Simon Cowell’s Grenfell Tower single has been released.
Simon Cowell has released a version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, with a number of artists, with every penny going to the London Community Foundation.
The single features vocals from Geri Halliwell, Nathan Sykes and Emeli Sandé, One Direction band mates Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, and former X Factor stars Leona Lewis and Fleur East.
Here’s everyone who appears: 5 After Midnight
Angel
Anne-Marie
Bastille
Brian May – Queen
Carl Barât – The Libertines
Craig David
Deno
Donae’o
Dua Lipa
Ella Eyre
Ella Henderson
Emeli Sandé
Fleur East
Gareth Malone & The Choir for Grenfell
Geri Halliwell
Gregory Porter
James Arthur
James Blunt
Jessie J
Jessie Ware
John Newman
Jon McClure – Reverend and the Makers
Jorja Smith
Kelly Jones – Stereophonics
Labrinth
Leona Lewis
Liam Payne
London Community Gospel Choir
Louis Tomlinson
Louisa Johnson
Matt Goss
Matt Terry
Mr Eazi
Nathan Sykes
Nile Rodgers
Omar
Paloma Faith
Pixie Lott
Ray BLK
RAYE
Rita Ora
Robbie Williams
Shakka
Shane Filan
Stormzy
The Who (Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend)
Tokio Myers
Tom Grennan
Tony Hadley
Tulisa
WSTRN
All proceeds collected from the single are to be distributed via The London Community Foundation. To make further donations to Artists for Grenfell, go to the dedicated website http://www.artistsforgrenfell.com.
We stumbled across the best Instagram account out there for those of you who’ve ever had a cabin crew crush.
Let’s be honest, most of the time the second we clamber onboard our Ryan Air flight, we put our headphones in and do our best to ignore the world until we land. Yes, I know I should watch the safety demonstration, but I literally flew out 2 days ago and I doubt anything has changed since then. Wear a seatbelt, don’t smoke, brace brace, etc etc.
That being said, perhaps I’d be more inclined to pay attention if these guys were standing by the cockpit (there, I’ve said it, the cockpit joke has been made. Now we can all move on).
Twelve Holocaust survivors, tell, in vivid detail, the horrors they suffered in the concentration camps during WWII in the new documentary Destination Unknown.
These men and women were lucky enough to have lived through, and survived, the suffering and the horrors in the Treblinka, Mauthausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. They tell about losing their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, and how, now 70 years after the liberation of the camps, they are still haunted by the memories.
We get to meet Ed Mosberg, who was 13 years old when the war started, and who lost all of his family, and how, 70 years later, him and his wife, who is in a wheelchair, visit Mauthausen Camp for the first time since they were liberated, with Ed wearing a prisoner’s outfit. His wife bittersweetly tells him that he never really left the concentration camp. Then there is Polish Eli Zborowski, who survived the war by being hidden by a local family, and Stanley Goglover, who had to remove his Auschwitz tattoo to completely erase the memories of his time in the concentration camps.
Roman Ferber speaks in perfect English as he remembers when he was three years old that all of a sudden his Polish nanny disappeared only because she was not allowed to work for a Jewish family. The memorable story of couple Victor and Regina Lewis, who knew each other before the war and who, after the war, being the only members of their families to survive, ended up reconnecting and eventually getting married. Plus some of the lucky survivors who ended up on Schindler’s list and who thus were not sent to the camps get to tell their harrowing tales.
Destination Unknown just doesn’t concentrate on death, the documentary also highlights these people’s amazing lives after the war, how they got married, had kids and even grandchildren, and how they created their own families after the horrible crimes against humanity that took place under Adolph Hitler’s short but devastating regime.
Destination Unkown, completed in 2016, uses rare unseen archive footage from the war, as well as the participant’s own home video footage, to tell their individual stories of fear, hope, survival and courage. After 14 years of tracking down and talking to survivors, Producer Llion Roberts, along with Director and Editor Claire Ferguson, have made a documentary that is both memorable and still necessary, with an incredible and moving soundtrack. Sure there have been dozens and dozens of books, films and documentaries on this subject, but it’s a subject matter that still needs to be told for each survivor has their own story to tell, unique, frightening, courageous, and just as important, perhaps even more so, than anything in the news today.
This is a brief overview of the LGBT and gay rights situation in Croatia
In 2017 Croatia ranks number 10 ranking out of 49 countries in Europe according to ILGA. It’s just above Sweden and below The Netherlands. Its capital city is Zagreb, which is where the majority of its LGBT venues and services are.
It has three main prides in Zagreb, Split and Osikek.
