 29 and Sunday 31st March on Channel 4.
You got your first role when you were only 14. Do you think starting so young was a good thing?
Well, I think that there are advantages and disadvantages in all of
one’s decisions. Perhaps the positive side of this was that I started to work
immediately and was able to throw myself into the career that I had always
known I wanted to follow. The negative side could be that I started to work
straight away and so I wasn’t able to develop other interests or perhaps lost
out on other things but, at the end of the day I think that say it was a more
positive than negative outcome.
What is your favourite role you have played?
Well, I suppose it was the part that I had I’m Crazy about Iris Blond. I
played the part of a waitress ― Iris Blond ― who then becomes a singer and
given that singing is my passion and the role required me to sing a lot, I really
enjoyed that part.
You have over 53 credits on IMDB, how do you think you managed to have such a long and prolific career?
I suppose taking decisions and making the right choices. I don’t really
know. I follow a trajectory in which I try to follow a set of principles and be
faithful to my ideas and plans. Part of this is probably my love of challenge
and so I try not to repeat myself too much and I am always on the look out for
new genres and different roles.
Favourite film?
I have no doubts about that one. Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann. I
don’t know how many times I’ve seen it over the years.
Favourite genre to work in?
I think I’d have to say comedy, a more romantic or ironic comedy but
then again, given that I like changing genres and roles and I am always on
the look out for a challenging role, I like dramatic roles as well.
You have worked in many different languages. Do you find learning
other languages hard? What is your favourite language to work in?
I find it quite easy to learn new languages, probably because I have a
good ear and so I tend to pick up the sounds quickly. I learned Spanish,
French and English this way and if I have to work in another language then
probably I prefer working in Spanish or English.
What would you be if you were not an actress?
If I could stay in the entertainment sector then I’d love to be a singer. If
I had to change sector then I think I’d love to work with children, young
children; perhaps as a pedagogue or even a primary school teacher.
How do you stay in shape?
I keep in shape by going to Taekwondo classes 3 times a week. Its so
energetic that you don’t really need to do anything else; there is a lot of cardio
and stretching and so its an all-round sporting activity. Recently I’ve
discovered pole dancing which is a lot of fun so I suppose just keeping myself
in movement. You know, being a full-time working mother, I have very little
time to sit and relax and another thing is that I’m slowly moving towards a
more vegetarian diet as well even though I still eat meat occasionally.
What’s next for you?
At the moment I am working on some projects that will be staring this
summer and so I’ll be back on set shooting in July. Tulpa is also being
released in Italy on the 30th of May and so I’ll be a bit busy with that as well
and so, in general, I’m getting ready to start filming again this summer.
In the three years since I started Frost Magazine I have been sent a lot of stuff, and Moroccan Oil is one of my favourites.
Moroccan Oil has only been going for six years and in that time it has become a cult product. All of my friends raved about it and I just never got around to buying it. The main reason was I just didn’t get the whole oil + hair thing. Wouldn’t it leave it greasy? Or limp?
Well, no. I have fine hair and I am careful to not use products that will drag it down, but Moroccan Oil does not do that. In fact it leaves my hair super shiny, conditioned and de-tangled. My hair goes through a lot. I act and spend my life getting my hair curled, blow dried, backcombed and cornrowed so they can then attach a wig. If it was a person, it would have been in hospital. Before trying the 
Moroccan Oil it was really tangled. It would take me ages to get a brush through it. I used the Moroccan Oil products and ran a brush straight through my hair, no problem at all.
I use Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo, Moroccan Oil Moisture Repair Conditioner
When I mentioned to a few friends that I had been sent the Moroccan Oil to review they said they were jealous and that I would never use anything again, they may be right. I give the product top marks.
Is it time to be more friendly?
Millions of Brits don’t know their neighbours – and are too busy or too nervous to introduce themselves, a study has revealed.
Research carried out among 3,000 adults by The Big Lunch – a Lottery funded initiative encouraging neighbours to share a few hours of food, friendship and fun on Sunday 2 June 2013 – found that more than half of those surveyed don’t know their neighbours, with one in four having no idea what their names are.
The key reasons holding people back from knocking next door include a lack of time, shyness, or worries about getting on with their neighbours.
However, the study also found that three quarters of people would like there to be more community spirit in their area, with 52 per cent of those saying it would make their neighbourhood feel safer while 53 per cent simply want to make new friends.
