Saara Aalto‘s journey to the finals is history making, after she became the first LGBT woman to reach the finals of ITV’s X Factor. She missed out on the top spot after Matt Terry won the competition outright. Saara Aalto had been the firm favourite to win the competition with one excited fan putting a £30,000 bet on the Finnish singer to win this year’s competition.
The powerhouse vocalist revealed that she was engaged to be married to her girlfriend, Meri, during the series. The pair have been partners for a number of years and are considered one of the only openly gay celebrity couples in their native Finland.
To date the only other runner-up to out at the time of the show is Marcus Collins. No one, who was openly gay at the time of the competition, has won the X Factor. Joe McElderry who won series 6 came out after he won the show.
It has been reported the Saara Aalto actually wanted to come second in the competition. According to the Sun, the 29-year-old revealed that, “‘Coming second would be better than the number one spot, as it would mean having the freedom that the winner does not”.
If you want to see Ed Harris sitting on a couch for close to three hours, then Buried Child is the show for you.
Harris, film and television star, is excellent as Dodge, the father of two sons (dysfunctional doesn’t even come close to describing them). He lives in an old, ram shackled dilapidated house in Illinois with his wife Halie (Harris’ real-life wife Amy Madigan), who pops up in the first and third acts. Yes, this play has three acts, with two very quick ten-minute intervals between the acts. The last show I saw that had three acts, (The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures), was very painful to sit through and felt a bit like Chinese water torture. Buried Child, playing at Trafalgar Studios, is not that bad but it still feels like a long show.
Harris does spend the whole time on centre stage, on the sofa, and he’s even on the sofa before the show even starts. Dodge and Halie share their home, unwillingly, with their two grown up sons. They’ve obviously missed the financial gravy train and are unfortunately tethered to their poor lot in life. One son, Bradley (Gary Shelford), never left home, and who continues to bring into the house freshly dug up vegetables from no one knows where because there’s not a garden anywhere near the house. Tilden (Barnaby Kay), who used to live in New Mexico, has returned to the family homestead because of an incident that happened there. It’s up to Halie to be the sane member of the family, this is until their grandson Vince (Jeremy Irvine), son of Tilden, arrives in town with his girlfriend Shelly (Charlotte Hope). Immediately Shelly is uncomfortable in the house full of Vince’s miserable and depressed and sick grandfather, father and uncle. But there is a family secret that’s slightly mentioned which peaks Charlotte’s curiosity, and she wants to find out more. Meanwhile, Vince goes to the grocery store to buy booze for his grandfather because the bottle he had under the couch is missing, and while Charlotte is speaking to Bradley and wanting to know more about this secret and starts nagging a bit too much, he puts his hand into her mouth (at this point if I were her I would’ve run out of that house). But the secret that has doomed this troubled family is literally, and eventually, out of the bag, but not before Vince goes missing for the rest of the night and Halie returns home with the family pastor who’s just as uncomfortable in the house as Charlotte is. But it’s not until the final scene that leaves you with an image that you won’t soon forget.
Buried Child is a very wordy play. perhaps a bit too wordy, but it being a Sam Shepard play, there is lots that is over dramatic, over the top, and bordering close to the unbelievable. Surely cutting out one act would’ve made this play more biting, sharper and dramatic instead of long-winded, but director Scott Elliott is able, just, to keep the drama and tension up, while maintaining, until the very end, the mystery of this family’s tragic existence on earth.
Buried Child is now playing at Trafalgar Studios until February 18, 2017.
After a bad breakup, having to start over and put myself on the market again after 6 years, I seem to have grown up a little when it comes to guys. Over the last few months, I’ve met my fair share of new men. Some have been good, some downright awful and some complete assholes.
CREDIT: Wavebreak-Media-Ltd-bigstock
Luckily for me, one guy, in particular, taught me everything there is to know about how to become a player. So I have come up with this short, fail proof guide for anyone who would just like to become an asshole in general or would like to play these ‘players’ at their own game. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
1. Use social media to your full advantage.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Grindr. This will give you access to hundreds of guys without the bother of actually having to meet any in real life. Poke them, tweet them do what you have to do to grab their attention!
