Showbiz Newswrap
Showbiz 10: Nuts, Balls and Bonking
This week’s showbiz newswrap brings us Katie Price, Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne and John Cleese. Vivian Summers casts her view over proceedings.
A Cereal Drama
Hot off the press today, or should it be cold from the fridge… anyway Katie Price has left fans and readers of the tabloids baffled a number of times with her showbiz lifestyle moments. But her most recent came via The Mirror who note, ‘Katie Price leaves fans completely baffled by keeping cereal in the fridge’.
The shocking sight of a large box of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in the chiller left Instagram users scratching their heads in bemusement, apparently. The former glamour model posted onto the social media site a number of photos of her youngest daughter Bunny, six, tidying up the fridge.
While fans took more notice of the Crunchy Nut, asking why it was in the fridge, it didn’t put Katie off her stride. The whole session was to use the kid as a clothing product placement plug, that she successfully pulled off – even if it baffled a few punters.
News Hound
Rufus Hound this week told social media followers that he is parting ways with wife Beth Johnson after thirteen years of marriage. The comedian said in a statement on Twitter that ‘In April, Beth and I made the sad decision to end our marriage,’ adding ‘We will always have much love and respect for each other.’ The statement concluded ‘Even though we are separated we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority,’
The couple have two children. The spit announcement comes at a time tabloids are running with rumours Rufus will be one of the contestants on the forthcoming ITV skating contest, Dancing on Ice.
Part-Time Mask
Elton John was criticised this week for ‘breaking coronavirus face mask rules’ when it seems he wasn’t actually breaking any rules at all. The Part-Time Love singer was papped on the Italian island of Capri, with photographs seemingly showing him ‘flouting rules’.
Codacons, a consumer association in the country was left tampin’ fumin’ ragin’ about the incident and according to the tabloids have filed a complaint against the singer. President of Codacons Carlo Rienzi told the press in a statement, ‘The law foresees fines of up to €1,000 (£900), and applies for everyone, even VIPs.’
However, officials and a spokesperson for Sir Elt dispute the accusations and note the Don’t Go Breaking My Heart hitmaker was in an area where not wearing a mask is permitted.
‘When pictured, he was at an outdoors restaurant, on his way to his table to sit down and eat with his family. He can clearly be seen putting a mask on immediately after.’ – Elton John spokesperson
The Guardian newspaper added that Martin Lembo, the mayor of Capri, had told them that as Elton was sitting on a hotel terrace with family members it is quite acceptable. Looks like Sorry seems to be the Hardest Word for Carlo Rienzi.
Huge payments for ‘star names’ at the BBC has been a rather unpopular issue of late. The Beeb should be making stars, not paying large wads of dosh to keep ‘big names’ at the network that, as Match of the Day 2 proves, can work just as well with a presenter on half the wage as Gary Lineker over on the main show.
Zoe Ball is clearly is a talent and has worked hard to get where she is, but even she can see, it appears, that being paid ridiculous amounts for her TV and radio stints doesn’t look good for her or the ‘hard up’ BBC.
The BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host and BBC Two’s It Takes Two presenter, has apparently requested a pay cut from the corporation when her new contract is due to be put in place next year. Several newspapers note that the daughter of Play School presenter Johnny Ball has become ‘uncomfortable’ with the £1 million salary rise she received in 2019.
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker took the piss out of the people paying his wages on social media when his new contract was signed; so no wage cut request coming from that particular area of the BBC presenting team then.
That Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn spirit
In times of trouble Brits often look back to the war years of the 40s to see how back then our relatives lifted their spirits while bombs were falling and death was all around us. Well music of course was one big way of keeping moral up, with theatres and music halls entertaining the war weary. So in this time of pandemic who will be our new nations sweethearts? Who can slip into Vera Lynn’s highheels?
Well, step forward Gary Barlow and Olly Murs who have announced they will be out performing in 2021 in a bid to lift the nation’s spirits in these worrying times. The separate gigs for Barlow and Murs will begin in the summer of next year, with both singers hoping audiences can be fully back into arenas to enjoy the experience.
