With Millions of Votes cast, Sam Bailey, has been crowned the Winner of XFactor 2013.
Her debut single Skyscapers is now available to buy on iTunes and Amazon.
Skycrapers was originally released by Demi Lovato.
Category: Entertainment
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THEATRE REVIEW | Blink, Soho Theatre
★★★★ | Blink, Soho Theatre
Blink is the tale of Jonah and Sophie. It’s a love story, a very dysfunctional love story, but a love story all the same.
The show was a sell-out hit at Soho Theatre and in Edinburgh in 2012 and sees a welcome return to this charming theatre on Dean Street.
Harry McEntire and Rosie Wyatt give astounding performances as the two characters, both talking in short monologues, telling the audience the story of their unconventional romance. I won’t give any of the plot away but there are moments of gentle pathos mixed with quirky humour and dark reflections of modern life. The story is propelled forward by the intriguing storyline, which whilst bordering on the absurd, is made entirely real and believable by a fast paced and beautifully written script and strong line delivery from the two actors. The set is clever too, making use of a minimum of items to portray as variety of settings.
Writer, Phil Porter, describes the piece as “A big, silly, serious, semi-ridiculous play.” He’s definitely mixed these elements well and this is a show well worth seeing
Blink runs until 11/01/14 at The Soho Theatre
Book tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/blink
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Jennifer Saunders confirms Ab Fab Movie?
We’re desperately trying to get to the bottom of this, but it looks as though Jennifer Saunders is set to pen an Absolutely Fabulous Movie for 2015.
In what could be described as an early Christmas present, it seems as though we might be getting a film version of the hit comedy series Ab Fab – as Jennifer Saunders has been rumoured to be picking up the pen for a 2015 release date.
A movie poster is already doing the rounds and it looks as though co-star Joanna Lumley will be returning with Patsy.
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Pulp Fiction – The Gay Sleaze Novels of the 50’s and 60’s
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, there was an abundance of pulp fiction – trashy novels which were cheap and infamous for their lurid and exploitative stories and their sensational cover art. The artwork was designed solely to tempt the reader into buying the book and actively encouraged the potential buyer to quite literally judge a book by its cover.
What was noticeable was the amount of pulp fiction which was either aimed at or about gay men and women. Without having the opportunity to read the books themselves, it not easy to accurately see how the lifestyle of gay men and women were portrayed. However, the covers illustrate and suggest a mixture of attitudes towards the gay lifestyle, ranging from titles that suggest how unfulfilling a gay lifestyle is (“His Sex, His Problem”) or suggesting that gay sex was a sin (“Satan Was A Lesbian”). But there are also a number of books which suggest a much happier and sexually indulgent side of life. You only have to look at the adoring glances of the muscular characters on the covers and the wry smiles on their faces to see that they are thoroughly enjoying themselves.
These books provide us with an interesting insight into the past, suggesting what attitudes people may have held towards gay men and women at the time and what perceptions people may have had of the gay community. They also show what common fantasies and stereotypes existed at that time and give us a clear picture of what people used to use for titillation in the days long before the internet provided such readily available stimulation. Oh, and they are also fun and a bit camp!
This article was inspired by http://www.gayontherange.com/index.html and http://www.strangesisters.com/ and the pictures of the covers below are credited to them. So sit back and have a flick through these pulp fiction classics.
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Trade returns for Christmas Party
DJ’s confirmed so far include Trade Modern with Pagano, Tom Stephan, Smokin’ Jo, Jim Warboy, Nick Tcherniak, Kyle E, Jamie De Rooy; Trade Classics with Gonzalo Rivas, BK & Andy Farley 4 Hours Christmas Back 2 Back, Ian M, Sam Townend and James Nardi; Trade Disco with Severino Panzetta, Massimo Paramour, Bills & Hurr and Special Guest TBA; Trade Lite with The Men Who Fell To Earth, Guy Williams, Stevie B and the Sharp Boys & Tonnic.
