After the festive holiday celebrations end, looking forward to starting a New Year in January can seem a dim prospect. In fact, Monday, 21 January is scientifically proven to be the unhappiest day of the year for the majority of Brits and has been aptly dubbed ‘Blue Monday’.
But as the festive cheer wanes, sunny prospects await. With year-round sunshine, all new attractions and abundant deals throughout the destination, there’s no better time to plan a holiday to Orlando, the World Capital of Smiles. In addition, Visit Orlando has launched a brand new Orlando Holiday Planning Tool, helping Blue Monday daydreams turn from a fantasy to reality.
The website, orlandoholidayplanning.com, offers a wealth of ‘need to know before you go’ planning tips for visitors.
The Tropical Sun team (who funnily enough are all called Ray) has launched a live vending machine sending out freebies of their authentic Caribbean products. Check out the video:
South Korean superstar, Psy, has the most ‘liked’ video in YouTube history. He even has a Guinness World Records certificate to prove it.
Psy said “I’m honoured. This is the first certificate I’ve ever had… I didn’t get one at school”.
The online sensation has only been available to view since the 15th of July but as of today has been ‘liked’ 4,911,081 times. The figure puts its competitors in the shade; LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem has accumulated 1,574,963 likes, Justin’s Bieber’s Baby (1,327,147 likes) and British pop star Adele’s Rolling in the Deep (1,245,641 likes).
PSY (real name: Park Jae-Sang) is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and performer. Gangnam Style, his most successful single to date, is the most viewed K-Pop video on YouTube, and marks the first time a South Korean artist has topped the iTunes charts.
Avoiding Disaster: Dos and Don’ts of The Wedding Video
With the release of The Wedding Video across our cinema screens this weekend, professional wedding and events planner Ailish McDonnell, from Keep Calm and Marry On, advises on how to avoid a wedding day video disaster.
Ailish says: “Couples want to relive their wedding day exactly as it happened, preserving on film one of the most memorable occasions of their lives. The last thing you want on such a precious day is to dread watching the video back in case it doesn’t live up to expectations.
“In my experience, if a couple are debating whether or not to have their wedding filmed, if they can afford it, I would always advise on having a professional videographer film it. The day passes so quickly and with having all those special moments captured, it’s better to be able to see your ceremony, your first kiss and dance as a married couple, than regret not having recorded any of it.”
Award-winning Cheshire wedding videographers, Unforgettable Memories, know only too well the importance of capturing a wedding day on film.
Craig at Unforgettable Memories says: “A lot of wedding video suppliers have a bad reputation, but that’s because they haven’t moved with the times. They are still in the age of the large shoulder mounted camera which they point at people and expect them to “perform”, having a video doesn’t have to be like this nowadays.
“Don’t have a relative or member of the wedding party shoot your video, as they do in The Wedding Video, unless of course, they are a professional videographer. Remember these people are guests at your wedding and may well be busy with being a guest as opposed to capturing your big day.”
Wedding Planner Ailish from Keep Calm and Marry On and Craig from Unforgettable Memories suggest the following tips to bear in mind when choosing your wedding videographer:
Decide on what elements of the wedding you would like to capture: Bride getting ready; Groom getting ready; guests arriving; bridal party and bride arriving to the ceremony; the ceremony; drinks reception; bride and groom entrance to dinner; dinner and speeches; cutting the cake; first dance; party with guest dancing.
When choosing a professional videographer make sure you know what style you would like – standard static or fly-on-the-wall documentary.
Always meet and discuss your ideas with your videographer well in advance. You need to make sure your personalities don’t clash and that they are sensitive and respectful of your needs on the day.
You should also try to secure your videographer as far in advance as possible. The more popular your chosen professional, the greater chance you’ll be disappointed if you leave it too late to book him or her.
Be clear about what your ‘package’ includes and what, if any, add-ons are required to meet your final film requirements and that it matches your budget so you don’t have a hefty surprise bill.
There is a rising trend in couples having a pre-wedding shoot in the build-up to their big day. This may involve having a pre-wedding party filmed. Likewise, some also have a post-wedding shoot, such as a family gathering the day after the wedding and this might be something to consider.
Prices will vary depending on the type of equipment the videographer uses, whether they’re a part-time or full-time business, if they use broadcast quality, the number of people in their crew and so on.
Always ask to see previous examples, speak to past clients and if it seems too cheap and too good to be true – it probably is.
Remember, a golden rule is that ultimately you get what you pay for.
For advice on any aspect of planning your wedding or event please contact Ailish McDonnell on 07732531910 or email info@keepcalmmarryon.com. For more information visit www.keepcalmmarryon.com.
BREMNER BRINGS ‘SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT’ TO THIS YEAR’S FLt20 FINALS DAY
One of Frost Magazine’s favourite comedians, Rory Bremner, has teamed up with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and is fronting a comedy festival campaign which has seen a host of comedians visiting Friends Life t20 games across the country. This has all been a part of Rory Bremner’s ‘Stand Up for Friends Life t20’ tour – and now it’s Rory’s turn!
Comedians Jimmy McGhie, Paul Sinha, Rob Beckett, Stu Goldsmith and Chris Martin have all visited First Class county clubs across the country on the tour which brings together two of the nation’s favourite pastimes – cricket and comedy. However on 25th August Rory Bremner himself will be on hand to bring ‘Something Completely Different’ to the Friends Life t20 Finals Day at Glamorgan’s SWALEC Stadium.
Like the other comedians involved Rory will interact with the crowd, pose for pictures with fans and inject fun and laughter into the match-day experience. Rory will be slipping in and out of character as he gets involved with a variety of activities throughout the day.
