Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

Frost, Nearly a Year Later

Posted on by

In October 2010 we had the Frost launch party. It wasn’t to actually launch the magazine. We had a soft launch in April and steadily built from there. Nearly a year later we are still not just going, but building every month. Our hits are in six figures and the Huffington Post have quoted us.

Vitamin Water sponsored the launch and The cast of Coming of Age; Ceri Phillips, Annabel and Joe, Jonathan Hansler, Anthony Epes, Nicholas Lezard, John Moore, John Bird,Nike Williams, Geoff Searle, Jamie Speakman, Olivia Wood, Paul Blanchard and Amy Yamazaki from Hollyoaks were among the over 300 people who came. All of our subscribers were invited.

It was held at the Club Burlesque after our original venue pulled out at the last minute. It was probably the most stressful few months of my life planning it. I was also doing a film and rehearsing a West End play at the same time. I’m surprised it didn’t kill me actually.

There were burlesque dancer’s, free drinks and a goodie bag. In fact, it was a little but like childbirth. I have nearly forgotten the pain and I’m thinking of doing another one. Let me know if you’re up for it.

Keith Allen to star with Tara Fitzgerald in BBC One’s new crime drama series The Body Farm

Posted on by

Keith Allen has been cast to star alongside Tara Fitzgerald in BBC One’s new modern crime series The Body Farm. Keith plays Detective Inspector Hale who calls upon Waking the Dead’s pathologist Dr Eve Lockhart (Tara Fitzgerald) and her private forensics facility to help solve crimes and find justice for the victims.

Keith says: “I’m delighted that the BBC has given me the chance to delve into the murky world of The Body Farm”.

In the modern world, private forensics are being used by the law more and more. Eve’s brilliant and ambitious team of scientists turn to police work to pay the bills, but in this team, it’s only Eve who has had any previous experience of dealing with the aftermath of a horrific crime.

Eve’s team is made up of Rosa, Mike and Oggy. Wunmi Mosaku (Moses Jones, Father & Son, Silent Witness) plays Rosa, who is young and eager to put her research into practise, Mark Bazeley (The Queen, The Bourne Ultimatum) plays Mike, Eve’s right-hand man, and Finlay Robertson (How Not to Live Your Life) is Oggy, a hardcore science geek who has had his head buried in his studies so long that he has begun to fear the real world.

Kate Harwood, Controller, Drama Series and Serials, says: “We are tremendously excited to have such a wonderful cast line-up and be following the character of Eve Lockhart into a new job as she leads her pioneering forensic team out to fight crime; Eve will face her challenges in the same way that she did in Waking the Dead, with cool professionalism and quiet compassion.”

We see D.I. Hale introduced to Eve’s team in the opening 90-minute special episode. Viewers are led into their world within the Body Farm, a facility that is pushing back the boundaries of scientific research and solving crimes – it’s unchartered territory. Here no horror is taken for granted and murder is seen to be what it is – visceral and shocking.

Created by Declan Croghan, this is a new six-part series made by BBC Drama Production in association with Trevor Eve’s company Projector Pictures for BBC One (1×90′ and 5×60′). Produced by Simon Lewis, the executive producers are Sue Hogg from BBC Drama Production and Trevor Eve for Projector Pictures. Filming started this week

Transworld to publish Shaun Ryder autobiography

Posted on by

Transworld Publishers are delighted to announce the publication of the autobiography of Shaun Ryder. As yet untitled, the book will be released in autumn 2011. It will tell the story of Ryder’s entire career, from the drug-fuelled days of The Happy Mondays and the Hacienda era, through his amazing come back with Black Grape to his recent reappearance in the Australian jungle and his new solo album. Editorial Director Sarah Emsley, who acquired the book for Transworld from Matthew Hamilton at Aitken Alexander Associates, said: ‘Shaun Ryder is a living legend and his is one of the great untold stories of a life lived through the highs and lows of rock ’n’ roll excess. We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing the raw, undiluted autobiography of one of the UK’s most beloved rock stars.’

Shaun Ryder says: ‘I’ve been mithered for years to write my autobiography, but I’ve always said no because the timing never felt right. Plenty of other people have had their say on Happy Mondays and Black Grape, and now just felt like the right time to tell it like it really happened.’

