Celebrities - Waste of space or saving grace?

Bye bye Becks!

2007-01-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Right, venuring slightly out of my comfort zone now but hey why not?! I'm going to talk football!! The most knowledge I have about football is that Bristol City play at Ashton Gate (I have a city mad brother and dad) but I am a fan of David Beckham and as he's lovely and hitting the headlines today I thought I'd say a few words!

He's moving from Real Madrid to Los Angeles Galaxy in a five year contract worth (according to skysports) $250 million. I think even Posh Spice would struggle to work her way through spending that much. Who are Los Angeles Galaxy anyway? I have openly addmitted to knowing nothing about football but I didn't even think that America really did football. Don't they call it 'soccer'? Why do America always have to be bigger and better than us? And why can they not use football but soccer instead? They have taller buildings than us, richer than us, bigger meals than us... and fatter people than us (maybe not one to be proud of.) My point is though that they now have David Beckham and we don't!!!

I feel sorry for Becks though. He was dropped from the England team and then dropped from the Real Madrid team. Does anyone else think that maybe he wants to be the big fish again? He was fast becoming the little fish in the big pond but surely he'll move over to the States and become the huge fish in the little pond. Good ego boost I expect, but if you're David Beckham do you really need your ego to be boosted in such a way? I wonder how much influence Victoria had in his move. Let's look at the evidence: She loves fashion and is trying to make a name for herself. Surely LA is THE place to do that. Victoria Beckham will fit in perfectly in Hollywood, she's got the 00 size figure that appears to be in the criteria if you wish to live there and the millions and millions of pounds. Perfect! Expect to see David and Victoria with the world's celebrity A-Listers very shortly! I sound as though I don't like the Beckhams - I do, they can laugh at themselves, seem a nice pair and definitely seem very genuinely in love. I'm just always a little cynical (as has been probably noted from my other posts!) Anyways, I wish them lots of luck and hope they're very happy living it up with the yanks!

It's back!

2007-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Big Brother has returned to haunt us once again! It seems longer than a year ago that Essex girl Chantelle bounced onto our screens and as a non-celebrity beat all the so called 'real celebrities' in winning Big Brother. If I was famous and had gone on Celebrity Big Brother only to be beaten by a non-celeb, I would have been so embarrassed, mortified infact! Surely that made a mockery of being a z class celebrity, if it wasn't already. I have to confess that I love Chantelle and fair play to her for managing to convince her housemates that she was famous and from a girlband called Kandyfloss. Watching her sing really was car-crash TV but I loved every second of it! It just proved though that the show's producers can only really manage to persuade people to go on if their career is dying/dead or if they're trying to make something of themselves.

This year, I have to say I'm far from impressed with the people in the house. Jade Goody is yet again gracing our screens. I wonder if there will be renditions of "Am I mingin'"... Yes Jade, back then you were but I really think she has blossomed the past few years and she has bagged herself a lovely looking fiancee, who is also in the house, so she obviously can't be doing too much wrong! Jade's lesbian mum is in there too. Her voice just makes me think of a nasty old lady who's smoked far too many packs of 40 for far too many years. She recently had thousands and thousands of pounds worth of cosmetic surgery for the reality show Extreme Makeover. My older sister loved to give me makeovers when I was about 6 but clearly those days of a bit of lippy or eye shadow are long gone!

Other housemates include disgraced Miss GB, who was stripped of her title and crown when it emerged that she was dating one of the judges for Miss Great Britain. The other girls surely didn't stand a chance! Her name is Danielle Lloyd and the judge in question is Teddy Sheringham. She proudly calls herself a WAG and when asked by Davina McCall what WAG stood for, looked even more proud of herself for getting it right (It's fair to say she's not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.) When she appeared on BBC1's Test The Nation, she was asked who Winston Churchill was - her reply? "Wasn't he the first black president of America? There's a statue of him near me - that's black." Oh dear! My history knowledge is far from great but come on love!

