So The Voice UK 2015 is well underway and here is my eleven tips for Voice glory this season:
Sharon Murphy
Sharon Murphy had two turns on the Voice from Tom and Ricky and opted to join the silver fox Mr. Jones. With a unique and emotive voice Sharon, from Galway and now living in Clare, is doing Ireland proud.
Mitch Miller
With Rita turning at the last second, 26-year-old Mitch Miller must have been sweating! But I am so happy he got through. He has a very quirky, unique voice.
Emmanuel Nwamadi
Emmanuel Nwamadi has a beautiful voice. It’s soulful with a bit of R ‘N’ B and a few overtones of rock too. Very clear vocals and I’m glad Ricky turned around.
Howard Rose
With his unique take on The Who’s My Generation, Howard Rose managed to get two turns from Tom and Ricky. Again he opted to join Team Tom.
Sasha Simone
Sasha Simone also managed to get two turns from Tom and Ricky with her unique, soulful voice and opted also to join Team Tom. (Ricky must have been getting pissed off after a while! Hehe! :-))
Daniel Duke
Belfast’s Daniel Duke has an amazing folk voice and is doing Ireland proud like Sharon. (As are Claudia and Lucy, our other Irish contestants on the show this year). Tom swooped in to bag another great singer here.
Vikesh Champaneri
Singing an emotive and brilliant version of Adele’s Hometown Glory, Vikesh managed to get three turns from Rita, Tom and Ricky who he chose as his coach.
Lisa Ward
Rock chick Lisa Ward got two turns from Tom and Will and chose Team Tom after her amazing performance of Weak by Skunk Anansie.
Clark Carmody
Hairdresser Clark Carmody sung Sam Smith’s I’m Not The Only One amazing and had two turns by Rita and Tom. He opted to join Team Rita.
Stevie McCrorie
Firefighter Stevie McCrorie was the last to sing on the first show and he sang Kodaline’s All I Want brilliantly and all the coaches turned around. He decided to join Team Ricky.
Autumn Sharif
Completing Team Ricky was Autumn Sharif and she had two turns from Tom and Ricky. At last Ricky won a pitch against Tom this season! 🙂
I went to cover the IVVMCC Leopardstown Motorcycle Show & Autojumble in October last year and this month my article appeared in the Irish Vintage Scene Magazine on page 61 about the event. With words by me and photos by both me and John Garrett, you can read all about it in this month’s issue.
Very exciting, it was to see it in print. Very pleased. 🙂
Last night was the big reveal in Eastenders of Lucy Beale’s killer!
And it was 11-year-old Bobby Beale, Lucy’s brother. Viewers watched as he rang his stepmother, Jane Beale after he had killed Lucy and she arrived from two doors down where she was living at the time with Masood to find Lucy’s lifeless body on the floor and Bobby clutching the weapon of the music box.
“Whatever she says, she started it. She made everyone unhappy.”, Bobby told Jane.
The first of two episodes on their 30th anniversary ended with Jane Beale possibly been the killer when Ian Beale confronted her and told her to “tell me exactly what happened” that night causing many websites which rushed to reveal she was the killer but Culture Vulture waited, thank god. However in the flashback episode after, it showed that Jane had found her stepdaughter’s body and Bobby had killed her.
I thought it was a good ending and well-written but there is some loopholes that need to be ironed out like Emma saying to Max, “You knew.” How would he know? The text in the square could have been to the accomplice Jane so that bit kind of works. The park/phonecall situation was sorted tonight as it was Jane who went along to meet her so Emma must have originally thought it was Jane so I’m hopeful the other bits and pieces will be ironed out too. Also on the plus side though, kudos to the writers for going unpredictable and also how amazing were Eliot Carrington as Bobby and Laurie Brett as Jane Beale in the final live scene on Thursday and all the Beales tonight?! Amazing!
OutCry began the year with a bang playing two gigs – one in London and one in Sheffield. The first was The Alleycat on Denmark Street in London on the 9th of January while the second was on the 31st of January at Corporation in Sheffield.
