Piers Morgan jokes on Twitter that despite many wishing him ill health, he’s not dying despite a shocking picture of the GMB star resting up in a hospital bed.
Piers Morgan appears to be resting up after some time in hospital. But it’s good news for Piers fans after the outspoken presenter announced on social media that he’s not dying, after posting a picture from a hospital bed on Twitter with tubes up his nose.
Piers is currently resting at a private hospital in the uber-rich borough of Kensington in West London, where, from his bed, he let his 6.5 million followers on Twitter know that was doing okay, joking, “Bad news, I’m not dying. I can only apologise for all the distress I know this will cause some people.”
From ITV Studios
He’s been in poor health since before Christmas with bronchitis, sinusitis and laryngitis. The gender-fluid critical presenter was even forced to cancel his New Year’s Eve plans due to poor health.
Taking to Twitter he wrote, ‘Wildest New Year’s Eve for decades… went to bed at 8.59pm with two strong Italian Tachipirinas & had one helluva steamy sleepless night.
‘Hope yours was anywhere near as wild. Happy New Year!’
Piers who has been critical of the non-binary activists in recent years was showing off pre-written cue cards in homage to the famous Andrew Lincoln Love Actually scene, where the actor holds up cards explaining his true feelings to co-star Keira Knightley.
Actor Ben Whishaw was made a household name due to his appearance in Bond films, London Spy and A Very English Scandal, but what else do we know about the actor?
CREDIT: Denis-Makarenko bigstock
James Bond and London Spy actor Ben Whishaw has also appeared in the new Paddington-the-bear films playing the inquisitive bear himself. In 2017 year he starred in the acclaimed A Very English Scandal. In 2015 he starred in London Spy which earned him a Bafta nomination.
Is Ben Whishaw gay?
It seems as though Ben Whishaw is gay and not bisexual. In 2014 he talked about his coming out experience saying it was “intense” but that ultimately everybody around him was supportive.
Here is Ben with his husband Mark, inbetween the pair is actor Naomie Harris.
Ben is married to his husband, Mark Bradshaw. They got married in a civil partnership in August 2012. Although he’s is notoriously secretive about his private life, telling Out Magazine in 2011 that actors have the right to privacy and mystery. He said, “I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities”.
The couple met around 2009 on the set of Bright Star where Whishaw played the role of English poet John Keats.
His husband Mark Bradshaw is an Australian composer who is best known for his music for television and film. He was working on the film Bright Star when he met his future husband.
Mark Fletcher, the chief executive of Manchester Pride, said in a statement to THEGAYUK: “We have seen that the iconic rainbow must adapt to reflect the modern society that we live in.
“A lot has happened but there is still a long way to go, especially in the recognition of people of colour in the LGBT+ community,” he continued.
The decision of Manchester Pride to release this as their 2019 design has received a backlash on social media, with many users questioning the inclusion of race in a flag that has for many years represented sexuality, with one user on Twitter commenting ‘When was sexuality about color? Never. You only just made it about color by adding that. Are you going to put white in there too?’
And they have a point. The six colour flag, created by Gilbert Baker, has developed over a number of years and has represented life, healing, vitality, nature, serenity and spirit, with the missing colour on the Pride flag to represent the lack of equality for the LGBT community.
The Pride flag has been used for the last forty years, without issue.
Despite the Chief Executive of Manchester Pride stating we ‘must adapt’ to reflect the society we live in, we need to remember the meaning behind the flag that has represented a community for this length of time; It’s about sexuality, rather than the race of individuals within the community.
A study last year found that 70 percent of gay people were opposed to the new flag, while most white people and members of the Baby Boomer generation were also against the move.
In contrast, Millennials, people of colour and trans people were more likely to be in favour of adopting a flag with black and brown stripes.
“My influence is everywhere,” says Milo Yiannopoulos after it was revealed that his first name, “Milo” is the most popular boys’ name of 2018.
Taking to Instagram, the right-wing provateur revealed that Milo came second, pipped by Atticus and topping Jasper to be named second “most popular names” by website Nameberry in 2018.
