Idris Elba for James Bond!

Following last nights double SAG award win (which made history btw!) I am certain that Idris Elba should be the next James Bond - if he wants to of course!

He’s slick, suave and the ladies love him – not to mention he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Amidst the drama of diversity within Hollywood I think now more than ever we should have our first black James Bond, but to be honest in my opinion Idris should be Bond not because he is black but because he is a great actor and one I believe could fill the neatly polished shoes of Bond, James Bond.

Born and raised in London I would like to think Elba as Bond would bring a new and refreshing take on the role and would follow on nicely from Daniel Craig’s sterling effort. I mean did you see Luther!? He is one of Britain’s most versatile and hard working actors and quite frankly is a total babe, a necessity for any Bond let’s face it!

Only time will tell who the next Bond will be but one thing is for sure, 2016 is Idris Elba’s year and I am sure he will be successful in whatever he does.

What are your thoughts, who would you like to see at the next 007?

                                                                  

Gilmore Girls returns!!

It's official, it's confirmed, it’s really happening… Coffee cups at the ready people, Gilmore Girls is coming back!! Netflix, we thank you, you truly are amazing. (www.netflix.com) 

Gilmore Girls was one of my favourite shows growing up and I was forever wanting to move to a town like Stars Hollow… even though everyone who lived there was trying to get out! It wasn’t your classic teen show such as 90210, Gossip Girl, Friday Night Lights etc but that’s why I loved it and still love it to this day.

If you haven’t seen it before Gilmore Girls is a drama following a mother daughter duo, navigating through life in a sleepy, tight knit town. There’s no action or major drama but it’s captivating and down to earth viewing which is why so many people love it. Not to mention that it boasts a stellar cast, most notably giving now famous actress Melissa McCarthy her big break along with many others! It’s realistic, funny, heart-breaking and a show which makes you truly believe and fall in love with the characters… and that’s why I am so glad it’s coming back!! To this day I still think Dean is my soulmate (yes I know he's not real, a girl can dream).

New York, New York

It’s my birthday in a few weeks time and what better way to celebrate by going to the one and only Big Apple.. aka NYC  (Cue Taylor Swift Welcome to New York….)

I am so excited not only to visit the city but because I will be joined by 4 of my best friends (watch out America)! The last and only time I’ve been to New York was back in 2011 after my summer doing Camp America. Whilst it was amazing, I only had 1 day to explore and unfortunately it was in the middle of ‘Hurricane Irene’ which meant almost everything was closed and I didn’t actually get the opportunity to see, well anything. Even the Broadway shows were cancelled which as you can imagine was totally devastating for me!! The city may never sleep but it does shut down when faced with 195 km/h winds…

Snow Storm 2016!

As I’m sure you’ve seen in the news there is a massive snowstorm hitting the North East Coast of America right now – with some reports saying it could be the biggest winter storm in decades. Roads, schools and shops are closed and it’s the ultimate Snow Day for anyone who loves the cold weather!

Here in the UK we had a bit of snow a few weeks ago, nothing like America but it was still a good excuse to dust of the sledge and have some fun! I have had many snow days over the years with the excitement of sliding down a golf course in a bath (no joke!), to racing down the park on bin lids and the unfortunate time I managed to break my arm… on the walk home!

I know it sucks when flights get cancelled and events are missed but that’s mother nature so I hope everyone makes the best of the situation, manages to stay safe and have a bit of fun! 

My top tips for surviving a snow storm:

1. Look out those thermals and layer up, you don't want to catch a chill!

2. Stock up the cupboards - you could be stuck for days and what better excuse to eat Oreo's for dinner...

3. Look out candles/flashlights/head torches - it's good to know where these are just in case the power cuts and while your there find some fun board games. Cards against humanity is always interesting with the family.

4. Please also remember your elderly/vulnerable neighbours during this kind of weather, why not pop in to make sure they are ok and have a hot meal… maybe even invite them sledging! Also pets, remember your pets!

5. Be safe - don't do anything dangerous. Don't travel in a car unless you absolutely have to, don't sledge off a cliff, don't try to ski along the road whilst tied to a quad bike (I may have learned that the hard way....). You get what I mean!

January 17 2016

RIP Alan Rickman

It’s been a sad week in the world of show business, losing 2 iconic figures in the world of music and film. 

  

First we mourned the death of the one and only David Bowie (aka The Starman aka Ziggy Stardust aka The Thin White Duke, I could go on and on) and now we are mourning the death of Alan Rickman (aka Professor Snape aka Hans Gruber aka The Sheriff of Nottingham again I could go on..). Talk about chameleons! Alongside the death of Motorhead’s Lemmy a few weeks ago there is another factor linking these three man apart from showbusiness.. and that’s cancer.

Cancer is a horrible disease and no doubt you all know someone who has been affected by cancer, directly or indirectly. I’m not going to dedicate a blog post to this vile disease but would just like to leave a gentle reminder that a donation to your local cancer charity, or a national charity such as Cancer Research will go along way in fighting this hideous vermin.

