Much loved Agony Aunt Denise Robertson has died at the age of 83.
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60 SECOND FILM REVIEW | Batman V SuperMan
BATMAN V SUPERMAN : DAWN OF JUSTICE – Endless muscles in tight spandex fighting for dominance
CREDIT: Warner Bros Nutshell – For once all the opinions and advance reviews are spot on. It is overlong, extremely confusing and although fine just not as good as you want it to be. DC comics set out to do a Marvel ‘Avengers’ and launch a huge network of films off the back of this movie which features no fewer than 7 separate superheroes all due their own films with an incredible 10 movies depending on this one’s success. Following directly on from ‘Superman’s’ Man Of Steel movie the two main protagonists both believe the other is simply plain bad news for planet earth and set out to make Metropolis or Gotham one superhero lighter. Legendary Superman baddie Lex Luther really starts screwing things up along the way and Supes has his usual love interest Lois Lane but Batman does not and in all that tight leather one starts to suspect he bat’s for our team.
Time – Holy bat haemorrhoid’s a ring punishing 151 mins; Certificate – 12A so no real violence here
Tagline – “Who Will Win” or ” The World’s finest have arrived” take your pick
THE GAY UK FACTOR – If you are into leather there is a tonne of it, tight spandex with bulges even more. Henry Cavill was recently voted fourth sexiest man on the planet and here we see him climbing into the bath-tub with a naked Lois Lane but he keeps he clothes on – damn you kid friendly cinema ratings we were hoping for the Cavill cock or at least an ass shot.
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Cast – Four Oscar winners all running on automatic here. Ben Affleck as the Bat has two statuettes but not for his acting, Kevin Costner, Holly Hunter & Jeremy Irons won’t get more awards here. Henry Cavill probably the worst actor on the planet not called Sam Worthington, Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) with all the best lines like a good baddie should have, Amy Adams (Enchanted) as Lois Lane & Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix)
Key Player – Gal Gadot, fresh from lighting up all the best Fast and Furious films this Israeli actress and super model only has 16 lines but Dame Judi Dench style steals the whole movie from the guys and when she turns up as Wonder Woman at one point one of the new franchises to be going forward the movie truly flies.
Budget – $250 million one of the biggest budgets in movie history and at least you can say the majority of it is up on the screen. A few less characters and therefore less paycheques would have made a better more coherent film. It has made $170 million so far so looking OK in a sort of Waterworld way where it makes money but due to expectations everyone sees as a flop
ALSO READ: Someone just made the Batman V Superman trailer gay and we love it.
ALSO READ: Homophobe calls himself Batman before exposing his penis.
Best Bit – 1.58 mins; When at last the two superheroes meet and start to duke it out so that they can save the life of another major character orchestrated by Luther. The idea that Batman with his earthly powers does not stand a chance against the alien strength of the world spinning Superman should be a problem but oh no this is a fair fight when who wins is always in doubt and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Worst Bit – 49 mins; When Wonder Woman breaks into lex Luther’s computer and discovers a handful of other superheroes such as The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman all with their movie franchises to come but it’s when this film really starts to get unnecessarily confusing – one film at a time please guys. They are all due to form a part of the legendary Justice League hence the subtitle here ‘Dawn Of Justice’
Little Secret – Ben Affleck stated in a interview that he had asked if he could have the batsuit when filming was complete. The producers said yes, but that he would have to pay $100,000 in order to keep it. Affleck quickly changed his mind and asked if he could just take a picture with it instead. This is the first Batman film ever to be released outside of the lucrative Summer blockbuster period and the first to be filmed in 3D. Matt Damon, Joachin Phoenix and Bradley Cooper were all sought for the Lex Luther part. This is the 10th Batman film in 75 years but the 16th for Superman.
Movie Mistake – Quite a few we could mention the ever changing coffin lid at a key funeral, the movie script pinned to Clark Kent’s suit when he climbs into the bath etc but there is such a major goof that it just jars. After the two heroes have a very long nasty bone crunching fight where Batman’s cowl is smashed; the bat then flies off to beat up another bunch of thugs without any evidence of muscle strain! But what’s this? – The Bat is in a completely different batsuit and with no broken cowl yet only a couple of minutes had passed and in that time he had to get from Gotham to Metropolis as well – now that’s super powers or just truly crap continuity.
Someone at the Daily Planet needs to check the spelling of the word ‘Mourning’ too.
Awards – Maybe for effects, stunts and technical teams and Golden Raspberries for poor acting from Affleck and especially Cavill and maybe for director Zach Snyder who spent all that cash on a 3 star film and who certainly needs to find a decent editor to cut some scenes out.
Zach you are risking 10 movies here on a gamble you may have lost.