Also on the list were: Jack, Asher, Silas, Theodore, Wyatt, Henry and Declan.
The Pride’s CEO has decided that Manchester will adopt Philadelphia’s black and brown rainbow flag which recognises and includes people of colour.
The “more colour” rainbow flag or “Philly flag” which includes a brown and black stripe will be used by Manchester Pride in 2019. The flag was first introduced by the city of Philadelphia in 2017 to “fuel the important conversation” of “recognizing people of colour in the LGBTQ+ community”. The US city has a large Black or African American community, which stands around 43 per cent of the population. Manchester in the UK is home to a large Asian community, which stands around 17 per cent and about 9 per cent for black people.
Mark Fletcher, the CEO of Manchester Pride told THEGAYUK, “We have seen that the iconic rainbow must adapt to reflect the modern society that we live in. A lot has happened but there is still a long way to go, especially in the recognition of people of colour in the LGBT+ community.
“To highlight the importance of this we’ve decided to adopt the 8 stripe flag created by the city of Philadelphia, USA as part of our logo.”
The Rainbow flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 and has been adapted over the years. It originally contained two extra colours, Pink and Cyan, which were later dropped to have just six colours, which is the most recognised version of the iconic symbol.
The symbol for the LGBT community made its debut in San Franciso in 1978. It was displayed at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day parade in 1978. It has since gone on to be recognised worldwide as the symbol for LGBT spaces, venues and pride. The longest ever version of the flag was debuted in Key West, Florida in 2003.
Kevin Fret has died at the age of just 24 after being shot on the streets of Puerto Rico.
Gay rapper Kevin Fret has died after being shot 8 times while he was riding a motorbike in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was just 24.
Fret was reportedly riding his motorcycle when he was shot at around 5:30 AM. He was taken to hospital after his shooting where he was pronounced dead.
The BBC reports that an investigation is underway.
His murder is the 22nd in Puerto Rico this year already.
Fret’s best-known song was “Soy Asi” which managed to rack up half a million views on YouTube, after its release in 2018. He is described as Latin Trap music’s first openly gay recording artist.
His latest single, “Diferente” featuring Mike Duran clocked up over 1.8 million hits.
“There are no words that describe the feeling we have and the pain that causes us to know that a person with so many dreams has to go.
“We must all unite in these difficult times, and ask for much peace for our beloved Puerto Rico.”
It is not known if Fret was targetted specifically or if his killing was an act of random violence or whether there is a hate-crime element to his death.
He would have been 25 on the 2nd Feb.
Is Puerto Rico LGBT+ friendly?
Puerto Rico has a good recent history with regards to LGBT+ rights. Gay people in the country are afforded many rights including, marriage, adoption there are discrimination laws to protect LGBT+ people.
Puerto Rico is known to have a high crime rate and something it has been struggling with for decades.
It has a homicide rate of 30.6 per 100,000 people. In the UK the homicide rate is 1.20 per 100,000 people.
Figures from the ONS show the second week in January sees an average of 13,670 deaths – 1,953 every day or 81 per hour – mainly due to cold weather and an increase in bugs and illnesses.
The rest of the year sees an average of 9,756 deaths every week.
And that means scores of families will have to find cash for funerals.
A separate study by SunLife revealed the average basic funeral now costs £4,271, meaning around £58 million could be spent on funerals for loved ones who pass away this week.
In fact, the total cost of funerals in the UK during January could hit more than £229 million.
SunLife marketing director Ian Atkinson said: “This week will see more deaths than any other week in the year, and for those families dealing with bereavement, searching through quotes is probably the last thing on their minds.
“You need to choose a funeral director fairly quickly so they can take away the body, and most people have not thought about which one they would use.
“But with the average funeral now costing £4,271, it is crazy to think we are just paying the bill without thinking about whether the funeral services they are using are right, for them.”
SunLife figures mirror the ONS stats with an average of 9,031 death claims on policies in January – compared to 7,314 each month for the rest of the year.
But research carried out by SunLife found 37 per cent have made no provision for their own funeral, instead leaving loved ones to pick up the bill.