2. Pick your first victim.
Preferably one who doesn’t seem in the least bit interested in you! This will give you a real sense of achievement when you play them. Send them a message, be friendly and ask probing questions to gain information that you can then use against them at a later stage. Chat away, build rapport and pretend to be friends. Withhold information about yourself or even makeup lies.
3. Swap phone numbers.
Inundate them with texts, compliments and calls every day.
4. It’s now time to try and get your victim to fall hook, line and sinker.
Use buzz words such as hot, handsome, puppies, love, marriage, babies, forever and phrases such as ‘we just click,’ ‘I’ve liked you from day one,’ ‘settle down,’ and so forth. Suggest you are both looking for the same thing and are a match made in heaven. Manipulate them into thinking they must have been wrong about you initially.
5. If you have completed steps 1 – 4 correctly, this step should be easy and work a treat.
Suggest a date, somewhere original say like the zoo, dinner, a movie or maybe even a picnic in the park!
6. It is now time to meet your victim, do whatever is necessary to lure them into the bedroom.
Have sh*t sex, my suggestion would be to let them make you cum and then give them half a hand job, yes half don’t finish. This part is crucial. Don’t pay any attention to pleasing them. Who cares if they get off? Just make sure you do!
7. Proceed to ignore your victim.
At this point, you should already be at stage 3 with a new victim or if you are feeling super confident you could even try it with their best friend. You’re a player now kid!
And there it is ladies and gentleman! How to become a top class tool in 7 easy steps. Follow this guide meticulously and you are well on your way. You can even use it to play someone who wasn’t interested in you in the first place! Clever eh? Word of warning, though, karma is a bitch!
Good King Wenceslas has become Good King Wences-LOST in the latest mind-bending puzzle to baffle the internet.
In the popular carol, the kind-hearted ruler and his page head out into the snow to deliver winter fuel to a poor villager.
But in this brain-teaser by OpticalExpress.co.uk he has lost his way amid a forest of pine trees.
His loyal page – at the bottom of the picture, by the village – is about to set out on his quest to find his master. Can you help him?
The national eye care provider created the challenge to mark its latest laser eye surgery offer – a full refund if patients do not achieve 20/20 vision or better.
Lord Sugar shuts down Apprentice hopeful Dillon St. Paul, after he tried to explain the difficulties of being gay in business.
(C) Boundless
Lord Sugar seemed less than impressed by Dillon’s attempt to explain the realities that many gay men face in business, and the struggle that many face to get up the corporate chain, after pointing out that the two other candidates Dillon was sitting with, in the firing room, were also people who had overcome obstacles in business.
As Dillon fought for his place in the BBC business reality show, he tried to explain that as a gay man he had dealt with struggles and adversity in business, however the 69-year-old business tycoon wasn’t having any of it when he immediately dismissed the conversation and pointed out that Dillon’s competition Sofian had arrived in the UK, with nothing but £180 in his pocket and that Grainne was a mother with a business.
Dillion said,
“I’ve spent my whole life trying to be a creative designer. I came from not much, I had to leave a small town, I had to go to the big city and make it on my own. People talk about women having equality in the workplace, but as a gay man, I’ve come across a lot of adversaries, I tried my best to make a career for myself, it didn’t come easy for me at all.”
Lord Sugar replied,
“That’s nice and commendable, I understand what you’re saying, but he (pointing to Sofian) also just came over here, with £180 in his pocket, 13 years ago, and taught himself how to speak English, and she’s (speaking about Grainne) a mother who has also got her own business…”
(C) Boundless
In 2015, leading LGBT rights charity, Stonewall, revealed that one in five gay employees experience verbal homophobic bullying from their co-workers and that one in eight would not feel comfortable in reporting homophobia to their bosses.
Dillon was just one of the few openly gay candidates to ever to appear on the show. Lord Sugar fired Dillon and Sofia at the end of the episode.