HIGH-FLYING FEMALES SHOULD NOT FEEL “GUILT” RETURNING TO WORK AFTER HAVING A BABY

Posted on by

Successful women in business should not feel any guilt returning to work after having children.

They will have made the decision to return to work because it is in the best interests of their families and themselves.

Niamh O’Keeffe, MD of First100, a global company which aims to help senior women executives return to their roles after maternity leave.

Leadership performance acceleration company First100, which has offices in London, New York and Dublin, works with senior executives to put in place plans for their first 100 days in either a new role or the same role after returning from having a child.

First100 has issued a series of tips for maternity returners, including:

· Let go of the previous role as full-time mother
· Return to the work environment as a confident woman and leader
· Find the right balance between the roles of mother and senior business executive.
· Everything will have changed so prepare well in advance.

Niamh O’Keeffe said: “Once a woman has made the decision to return to work, they need to let go of their role as full-time mother and carry no guilt. Guilt is something brought on by the individual and no one else.

“The woman will have made this decision in the best interests of her and her family and they need to be pragmatic in making it work.

“Living in the moment is critical. When the woman is at home, they need to be fully at home and not juggling their laptop and BlackBerry while making the tea or reading a bedtime story. Equally, when they are at work, it is vital they are not constantly calling home to make sure everything is okay.”

Niamh added that finding the “right balance” was crucial in order to make a true success of combining being a successful woman in business with being a mother.

“The working mum needs to take time out regularly to check they have the balance right. Sometimes one area of your life can get very busy which makes it easy to lose focus in another part of your life. Taking time out to refuel and refocus is very important.

“It is also critical to set realistic expectations at work and at home as there are only so many hours in the day.”

The majority of First100’s clients are male, but the company is finding an increasing number of senior women executives asking it to help them navigate their vital first 100 days in a role or when returning from maternity leave.

First 100 days plans are becoming increasingly common-place within global organisations such as Vodafone, Accenture, Telefonica 02, BP, BT and Merck.

Niamh said: “From my own personal experience and the feedback I receive from our consultants working with clients in the UK, Ireland and United States, female business leaders often make far more willing clients.

“Women are often easier to coach than their male counterparts and more willing to listen and take on board new skills to help them succeed in challenging roles. Sometimes senior male executives are instinctively more defensive and cynical and need a little longer to be persuaded as to the merits of the coaching.

“Undoubtedly, one of the principal reasons why women are generally quicker to understand the benefits of working with companies such as First100 is that they face the added pressures of competing in a still male-dominated business world, many with the challenge of juggling huge responsibilities both at work and at home.

“Putting in place a sound strategic plan for your first 100 days whether you are taking on a new role or returning from having a baby can make all the difference between success and failure.”

The nation’s favourite meal

Posted on by

A survey of favourite meals commissioned by The Fat Panel revealed that Sunday Roast with all the trimmings was the nation’s favourite, showing that traditional English fare is top choice.

Over 35 per cent of men and women in the UK enjoy tucking into a traditional Sunday roast more than any other meal and more than one in three polish off the meal with a helping a chocolate fudge cake and cream for dessert, a survey of favourite meals commissioned by The Fat Panel, can exclusively reveal.

Second place in the nation’s food hot-list is occupied by steak and chips with 11% of the vote. The British steak and kidney pie and toad in the hole came last. For desserts, apple pie and ice cream is the second favourite choice (20%).

The research also shows that cooking from scratch is not greatly popular, with only 20 per cent managing it every day. Nearly half of people say that the biggest obstacle to cooking more often is that it takes too long. Another reason given by 13 per cent of people is that buying ingredients for home cooking is too expensive.

Chinese food is the takeaway of choice for 30 per cent of people, followed by twenty nine per cent favouring an Indian.

Fat Panel expert and nutritionist, Sarah Schenker, says it comes as no surprise that the Sunday roast comes out on top and as for takeaways, it is the easier option that comes at a price.

“This research shows that takeaways are very popular, however we need to be careful not to eat meals high in saturated fat too often. It’s much easier to stay in control of what we are eating when we cook ourselves. Being aware of what’s in the food we buy, using sensible cooking methods, such as grilling, and opting for common sense swaps like using 1% milk instead of full-fat or margarine and spread instead of butter will all have a positive effect on the amount of saturated fat we eat.

