Frost's Review of 2011

2011 was an eventful political year, with the Arab Spring, phone Hacking and the death of more than one tyrant. On the flip side, it was also a year of wedding fever, Prince William finally made an honest women of Kate Middleton on April 29. Kate Moss and Jamie Hince, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper (she also announced her pregnancy), Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig, Prince Albert and Charlotte, Zara Phillips and Mark Tindall and Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell all tied the knot. Kim Kardashian got married too, but so briefly it is barely worth mentioning.

There was tragedy when Japan was struck by an record 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami. Followed by nuclear disaster at Fukushima, which is still being cleared up by brave workers, at serious risk to their own health.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher.

In August London burned as riots spread all over England, people died, lost their homes and taxpayers were left with a bill of over 100 million.

The Arab Spring started when 26-year-old vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi. set himself on fire in protest in a Tunisian marketplace on December 17th 2010. It lead to leaders all over the Arab world standing down including Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and the death of Gaddafi in October.

Silvio Berlusconi also finally stepped down.

Osama Bin Laden was killed ten years after 9/11.

The press went mad over Pippa Middleton’s bottom. As did PR companies.

Super Injunctions were the buzzword of the year, but the name of the footballer came out after he was named by multiple people on Twitter. The film star who slept with the same prostitute as Wayne Rooney, however, got away with it. Our article on it was one of our most popular of the year, getting over 14,000 hits in a matter of hours

Borders book store closed down, as did the Space Shuttle Programme and Harry Potter ended after a decade.

The Iraqi war ended in December. A date set by the Bush administration.

Liam Fox lost his job.

The Phone Hacking scandal ran and ran.

Charlie Sheen lost it, but bounced back.

Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest.

Frost’s Politician of the year is the people of Libya.

Anders Behring Breivik went on an murderous rampage in Norway on the Island of Utoya, leaving over 80 people dead and many more injured. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the attack a “national tragedy” and the worst atrocity in Norway since World War II. Stoltenberg further vowed that the attack would not hurt Norwegian democracy, and said the proper answer to the violence was “more democracy, more openness, but not naivety”. In his speech at the memorial service on 24 July 2011, he said what a proper reaction would be: “No one has said it better than the AUF girl who was interviewed by CNN: ‘If one man can show so much hate, think how much love we could show, standing together.’

The end of Harry Potter.

Frost started a campaign to end Prescription charges in England, the only place in the so called ‘United’ Kingdom still paying them.

Jessie J had a breakthrough year and confessed to being bisexual.

David Walliams swam the Thames. He raised £1 million for Sports relief.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher split.

As did J-Lo and Marc Anthony

Ryan Gosling had a brilliant year and was in the brilliant Drive. http://frostmagazine.com/2011/09/drive-film-review/

Sir David Attenborough dazzled again with Frozen Planet.

Frost Women of the year: Kate Middleton. After ten years and two break-ups, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton finally married her Prince Charming. Their wedding was watched by more people than 20 million people and the new Duchess of Cambridge has been wowing press and public alike with her style, charm and poise.

Man of the year: Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs died too young, aged 56, after a long battle with cancer. He changed the world with his vision and business acumen and when he died the outpouring of grief would rival that of Princess Diana. A true loss of a visionary man.

Most inspirational person: Eva Schloss. Eva survived the holocaust. She lost her father and her brother, her mother also survived and went on to marry Otto Frank and Eva became Anne Frank’s step-sister. She is truly the most inspirational women I have ever met. If you don’t believe me, read her books. The Promise: The Moving Story of a Family in the Holocaust
or Eva’s Story: A Survivor’s Tale by the Step-Sister of Anne Frank
[Full disclosure: I was in the West End Production of the play of Eva’s life; And Then They Came For Me.]

Kim Jong-il, Lucien Freud, Christopher Hitchens, Liz Taylor, Amy Winehouse and Vaclav Havel all died in 2011.

Adele and Katy Perry released the albums of the year.

Kristen Wiig co-wrote and starred in the hilarious Bridesmaids, which proved women could be funny.

Unemployment was high and economical troubles rumbled throughout the year. The US lost their triple AAA credit rating.

Finally, a great article.

http://frostmagazine.com/2011/10/top-10-common-faults-with-human-thought/

Pregnancy Rumours Dog Duke And Duchess On UNICEF Visit

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were dogged by pregnancy rumours on their visit to the UNICEF Supply Centre in Copenhagen.

The couple were there to highlight the desperate plight of children in East Africa, but the rumour mills went into overdrive suggesting Kate is pregnant after she refused to eat peanut paste on the Denmark trip.