And even of those who did plan for their send off financially, they didn’t leave enough to cover the total bill.
It also emerged that rather than shopping around, most will also just pay the first funeral director they speak to without getting any other quotes.
Just one in five will get more than one price before booking a funeral.
SunLife has launched its Funeral Planning Mapper, an independent online tool which maps funeral services locations across the UK.
TV star Rylan Clark-Neal has hit out at a homophobe who abused him on a busy London street.
Out TV presenter, Rylan has revealed that he was homophobically abused today in central London when someone shouted an anti-gay slur at him on a street, a block away from the world famous head quarters of the BBC. Rylan says he abused on Great Porland street, when an unnamed assailant shouted a homophobic slur at the star.
Taking to Twitter the former X Factor / Celebrity Big Brother star wrote that someone shouted at him to “fuck off” and called him the anti-gay slur “faggot”. However, Rylan alleges that as soon as he shouted back at his abuser, the abuser “ran away”. Rylan joked that the abuser ran like Phoebe from the hit 90’s sitcom, Friends.
To the prick on Great Portland Street that just shouted “Fuck Off You Faggot” at me. When I shouted you what at you and you run away…. you run like phoebe in friends… pic.twitter.com/kw9nJPFJNN
Hundreds of fans reached out to Rylan to wish him well after his ordeal – while the British LGBT Awards noted that “The Phoebe run is probably his only redeeming feature”.
Homophobic crime is on the rise the UK’s capital. In 2017 there were, on average around 6 anti-LGBT offences being recorded every day on London’s streets, a 9.63% increase year on year. In total, 2037 crimes were reported for the year 2016/17 compared to 1861 crimes in 2015 /16 and 1559 in 2014/15.
However, the Metropolitan Police service was keen to point out that the crime rates were lower than five years ago and these current statistics are set against the gruelling austerity measures and “significant reductions in resources” set out by this current government.
Route 66 has been named as the most Instagram-worthy road trip in the world, according to Brits.
The world famous Route 66 has been voted as the UK’s favourite destination for Instagram worthy pictures. marioschmidtphoto / Pixabay
The study, which polled 2,000 adults, found the top three routes are all located in the US – specifically through the Grand Canyon National Park and along the Pacific Highway Coast.
The drive through the Grand Canyon parks, typically following the South Rim to the North Rim and famed for its exquisite views of the stunning natural wonder was second.
‘PCH’, also known as Route 101, came third.
The route takes you on a coastal, cliff-hugging drive from San Francisco to San Diego, passing by San Jose, Big Sur and Monterey.
Fifty-six per cent of those took part named the USA as the road trip capital of the world.
Commissioned by Hertz, the research also identified key ingredients for a successful road trip – including wide-open roads, driving past famous attractions and spotting wildlife along the way.
Discovering views and taking in the scenery were highlighted as the main reasons for adults going on a road trip.
Temerity Vinson, senior director of international marketing, Hertz said: “The survey results clearly show how much adventurers love the USA for a road trip.
“The influence of social media has had a huge impact on destinations of choice, bringing increased awareness of less well-known areas, as well as ensuring that gems such as the Route 66 are still as popular as ever.
“Hertz is always dedicated to finding new ways to help our customers plan their dream trip.
While views and scenery were important for older travellers, millennials are more focused on having a ‘new experience’.
More than two-thirds of millennials admitted the places they see on Instagram affect their choice of location, compared to just 13 percent of adults over 38s.
In fact, 30 per cent said they are unlikely to visit somewhere if they’ve never seen photos of it on Instagram.
Hashtags and location tags have become a new way to research the next travel destination and four in 10 millennials use the platform to discover new points of interest and places to visit.
The survey, conducted via OnePoll in December 2018, also found an average of 12 photos a day are taken on a holiday or a trip.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they were most likely to take a photo of a landscape or cityscape while on a trip.
Double the number of millennials compared to the over 38s are likely to take a photo of their food.