Also in there is Jo from S Club - She made some classic tunes in her hay day! Ian, otherwise known as H from Steps, he's kind of annoying but there's something I like about him. Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, Leo Sayer - again that man's got some great tunes next to his name, Cleo Rocos, Ken Russell, Donny Tourette and Dirk Benedict. I haven't heard of most of these people. Do I walk around with my eyes closed? Am I stupid? Am I young and naive? Hmmm, possibly yes to a few of these but I think the best explanation is that they're just not that famous! Three of them have walked out already - Don, Leo and Ken. Surely they knew what they were letting themselves in for when they signed up? Maybe their no doubt huge pay check was obscuring their ability to think straight.

I think I definitely prefered last years Celebrity Big Brother but hey, I'm open to persuasion so I'll keep you posted if anything changes my mind or if I happen to be blown away by any contestant (Jack is nearing this to be honest but only based on his beautiful good looks (fanning myself), but, I don't think he's said more than 2 words and I'm not THAT shallow so he's not my fave yet!) Let me know your thoughts :)

What a year...

2007-01-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hello 2007 and goodbye 2006! In true new year style I'm going to reflect on the year just gone and, well to be honest, have a bit of a chuckle at the crazy antics of the celeb world!

Let me see... (and in no particular order...) George Michael... I think he wins the award for being found the most times slumped at the wheel of his car whilst being as stoned as stoned can be - or was he just tired?! Me thinks not somehow! Surely if it was an 18 year old lad found in the same sort of state, his licence would be taken away quicker than Lindsay Lohan can get her panties down (did i really just say that?! Sorry, I'm not her biggest fan...and they do seem to fall at the drop of a hat)

Boy George hit the headlines in a situation that I can't quite understand. He called the police out to his New York appartment saying that it had been burguled but really there had been no break in but a whole lot of cocaine was found in there. Hmmm, I think someone was screaming out for a bit of help perhaps but nevertheless he did community service sweeping the streets of New York. However, his fame meant that he was always being followed by the paparazzi and so he had to be moved to somewhere out of the public eye to serve the rest of his community service. Fair play to him though, he did it and has come out the other side.

It has been a usual year for the Beckhams - good, bad but definitely not ugly! David admitted to having OCD, but I think everyone has to a certain degree - Surely there's something everyone's a bit funny about? I know I have a few, but I'll save that for a rainy day. He also admitted that he struggles with his son Brooklyn's homework (That's why you're a footballer and not a rocket scientist David.) He also stepped down from captaining England after we were knocked out by Portugal in the World Cup but then was dropped from the team by the new manager, Steve McClaren. I miss you David that's for sure :) Posh Spice has been in the papers for the same reason as always - her weight. I think she's far too skinny but it's every girl for her own so if she's happy like that then fine. If she likes to eat lettuce leaves everyday then great but I personally like my mum's cooking far too much to be like that... but then I'm not photographed and slapped across the national newspapers everyday. Together they threw a world cup party, which a friend of mine was actually a waiter at and he said it was like a different world compared to the one he lives in. The guests were bidding for items in an auction in the tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds as if money were water but it was all for charity and if you've got it then why not! They also launched a fragrance together and Victoria had her bottom made bigger on the posters for it (Not a problem I have thanks to mum's cooking that's for sure!) As I said, a good, bad, but not ugly year for the Beckhams!

Britney on the other hand has probably had a year she would rather forget - She was photographed driving with her baby son, Sean Preston on her lap - slightly illegal Brit! She then had social services come to her home after her son fractured his skull. She then had another baby (ahhhhh) but she then filed for divorce (boooo) and then to top it all she went out and partied hard with Paris Hilton and whoopsie forgot to put her knickers on when she was wearing a very short skirt! Now Britney, you've been in the public eye since you were 15, have you not learnt that photographers actually get on the floor when you get out of a car to get a 'knicker shot'?! You certainly gave them, and the rest of the world an eyeful. I'm sure your mother is proud!

Naomi Campbell hit the headlines by hitting her maid! She appeared in court a number of times over allegations that she assulted her maid for stealing. I read one report that the maid had supposedly stolen her skinny jeans - all I can say is that her maid must be hot to fit into her jeans!!