Further Viewing – Man Of Steel, The Dark Knight, Avengers Assemble, Alien V Predator, Iron Man 3 & Captain America Winter Soldier the best comic book movies and the recently released Gay porn parody of Batman V Superman from Men.com where Supe’s injects some serious kryptonite into a doubled over gaping bat hole or bat cave as it were… oh we mean ass!
Any Good – Well it is fine, no better no worse, you won’t be asking for your money back and you will probably check out all the MANY films that will follow from this, in fact most of it’s problems stem from the fact that it is trying to set up a whole cinematic universe that will run and run for a decade rather than concentrating on this plot. Affleck is fine and although no Christian Bale, is worthy to continue in the black cape whereas Henry Cavill who is actually a Brit is at least very easy on the eye and gets to wear the tightest gear; He wants Bond but please Mrs Broccoli please don’t do it. The action is fine without being memorable, the early part is clever picking up from the previous Man Of steel film neatly and as for that solo Wonder Woman project well that can come as soon as it wants.
Rating – 72/100 (72nd out of the last 100 films reviewed with 1 being Gay UK filmatic ejaculatery heaven and 100 being as much fun as watching The Green Lantern film in a double bill with the stinking Fantastic Four movie in wet underpants and an overtight cock ring.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW | Beefeater Bar+ Block Birmingham
A sincere, surprising, and delicious treat was had at the Beefeater Bar + Block, rivalling every other I have ever been to. There was an immediate warm welcome from a staff member who said that someone would be with us right away, and right away he was.
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THEATRE REVIEW | Bug
★★★★★ | Bug
In a run down motel room in Oklahoma City, cocktail waitress Agnes is killing time, hitting the bottle and smoking a little crack with her lesbian friend R.C. Hiding from her violent ex and trying to numb the pain of her past; the evening takes a sudden unexpected turn when a stranger arrives.
CREDIT: Simon AnnandFound 111 is an intimate new theatre space on Charing Cross Road that perfectly suits Tracy Letts’ gripping and claustrophobic 1996 play. The audience are all around the four sides of the tiny motel room and the actors are within touching distance. The airless heat of the room built up as the tension ramped higher and it becomes appropriately oppressive. By Act Two the audience itches and scratches and bristles with tension as the characters descend into a deranged scenario. Theatre doesn’t often feel as real as this. The play is gruesome, disturbing but darkly comical which is what you’d expect from Letts; the author of hit films Killer Joe and August: Osage County.
There was a major distraction for me in Bug in the form of the handsome James Norton (Happy Valley, War and Peace, Grantchester) who was playing the stranger. He was so close to me at points, stripped down to a pair of baggy boxer shorts and displaying an admirable torso, that I almost had to sit on my hands before a restraining order was issued. My lustiness aside: Norton is a very fine actor. It’s a testament to his skills that in spite of his ubiquitous presence on our televisions, he subsumes the character with ease and his familiar face doesn’t make the viewer think of his other roles. He portrays a brooding ex-soldier with a polite gentlemanly manner and a burgeoning psychosis. He doesn’t miss a beat and unfailingly does justice to this tightly scripted piece.
CREDIT: Simon AnnandEqually superb is his co-star Kate Fleetwood (Medea, High Society, London Road). She’s all spiky edges and nervous tics as she prowls the room in hot pants and heels, toking on cigarettes and swigging wine. Any actor or actress who can draw my attention to their face whilst James Norton is on stage wearing very little, has to be a skilled practitioner indeed. Fleetwood is hypnotic and the interplay between the two characters is a master class in top quality acting.
This is definitely a 5 star show. Credit has to go to director Simon Evans for bringing this twenty-year-old piece to life and making it feel so fresh, vibrant and relevant. This isn’t an evening’s light entertainment but nor is it doomy and grim. There’s plenty of humour too. Just expect to leave the theatre feeling a little itchier and a little sweatier than when you first arrived.
Bug is playing at Found 111, London, until 7th May.
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THEATRE REVIEW |Thriller Live – Sheffield Theatres And National Tour
★★★★ | Thriller Live.
A spectacular two-hour tribute to Michael Jackson which celebrates the music, dancing and performances of the entertainer, via a whistle stop tour through his back catalogue. This highly polished and slick show brings to life some of Jackson’s most memorable routines, the iconic costumes and the classic hits.
This show was much more than just two hours of a Michael Jackson impersonator with a few backing dancers. It was a glossy and thoroughly entertaining musical revue with a broad range of songs spanning the singer’s career which were performed with unyielding vigour and energetic enthusiasm by the cast and live band.