Is same-sex sexual activity legal?
Legal since 1977
Age of consent
The age of consent was equalised in 1998 and is currently set at 15 years old
Military service
Gays and lesbians are permitted to serve in the country’s military
Same-sex marriage legal
Same-sex marriage is not legal in Croatia and its ban is written into the Croatian constitution.
It was decided as part of a public referendum which determined that marriage could only be between a man and a woman.
Same-sex partnerships legal
Same-sex partners cohabitations have been legal since 2003, in 2014 the country added Life partnerships, which afford sex couples the same rights as married couples, except in adoption rights.
Discrimination protections
LGBTs are protected from discriminations since 2003.
Gender identity
Changing your legal gender is permitted by law.
Blood donation
People who have sex with people of the same sex are prohibited by law in donating blood.
Margaret Thatcher was the British Prime Minister between 1979 and 1990 – a time where gay and LGBT+ rights were hard fought but seldom won.
It was during this period that gay people suffered the worst healthcare crisis, thanks to AIDS and HIV, the Government’s response was markedly better than that of the US’s. However, Ms Thatcher was hesitant on some of the languages surrounding the information campaign which would be communicated to the citizens of the UK. In annotations on official documents distributed by Norman Fowler, the Secretary of State for Social Services, Thatcher asked, “Do we have to have the section on risky sex? I should have thought it could do immense harm if young teenagers were to read it”.
During Thatcher’s time in power, a new law aimed specifically at those in education was adopted in 1988 called Section 28 in the UK and Section 2A in Scotland. This law prohibited teachers from “intentionally promoting sexuality” or talking about same-sex relationships in any way that would equal them to traditional families.
Needless to say, this policy undoubtedly added to the confusion and fear surrounding HIV and AIDS amongst the younger generation and possibly put back its decrease for decades.
After her time as the country’s PM, Thatcher voted negatively on a number of bills affecting the lives of LGBT people in Britain, including adoption rights for same-sex couples, she also voted yes on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which requires the need for a father and voted yes on timescale conditions of the repeal of Section 28.
She was absent for a number of votes including, The repeal of Section 28 and on the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation).
The Anti-Gay Speech
Ms Thatcher barely spoke publicly about homosexuality during her time as PM. In fact, there’s only one speech that she made in which she spoke about homosexuality. It’s widely regarded as her anti-gay speech. This section is just a small portion of a much larger and longer speech, the topics of which reached further than education.
During a speech to the Conservative Party Conference in 1987, Thatcher spoke directly about homosexuality, saying,
“To compete successfully in tomorrow’s world—against Japan, Germany and the United States—we need well-educated, well-trained, creative young people. Because if education is backward today, national performance will be backward tomorrow.
But it’s the plight of individual boys and girls which worries me most. Too often, our children don’t get the education they need—the education they deserve.
And in the inner cities—where youngsters must have a decent education if they are to have a better future—that opportunity is all too often snatched from them by hard left education authorities and extremist teachers.
And children who need to be able to count and multiply are learning anti-racist mathematics—whatever that may be.
Children who need to be able to express themselves in clear English are being taught political slogans.
Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay
All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life—yes, cheated.”.
Positive steps
During the vote to decriminalise homosexuality 50 years ag0 this year, Ms Thatcher, way before she was Prime Minister, voted to decriminalise it.
★★★★★ – Dangerous, jaw-dropping and comedy genius!
Mischief Theatre, in role as The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, brought to the Birmingham Rep stage an uproariously funny murder mystery entitled The Murder at Haversham Manor and it went south, literally.
The Play That Goes Wrong was a comedic masterpiece, like its successor Peter Pan, Goes Wrong, with dangerous and risky tricks that left audiences clutching on to their seats as pieces of stage fell off and got thrown around, sometimes missing the actors by inches. The actors were so efficient in everything they did, from balancing three objects across two body parts, to expertly delivering their lines while dodging canvasses, candelabras and each other. What was sublime about The Play That Goes Wrong was that if ever you have seen an amateur, or a badly produced professional, play, this show embodies the different mistakes and disasters that have occurred in the former shows. There’ll be a moment where you cannot help but recall a bad production where sets had fallen down or actors had genuinely forgotten lines and asked for “line” throughout entire speeches.