Tom Cruise stunned the world by appearing on Oprah and jumping up and down on her sofa declaring his love for Katie Holmes, whom he then had a child with and married later in the year. In fact, he just stunned the world the whole year I think. There were all the reports that he was getting his previously catholic fiance to convert to his religion of scientology which meant that during child birth she was not allowed to make a sound. I can't say I have any experience of child birth (phew!) but I'm pretty sure that it hurts a hell of a lot and I'm planning on letting everyone know that if I choose to go through it someday!!It's fair to say I will not be converting to scientology!

Well there is obviously far more I could say about the antics of 2006 but unfortunately I would be writing forever and this would be the longest post in the world! I could mention fueds, boyfriend/girlfriend stealing, WAGS, Celebrity Big Brother which a non-celeb won (There will be a post on this years Big Brother coming very soon!), messy divorces, fabulous weddings and pregnancies (Scary Spice and Eddie Murphy - who saw that coming?!)

Let's hope 2007 brings us as many fun and frolics to read about as 2006! Happy new year everyone - I hope that 2007 will bring you everything that you wish it to. x

Save Screech's house!

2006-12-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

Apologies for not making a post for a while, I'm blaming it on Christmas and all that jazz and definitely not on laziness from my part! Anyway, whilst being caught up in the 'christmas rush' I was watching Hollwood TV (for academic purposes only of course...) and came across a feature on Screech from Saved by the Bell. Talk about a blast from the past! Screech Powers, played by Dustin Diamond (what a name, surely with a name that like you're destined to be famous?) was in Saved by the Bell which when I was growing up was one of THE greatest shows. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of Saved by the Bell, it was about a group of school kids in America. There was the jock, the cheerleader, the cool and mischievious kid, the clever one, the fashionable yet slightly bitchy one and the geeky one. Screech was the geeky one. Anyway, back to my main point... On this TV programme, Screech or rather Dustin was explaining how he got himself into a bit of a pickle (I'm keeping it short and sweet so as not to bore you) and had to pay $250,000 for his house within 30 days. He came up with the idea of selling T-Shirts but he called them D-Shirts (see what he did there?)to save his house. People bought the $15 shirts in their thousands and sure enough his house was saved. To be honest, if I was not a poor student, I would probably have bought one too just to say that I helped save Screech's house! Am I sounding sad?! Hmmm anyway let me know if anyone is richer than me and decides to buy one! The whole concept of buying t-shirts from a guy who we used to watch, and love on tv just made me laugh and I thought I should share it! The site is quite amusing and as I said, if only I was not a poor student!!

It also got me thinking though about child prodigies and how they often go off the rails or get themselves into a bit of a mess. Britney who sprung to fame at 15 got hitched in Vegas and then divorced within hours and is now going through divorce number 2. Drew Barrymore was a child star (ET) who discovered drink and drugs in her teens although luckily seems now to be on track. Did Dustin not have anyone older or wiser guiding him on how to spend or rather save his pennies? It made me laugh that on this site for saving Screech's house, he refers to himself as a "famous celebrity"... yes so famous that he can't afford to save his house.... no further comment. I also found out a little more about Dustin Diamond - he has made a sex tape (not one that I watched I might add or ever have any intention of watching. He scares me a little with clothes on so off would be a nightmare for me!) But, then again hasn't everyone in the celeb world made a sex tape? One night in Paris springs to mind, Britney's in on the game and even Imogen from BB7 (Does she count as a celebrity?!) Do these people really think that when they break up with their partners from that time that they won't decide to cash in on their fun and frolics? You'd have thought that each would have learnt from one another but apparently not! It does make you wonder if they do it because they want the attention. My aim of this posting was, funnily enough, NOT to talk about sex tapes and so I think this is a fine time to bid you farewell and hope that I have not tarnished my name in anyway or associated myself with a sex tape... oh what have I done?!

*** Please note there are no links to any of the tapes!!!

As usual let me know your thoughts! :)

Hmmm... I'm not convinced

2006-12-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

I came across this and thought it was quite in keeping with my blog. But as my title suggests, I'm not convinced about my look-a-likes! I think it's more a wish that I looked like Jessica Simpson that a reality. I can't help but think though that your look-a-likes depends quite a lot on which direction you're looking in your picture! It's just a bit of harmless fun and an ego boost so try it out! Let me know who you all look like!

http://www.myheritage.com

A good bit of PR!

