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Glastonbury 2014: Ed Sheeran Tops List Of Most Streamed Artists Performing At The Music Festival

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Ahead of this year’s Glastonbury Festival, plenty of fans have been listening to their favourite songs and swotting up on the best tracks by their favourite acts - but which musician has been the most popular?

Perhaps surprisingly, the artist most people have listened to isn’t one of the headliners - Arcade Fire, Metallica or Kasabian - but actually Ed Sheeran.

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Ed Sheeran tops the most-streamed artists list


Interestingly, of the festival’s headliners, only Kasabian have made it onto Spotify’s list of the most-streamed artists on the Glastonbury line-up, losing out to the likes of Ellie Goulding, whose track ‘Burn’ comes in second, and Lana Del Rey.

Ed’s song ‘Give Me Love’ tops the chart with over 35 million plays, while Lily Allen’s ‘Hard Out Here’ comes in at a respectable tenth place, and Kasabian’s ‘Fire’ is thirteenth.

Country legend Dolly Parton doesn’t feature in the top fifteen either. Surely we can’t be the only ones who have had ‘Jolene’ on repeat for the last five months?

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Rockers The 1975 have snuck in with the ninth most played track and British Producer Bonobo, who is relatively unknown compared to a number of other artists playing at the festival, is in fourteenth.

From July, online plays of songs on apps including Spotify will be included in the Official Charts Company’s Singles Chart statistics.

See the full list of the most-played tracks from Glastonbury’s line-up below…

1. Ed Sheeran – ‘Give Me Love’
2. Ellie Goulding – ‘Burn’
3. Lana Del Rey – ‘Summertime Sadness’
4. Imagine Dragons – ‘Radioactive’
5. Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘Shuffle’
6. Disclosure – ‘Latch’
7. Rudimental – ‘Feel The Love’
8. The Black Keys – ‘Lonely Boy’
9. The 1975 – ‘Chocolate’
10. Lily Allen – ‘Hard Out Here’
11. Jake Bugg – ‘Two Fingers’
12. Skrillex – ‘Bangerang feat. Sirah’
13. Kasabian – ‘Fire’
14. Bonobo – ‘Kiara’
15. Haim – ‘The Wire’

Listen to the whole playlist here.



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David Gray Interview: 'I Brutalised Myself Into Some Sort Of Cart Horse After White Ladder - The Blinkers Were On'

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David Gray hasn't released a record for four years. What's been going on - swimming in his LA pool, counting his White Ladder royalties, humming a new tune that sounds strangely like hits 'Babylon' and 'Please Forgive Me'?

Hmmm, apparently not. According to an infectiously enthused David, there's "no Sean Connery tan here - I'm still that pasty, anxious-looking person you'd expect".

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David Gray - back, and bouncier than ever before...


So what HAS been going on? He's been "finding a producer to take me out of my comfort zone… suffering a couple of false starts… making a brand new beginning… marking the end of an era… taking the blinkers off".

In a nutshell, his great dilemma began with the success of 'White Ladder', David's multi-million-selling, radio-uber-friendly, singalong a-songwriter's album played in a thousand pubs ever since its release in 1998.

Six studio albums later, he reveals he couldn't face repeating himself. "I realised I'd compartmentalised and brutalised myself into some sort of cart horse - the blinkers were on."

And the result is 'Mutineers' - a distinctly upbeat offering, with song titles that include 'Cake and Eat It' and 'Back in the World'. The key, apparently, was finding Andy Barlow, a producer willing to take him places he begged not to go - are the pair of them still talking now the album's complete?

"We'll make music together again, definitely," David attests. "Even if we both end up in straitjackets, like something out of Inspector Clouseau."

How important is commercial success this time around?

"I'm ambitious for it, but I can't control it," he says calmly. "The world is bovine. So I just have to keep a smile on my face. The reward has to be in doing it."

By his own admission, David is intense in both good and bad ways. So, I wonder, what advice would he give now to that young musician, 20 years ago, hoping for a break, and then terrified when he got it?

He laughs, delightedly. "Just fucking relax. But then that's taken me decades, as I'm so tightly wound. So I'd have to recommend some patience, too."

David Gray's 'Mutineers' album is released on 30 June. Listen to the first track 'Back in the World' below...

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‘EastEnders' Spoiler: Danny Dyer's Character Mick Carter To Be Arrested For Kerb Crawling

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‘EastEnders’ character Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, is set for a shock when he agrees to help out pal Ian Beale, but ends up arrested for kerb crawling.

The Carter family are set to be rocked when Mick is wrongly arrested in Walford, in an incident which leaves his wife Linda wondering if she can trust him.

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Danny Dyer as Mick Carter


Fans of ‘EastEnders’ already know that Ian is being blackmailed by Raine, who is threatening to reveal that he paid to spend the night with her on the day his daughter was murdered.

In a bid to help Ian, whose fiancée Denise wouldn’t be too happy to hear about his infidelity, Mick apparently goes in search of Raine.

The Daily Star reports that, despite his pleas with the police, he is then arrested for kerb crawling.

