THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • 17 Hilarious Karen Walker Quotes

    17 Hilarious Karen Walker Quotes

    A few weeks ago, I was ill and in need of cheering up. I padded over to my DVD shelf and picked up a box set of Will & Grace. After watching one episode, I was hooked and ended up watching the entire box set.

    What struck me as I watched and laughed is that I’d forgotten how funny Karen Walker is. So here are 17 of my favourite Karen quotes, on all the important things in life.

    Karen Walker on Herself

    Karen Walker on Alcohol

    Karen Walker on Drugs

    NBC/KoMut

    Karen Walker on Friendship

    Karen Walker on Maintaining Friendships

    Karen Walker on Marriage

    Karen Walker on Sex

    Karen Walker on Being Lesbian

    Karen Walker on Nature

    NBC/KoMut

    Karen Walker on Fashion

    Karen on Grace’s Fashion Choices

    Karen Walker on The Gay Tree

    NBC/KoMut

    Karen Walker on Crazy

    Karen Walker on Work

    Karen Walker on hook ups

  • FILM REVIEW | Grand Budapest Hotel

    Wes Anderson’s latest extravagant cornucopia of cinematic delight is a visual overload that as it’s multi-layers are unpeeled, bombards one with such glorious minute detail at a frenetic pace one that there are times when you cannot fail to be dizzy with glee.

    Partly inspired by the works of Stefan Zelig a Austrian Jew who was one of the world’s most famous writers in the 1930s but is now mostly forgotten. The author who serves as narrator of the movie is based on Zelig, but Anderson also claims that the central character of the exuberantly fastidious concierge M. Gustavo is in fact modeled on him too.

    The setting is the fictional mid-European country with a Cinderella-esq pink palace precariously perched on top of the Alps is The Grand Budapest Hotel. The story told in flashbacks is of that glorious carefree pre war period when unseemly luxury was the order of the day. This temple of excess where the wealthy landed gentry were indulged in every whim was overseen by the purple coated M. Gustavo. Adored by both staff and guests alike nothing was ever too much trouble for this dandified perfectionist, from religiously handing out his mots of wisdom to his team, to sleeping with any of the elderly dowager guests. Preferably the ones who were very rich and blond.

    When one such lucky recipient of his sexual prowess upped and died and M Gustavo travelled to his late lover’s Schloss to pay his respects, he discovered much to the chagrin of her evil son, that she had left M. Gustavo with a priceless painting. By now M. Gustavo had taken a paternal shine to Zero his latest Lobby Boy, and the two contrived to snatch the painting and make off with it before the son could stop him.

    What follows is a joyous frenzied romp that includes M. Gustavo being jailed, Zero and his confectioner girlfriend aiding and abetting his escape, with the local militia in hot pursuit. Packed with incidents which really are all about marking the passing of this old World of a more leisured era before the War would end all of this and all that The Grand Budapest Hotel represented. Now as all the goings on are related to the author decades later by the new elderly owner, the Hotel is a sorry remnant of its glorious past. As is the owner, who was once the newbie Lobby boy Zero.

    Mr Anderson as usually sets out to prove that there is no such thing as a ‘small part’ in his movies by packing his cast with a roster of major Hollywood players that they ensure that no character is anything less than a star turn. They include Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Kietel, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson plus Tilda Swinton in her totally scene stealing cameo as an 84 year old Dowager. Ralph Fiennes is superbly sublime as the cologne-reeking reckless Gustavo M., and full credit too the unknown Tony Revelon who held his own in this star studded piece with his captivating performance as young Zero.

    For me like most of Mr Anderson’s previous movies he has to share the well deserved applause with his production designer Oscar nominated Adam Stockhausen and his cinematographer Robert Yeoman who made it look simply stunning. There were times I was so immersed with the impeccably choreographed shots on this candy-box covered set that I practically ignored the story line itself.

    Anderson’s wicked sense of humor and the outrageous characters and the sheer joy he imbues in these near masterpieces of movies unwittingly make them some of the sophisticated campest spectacles in our cinemas today that rightly attract a large gay following worldwide.

    Don’t miss one. It’s a real treat

    Available to buy / view on: Amazon | Amazon Prime | iTunes

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Angel and Now We Are Pope, London Theatre, New Cross

    ★★★ | Angel and Now We Are Pope, London Theatre, New Cross

    Faith and desire clash in this premiere double-bill of one-man plays.
    In ‘Angel’, a priest devotes his life to God and fights daily against the temptations of the flesh. Now he must confront the man – or angel – or demon that haunts him.