The 32 song set list started with the early Mowtown years, featuring ABC, I Want You Back and I’ll Be There; moves through the years with the Jackson 5; with Can You Feel It and Blame It On The Boogie; before heading into his solo career with some of his biggest hits including Off The Wall, Bad, Beat It, and The Way You Make Me Feel. The show also features some of Jackson’s lesser-known songs, including She’s Out Of My Life, Show You The Way To Go and Dangerous and it was good to see some routines to the songs that you wouldn’t immediately associate with Jackson over his biggest hits. Only Earth Song and Dirty Diana let the side down, with both descending into a bit of an overblown and indecipherable mess, but these are easily forgivable when nestled amongst the other great songs and performances.
Particular highlights of the show included music video recreations of both Smooth Criminal and Thriller, great renditions of Man In The Mirror and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You and a thrilling recreation of the Mowtown 25 performance of Billie Jean, but in a show with so many show-stopping moments, highlights are difficult to choose.
Featuring a quartet of singers who put their own spin on the vocals, avoiding them coming across as MJ impersonators, the standard of singing was very high, whilst the choreography and dancing were simply amazing. Cleverly utilising many of the routines (or elements of them) from the original music videos or stage performances of Michael Jackson, the dancers were spot on in terms of their timing and performance , with their acrobatic and exhilarating dance moves eliciting cheers, whoops and shouts of delight from the audience. Regardless of the controversy surrounding his life, Michael Jackson’s enduring appeal undoubtedly remains, and this is a show which ignores the singers private life to celebrate his musical legacy in a foot tapping, smile-inducing show which you can’t help singing along to; and a production which had people, quite literally, dancing in the aisles.
Even if you are not the biggest fan of Michael Jackson, there is still a lot to recommend this show. Obviously, enjoying the music is an advantage, but if you enjoy watching spectacular dancing and a well performed musical revue then this show is up there with the best of them. Thankfully, this is not a gushing, Michael Jackson praise-fest, but instead simply allows a bunch of highly talented singers, dancers and musicians to let the songs and routines speak for themselves.
Thriller Live is currently at Sheffield Theatres before continuing on its national tour until 23rd July 2016. For details visit www.thrillerlive.com
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Cyril Nri Receives BAFTA nomination for Cucumber
Actor Cyril Nri has received a BAFTA nomination for his role in the Channel 4 drama Cucumber.
CREDIT: Channel 4 -
Ben Whishaw Up For Bafta For Gay Spy Drama, London Spy
Out actor Ben Whishaw have received a nomination for the forthcoming BAFTA awards.
CREDIT: (C) WTTV Limited – Photographer: Joss Barratt Ben Whishaw has received a BAFTA nomination for Leading Actor for his role in the spy drama London Spy – a drama which follows a gay Londoner looking to solve the disappearance of his boyfriend.
Speaking to THEGAYUK about the series Ben said,
It felt incredibly fresh and I didn’t know what on Earth was going to happen, or what sort of a story I was in even.
I think it’s a fascinating story, a fascinating series, because although I think it is a thriller, it doesn’t really conform exactly to what you expect a thriller to do. It creates its own version of that genre.
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The series itself, London Spy, has been nominated for Best Mini series.
Along with Ben’s nomination, Cyril Nri was nominated as best supporting actor in the Channel 4’s Cucumber.
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Mykki Blanco Slams Gay Media For Not Reflecting The Whole LGBT Community
Rapper Mykki Blanco has slammed gay media for not being reflective of the gay community.
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Almost Two-Thirds Of Brits ‘Don’t Use Their Degree’ Despite Growing Debts
Brits have spent billions of pounds on university degrees they’ve never used following graduation, according to research.
CREDIT: © tomwang Depositphotos A study of 2,000 graduates found 64 per cent felt their degree was not relevant to their current role.
While results showed the average graduate polled to have left university with £13,292 in debt overall.
With approximately 12 million graduates in the UK* – the astronomical sum can be estimated at 65 billion squandered on degrees not used.
Results also showed a quarter are in job roles that are completely different to the degree they completed.
But while many of those who chose to continue their studies didn’t end up using their final degree to get a job, 85 per cent claim the experience itself has set them up for life.
Barinder Hothi, Co-founder of The Knowledge Academy – one of the biggest training companies in the world – which commissioned the study, said:
“It’s shocking to see such statistics – the high cost of university is often considered necessary in order to progress in a particular career.
“But with most valuing the experience of university (such as making friends, managing a budget, etc) over the knowledge gained from their degree, one has to ask, is it really worth it?”
Results showed just 36 per cent found their degree relevant to their current career choice.
And 67 per cent feel they could have got their current job without having their degree.
In fact six in ten never had to provide any proof they even had a degree in order to get their job and over a fifth feels their employer has no clue what qualifications they actually have.
A third said the content of their degree and the subjects studied are entirely irrelevant to the work they do now.
While a quarter feel there aren’t even small elements of their degree that are helpful to them now.
Reactions were split when deciding the value of a degree overall – 49 per cent felt having their degree made it easier to get a job, but 51 per cent were unsure or felt it made no difference.
