THEGAYUK

Day: 26 April 2016

  • Louis Walsh Reveals His Most Embarrassing Career Move

    Louis Walsh has slammed Jedward as his most embarrassing career move.

    The Irish music manager and ex- X Factor judge Louis Walsh has revealed that the most embarrassing moment of his career is Jedward, the twin singers whom he mentored during the 2009 series of the show  – he then plunged the knife in even further by saying that they were no-longer in touch.

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    Speaking to Woman’s Own this week the music mogul said the camp twins who appeared in 2009’s series of X FACTOR revealed that they were his most embarrassing career move, despite championing them and praising them highly on the show. They came sixth on the show and have a relatively successful career that’s seen them release 3 albums and even represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest.

     

    ALSO READ: Romania Booted From Eurovision 2016

    ALSO READ: Eurovision star says he was homophobically abused at Russian Airport

     

    Sources have hinted that Louis could be returning to the X Factor for the next series along with Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell – although the judging panel has not yet been disclosed.

    The move would see the three original judges return to the show, something which TV execs are hoping will save the show’s popularity, which suffered its worst ratings ever last series.

     

  • MUSIC REVIEW | Lemonade: Is Beyonce back?

    MUSIC REVIEW | Lemonade: Is Beyonce back?

    ★★★ | Lemonade

    So Beyoncé has released her latest album Lemonade, along with the visual film of it. I must say I was slightly apprehensive about it at first because her last couple of albums I haven’t really enjoyed apart from maybe a handful of the tracks.

    Lemonade

    I decided to go with the full experience and watch the visual version of the album, and I must say I was actually fairly impressed. The film tells a story so it’s something you have to watch the whole of to understand.

    Now obviously as a proper fan I can quite safely say that while I absolutely love Beyoncé, I can also call her out for releasing some crap in the past (not sure why she’s drinking watermelon, and what’s a surfbort?) and for the first 20 or so minutes of the visual album I was not feeling it, she was going along with the hard edged style that is obviously influenced a lot by her husband Jay-Z, but track 4 (Sorry) came on, and while there was still a hard edge style to it, it didn’t seem so aggressive so my ears perked up and I thought you know what I’ll give this album a chance, but my dreams were slightly dashed by Track 5 (6 Inch) that went straight back to the style I didn’t like. I started to zone out slightly but I was determined to stay the distance of the album.

    Suddenly I found myself jigging along to the track Daddy Lessons, this was so different from what had already been heard, it was bouncy, and almost a country style, and I was actually smiling while listening, and my hopes were well and truly raised, and the subsequent tracks I actually really enjoyed, and they all seemed to have different styles, from ballads to heartfelt gospel tracks.

    For the visual album, people might not really understand what Beyoncé is trying to say, and like the Formation video, it is unapologetically black and supportive of black women especially, but is also personal where she seems to be talking about the fact her husband allegedly cheated on her and her journey towards forgiveness.

    All in all, while the album isn’t on the same level as I Am…Sasha Fierce, Dangerously in Love or B’day it was enjoyable enough and I actually quite liked around half of the tracks and a few of them you’ll end up humming to yourself.

    Lemonade is out now, available on Tidal, iTunes and with the potential of Spotify in the near future

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Doctor Faustus

    ★★★| Doctor Faustus

    Picture Matt Humphrey

    The story of Doctor Faustus, the man who sells his soul to the devil, is an enduring one that translates well to the modern age. People can become elevated to giddy heights and accrue endless riches and advantages in the realms of celebrity and politics through seemingly mysterious and nefarious means. It’s still tempting to wonder what kind of pact they might have made whether spiritual or, more realistically who they’ve trampled on and betrayed along the way. The truth is probably less titillating and more prosaic. Doctor Faustus was originally published over 400 years ago but retains its relevance.

    The original author Christopher Marlowe is an Elizabethan enigma; dying in a much speculated upon pub brawl at the age of 29. His writing contained openly queer characters, complex romantic relationships and overtly homoerotic prose. Was he a gay man, a spy or a wily criminal? The speculation has lasted centuries along with his plays.

    “Doctor Faustus” opens with a gloomy dwelling with a Hieronymus Bosch style twist of hellishness. Dark figures loiter, hands reach around doors and faces are pressed against the windows. Naked figures move forward, blood flows and sedated looking humans in stained underwear creep around the set. Take your eyes off Kit Harrington (which isn’t easy as he’s incredibly handsome) for more than a few seconds and more horrors appear. Figures appear halfway up the walls, lurch out of doorways and materialise as if from nowhere. It’s actually really quite terrifying. This isn’t a production for the feint hearted. The warning list on the way in is quite impressive with a list of what horrors await you. Instead of the usual ‘theatrical haze’ and ‘strobe lighting’ there’s an itinerary that would make Mary Whitehouse turn in her grave.

    Kit Harrington proves that he can really act with an incredibly powerful performance. He’s also almost naked on a few occasions and that’s no bad thing. Jenna Russell (last seen in ‘Grey Gardens’) is on her usual top form as Mephistopheles. There’s also a very able supporting cast, a stunning and cunning set by Soutra Gilmour and appropriately intense sound and lighting design.