2006-12-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

As you know, I'm a PR student. Over the weekend I was flicking through a newspaper when I came across PR heaven. Imagine... There's a vacancy in your company, you advertise for someone to recruit, you flick through all the applications then suddenly a familiar name pops up... Kate Middleton. Heard of her? Well I certainly have and I know that Jigsaw (the company in question) had too. So, what does this company do? Give her the job of course! For those of you who have no idea what I'm banging on about, I'll explain. Kate Middleton is the girlfriend of Prince William and, according to many newspapers the inevitable future wife of Prince William. She's a very attractive girl who appears to be squeaky clean and liked by William's grandmother (always a help when she happens to be the Queen!) Anyway, Kate has landed herself a job with Jigsaw as their accessory buyer. Haven't Jigsaw done well! Over the weekend alone I saw this story in at least three newspapers. This is publicity that Jigsaw would never have otherwise achieved had they employed Jane from down the road and what a way to get people into the store looking at their accessories. I for one will probably have a browse just to see if our possible future Queen has good taste or not, or maybe take a few hints on what I should be accessorising with to blag myself a prince!

All this got me thinking though... My perfect job would be what she is doing. I own 25 belts, 19 handbags and too many shoes to put my mind to so I think I qualify as being 'interested' in accessories. Kate did a history of art degree at St Andrews in Scotland so could someone please inform me as to how this relates to accessories or even fashion in any way?! My cinical side is popping up to say hello yet again..here it comes... Could she have landed the job because... shock horror... she's famous? Could it be she has connection with the owners of Jigsaw? I think this could be a positive. However, I'm not saying that I think she'll be rubbish in her new job because just to look at her you can see that she's gorgeous and isn't short of a sense of style so I think she'll be good. It just leaves me questioning, what if. What if Jane down the road had a first class degree in accessory buying and was up against Ms Middleton for this job. Who do you think would have got it? I no who I think and I'm sorry to say that I don't think it would have been our Jane!

While on I'm on the subject of PR, another story that caught my eye over the weekend was that to do with Threshers. Threshers had sent out an EMAIL yes an EMAIL with 40% off vouchers attached that basically all you needed to do was print off the vouchers and then use them in any of their stores. Is there really a marketing department out there capable of coming up with such a bad idea? If there is they need to be sacked! The story goes... Threshers come up with an idea to send this email out to a 'selected few', who were suppliers, and they say on the email that this can be forwarded to family and friends. Did they really not think that these family and friends would forward it to their family and friends who would forward it to theirs and then to theirs etc etc until it ends up all over England and even as a link from a comment left on one of my postings?! Had I been in that meeting, I certainly would have pointed out the flaw in this plan. But, is it really a flaw? Or is it clever PR and marketing at work? Let's assess the situation... It's nearly Christmas and new year, people need to get the wine and champers in, where are they going to go? Maybe Asda, maybe Morrissons, maybe the off license down the road or maybe Threshers because they have a 40% off voucher! By getting people in their door, Threshers are stopping people from going to their competitors to buy their booze. Does anyone know if Threshers have upped their usual prices to make 40% still seem like a great deal? I read a quote from Threshers saying that Â£100 bottles of champagne were in the deal and that they could not be bought for Â£60... personally if this was an error, I would have thought that they'd be keeping schtum about that! Granted 40% off is a lot and it could be possible that this was a genuine error by Threshers, or rather they are a victim of their own success. Figures will be out shortly to determine whether or not this was a disaster for the chain but my guess is that they'll make a profit and people will be impressed with their generosity and consider shopping there for their alcohol again in the future. They've generated themselves a lot of press coverage and didn't even need a celeb on the way! Please leave your thoughts!

It's busy busy busy!

2006-11-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since I last made a posting and my what a lot has been happening in the celeb world! I'm a Celebrity's kicked off and is in full swing (don't worry I have plenty of views on that!), Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have tied the knot, celebs put their reputations on the line for Children in Need, Britney's in the process of getting divorced...but not before a sex tape could appear on the internet and James Bond is wowing us again with all his gadgets.

