Super Goss

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Strictly Come Dancing 2011: the sequinned contestants are revealed

Edwina Currie, Jason Donovan, Nancy Dell'Olio, Rory Bremner, Lulu, Robbie Savage and Holly Valance all taking to the floor

With seven years of practice, the BBC has its Strictly Come Dancing routine off pat: a few steps from a soap actor, a twirl or two from a pop star, some fancy footwork from a sportsman and a dramatic entrance from the political clown.

And this year's Strictly lineup, revealed on Tuesday, does not put a foot wrong. Edwina Currie takes the former Tory battleaxe role, filled last year by Ann Widdecombe.

Fellow contestants for the BBC1 show, which starts on Saturday, include Jason Donovan, Lulu and Rory Bremner.

Also appearing will be sportsmen Robbie Savage and Audley Harrison, plus lawyer and sequin-lover Nancy Dell'Olio, who came to public attention as the former partner of Sven-G�ran Eriksson.

Russell Grant will line up too, becoming Strictly's first ever dancing astrologer. Viewers should presumably prepare themselves for an onslaught of jokes about predictable results.

Currie is no stranger to reality TV ? she appeared on Channel 4's Celebrity Wife Swap, where she furiously waited hand and foot on an underpants-clad John McCririck.

Donovan, a singer and former Neighbours actor, finished third in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2006. A second ex-Neighbours star, Holly Valance, will also take the floor.

Anita Dobson, who memorably played Angie in EastEnders, will be hoping to emulate Pamela Stephenson Connolly, who last year broke the rule that Strictly audiences would never back an older woman and finished third.

Viewers do tend to give sports stars an easier ride, regardless of their competence when it comes to performing ? Joe Calzaghe lasted until week five in 2009 despite dancing that judge Len Goodman said "only a mother could love". Footballer Savage and boxer Harrison can also look to cricketer Darren Gough, the 2005 winner, for inspiration.

TV presenters Daniel Lobb and Alex Jones, from Daybreak and The One Show, are also competing. The dancing competition has traditionally proved kind to familiar faces from news and magazine programmes ? Natasha Kaplinsky (2004) and Chris Hollins (2009) both won the title while working for BBC Breakfast.

The youngest contestants will be Chelsee Healey, 23, who plays Janeece Bryant in BBC1 series Waterloo Road, and Harry Judd, 25, the drummer with the band McFly.

Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly return as hosts while judge Alesha Dixon is back for a third series with Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli.

Strictly fills the Saturday night pre-Doctor Who slot, avoiding a clash with The X Factor on ITV1 which, despite new judges, has had a strong start in the ratings.

Vicky Frost

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/sep/06/strictly-come-dancing-2011-contestants

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Paperback Q&A: AD Miller on Snowdrops

In the first in a regular series of interviews with the authors of newly-published paperbacks, Man Booker shortlistee AD Miller talks about writing his novel, Snowdrops

1. How did you come to write Snowdrops?

When I was a foreign correspondent in Russia, I wrote an article about the role of snow in the life of Moscow. I discovered the concept of the human "snowdrop": Russian slang for a body that lies buried in the winter snow, emerging in the thaw. The image seemed to capture the harshness of life in Russia, but also potentially to be a metaphor for other ideas, too, such as the way experiences that you try to repress can catch up with you. I fixed on the voice of the narrator ? a lonely, drifting, 30something expat lawyer, living in Moscow during the few-questions-asked oil boom. Those were the two initial elements of the novel.

2. What was most difficult about it?

First-person storytelling turned out to be a lot harder than I had anticipated: the whole business of conveying things to the reader that the narrator himself can't see, or doesn't want to; hoping readers won't mind not liking him. Depicting his moral decline ? which is what the book is ultimately about ? through his voice was tough. But I think the hardest part of any extended piece of writing is sustaining the morale of the author.

3. What did you most enjoy?

Very occasionally, you feel you've got a scene or passage right and true; that you managed to put down what you were hoping to. There are a few bits of Snowdrops in that category. Oddly they mostly involve torture of one kind or another.

4. How long did it take?

About two and a half years, plus another six months or so for revisions after the book found a publisher (for most of that first period I wasn't at all sure it ever would). I had a full-time job for all of that time, though. I'm not sure how long it would have taken if I hadn't. Maybe longer.

5. What has changed for you since it was first published?

It's a weird feeling when people start talking to you about the characters who've been living in your head; what had felt intimate suddenly becomes very public. It's upsetting when readers don't get what you wanted to do but lovely when they seem to.

6. Who's your favourite writer?

Shakespeare. Also Isaac Babel, Dostoevsky, WG Sebald, Nabokov, Melville.