    In ‘Now We Are Pope’, eccentric writer Frederick Rolfe rejoices in exile and the companionship of the gondoliers of Venice. Alone in his room he relives his most famous novel, Hadrian VII.

    The London Theatre is an intimate fringe venue, with the actors alarmingly close to the audience, inhabiting a small sparse set. Both actors, Christopher Peacock and Christopher Annus, give strong performances. ‘Angel’ was the more powerful of the two monologues with a strong sinister theme that packed a punch. ‘Now We Are Pope’, although intriguing, was at times rambling and hard to follow. Frederick Rolfe is definitely an intriguing character with eccentricity abounding and is certainly a character that is worth reading more about.

    The London Theatre is an interesting addition to the London Fringe Theatre scene. The double bill runs until the 23rd March 2014

    http://thelondontheatre.com

  • THE FRIDAY FIVER: 21st March 2014

    One week till payday, and boy does it feel far away! But here are some songs to keep you going till that glorious one day next week.

    Gerda Monroe – Understood ★★★★

    Giving off serious early 80’s Kim Wilde vibes, hailing from Denmark this is a very strong debut single featuring some gentle guitar riffs, 80s style pop vocals, soaring synth riffs and a very big chorus! 4/5

    YOUTUBE | ITUNES

    Lady Gaga – G.U.Y. ★★★★★

    After running into a bit of trouble with the video (i.e. none) for last single Do What You Want Gaga returns with the promise of her best video to date, it was shot at the uber swank Hearst Castle in California, and as for the song? G.U.Y sees Gaga return with a massive balls to the dancefloor walls anthem. One of the highlights from her current album, produced by the now Grammy Award winning DJ, Producer and Popstar Zedd. 5/5

    YOUTUBE | ITUNES

    Sigma – Nobody To Love ★★★★

    Stand by for one of the biggest singles of this year, the pre-orders alone have guaranteed that! It’s a massive drum n bass affair with an incredibly catchy gospel tinged chorus to boot. 5/5

    YOUTUBE | ITUNES
    Shakira – Dare (La La La) ★★★★

    Her hips don’t lie and neither does this tune, kicking off her new album (out next week) is this surprisingly huge dance anthem, sadly it is the only song of its type on the album but that makes it stand out from the crowd. Truth or dare on the dancefloor anyone? 4/5

    YOUTUBE | BUY ON ITUNES
    Sia – Chandelier ★★★★★

    IM GONNA SWING FROM THE CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDELIEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Songwriter extraordinaire and exec-producer of Kylie’s latest album, Sia, returns to her day job of being an amazing popstar, and boy is she back with a bang! Containing one of the biggest choruses of any pop song in the past few years, this is going to be a rather big hit. 5/5

    YOUTUBE | BUY ON ITUNES
    What do you think of these songs? Leave your comments below.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Never Try This At Home, Sheffield Crucible Studio, UK Tour

    ★★★★ | Never Try This At Home, Sheffield Crucible Studio, UK Tour

    In this “disturbing homage to Saturday Morning television”, TV reunion show, “Looking Back Together” examines what ever happened to the cast of the anarchic TV show, Shushi, which was taken off air when things get out of hand and sexy “for the dads” presenter, Petra Massey, has a breakdown live on the show. As the peek behind the scenes reveals, not everything is well behind the custard pies and the buckets of water.

    “Told by an Idiot” Theatre Company presents this very funny, dark comedy in an affectionate, tongue in cheek tribute to the time when Tiswas and Swap Shop ruled the Saturday morning airwaves. Crammed full of references and in-jokes to those halcyon days of children’s weekend entertainment, this chaotic, laugh out loud funny and refreshingly politically incorrect show was packed full of nostalgia. The references are easy enough to spot, and with everything covered from the custard pies, the ridiculous games (“kick a vicar” and “build a dog”) and a thinly disguised Noel Edmunds impersonation, very little escapes unscathed.

    The show affectionately pokes fun at the style of TV shows of the 70’s and also a sly sideways swipe at the current crop of reunion shows. The format of the show is cleverly done, transforming the audience in the theatre into the audience of a recording of fictional TV show “Looking Back Together”, where clips of Shushi are played out (live on the stage) and the presenters are brought out and interviewed by a Jeremy Kyle tinged presenter. The TV show within a TV show format was original and worked well in the performance space.

    As for the humour, the piece was dark in its comic tone, but very funny. Ranging from slapstick to silly and including a biting social commentary on the 1970’s attitudes to race, gender and sexuality. The show does have a number of jokes where you can’t help but think “did they really just say that”, but the humour stays in a similar vein, albeit at a good arm’s length away, to Sacha Baron-Cohen’s “Borat”.