At the end of 2014 the band posted on their Twitter page:
Happy new year everybody! Thanks for a fab 2014! Look forward to seeing you all out on the road in 2015! xXx pic.twitter.com/JUwGGspuH0
It’s been a whirlwind of awards ceremonies recently with some of music’s finest turning up for the Grammys in America and some of the acting greats turning up at the Baftas in England. The talent, the performances, the style … it’s been another glittering year for these two prestigious ceremonies. Let’s take a look at the highlights starting with the Grammys.
The Grammys
Sam Smith’s Four Wins And Performance With Mary J Blige
I am so happy for Sam Smith on his four Grammy wins. Sometimes the big winners at some of these ceremonies can be very hyped up acts but this year a true singer came out on top. Winning Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Speaking after winning his final award for Record of the Year, Smith (22) said,
“I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys.”
He later said of the man who inspired the record,
“I’ll be seeing him soon. So I can let him touch the Grammy — once.”
Hozier’s Nomination And Annie Lennox Duet
So proud of our very own Hozier who was nominated for Song Of The Year for Take Me To Church on the night and performed Take Me To Church and I Put a Spell on You with Annie Lennox. Stunning.
AC/DC Open The Show
One of rock’s finest AC/DC opened the show to perfection with tons of energy.
John Legend, Common and Beyoncé Perform
Stunning and emotive performance by John Legend, Common and Beyoncé about the rights of people of colour.
And the style:
Most Stylish Men on The Night
Sam Smith
Hozier
Best Female Style
Charlie XCX
Katy Perry
Full List of Winners
Record of the Year
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
Steve Fitzmaurice, Rodney Jerkins & Jimmy Napes, producers; Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes & Steve Price, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer Label: Capitol Records; Publishers: Sony/ATV Songs LLC obo Naughty Worlds Ltd./Universal-Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Salli Isaak Songs, Ltd./Universal Polygram Int. Tunes, Inc. obo Method Paperwork
Song of the Year
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters
Album of the Year
Beck – Morning Phase
Beck Hansen, producer; Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Best New Artist
Sam Smith
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga – Cheek To Cheek
Best Pop Solo Performance
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
Best Rock Performance
Jack White – “Lazaretto”
Best Rock Album
Beck – Morning Phase
Best Rock Song
Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters
Best Alternative Rock Album
St. Vincent – St. Vincent
Best Metal Performance
Tenacious D – “The Last In Line”
Best Rap Performance
Kendrick Lamar – “I”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Eminem Featuring Rihanna – “The Monster”
Best Rap Song
Kendrick Lamar – “I”
K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters
Best Rap Album
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP2
Best R&B Performance
Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z – “Drunk In Love”
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Jesus Children”
Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Best R&B Song
Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z – “Drunk In Love”
Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Pharrell Williams – Girl
Best R&B Album
Toni Braxton & Babyface – Love, Marriage & Divorce
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer – Bass & Mandolin
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Frozen
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, Tom MacDougall & Chris Montan, compilation producers
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
“Let It Go” from Frozen
Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel)
Best Country Album
Miranda Lambert – Platinum
Best Country Solo Performance
Carrie Underwood – “Something In The Water”
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
The Band Perry – “Gentle On My Mind”
Best Country Song
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You”
Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)
Best Bluegrass Album
The Earls Of Leicester – The Earls Of Leicester
Best American Roots Performance
Rosanne Cash – “A Feather’s Not A Bird”
Best American Roots Song
Rosanne Cash – “A Feather’s Not A Bird”
Best Americana Album
Rosanne Cash – The River & The Thread
Best Folk Album
Old Crow Medicine Show – Remedy
Best Music Video
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Best Music Film
20 Feet From Stardom
Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill
Morgan Neville, video director; Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers, video producers
We Are From LA, video director; Kathleen Heffernan, Solal Micenmacher, Jett Steiger, video producers
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Max Martin
“Bang Bang” (Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
“Break Free” (Ariana Grande Featuring Zedd)
“Dark Horse” (Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J)
“Problem” (Ariana Grande Featuring Iggy Azalea)
“Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift)
“Unconditionally” (Katy Perry)
Best Instrumental Composition
John Williams – “The Book Thief”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Pentatonix – “Daft Punk”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals
Billy Childs – “New York Tendaberry”
Best Recording Package
Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors
Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors
The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27)
Best Album Notes
Ashley Kahn
John Coltrane – Offering: Live At Temple University
Best Historical Album
Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer
Hank Williams – The Garden Spot Programs, 1950
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Beck – Morning Phase
Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer
John Legend – “All Of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix)”
Best Surround Sound Album
Beyoncé – Beyoncé
Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer
Best Regional Roots Music Album
Jo-El Sonnier – The Legacy
Best Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley – Fly Rasta
Best World Music Album
Angelique Kidjo – Eve
Best Children’s Album
Neela Vaswani – I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)
Best Musical Theatre Album
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell & Billy Jay Stein, producers (Carole King, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Blues Album
Johnny Winter – Step Back
Best Spoken Word Album
Joan Rivers – Diary Of A Mad Diva
Best Comedy Album
“Weird Al” Yankovic – Mandatory Fun
Best New Age Album
Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman – Winds Of Samsara
Best Improved Jazz Solo
Chick Corea – “Fingerprints”
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Dianne Reeves – Beautiful Life
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Chick Corea Trio – Trilogy
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – Life In The Bubble
Best Latin Jazz Album
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – The Offense Of The Drum
Presented By: LL Cool J
The Baftas
Boyhood Wins Best Picture
Boyhood collected the Best Picture award on the night and looks set for Oscar glory.
Stephen Fry’s Kiss-athon
The host Stephen Fry had a kiss-athon on the night sharing kisses with Michael Norton, Edward Norton and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Kasabian Open The Show
The wonderful Kasabian opened the show brilliantly.
Jack O’ Connell Wins Rising Star Award
Actor Jack O’ Connell follows in the footsteps of James McAvoy (who presented him with the award) and Ben Whishaw by winning this prestigious award.
Eddie Redmayne And Julianne Moore Win Leading Acting Awards
Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore look set for Oscar glory adding the Bafta to their collections.
And the style:
Best Male Style
Stephen Fry And Elliott Spencer
Douglas Booth
Best Female Style
Julie Walters
Keira Knightley
Full List of Winners
Best film
Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
Best actress
Julianne Moore Still Alice
Best actor
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything
Best director
Richard Linklater Boyhood
EE rising star award (voted for by the public)
Jack O’Connell
Best costume design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Milena Canonero
Best adapted screenplay
The Theory of Everything Anthony McCarten
Best film not in the English language
Ida Paweł Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzięcioł, Ewa Puszczynska
Best original screenplay
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Stephen Beresford (writer), David Livingstone (producer) Pride
Best cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki Birdman
Best supporting actress
Patricia Arquette Boyhood
Best supporting actor
JK Simmons Whiplash
Best special visual effects
Interstellar Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
Best animated film
The Lego Movie Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Best sound
Whiplash Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann
Best editing
Whiplash Tom Cross
Best short animation
The Bigger Picture Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka
Best short film
Boogaloo and Graham Brian J Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Best makeup and hair
The Grand Budapest Hotel Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier
Best production design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
Best documentary
Citizenfour Laura Poitras
Best original music
The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat
Outstanding British film
The Theory of Everything James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Bafta Fellowship (announced earlier)
Mike Leigh
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (announced earlier)
BBC Films
When I was younger, I used to sing in school shows and the amount of times I heard that it was a surprise to people that I did perform on stage was countless. I don’t think people mean it with any malice. I think they just genuinely are surprised. I think it has been conditioned into peoples’ minds that shyness somehow means that a person will be cowering away in a corner half the time or something. And that doesn’t tend to be true. I think where the problem begins really is that people don’t understand what shyness is. Shyness is when a person is not confident in how they speak. That doesn’t necessarily mean that that lack of confidence in one area of their lives translates in any other particular area. It’s like a person who isn’t confident in their driving for example, it doesn’t mean they are going be not confident in another part of their lives such as playing a sport for example. And it can completely go the other way too. I have seen people who are the biggest talkers freeze when they go on a stage and that’s because they are confident in their speaking but not in performing.