Banjo’s Got Talent
Ashley and brother Jordan Banjo are to write a fiction book aimed at children. The Diversity dancers who previously won ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent with their performance will pen stories about brothers Trey and Jax who are part of a street dance group called the Fly High Crew.
Ashley and Jordan have teamed up with author Alexandra Sheppard for their first novel, Fly High Crew: the Green Glow. The story is due to be released in April 2021.
Nothing Fawlty about JK’s views
I’m probably with JK on this actually, so if you’re a woke snowflake, go melt somewhere else now. This week John Cleese was just one of a number of names who have signed up to defend authour JK Rowling following a transphobia row.
We should all remember that Twitter is a small minority of opinions, and shouldn’t be taken as a UK wide view of things. We should also use a large dose of common sense when it comes to the human body. You can be a he, you can be a she, you can even with the wonders of medical surgery go from one to another. You cannot be an ‘it’ a ‘them’ or a ‘thing’. You cannot be Martha on Mondays and Tony on Tuesdays. Common sense. Boys can wear pink, girls can wear blue.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.” – JK Rowling
But even those who have changed sexes know, if they’re on the living planet like the rest of us and not in some lala land, there are still certain things they cannot do like those who were born into that sex. Cleese, and the interlectuals, who have signed an open letter in support of JK probably, would word it all a little more sophisticated, and this week Cleese – best loved as Basil Fawlty in BBC One sitcom Fawlty Towers – took on the do-gooders and deluded.
“Dear Twits [Twitter users], I have added my name to the signatories of the letter in solidarity with JK Rowling. Proud to be in the distinguished company of Ian McEwan, Andrew Davies, Frances Welch, Lionel Shriver, Ben Miller, Tom Stoppard, Frances Barber, Griff Rhys-Jones and Matthew d’Ancona.” – John Cleese on Twitter
The whole row began when Rowling was accused of being transphobic for objecting to the use of the word “people” to describe those who menstruate, instead of the word “women” in a post on the social media site.
As they say about covid, follow the science.
It has rumbled on for a while now, and this week it seems Coleen Rooney, the wife of grab-a-granny lover Wayne, wants to promptly bring to an end the very public fall-out with fellow footballer’s wife Rebekah Vardy.
It all went sour when Vardy became sick of one of her social media friends leaking images and information from her posts. Rebekah turned all Jessica Fletcher and, she alleges, rooted out the culprit by posting things only they could see, things that then ended up in the press. She then came out on social media and directly accused Coleen of the leaks in October last year.
The women will, if there is no last-minute peace talks, face a High Court libel showdown.
Holden Back the Years
Television judge and radio presenter Amanda Holden has stepped back into her musical past by recording her favourite songs from the theatre for a new album.
“This album is all the songs I’ve loved in my life, sung for the people who mean the most to me. It’s a very emotional album that everyone can relate to. I had a tape recorder as a little girl and would sing into it dreaming of this moment. There is a story behind every song on the album, celebrating life, love and loss – the darkest and happiest moments in my life so far. It is literally my heart laid bare.” -Amanda speaking to Heart Radio
The release is called Songs From My Heart. And feature tracks from Les Miserables, Ghost and West Side Story.
Worn Out
Sharon Osbourne spoke this week on stateside women-aimed yak-show The View about her glorious years in bed with Ozzy.
Talking about her bonk-busting sex life she told the show how at one point the singer was giving her an encore up to three times a day. Ozzy, front man of Black Sabbath, married music exec Sharon in 1982 and the bed was rockin’ for decades after.
‘Ozzy was, we all know, way oversexed. That’s no secret. He had enough for all, It’s getting less. It used to be three times a day, but it’s much less now. Let’s say a couple of times a week, which is normal in a long, long relationship.’
An opinion feature by Vivian Summers. ATV Today, ATV News and ATV Network do not endorse any views expressed by the author in this piece.