Jason Callender who plays Jonathan playing Charles Haversham was brilliant. His gag was always turning up at the wrong point in the play, revealing the ending every time. It was very comedic, too, when Jonathan was rarely allowed to play dead, for actors clumsily walked on him, sat on him, or fell on him. He made the audience laugh at his every entrance, and I chiefly loved his sneaking off stage wriggling subtly on the floor as if to kid the audience that we couldn’t see him depart. Patrick Warner who plays Chris playing Inspector Carter was a comedy genius. Every reaction was crafted to perfection, and his lines were well-timed with the action. The audience hung on to every word he said. He played the director too, so it was particularly hilarious when, under his breath, he would mutter a direction to understudies that had come on to fill in for a part. Ham acting is a feature often prominent in amateur murder mystery productions, and Alastair Kirton playing Max playing Cecil Haversham did a sterling job showcasing this. Max’s sawing the air with his hands and over dramatising his role while stopping to smile as the audience laughed during one of his lines, was incredibly entertaining. When Max changed role to be the Gardener he flashed his clothes to tell it was still him, and that he had returned, but as a different character. Absolutely hilarious. Lastly, Natasha Culley as Sandra Wilkinson enacting the role of Florence Colleymoore was a treat. Sandra was everything that had ever gone wrong with acting all sewn together in one actress. Her ticks, shallow demeanour, and not able to improvise without direction, was a great feast for the senses. Her overproduction of movement as she spoke, too, was hilarious. Overall, each cast member contributed to one of funniest nights I’ve had this year.
The Play That Goes Wrong was especially entertaining for the set was a safety hazard, as the study, built atop of the drawing room, with no rails or support, collapsed gradually while the actors were still on there. It eventually fell down while an actor was under it, but the dexterity by which the actors moved and positioned themselves, made the accidents sort of safe, and we could exhale once again.
Mischief Theatre is like Alton Towers, you queue to get on, you get several scares, and then you want to hop on again and again.
The Play That Goes Wrong is playing at The Birmingham Rep until 24th June
One fan commenting that the performance by Steve Grand and his two dancers was “the gayest thing” he had ever scene, whilst others were far more concerned being able to concentrate on anything other than what was under that jockstrap.
The gay singer was taking part in the Broadway Bares: ManuSTRIPT hosted in San Francisco, which ran concurrently with its New York City sister show Broadway Bares: Strip U.
The show was raising funds for HIV service via REAF in SF and through Broadway Cares in New York.
Although Ana Brnabić was nominated by Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, to become the first woman and openly lesbian Prime Minister she may fail to get enough votes from the Country’s politicians.
If this happens, a public election could happen, putting her future into the hands of the Country.
Serbia has a relatively poor history on gay right’s matters, having only legalised same-sex sexual activity in 1994. The country does not have any recognitions for same-sex partners and gay marriage is constitutionally banned.
President Vučić has met with 100 of Parliament’s 250 politics, apparently securing their votes, but she still needs 26 more votes to become the Prime Minister.
Ms Brnabić has had a quick rise to the top having been elected as the Minister of Public Administration and Local State Governments in 2016.
Politicians were due to vote this week on whether Ms Brnabić becomes the next PM, however, the vote has been pushed back.
FILM REVIEW | Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – Captain Jack Sparrow is back for the fifth and final time in the search along with everyone else for Poseidon’s Trident which is the only thing that can save him from an army of zombie pirates.
Nutshell – Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and all are back for one final time before setting sail into the sunset – God even Paul McCartney turns up too. The undead Captain Salazar escapes from the Devil’s Triangle which Jack Sparrow had trapped him in. He wants revenge by eliminating every pirate from the earth and Jack’s only hope is an artefact that gives full control over the seas – cue the mother of all chases across land and over and under the sea to tie up all the loose ends of 11 hours of fun films in this hugely successful franchise.
Running Time – 129 minutes; Certificate – 12A.
Tagline – ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ or ”All Pirates Must Die’
THEGAYUK Factor –Orlando Bloom is one hot fukka with the second biggest peen in Hollywood to Jon Hamm allegedly but he goes missing for the middle of the film so the eye candy is taken up by young newbie Brenton Thwaites. Pirates are hot and we’re sure they enjoyed each other below decks as you can see in the recently released gay porn version of this franchise ‘Pirates’ from Men.com featuring UK Gay Porn megastar Paddy O’Brian shagging over the yardarm on a real pirate ship.
Cast – Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, David Wenham & Kevin McNally.
Key Player – Ever since the first movie when he was a supporting character these films are all now about Johnny Depp and here he has a lot more funny lines than normal – he also has this character down pat and really carries the weight of this massive movie.
Budget – $350 Million making it one of the Top 10 most expensive films ever – $90 Million was added due to Depp’s divorce trauma’s, him busting his wrist and having to return to the States and that dog smuggling into Oz problem but it will still make a nice profit worldwide.