    All good so far but sadly the good stuff is very good and the bad stuff is very cringe-worthy. The Elizabethan script works as does the modern script by Colin Teevan but the two don’t blend together well. In fact, they positively jar. The modern allusions to celebrities and politicians are a little painfully awkward and the humour often falls flat. The second act starts with Jenna Russell singing “Bat Out of Hell”. It’s a bizarre beginning but definitely a sight worth witnessing. The action then flails somewhat and the atmosphere is shattered with skits that often feel silly, although fortunately the play always manages to pull itself back.

    Strongly recommended to see some amazing work from the lead actors (provided you can cope with violence, blood, faeces and sex) but ultimately, Dr Faustus fails to deliver all that it promises.

     

    Doctor Faustus plays at the Duke of York’s theatre until 25 June.

     

    @chrisb715

  • Whoops. John Barrowman Just Showed His Husband’s Penis Around The Globe

    Whoops. John Barrowman Just Showed His Husband’s Penis Around The Globe

    TV star John Barrowman just accidentally broadcast his husband’s penis across the internet!

    John Barrowman
    CREDIT: KathClick

    TV actor John Barrowman managed to broadcast his husband completely naked after he walked into the scene wearing absolutely nothing.

    CREDIT: John Barrowman / Facebook

    The former Doctor Who star was broadcasting live on Facebook when his husband Scott Gill walked into the view, holding nothing but towels – and for a couple of moments he appeared completely naked, and it turns out he’s not embarrassed by the exposure!

    The pair were enjoying a jacuzzi during John’s live stream.

    CREDIT: John Barrowman / Facebook

    As Scott walked into view John said,

    “Oh, Scott! Oh my God! You just… I’m live video! I can’t believe… everyone just saw you naked!”

    At the time of streaming there were four thousand fans watching to which Scott replied

    “ooo blimey”

    In a following stream, John said,

    “I wondered what the fuss was all about, but yep, you saw it. Now you know why we big boys stick together. Scott accidentally bared it all on Facebook and online, so there you go world, now you’ve seen it.

    “In no way are we embarrassed about what happened in the jacuzzi. The human form and the body, no matter what size you are, we should celebrate how we look and what we have.”

    Later in the stream John encouraged Scott to jump up naked to show the fan his butt!

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Funny Girl

    ★★★ | Funny Girl

    CREDIT: Johan Persson

    Is there anything Sheridan Smith can’t do?

    She’s now playing Fanny Brice in the new West End musical Funny Girl, but Smith has done quite a bit in her short 34 years. Already an OBE, Smith has won tons of awards for her work both on stage and on television. She’s won two Laurence Olivier Awards (Legally Blonde in 2011 and Flare Path in 2012) and one television BAFTA (Mrs. Biggs in 2013). Smith has also been featured in several films in the past few years, including the recent The Huntsman: Winter’s War and 2013’s Powder Room and The Harry Hill Movie. But it’s her role as Brice in Funny Girl that’s bringing Smith more plaudits and acclaim.

    In a role Smith starred in last year to sell out crowds at the Menier Chocolate Factory, it’s now transferred to the Savoy Theatre for a short 6 month run. Smith plays Brice, a role which made Barbra Streisand famous (and which won her a Tony and an Oscar), so Smith has huge shoes to follow. And does she fill them? Not even close.

    Fanny Brice is the true story of a young Brooklyn born Jewish girl with huge stage aspirations. The real Brice was born in 1891 to Hungarian immigrants who had arrived to the US as children but managed to make a life for themselves and their children in Brooklyn. So Smith’s job is to make you forget Streisand’s Brice and reinvent the character to make it her own. And she does in her own way. She’s charming and lovely and can sure belt out a tune. Songs made extremely memorable by Streisand – ‘People’ and ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ – are sung by Smith, good enough for this production, but not very memorable. And we’re supposed to believe that the handsome, debonair, charming (and con man) Nick Arnstein (Darius Campbell – perfect in the role) falls in love with her and not for her money. She’s so in love with him that she certainly can put up with his gambling habits and dubious investments. But even Brice can’t figure why he’s fallen for her, and neither can the audience.

    Brice does find fame and fortune as a performer, with a proud Jewish mother (Marilyn Cutts) by her side all the way, living her dream by being employed by the great Florenz Zlegfield (Bruce Montague). But the crux of the show is the relationship between Brice and Arnstein, it’s a volatile one but not quite believable, and it’s a shame that the show isn’t more about Brice’s talent and less about the relationship. Smith is given her moments, and she gives it all she’s got, a bit over the top at times (her Brooklyn Jewish accent is a bit over exaggerated at times).

    There are no amazing sets, and no showstopping numbers as in most musicals. But great costumes and an excellent supporting cast, with classic musical numbers, makes Funny Girl worth a look.

    It’s not a very memorable production but it’s clearly a star vehicle for Smith, and she makes it her own.

    Funny Girl plays at the Savoy Theatre until October 2016, 0844 871 7687