& Polly Fey hosting Trade VIP
Many suggested a Saturday daytime event was unlikely to succeed. TRADE is always forward thinking and different to the rest and the unique opening hours were a huge hit with our clubbers, so let’s get ready to do it all again!
The recently refurbished multi roomed venue Egg boasts a labyrinth of corridors, outstanding technical production and sound capabilities. It has been described by so many following the Birthday as their favourite venue to host TRADE, following the closure of it’s original spiritual home, Turnmills – an incredible accolade.
Trade at Christmas will be musically split across 4 different rooms with 4 different soundscapes that respect the history of Trade’s musical heritage but also looks ahead to what the future of TRADE is about.
TRADE MODERN:
Situated at “The Terrace” at EGG; Trade’s brand new room encapsulates the future of House music from some original Trade residents and some brand new ones. Looking at what is happening musically today and tomorrow; always upfront, forward thinking and ground breaking – Like TRADE always has been!
TRADE LITE:
Situated in “The Loft” at EGG with a brand new floating DJ box (being created especially for this Christmas Trade event), this room rocked at the Birthday, with original and new residents playing a sophisticated mix of diva vocals, funky and contemporary House with guest vocals from one of our original divas Tonnic! Off the wall!
TRADE CLASSICS:
Situated in “The Basement” at EGG; A collection of Original Trade residents joined some new faces to deliver the harder end of House, which was synonymous with the brand in the early years, now with an updated twist that includes the classics as well as acknowledging what this genre has become in today’s scene – packed and very popular!
TRADE DISCO VIP :
Situated in the brand new EGG Garden with bespoke newly upholstered seating with table service and a vast dancing area the music flowed to a lighter beat here with the tempo increasing as the day progressed. Super busy from start to finish with Lounge inspired Nu Disco that set the birthday off on the perfect right note.
With Egg’s labyrinth of corridors and outstanding technical, production and sound capabilities – it has been described by so many following the birthday as their favourite venue to host TRADE following the closure of it’s original spiritual home, Turnmills; an incredible accolade.
Advance On Line Tickets will be £10 / £12 & £15
Listings Info
event: Trade At Christmas
date: Saturday December 14th 2013
at: Egg London, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, London, N7 9AX
Time: Midday-Midnight 12-12am and possibly later!
Admission Prices: Advance £10 Early Bird; Advance Saver £12 tickets; / £15 tickets are now available or £15 with a Flyer B4 4pm; £18 after & £23 otherwise
Online TRADE tickets available from www.moreonthedoor.com
DJ’s confirmed so far include Trade Modern with Pagano, Tom Stephan, Smokin’ Jo, Jim Warboy, Nick Tcherniak, Kyle E, Jamie De Rooy; Trade Classics with Gonzalo Rivas, BK & Andy Farley 4 Hours Christmas Back 2 Back, Ian M, Sam Townend and James Nardi; Trade Disco with Severino Panzetta, Massimo Paramour, Bills & Hurr and Special Guest TBA; Trade Lite with The Men Who Fell To Earth, Guy Williams, Stevie B and the Sharp Boys & Tonnic.
& Polly Fey hosting Trade VIP
Many suggested a Saturday daytime event was unlikely to succeed. TRADE is always forward thinking and different to the rest and the unique opening hours were a huge hit with our clubbers, so let’s get ready to do it all again!
The recently refurbished multi roomed venue Egg boasts a labyrinth of corridors, outstanding technical production and sound capabilities. It has been described by so many following the Birthday as their favourite venue to host TRADE, following the closure of it’s original spiritual home, Turnmills – an incredible accolade.
Trade at Christmas will be musically split across 4 different rooms with 4 different soundscapes that respect the history of Trade’s musical heritage but also looks ahead to what the future of TRADE is about.
TRADE MODERN:
Situated at “The Terrace” at EGG; Trade’s brand new room encapsulates the future of House music from some original Trade residents and some brand new ones. Looking at what is happening musically today and tomorrow; always upfront, forward thinking and ground breaking – Like TRADE always has been!