    The performances from the cast were full of energy and suitably silly, nicely parodying the presenting style of the time. The flares, wigs and catsuits fitted the show perfectly and with the amount of water, custard pies and baked beans flying around, the front row remained sensibly empty. The cast fully involved the audience and it was hard to tell at times what was rehearsed and what was improvised. The enjoyment of the cast in their performances was infectious and after the show’s 90 minutes running time, the presenters of “Shushi”, felt like old friends (in the same way that Simon Groom and John Noakes were back in the day).

    The show was really good fun, especially for those who grew up in the 70’s and brought back many memories of wasted Saturday mornings. With the laughter ringing out from the audience throughout the show, it was clear to see that the satirical writing was a huge hit with them.

    Never Try This At Home is currently playing at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre. Details and tickets can be found at http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/never-try-this-at-home-14/ .

    The show then moves to Edinburgh and Soho.

    Details can be found at http://www.toldbyanidiot.org/productions/never-try-home/

  • TECH TALK: Future Proof TV

    We take a quick look at the future of TV. Mainly streaming content to our TV from other devices, and with today’s release of Google’s long awaited Chromecast in the UK, is Streaming going to take off?

    CHROMECAST
    Is just simply a dongle that plugs into an HDMI socket in your television which then connects to your Wi-Fi signal and that is it, simple as that, You can then stream content such as films, TV, music to your TV from your laptop, tablet or smartphone. YouTube, Netflix and IPlayer come built in with more apps and content on the way, using the Chrome browser you can install a plug-in that lets you “cast” webpages direct from your browser with the tap of a button. The best bit? Its only £30

    Compatible with Android, IOS, Mac, Windows and Chromebooks

    NOW-TV
    Powered by SKY TV this is essentially a no contract no satellite way of having SKY TV and you can’t stream to content to your TV from your laptop, tablet or smartphone, but what it does do is give you access to 3 optional pay per month packages. Film, Entertainment and Sport.

    For £4.99 a month the Entertainment bundle offers you access to the very best in American TV from Game Of Thrones, 24 and The Walking Dead, you also got 10 live channels including SKY Atlantic and Comedy Central.

    The Movies bundle is £8.99 a month and for that you get access to SKY’s huge Movie database, over 800 films to stream and with 16 new movies added a month and upto a year ahead of other services It’s a pretty great package.

    The Sports Pass is £9.99 per day and gives you access to all 6 of the Sport Channels, you can also buy a day pass if you just want watch to the occasional big events.

    You can also just buy the box itself without buying any of the packages, the box comes pre-loaded with a long list of apps from Facebook, Youtube, Spotify, Picasa, SKY News and a plethora of others you can install for free. Catchup services like iPlayer, Demand 5, 4OD are also included.

    The Box itself is just £10! But you can buy 6 monthly packages for new user direct from their site

    ROKU
    The Roku comes in 4 different versions, 4 boxes and a new streaming stick. The boxes connect directly to your wifi and the stick plugs into an HDMI socket on your TV and uses the wifi to stream.

    ROKU offers over 450 channels of movies, TV, music, and games at your disposal from the standard free apps such as Facebook, iPlayer, Demand 5, Spotify, SKY Store, not only do you get a huge list of free apps and content you are also able to pay-as-you-go on movies on TV using Netflix, Sky Sports and rent the latest realease from £3.49 from the Sky Store.

    The remote control doubles up as motion controller for playing games with, which is nice. Download the free ROKU app for IOS or Android and you can use that as a controller as well.

    Prices Start from £49.99 for the Streaming Stick and £39.99 for the basic box

  • Birmingham Drama School ‘Comes Out’ To Challenge Homophobia

    Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), part of Birmingham City University, is addressing gay preconceptions in a new theatre production where characters are scrutinised for being ‘straight’, in a society where everyone else is gay.

    Devised and performed by Outspoken, a company of graduates and students from BSA’s Applied Performance course, ‘Heterophobia’ tells the story of Ryan, a 15 year-old heterosexual male who is trying to ‘come out’.

    Tom Craig, who plays the role of Ryan and graduated from BSA in 2013, said “’Heterophobia’ is a really powerful piece as it makes you realise just how unfair sexuality prejudices are and the troubles that young people can feel are placed on them when expressing their sexuality.”

    The theatrical performance, developed in collaboration with Birmingham Hippodrome, sees Ryan develop feelings for classmate Alice and is later exposed to cyber bullying when peers learn that Ryan is heterosexual and attracted to someone of the opposite sex.