“Mick knows what it looks like but he’s innocent,” a source told the paper. “Whether Linda believes that or not is another matter.”

However, it’s possible that Mick stands by his pal and refuses to reveal the truth.

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How will Linda take the news?


“Mick is an honourable family man but he’s also a loyal friend,” the source adds. “So will he reveal the truth about what he’s doing to save his own reputation or keep quiet to protect Ian, who, let’s face it, has been through enough recently?”

The Lucy Beale murder case is still on-going and the police aren’t exactly short of suspects, however, the investigation could be jeopardised by Max Branning, who has started a relationship with one of the officers in charge.



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Does Age Make You Less Impressed!

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Changing career and going into media at a time when a lot of women are leaving it has been challenging, extremely hard work, very frustrating at times but also great fun, creative and very rewarding. There are some things that are easier with more life experience behind us; for example we have fought hard to keep our own style and try to be creative and original.....ever hopeful! Also we know what we like and what makes us feel happy, so we try to bring that into the radio show. Our motto is: "a problem shared is a problem doubled"......so on that theory "laughter shared is laughter doubled".

As our own producers, we write the show, and get all our own guests. We are often asked about our guests, how we get them and how we get on so well with them a lot of the time; in fact our 'address book' is often commented on and we put it down to chatting to anyone and everyone. We think that being women of a certain age means we are not impressed too much with things like status and position ; things that impress us are a kind heart and a good spirit. We often play the Shania Twain song "That Don't Impress Me Much' on the show as a kind of reminder to not get carried away with it all. We are really lucky though to get to meet some fascinating people, and we'd like to tell you a bit about them, starting with our top ten list, which includes Smokey Robinson, Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg, Dep. PM, Bryan Ferry, Sir Bob Geldof and The Jackson Brothers.

We think it is very important to make a good connection with a person we are interviewing and aim to create an intimate atmosphere, even in a busy studio.....it's then surprising what happens and what comes out in the interview. The judges in the Radio Academy Awards said we had 'an innovative approach to topics interviews' and we like to bring in an unexpected twist, or a new angle.

When Ed Miliband came into the studio for an up close and personal interview, it had been quite a stressful lead up to the interview with several political hoops to jump through, but he was very relaxed and seem to be happy to open up and talk about the man within the politics......the conversation moved movingly from the Holocaust and how he appreciated the refuge the UK gave his family......he said without this country he would not be here today and how this has shaped his view on his politics and the purpose of politics to him. With all the interviews we like to give it the Livvy and Chrissie twist......so when we asked Ed about having more women on bank notes he said "Emily Pankhurst" ......."Suffragettes"....well, at that point obviously we had to ask "What about Us - Livvy and Chrissie - on the new bank note?" Well, after a lot of laughter he played along brilliantly......he did declare on tape that he would talk to the Governor of the Bank of England and put us on the reserve list.....it hasn't happened yet......wonder who will be spending frantically so they won't have to see our faces in their wallets! He also, when asked directly who won the arguments at home, him or his wife, seeing as he was a politician and she a barrister and both of them could argue well and were trained to argue......he readily admitted she won..... and of course Livvy got him to repeat that! It was a fascinating and interesting interview......we all lost track of time.....but his people hadn't, and the interview was brought to a stop as time had run out. As Ed was leaving he said he would have loved to have kept talking as we hadn't covered Woody Allen films yet, and a promise was made for next time!

Next blog - how we met Smokey Robinson on a red carpet and ended up with our photo on his office wall.

Listen to the latest show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p020kzq5

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A Glastonbury First

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Over the years, there have been great performances and historic moments at the annual Glastonbury Festival. This year should be no different.

Along with predictions of rain, there are rumours that Prince will make a surprise appearance. The five day festival, which runs through Sunday, June 29, features an eclectic line-up of musical acts; scheduled to perform are Arcade Fire, Lily Allen, Jack White, Robert Plant, Lana Del Ray, The Black Keys, Foster the People, Blondie, Yoko Ono, Dr. Feelgood, Dolly Parton, Nick Lowe, Suzanne Vega, and the tUnE-yArDs, among others.

One act breaking new ground are the Dodge Brothers, a five man quartet (I'll explain later) that play a sometimes exuberant, sometimes raucous hybrid of country blues, rockabilly, jugband and skiffle. Some have called what they play roots music, others call it Americana. Whatever it's called, it rocks.

On Saturday, June 28, the Dodge Brothers are set to become the first band to accompany a silent film at Glastonbury. The film is Beggars of Life (1928). Directed by the great William Wellman the year after he made Wings (the first film to win an Academy Award), Beggars of Life is a American drama about a lovely girl (the beautiful Louise Brooks) dressed as a boy who flees the law after killing her abusive stepfather. On the run, she rides the rails through a hobo underworld where danger is always close at hand.

Based on a novelistic memoir by hobo author Jim Tully, the film also features future Oscar winner Wallace Berry and the early African-American actor Edgar "Blue" Washington. Girls dressed as boys, race mingling, pastoral life gone wrong, and desperation among the glitz and glamour of the Twenties -- there is a lot of friction in Beggars of Life. In her book, 100 Silent Films, BFI curator Bryony Dixon calls it a movie to "wallow" in. Beggars of Life is rich with mood, tension, sentiment, harrowing danger, and beauty.






