Showbiz 5: Smoking, alcohol, being overweight

Welcome to a newswrap of entertainment lowlights with Penelope Teeth, your drag bag with bite…

Well, here we are again, with five stories of showbiz and lifestyle that the editor couldn’t be bothered to look into in-depth during the week.

Media Distrust

A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has revealed the British public’s distrust towards media coverage of the war in Gaza. The survey’s findings were released to coincide with Jalsa Salana – the UK’s largest Muslim convention – that was held at the end of July on a 200 acre farm in Hampshire. It found that while only 33% of the British public felt media coverage of the Israel-Gaza War was fair, almost twice as many people (62%) felt the same about media coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War.

Younger people were even more sceptical of the reporting on Gaza. Only 17% of 18-24 year-olds felt UK media coverage of the Gaza War was fair, compared to 56% for Ukraine.

Youmna ElSayed, Gaza Strip Correspondent for Al Jazeera English:

“There is a massive failure by the mainstream media in the way it is reporting the war in Gaza. Basic editorial principles are abandoned to favour certain narratives. The most routine fact-checking does not take place and headlines do not reflect the true nature of the atrocities. Much of the media coverage has been a travesty, excusing a genocide in real-time. It’s time for better media accountability, responsible coverage and a return to a fundamental principle of journalism – to report without fear or favour.”

Dr Hilary launches major new campaign to boost Britain’s Metabolic Health

While his telly pal Lorraine Kelly is away sunning herself in East Kilbride, on a sunbed most likely if Glasgow weather is anything to go by, Hilary Jones – a TV doctor since the 80s, that’s the 1980s although it feels like the 1880s – is on a mission to get Britain healthy by boosting metabolism with a compound called sulforaphane which helps tackle preventable diseases.

More and more Britons are suffering and dying from a range of diseases related to lifestyle. These have been called ‘the four horsemen of the west’ – heart disease, dementia, cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Collectively, these diseases cause over two-thirds of all deaths in the UK. Yet, many of these are preventable but require lifestyle changes which most of us find difficult to stick to.

Dr Hilary Jones wants the new government to make our nation’s health a priority and he has launched the Boost Britain’s Metabolic Health Campaign to highlight the need to protect the nation from these killers by helping people take simple steps to improve their metabolic health; which could ultimately help to rescue the NHS by saving billions.

“Our metabolism converts food into energy and creates the building blocks we need to repair our bodies, grow, and thrive. When this process malfunctions, our bodies become prone to chronic inflammation, internal imbalances like high blood sugar or cholesterol levels and weight gain. This dramatically increases our risk of serious health conditions, jeopardising our lives and health.

“Smoking, alcohol, being overweight and eating the wrong foods can all damage our metabolism but another cause is simply time. As we age, our metabolism naturally becomes less efficient. This is one reason why it gets harder to stay slim and why our risk of things like heart disease, dementia, cancer, and type-2 diabetes increases with age.” – Dr Hilary Jones

Dr Hilary recommends that whilst it’s important to have a healthy diet and to take exercise you can help your metabolism by giving it a boost of sulforaphane.  There are a range of supplements available but it isn’t easy to know how effective they are. Anyway cutting to the chase this campaign suggests SmarterNaturally Soup is a good choice as it aims to help keep our metabolism young. Research suggests that eating one bowl a week could deliver enough sulforaphane and other healthy nutrients to help people maintain a healthy metabolism, which is associated with a reduced risk of developing age-related health conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. And unlike your Z-list celebs, no one paid us to say that, it just filled a nice gap in my offering.

Bear Grylls thanks wild festival goers

Bear Grylls has heralded the inaugural Gone Wild Norfolk Festival a huge step forward as the festival sets its sights on international expansion. The second location for the festival was at Holkham and took place from 8th-11th August. After three successful years at Powderham Castle Devon, this next Norfolk event drew in 9,500 festival goers from all over the UK.

Delivering an unforgettable experience with four days of action-packed adventure, music, and family fun, the festival is setting new benchmarks for family adventure experiences and is expanding fast.

Announcing the 2025 dates co-founder of the Gone Wild Festival, Bear Grylls: “It’s been amazing to witness the energy of Gone Wild at Holkham where families from all over the country have been able to spend time together getting back to nature in the great outdoors, challenging themselves and going truly wild in a safe and secure environment.