So where shall I start?! I'm a Celebrity... Well my only question is, really? Let's face it, many of them are not. Lauren appears to only be famous because she is Cherie Blair's half sister, therefore making her the PM's sister-in-law. Good reason to appear on I'm a Celebrity? I don't think so! We also have Matt Willis, who in his defence was in one of Britains most popular boy bands of recent times, Busted but has he done anything without his used to be bandmates? That would be a no... But wait, he does appear to have a solo albulm out soon. Hmmmm, anyone think he may be trying to gain some much needed extra publicity to save his albulm from flopping? My hand's up that's for sure! Jason Donovan's in there and reminding me of why he was one of my first crushes (blush blush) and David Gest is certainly entertaining me. I hear he is actually famous for something but I must confess I only know him as 'the man who used to be married to Liza Minnelli'. Other happy campers include Dean Gaffney (you know, Robbie who used to be in Eastenders), Myleene Klass (you know, she used to be in that one hit wonder band Hear'Say), Toby Anstis (You know, you used to watch him every Saturday morning presenting your favourite shows) and Jan Leeming (you may not know, but she used to be a newsreader). Although I appear to be very cynical and I'm actually sounding like I hate the world at the moment, I do have a lot of respect for the people in the jungle. I know I wouldn't do it myself and they are doing it for charity so I take my hat off to them and wish them all luck and hope they don't get bitten by too many mozzies!

The much anticipated TomKat (as the papers have nicknamed them) wedding has taken place in a sleepy village in Italy. The locals were as you can imagine very excited to be hosting such a celeb packed event and so really went to town. They made signs wishing the couple well and hung them in their shop windows, made souvenirs to mark the occasion and even sat outside for days waiting for the happy couple to show. However, show did they not and the locals were not happy. I think I can see their point as well, after all a simple wave to the crowds or a quick photo opportunity couldn't have been that hard to manage could it? If there are that many people around on my wedding day, they'll certainly get a wave or two from me!(Am I dreaming of marrying someone rich and famous again?)

It was another fantastic year for Children in Need and again, well done to the celebrities who took part. The amount raised on the night was £18, 300, 392. The newsreaders are good sports each year, as are the casts of all our favourite soaps. The cynic in me (I think it comes out too often), does often wonder though how much money, if any the celebrities donate. They make plea after plea for us to donate our hard earned cash but who's to say they are actually making donations? Again, this is the cynic in me but don't say you haven't thought about that too!

I think I've done enough ranting for one session but please feel free to join in with my rant, I'd love to know that other people are as dubious about the world of celebrity as I am! I promise, I'm not a miserable old woman really...honest!

Blogs wonderful blogs

2006-11-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, this isn't going to be my finest blog to date but you may find the links interesting!

As I have mentioned in my profile, I set up this blog for one of my PR modules and therefore so did my fellow PRers! Here are links to all of their blogs, should be something to interest everyone!

Charlie's, Matt's, James', Laura's , Sian's, Lisa's, Chris', Sam's, Erin's, Ian's and Michelle's

The real stars come out to shine...

2006-11-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

After the first I had a lump in my throat. After the second I had tears in my eyes and after the third, well I was blubbering like a big baby. I am of course talking about The Pride of Britain Awards. It was such an inspiration to watch. There were acts of bravery beyond belief, people risking their own lives for people they had never met, let alone seen before. There were acts of courage from ill little girls and boys who just got on with life and didn't think twice about it.

It is these people that teenagers should aspire to be like, not the Paris Hiltons of this world or the Victoria Beckhams but the people who are extraordinary and make a difference.

The celebrities were of course out in force and were, in their defence, putting their status to good use. They presented many an award much to the delight of the winners, I mean if you were a young girl getting a peck on the cheek from Jude Law I think you'd be pretty happy too! Likewise receiving an award and four kisses from Girls Aloud (Nadine wasn't there) I think again you'd be smiling too!

Sharon Osbourne, alongside her fellow X Factor judges presented an award to six year old Katy Miles who has beaten cancer. Sharon said something that I thought was so true and summed up the night. She said how she has spent her entire life working with people who think they are stars but the true stars of this world were the ones receiving the awards on that night. I couldn't have put it better myself.

