At the Variety Showbiz Awards

xx enjoy

Sunday night saw The Variety Club celebrate their diamond jubilee with the 57th Showbiz Awards and I was invited along to be red carpet reporter……. 

 I have to be honest, initially when the invite popped up in my inbox I had reservations about accepting, most of them spawned from fear. I’ve interviewed some high profile people before, but never off the cusp and in competition with other, more bolshy ( and experienced) members of press. Previously in interview situations I’ve had time  to conduct research on the person/s in question, so I can relax in the knowledge that I am asking intelligent or relevant questions, this situation would find me unarmed, with endless possibilities for cringey/awkward conversations….

Of course one of the first moments of crisis was a panic over what I should wear. I was aware that the onus wasn’t on me to look glam, as I wasn’t one of the celebs being papped on the carpet, but I wanted to look like I made an effort, whilst avoiding the wrath of pneumonia.

I thought I’d decided on the perfect outfit, a brocade black and gold dress which i’d dress down with tights and my new patents boots, accessorized with my favourite vintage belt. 

I foolishly tried it on the ensemble a mere few hours before I was due to leave for London, after a sweat inducing few minutes of trying to pull the zip up, which had become a tough task after a week of take aways and numerous pain au chocolats, I was strapped in. Unfortunately my weight gain, and pill induced swelling of the chest area had made my attire inappropriate, if not indecent. I had to think fast,luckily I had a lace vest in my draw which I popped on and under the dress, to protect my modesty, just enough!!!

An extremely lovely down to earth Angela Griffin  was sporting a brand new outfit from Jimmy Choo’s new range for H&M - a one shoulder grey suede dress, completed with a studded accessories.

The Saturdays made me feel very bad about myself, looking gorgeously bronzed, toned and sexy. Frankie sparkled in a silver sequin cut out mini dress, Una dazzled in a magenta Butler and Wilson disc dress, Vanessa had a beautiful full skirted dress with embroidery detailing, adding further drama to the look with a strong lip stain, and Molly had a daring white dress which had more than an air of underwear aesthetic to it. Rochelle showed off her elegant shoulders and shiny bob to their best advantage with a very revealing sparkly black number.

Gloria Hunniford was doing the older population proud, looking like some sort of snow queen in a luxurious white fur coat. Apart from supporting a great cause she was also there as her late daughter Caren has an award in her memory for Breakthrough  of the year - which went to Pixie Lott, who has already scored 2 number 1’s !

             I think because of her name I expected our newest pop icon to be diminutive in scale, but when she turned goddess like in Temperley I was shocked to see she rather statuesque towering over me in her heels.

A big Thank you to Ian Arnold who came with me to take these lovely star studded photos!!

You’ll get a chance to watch the glitz, the glamour and hear the gossip on FIVE on Sunday 22nd November 2009 at 3.35pm or keep your eyes peeled the video footage of my interviews outside the Grosvenor House Hoten….. coming soon !!

Christmas movies usually mean The Wizard of Oz, something with a large Santa getting into scrapes or wide-eyed children and elves. But, before we settle down to our annual ” Ho, ho, ho’s” something different may be in order.

Beginning on 27th November the Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival is set to offer gems from the East and open our eyes to emerging , international film industries. Go and have a look. No bearded men in sight.

Asia House, the UK’s leading pan-Asian cultural organisation, is teaming up with Apollo Cinemas to present the Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival 2009, a compelling selection of the best new cinema from across Asia, from the latest work by Oscar-nominated director Zhang Yimou (House of the Flying Daggers, Hero) to films by award-winning film-makers and emerging talent from China, Japan, Iran, Taiwan Bhutan and the Philippines.

The Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival 2009, which runs from 27 November to 11 December, provides a unique snapshot of current film-making across Asia and supports the Asia House mission of contributing to the understanding and knowledge of Asia in the UK.  The festival films, presented this year at the Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus reveal film-making talent in unexpected places including Bhutan and the Philippines, and confirm the influence and depth of cinema from countries with established film industries including China, Japan and Iran. New for 2009 is an evening of award-winning short films from Asia selected by Future Shorts, the world’s leading short film label.

The festival programme includes two UK premieres: Those Three, a beautiful atmospheric debut feature by award-winning Iranian short film maker Naghi Nemati; and Bakal Boys, about the boys who dive for scrap metal in the harbour slums of Manila, directed by acclaimed Filipino screen writer and documentary maker Ralston Jover. Audiences will also have a rare opportunity to see Milarepa, a new feature film by Bhutanese director Neten Chokling which follows the life of the legendary 11th century Tibetan Bhuddist mystic and saint Jetsun Milarepa.

