THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • Polari Salon Returns To Southbank On 17th March

    Paul Burston’s Polari Literary Salon returns on Monday 17th March.

    On the 17th March, Paul Burston’s Polari Literary Salon returns to the Southbank Centre in London and will have readings from leading gay and lesbian authors Maureen Duffy, Angela Clerkin, Andrew Asibong, Nicolas Collins and Carl Stanley.

    Maureen Duffy heads the bill. A leading lesbian author and poet, her many novels include the classic The Microcosm.

    Her latest, In Times Like These, is a fable that puts politics to its ultimate test. Jill Gardiner describes it as ‘a pacy, exciting read, centered around an out-lesbian MP and her artist girlfriend, whose well-established relationship is very much of our times.’

    Paul Burston’s celebrated Polari salon provides a platform for new and emerging LGBT literary talent and showcases the very best in queer writing.

    Weston Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall

    At the end of 2013, Time Out announced that it was to cut the LGBT Listings pages from its printed edition in London – the section was edited by Paul Burston.

  • ALBUM REVIEW | Kylie, Kiss Me Once

    ★★★★ |  Kylie, Kiss Me Once

    The shimmering pop queen is back with a confident new update to her sound, she’s also feeling sexy and she wants you to know it!

    INTO THE BLUE:
    After a year of chucking out some promo singles, Kylie is back to business good and proper, with the lead single from Kiss Me Once. An epic stringed euphoric song in the same vein as All The Lovers and one the few “Kylie” songs on the album. ★★★

    MILLION MILES:
    Guitar intro alert! Don’t panic about 13 seconds later along comes the big throbbing beat to reassure you everything is going to be OK. A dance-pop guitar pop infused banger that wouldn’t sound out of place on the “Fever” / “Light Years” album. A song about feeling detached from any sexual activity and enjoying it! ★★★★

    I WAS GONNA CANCEL:
    Also known as that Pharrell produced song, and you can tell! His trademark cowbell sound signature funky basslines are all in place, the addition of some electro beats, a ghostly choir that pops up elevates the song and like much of the album it rattles along at a fair pace, so it doesn’t out stay its welcome. ★★★

    SEXY LOVE:
    This is another song that starts off very Kylie, and it really wouldn’t sound out of place on the “Fever” album, it also wouldn’t sound out of place on Daft Punks “Random Access Memories”. It’s fun, it’s frothy, it’s flirty and it’s precisely the kind of dance-pop that Kylie does so well. ★★★★

    SEXERCISE:
    Sound the co-written by Sia Klaxon. An interesting track for both Kylie and Sia, a sexual innuendo laden offering that starts off with some lovely airy strings and then comes in the chunky dub-step flecked bassline. It’s perfectly matched with the whole tone of the lyrics. It IS going to divide a lot of her long term fans, you will either love it or hate it. I love it! ★★★★

    FEELS SO GOOD:
    A cover of the little known song Indiana by Tom Aspaul and produced by the uber trendy MNEK (who has just score a Top 5 hit with his latest single) It just seems like it belongs to Kylie, it’s perfect for her, again it’s that kind of fluttering breathless dance-pop that she does so well, and it’s a nice juxtaposition to the down and dirty affair of the previous track. An album highlight. ★★★★

    IF ONLY:
    Don’t panic your CD / Download isn’t warped! This a stuttering beat infused electro “ballad” It’s big sounding and the marching beat with futuristic synths come together to make something pretty unique and addictve. The chorus is huge btw, it’s the song I have been singing most after listening. ★★★★

    LES SEX:
    Starting off with some clockwork style beats (that remain throughout the track), it bursts into life a few seconds later and it doesn’t stop! It’s the only real cheeky wink to camp Kylie, and it feels like a very modern successor to her camp classic Your Disco Needs You. Weird electro-frog noises, big giant electro riffs, processed snatches of vocals, it’s all a bit bonkers really. It is a song that was made to be performed live and will probably be one of the highlights of her upcoming tour. ★★★

    KISS ME ONCE:
    The album’s title track is once again co-written by Sia, in fact after the very first sentence and after verse you will want to burst into a quick chant of “Tiataniummmmmm” This is properly brilliant. It sounds like a classic “SAW” produced track but with very modern bells and whistles attached, and it’s probably the most “Kylie” song on the whole album. And after all the flirty sex infused songs it’s nice to have a song about love conquering all. ★★★★★

    BEAUTIFUL
    Also known as the duet with Enrique Iglesias, and considering he is about to have a massive Top 5 hit with his new single, it’s perfect timing. It’s very electronic and the chorus is undeniably huge and it literally erupts out of nowhere, but the robotic vocodered vocals of the verses are really grating. It’s a very bold move and it definitely stands out and as a future single it may be just the song to get Kylie noticed again. Again it’s going to divide a lot of people. ★★★

    FINE:
    Saving the best for last? This ain’t no sad ballad album closer! It’s a nice 90’s house influenced solid dance-pop banger, the surprise stuttering looped male vocals as found on many of the biggest dance hits of the past year really help give this a very modern feel and it’s a great ending to the album. ★★★★★

    Overall this is perhaps the best Kylie album of her career, it’s modern without sounding try-hard and she seems refreshed and she sounds like she is absolutely loving singing it. It’s a great update to her “sound” and has a high replay factor, which is great since the sunny days are a coming!