Sir Tim Smit, Co-Founder of The Big Lunch, said: “There was a time when everyone was very friendly with the people living next door.
“But as time has gone on, this seems to be becoming rarer, and it’s a shame to see that there are many people who haven’t got the time or are too nervous to get to know their neighbours. We’re keen to change this and were delighted when 8.5 million people took part in successful Big Lunches in their communities last June.
“If you get to know your neighbours, not only does it create a happier, safer environment to live in, but you will probably find they are happy to help you out with your pets or water your plants when you go on holiday. You never know, you might even end up with a new best friend, simply from knocking on your neighbour’s door to say hello.”
The study found one in five has never knocked on their neighbours’ doors, and when they have knocked, the main reason has been to collect a parcel.
It emerged that 36 per cent of Brits don’t think they would have anything in common with their neighbours. Almost a quarter said they are too busy while 18 per cent said they never see their neighbours to even say hello. More than one in ten even admitted they are too shy or scared to start up a conversation.
However, over half of us who have knocked on a neighbour’s door have had something surprising happen to us as a result, such as making a new friend, being helped when in trouble or even starting a new hobby.
Behavioural Expert Judi James, said: “It’s staggering that over half of us don’t know our neighbours, especially when we live in an era of crowded isolation, where we are often communicating with people via e-mail and text, at the same time as suffering feelings of loneliness.
“This research shows that the benefits of making bonds with our neighbours are practical, in terms of heightened security, and emotional. When we know our neighbours we can feel safer and happier. Our boundaries expand and our sense of loneliness and isolation shrinks.
“There’s no need to feel you’re taking a huge plunge when you start to get to know your neighbours. It’s the ice-breaker effect that is needed to convert strangers into possible friends or acquaintances. We need a good reason for knocking on the door and The Big Lunch is just that, the perfect ice-breaker that gets everyone involved in a positive experience.”
Sir Tim continues: ‘’With 8.5 million people taking part in The Big Lunch last year, there is clearly an appetite for getting together and having fun. Taking place on 2nd June this year, the idea is simple; if people start talking to each other, we see stronger, friendlier communities emerging in which people start to share things, from conversation and ideas to skills and resources.
“Feedback from previous years has shown that almost everyone who takes part feels closer to their neighbours as a result with two thirds going on to hold other events in their community afterwards proving it is not just about one day it’s about what happens before and after the event. We’ve been through some difficult times recently and if we start those conversations now and build stronger communities, we will be better equipped to face the future together.
“So what are you waiting for? Put your reservations behind you and take that first step towards creating a friendlier community, by knocking on your neighbour’s door.”
Researchers also found that just 35 per cent of people introduce themselves to a neighbour as soon as they move in somewhere new.
Forty six per cent admitted they want to get to know their neighbours better so they can ask them to keep an eye on their home, garden or pets when they go away.
Twenty per cent need to live somewhere for a while before they feel ready to meet the rest of the neighbourhood – taking an average of seven months before saying hello for the first time.
And almost two thirds of Brits think they are more likely to get to know their neighbours if they are around the same age.
Another 72 per cent also think you are most likely to have some kind of relationship with your neighbours if you both have children around the same ages.
Over a third of people associate chatting across the garden fence with older generations despite the under 30s being cited as the most likely to talk to their neighbours.
Another 31 per cent think it would mean a safer environment for their children to play in with another 59 per cent saying it would make people happier.
Bringing generations together and giving the area a better reputation were other reasons for wanting more community spirit.
Forty three per cent said the Olympics and Jubilee led to them talking more than usual to their neighbours, with 22 per cent attending some kind of community event during 2012, including The Big Jubilee Lunch with 8.5 million people taking part last year.
Taking place on 2nd June 2013, The Big Lunch is an idea from the Eden Project funded by The Big Lottery Fund, encouraging neighbours across the UK to come together on one day to share a few hours of food, friendship and fun.
For further information or to request your free pack containing invitations, recipes, posters and other materials to help organise your Big Lunch, visit: www.thebiglunch.com.