    The production follows on from the recent outrage and anti-gay climate at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and a report released earlier this year by Youth Chances warning that a generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face a mental health crisis, with the neglect of LGBT issues by schools contributing to an environment of hostility of fear.

    Hannah Phillips, Course Director of Applied Performance at BSA and Director of ‘Heterophobia’, said: ‘The findings from the Youth Chances survey were very concerning, revealing that more than half of young gay people have suffered mental health issues and 40% have considered suicide. The School Report by the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall, revealed that homophobic bullying is still widespread in schools, with three in five young people who experience homophobic bullying saying that teachers who witness the bullying never intervene. The development of social media means that this bullying then continues online out of school hours.

    ‘’Heterophobia’ is an urban musical which has been made to engage young people with these complex and sensitive issues and challenge normative stereotypes through spoken word, MC, dance and live video projection. ‘Heterophobia’ explores the ‘coming out’ of a heterosexual young male in a gay world, switching the roles of the oppressed and the oppressor!

    ‘Getting audience members to view this situation from another angle may help them to understand the impact that this type of bullying can have on young people.’

    ‘Heterophobia’ incorporates interactive digital technology and a fusion of art forms – dance, drama, original songs, film and animation, performance poetry and spoken word, as well as providing a new model of audience participation by welcoming spectators to explore and engage with the stage and set before each performance begins.

    Also featuring in ‘Heterophobia’ are two members of Antics Dance Crew, who appeared in Sky 1’s ‘Got to Dance’ and radio and television presenter Joanne Malin, who has recorded a mock news broadcast to be included in the production.

    Performances take place at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April, with tickets priced at £5. For more information and to book tickets, click here.

    Approx. running 70 minutes running time.

    Schools performances (aimed at Key Stages 3, 4 & 5): Thursday 3 April at 1.30pm and Friday 4 April at 10.30am.

    Public performances: Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April at 7.15pm

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour

    ★★★★★ | Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, UK Tour

    Matthew Bourne’s critically acclaimed production of Swan Lake is welcomed back to the stage on this national tour. Based on the traditional ballet, Bourne provides an updated and contemporary vision of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. The piece follows a young prince who is bored with his life of public duties and frustrated by his mother’s inability to truly show any affection towards him. His life escalates to the point where he contemplates suicide, but changes his mind when he appreciates the beauty and magnificence of the swans on the lake. But his saviours may also be his downfall as matters culminate in confrontation and rejection at the Grand Ball.

    Bourne’s signature contemporary twist on the classic ballet is simply outstanding and leads to a beautiful, moving and breath-taking pieces of theatre. This version is perhaps best known for using an all-male ensemble for the bevy of swans, but whilst there is no denying the dramatic impact that places on the piece, there are so many other elements which elevate this piece of dance to the dizzying heights it reaches.

    Starting with the music, the show preserves Tchaikovsky’s score and plays it beautifully, with the sound being crisp, crystal clear and loud enough to be the perfect balance of being dramatic but never intrusive. The costumes were lavish, even down to the finest details. The set was sturdily constructed and looked amazing. The use of lighting created an individual atmosphere in every single scene and an incredible use of shadows during one particular scene created a chilling environment. In essence, the whole production was of the highest quality and absolutely oozed an abundance of class and sophistication.

    From the almost monochrome opening scenes in the palatial bedchamber to the vibrant explosion of colour in the Swank Bar, the modern twists provided by Bourne provided for a fresh and vivacious production which constantly surprised and delighted in equal measures. A combination of clever nods to the source material added to the joy, for example, Bourne boldly stages a ballet within a ballet, poking some tongue in cheek fun at the romantic ballets themselves, of which Swan Lake is a prime example.

    The grace, elegance and sheer talent of the entire cast was undeniable and simply could not be faulted in any way. The infusion of different style of dance, from ballet to jazz and beyond was seamless and fitted the traditional score perfectly whilst the narrative aspect of the production was easy to follow and conveyed the story well.

    By replacing the female swans with a male ensemble, the show has been interpreted as being very homo-erotic, not least because of the relationship between the Prince and the Male Swan but the attractive cast quite rightly underplay the point, keeping the show more on the right side of sensuality as opposed to eroticism.

    From the opening scenes to the terrifying and tearful finale, this show has everything to recommend it including humour, style, spectacle, originality and genuine emotion. As a piece of theatre, it cannot be recommended highly enough.

  • REVIEW | Polari Literary Salon, The Southbank Centre

    ★★★★ | Polari Literary Salon, The Southbank Centre

    If you’ve not been to Paul Burston’s Polari Literary Salon, you must. I insist.