Best Bit – 0.31 mins; A truly great bank heist that fits the tone of these films perfectly although it is ripped hook, line and anchor from the climax to Fast And Furious 5, but hey ho, it still works a treat. Don’t get distracted at the end of the epic stunt sequence at the bridge bit though as there is an awful blooper where six horses suddenly all disappear at once.
Worst Bit – 0.42 mins; The David Wenham character representing the British Navy is not so much unnecessary but wholly obsolete and somewhat confusing and why does he want the Trident anyway?
Little Secret – The Pirates’ films are the 9th most lucrative franchise of all time and this is the most expensive to date. After Keith Richard’s from the Rolling Stones as his dad here we get Paul McCartney from The Beatles playing Jack’s Uncle and singing Maggie Mae from the Let it Be Album. This was supposed to be the last Pirates ever but just this week they have announced number 6 and Keira Knightley will be back for the whole thing next time.
Further Viewing –The Black Pearl,Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End, On Stranger Tides for 11 hours of Jack madness plus Cutthroat Island, Blackbeard, Treasure Island, Hook and 10 years in the making Roman Polanski’s ‘Pirates‘.
Any Good – It is basically a carbon copy of the first movie with bigger set pieces and more CGI. As that was the best one of the series and they have upped the humour here then this is definitely a return to form and is very welcome in that it is shorter too. All good fun but nothing really new here to be honest and it will get a bit lost in the midst of a very busy Summer of sequels.
If you, like me, are always looking for an excuse to soak up the sun, regardless of it being summer yet or not, look no further than the sunny Croatian peninsula of the Istrian region.
Pula is the main centre and on the edge of the water lies a large resort complex run by Park Plaza. I had the pleasure of staying at the Park Plaza Arena Pula, which is a beautifully built new resort complex nestled among the trees, right at the water’s edge. The resort has 175 rooms, which are beautifully appointed with large comfortable beds, spacious bathrooms, and balconies you can sit in to enjoy the sun. At Arena Pula you have the option of waterside or park side rooms, either side gives you a wonderful vista across the peninsula. For those with a little more pocket money, or just in need of a little more space, you can splash out for the penthouse suite, a favourite of celebrities that come to Pula to perform. Or the newly build garden suites which include two bedroom, two bathroom suites and a large patio or balcony, depending if you’re on the ground or level one.
Park Plaza Arena Pula, Croatia:
Prices from £101(EURO 117) per room per night, based on two people sharing a standard room with breakfast.
Price inclusive of VAT. Tourist tax not included: daily 1,00 Euro per adult and 0,50 Euro per child (12-18)
To book, visit: www.parkplaza.com/croatia
Once you have settled your luggage, the resort facilities offer a pool, access to the Adriatic Sea via a small beach directly in front of the hotel, a spa and massage service (extra fees apply), I highly recommend the Gold Massage, where you are luxuriously pampered as you are massaged with gold-infused oil. The massage left me feeling very relaxed and shimmering with a golden sheen that lasted all afternoon. Also available in the facilities in the resort are a small gymnasium, which is open daily, and a comfortable foyer bar and terrace where you can enjoy drinks as you soak up the sun’s rays. The bar has a more than competent staff, and a decent cocktail list. They can also whip something up for you should you so ask.
The resort also provides a buffet breakfast and dinner, and an a la carte lunch. While we visited, we were able to sample some wonderful local style foods, which take their influence from the rich history of Croatia, particularly Pula, which has at times been controlled by the Romans, Venetians and Austria-Hungary. This gives their food a wide range of influences, not least of which is the use of locally pressed olive oils in pretty much everything, as well as an excellent, and award winning local wine industry. Each of our courses on this trip were coupled with a different local wine, chosen to suit the food we ate.
While in Pula, travel further afar from the resort area to the local sites. In Pula city, you will find the ancient Roman amphitheatre, which you can explore as a tourist. The building is mostly destroyed, though there are still some seats remaining, as well as an exhibition of an ancient olive oil press that once ran underneath the complex. If you are in town at the right time, you can enjoy the arena as a functioning entertainment stadium. Throughout the year the stadium hosts the opening night of the Pula International Film Festival (July) and the opening night of the local music festivals which continue throughout the summer months in various abandoned Venetian fortresses which surround the city. Outside of the festivals, the fortresses can be visited to look at and wander around, but not to enter. The Old town in Pula boasts several squares where one can enjoy a coffee, or many local stores.