I always find it weird when people say that they don’t think people can achieve in creative fields due to their shyness. Especially when you look at the history of so many successful people in the creative industries. And I’m not just pulling at straws. So many of the people who were successful shy creatives have been major names in show business and have been brave enough to be unique and do something new. Let’s look at a few and celebrate them for a few moments:
Music
David Bowie
“I’m not particularly a gregarious person. I had an unbearable shyness; it was much easier for me to keep on with the Ziggy thing, off stage as well as on. Who was David Bowie and who was Ziggy Stardust? It was motivated by shyness.”
Ella Fitzgerald
“I’m very shy, and I shy away from people. But the moment I hit the stage, it’s a different feeling. I get nerve from somewhere; maybe it’s because it’s something I love to do.”
Bob Dylan
“I remember Bob had soft, squidgy, little hands and was really shy – he hardly said two words.”
– Thin Lizzy’s Gary Moore speaking about Bob Dylan.
Freddie Mercury
“In real life nobody knew Freddie. He was shy, gentle and kind. He was never the one, he was on the stage.”
– Queen bandmate Roger Taylor speaking about Freddie Mercury.
Brian Molko
“I am actually a shy person, but there is a need for the flamboyant aspect of myself to express itself. The context for that is the live show. That side of my personality is satisfied by the act of performance, and I don’t need to behave extravagantly in my everyday life. Which I’m quite grateful for.”
Elvis Presley
“Here I was with somebody who I didn’t know was going to become famous. But I did know two things: I knew that he was not shy – I mean, Elvis was shy in the sense that he was introverted,but he was not shy to the camera – and he made the girls cry.”
– Alfred Wertheimer speaking about Elvis Presley.
And alas, that’s just six in music. If you Google it or read music biographies you’ll find so many more your eyes will burst with pride and awe if you are shy like me.
And now onto fashion which I shall list three people from but like music if you search you’ll find so many more!
Fashion
Yves Saint Laurent
“An ugly, ungainly, overgrown boy with thick glasses, and so horribly shy he couldn’t take his eyes off the floor”.
– Womens Wear Daily’s correspondent speaking about Yves Saint Laurent.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
“I remember reading a book about Chanel in which a woman talks about seeing her singing in a little cabaret when she was maybe 18. Chanel was described as a shy, ambitious girl. This adjective of ‘shy’ surprised me. I think that is what is interesting about her, that she had such different dimensions. She couldn’t only be a strong and tough and stubborn person, because you don’t create with your confidence. You create with your doubts.”
– Audrey Tautou speaking about Coco Chanel
Gianni Versace
“I’m still the little, provincial shy boy who forced himself to be a public person.”
And three examples from the acting profession darlings!
Acting
Cillian Murphy
“The shy Corkman tells Stephen Milton about his venture to the small screen and how he’s recently started getting offers to play ‘dad’ roles”
– from independent.ie speaking about Cillian Murphy.
Ben Whishaw
“Dressed in a black polo neck and blue trousers — an ensemble that wouldn’t look out of place on Bond himself – Whishaw is sitting opposite me on a sofa somewhere in central London. Slender and stubbly, he appears initially nervous as he distractedly picks at a sandwich. But I soon realise that he is appealingly shy.”
– James Rampton speaking about Ben Whishaw.
Keira Knightley
“I am crap at parties. I tend to sit in the corner. I’ll sit in the corner and find one person to talk to or I’ll go on the dance floor and get quite drunk. But I am not good at that whole … (About been at the round of parties for Pride and Prejudice with her brother and parents.) We all stood in a corner, saying ‘Oh, this is weird!’.”