    I had my Polari Literary Salon cherry popped last night and it was stunning. An incredible, humbling and glorious array of literary talent showed their prowess on stage including: Carl Stanley, Nicolas Collins, Karen McLeod, Angela Clerkin and Maureen Duffy.

    A special mention for Karen McLeod, whose ‘humourless lesbian’ character Barbara Brownshirt had the room in tears with her odes to Judi Dench and cruelty free shoes.

    Also Angela Clerkin’s immensely enjoyable reading about her stage wetting Irish dancing nemesis provided light and shade against the often angst but thought-provoking poetic readings from Nicolas Collins, while Carl Stanley opened the evening with an intimate reading from his book about growing up gay in early 80s.

    An abundance of readings of poetry and excerpts from the author’s books, the evening provided a spotlight on some of the best queer writing, expertly hosted by the ever gorgeous and critically acclaimed Paul Burston.

    The next Polari Literary Salon evening at the Southbank Centre is on the 28th April and will star:
    Philip Hensher, Sophie Ward, Rebecca Chance, LaJohn Joseph and Kiki Archer.

  • Book Review | The Wolf At His Door (Runes Trilogy Book 1) by Adrian Lilly

    ★★★★ | The Wolf At His Door (Runes Trilogy Book 1) by Adrian Lilly

    Alec is an out gay man and his twin brother Adam is straight; both are College Students and live at home with their parents – Ilene & Jason. Their older sister Lucy lives with her partner Rene nearby. Also close is their grandmother – Geraldine, a woman who has psychic ‘vibrations’ when something bad is going to happen.

    With Geraldine’s vibrations getting worse, Alec’s friends Sam & Celeste introduce him to Jared. Then Sam & Celeste are brutally murdered.

    The Prologue is overly dramatic, too descriptive and far too long. But once past that you discover Lilly‘s wonderfully engaging writers voice and his third person writing style that switches between characters perspectives. His writers voice and storytelling makes The Wolf at His Door an easy read that becomes highly addictive as the reader reads on.

    The story is told in three parts. In part one Lilly introduces the characters, Alec’s friend’s are brutally murdered in the night at a cabin in the woods and people are going missing. Part two deals with the aftermath of the murders, the Police start their murder investigation, green-eyed evil Darius targets Alec and the investigation of the missing people is on-going.

    In the third and final part Alec & Co. start their own investigation as to what’s going on. This leads to an absolutely epic ending and sets out the direction for the 2nd book. The love interest for Alec adds to the story. Overall the storyline was outstandingly captivating, oozes brilliance and is well paced.

    The description was perfectly measured throughout; although it did have a few Americanism’s that Lilly could have minimised or removed for more universal appeal. There were a few minor errors in dialogue formatting. But neither the Americanism’s or the errors in the dialogue formatting interrupted the flow of the storyline.

    Throughout the story there is a good mix of scenes: slow ones that evoke an emotional response, investigation ones that ignite the mind with questions and face-paced action scenes that grip the reader.

    By the end of The Wolf at His Door the reader has many answered questions; but some are left unanswered – which is what will make the trilogy enthralling.

    The Wolf at His Door (The Runes Trilogy) by Adrian Lilly is essentially a werewolf, gay, mystery novel. An enjoyable read that makes the reader impatient for the release of the 2nd book in the trilogy.

    The book is only available in eformat; but this makes it perfect to read on the bus, train or tube to work. The chapters are short meaning you could read several on the way to work. However you will find yourself reading on the way home as well – desperate to find out what happens next.

  • BBC 2 George Michael announces George Michael specials

    BBC Radio 2 is to broadcast two-part documentary of George Michael.

    BBC Radio 2 to broadcast two-part documentary ‘Up Close With George Michael’

    *George Michael ‘Symphonica’ concert highlights to be broadcast on BBC One

    BBC Radio 2 and BBC One will broadcast world-exclusive programming featuring George Michael, one of the UK’s best-loved musicians, giving the behind-the-scenes story of his critically acclaimed orchestral tour, ‘Symphonica’, as well as the highlights of a special charity performance he gave during the tour.

    The documentary will also broadcast a rare interview with the Outside singer, which will air on Tuesday 18th March and the 25th March.

    The documentary was recorded in October 2011, shortly before George contracted pneumonia, which forced a delay to the tour.

    George Michael says: “I’m delighted the BBC is broadcasting the Symphonica concert, which was recorded at the Opera Garnier in Paris, a stunning setting in which to perform a gig dedicated to a charity that’s so close to my heart. It was a magical night, so I’m thrilled that fans will get the chance to experience it, as well as hearing the behind-the-scenes story on Radio 2.”

    George Michael’s concert will be broadcast on BBC1 – date to be confirmed.