Tag Archives: Catherine Balavage

The X Factor: The aftermath.

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The X Factor proved as tense as ever on Sunday, The two acts who received the fewest votes and had to sing for survival were Katie Waissel and Treyc Cohen.

All ten acts opened the show with a performance of So What by Pink.

Shayne Ward (winner of The X Factor 2005) took to the stage to perform his new single, Gotta Be Somebody and Kylie Minogue performed Better Than Today.

The two acts with the lowest public vote and singing for survival this week were Treyc Cohen and Katie Waissel. When asked how she felt, Katie said: “I’m nervous and it’s Treyc…we’re all in this together I’m going to sing from my heart.” Treyc added: “I’ve been here before but I’m here to sing and I’m just going to do the best that I can.”

Katie sang Please Don’t Give Up On Me whilst Treyc sang Unbreak My Heart (Toni Braxton).

Simon: ‘Here’s the dilemma – Treyc you are the better singer, Katie you are the more interesting performer. I’m going to base this on as a viewer who I’d like to see next week. The person Im going to send home is Treyc.’

Cheryl: ‘I just want to say to both of you, you’re both very talented women. Thank you for being so gracious and strong up there. But Im refusing point blank to send anyone home.’

Dannii: ‘Firstly if I could just say these girls are brilliant singers and I know Ive given a lot of comments but I hope they’ve been constructive and there’s no cause to boo anyone on this stage. You both sing better under pressure, The person Im sending home tonight is Katie.’

Louis: ‘I’ve got to know both girls really well and I love both of them..its so, so difficult. I don’t know whether to go with my head or my heart. My head says save Treyc my heart says, save Katie. It’s really, really difficult, Simon. I’m going to go with my heart, I’m sending home Treyc.’

Treyc said: ‘I’ve had the best time I’ve met some great people. I’ve made some good lifelong friends. I’m so, so grateful. I want to thank everyone from the researchers to the people in the canteen. Thank you.’

This meant Treyc Cohen became the seventh act to leave The X Factor.

On The Xtra Factor, ITV2, Katie commented: “Treyc should be here. I just really want to be here, in this competition. I really thought I was going home. Its not my time. I want to continue I want to show everyone that I am me.”

Dannii Minogue was wearing Dolce & Gabanna dress, Cheryl Cole wore a BodyAmr.

Performing next week on The X Factor – Westlife, JLS and Take That.

And Then They Came For Me {Theatre}

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The week before Armistice Day seems a fitting time to be reminded of the suffering caused during times of conflict.

‘And Then They Came For Me’ is one of the most widely produced new plays, yet the performance on the 7th November 2010 at the Garrick Theatre had something special about it. It’s not often such an extraordinary true life story is told when its inspiration is sitting in the audience. The play is a unique multimedia experience which combined video taped interviews of Holocaust Survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss with live actors recreating scenes from their lives and experiences during World War II. Ed (Michael Gamarano) and Eva’s (Alexandra Vevers) story are tied together by the infamous Anne Frank. Ed was Anne Frank’s first boyfriend and Eva, who was the same age as Anne when she went into hiding and like Anne, she and her family were betrayed. In this story however, the young diary writer Anne plays a cameo role.

The harrowing tales of the promise of youth cut short by the horrors of the Holocaust see the story take us from the beginnings of the Hitler Youth, through oppression and escalating to the horrific recounting of their experiences in concentration camps. One thing is clear. Even though the war is over, the trauma of what happened is still with the survivors. Numbers are easy to deal with as they are separate to our emotions, but when you hear the harrowing story of just one person, trying to relate that experience to every single one of the millions who suffered becomes a difficult concept.

The charity chosen for the performance’s wasn’t a war related one, but the Pakistan Floods Appeal. Sadly, it’s easy to forget why, every year, we wear a poppy on our lapels and even sadder that it’s often referred to as ‘Poppy Day’ as though the nation has forgotten to remember Remembrance Day.

This particular performance included a special performance by Frost’s other Editor Catherine Balavage as Ed Silverberg’s Mother. If you get the chance to catch ‘And Then They Came For Me’, you should.

Joe McElderry records title track for, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

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Joe McElderry records title track for new feature film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The most anticipated 3D film of the year is opening in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on December 9th 2010.

X Factor winner Joe McElderry was approached by Twentieth Century Fox to record the specially written track, ‘There’s a place for us’, written by American songstress Carrie Underwood, which will feature in the film released later in the year.

Joe will also attend The Royal Film Performance™ and World Premiere of the film in Leicester Square on November 30th and also switch on the regents street lights on November 9th

Directed by Michael Apted, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is the latest installment of the Narnia saga. Filmed in digital 3D, the exciting new chapter is set to be the biggest blockbuster of 2010.

Joe recently returned to the charts with his debut single ‘Ambitions’ since winning the UK hit show, The X Factor ,in 2009. His album, ‘Wide awake’, is out now.

Where goes the Sisterhood?

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Every Wednesday, for a few weeks now, I have been in pain. Not through an exercise class, but through watching those awful, bitchyl ‘women’ on the Apprentice. It’s excruciating TV at it’s most excruciating. The embarrassment, the disappointment I have in them; it’s actually almost too much to bear. The women I know do not act like this. The vast majority of them anyway.

