THEGAYUK

Day: 2 November 2014

  • Ant And Dec To Host The Brits 2015

    Ant & Dec, the primetime kings of British entertainment TV, will take over the prestigious hosting duties of The BRIT Awards with MasterCard next year. The BRITs will take place Wednesday 25th February at The O2 and will be broadcast live on ITV.

    The BAFTA award winning duo will return once again to take the helm of the biggest night in the UK music calendar having hosted in 2001, and will bring their popular humour and presenting prowess to proceedings, to ensure a truly memorable occasion.

    Ant & Dec said, ‘We’re really excited to be hosting the BRITs again next year, it is undoubtedly the biggest night in the British music calendar. We’re especially excited now we’re No.1 recording artists ourselves. We’ll be offering our advice to the fledgling pop stars backstage as to how to have a No.1 hit, as long as they’re prepared to wait 19 years for their records to top the chart like ours did!’

    Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have had an incredible career in TV broadcasting: starting off in BBC’s children’s drama Byker Grove they went on to make TV shows such as the BAFTA-award dinning Ant & Dec show which ran on BBC1 for two series, followed by a move to Channel 4 to make Ant & Dec Unzipped. Through their own production company, the duo launched SM:TV and CD:UK in 1998, and by 2000 had signed an exclusive contract with ITV1 which saw them present Pop Idol.

    In 2002, Ant & Dec were back on Saturday night TV with the launch of a new prime time show, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, before travelling all the way across the globe to host I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here which they continue to win awards for now. In 2007, the pair launched another entertainment giant with ITV1, Britain’s Got Talent. Ant & Dec have won a staggering number of awards throughout their career – including 26 National Television Awards, six British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA, and have risen through the ranks of British TV broadcasting to become two of the country’s true national treasures.

    The pair have also enjoyed an exciting music career which produced fourteen Top 20 hits including the pop smash Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble (re-released in 2013 to go straight to the top of the charts), three multi-platinum albums, as well as re-writing and recording the official World Cup anthem for the England football team in 2002.

    BRITs Chairman Max Lousada said: “Ant & Dec are two of the most popular TV broadcasters this country has ever produced and it’s a real honour to have them take centre stage once again to host the BRITs. It’s great that these two pillars of British TV will be part of a night about celebrating icons in British music.”

    The designer of the BRITs statue was recently unveiled as Tracey Emin, continuing the impressive lineage of British artists who have re-worked the famous Award with their own unique creative spin. Further campaign announcements will be made in the coming months including details for the second ever BRITs Week. The 2014 (and first ever) BRITs Week saw a host of musical events take place in the week running up to the main Awards date itself.

  • Architecture Competition To Build Tolerance In Russia

    Russia is not exactly known for its understanding nature.

    In June 2013 President Putin signed into law a bill that banned the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors.” This law has since been the basis for taking away the fundamental rights of Russia’s gay citizens including banning gay pride parades, fines for gay rights groups (they’re accused of acting as a foreign agent), and denial of registration to non-government organisations.

    As a result, violent attacks on gay people or “suspect gays” are becoming commonplace in Putin’s backwards thinking country. The vagueness of the term propaganda has helped Putin write the laws to suit his own ideas of how Russians should behave. The law is even in place for foreign visitors and is accompanied with a fine, detention and deportation.

    So you can’t hold your boyfriend’s hand in public but Putin’s fine with invading neighbouring countries.

    Anybody picking up on a problem with this logic? And with Belarus planning to follow Russia’s example the future seams bleak for the LGBT community in Eastern Europe.

    HMMD.org is therefore challenging architecture enthusiasts to envision a way to promote tolerance within Russia with their latest architecture competition. ‘Designing for Tolerance’ challenges designers from around the globe to propose a temporary pavilion for the education of social, political and religious tolerance, to be erected in Russia’s Red Square, Moscow.

    Entrants are challenged with conceiving a new pavilion that can be incorporated into educational spaces, with lecture and workshop rooms as well as exhibition spaces. Participants are also urged to consider other recreational and public spaces to support these educational programs.

    The competition offers a US$3,000 first prize (2nd prize is US$ 1500 and 3rd prize US$ 500), will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges and is a chance for architecture enthusiasts to not only win some cash and acclaim, but promote a real movement for tolerance in the world’s largest country.