Starcraft 2 – Heart of the Swarm is the expansion to the critically acclaimed Starcraft 2 – Wings of Liberty. In the single player of Heart of the Swarm you take control of the nightmarish Zerg. The constantly evolving alien arthropods which operate together as one telepathic hive mind with a desire to seek, destroy and consume. The game has 20 missions (+7 smaller bonus missions) as opposed to the 29 in Wings of Liberty. But much of Blizzards focus has been on the multi-player side of the game. In multi-player you can play as all three races, Zerg, Terran (Human) or Protoss (Psionic Alien). The multi-player features new units, maps and interface changes.
Kerrigan back to lead the swarm
Single Player
I found single player disappointing. The story had no real bite and the dialogue and plot were poor. The same was true of Wings of Liberty. The gritty brutal realism of the old Brood War was absent. The characters weren’t so interesting and some of their motivations were confusing.
One of the things which really annoyed me is how the story kept trying to morally justify the characters actions. For example at one point Kerrigan pulls the swarm back from a bunch of wounded marines after having slaughtered hundreds of them unnecessarily I just couldn’t get behind her character in the same way as the old queen of blades who was evil, cunning and totally ruthless. She had no problem in infesting marines in the way this Kerrigan does. It’s perhaps not surprising then that the best character is the one not bothered by ethics. Abathor is the mastermind of creating new Zerg strains. He is obsessed with perfection.
Blizzard went to extreme lengths to try and portray Kerrigan and Raynor as the good guys and Mengsk (The head of the Terrans) as the bad guy. It was totally unnecessary. The writers really lost their way here. The story almost felt like it had been made for a younger audience. Most disappointing of all old characters felt like a pale comparison of their former selves and barring Abathor there were no new decent new ones. Very little was made of the history characters have with each other (except for one mention of Fenix)
There were some nice ideas. You learn about the origin of the Zerg, which was great, and the story was somewhat saved by Blizzards incredible cinematics which seemed to have all the darkness and realism the rest of the game lacked.
Those burrowed Zerg units are the Swarm Host and the little units are locusts which will keep coming in never ending waves until the Swarm host moves or is killed
Newer players may not mind so much. Older players will feel very disappointed.
The missions themselves are much better. They are for the most part fun and well designed. One thing I didn’t like was a lot of the missions have some sort of time limit. It’s fine to have a few missions like this but sometimes you want to sit back experiment and explore the game. The installation missions felt a bit too linear. There were some really good missions though, my favourite was wear you fight on a Protoss ship. Another more minor complaint is that the game was too easy. Blizzard does a great job off offering four difficulty settings but veteran players will not be challenged by even the hardest setting. Another gripe is the fewer number of missions compared to Wings of Liberty.
The Tempest the new long range Protoss capital ship
The Zerg interface lacks the ship like feel of the Hyperion but the game does excel at feeling Zergy. Upgrading and evolving your units by completing bonus missions was a great addition.
Given Blizzard has been developing this expansion for almost three years I really expected something more. However the reason for some of the shortcomings are probably because of Blizzards focus on multi-player.
Multiplayer
Once again Blizzard has proved themselves the masters of the art of balancing. The game is already close to being balanced and Blizzard is constantly watching and updating. The game doesn’t play as differently to Wings of Liberty as you might think but at first glance the new units really seemed to have added something.
Blizzard has talked a lot about slimming down the ‘ball of death’. In Wings of Liberty it was common for players to mass their units in one large ball. This led to a lot of posturing and huge battles where it was often difficult to see what was going on. Blizzard has done a great job. Bringing back mines for Terran was an excellent idea. The game already feels more enjoyable both to play and watch. In many cases action is now constant with battles going on all over the map. Games between professional gamers are already looking more interesting. Better skilled players also seem to be better able to differentiate themselves from weaker players.
The Widow Mine
New Multiplayer Units
Terran
Widow Mine – A mine which reloads and keeps going off. Hits air and ground
Hellbat – Upgrade of the hellion making it much tougher
Zerg
Swarm Host – A unit which burrows in the ground and spawns and unlimited number of units
Viper – A new casting units which has a host of useful spells such as abduct which pulls in enemy units and blinding cloud which reduces ranged units to 1 range.
Protoss
Oracle – A new flying Protoss spell caster. It can also create detection and has a devastating attack against workers.
Tempest – A new capital ship which has a very long range and big damage but slow rate of fire
Mothership Core – A new flying unit with a host of abilities such as recalling units, slowing enemy units down and turning buildings into powerful defensive structures. Can upgrade to a full Mothership
Changes have also been made to some existing units.