    Into the Blue is out now to buy and “Kiss Me Once” is released next week March 17th and comes in a standard edition and deluxe edition.
    Buy Into the Blue here
    Order Kiss Me Once From iTunes here or from Amazon here

  • Tom Daley Goes Global For ITV2

    Heartthrob and all round nice guy Tom Daley is going Global

    Tom Daley, the man who is stealing the hearts of gay men around the world is going global – more so. ITV2 have just released its first picture of the new show, which stars the Olympic diver.

    Cameras will follow Tom and his best friend Sophie as they kiss their families goodbye, pack their bags and head for the wilds of some of the most incredible countries on earth such as Thailand, Japan, Australia, Morocco and New Zealand.

    The trip will be a life-changing experience that will see Tom as he’s never been seen before- roughing it in hostels, sleeping on night trains and making new friends as he takes in everything typical of a student-backpacking trip in just six weeks.

    Tom said:

    I can’t wait to get away on my trip. Diving and training are my first love, but I am looking forward to a break from the norm and discovering more about places I’ve never had the chance to explore before. And to do it all with my best friend will be amazing.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Westend Fest, The Actors’ Church

    ★★★★ | Westend Fest, The Actors’ Church
    The West End was treated last Sunday evening to not one but two glittering charity fundraisers. I opted to visit the always-fun WestEnd Fest, held at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden over the larger and more-publicised West End Unites event at the Lyric.

    With a line-up consisting of many of the West End’s best-loved names, WestEnd Fest is an evening of song, dance and lots of laughter organised by actress Sabrina Aloueche and musician Richard Parnell Page. This show’s theme, “Songs you love… BUT SHOULDN’T!” paved the way for these West-Enders to belt out some of their favourite pop tunes.

    I was struck, initially, by just how perfect a venue St Paul’s Church is for a celebration of all that the West End has to offer. This peaceful haven, in the very heart of Covent Garden, is known as The Actors’ Church, and is a perfect setting for the evening of heavenly pleasures we witnessed.

    David Ribi and Rosie Ladkin opened the show with a tribute to that guiltiest of pleasures, High School Musical. The evening continued in much the same vein, with songs from various musicals including Frozen, The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book and Love Never Dies, as well as tributes to Maria Mackee, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake, and Belinda Carlisle with Justin Bieber (an unlikely pairing, admittedly, but one that Rob Houchen somehow made work in his inventive and original arrangement).

    David Ribi also closed the evening as part of WestEnd Fest’s very own boyband, Wrong Direction. Known for being a member of top One Direction tribute act Only One Direction as well as his numerous acting and presenting credits, he was perfectly at home in such an environment and this shone through in his performance.

    The performers were simply too numerous to critique each one, but each sang to their strengths, and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to perform their best-loved guilty pleasures. Extra-special mentions, however, must be given to Rebecca Caine, Aaron Sidwell, Tori Allen Martin, Lauren Samuels, Kieran Brown and WestEnd Fest’s co-founder, Sabrina Aloueche for making my spine tingle with their outstanding performances.

    The evening also showcased a selection of songs from two new musicals which are both worth watching out for. ‘The Mill on The Floss’ is a catchy production of George Eliot’s tragic story of the battle between morality and desire; while ‘Twenty Seven’ is a new story with a superbly emotional score, performed with gusto by the supremely talented Ross William Wild and other members of its excellent cast.

    WestEnd Fest is a bi-annual fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and CRY UK, a children’s cardiac arrest charity. Based on the quality of last Sunday’s show, I urge you to buy tickets as soon as the next one is announced.

    Follow @WestEndFests on Twitter or ‘Like’ their Facebook page to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale.

  • FILM REVIEW: The Adored

    FILM REVIEW: The Adored

    ★★ | The Adored

    Maia is a model who finds her life in turmoil when a personal tragedy befalls her which severely impacts on her relationship with her husband.In an attempt to increase her self-esteem and to try and kick-start her career, she books a weekend with a prolific photographer, Francesca, in her secluded house in the remote Welsh countryside. But Francesca, who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, becomes increasingly fixated with Maia and tries to control her feelings towards her. But with a combination of guilt, paranoia and infatuation increasingly impacting on the relationship between the two of them, their past appears to be catching up with them.