For the record, Beggars of Life is not the first silent film shown at Glastonbury. That honor belongs to Metropolis (1927), which was first screened in the 1980s. The Dodge Brothers, however, will be the first band to play live music to accompany a silent. It is something they've done before.

The Dodge Brothers are Mike Hammond (lead guitar, lead vocals, banjo), Mark Kermode (bass, harmonica, vocals), Aly Hirji (rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals), and Alex Hammond (washboard, snare drum, percussion). Joining the band at Glastonbury and elsewhere when they accompany silent films is composer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand, a regular at London's National Film Theatre.

According to founder Mark Kermode, who doubles as film critic for The Observer, "all this started because Neil Brand approached us with the idea of playing to silents as they used to with local pickup bands. Neil can do this as he's a solo performer, but we were concerned about doing this as a band, and whether our music would fit with the films. He said 'Trust me - it'll work'. I've found that as long as I can see Neil's left hand I can follow what he's doing. The more we play silent films the less we use our cue sheets and the more we play to the film itself. This means that every performance is different."

Over the last few years, the Dodge Brothers have accompanied Beggars of Life around the UK, including well received gigs at BFI Southbank, The Barbican London, National Media Museum, and other venues. Aly Hirji, who performs under the name Aly Dodge, recently remarked "As we'd played to silent films all over the country, I thought it was time we took it to Glastonbury. I contacted the festival and they happened to be looking for something that would be different enough to draw an audience from the big music stages on Saturday night." Even if the band draws only a fraction of the estimated 175,000 people expected to attend the Festival, Glastonbury's Pilton Palais Cinema Marquee should prove their largest audience to date.

For those keeping track, the Dodge Brothers are not the only Glastonbury performer with a connection to Louise Brooks. (The silent film star is becoming something of a rock icon.) Also set to perform at this year's Festival on Sunday is Caro Emerald, whose 2013 "Tangled Up" video features three hard-to-miss images of the actress, one of which is the poster for Pandora's Box (1929). And then there is Metallica, who perform Saturday. In 2011, they collaborated with Lou Reed on Lulu, their oblique, noisy riff on the legendary character played by Brooks in the film version of Pandora's Box.

The Glastonbury Festival is a five day music festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts. More at www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk


Thomas Gladysz is an arts journalist, film & music enthusiast, and the founding director of the Louise Brooks Society, an online archive and international fan club devoted to the film star. Gladysz has curated exhibits, contributed to books, appeared on television, and introduced the actress's films around the world.

'Amber' Review: BBC4 Irish Drama's Producers Answer Viewers' Questions About Unsatisfying Finale

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'Amber' reached its four-part conclusion this week, with viewers left none the wiser as to what had happened to the missing schoolgirl, or if her devastated parents Sarah and Ben Bailey would ever find her, or find a way to move on from her disappearance.

When Irish audiences watched the drama, played out over four nights back in January, many viewers were up in arms over the lack of resolution, something we have come to expect from our TV crime dramas, but something 'Amber' creators are adamant they wished to avoid.

amber
Amber (Lauryn Canny) has left viewers guessing as to her whereabouts, even after the final credits


The show's co-creator and co-producer Paul Duane explains the team wanted to be totally uncompromising, and avoid all the usual cliches associated with whodunnits.

"In real life you don't get answers," he says. "Initially, we thought she'd be in somebody's cellar, but decided we'd be totally uncompromising.

"We wanted to be unlike any other show. The Killing was on TV around the time we were scripting, and it does resolve things, but the aspect I was interested in was the family's loss and grief for their daughter. Our show is a bit like the anti-Killing."

amber
Ben and Sarah Bailey (David Murray and Eva Birthistle) are devastated by the disappearance of their daughter


'Amber's origins were found when one of the production team lost a close family member. "We were all affected by that," remembers Paul, "and it was very difficult to avoid writing about it afterwards.

"We decided to dig deep and write something we really cared about. How somebody's absence create a huge gulf in people's lives, what different attempts we make to fix things, how people react differently to it all."

"The reason that we chose a young girl as the subject for our piece, is that it's the most emotive thing, someone as vulnerable as that shouldn't be removed, it's like society is violated."

Of course, those very things are the reason the McCanns' desperate plight stays at the front of everyone's minds when this topic is raised and, timing being what it is, their search for Madeleine was renewed the same week 'Amber' was first broadcast, a coincide not lost on Paul Duane.

"We weren't specifically referencing them, but of course we were aware of their ordeal," he tells me. "Our worry was that actress Eva Birthistle looks like Kate McCann, and it would seem we did that on purpose, but she was just the very best actress for the role" - a decision vindicated when Eva won an Irish BAFTA for her performance.

As in life, so in fiction this time around, with no second, loose end-tying series of 'Amber' to come.

"That story's complete," confirms Paul. "American producers are interested in the format, but they'd have to work out a way of spreading the story over at least one series, so that's a knotty problem they'll have to unpick."