Admittedly, when talking about these 3 men, the one I’m most familiar with is Alan Rickman. Having been born in the Love Actually/Harry Potter generation I have literally grown up with him and the rest of the HP cast. I’m sure this will be a very hard time for them all and it’s sad to know the Professor Snape really is gone forever. I couldn’t have pictured a better man for the role, let's hope he's up there somewhere, still reading his book.

As for David Bowie, I didn’t think I knew too many of his songs… until they started playing them on every radio station that is, and I realised that I had subconsciously been a Bowie fan my whole life. Strange that you can know so much about a person without even realising it.

So I want to dedicate this blog post to Rickman, Bowie and anyone else affected my Cancer. I am confident we will beat this cruel disease one day, we have to. 

Since writing this post only 2 weeks ago we have now lost Sir Terry Wogan to this disease, please do what you can to support the fight to find a cure. 

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org

The Golden Globes 2016

Last year one of my very first blog posts was about how much I love the Golden Globes (here, if you want to have a read) and I’m back again this year writing about my all time favourite awards show!

It doesn’t have the glamour or prestige of the Oscars or the Baftas here in the UK, but what it does bring is the fun! Now I don’t think anyone will ever top the now infamous hosting efforts of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler but this year’s host, Ricky Gervais, did a great job and to quote Amy Adams you don’t step away from hosting for a few years then come back with nothing to say!

A full list of the winners can be found here – but for me the Golden Globes is about a fun filled night celebrating the best of years showbiz, and of course looking at what everyone’s wearing, who makes the most offensive joke and who gets drunk first (in this case Amy Schumer).

My highlights of the night included –

• Zendaya dressed as the dancing girl emoji
• Taraji P Henson giving out cookies when she won then shouting at the producers when they tried to cut her off during her speech. My kind of lady.
• Leonardo Dicaprio’s face when Lady Gaga walks past. He's single again btw.... ;)
• Eva Longoria and America Ferrera bringing the LOL's about people mixing up Hispanic Actresses. I mean come on people!
• Jennifer Lawrence. Will she just win awards forever now or..?

Favourite outfit of the night:  Alicia Vikander. So very pretty and what an adorable accent.

Worst hairstyle of the night:

Oh Channing Tatum.. what happened! Is he channelling Justin Bieber, a 90’s boyband member, did he forget to cut that one little lonely strand of hair at the front… Either way I need it to stop!

Like I said the Golden Globes is the awards show for me, if anyone ever wants to take me as their date one year I’m available.. for any year just name it, I'm there.

What were your highlights of the evening, and who do you think will win the Oscar!?

The Youtube Takeover

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years you will know that YouTube and ‘YouTube Talent’ have absolutely taken over the world of social media!

Slowly but surely, Youtube stars are infiltrating all kinds of traditional media from books, to television and even film, whilst also dominating on their respective online platforms. Who knew that recording yourself talking about your favourite lipstick could lead to an online empire…

I for one am fascinated by Youtube and the fact that you can now make a full time living from making videos in your bedroom. Yes the content and the professionalism of Youtube videos has improved greatly over the past few years and it’s harder to get noticed, but ultimately anyone who has access to the internet and a camera can put their work online – a concept which is very exciting and interesting. And to think up until last year I only used Youtube for Catwalk Fails and Beyonce getting her hair stuck in a fan (still my all time favourite video, sorry Bae).

I have yet to tread the waters of video making, except for a few clips of holidays and concerts though I would love to try it one day, but for now I’ll leave it to the professionals and give you a list of my top 5 Youtubers:

(in no particular order)

1. Casey Neistat – I’ve mentioned him before but Casey Neistat’s daily vlogs about film making, his company, his sunglasses, his family and his life are so different to your average vlog. They are creative and original and constantly remind me that I need to start coming up with better ideas. He also inspires me to go for a run, which I then immediately regret, return home and reward myself with a donut for at least trying. 

2. Todrick Hall. A collection of musical parodies, skits and Disney re-enactments. Beauty and the Beat still gets me every time.

3. Grace Helbig. She’s sarcastic, funny and has a giant pig coffee table. Not to mention the 2 books, online tv show, live comedy show and various awards (talk about over achiever). What more could you want?

4. Paint – After ever after, it’s everything.

5. FunForLouis – Although I don’t always agree with everything he does, the guy is in a new country almost every week, basically on one giant holiday funded by his YouTube channel. I mean I’m mostly just jealous.

There are hundreds more super successful youtuber’s out there that I love (I didn’t even touch on Beauty Guru’s.. that’s a whole scary online industry on it’s own, and no I still can’t do winged eyeliner no matter how many tutorials I watch) but the ones above are the ones I tend to watch almost every day. Let me know who your favourite Youtubers are or if you have a channel of your own, I’d love to check it out!