So I think all these people and countless others have proved that shyness won’t stop a person achieving what they want to achieve in life. And yet even today people say, “Great yet shy.” like the two can’t exist together or it’s strange that they do which I find a little strange really. I often wonder where the rule that to be publicly successful you had to be a great talker anyway came in. After all, what has it got to do with a person’s craft and talent? We may not be the bravest in social situations but we are in life.
The heartthrob who plays Blaine Anderson in Glee and who has treated us all to many cute scenes with on-screen boyfriend Kurt Hummel played by Chris Colfer and spellbinding performances over the years turned another year older yesterday (Feb. 5th) and to celebrate let’s take a look at three of his Glee performances over the years!:
The Vanishing of Richey Manic (1996) is a documentary I recently came across on YouTube. It is a harrowing documentary and that’s not even the subject matter which you’d expect to be harrowing. It is the exploitation and insensitivity shown to something which is very sad which made me feel sick and uneasy watching it.
The general theme that runs through this documentary about the disappearance of Manic Street Preachers’ member Richey Edwards is centring on the stereotypical rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of excess which is a very narrow-minded way to deal with a documentary. Yes Richey was troubled and depressed but every individuals’ situation is different and it’s the sinister way in which they deal with the situation that makes it very chilling. If you switched on this documentary and didn’t know it was a real situation that happened you couldn’t be condemned for thinking it was a plot by a thriller writer the way the ‘reconstructions’ are done and the narrator is talking. And this is before we even get to the commentators.
With the exception of Simon Price and Steve Lamacq I found the commentators all rather insensitive. I think what really got me was I was thinking of his loved ones watching it. Definitely if this documentary was about someone I loved I’d hate it. I don’t actually think that the fans who were talking represent every Manics fan. I think there definitely needed to be a more wider spectrum of fan views there which would have made it feel less like propaganda but that would of course not have fit in with what the aim of the makers seemed to be. I am a fan of Boy George but this was not one of his highlights for me.
“I think if he is alive it would make the whole story much more interesting and much more intriguing and exciting and we could all drag it out for a lot longer.” was one comment and it almost felt like he was talking about a fictional mystery TV show or something. In fact that was the vibe of the documentary in general. Like one was sitting down having tea and biscuits and a good old gossip about a mystery on the television. It was a bit weird really.
So definitely I would give this documentary a thumbs down but watch it below if you get time and form your own opinions from it. And Richey Edwards, wherever you are whether you are with us or not I hope you’ve found peace.
I went to see Placebo recently with my sister. It was an amazing night out. It was our first time at The Olympia and it’s a lovely theatre and the toilet was right next to us throughout the show which was brilliant in case old nature called!
Support was by Scottish band The Mirror Trap and they did seven songs and then Placebo came on. The lighting was pretty astonishing. No expense spared. It was brilliant and looked absolutely amazing. Songs included in the set were The Bitter End, Meds and Special Needs which they haven’t sung live in a while. The encore consisted of four songs starting with Begin The End then we had their version of Running Up That Hill and Post Blue and ending with Infra Red. Brian Molko’s voice is incredible and he comes across really nice and he’s sexy as hell. I didn’t think he could be even better-looking in reality because he’s so insanely handsome on TV and stuff but he actually is! He was very nice to look at indeed! He has this incredibly sexy voice and he spoke about sex which was, well brilliant. 🙂 He also spoke about the heritage of Dublin, noticing old fans and welcoming new fans. Stefan was brilliant on guitar and is very tall in reality. I knew he was tall but he was even taller in reality than I imagined he would be. Matt was amazing on the drums as well. He is a very passionate, powerful drummer. The instrumentals were amazing and they all seemed so nice. They came across really nice and Brian was very witty too. An amazing night and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Vids Found On YouTube
Special Needs
Special K
Loud Like Love
Begin The End
I seen my camera and a bit of me rocking in this one. Hehe! 🙂 It isn’t hard to miss with it been a digital amongst mostly phones! Me and technology can be a little rusty at times!
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