7. What are your inspirations?

Hard to say. My novice's view of creative writing isn't altogether romantic. It does involve feelings and ideas ? you can't just turn it on and off ? but it is also long, lonely work.

8. Give us a writing tip.

Do it your own way.

9. What, if anything, would you do differently if you were starting the book again?

Lots of things. But it might not be a good idea to specify.

10. What are you working on now?

A short story about politicians and phone-hacking, and another about a man collecting a takeaway.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/06/a-d-miller-snowdrops

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Laura Marling ? A Creature I Don't Know: album stream

Let us know what you think of Laura Marling's third album

Things have changed for Laura Marling. The once fey folkie who wouldn't say boo to a goose now comes wrapped in an Iron Maiden T-shirt and plays thrash-metal songs called things like The Beast. OK, so the thrash-metal bit is a lie, but as the singer explained in a recent interview with the Guardian's Laura Barton, she now has a new-found confidence when it comes to songwriting.

Listen to this "darker and bolder" direction using the player below and let us know what you think in the comments section. Laura Barton will drop by to share whatever pearls of wisdom she's attained from several years of Marling fandom, so any questions for her, fire away.

? Laura Marling's A Creature I Don't Know is released on 12 September. Find out more at lauramarling.com

guardian.co.uk/music

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/sep/05/laura-marling-album-stream

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Jessie calls off Vince 'crisis talks'

Filed under: Celebrity Gossip

After a week of 'revelations' from her fiancé's ex-partners, Jessie Wallace has reportedly called off a week of "crisis talks".

The EastEnders actress was supposedly due to meet cheating Vince in Crete for the second week of what would have been their honeymoon but has now told Morse to stay away.
According to The Sun, 39-year-old Jessie told him he had "blown his second chance".

A source told the paper: "She called him every name under the sun. When she read that it was known she'd agreed to meet him after what he'd done, she flipped."

So it appears the actress took note of the ex-wife's warning and put an end to his hopes of rekindling the relationship.

The source added: "Vince is heartbroken but is starting to see Jessie for what she is - volatile and aggressive. She blames everything on him but she's been a destructive force too with her horrific mood swings."

You know what they say... there's two sides to every story.

What do you think - should Jessie take some of the blame for the break-up or is it all on Vince? Leave a comment below...

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It's never an easy time when a relationship comes to an end, so spare a thought for these poor celebs who've had to go through their splits in the public eye...

Source: http://celebrity.aol.co.uk/2011/09/05/jessie-wallace-vince-morse-crisis-talks/

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Meek Mill 'Ima Boss' Video Fulfills Boyhood 'Dream'

'As a young boy ... you had dreams of shooting a big video in your 'hood,' Philly MC tells MTV News of gritty clip.
By Rob Markman

Meek Mill
Photo: Jerritt Clark/ FilmMagic

It has been a breakout year for Meek Mill, and in his video for "Ima Boss," the Rick Ross protégé wanted to celebrate all things Philly.

"It felt good, man. That's what I always had dreams to do," Mill told MTV News about making a clip in his hometown. "As a young boy, you wanted to be a rapper, you had dreams of shooting a big video in your 'hood, everybody showing you love. It went exactly as planned."

Before Meek, rappers like State Property's Beanie Sigel, Freeway and Young Chris were the premier torchbearers for the city, and together they all appear in "Ima Boss."

"You know, they just came through and rocked out with me," Meek said of the cameos. "If they had a video, I'd come through and rock out; they wouldn't even have to call me. It's all love, it's all Philly at the end of the day," the Philadelphia MC added. "They opened the doors for me and I'm tryna open the doors for other people, so it's like we all work together to do the same thing at the end of the day."

The Benny Boom-directed video has no real bells and whistles, just a distinct street feel that has been absent in many of today's rap videos. Throughout much of the video, Meek Milli and his crew can be seen riding motorbikes through the streets, a visual that is reminiscent of DMX's 1998 "Ruff Ryders Anthem" clip. It is no coincidence.

"I used to always love those videos and I used to always run in the house and try to catch those videos coming on," the Maybach Music MC says of the old Ruff Ryders visuals. "The Eve videos, when Eve was sitting on the handlebars of the four-wheeler, I used to do that in the street just 'cause of the video."

Even the hefty Ross can be seen riding the streets of Philly on a four-wheeler. "He was with it, I was kind of skeptical about it," Meek said. "He was like, 'Whoa, let's ride through the 'hood!' I was like, 'You sure that's what you wanna do? This the jungle out here,' but he was with it. Ross is always like that when it comes to Philly." Like a Bawse!

What do you think of Meek's "Ima Boss" video? Tell us in the comments!

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What happened to Amy's money? Singer leaves �2m behind

Filed under: Celebrity Gossip

Amy Winehouse was reportedly worth just over £2 million when she passed away in July.