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49 per cent feel they would have been better off getting in a job earlier and working their way up.
Which is perhaps why 62 per cent feel they chose the wrong career when they left school.
41 per cent of Brits who didn’t feel they used their degree went on to do further training for their current job.
In fact, tellingly, four in ten graduates polled (38%) wished they had done an apprenticeship instead.
While a similar number are seemingly discontent- over a third are currently considering re-training to do something more worthwhile than their current role allows.
However the life lessons of university still seem prominent – 85 per cent of those polled still felt university had made their life better, even if they aren’t using their degree.
The biggest reason for feeling university was beneficial was for the confidence it gave people, followed by lessons on generally setting up for life, how to budget and how to make friends.
Mrs Hothi added:
“University has become the expected path for many 17-18 year olds in the UK in recent years with alternatives such as apprenticeships or trainee roles being rarely discussed as an option. Without providing students with a good understanding of all the options available to them, some may find themselves graduating in a subject which is of no use to the career they want. With some finding that perhaps a trainee role would have provided them with the relevant work experience needed to give them an edge many expect a degree to have.”
The Knowledge Academy offers more than 50,000 job and skills training courses in 200 countries to customers including: the self-employed and SMEs, to blue-chips and multi-nationals like Rolls Royce, HSBC, British Airways, and Disney.
It offers a mixture of classroom-based education and digital learning, mostly IT, legal, finance, HR and business-related courses, but as diverse as Wildlife Training and Animation, to Psychology and Aviation.
£6,682 – AVERAGE STUDENT LOAN DEBT
£6,610 – AVERAGE TUITION DEBT
£13,292
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Hollywood’s Hottest Buzzcuts
We love a buzzcut… We rank Hollywood’s sexiest buzzcuts.
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1. Heading up Hollywood’s hottest buzzcuts is Wentworth Miller’s rather lush look
2. Hard man Hardy looks tough.
Tom Hardy looks sharp with his locks lopped off. Giving him a very hard man edge to his looks.
3. When Elijah Wood got the calling from Buzz we literally fell in love.
4. Jake Gyllenhall
Looking suited, booted and buzzed.
5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes his acting to the next level.
When Gordon played his heartbreaking role in 50/50 he shaved his head, leaving him with this buzzcut.
6.David Beckham
Beckham changes his hair with the seasons. He went buzz cut when he was a brand ambassador for Emporio Armani.
7. Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Basically yum.
8. Brad Pitt
Everything about this man is just swoon worthy. Regardless of whether Brad has long, short or even a buzzcut, he’s a fine looking fella.
9. Zac Efron
Zac Efron took a break from his normally shaggy, spikey hair do look to give a buzzcut a try. We think it looks incredible.
10.Will Smith
Will Smith has had his buzz cut from his days as the Fresh Prince. Why change when it’s perfect.
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Wentworth Miller Hits Out Over Fat Meme
Out A Lister Wentworth Miller has spoken about how the meme released with him a fuller figure was taken the “lowest point of his adult life” when he was considering suicide.
CREDIT: Depositphotos Actor Wentworth Miller has spoken about his disappointment on becoming an internet meme published by LadBible.
The meme, which has since been deleted, shows two pictures of Wentworth, one a promo picture from the hit television series Prison Break, the other, a paparazzi shot with him looking a little fuller figured.
Taking to his official Facebook page Wentworth said,
Today I found myself the subject of an Internet meme. Not for the first time.
This one, however, stands out from the rest.
In 2010, semi-retired from acting, I was keeping a low-profile for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, I was suicidal.
The original paparazzi picture was taken in 2010, when the actor said that he turned to food for comfort after “semi retirement”.
He continued,
In 2010, at the lowest point in my adult life, I was looking everywhere for relief/comfort/distraction. And I turned to food. It could have been anything. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. But eating became the one thing I could look forward to. Count on to get me through. There were stretches when the highlight of my week was a favorite meal and a new episode of TOP CHEF. Sometimes that was enough. Had to be.
And I put on weight. Big f–king deal.
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The pictures were then sold on to magazines who labeled him “From Hunk to Chuck” and “Fit To Flab”.
This was at a time when the actor said he was “fighting for my mental health”.
Speaking about seeing the pictures pop up on social media, the Prison Break actor said,
The first time I saw this meme pop up in my social media feed, I have to admit, it hurt to breathe. But as with everything in life, I get to assign meaning. And the meaning I assign to this/my image is Strength. Healing. Forgiveness.
LadBible have since apologised for the posting saying,
“We want to say we’ve got this very, very wrong. Mental health is no joke or laughing matter,” it posted on Facebook.
If you are affected by the themes of this article please reach out to Switchboard the LGBT+ helpline, 0333 254 6943