Iceland’s ring road made it on to the list. The road takes in the entire country. Free-Photos / Pixabay
It seems that photographs make memories, with 36 per cent of millennials saying that they would struggle to remember their trip if they didn’t post a photo of it, compared to 19 per cent of over 38s.
Furthermore, one in 10 admitted to visiting somewhere purely because they want to share it on Instagram.
When it comes to planning, Brits take an average of six months to arrange an adventure of a lifetime.
Twenty per cent of respondents would like to combine creating their own route with a structured drive.
The Great Ocean road down under takes in some of the world’s most amazing views, but you’ll have to travel hours to pass them. Jonny_Joka / Pixabay
Following the research, Hertz has launched three new routes to its USA Road Trip Planner: Canyons of Arizona and Nevada, California Surfing and Totally Texas, providing inspiration for routes to experience iconic and off-the-beaten track scenic drives and pit-stops.
Vinson added: ”Our USA Road Trip Planner can help our customers experience a different culture, discover new cuisines or visit famous landmarks.”
A free online resource, the Hertz Road Trip Planner also features the legendary Route 66, along with 30 other bespoke routes across the USA.
For road trip inspiration, travellers are welcome to check out the Hertz Road Trip Planner and the new @HertzRoadTrip Instagram channel. Hertz is also inviting road trippers to share their road trip experiences by tagging @HertzUK (Facebook & Twitter).
He’s the gorgeous presenter from ITV’s Tipping Point, but what more do we know about Ben Shephard?
(C) ITV
Forty-four-year-old Ben Shephard is the current presenter of Tipping Point on ITV Daytime. His career in television started in 1998 when he began hosting the Channel 4 spin-off show, The Bigger Breakfast along with Melanie Sykes and Dermot O’Leary.
But he’s also been a radio presenter. He used to host a breakfast show on Saturday mornings on Magic FM in 2005. He also had an evening slot on Mondays on Heat Radio in 2008.
Is Ben Shephard gay, bisexual or straight?
It doesn’t appear that Epping-born Ben is gay or bisexual. It seems that Ben identifies as heterosexual. He is currently married to a woman called Annie Perks and together they have two sons Jack and Sam. They were married in 2005. They all live in London. Of course, in 2019 things shouldn’t really matter.
He often shares pictures of his family time on Instagram and remembers to pencil in a date night with “Mrs S” from time to time.
Set to the music of Tchaikovsky, and recounting the fairy tale of The Sleeping Beauty; Moscow City Ballet return with one of their better presented, yet staunchly traditional ballets; as Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil fairy, Carabosse, and sleeps for 100 years until she is awoken by the kiss of a prince.
Of the various ballets in Moscow City Ballet’s repertoire, this is perhaps one of the better presented pieces. With its feet planted very much in the traditional tights and tutu’s style ballet, this production lacks the dramatic flair of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures; and doesn’t have the detailed narrative of Northern Ballet; but does offer a timeless take on a classic ballet which is used to showcase the dancer’s skills and talents, rather than deliver an exhilarating narrative or flashy visuals.
With some impressive costumes and utilising a static set of backdrops to create a workable dance space, there were times when the ballet sparkled and really came alive, especially during the ensemble pieces and, in particular, in the opening scenes of Act 2, which were quite charming. But despite the technical ability of the dancers, the choreography felt rather lacklustre at times, especially towards the end of the third act where it all became rather repetitive. Compounding that, there appeared to be little connection between the characters on stage, with the dancers performing with fixed grins whilst staring out into the middle distance, and not really looking as if they were enjoying themselves at all.
Sleeping Beauty is a mixed production. When it is at its height, it has genuine charm; but does have a few lulls in the pacing of the production, especially as it tails off towards its conclusion. But that said, it has some technically excellent performances from the company and is about as traditional as they come.
If you are looking for an accessible, straight forward evening of ballet which showcases the skill and suppleness of these talented individuals, then this may well be the production for you.
Moscow City Ballet are at Sheffield Theatres until 12th January 2019 before continuing on their national tour showcasing four ballets, Swan lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and Romeo & Juliet. Details can be found on their website.