If you’re staying in Pula at the Park Plaza Arena Pula, I suggest hiring a car so that you can explore the local areas. One of which is Fažana, a local sea-side village, from where you can take a short ferry ride to the Brijuni National Park. Here you can take a ‘train’ ride tour of the islands, where you get a trip through the zoo, populated with animals that were mostly given as gifts to the President of Yugoslavia. The President, Tito, had a summer residence on the island, which is now used by the President of Croatia, and visiting dignitaries from other countries. My advice would be to visit the island in the morning, as school trips and the majority of tourists head over in the early afternoon. We returned on the 1 pm Ferry to Fažana, where we found the village mostly empty of tourists, as they had all been on the return ferry. We enjoyed lunch at the Stara Konoba, where we were treated to several local specialities, including Boskarin (ox meat) and sardines cooked in more ways than there are numbers. This was again accompanied by a selection of local white wine.
Once in Fazana, you can take an hour or two and enjoy an olive oil tasting session with one of the local producer. I enjoyed the olive oil of Balija a small local producer, one of the few managed by a woman. She and her team produce only 2000 bottles of olive oil per year.
Getting there: Jet2.com – Stansted-Pula Leading leisure airline Jet2.com offers friendly low fares and great flight times to Pula from London Stansted Airport, with flights operating up to two times per week. Jet2.com also flies to Pula from Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford and Manchester Airports. Fares from Stansted Airport to Pula with Jet2.com start at £25 one way including taxes. Fares from Edinburgh Airport to Pula with Jet2.com start at £25 one way including taxes.
While Pula is a small city, of about 85,000 people, during the summer it comes alive with the hundreds of thousands of tourists who arrive to enjoy the many natural delights. During the summer the small city entertains 2 million overnight stays. There are of course a number of bars and clubs that are available to enjoy, long into the morning. While we were there, we found a little bar called the Shipyard, Pula’s newest bar. Filled with the young people of Pula, attentive bar staff and a DJ to play music, it is a great place to take in a few drinks.
Back at the resort, if you’re interested in exploring various local things, the hotel can arrange a culinary experience, where you can learn how to make some local pasta, which you can enjoy as a side to your next meal. For guests at the Park Plaza hotels, the hotels guest relations people have a large range of activities that can be organised at the front desk of the hotel. These include information about places around the Istrian region that you can drive to with your rental car or towns you can get to by taxi for short excursions. The Histria hotel also has a 300msq gym, an indoor heated pool and a large spa/massage centre which can be booked by guests of that hotel. In addition, a yacht club restaurant is open to the public to enjoy a great selection of local food and excellent cocktails right on the waterfront.
Not far from the Histria hotel is the Ribarska Koliba restaurant. A local seafood restaurant situated directly in the marina. Here you can try some truly wonderful locally sources seafood, prepared freshly each day. The new chef recently hired at the restaurant has created a menu that is rooted in the local cuisine of Istria with a modern twist.
Getting there: Jet2.com flies directly to Pula from Stanstead, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, and Manchester. Flights from Stanstead leave at a bright and early 8am, so you might want to stay at or near the airport. Holiday Extras offers a choice of UK airport hotels that can include your holiday parking along with lounges at all major UK airports.
A night’s stay at an airport hotel is the perfect way to get your holiday off to a hassle-free start. Holiday Extras offers a choice of UK airport hotels that can include your holiday parking along with lounges at all major UK airports so you can start your holiday in style. Hotel room at Stansted Airport from £55.00. To book, visit www.holidayextras.co.uk or call 0800 1313 777
Damaged hearing is a real issue with one in ten of us suffering from tinnitus so make sure you protect your ears this pride season.
National charity Action on Hearing Loss is urging Pride-goers this summer to consider their hearing before attending large events. Six million people in the UK – that’s one in ten – are affected by tinnitus
Gemma Twitchen, senior audiologist at Action on Hearing loss explained,
“We don’t want people to stop going to music events – that’s not what this is about. However, people may not be aware that there is a risk of damaging your hearing if you expose yourself to too much loud noise. The good news is that if you aware of the risks and take the simple steps to protect yourself, you can still enjoy the music.
“You can help ensure both you and your hearing survives the Pride season by investing in ear plugs. There is a misconception that if you wear them you can’t hear or enjoy the music, but this is simply not true. Ear plugs will block out the dangerous sound frequencies, still allowing you to listen to the music and enjoy it”.
So make sure you follow these find tips to make sure you don’t become a sufferer.
Don’t stand too near the speakers for a prolonged amount of time
Take breaks away from loud music
Make sure you keep your body hydrated to increase blood circulation and keep your body and ears healthy
Wear ear plugs
Make sure your children are wearing ear defenders
If the ringing in your ears does not go away after a 24-hour period, the charity recommends people visit their local GP.
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