Annual accounts for the singer's two companies, Cherry Westfield and CW Touring, were published yesterday and the figures for both were down on the previous year, prompting questions about what happened to Amy's fortune.
Cherry Westfield was shown to be worth £2,004,963 in November last year (down £20,000 on 2009) while CW Touring went from £142,012 in 2009 to just £8,032 in 2010.

In 2008, Amy made the Sunday Times' Rich List having amassed some £10 million but her lifestyle quickly began to take its toll and by 2009 (and again in 2010) that figure was estimated at £5 million.

She was, however, notoriously generous when it came to friends and family and the years of excess may account for the missing millions.

The cause of Winehouse's death, for the time being at least, also remains something of a mystery.

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Though Amy's talent was overshadowed by personal problems, it was her talent that the stars remembered in the wake of her tragic death...

Source: http://celebrity.aol.co.uk/2011/09/05/amy-winehouse-money/

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Alec Baldwin Goes Downtown

BUYER: Alex Baldwin
LOCATION: New York City, NY
PRICE: $12,500,000 (list)
SIZE: 4,137 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: What's old quickly becomes new again in the world of celebrity real estate. Two weeks ago the peeps at The Post reported that Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor Alec Baldwin listed his long-time home at the high-toned and twin-towered Eldorado building on New York City's Central Park West with an asking price of $9,500,000.

What was not mentioned was that Mister Baldwin attempted to sell the 3 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom spread on the 22nd floor at The Eldorado way back in August 2009 with a much lower asking price of $7,500,000. It doesn't take clicks and flicks of the hard-working beads on Your Mama's bejeweled abacus to determine that Mister Baldwin and his Real Estate have seen fit to jack up the price by a full two million dollars even though, arguably, the real estate economy isn't all that much better today than it was two years ago.

Anyhoo, at the very same time Mister Baldwin listed his 22nd floor co-operative apartment at The Eldorado he also listed a second 1-bedroom unit with 12-foot ceilings on the ground floor of the building with an asking price of $1,200,000. This unit no longer appears on the open market nor is is mentioned in current listing information for Mister Baldwin's bigger unit upstairs. Make of that what you will.

Mister Baldwin has been on on the house for new digs in The Big Apple for quite some time. Originally his search centered around Upper West Side where he reportedly peeped at numerous fancy pads including places at the troubled Apthorp building and a 4 bedroom spread at The Dakota priced at $12,500,000.

Ultimately 50-something year old Mister Baldwin turned his real estate attentions downtown where his plan, as per all the New York City property gossips, is to buy a new crib where he can bunk in the lap of luxury with his much younger 28-year old lady-friend, yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas.

Within days of The Post reporting on Mister Baldwin's (re-)listing of his Upper West Side aerie, a real estate snitch whispered to the fine folks at Curbed that Mister Baldwin has signed contracts to purchase a duplex penthouse at the newly renovated Devonshire House in Greenwich Village's hoity-toity Gold Coast 'hood. The hulking red-brick pre-war edifice was originally designed by noted and beloved architect Emery Roth who, coincidentally, also designed the geometric Art Deco magnificence that is The Eldorado.

Mister Baldwin (allegedly and reportedly) opted for a 4,137 square foot penthouse pad at Devonshire House that last carried an asking price of $12,500,000. Listing information shows the posh penthouse?with interiors done up and did over by big-time decorator Victoria Hagan?contains 3 sizable bedrooms, each with private (and windowed) pooper. The large master suite, tucked into a oblique corner of the building with eastern and northern views, features an entry vestibule with coat closet?which we love?a windowed bathroom with separate glass-enclosed shower and raised soaking tub, private sitting area/study, and a dressing hall lined with closets.

The main living space pinwheels around a floating staircase and includes a formal dining room, living room with fireplace, and eat-in kitchen with center island breakfast bar plus room for a table, white Shaker-style cabinets, crisp white counter tops and grey-veined marble back splash, deep farm house sink and commercial-style stainless steel appliances.

The floor plan, as marked up in marketing materials, shows a somewhat awkward relationship between the foyer, living room, kitchen and dining room. As marked, one has to go through the kitchen or dining room in order to get to the living room. Iffin this were Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter's $12,500,000 penthouse we'd probably make the dining room the living room and the living room the dining room in an effort to promote a more harmonious relationship between the public spaces.

The second floor contains a family room/den with built-in wet bar, windowed bathroom and access to two terraces, a smaller one that overlooks the building's courtyard and a larger one that hangs over tree-lined East 10th Street.

listing photos and floor plan: Stribling

Source: http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2011/08/alex-baldwin-goes-downtown.html

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