The nation’s favourite main meals

1.Sunday Roast with all the trimmings
35.6.%

2.Steak and Chips
11.85%

3.Lasagne
11.75%

4.Fish & Chips
10.55%

5.Chicken Tikka Masala
7.4%

6.Spaghetti Bolognaise
6.15%

7.Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie
5.3%

8.Sausages and Mash
4.8%

9.Toad in the Hole
3.8%

10.Steak and Kidney Pie
2.8%

A NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION HITS BRITAIN – ‘WEEKENDVY’

Posted on by

OVER A QUARTER OF BRITONS LIE ABOUT THEIR WEEKEND ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO IMPRESS OTHERS

One in four Britons is suffering from a new psychological condition – called ‘Weekendvy’, a new study out today has revealed. ‘Weekendvy’ means we are ‘economical with the truth’ when confronted by colleagues and friends at the start of the week – when asked “How was your weekend?”

The study commissioned by Travelodge surveyed 5,000 adults to investigate how Britons spend their weekend in today’s high technology world.

Findings revealed the pressure for Britons to have an action packed fun weekend is so high that over a quarter of (27%) of adults will lie, about what they got up to over the weekend – in order to sound cool and impress others.

Britons are hit the hardest by the psychological condition – ‘Weekendvy’ on Monday morning especially within the workplace and when updating their Facebook page.

The top five most popular activities Britons will pretend they did over the weekend when they didn’t are:

1. Paint the town red on Saturday night with their partner or friend

2. Visited friends

3. Went to a dinner party

4. Went out for a romantic meal

5. Took a short break – when really they just re-told of an old experience where they took a UK short break and made it sound like they went at the weekend

Top UK Psychologist, Corinne Sweet commented on the findings and said: “The Travelodge weekend study has exposed a new psychological condition we Brits are suffering from: ‘Weekendvy’. It’s to do with needing to feel like an ‘Alpha’ male or female, with high status. As we don’t want to admit that most of our weekend time is spent trying to catch up with housework, paperwork and lost sleep. It’s the horrible feeling that everyone else is having a better time than us, going away, partying or having fun. No-one likes to think of themselves as lonely, or boring, so we like to create a psychological ‘smoke-screen’ pretending, a bit like Bridget Jones, that we’re having a wonderful time, when we’re not.

‘Weekendvy’ means we pretend we’re having romantic weekend breaks, learning new skills, or having wonderful sex, when in fact most of us are trying to catch up on lost sleep and overwhelming household chores and paperwork.”

Listed below are the top seven regions where adults are hardest hit by ‘Weekendvy‘:

1. Wales

2. London

3. West Midlands / Scotland

4. North West / South East / North East

5. Yorkshire

6. Yorkshire

7. East Anglia

Further findings from the report revealed the stresses and pressures of living in a fast paced 24 / 7 culture is certainly taking its toll as one in three Britons reported their weekend is just becoming an extension of their working week due to work commitments.

Twenty nine per cent of adults stated they are so exhausted and tired by Friday evening that they regularly spend their weekend catching up on sleep.

Four out ten adults surveyed stated they wish they could have more fun at the weekends like they use to be able to due.

One in ten adults stated that they do not get any time for themselves during the weekend as their time is taken up with family commitments.

The report also revealed traditional weekend rituals such as the traditional Sunday lie-in and having a Sunday roast dinner are also on the decline. Just 23% of adults reported they have a regular lie in on a Sunday morning with the average lie-in being one hour and four minutes. Twenty one per cent of respondents reported they have a traditional roast dinner every Sunday, with chicken being the top choice followed by beef and pork. In addition only 12% of adults go to Church on a Sunday.

Other key findings from the report included:

· Forty four per cent of adults reported they wish they could have more fun at the weekend.

· Thirty four per cent of respondents stated they wish they could get out more at the weekends and explore the UK.

· Twenty one per cent of adults feel their friends and work colleagues have more fun than they do at the weekend.

· Twenty six per cent of respondents reported they wish they could be more spontaneous at the weekend.

· Eighteen per cent of Britons has never taken a UK short break.

The report also revealed that on average Britons spend 21 days a year (two a week) at work making weekend arrangements. With Monday morning, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon being the peak arrangement times to email and make calls.