Which leads me into the million dollar question: Where goes the sisterhood? I am an actor (They don’t like it when you use actress, I really don’t care), I am also a business women, a writer, a daughter, a friend. I do not have an actual sister. I am over expecting women to give me a hand up in my acting career. In business, maybe. In writing, very probably. I have had advice from other female writers. But the acting? No, there is far too few roles. They put so much pressure on us to be young and thin that it feels like we end up hating each other. The patriarchal society wins again – but only because we let it.

Which is a shame, as I think one of the reasons that I have the luck to be a working actor is because of how I relate to other people. I have given advice to a lot of women wanting to be actors. Both younger and older. Some of them do not even know what Spotlight is. For the non theatrical amongst you, Spotlight is an online directory of actors. Most castings come through it. If you are an actor who is not on Spotlight, success is about nil.

I can’t say I have felt the same back. I mostly feel that the more successful I become, the more other women hate me. Not just jealousy, I hate jealousy but it’s forgivable- No, actual hate. They hate me for being younger than them, thinner or for having a better agent. I did a bit part in a very popular show recently and one of the main actors, a female, incredibly famous, some might say an institution, was so horrendous to me I questioned my life choices. Why spend your life on a film set with assholes? I could be travelling around America, doing aid work, writing a book. But, no, I am having lunch when a millionaire, far more powerful than me, who is trying to get me to move from the seat I am on because she wants to sit there, and then huffs off with her cronies when I refuse. It’s Mean Girls – with middle aged women.

Then there is the younger women, or the ones my age. I went an audition only to see a (now ex) friend. It was the third or fourth time I had seen her at an audition in a few months. She looked horrified as I walked in the door. Loudly exclaimed: ‘Oh, YOU’RE here. You’re at EVERYTHING. ‘ and then stalked off. She then preceded to bitch about me to every other women there. I had no idea what she was saying, but none of them would talk to me. There is a bitter sweet end: I got the part.

All of this reminded of me of a quote that I recently read: ‘With men it’s their enemies that tear them apart, with women it’s their friends.’ It’s depressing because it is largely true. I have a young playing age. I still get cast as teenagers. And nothing is more cruel than a teenage girl. Except maybe an ageing actress.

I was recently told on a film set that: ‘You will not be beautiful forever, you will lose your beauty, everything will leave you, you will have nothing left. You will become just like me.’ by a mad foreign actor. I doubt I will end up like you love, as I am not bitter and full of hate. Thanks anyway.

This is not to bring all women down. I got my start in writing through females. I have had advice and friendship. I have an amazing circle of female friends. But it took until my 20’s for that to happen. And sometimes I learn the worst of them. I grow up amongst men. The women I tend to not get along with are sensitive. The male ego is more fragile, but sometimes it seems that you can’t say anything to a women without her taking it the wrong way. All my female friends are laid back, down to earth, genuine people. I love them dearly. My life would be grey without them. I am aware of my luck.

So what do the women of The Apprentice have to learn? That they are holding themselves back. Melissa Cohen blamed the two men on the boardroom who were ‘picking on her’ for her swift exit. Her lack of self awareness was astounding. She was fired because she deserved to be. Unless women stop fighting with each other, stop being competitive and bringing each other down, this will always be a man’s world. Because, after all, should we really be fighting against sexism and each other?

Catherine Balavage

SPOOKS, SPIRITS AND SMARTPHONES, Top 5 Paranormal sightings.

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Phone-paparazzi boosts ghostly sightings

With Halloween approaching, research has shown that having the latest technology at our fingertips has caused a surge in the number of paranormal images that have been recorded.

Tesco Telecoms has found that one in three people have noticed spooky goings-on in photos and video clips taken on their mobiles.

This spine-chillingly high figure is driven by the growing popularity of Smartphones which have high quality cameras and the internet and email at the touch of a button.

‘Digging-up’ some consumer research into Smartphone technology and consumer behaviour, Tesco Telecoms found that 78% of people felt that their phones made it easier for them to capture those weird, unexpected moments on the cuff.

Taking their findings to Paranormal Research UK, leading investigator Phil Hayes confirmed that they had seen a 70% increase in paranormal evidence captured by Smartphone cameras or videos.

The research group attributed this rise with the fact that people carry their phones with them everywhere they go, making it easier to record those eerie moments. They also confirmed that submitting evidence has become faster, as the email and social network function on internet-enabled Smartphones, allows material to be shared easily.

Further results from Tesco Telecoms’ spooky research showed that Brits are in fact a nation open to paranormal activity with more than half of the population believing in ghosts and poltergeists.

And despite one in five admitting that if faced with a ghost they would run away, over half of Brits said they would bravely stay put and try and capture the sighting with whatever technology they have to hand.

Frighteningly, almost 60% of those questioned had or knew someone else who had experienced paranormal activity, with one in two saying that they had experienced a shiver down the spine upon entering into a room.

