Category Archives: News

What is it About Celebrities and Car Crashes?
14
Jul

When pop and film stars die unexpectedly, the tragedy seems to be multiplied. For many of us, hearing the sad bad news constitutes one of those ‘flashbulb’ memories. We will forever recall what we were doing and where we were when the news was broadcast. A key part of it must be the thought of lost talent and work not completed.

As a key front person of the R&B band TLC, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was renowned for her wonderful performing persona. Who could forget the inimitable condom eyepatch she sported over her left eye. It comes second to recollections of her death in April, 2002, when the pop diva’s, rental people carrier, overshot a highway in La Ceiba, Honduras. Seven of her friends were injured but survived the crash, Lopes was the only fatality. At just 30 Lisa’s death was a big blow to the R&B community. How much more great music could have come beyond the 21,000,000 albums already sold by TLC.

Can you remember where you were, when they announced Diana, Princess of Wales, had died in a crash in Paris, while trying to outrun the papparazzi? Car crashes wrench us out of our childhood and make us face the reality of unhappily ever after. The instant she let it be known that she was to marry the frog, rather than the prince, Diana became the most photographed and haunted of fairy-tale princesses. She was more popular than any other royal, including her husband Charles. It continued like this even after they separated. By then she had transformed before our eyes into the beautiful Madonna icon to her sons Harry and WIlliam. Independant and wonderfully anti-establishment, she was mourned by a nation after the crash in August ‘97. She was just 36. Many still can’t accept that she is gone and conspiracy theories abound as a way of holding on to the fairy tale.

Another famous fairy tale with no happy ending was the life and times of Grace Kelly, or princess Grace of Monaco. Grace Kelly had everything! The most beautiful of women, a fashion icon, fame through her movie career and fortune. Star of the Hitchcock masterpiece ‘Rear Window’ and heroine to Cary Grant in ‘To Catch a Thief’, she left her fans bereft when she retired to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, at the tender age of 26. She became a true princess of the principality of Monaco. September 13 ‘82 her heart broke, literally. She had a stroke while driving to her home, crashed and died from her injuries. She was just 52.

How could someone so alive and charismatic as Jayne Mansfield be snuffed out like a candle flame? She was the ultimate Hollywood sex symbol all through the ‘50s. With her sensational body and animal magnetism she was the star of many films. And not a bad actor, she won the Golden Globe in 1957 as the floozy on The Wayward Bus. Off screen she was a magnet for the rich and powerful, counting both John and Robert Kennedy among her admirers. But at 34 she was shown to be as frail as us all, when she died instantly in a crash with the back end of a tractor-trailer.

Pop stars and celebrities live life in the fast lane, in the glare of publicity and public adoration. It is not surprising then, that so many seem to die in it too. But when it happens, it is always shocking, always memorable and always a little piece of us dies with them.

The Music Business According to Taylor Swift
14
Jul

Taylor Swift is branching out, into music industry musings. The charismatic and gorgeous American singer songwriter isn’t exactly ditching all that ‘kissin’ in the rain and pangs of young love stuff, just yet. But she does have some very acute observations about the pop music industry and culture. The country star has written a prose piece for The Wall Street Journal no less. The title of this essay is ‘the Future of Music Is a Love Story’. You can take the girl out of the country music setting but….

Taylor’s observations are to be found in chats and Tweets all over the Internet. She puts all her song writing skills, into telling music fans that they need to learn how to pay for the music they consume. She is optimistic, if a little naive, saying that the music industry is definitely NOT dying from a million pirate downloads. She is not critical or abusive of music fans who go in for taking the latest pop offerings for free, but she does make a plea for fans to put some dollars back into the poor old industry coffers.

Taylor makes several other keen insights around music selling and what it’s like to be a pop star. It has to be said that Swift does not paint an attractive lifestyle picture of pop stardom in our time. In particular she has some doom-laden stuff about the relationship between fans, their idols and the Internet. For example, she knows of two female actors who were vying for the leading role in a current film. The director didn’t make a choice based on who would be best for the role, rather it came down to which had the most followers on twitter. Taylor extrapolates this to a kind of music business ‘Catch 22’. Singers won’t be able to get a recording contract until they have a fan base already. But how are they to get a fan base without a recording deal? Gosh it’s a hard life at the top.

Taylor Swift takes this even further when it comes to Instagram. According to her this is the ‘new currency’. Maybe she has more followers on this than she does on Twitter? I wonder how often she can be seen slaving over a hot keyboard? Or does she give pride of place in her entourage (just behind her hairdresser) to a well-paid geek?

Miss Swift also thinks the autograph is dead and the ubiquitous smart phone camera has killed it. No surprise there then. Who wouldn’t prefer an identifiable picture of themselves arm in arm with Taylor, to an illegible scrawl on a sweaty T shirt. Autographs can be easily faked and difficult to authenticate. Although with airbrushing software these days, many a computer savvy teen could have a large collection of pop star plus selfies. Taylor, count your blessing darlin’, they could press you for both!

YouTube comes in for a side swipe from Miss Swift too. Or is she taking aim at the fans in a mildly disingenuous way. For her fans no longer want to be amazed by the originality and surprise element of her stage shows. When she struts her stuff at each new tour venue she knows that the audience has already seen the videos of her tour, maybe many times.

The most anodyne of Taylor’s observations is that female artistes are either labelled sluts or nice girls. Sexism in the music business is rife and there is never a shortage of both angels and whores to fill pages of the fanzines. No change there then. Maybe she could write a new song about it.