    The film stars Laura Martin-Simpson and Ione Butler as the two women whose physical and emotional relationship develops over the course of the film’s 90 minute running time. The story unfolds with long scenes of the two women in the isolated house and surrounding area spliced with some rather intense scenes of a man called Adrian talking frankly with his therapist about his self-awareness of his violence and his troubled marriage. Who this man is and his relevance to the two women is a mystery which feeds into the slow burn of the story.

    The performances from the four cast members were all perfectly serviceable, with Jake Maskill as Adrian as the most notable. The direction of the film was functional, but never flashy or over-stylised and the scenery surrounding the house was a naturally beautiful backdrop.

    One of the main problems with the film was that the characters were all so unlikeable that as a viewer, there was the potential to not share any empathy or connection with characters. Furthermore, the development of the story was far too slow, so that by the time the reveal arrived, any dramatic impact was lost given that the narrative had struggled to hold the attention.

    Where the film does deserve some recognition is in its portrayal of the exploration of the female characters sexuality. Their intimate moment manages to steer well clear of tacky titillation and that aspect of the story is more about establishing their sexuality as one aspect of their complex characters rather than being the trait that their characters are built around.

    Overall, the film is a slow watch, which some viewers may find rewarding, but one which, unfortunately, runs out of steam. It is a bold attempt at a low budget film noir, but never quite lives up to its potential.

    The Adored is available to buy from Amazon and iTunes and further information about the film can be found on the films official website at http://www.theadoredmovie.com

     

  • BBC 3 to close

    The BBC has announced that BBC 3 is to be shut in order to save money.

    The service is to be moved to the iPlayer. The channel is being shut for cost cutting measures. Its costs will be reduced from £90m to £25m and the channel is set to stop broadcasting in 2015.

    The digital television channel first broadcast in 2003 and is targeted towards 16-34 years and has been home to hit TV series such as Ja’mie Private School Girl, Gavin and Stacey, Family Guy and Torchwood which starred John Barrowman.

    On average 9 million people tune into BBC 3 each week.

    A number of celebrities have come forward to show their support for BBC 3 and a Twitter hashtag #SaveBBC3 has been trending for two days in the United Kingdom.

  • MUSIC: Songs Played In Episode One Of Ja’mie Private School Girl

    Episode Guide and Music Tracks For Ja’mie Private School Girl – Episode 1 (more…)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | A Hard Rain, Above The Stag

    ★★★ | A Hard Rain, Above The Stag

    Writers Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper, well-known for their successful pantomimes at The Above The Stag Theatre, have for the first time turned their hands to drama, and this new play is the result.

    A Hard Rain is set in a gay bar in New York in the days running up to the Stonewall Riots. The gay bars and clubs are run by the Mafia, who pay off a corrupt police force, which, from time to time raid the bars anyway, just to show everyone who’s boss.

    This bar becomes the backdrop for the story of a disparate set of characters; the drag queen and former Vietnam soldier, Rub; the closeted mafia owner of the bar, Frank; the young single mother barmaid Angie; the kind-hearted young cop, Danny; Ruby’s young high-flying bank employee boyfriend Josh; and Jimmy, a streetwise teenager who turns tricks to make a living.

    I don’t know how the collaboration between Bradfield and Harper works, whether both writers contribute to each scene, or whether each writer takes a different scene in entirety. Either way, the various individual scenes are well realised and play out very well, with a good sprinkling of witty one-liners to relieve the often gloomy nature of the scenario. The problem for me is that the various scenes did not coalesce into a coherent whole. There didn’t seem to be any direction to the narrative, no sense of it driving forward to that historic moment of the Stonewall Riots. At 90 minutes, Act One just meandered along, whereas Act II seemed rushed, as if the writers suddenly realised they had a lot of loose ends to tie up, their final point rather clumsily made. The numerous scenes meant that there were a lot of scene changes, the sheer mechanics of which continuously held up the action, hardly helping the flow, and I did wonder if the scene changes could have been simplified in some way.

    Though I had reservations about the play itself, I had very few about the performances. Michael Edwards, in the central and extremely difficult role of Ruby, carefully revealed the vulnerability behind Ruby’s tough exterior. His performance was superbly seconded by a touchingly real and beautifully nuanced performance from Oliver Lynes as his boyfriend, Josh. Stephanie Willson was just perfect as the warm-hearted Angie, and James El-Sharawy a suitably cocky Jimmy, though we saw that underneath all the chutzpah, he was really just a nice kid who wanted to be liked. Neither Nigel Barber as Frank nor Rhys Jennings as Danny let the side down, though they both had less to work with, their characters less finely drawn.