“Surrounded by thousands of acres of parkland, and with Norfolk’s incredible beaches on the doorstep, mums, dads and their kids have had a fantastic opportunity to experience time together trying out activities that many have never done before. That’s made for an unforgettable four days of fantastic family fun, and now we’re set to do it all again next year.” 

The 2025 Gone Wild Norfolk Festival will take place from 7th-10th August. Visit www.gonewildfestival.com for more details and ticket availability.

Live and let live

Recent riots highlighted two things. We have a lot of morons in the UK and there is a concern about illegal immigration. No one should have any concerns about legal immigration, but I understand the issues surrounding illegal entry. However, stealing a stake bake from Greggs and smashing up a Shoezone doth not solve these political matters. Let’s be fair, no one should blame the actual people, as shown by our knuckle dragging white, British imbeciles, if someone has a shop missing its window people will loot it. Same for the coastline. So blame those who make the laws, not the actual immigrants who arrive via none-safe entry.

And some recent research has also brought to light some disturbing information. A poll, commissioned by London’s first mosque, revealed that only around a quarter (28%) of the British public think that Muslim immigrants have a positive impact on the UK. This year, the London Mosque, also known as the Fazl Mosque, in Wandsworth celebrates 100 years since the laying of its foundation stone. The mosque belongs to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad:

“Many local people are afraid that their societies are changing beyond comprehension and they feel that their nation’s resources are being disproportionately utilised in favour of immigrants. Whilst the term ‘immigrant’ is used, the real issue for most people is ‘Islam’ and the fact that the vast majority of immigrants to Europe are Muslims fleeing from war-torn countries in the Middle East.”

And finally, the most important concern of all this week…

For the Tops

British men take note – new research of the nation reveals it is deemed unacceptable, by the majority of the general public, to be shirtless in summer, unless by a pool or at the beach.

A resounding 75 percent of the wide selection of Brits surveyed voted “no” to men in public with their tops off, while just 25 percent agree, “yes” – men should be allowed to shed layers in the hot weather. And 33 percent went a step further, insisting they would welcome an outright BAN on the practice, with almost a quarter (22 percent) insisting males who shed their clothing during the summer months should face being prosecuted and fined.

Yet, guys from Cardiff (44 percent), Sheffield (36 percent), Manchester (37 percent) and Edinburgh (35 percent) admit they are proud to go topless in summer, compared to a national average of just 19 percent, according to the survey by insights and research agency Perspectus Global. Seven in ten of the females surveyed said the action of taking your top off in public was just another example of toxic masculinity.

However, 46 percent of both sexes agreed, that there could be exceptions to the rule, for example, if someone is in peak physical condition.

Other summer-style crimes for the nation’s men include socks and sandals (56 percent deem this unacceptable), hip hanging shorts with a bum on display (46 percent), flip flops with hairy toes (62 percent) and donning budgie smugglers by the pool / seaside (52 percent). Seven in ten (71 percent) Brits agree, men should not wear crocs, while 40 percent said vests in public are vulgar and should be avoided by men who wish to look stylish in summer.

Commenting on the research findings, celebrity stylist Sinead McKeefry:

“I sympathise with the 75 percent who voted “no” on this subject. As a nation, we are not used to seeing men with their tops off. We go all year-round seeing men fully clothed, and then suddenly, BOOM a heatwave comes, and off come the shirts and t-shirts. Yet men being topless in warmer weather is normalised in hotter countries. Having said that, I was once in the South of France with a friend, shopping in Dolce and Gabbana. The shop assistant asked him politely to put his top on before he was allowed to come back into the store. 

“So, for me, I suppose it’s more about what people deem appropriate in a specific situation. This week in London, I’ve noticed lots of young men with their tops off, which has been rather a jolly experience.”

According to the survey, Gen Z (18-29) men are the most likely to take their top off during the summer months (46 percent), according to the findings. Harriet Scott, CEO of insights and research agency, Perspectus Global, which commissioned the research said: “Britain has spoken, and it seems, as a nation, we have voted strongly against the notion of men with their tops off in summer. Almost eight in ten men and women agree it’s simply not the done thing, even during a heatwave.”