    Entrants can be from any country, from any background and with any level of experience. What’s important is a passion for architecture and a desire to evoke some real change in some of the less-enlightened countries of the world.

    Build a more tolerant Russia, or at least sketch out the plans to it.
    Visit hmmd.org or email hello@hmmd.org for more information or to register.

  • Top 12 Tips To Get A Bargain At A Christmas Market

    More people than ever are considering taking a trip to a Christmas market in Europe this year, perhaps buoyed by the current strength of the Pound against the Euro, now offering £1 = 1.2465 Euros compared to £1 = 1.1588 Euros this time last year.

    While some stall holders will take cards, in most instances cash is king, offering opportunities for buyers to barter and haggle. Leading travel money provider ICE – International Currency Exchange is reminding travellers to request low denomination notes when ordering their currency to maximise the chances of some good old fashioned haggling and reduce the risk of theft in busy markets, by taking a pin-protected prepaid currency card.

    Koko Sarkari, COO of ICE said,

    “There are around 100 Christmas Markets in Germany alone, 25 in France, 20 in Belgium and 18 in Italy so there’s no shortage of magical places to visit this November and December. And if you fancy some haggling, you’ll need some cash to show the stall holder you mean business. But don’t be tempted to take all your spending money in cash – that could be asking for trouble. Load some money onto a prepaid currency card such as the ICE Travellers Cashcard and then withdraw what you need at ATMs and to pay for meals out and larger purchases in shops. Unlike a credit card, if a prepaid card is lost or stolen, only the amount on the card is at risk. One of the key benefits of the ICE Travellers Cashcard is that it comes with a free back up card which can be activated through one call to our team.”

     

    Top 12 Haggling Tips

    1. Do your research and shop around – make sure you know the types of crafts and products on offer and what they should cost

     

    2. Understand the exchange rate – make sure you know how much sterling is worth

     

    3. Don’t flash too much cash – take smaller denominations

     

    4. Learn the lingo – it’s much harder to negotiate in a foreign language so try to learn a few choice words – it may help the vendor to warm to you and lower the price

     

    5. Every city has its key take-home souvenir – ask the locals who does the best or cheapest souvenir

     

    6. Set a budget and don’t be tempted to exceed it

     

    7. Don’t haggle too soon

     

    8. Make sure you’re in control of the situation and lead the negotiation

     

    9. Offer half of the stated price as your first bid

     

    10. Stand your ground

     

    11. Get the vendor to include something extra for no additional cost

     

    12. NEVER tell them your budget

  • Jack Walton Booted Off X Factor

    Hottie Jack Walton was booted off the X Factor last night after a surprise double elimination this week.

    The young Yorkshire man failed to impress the judges with his shaky rendition of Leona Lewis’s mega smash Bleeding Love.

    Despite being the most popular contestant on the programme Jack failed to rack up the votes after his performance, despite his massive fan base each given 5 free votes on the X Factor App.

    This year X Factor voting rules have changed, with X Factor app users given 5 free votes per elimination.

    He was, however, the bookies’ favourite to be booted off the show. He is the second of Mel B’s northern lads to be kicked off after Jake Quickenden was axed last week.

    X Factor continues tonight at 8:00PM on ITV 1

  • Singapore Rules To Keep Anti-Gay Laws In Place

    A challenge to the law that criminalises homosexuality has today been dismissed by Singapore’s highest court, meaning that it’s still a crime to be gay in the country.

    Lim Meng Suang and Kenneth Chee Mun-Leon, a gay couple brought a case against Section 377A of the Penal Code in 2012, arguing that the provision, which outlaws gay sex, infringed on their rights. After initial losses at the High Court of Singapore, Mr Suang and Mr Mun-Leon appealed, and their case was heard along with fellow appellant Mr Tan Eng Hong in July 2014.

    Private same-sex sexual activity between adults has been illegal in Singapore since 1938, with the Penal Code that the British exported.

    NOTHING WE CAN DO.
    In the written ruling, handed down today, the judges said, ‘While we understand the deeply-held personal feelings of the appellants, there is nothing that this court can do to assist them. Their remedy lies, if at all, in the legislative sphere.’