Travelodge Spokeswoman, Shakila Ahmed said: “It’s time to reclaim our weekend. Who hasn’t sat down on Sunday evening and wondered where the weekend went? With more of us working longer hours, these two precious days designed for rest and recuperation are too often consumed by a whirl of duties and catching up with ourselves. You can cure ‘Weekendvy’, with a few tweaks to your routine, a little originality and ingenuity and you can make the world of difference to your lifestyle.

To help Britons reclaim their weekend, Travelodge is offering thousands of £19 rooms across the UK for a quick getaway. It’s amazing what’s on your doorstep within hours you could be at the seaside or exploring one of the UK’s great 66 cities.”

Listed below are some tips to help Britons reclaim their weekend:

1. Jot Down A Plan For The Weekend – By creating a plan you are more likely to make time for fun and stop shopping, cleaning, cooking, and chores dominating your weekend.

2. Shift The Chores To Weekdays – Do the supermarket run, house cleaning or laundry on Thursday or Friday night.

3. Get Out Of Bed At The Same Time As Weekdays – Don’t lose half the day under the duvet. In addition to freeing up more time for your weekend fun, you’ll also regulate your body clock better and avoid that Monday morning “hungover” feeling.

4. Make One Day A Fun Day – Don’t let errands and work spread to both Saturday and Sunday. Make one day for activities that makes you happy.

The table below highlights the different types of chores that take up Britons time over the weekend

Time Hrs

Activities

1:45

Food shopping

2.00

Running errands such as picking up dry-cleaning or shopping for a particular item

2.00

Gym or exercise

2.35

Catching up with work emails and work

2.00

Catching up with programmes recorded on Skyplus during the week

2.00

Visiting parents or other family members

2.45

Catching up on housework

1.00

Paying bills and catching up on paperwork

1.50

Laundry

1.00

Change and make the beds

1.16

Catch up on emails and update social network sites

3.00

Adults who have children – Taxi service taking kids to parties and their activities

4.25

Cooking meals over the weekend

2.00

Doing DIY or gardening jobs around the house

0.45

Reading the weekend papers

0.45

Preparing for the week ahead

Stars ‘give it up’ for Lent fundraiser

Posted on by

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) launches its annual Lent campaign, ‘give it up!’ today. With backing from X-Factor host Dermot O’Leary and Coronation Street’s Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) the charity is urging people to give something up and make a difference for those living in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Lent is embraced by many as an opportunity to re-ignite those failed new years resolutions, to kick start a new health regime or kick out an old bad habit.

The official start of Lent, Ash Wednesday will see CAFOD is calling on people in England and Wales to give something up and donate the money saved to support their work in over 50 countries fighting poverty and injustice.

Life-long supporter of the charity, Dermot O’Leary is going all out, giving up chocolate, crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, he said:

“I have been supporting CAFOD’s Lent fundraising since my school days and it’s just such a great and simple way to raise money. You only have to give up one thing, one thing, and you can make a massive difference to someone else’s life.”

Fellow TV star Ben Price is also joining the effort, giving up his daily diet coke and encouraging others to get involved.
“Over the years I have heard of CAFOD supporters giving up all sorts for Lent, from chocolate and magazines to Facebook and beer, raising millions of pounds in the process. Anyone can get involved and all donations, big and small, really can help transform lives.’
If you already live vice free or on a tight budget, you could get sponsored to give up an activity instead, like playing computer games or tweeting. You could even hold your own fundraising event; for further hints, tips and support just visit the ‘give it up!’ website.

As well as raising vital funds this Lent supporters can take action by backing ‘Get down to business’, a campaign supporting small businesses in the poorest countries. This campaign calls on the UK Government to support millions of vulnerable people as they work to lift themselves out of poverty by ensuring that overseas aid and trade policies put them first.

Daniel Craig Dresses Up As a Women To Promote Equality

Posted on by

It sees 007 star Daniel Craig undergo a dramatic makeover as he puts himself, quite literally, in a woman’s shoes. Directed by acclaimed ‘Nowhere Boy’ director/conceptual artist Sam Taylor-Wood, scripted by Jane Goldman (‘Kick Ass’) and featuring the voice of Dame Judi Dench reprising her role as ‘M’, the film will be screened in cinemas and streamed online in a bid to highlight the levels of inequality that persist between men and women in the UK and worldwide. It is the first film featuring Bond to be directed by a woman.

Weareequals.org