According to eyewitnesses, Kate gave her husband Prince William ‘a knowing look’ as he tucked in. ABC news reported that Buckingham Palace ‘went out of their way to stress that she has no nut allergy whatsoever.’ The Palace denied Kate was pregnant saying that they would have announced it and ‘not some gossip magazine’.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a special visit to the UNICEF global supply centre ito help maintain the world’s attention on the humanitarian crisis in East Africa, which has left more than 320,000 children so severely malnourished that they are at imminent risk of death unless they get urgent help.

UNICEF’s Copenhagen supply centre includes a warehouse the size of three football pitches where essential supplies for children around the globe are sourced, packed and distributed. These include food, water, special nutritional supplies for the most malnourished children, vaccines, education materials and emergency medical kits.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were accompanied on the visit by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark and were welcomed by Shanelle Hall, Director of UNICEF’s Supply Centre. The Duchess and Crown Princess were given flowers by Amanda Kofoed and Maryam Abdullah, both 10 years old, who are children of UNICEF staff.

Both couples then received a briefing on the desperate situation in the region from Peter Hailey, Chief of Nutrition for UNICEF in Somalia. He told them about the reality for many children and their parents, who often have to walk for 25 days to find food.

They met four packing staff who showed them how different medical provisions – including essential medicines and emergency surgical equipment – are packed. Both Royal couples joined the staff on the production line and helped to pack boxes of emergency health kits, each of which will provide life-saving supplies to over 1,000 people.

Both couples then toured the warehouse, seeing the huge variety of supplies that are sent to emergencies around the world, including ready-to-use therapeutic food for severely malnourished children under five years old and supplementary food to support-families, emergency health kits, vaccines and water supplies including water purification tablets.

At the end of their visit, the Duke of Cambridge said: “An incredible amount is being done. UNICEF is leading the way and doing a fantastic job, but sadly there’s lots more still to do, and that’s why we’re here today.”

The Duchess talked more about the purpose of their visit, saying: “We really hope to put the spotlight back on this crisis.” The Duke then added a heartfelt appeal: “Anyone who can do anything to help, please do.”

Both went on to Copenhagen Airport to see the supplies being loaded onto flights provided by British Airways and UPS, bound for Nairobi.

Since the visit of both Royal couples to UNICEF’s Supply Centre was announced on 26 October, UNICEF has already seen a huge response to the appeal for donations to the emergency.

Shanelle Hall commented: “It has been wonderful to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark to UNICEF’s Supply Centre and to show them the scale of the vital operation delivering supplies to malnourished children and their families. Their visit has already helped to draw the world’s attention back to the scale of the current crisis and we hope it will help us to raise the resources needed to continue our work in the region.”

To respond to the remaining needs of children in East Africa for 2011, UNICEF still requires US$40 million. The financial needs for 2012 are US$402.8 million, including US$300 million for UNICEF Somalia, to ensure that provision of life-saving therapeutic and supplementary feeding can continue.

To donate to the East Africa Appeal please visit www.eastafricacrisis.org or, in the UK, text ‘LIFE’ to 70800 to make a £10 donation or call 0800 037 9797

WHAT DO HARPER BECKHAM, WILLIAM & KATE AND HARRY POTTER HAVE IN COMMON?

Harper Seven Beckham may have been born into the most famous family in the World, but she now has a new claim to fame after becoming the subject of a list of brand new bingo calls, by Mecca Bingo.

Harper Beckham (number seven), joins Will and Kate (number eight) and Dumbledore (number four) in a brand new list of modern day calls suggested by Meccabingo.com customers, to celebrate Mecca’s 50th Birthday on Wednesday, 19th October.

Since first opening its doors in 1961, the gaming company has evolved to meet the demands of a modern and younger audience. The introduction of online bingo and Mecca’s iPhone and Android apps mean that gaming fanatics can now play their favourite games and win real cash prizes anywhere, at any time.

Whilst bingo calls are not actually used anymore, modernising the traditional calls to reflect today’s culture is a fun way to mark Mecca’s 50th Birthday in a one-off game.

Claire Osborne, head of bingo and games at Meccabingo.com, comments:

“The suggestions we had from our customers were really diverse – from the sublime to the ridiculous – but what we found most interesting was how they reflected modern times and in particular, celebrity culture. For example, it’s no surprise that seven has become ‘Harper Beckham’ given the iconic status the Beckham’s hold on mainstream culture.

“Adele’s popularity is prominent with the title of her début album representing 19. The Harry Potter phenomenon hasn’t escaped either, as the lovable Dumbledore becomes the number four. Of course the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge remain at the height of public consciousness with ‘Will and Kate’ at number eight.”