    Jonathan Cooper, Chief Executive of the London-based Human Dignity Trust, which provided technical legal assistance to support the challenge, said, ‘This decision means that every gay man living in Singapore remains an unapprehended criminal.

    ‘And the criminalisation of homosexuality does not only affect men. The culture of shame and homophobia it fosters forms a shadow of oppression over Singapore’s entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.

    ‘The decision of the Court of Appeal to maintain the country’s anti-gay law – a poisonous remnant of British colonial rule – is a great disappointment, if not a surprise.

    ‘The Singaporean Constitution does not protect basic rights such as privacy and dignity and is therefore very limited in comparison to other Commonwealth countries we work in, which show more promise for legal challenges.

    ‘There is nowhere to go from the Singaporean Court of Appeal, meaning that this judgment is final. We must now look to the Singaporean Government, where strong leadership and progressive legislative change is required to pave the only path forward for LGBTI people.

    ‘The Singaporean Government must see, as the international business community will, that archaic homophobic laws frankly have no place in a modern hub of global finance and commerce.’

    ‘The stakes are high for multinational companies with a presence in Singapore, whose gay employees are currently at risk of prosecution simply for being who they are.

    ‘Employers with a commitment to equality and diversity face a difficult dilemma.’

  • Find Out How Your Tax Is Spent

    From Monday 3 November over 24 million people will start receiving their first Annual Tax Summary from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which breaks down exactly how their tax is spent by the Exchequer.

    8 million taxpayers who complete self-assessment returns will be able to access their tax summary online, while the 16 million PAYE taxpayers who received a tax coding notice from HMRC for 2013 to 2014 will receive their summary in the post over the next seven weeks.

    The summaries were first announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne at Budget 2012 in a move to make tax more transparent and easier to understand. They will set out how much tax and National Insurance each person paid in the previous year and how it contributed to public expenditure.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: ‘I promised that taxpayers would know much more about how much direct tax they pay and how that money is spent.

    ‘Now we’re delivering on that promise by giving 24m taxpayers a new personal tax summary.

    ‘It is a revolution in transparency and it will show how hardworking taxpayers have to pay for what governments spend.’

    Related Stories:
    Top 12 Tips To Get A Bargain At A Christmas Market
    Male Motorists Hit Hard With Car Insurance Rises
    MONEY: The Real Cost Of Leaving Equipment On Standby

    At Budget 2012 the Chancellor announced that around 20 million taxpayers would receive a tax summary detailing how their 2013 to 2014 tax year income tax and National Insurance contributions have been calculated.

    In April this year the Chancellor announced that 4 million more people than previously announced would receive the summary. The additional people are PAYE taxpayers who have had recent contact from HMRC setting out their tax calculation for an earlier tax year. These might be people with more complicated or changing circumstances such as a new job.

    There are 29.9 million income taxpayers in the UK. Any taxpayer who does not receive a tax summary can use HMRC’s tax calculator to estimate their tax bill and see how it contributes to public spending. The app can be downloaded free of charge from the Apple app store or Google Play by searching ‘HMRC tax calculator’.

  • Spotlight: Ben Haenow From X Factor 2014

    We spy with our little eyes something beginning with hot X Factor contestant Ben, but sorry boys he’s spoken for!

    The 29-year-old van driver from Croydon has certainly made an impact with audiences and has proved very popular with the judges and impressed them all with his version of Wild Horses. Ben used to be in a band with his brother called “The Lost Audio”. He is a long term relationship and nearly proposed to his girlfriend at the arena auditions.

    So what does it feel like to be through to the lives?

    “I can’t believe it. I wasn’t happy with my performance and everyone else was so good. To be the last one to be sent through, as well. It felt like I was waiting for a year”

    What did you feel about the makeovers?

    “I’m excited about it. I’m not sure I want highlights or blue ends but I’m definitely willing to have a bit of a trim. I’ve never been styled, I’ve never had that before.”

    What is your dream duet?

    “All my heroes are dead, man! Robert Plant, from Led Zep. If I could have a dead one it’d be Otis Reading. The guy has an amazing voice.”

    And what about your van days?

    “I might buy one for leisure purposes!”