'Amber' is available on BBCiPlayer, and on sale on DVD from next Monday 30 June. Watch the trailer below...

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‘TOWIE': Drama Continues In Marbella As Ferne McCann Faces Cheating Allegations (PICS)

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Things are set to kick off again in tonight’s ‘TOWIE’, which sees the gang’s exploits in Marbella cause mayhem, arguments and plenty of tears.

Sunday’s episode left us with loads of unanswered questions - Will Arg and Lydia get back together? Can Ferne make it up to Charlie? And is it even legal to wear this swimwear? - and now, it’s time for some answers.

towie charlie
Charlie's still in shock after seeing that Vegas video...


As far as Ferne and Charlie are concerned, things aren’t looking too great and despite his own (many) dalliances, Mr Sims doesn’t look like he’s going to forgive his on-off girlfriend anytime soon.

Things are also getting worse for former pals Jasmine and Dan, who haven’t been getting along since Dan called time on their brief romance.

arg lydia
Will Arg and Lydia make up?


Despite enjoying a candlelit dinner just days ago, Arg and Lydia are also set to argue over his “possessive” nature.

Just when you think nobody in Marbella knows the meaning of ‘fun, relaxing holiday’, Lewis and Tom treat newbies Imogen and Robyn to a day out on a fancy yacht. There’s hope for this lot after all.

Check out all the snaps from tonight’s ‘TOWIE, which is on ITV2 at 10pm, below...



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Gary Oldman Apologises For 'Insensitive' And 'Anti-Semitic' Comments About Jewish People

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Gary Oldman has apologised for “insensitive” comments he made in a recent interview, where he said there had been an over-reaction to Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic comments following his arrest.

After Mel was arrested for drink-driving back in 2006, it was claimed he told a police officer, “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?”, quotes which he later confirmed were accurate during a television interview.

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Gary Oldman


Mel was condemned for his anti-Semitic comments, though Gary said in an interview with Playboy released this week that there had been too much furore surrounding his controversial statements, as people are now too interested in being “politically correct”.

He told the magazine: “I don't know about Mel. He got drunk and said a few things, but we've all said those things. We're all fucking hypocrites. That's what I think about it

“Mel Gibson is in a town that’s run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he’s actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him.”

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Mel Gibson


Since Gary’s comments have emerged, he has been criticised by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and accused of anti-Semitism, and has now issued a full apology.

Addressing the ADL, Gary said: “I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interview were offensive to many Jewish people.

“Upon reading my comments in print - I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype. Anything that contributes to this stereotype is unacceptable, including my own words on the matter.”

He went on to say that he wanted to end the statement by saying "Shalom Aleichem", but felt he’d “lost the right” to use the expression with his comments.



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'Big Brother': Kimberly Kisselovich Told To Let Down 'Her Barrier' After She Rejects Snog From Steven Goode (PICS)

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Big Brother’ contestant Kimberly Kisselovich was getting a bit of unwanted attention from Steven Goode in last night’s highlights show, and was seen spurning his advances as he tried to get a snog from his fellow housemate.

It all looked a little awkward as Steven came behind her and put his arms around her, and Kimberly looked visibly uncomfortable as he planted some kisses on her cheek, before squirming away from him as he leaned in for a kiss.

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'BB' housemates Kimberly and Steven share an uncomfortable moment


Steven - who’s shared a kiss with Kimberly in the past - was clearly disappointed by Kimberly’s reluctance to give him a smooch, joking that she’d been “very rude”.

Kimberly has spoken before about how she isn’t an emotional person, and told Steven straight that she “handles affection differently to other people”.

He was unimpressed though, saying to her: “How do you seriously contemplate constantly having a barrier all the time?

"You have to let people in, you have to trust. I cannot believe you can even consider even associating me with any kind of distrust.”

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Steven tells Kimberly she needs to be more trusting


Kimberly was recently the subject of one of her fellow housemates Helen Wood’s tirades, after she was accused of being “disrespectful” for taking a shower with Winston Showan while wearing a bikini, after they’d both taken part in a task where they had to shovel manure in the garden.

Helen had previously spoken about how Kimberly didn’t open up or show her emotions like the other housemates did.

And if Kimberly’s shower was enough to make Helen mad, then she’s in for a real shock when her rival Jenny Thompson arrives in the house to shake things up. It was reported earlier this week she will be arriving in the house soon.



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Glastonbury 2014: Festival Goers Arrive Under A Grey Sky Ahead Of Heavy Rain Forecast For The Start Of This Year's Music Festival (FIRST PICS)

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Glastonbury 2014 is officially open with thousands of music lovers beginning to stream through the gates of Worthy Farm in Somerset for this year's festival.

And despite a grey sky, there hasn't been any need for wellies - yet - with no rain falling at the site so far.

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However, the outlook isn't looking good with weather forecasters predicting heavy downpours on Thursday, and a potential mudbath on Friday.

More rain is expected on Saturday and Sunday.