It’s something most guys look at, touch and maybe have a little play with everyday and, for some, we have often pondered, “what if I were a little bigger down there?” Well a quick search of Amazon will soon show you that there’s help at hand for growing those extra inches and it wont burst your bank! So to speak. We guarantee that top medical professionals, had we asked them, would agree that the only thing these items are going to raise is a smile!
That’s right folks. Use the power of magnets to slowly grow your little… (Insert pet name here – and we don’t mean your cat!)… an extra 15% in just 45 days of wearing. Though one might suggest that wearing the same pants for 45 days will have a negative effect of using that extra length on someone special! Plus with all those magnets in your pants you’d want to steer clear of the fridge! That would be an embarrassing phone call to the fire brigade as they have to prise you off. BUY HERE
In this age of hand to mouth living it’s quite likely that most of us are finding it difficult to save for holidays, homes or new cars. However, if you do have some pennies left at the end of the week then this handy tin will help you save up for that all important operation. Of course, you may find it quicker to get a rise by withdrawing your £1.48 savings and buying the boyfriend a surprise bar of chocolate! BUY HERE
Perfect, read a book and get a bigger dick. What could be easier? I’ve read a few coffee table books in my time that have caused stirrings so maybe this will do the same… Oh, wait, no… I just read ‘How It Works’ in the preview. Apparently it’s all down to visualisation and un-tapping the mind’s potential to give you a bigger cock. It suggests if you’re fat you’ll always be fat because you think you are. So, if you only have 5” then you’ll always have 5” because that’s what you think you have… Funny, as I’ve always thought and told people I have 12” down there, but think it’s actually only 11”… ahem. BUY HERE
I was going to steer clear of the pills and potions for ultimate arousal but this sturdy looking product caught my eye. I mean, for just over three quid it’s worth a punt right? The reviews say otherwise. A collection of one star complaints of “Totally Useless” and “Rubbish” were often used, though there was some 3 star luck from Ricky B who said, “Wife a bit disappointed, but the boyfriend loved it!” – which could suggest that the solution to arousal is the bit on the side and not the bit in the tube! BUY HERE
I’ve seen these before and maybe you have also, but this has to be one of my favourite gadgets for working out your man meat. I mean why just go to the gym and pump iron on your arms? Ok, I’ve never seen one of these used in a gym, sadly, but it did help me out many years ago when a friend bought me one for a gift and showed me how it works. I managed to raise it but had trouble putting it back down again! Thanks Willy Weights. BUY HERE
Please note this article is just for fun and should anyone be suffering from willy woes or have questions ranging from size or erectile dysfunction then we do recommend contacting your doctor for professional advice. TheGayUK also runs a free sex clinic where you can ask our qualified Dr any issues, anonymously.
Ah, James Martin. He lightens our Saturday mornings with his kitchen antics, but what do you we know about the famous chef.
1) Is James Martin gay?
It doesn’t look like James Martin is gay or bisexual and according to sources, he’s been dating a “secret live-in” girlfriend for five years. In August 2016, the Sun revealed that the celebrity chef was dating PA Louise Davies and they live together. However, there are no plans for wedding bells just yet. They do have a dog together, though.
It does seem he doesn’t mind a bit of a bromance though, after a “flirty” moment in 2007 with the openly gay Torchwood actor John Barrowman, several people took to a Mumsnet forum to find out whether he was gay or not.
2) What is James Martin most famous for?
James is most famous for his cooking with his first TV appearance taking place in 1996. His first show was called James Martin: Yorkshire’s Finest. Then he had stints on Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast. He’s now a staple on the BBC with his show Saturday Kitchen Live.
He also enjoyed more exposure during the third series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2005. He finished in fourth place after being eliminated on the 10th December. He’s also an author who’s had no less than 17 books published.
3) How old is James Martin?
Hailing from Malton, North Riding of Yorkshire, James was born in 1974 (30th June) which makes him 44 in 2016.
4) Is James Martin married?
Not yet. James Martin is not married, however, according to the Sun, James has been dating Louise Davies, a PA for 5 years. They live together and co-own a dog.
5) What is James Martin’s net worth?