The Asia House Pan-Asia Film Festival 2009 features a range of styles from the sumptuous and epic cinematography of Bhutanese director Neten Chokling and Chinese director Zhang Yimou, to the impressionistic cinema verité approach of Filipino and Taiwanese directors Ralston Jover and Yu-Chieh Cheng.

This year’s selection of films also offers unique insights into the lives - both fictional and real – of people from a variety of Asian countries, small and large.   A number of characters in the films make journeys – literal and metaphorical - across epic and beautiful landscapes and unfamiliar territories. They embark on pursuits of self-discovery and encounter hidden corners of their own or other lands.  In Zhang Yimou’s Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles a Japanese father journeys across China on a quest for reconciliation with his dying son; the Iranian feature Those Three tracks a trio of conscripts who become lost in the frozen wilderness of the country’s Northern mountains; the beautiful star of the quirky movie Instant Swamp travels to the forgotten corners of Japan to discover the antiques dealer who may be her lost father.

The Festival will build upon the success of the 2008 launch festival, which featured films from China, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea. This year’s festival moves to the fabulous Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London’s West End.

The Pan-Asia Film Festival 2009 Listings

All Bookings through Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus
(Except Future Shorts, 5 December)
Tel: 0871 220 6000
www.apollocinemas.com

Asia House Booking – Future Shorts only
Tel: 020 7307 5454
Tickets: £12
Asia House Friends and Cons: £8
(Except Future Shorts, £10, Asia House Friends & Concs £5)

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles
Friday 27 November, 7.30pm
Includes opening reception
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

Bakal Boys – UK Premiere
Tagalog (Filipino) with English subtitles
Thursday 3 December, 7.30pm
Followed by discussion with Tony Rayns
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

Moving Screens: Future Shorts Asia
Friday 4 December, 7.30pm
Screening at Asia House

Instant Swamp
Japanese with English subtitles
Saturday 5 December, 8.00pm
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

Those Three
Farsi with English subtitles
Wednesday 9 December, 8.00pm
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

Milarepa
Bhutanese with English subtitles
Thursday 10 December, 8.00pm
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

Yang Yang
Mandarin with English subtitles
Friday 11 December, 7.30pm
Includes closing reception
Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus

PHOTO by Jael Marschner

Sweating on a plastic air bed inside a tent the same temperature as a pizza oven is not something the Art Sleuth does well. The heat wave this weekend was beating down in Cambridgeshire but we were not going to give up.

The SGP is probably the most picturesque festival you could go to, (it should be on a Carlsberg advert), as it is built around a pretty lake, although the sludge in the lake perhaps is not so pretty. N.B When I say Sludge I do not mean the stuff they grow cornflakes in.

The lake has a pirate ship on it, with boats you can use to get out there. By night the lake is somewhat of a magical experience of gorgeous fairy lighting and decorations everywhere.

Music is of a huge variety from classic folk bands to dance tents playing anything from glitchy house to dubstep. Slightly unfortunate was the rather haphazard program, which tended to say things were what they weren’t. Bassline, for instance, was actually electro-ish stuff, but really if you go just for the music you’ve probably gone for the wrong reason.

Saturday night was the crowd puller with the pirate ship burning down in a dramatic firework display surrounded by flame-throwers and fire lanterns. Grace Jones followed this on the main stage, living up to her Amazonian reputation by opening with “I’m a man eater,” in a crazy tubular outfit. Strutting her stuff in just a corset and little else for another of her many costume changes, her pert bum was on full display to the amazement of the crowd. 60 years old with the buttocks of a 20 year old body builder. Good going Gracey!

Nifty areas like a treetop games tent or a mud-wrestling pond give an alternative to the music and bar/venues. If you fancy watching a zebra wedding or competing in a giant game of twister, watching Hamlet acted out around your campsite or doing may-pole dancing by night, then this is the festival for you.

Seriously chilling out is also something the SGP does well. A cooling marquee with free popcorn, comfy sofas and David Attenborough’s soothing voice on the big screen is something of a lifeline after three days of your blood reaching boiling point in your tent. Perhaps a camper van next time?

Although most comparable to Bestival as a boutique festival and also in ticket price too, it does lack an accomplished music line up. However it goes some way to make up for this by the eclectic mix of artists and the ease at which you can stumble upon new music. Plus the lack of queues ( there is only about 12,000 festival goers making it one of the smallest festivals) and non-stop atmosphere makes this festival an incredible party garden. Let’s hope it is kept a secret!