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Louise Lear from BBC Weather, said: "If you're going to be putting up a tent in a field, then probably the conditions will be perfect. The ground is not too hard or too soft at the moment, and it should stay dry into the evening.

"But by Friday it looks as though the rain, some of it quite heavy, will arrive."


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Emily Eavis, who organises the festival with her father Michael, took to Twitter to announce that this year's Glastonbury was officially open.

"The gates are open! Welcome to Glastonbury Festival 2014," she tweeted.




The first big acts won't be performing until Friday, when the likes of Blondie, Lily Allen, Arcade Fire and Paolo Nutini will all take to one of the stages.

Other acts scheduled to play to over 200,000 punters over the weekend include Robert Plant, Haim, Goldfrapp, London Grammar, Ellie Goulding, Metallica, Lana Del Ray, Ed Sheeran and country music legend Dolly Parton.



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Ellie Goulding And Dougie Poynter Spotted At Chiltern Firehouse, Days After Calvin Harris Dating Rumours (PICS)

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Ellie Goulding was photographed dining out with her boyfriend Dougie Poynter at the Chiltern Firehouse on Tuesday night, just days after it was suggested she had been seen cosying up to Calvin Harris.

Ellie and Dougie, who makes up one sixth of pop supergroup McBusted, were the latest stars to be seen at the trendy restaurant, which has recently been frequented by the likes of Cara Delevingne, Rita Ora and Kate Moss.

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Ellie Goulding and Dougie Poynter


The two were photographed holding hands on their way out of the restaurant, more or less quashing any kind of rumour that Ellie is dating Calvin, after the two were reportedly seen looking very cosy at a Capital Summertime Ball after party.

Since they started dating, Ellie and Dougie have both remained pretty tight-lipped about their relationship and kept things between them relatively quiet, and it certainly didn’t look like Dougie was enjoying having his photograph taken as he was spotted arguing with a photographer as they left the restaurant.

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Dougie has a bit of a scrap with a photographer


Dougie first confirmed that he was dating Ellie earlier this year, when he described her as his “bird” (poetry in motion), but admitted he didn’t feel comfortable talking about the new relationship.

Meanwhile, they weren’t the only stars seen at the Chiltern Firehouse on Tuesday as ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge Amanda Holden was spotted leaving the venue on Tuesday night, showing off her abs in a striped crop-top and looking every inch the diva in some oversized sunglasses.



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If Music Festival Posters Told The Truth (PICTURE)

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Tigers About the House: Cute But Sending the Wrong Message?

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Last week millions tuned in to watch the BBC's Tigers About the House, featuring British born Giles Clark, a zoo keeper from Australia Zoo in Queensland. Mass 'awws', 'ooohs' and smiles filled the nation as tiger cubs Spot and Stripe playfully and rather adorably fed from the hands of their carer at home.

First up, the time, energy and compassion that Giles put into raising these cubs is beyond reproach. If only all the animals of the world could have such an advocate. Also, no-one wants to knock a feel good story involving tigers, or indeed Australia Zoo, set up by the parents of famous keeper and 'crocodile hunter' Steve Irwin. But, and sorry there is a but, those awws and ooohs do need to be put in context because tiger conservation is so much more than playing with cute cubs.

Much was made during the programme of the fact that these cubs were at the centre of the zoo's programme to help endangered tigers. To be fair, it was made clear that Spot and Stripe themselves wouldn't be released into the wild, so their contribution to the conservation of wild tigers would be by helping the zoo raise money, which would then go into tiger protection.

Zoos - the Tough Questions

Different people and different animal organisations have differing opinions on the topic of zoos and captive animals. For the record, ours at Care for the Wild International (a charity that funds numerous tiger protection and conservation projects in Thailand, India and Cambodia, and campaigns against tiger exploitation in tourism) is that one day we'd like to see an end to all wild animals in captivity.

However, we realise that while a desire and a need still exists for animals in captivity, we need to focus on reducing animal exploitation, increasing regulation of zoos and attractions, and ensuring that all such attractions stringently meet the international guidelines of supporting education and conservation. Australia Zoo is, I've no doubt, beyond reproach on these issues, but still the programme provoked some tough questions.

First, I guess what the cuteness factor of Tigers About the House skips is the fact that there are plenty of tigers in captivity worldwide. In fact, it's widely quoted that there are more tigers in captivity in the US alone than there are in the wild. Best estimates suggest that just 3200 tigers remain in the wild, and that number faces yet more decline due to the insatiable appetite from sections of the population in China and Asia who crave tiger (and lion) body parts for 'medicinal' tonics and status within society.

So that means that in the US alone there are well over 3000 tigers in cages, many of which will be as 'exotic' pets. We need to be careful that, however unintentionally, programmes like this do not encourage or increase the belief that these animals are suitable for 'ownership'. They are not - they are magnificent wild animals.

Up Close and Personal

The hand rearing that we witnessed on Tigers About the House, though enchanting, must also be taken in context. Removing the cubs from their mother so early was justified by statements that many cubs die, and also that the cubs needed to be 'socialised' early so they would cope better with the environment in which they would be placed, ie as a tourist attraction interacting with humans on a regular basis.