TRADE LITE:
Situated in “The Loft” at EGG with a brand new floating DJ box (being created especially for this Christmas Trade event), this room rocked at the Birthday, with original and new residents playing a sophisticated mix of diva vocals, funky and contemporary House with guest vocals from one of our original divas Tonnic! Off the wall!
TRADE CLASSICS:
Situated in “The Basement” at EGG; A collection of Original Trade residents joined some new faces to deliver the harder end of House, which was synonymous with the brand in the early years, now with an updated twist that includes the classics as well as acknowledging what this genre has become in today’s scene – packed and very popular!
TRADE DISCO VIP :
Situated in the brand new EGG Garden with bespoke newly upholstered seating with table service and a vast dancing area the music flowed to a lighter beat here with the tempo increasing as the day progressed. Super busy from start to finish with Lounge inspired Nu Disco that set the birthday off on the perfect right note.
With Egg’s labyrinth of corridors and outstanding technical, production and sound capabilities – it has been described by so many following the birthday as their favourite venue to host TRADE following the closure of it’s original spiritual home, Turnmills; an incredible accolade.
Advance On Line Tickets will be £10 / £12 & £15
Listings Info
event: Trade At Christmas
date: Saturday December 14th 2013
at: Egg London, 200 York Way, Kings Cross, London, N7 9AX
Time: Midday-Midnight 12-12am and possibly later!
Admission Prices: Advance £10 Early Bird; Advance Saver £12 tickets; / £15 tickets are now available or £15 with a Flyer B4 4pm; £18 after & £23 otherwise
Online TRADE tickets available from www.moreonthedoor.com
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FILM REVIEW | House Of Boys
★★★★ | House Of Boys
The blurb and the cover on this DVD doesn’t do it justice. It gives the impression of some sleazy b-movie, lots of gyrating hips, few (if any) articles of clothing and even less of a plot line. This isn’t true!
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IDINA MENZEL Releases The Perfect Coming Out Song
Taken from the hit movie Frozen, Broadway star Idina Menzel releases Let It Go, which we think is perfect for a gay anthem!
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BOOK REVIEW | Faitheist by Chris Stedman
Chris Stedman is an atheist with a humanistic ethical code. Stedman, through his interfaith work, encourages the religious and nonreligious to come together and share their stories to humanise and understand one another for the greater good. He is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and writes on his blog NonProphet Status, for the Huffington Post as well as on various other media platforms.
In Faitheist, Chirs Stedman shares the story of his life (so far). The full title of the book is longwinded (Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious) and the introduction is off-putting. The introduction is full of terminology that is unfamiliar, unless you’re an Atheist Activist or an Interfaith Worker/Volunteer. This terminology and the elongated words are both unnecessary.
But get past the introduction and Stedman’s story is fascinating. Told in his warm and engaging writers voice his story is educational, enlightening, completely honest and emotionally resonant.
Stedman starts with his childhood; describing it as ‘not particularly religious.’ He discusses his search for a place to belong and a community to be a part of. Towards the end of his childhood he joins a church and becomes a Christian.
Stedman moves into his adolescence and tells us of his developing homosexuality. He describes a difficult time in his life, one where his sexuality and his extreme Christian beliefs are at odds. He discusses his self-hate, guilt and his loss of faith in God. He reveals how his mum discovered that he was gay and how she supported him. Lost, Stedman sets out on journey to find himself.
Stedman tells of his early adulthood; describing his journey to find himself and what he wants to do with his life. He tells that through Voluntary & Community Work he served others (a recurring theme throughout his entire life), he realised that the religious and nonreligious need to work together (interfaith working). He explains that he realised this has to start with understanding one another’s perspective.
Stedman writes about his set and strong convictions towards the end of this book, clearly promoting humanism. However he has a history of changing some of his views, based on his life experiences. So this left the question as to whether some of his views may change over time. Not his core values, those have always remained a constant, but some of his views on complex ‘grey’ areas in life.
As Stedman shares his story he describes his patchwork of tattoos and their meaning to him and his life. Stedman demonstrates his wonderful ability to reflect on his own experiences and learn from them. He reveals his unique passion, vibrant personality and how so alive he is. A gorgeous man with a beautiful, caring soul.