According to various sources, James Martin’s net worth is valued at around $5m. He has amassed his fortune through the publishing of books and various TV appearances and owning various restaurants.
6) What does James Martin do in his spare time?
James is a petrol head. He loves performance cars and even has a private pilot license.
7) What was James Martin first job?
James has always worked with food. He studied catering at Scarborough Technical College and trained in France at the Hostellerie De Plaisance. He worked at the 3 Michelin star restaurant Maison Troisgros, Roanne, before winning a position at Anthony Worrall Thompson’s ‘One Ninety Queen’s Gate’ restaurant in Kensington, London. When he was 22 he set up the Hotel du Vin in Winchester as head chef.
If you’re looking to boost your game in the bedroom you might want to take a look at the food you’re eating. Some foods have amazing wellness properties for men that can really boost your drive.
BIGSTOCK
Millions of men suffer from low libido and impotency in the UK, but there are natural ways you can aid your drive. Firstly you should always consult your doctor if you feel you have a serious underlying issue, but here’s some foods which are great to get you fired up.
Our food editor, Jordan Lohan explains, “simple things like salsa, salad, smoothies and even chocolate truffles can be tailored using readily available ingredients to relieve various sexual concerns”. Check out his FEED YOUR PENIS recipes here.
– Figs: These small fruits pack some big benefits. They are bursting with calcium, iron, potassium, and more of that stimulating zinc. They are also packed with fibre, which boosts heart health and satisfies hunger without adding to your waistline.
– Strawberries:Don’t forget to bring this mouth-watering dessert on your next picnic. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin B, which has been linked to high sperm counts in men. Go one step further and coat them in chocolate, as it is full of libido-boosting methylxanthines! (Why do you think it’s such a popular Valentine’s Day gift?!)
-Almonds: These healthy nuts are said to act as a sexual stimulant and a fertility aid, so if you’re trying for a baby, start snacking! They are rich in nutrients and in several minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, including zinc, selenium, and vitamin E. Zinc can also help enhance sexual desire – added bonus!
-Avocados: The name for this South American fruit derives from the Aztec language Nahuatl, in which it meant ‘testicle’ – a name chosen for the fruit’s unusual shape. It may seem like a bit of a stretch to us, but avocadoes do have some sexy benefits! They are rich in unsaturated fats, making them very heart-healthy. And a healthy heart keeps the blood flowing to all the right places! Men with underlying heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, so feel free to add some extra avocado slices to your salads.
-Eggs: Poached, scrambled or fried, eggs are sure to rev you up after a long day at work. They are full of protein, which keeps you going without packing on the calories. They’re also an excellent source of amino acids, which combat certain types of heart ailments as well as erectile dysfunction. There’s a reason Dean Martin likes his eggs with a kiss in the morning…
– Feta & Spinach: Feta and spinach both increase testosterone levels.
– Chilli Capsaicin: This spicy chilli promotes circulation and endorphins for the feel good factor. It’s getting hot in here.
And guess what you could now be barred from using the Uber service if you break one of their community guidelines. The guidelines say US only at this point. So you could find your Uber account blocked if you break one of the rules.
So you could find your Uber account blocked if you break one of the rules.
And while we agree with many of those – we’re wondering how Uber is going to deal with its own drivers when they break the law (using mobile phones whilst driving – don’t think we don’t see you!) or discriminating against someone because of their sexuality.
Damn thought my Uber driver was cool until he got homophobic….😐
This year’s favourite to win X Factor Saara Aalto already has a Christmas hit – in the form of the classic Christmas album and it’s absolutely amazing.
Saara Aalto is the best female vocalist the X Factor has had in a long time and it seems as though she’s already had a Christmas hit album called Angels which she released in 2011.
The album features Christmas hits such as “Walking In The Air” and this amazing version of “O Holy Night”.
The singer who had a rocky start in her time with the juggernaut show said that she feared an anti-gay backlash and felt forced to live a lie after getting engaged to her girlfriend in the summer. She revealed that she and her girlfriend, Meri were the first gay female couple to come out in Finland.