Some of the scariest incidences reported included objects moving by themselves, transparent figures floating across the room and ghostly cackling coming from nowhere.

Some of the male respondents even cheekily cited their wives first thing in the morning as the scariest thing they’d ever seen!

Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Telecoms and Tesco Mobile commented: “Halloween is the perfect time of year to keep an eye out for the ghostly and ghoulish.

“We’d recommend those brave enough to capture any spooky sightings should MMS or email their pics to Paranormal Research UK for investigation.

“Keep your camera phone on the highest quality resolution setting and use the recorder to capture the noise of any spectral sounds.”

Top five most believed-in paranormals

1. Ghosts

2. Aliens

3. UFOs

4. Past lives

5. Out of body experiences

By Catherine Balavage

Frost City Guides {Zurich}

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Zurich is known as a sterile banking city – don’t believe a word of it. True, Zurich plays home to one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and is the financial motor of Switzerland itself, but step back from the markets and share prices and you’ll find an arty and surprisingly vibrant city. It is very expensive however. Especially food and drink.

Zurich’s setting on the northern tip of Lake Zurich helps lend it an air of affluence and good living, while the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches, which face each other across the River Limmat, hint at the rich heritage of the Old Town. In addition, Zurich offers smart shops, upmarket clubs and good restaurants. I was told by a local that there were two sides. The golden side and the sneezy side. The Old Town is on the golden side – where the affluent people live. The weather is usually good on this side. The sneezy side is so called because it rarely gets any sun. This is where the ‘poor’ people live. Although, one feels, to be poor in Zurich is to well-off anywhere else!

We got a tram into the the old town. (8 Ch, all day on all types of transport) and walked around. Zurich’s Old Town. It is a beautiful and cobbled. Full of cafes and restaurants. Perfect for people watching.
The next day we made a picnic and went swimming in Lake Zurich. Picturesque, although I found the current very strong. Yes, I know it’s a lake!

While browsing in the elegant boutiques along Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most beautiful shopping areas in Europe you can work out your credit card. Jimmy Choo , Louis Vuttion are just some of the designer stores there. And this being a financial city with negotiable tax, you can be certain that a couple of metres below, unimaginable treasures are lying in underground vaults.

There are over 50 museums and over 100 art galleries. The National Museum is worth the price of admission alone for a table-top mock-up of the Battle of Morat in 1476 using 6000 tin soldiers.

All in all, Zurich is a beautiful city. It is very small. It would be very easy to cover all of it in less than a week. I made a friend chuckle by saying it reminded me of Glasgow; Small, cultural, near water.

Transport is easy to figure out. Get a tram/ train map. It is usually very prompt, but there was one day I waited for hours because of a tram crash. The locals don’t all speak English, but they were quite helpful. Other helpful hints are; Switzerland’s currency is still the Franc. And spend coins in Switzerland. Banks won’t change them.

I recommend Zurich. It is a lovely city to spend a weekend.

Main information:
Zürich Tourismus
Zurich Main Railway Station, 8021 Zurich
Tel: (044) 215 4000.
www.zuerich.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0800-2030, Sun 0830-1830 (May-Oct); Mon-Sat 0830-1900, Sun 0900-1800 (Nov-Apr)
information@zuerich.com

Hotel reservations
044 215 40 40
hotel@zuerich.com

Passes:
The ZürichCARD, available for 24 or 72 hours,offers unlimited travel within the Zurich canton, free admission to over 40 museums, reduced admission to the zoo and a complimentary welcome drink at over 20 restaurants. You can buy the cards at the train stations, many hotels and some of the main VBZ ticket offices around town. There is a full downloadable guide to the ZürichCARD at

Transport times: Regular services from 5am until 00:30am
Friday and Saturday 1am until 4am.

Facts and figures:
Inhabitants city 383,565
Inhabitants canton 1.30m
Proportion of foreigners 31%
Currency Swiss Francs (CHF)
Colloquial language German ( Swiss German)
Other languages English, Italian, French

By Catherine Balavage

Get into Christmas spirit with Breast Cancer Care. At St Paul's church.

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Get into the spirit of Christmas with Breast Cancer Care’s Carols by Candlelight, at St Paul’s Church

Celebrate the festive season in style this December by attending Breast Cancer Care’s Carols by Candlelight at St Pauls Church, Knightsbridge.

Gather friends and family for some Christmas cheer and support the 46,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer annually, by helping Breast Cancer Care fund vital support services. The Carols by Candlelight will feature traditional and modern readings from celebrity supporters and Amanda Mealing will reflect on her personal experience of breast cancer.

Guests will receive a complimentary gift from Swarovski and be entertained by a special performance by the Westminster Under School Junior Choir before tucking into wine, mince pies and hot roasted chestnuts after the service.

When: Monday 6 December 2010 7pm (until 8pm)

Where: St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, London

Tickets: £30

Bookings: Visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk/carols

For anyone wishing to continue the festivities; VIP guests and celebrity readers will host an intimate drinks reception followed by supper at the elegant Lanesborough Hotel near the church. Tickets to the Carol service and the dinner are £135.

Tickets to the supper are limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment by calling 020 7960 3554.