It was truely brilliant to watch how some people dedicate and risk so much to help others. I don't think there was a dry eye in the studio and there definitely wasn't a dry eye in my house. These people made you proud to be British.

Prime Minister Tony Blair also presented an award. He said: "What is truly humbling is the genuine astonishment of the award winners at being singled out in this way, their belief that almost anyone would have done the same, given the same chance or challenge. Today is a day which not only makes you proud to be British, but also underlines why our country is so special." (Ok, so makes you want to be a little sick but for once in his life I think he's talking sense!)

However, back to the whirlwind world of celebrities... Is anyone shocked that Britney Spears has filed for divorce from her husband of two years Kevin Federline? Not me that's for sure. What took her so long I say. I hope she can get her life back on track and give her two little boys as normal a life as possible.

Who is she? Who is she?

2006-11-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday played host to the National Television Awards and I have to say I was mortified. The majority of the awards went to deserving winners such as David Attenborough and Ant and Dec but, to have Nikki from BB6 receive an award for most popular TV contender I thought was the horrror of all horrors. I feel I have to explain myself. During the summer I wouldn't and couldn't find a bad word to say about Nikki, I loved her and thought she was hilarious. She was fantastic to watch and yes I did vote for her to go back into the Big Brother house after she had been evicted (should I admit to that?). So, when I heard that she was visiting our student's union here in Sunderland, to say that I was excited was an understatement. However, from the moment I met her, my opinion of her dropped like a lead balloon. She was rude and boring. I felt like a little girl who had had all her dreams shattered in one foul swoop. She barely managed a 'hello' and didn't even try to make any form of conversation and then didn't even manage a 'goodbye'. She is barely a celebrity yet is already acting like a diva. In fact, how is she famous? For using the now famous line 'Who is she?' or for throwing her infamous tantrums? Or for briefly dating the BB6 winner Pete, which it could be questioned was a PR stunt to keep her in the spotlight for longer than 15 minutes. Whatever way, she is definitely a 'celebrity' that I will not be offering any words of praise to in the near future.

On a more positive note however I have been introduced to a fantastic clip by Dove which I think that any woman feeling down about herself should watch. Advertising and magazines very often show flawless, skinny models who appear to be perfect but in reality it's just airbrushing and a great team of make-up artists and stylists. A great example of this was Kate Winslet on the front of GQ magazine in 2003. Yes, many celebs are very skinny but surely that's not attractive... is it boys? Nicole Richie is often in and out of rehab dealing with a weight problem and BB6's Nikki almost died from anorexia when she was 14 and had to be force fed through a tube. Dove is exposing the truth in pictures and models and encouring real women to realise that they are beautiful too. It certainly gets the feel good factor going! Hope it makes you smile!

The Material Girl

2006-10-30T05:36:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard the recent news about Madonna adopting a baby then where have you been?! She has adopted a baby named David from Malawi but it hasn't been without its controversy. First there were stories that she was fast-tracked through the adoption process because of her famous status and then came stories that David's biological father had never given his permission to give up the baby in the first place. But, when you're a celeb and in a crisis, what do you do? Go on Oprah of course! So, last week with the help of technology, Madonna appeared via satellite on The Orpah Winfrey Show to defend herself to the world.

I'm not about to say that I don't agree with adoption because I think it's a wonderful thing. If people can offer children a better way of life than what they would otherwise get then that's brilliant but is it fast becoming a trend amongst celebrities? First there was Angelina who adpoted baby Maddox and then Brad and Angelina who adopted baby Zahara and now Madonna's getting in on it too. Is she after another addition for her material world or am I being pessimistic and doubting her good nature?

What I struggle to understand the most however is that these celebrites have more money that I could ever dream of, so why do they not use their money for better things. Madonna apparently spent £15,000 on clothes and toys for David. Could £15,000 not have been spent on the village where he came from, where up to 12 people live in a one bedroom mud hut?

This little boy's life has changed forever. His prospects are certainly brighter but I just hope he will be happy growing up with the original material girl and under the ever watchful eye of the media. I'm sure we'll all be hearing more about him very soon...