The first of these statements may well be true, I haven't got the stats to hand; and certainly, without Giles' intervention at birth, Spot may not have lasted more than a few hours.

But in terms of the second point, it gets tricky. As the programme pointed out, these tiger cubs can never ever be released back into the wild. So does their use as a fundraising machine justify the zoo's actions? Secondly, did these cubs need to be separated from their mum so early? The simple truth is that they can't ever be tamed. Testament to that is the story about Australia Zoo keeper Dave Styles, who in November (whilst the BBC crew were on site), was severely mauled during a tiger show at the zoo by one of the previously 'socialised' tigers. He spent 10 days in intensive care, but the documentary didn't mention that.

Conservation, or Tourist Trap?

The fact is that these cubs weren't rescued after having been orphaned by poachers (unless there are some wild tigers knocking about the Australian bush that no one knows about), so how can a tourist or animal lover recognise a clear distinction between a 'conservation focused' zoo and a tourist trap?

There are numerous other attractions that use the tiger's combination of majestic status, stunning beauty and cuteness (particularly when young) as a hook to generate income under the mask of conservation. The concern is, whilst entertaining and skipping the detail of the real consequences of playing with tigers, this show is glamourising the unnecessary human interaction between man and tiger and will likely further encourage people to visit places that prey on animal loving tourists like us.

One such place is Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, which has received masses of criticism for the way it treats its tigers. You can read all about it here, but the summary is that the tigers are kept in concrete cages when they are not being used for tourist photos, and none have ever been released, but the Temple markets itself as a centre for conservation.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Australia Zoo tiger team, along with a host of other conservation and animal charities, condemn the Tiger Temple for what it is. But how does a tourist distinguish between the photo-opportunity with a tiger offered at Tiger Temple, and the photo-opportunity with a tiger offered at Australia Zoo? The walk-with-a-tiger experience at Tiger Temple, and the walk-with-a-tiger experience at Australia Zoo? The difference perhaps lies in the treatment of the tigers, and the ultimate destination of the money - but that message is a tricky one to explain. Maybe this also explains why so many Australians can be found visiting or volunteering at the Tiger Temple?

The Tiger Show offered by Australia Zoo also raises questions. As part of our RIGHT-tourism.org campaign, we are encouraging tourists to avoid 'shows' where animals are made to perform unnatural behaviours - think elephant on a bicycle or orang-utan boxing. This Tiger Show doesn't fit into that category if it emphasises natural behaviours, and as long as harsh training methods aren't used to 'encourage' the animals to perform. The zoo may also claim it adds enrichment for the animals. That is all good, but you are only enriching it because they are not in the wild where enrichment comes for free.

Time to Get Off the Sofa?

So to summarise. Good on Giles Clark and Australia Zoo for caring about tigers. Good on the $1.5m (AUD) that the zoo claims to have given to tiger conservation over 10 years, and good on the BBC for in their own way using their programming to educate people about the plight of our magnificent tigers.

The truth is that there is a place for ex-situ conservation (that's where animals are managed outside of their natural environment), but under no circumstances should we confuse this with in-situ, which as the name suggests is conservation within the animal's natural range. If you breed a tiger into captivity it will almost with absolute certainty live out its life in captivity.

So if we as a responsible audience really want to help tigers survive in the wild we need to get off the sofa and start donating to charities like Care for the Wild, or any others that take your fancy, because breeding into captivity isn't going to stop Spot and Stripe's wild cousins from being decimated to extinction in the wild in our lifetime.

You can learn more about our tiger projects and our undercover Tiger Temple reports at www.careforthewild.com

One Man's Symbolic Bow

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The Long Awaited Feminisation of Culture Began This Week, in Tokyo.




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JIJI Press/ AFP/ Getty Images



This solemn bow is Liberal Democrat Party member Akihiro Suzuki apologising the day before yesterday for sexist comments made against Your Party member Ayaka Shiomua at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Assembly on the 18th June. Discussing solutions for Japan's well-documented low birth-rate, Shiomura was calling for more support for women in child-raising issues and infertility issues. She was heckled in a very painful way for a woman in her situation with comments like "Can't you even bear a child" and "You are the one who should get married".

Since then debate has exploded all over the world. Politicians, feminists, journalists are all participating eagerly. Both the blogsphere and social media are buzzing with commentary about the whys, the shoulds and the what-nexts. It was thanks to internet activity on the change.org online site (which collected over 90,000 signatures) that the LDP were coerced into finding out who made the comments and taking action.

Shiomura said this apology comes too late and prominent Japanese politicians are saying that this affair has brought shame on Japan, but I don't agree. I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't agree, until I saw this picture. There is something beautiful about this gesture. A man respecting a woman in a patriarchal business context. Yes, he may have been forced to do so, but he did it nonetheless and on the world stage at that.

Don't worry this is not going to be a feminist rant. I am of course a feminist, I am a woman. I am a working Mum balancing an intense job and mothering my baby girl Amelia. As I write I am on leave from my job with burnout. I haven't found a solution to the balance. Through my own blog Space4Mum I see that this is a burning issue for men and women everywhere.