During the course of the Meccabingo.com Bingo Lingo campaign, a total of 14,835 votes were cast. A selection of the best feature below:

2 Sugars in my brew

4 Dumbledore

7 Harper Beckham

8 Will and Kate

15 Rugby team

17 Driver’s dream

19 Adele

65 Keep on working

69 Sexy time

The brand new calls will make a one-off appearance in selected Mecca Bingo clubs across the UK on Wednesday, 19th October, as part of their 50th Birthday celebrations.

Are The Royal Family Worth It?

So are the Royal Family worth taxpayer’s money? As the recession starts to bite and unemployment rises it’s worth asking if we really need an unelected had of state that cost every person in Britain 69p. Frost wants to open up a debate on the Royal Family. Love them or hate them? Frost came across the video below that made us stop and wonder; should we rejoice that we have a Queen?

With Prince William and Catherine Middleton making royalty cool again and becoming more and more popular it seems that the royal family are having a resurgence. Posh has become cool again. Maybe we need more fantasy in our lives and the royal family gives us that.

Did the video change your mind? Are you a royalist or republican? Let us know.

Prince William Praises Queen For Help Planning Wedding

A new book about the Royal Family has revealed that when Prince William was first handed his wedding list, he did not know anyone on it.

The book, called Our Queen also reveals that the Queen advised him to bin the official guest-list for his wedding to Kate Middleton and start again.

He said: “I came into the first meeting for the wedding, post-engagement, and I was given this official list of 777 names – dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people – and not one person I knew. They said: “These are the people we should invite”.

“I looked at it in absolute horror and said, ‘I think we should start again’. I rang [The Queen] up the next day and said, ‘Do we need to be doing this?’ And she said, ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there’. And she told me to bin the list.”

“She made the point that there are certain times when you have to strike the right balance. And it’s advice like that, which is really key, when you know that she’s seen and done it before.”

He also revealed that it was the Queen that insisted her wore his Irish Guards uniform for the wedding.

Royal Wedding: Zara Phillips Marries Mike Tindall

You wait years for a Royal Wedding and two come along at once. Zara Phillips has married Mike Tindall at a lavish palace reception.

The Queen’s granddaughter married in a private ceremony in Edinburgh’s Canongate Kirk with the Queen, Kate Middleton and Prince William in attendance. The Duchess of Cambridge also accompanied her husband, and while this wedding didn’t have the scale of Westminster Abbey, more than 6,000 people turned up to watch sports star Tindall marry into the monarchy, including England coach Martin Johnson, his predecessor Sir Clive Woodward, Scotland’s coach Andy Robinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny Wilkinson.

For the fashionistas, Zara’s dress was created by the Queen’s favourite designer, Stewart Parvin, and the bride paid tribute to Scotland with thistles incorporated into her bouquet of white blooms.

The wedding reception is being staged in the grounds of Holyroodhouse, but their honeymoon is postponed as the newlyweds will be back at training this week. Zara, 30, will be competing in the Gatcombe Park horse trials, and Tindall, 32, is likely to play in the England rugby match against Wales next Saturday.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine take time out


Prince William and Duchess Catherine have taken time out to enjoy an evening on a secluded island.

The royal couple – who are currently on an official tour of Canada and the US – stepped away from their engagements to spend some alone time in a remote spot in Canada’s Northwest Territories, known locally as Honeymoon Island.

Located approximately 100 miles north of Yellowknife – the capital of the Northwest Territories – William and Catherine paddled out to the romantic spot on Blachford Lake to watch a midnight sunset and dine on a local feast.

The pair would have been able to enjoy what is dubbed the longest sunset on the planet, as the area is situated so far to the north of the country that it hardly gets dark at all during the summer months.

Tessa Macintosh, who runs Blachford Lake Lodge, told MailOnline: “Its real name is Eagle Island, but ever since my wedding night we’ve called it Honeymoon Island.

“When I was taken there I thought my new husband was the most romantic man on earth. I’m sure that is just how Kate must feel now.”

Tessa’s husband Mike Freeland thinks the break will give William and Catherine – who married on April 29 – the perfect opportunity to “recharge their batteries”.

He said: “The island is very beautiful. The midnight sunset here is regarded as the slowest sunset in the world and it is very spectacular. The island has a very special feeling and is incredibly romantic. It will be wonderful for them.

“I think it is tremendous that they have decided to come here and spend time. They may not have long but after all the chaos of the past few days this really will re-charge their batteries.”

Duchess of Style: Kate Middleton Wows On Royal Tour

Hit: Elegance personified Duchess Catherine

Catherine certainly knows how to make an impression and once again she wows in the style stakes as she and Prince William arrive in Canada in this gorgeous lace dress, which highlights her enviable figure while remaining classy. The Duchess has brought 30 outfits with her on the Royal Tour, so far they have all been as stunning as this one.