The Viper
Blizzard has also had added a host of excellent new features to multiplayer. You can now watch replays with friends and even pick up in the middle of old games. There are new maps as you would expect. You can now save multiplayer games to protect against a loss of connection. There have been major changes to the game editor and you can even play against players in other regions. Blizzard has also added a new leveling system.
Conclusion
Blizzard nailed multi-player. They’ve got the balance of everything just right. The new features are great for the most part. The story of single player was a real disappointment and almost feels like an afterthought. The script and story writers need to get it together. Nevertheless the missions were fun and Blizzards cinematics were superb as always.
Luckily Blizzard got multiplayer, the most important thing, right. Most players will probably spend a lot more time on multi-player. If your just planning to only play single player the expensive price for an expansion isn’t worth it. if you plan on playing a decent amount of multi-player it is.
Single Player 6/10 Multiplayer 10/10 Overall 8.5/10
Quite often when you plan to go the cinema, it can be difficult to find a film that appeals to both you and the person you’re going with. Some people love historical dramas like Lincoln, while others find them tedious and slow to watch. Others love action movies like the Die Hard series, while some people would rather spend an afternoon at the dentist’s instead!
One film that is out at the moment and that may appeal to everyone is the light hearted comedy Identity Thief starring Jason Bateman (teen star of 80’s sitcoms like It’s Your Move and the Hogan Family) and Melissa McCarthy. This crazy caper is guaranteed to give plenty of laughs and will ensure that any stresses or worries you have on your mind disappear while you watch.
This is a film that is directed by Seth Gordon and has a script written by Craig Mazin. Bateman plays the character of a quiet and unassuming businessman called Sandy Patterson, who lives and works in Denver. One day, Sandy answers a call about someone trying to steal his identity, and gullibly hands over all his bank and security details to the person on the end of the line. This, of course, is the person who is about to steal his identity – and the twist is that she’s a woman.
Melissa McCarthy plays the role of Diana – a woman living in Florida who then spends up Sandy’s bank account on her lavish and dodgy lifestyle. The film follows Sandy’s tracking down of Diana and the subsequent adventures they have avoiding the bad company that Diana usually keeps.
It may not have the most profound plot in the world, but Identity Thief is one of those films that has enough slapstick and farce in it to appeal to a wide cross-section of audiences. If you feel like a fun night out, you should check your local cinema listings and give this one a whirl!
Celebrity trainer Mark Anthony has created some quick 5 minute workouts that you can do when you wake up in the morning – one for arms, one for legs and one for stomach.
Florida grapefruit teamed up with Mark in an attempt to get the nation starting their day the Florida way, these quick workouts can be done first thing in the morning. Enjoy. www.facebook.com/floridagrapefruit
Back Exercise
Abs Exercise
Chest Exercise
A new photographic exhibition at the Horniman Museum & Gardens captures the underwater wonders of the coral triangle. Rainforest of the Sea (opening 9 March) features stunning photographs of sea creatures in Borneo, and highlights the diversity of coral reefs, as well as the threats facing one of the world’s richest habitats.
Marine biologist and photographer Jamie Craggs worked without the aid of digital photography to create the series of striking underwater shots – from a turtle silhouetted against an azure sky, to close encounters with a longhorn cowfish, a bumblebee shrimp and a hairy squat lobster.
Jamie says: ‘Coral reefs are often called the “rainforest of the sea” because, like rainforests, they are one of the most biologically diverse habitats on the planet. These photos weren’t taken with an exhibition in mind, but the threats to this amazing underwater world are so great that I wanted the images to do some good. I hope Rainforest of the Sea will not only show visitors the beauty and wonder of the coral reef and its creatures, but also raise awareness of the importance of protecting them for the future.’
Jamie has worked on coral reef expeditions in the Philippines, as an underwater cameraman in Borneo and as a professional aquarist in the UK. He is currently the Aquarium Curator at the Horniman, overseeing a collection of 2,500 live specimens from 150 aquatic species. He specialises in coral biology and is working with international organisations to conserve coral reefs and better understand the impact human life has on these fragile and globally important habitats.
Rainforest of the Sea opens at the Horniman Museum & Gardens open now. Entry to the exhibition is free.
100 London Road T: 020 8699 1872
Forest Hill www.horniman.ac.uk
London SE23 3PQ