As we all know comments like this are not just happening in Japan. Comments like this are the tip of the iceberg in a global debate. As Shiomura was alluding to as she was being heckled there is a real dilemma for women, and society. It is almost impossible to balance being a Mum and looking after children unless you are superhuman/rich or self-employed. This is a quote from a paper entitled "Why Women Still Can't Have it All" written by Anne-Marie Slaughter former woman director of policy planning at the State Department Washington. It is one of the most intelligent pieces on the subject and in my view worth 100 "Lean In"s.

The last phase of feminism for me culminated and burnt out with Sandberg's book "Lean in". This call to war for women is laudable but it negates the role of Mother in society. It forgets that there are some women, and a part in a lot of us so-called "Career women", who want and need to be with our children. There are times in the child's life when they need to come first and we need to put them first. This needs to be respected. Motherhood (whether carried out by the mother or a new generation father) needs to be respected and seen as a career in its own right. It is all-consuming work and very important work. If it is done well, society will thrive.

Equality is being taken more seriously in Japan at the moment. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to promote the role of women in business and society and implementing a scheme called Womenomics. As a Japanophile (made up word?) I am happy to see these rumblings of change. Moreover the fact that this symbolic gesture took place in Japan is telling. Japan has some history of matriarchy and it seems apt that the next phase of feminism begins here in Tokyo, Summer 2014. I think the feminist (or should I say humanist) textbooks of years to come will have a page showing this image and what followed.

I am very impressed by the way Japan have dealt with this and I think we need to use this as a springboard for the articulation of how culture needs to change going forward as we move out of the old patriarchal paradigm into a new chapter with new norms. We won't get there by fighting. This is new territory and we need to get a debate going, listening to the problems that are being encountered by men and women alike. And to clarify, this is not just a feminist issue. This is a human problem and is about how to integrate the female voice into society and culture going forward, as this bow shows, that won't happen because a louder and more powerful voice can shout down the softer voice.

'The Inbetweeners' Star Blake Harrison Reveals Dark Side In Psychological Thriller 'Keeping Rosy'

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What does Blake Harrison have in common with his 'Inbetweeners' character, Neil?

“We have the same face and same height, and that’s it,” he tells me. “Some of the things that boy gets confused about is beyond belief.”

the inbetweeners
Blake Harrison (right) with his fellow Inbetweeners James Buckley, Simon Bird and Joe Thomas


Sure enough, the success of Neil and his fellow Inbetweeners – returning to the big screen for the second film this summer - would make it all too easy to accredit Blake with the same live-in-the-moment ‘simplicity’, and the actor admits he very, very seldom gets offered work that doesn’t tap into his funny bone.

“I rarely get auditions for dramas,” he reflects. “People see me as a comedic actor. So all credit to the casting director for having the imagination and balls to take the risk and cast me in this.”

‘This’ is ‘Keeping Rosy', a psychological thriller following the unravelling of a woman, Charlotte, who appears to have everything.

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Blake Harrison with Maxine Peake in 'Keeping Rosy'


Charlotte, played by Maxine Peake, makes a life-altering mistake and is trying to rectify it, when she’s caught out by a security guard Roger, played by Blake.

In this surprisingly convincingly dark turn, Blake’s character appears at first a chancer, but later on it becomes apparent there’s more to him.

“It was quite different for me,” says Blake, “but I felt lucky to have the chance to try my hand.”

'Keeping Rosy' opens in selected UK cinemas this Friday 27 June. Watch the trailer below...

Madonna Wears A Niqab In #Unapologetic Instagram Snap (PIC)

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Madonna knows if she's going to pop on a niqab, take a selfie and upload it to Instagram that it's going to raise an eyebrow or five.

But, in typical I-don't-give-a-hoot fashion, Madge added the hashtag '#unapologeticbitch' to the snap, which she also captioned 'It's that kind of day'.

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Madonna


I have no idea what she's on about either, but maybe she was just in the mood for being a teeny bit controversial.

Bet Miley's quaking in her g-string.

The new pic comes just a few weeks after the 55-year-old posted another Instagram snap of her wearing a tiara, which featured the word 'bitch' spelt out in diamonds.



Headwear for the Queen (of pop), I'm sure you'll agree?

Madge is busy beavering away on her 13th album and is pulling out all the stops for the new release by collaborating with Diplo, British singer/songwriter Natalia Kills, Avicii and Disclosure.

She's also reunited with Pharrell Williams, who she previously collaborated with for her R&B-inspired album ‘Hard Candy’.

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North Korea: Seth Rogen & James Franco Comedy About Assassinating Kim Jong Un Is 'Act Of War'

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A North Korean official has warned of a “resolute and merciless response” to a Hollywood comedy about an assassination bid on supreme leader Kim Jong Un.

A foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement cited by AFP: “The act of making and screening such a movie that portrays the attack on our top leadership… is a most wanton act of terror and act of war, and is absolutely intolerable.”

The statement was released via the official Korean Central News Agency and calls for The Interview to be banned by the US government.