     

    Ultimately, though, what sounded like a nice idea never quite came off.

     

    A Hard Rain plays at Above The Stag until March 30th.

     

    Visit: http://www.abovethestag.com

  • How to be more Quiche like Ja’ime Private School Girl

    If you don’t know who Ja’mie is you’re just not Quiche. And if Quiche only means a hot goat’s cheese and spinach tarte from Waitrose, we shouldn’t be talking right now. We’ve come up with a little guide to help you be more Ja’mazing.

    On Trendsetting
    “Everyone’s going on about twerking, but I actually invented it about two years ago. Seriously, ask anyone at my school. I did it in an assembly presentation during NAIDOC Week and it spread from there.”

    On Self Exposure
    “Every now and then I post a tit photo on my Facebook and leave it up for 24 hours to create a buzz.”

    On Being A Powerful Woman
    “I’ve made a lot of changes around the school: the coffee machine for prefects only, no phones during school hours (except prefects) and no Asians allowed on the oval at lunch.”

    On Personal Wealth
    “JUST because I’m rich, doesn’t mean I’m a bitch.”

    On Being Gracious
    “When I meet girls, they’re usually really threatened straight away, right?. So then I meet and they’re like “oh my god, she’s so hot, I’m never going to be friends with her” and then I go up to them and I’m like “Hi! How you going?!” and they’re really surprised that I’m giving them the time of day.”

    On Charity
    “Going with the AIDS thing means that people are more likely to give money because they’re going to feel really bad. If I just said it was for the formal they wouldn’t care. Do you know what I mean?”

    On Human Rights
    “A school that bans formals is a school that bans life. Summer Heights High, you should be ashamed of yourself. Firstly, formals can give hope. They give povo people something to live for. Lack of formals in a school can seriously affect the development of a girl. Without formals, you can seriously stunt girls socially and physically.”

    On Sexuality
    “I’d rather be a paedophile than a lesbian, seriously…”

    Advice For Friends
    “Reduce your tits, Stop being dumb, Fix your acne and don’t be Asian”

    On State Education
    “Thank you. And thank you to the traditional landowners of Summer Heights, the Wurundjeri people. My name is Ja’mie. J-A-apostrophe-M-I-E. Weird name, I know. But you’ll get used to it. Yes, I come from one of the most expensive private girls schools in the state, but I’m actually really cool. Please don’t be intimidated by me. People always go “Private schools create better citizens,” but I would say they create better quality citizens. Studies have shown that students from private schools are more likely to get into Uni and end up making a lot more money; while wife-beaters and rapists are nearly all public-school educated. Sorry, no offence, but it’s true.”

  • Gay wedding to become a musical

    One of the UK’s first gay weddings is set to be staged as a musical and filmed by Channel 4.

    Channel 4 is set to broadcast one of the first gay weddings – and Stephen Fry will be introducing the event.

    The wedding is between Benjamin Till and Nathan Taylor, who decided to turn their wedding day into a musical event, with sung vows, sung readings and show-stopping ensembles featuring the whole congregation of family, friends and special guests.

    Benjamin and Nathan have been together 12 years and say:

    “We’ve been together for nearly 12 years, and never thought we’d get the chance to get married, for real. Doing what we both do for a living has meant that we’ve spent our entire lives expressing emotion through song, so getting married in a musical, particularly one that we’re writing ourselves, felt like the most natural thing in the world.”

  • Investigation Opened Over £28,000 of Fake Beyoncé Tickets

    The British Transport police are opening an investigation after more than 100 cases of ticket fraud reported at the Phones 4 U Arena in Manchester.

    Detective Constable Mike Dermody said: “It seems that someone has been selling fake tickets to concert goers who only realise the tickets aren’t genuine when they get to the venue.

    “We believe there have been more than 140 sets of fake tickets sold, though only seven victims have come forward so far.

    “In most cases the tickets have sold for at least £100 each and each victim has bought at least two tickets, so we are potentially looking at a fraud worth more than £28,000.”

    DC Dermody added: “Each transaction has taken place over the internet, using public selling websites, with the victims arranging to meet someone in Manchester to pick up the tickets.

    “I believe the victims of this fraudster will be spread far and wide as people travel from all over the UK to see Beyonce.

    “I am, therefore, appealing to anyone who has been sold fake tickets, but has not yet spoken to police to come forward.

    “We have a number of leads, but need as many people as possible to get in touch.”

    If you have any information about the fraudulent tickets please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. In all calls please quote BTP log NWA/B5 of 28/2/14.