This season’s Finals Day will be hosted by two celebrity presenters, and Rory will be alongside them commenting on the matches, aiding the coin toss, inspecting the crease, commenting on the famous Mascot Race and much more in a variety of flawless celebrity impressions.
In the run up to his highly anticipated appearance at Finals Day Bremner has recorded some exclusive content for the ECB which to date has seen him impersonate some of the biggest characters in cricket including David “Bumble” Lloyd and Geoffrey Boycott. The final video ahead of the season finale see’s Rory impersonate a variety of names including David Gower, Henry Blofeld, Tony Blair as well as everyone’s favourite cricket fan Stephen Fry:
The comedy tour spearheads a wider marketing campaign around the Friends Life t20 2012 season by the ECB entitled ‘Something Completely Different’. The campaign has seen the Friends Life t20 competition being promoted in a fun, fresh and exciting way from the use of ‘Balldogs’ to ‘Wiggle Wicket’ to comedy match day hosts. The aim is to bring even more fans to the competition – which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Rory Bremner, the curator of the tour, said:
“Twenty20 cricket has been one of the games great success stories in the last few years and I can’t wait to host the FLt20 Finals Day, interact with the fans and showcase some of my cricketing impressions. Finals day is a great day out for cricket fans, sport fans, groups and families alike and I can’t wait to be involved later this month.”
Steve Elworthy, ECB spokesperson, said:
“The ‘Something Completely Different’ theme aims to put the fun of being with your friends and family and leaving with some great memories at the heart of your summer. We couldn’t think of a better way to do this than to bring comedy to cricket to enhance what is already a fantastically unique matchday experience, and we have had some great comedic names on board touring the grounds. We are extremely excited to have Rory on board and are thoroughly looking forward to having him at Finals Day.”
Manchester City stars lift the pre-season Blues with Umbro. We have some video interviews with the Manchester City stars below. Watch and enjoy!
Mario Balotelli, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart all face the camera as they prepare for the new season.
As well as giving their opinions on the new kit, the City stars shed some light on a variety of different topics, including;
– Mario Balotelli reveals that a career in UFC would have been his second choice after football!
– Samir Nasri gives his verdict on the cuisine of the North West.
– Vincent Kompany talks about his progression from being a central midfielder, to arguably the Premier League’s best centre-back.
– David Silva explains how he copes with the physical side of the Premier League and the great British weather!
– Joe Hart provides an insight into his approach when facing a penalty
The Home shirt retains City’s iconic sky blue colour and also incorporates black detailing and trim which takes influence from the 1969 FA Cup and 1970 League Cup winning kits. The new Away shirt sees a return to the classic maroon colour worn by the FA Cup winning teams of 1934 and 1956, also tailored by Umbro.
The away kit is on general sale now, while the home kit goes on sale 26th July. Both kits are available to buy at www.umbro.com.
Gore Vidal died yesterday at the age of 86. Frost has gathered some great quotes, a story and a video of his wit and genius. Enjoy and RIP Gore. The New York Times’s brilliant obituary has this gem:
In 1968, while covering the Democratic National Convention on television, he called William F. Buckley a “cryptofascist.” Buckley responded by calling Mr. Vidal a “queer,” and the two were in court for years. In a 1971 essay he compared Norman Mailer to Charles Manson, and a few months later Mailer head-butted him in the green room while the two were waiting to appear on the Dick Cavett show. They then took their quarrel on the air in a memorable exchange that ended with Mr. Cavett’s telling Mailer to take a piece of paper on the table in front of them and “fold it five ways and put it where the moon don’t shine.” In 1975 Mr. Vidal sued Truman Capote for libel after Capote wrote that Mr. Vidal had been thrown out of the Kennedy White House. Mr. Vidal won a grudging apology.
“As the age of television progresses the Reagans will be the rule, not the exception. To be perfect for television is all a President has to be these days.”
“A good deed never goes unpunished.”
“All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting to encounter yourself.”
“Andy Warhol is the only genius I’ve ever known with an IQ of 60”
“There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.”
“Sex is. There is nothing more to be done about it. Sex builds no roads, writes no novels and sex certainly gives no meaning to anything in life but itself.”
“The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes.”
“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.”
“Congress no longer declares war or makes budgets. So that’s the end of the constitution as a working machine.”
“We should stop going around babbling about how we’re the greatest democracy on earth, when we’re not even a democracy. We are a sort of militarised republic.”
“Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.”
“There is no such thing as a homosexual or a heterosexual person. There are only homo- or heterosexual acts. Most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices.”
“Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.”
“Fifty percent of people won’t vote, and fifty percent don’t read newspapers. I hope it’s the same fifty percent.”
“I never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television.”
“It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.”
“A narcissist is someone better looking than you are.”
“Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically by definition be disqualified from ever doing so.”
“Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice like, Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they’re both just aspirin.”
“Envy is the central fact of American life.”
“Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.”
“Some writers take to drink, others take to audiences.”
“The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return”
“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”
After her nude turn in Sherlock Holmes Lara Pulver says she has been “inundated” with nude offers. The episode where she striped while playing Irene Adler became the most watched show ever on the BBC iPlayer.
Now the 31-year-old is saying she keeps getting offered nude roles.
She told the Radio Times: ‘I take my clothes off for a minute and a half and everyone suddenly goes, “Oh great, she’s an actress who will take her clothes off. We can’t get Kate Winslet. Let’s see if Lara Pulver will do a swinger movie”.’
Pulver insisted that the scene was not ‘nudity for nudity’s sake’.
Lara also said she may return to Sherlock Holmes. She is in a new show; Camouflage.