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The film is set to be released in the US on 10 October


It stars James Franco as a TV host and Seth Rogen as his producer, with the plot seeing the pair being sent to the Communist state to assassinate Kim after landing an interview with him.

Kim Myong Chol, an executive director of The Centre for North Korea-US Peace and “unofficial spokesman” for the regime slammed the film last week.

He told The Telegraph: "There is a special irony in this storyline as it shows the desperation of the US government and American society.

"A film about the assassination of a foreign leader mirrors what the US has done in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine. And let us not forget who killed [President John F.] Kennedy - Americans. In fact, President [Barack] Obama should be careful in case the US military wants to kill him as well."

The movie is scheduled for release in the US on 10 October.


Luisa Zissman Reveals She Starved Herself To Be Thin And Praises Kim Kardashian's Curves

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Luisa Zissman has revealed that in the past she has starved herself to be thin.

Luisa discusses body image in her latest newspaper column for the Daily Star, and opens up about her own personal experiences with weight loss, admitting that in the past she used to starve herself to be skinny.

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Luisa Zissman


She writes: “It’s desperately sad to see that our fashion mags are still spilling with models of tiny proportions; not only does it portray an unrealistic view of what women should aspire to look like, but it's actually ironically outdated from a platform that claims to be ahead of trends.

“I have starved myself to be thin, shrinking down to a small size 6. On reflection, it leaves me devastated to think I felt I had to do that to be happy.”


The ‘Big Brother’s Bit On The Side’ panelist goes on to say she’s since learned to love her body, adding: “I'd rather have some junk in my trunk and feel good inside than be so hungry I’m overtired, have no brain power and am constantly glued to the scales checking if I've lost 0.001lbs since an hour ago.”

While she’s unimpressed with Nicole Richie - who she compares to a “corpse”, Luisa showers praise on Kim Kardashian and Nicki Minaj for celebrating their curves.

kim kardashian
Kim Kardashian


Luisa adds: “Kim Kardashian has been a revelation for women – and love her or loathe her – at least she is leading the way into a modern world of achievable body shapes for all of us.”

We're not sure quite how "achievable" Kim Kardashian's body shape is, mind you, but we know what she's getting at.

However in the past, Luisa has been less complimentary about Kim, claiming that her use of botox was harmful and made people too blasé about plastic surgery.



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'Big Brother' New Housemate Jenny Thompson 'Will Drive Rival Helen Wood Out Of The House'

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Big Brother’ contestant Helen Wood’s rival Jenny Thompson has revealed she’s going to make life really difficult for her old pal when she arrives in the house.

It was reported on Tuesday that Jenny - who had a threesome with Helen and married footballer Wayne Rooney while they were both sex workers - would be entering the ‘Big Brother’ house soon in a bid to spice things up, and it sounds like there are going to be fireworks from the get go.

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'BB' housemate Helen Wood


Helen has proved unpopular with viewers thanks to her treatment of fellow housemate Jale Karaturp, but because she was given a free pass to the final in the first few days of the series she won’t be going anywhere unless she walks - which Jenny says she is determined to see happen.

She told the Daily Star: “I want to jump out of a grandfather clock and see her face when I tell everyone what a bullying bitch she is and how the public all hate her. I will drive her out.”

Helen has previously been cautioned by show bosses over her treatment of Jale, and presenters Emma Willis and Luisa Zissman have spoken out, saying if her “unacceptable behaviour” continues she should have her pass to the final taken away from her - which Jenny seems to agree with.

She added: “If I got to see her face to face, I’d tell her she is a bully and be done with her. Then I’d go have a drink with Jale. It’s pathetic how Helen has treated her.”

Let’s face it, though - the last thing the ‘BB’ house needs is any more drama, especially after Toya Washington’s ‘Power Trip’ appeared to have gone to her head earlier this week, when arguments kicked off between her and several of her fellow housemates.



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Glastonbury Vs Wimbledon: The 10 Pictures That Prove The Great British Summer Has Finally Arrived

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Both take part on grass and involve large quantities of alcohol. That's just about where the similarities end between the Wimbledon Championships and Glastonbury music festival.

The gates have opened for the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the iconic music festival, with hundreds of thousands of revellers expected to descend on both.

Here, we take a look at the crowds enjoying both events, with wellies and strawberries aplenty…



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Tennis fans are set to enjoy more beautiful weather at Wimbledon, after thousands watched Andy Murray claim victory in glorious sunshine.

Despite a grey sky, there hasn't been any need for wellies at Glasto yet - yet - with no rain falling at the site so far.

However, more widespread showers are expected by Thursday, just in time for the traditionally-wet festival to kick off in Pilton, Somerset.

The music begins on some of the smaller stages at lunchtime, but the festival starts in earnest on Friday, when the likes of Lily Allen, Paolo Nutini and Blondie are on the bill.

Other acts scheduled to play to over 200,000 punters over the weekend include Robert Plant, Haim, Goldfrapp, London Grammar, Ellie Goulding, Metallica, Lana Del Ray, Ed Sheeran and country music legend Dolly Parton.
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