Stedman concludes his book, not surprisingly, advocating the bringing together of the religious and the nonreligious (atheists). He suggests that they should share their life stories with one another. This he states will lead to a better understanding of one another, so that they can work better together. He encourages the reader to open a dialogue with people from all walks of life, to listen to their stories and share yours.
Stedman could have included some glossy photo pages to match his autobiographical style of story sharing, which would have been great for visual learners. Faitheist by Chris Stedman is a thought-provoking read and will appeal to anyone who is interested in the study of religious or atheism, the effect of religion on homosexuality, humanism, philosophy, ideology, interfaith work and/or bringing communities together.
Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious by Chris Stedman is available to buy on Amazon.
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THEATRE REVIEW | Ushers The Front Of House Musical, The Hope Theatre
USHERS is a bright new musical from Kouban Productions with a book by JAMES ROTTGER. Centred around 5 ushers and their overbearing manager, there are enough in-jokes to please anyone who has ever worked front-of-house, but not so many that non-industry folk would be put off.
It is opening night of a new jukebox musical, ‘Oops! I Did It Again’, based on the songs of Britney Spears and starring Marti Pellow as Kevin Federline and Michael Ball as Britney’s mum. Ben (LIAM ROSS –MILLS), Gary (WILL JENNINGS), Stephen (ROSS MCNEILL) and Rosie (CHLOE BROOKS), four long-standing ushers, are joined by Lucy (ABIGAIL CARTER-SIMPSON), a newcomer to their ranks and their “spend-per-head” obsessed supervisor, Robin (RALPH BOGARD).
Two very different romantic relationships play out in front of us. Ben and Gary have been together for three years but now face a 12-month separation. By contrast, Lucy and Stephen have only just met and their encounters provide one of the several recurring jokes of the show, with dramatic lighting and intense music highlighting the instant attraction – a clever dig at the intensity and speed of on-stage relationships.
YIANNIS KOUTSAKOS’ score is visioned and exciting, with catchy numbers and a particularly touching duet between Ben and Gary. Lively and exciting choreography from RUSSELL SMITH and GEMMA FULLER complements the score perfectly.
The cast are energetic and engaging, and carry their roles with ease. Will Jennings is an excellent Gary, and the duet mentioned earlier shows off his voice beautifully. Chloe Brooks is a very talented comic actor with a classic musical theatre voice.
Ross McNeill is an exceptionally strong and believable performer, as is Abigail Carter-Simpson. McNeill’s fine voice is showcased perfectly in his solo number, and Carter-Simpson’s has a beautiful quality that left me wanting more. As fairly recent graduates, they are both well worth watching out for in the future.
Ralph Bogard plays the power-hungry supervisor, Robin, with conviction and he leaves us in no doubt that he can belt out, and hold, a tune. Unfortunately, his character has the one part of the production which really doesn’t work – his training sessions add little to the story, and the word definitions which follow are rather demeaning to an intelligent audience. Although tiresome, these interruptions are blissfully short, and we soon return to a plot which stands perfectly well without them.
However, the stand-out performance of the night, for me, came from Liam Ross-Mills. His vocals had a slightly dodgy start on the evening I attended, but he soon found his voice and lifted it to something quite delightful. He performs with an intense vulnerability, stealing the show – difficult task amongst such a talented cast.
Ushers is the first production in the brand-new Hope Theatre, a 50-seat performance space above the Hope and Anchor pub in Islington. Exclusively committed to showcasing new writing, the Hope Theatre opens with an Equity agreement already in place to ensure all performers and stage managers are paid an approved rate, something that disturbingly few small-scale fringe theatres have.
Ushers is a great show performed exceptionally well with a lively and entertaining score, and should be a must-see for any musical theatre worker or fan this month.
Ushers: the Front of House Musical plays at the Hope Theatre until 30 December. Tickets £15 from www.thehopetheatre.com
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Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves Returns Tonight At BBC
BBC 4 will be showing part 2 of the short mini-series Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves, tonight at 10:00PM