‘Problem’ is First Number 1 of the Internet Age
14
Jul

Hype is dead and social media plus the Internet killed it. The announcement this month that pop charts will no longer be made up of the bestselling single records is another example of this truism. Half a century ago, the radio 1 chart show was compulsory listening for any self-respecting teenager. Sunday afternoon would find them closeted in their bedroom, plugged into the radio as ‘disc jockeys’, counted down to the record that had literally been bought and paid for in a store, more times than any other that week.

Imagine a typical teenage Sunday afternoon in 2014 and it will probably not include the chart show. The music industry and the broadcasters are very late in catching up to the reality of how teens get their music nowadays. Most listened to has nothing to do with most money changing hands, numbers of downloads and number of times a song has been streamed are the true measures of popularity in the Internet age. It’s about time too. The inclusion of the ‘hits’ in the chart calculation may bring teens back to listening because they are more likely to hear what they want to hear, rather than what the music moguls want to sell to them.

It’s an irreversible trend, because the music history books will no longer compare like with like. Indeed if they ever did. From now on a hundred streams of a song will be the equivalent of 1 old style sale. Physical, over the counter music purchases have never been fewer and they are almost certainly the province of post teens and adults. It’s only right and the only question is why 100 to 1? That is a big weighting in favour of the old ways.

Be that as it may the first number 1 of the Internet age charts is Ariana Grande’s song ‘Problem’. It feature the outrageous Iggy Azalea, a white female Australian rap newcomer. The pop charts have come into the 21st century with streams and downloads from the like of Spotify, Deezer, Napster, O2 Tracks, Xbox Music and Sony’s Music Unlimited all adding to the chart rankings along with actual and cyber sales. This is according to the Official Charts Company.

‘Problem’ with the added feature of Iggy Azalea is this week’s number 1 having ‘sold’ a total of 113,000 units. There were 712 thousand streams and or downloads. It’s a first for Ariana Grande and the charts. In the charts as a whole, the new Internet data contributed around a fifth to the total calculations.

Scooter Braun is the manager steering the career of Ariana, thus far. He also was delighted with this week’s chart, but was a little more sanguine than the pop star herself, since he is the man behind Justin Bieber and Psy. With his brand building hat on, he gave credit for the achievement to Ariana’s loyal British fans. He said it was ‘a big week for them too’.
At number 2 in the charts is a song that was streamed more than a million time in the previous week. It is ‘Ghost’ by the ‘X’ factor contestant Ella Henderson. At number 3 the Glastonbury festival revealed it’s power with the rising up of George Ezra’s ‘Budapest’. While ‘Sing’ by George Ezra is at 4, but it was the number 1 as far as streaming is concerned with more than 1.3 million hits. Ezra’s album, ‘X’ is also number 1 on that chart. He has the number 3 album also ‘Wanted on Voyage’. It is the fastest selling album this year.

Mark Ballas Dancing With the Stars Dancer Is Injured In a Car Crash
14
Jul

No win no fee claims are filed whenever someone has been harmed by the negligence of another, and they want to receive compensation for their injuries. These types of claims can be filed for a variety of reasons. They can be filed for a minor injury or a major one. Any injury that causes an individual to not be able to carry on with their assigned daily tasks, can qualify as an injury that no win no fee claims can be made for.

Dancing with the Star star, Mark Ballas was recently involved in a collision. The accident occurred on Monday afternoon, on the 16th of May. After the accident, the professional dancer had to be taken to hospital, in order to be treated for the injuries that were sustained due to the accident. Who was at fault?

The professional dancer, was driving into Los Angeles, and making a right turn onto a different street, when a vehicle that was speeding down the road slammed into the back section of the vehicle, along its right side. Marks girlfriend, drove the injured dancer to the hospital, after the collision occurred. The dancer was treated for back pain and whiplash, which was caused by the impact, when the two vehicles collided.

Even though doctors were able to help the dancer, control his pain and alleviate his injuries, he is still not healed enough for his upcoming performance that he has lined up. The twenty eight year old dancer has a show that is scheduled, where he is expected to engage in multiple mannerisms. The dancer will not only be dancing, but he will also be singing, and playing his guitar for an excited audience. There have not been any announcements made, regarding Mark’s recovery time. However, many people are anticipating that Mark will not be able to fully recover by the time that he’s assigned to perform.
No win no fee claims are used in instances like this. Obviously, Mark was not the individual that caused the collision, yet things that he had previously planned to do in his life, have now been affected because of the negligent actions of another person. Just one person can interfere with plans that you may have for your life. If the actions that someone else takes force you to have to put things in your life aside, then that’s the time that you need to consider getting a solicitor involved to file a no win no fee claim to get the compensation that you deserve.

According to TMZ, the five men that were also involved in the accident are making claims that they are not at fault for what happened. In fact, the men are blaming the twenty eight year old dancer for the accident that occurred. Police would have believed the men, if an unbiased witness had not stepped forward to give her account of the day’s events.

The witness informed the police that were dispatched to the scene that the men in the other vehicle were excessively speeding. She witnessed the whole escapade when Mark was driving and the vehicle hit into his car. The car that the dancer was driving was towed off, after the police had filed a report of the incident. Mark was taken away shortly after the police appeared on the scene. Everyone is glad to hear that the talented dancer is okay, and will recover from his injuries. However, whether or not he will be well enough to still carry on his performance is still yet to be announced. The fans that are looking forward to seeing him are hoping that the accident does not force them to have to lose their opportunity of seeing the talented man perform in person.

Justin Bieber Flees the Scene of a Car Accident
14
Jul

Questions are arising, whether Justin Bieber, a renowned pop star that everyone knows, fled of the scene of an accident or not. Apparently, just this past Tuesday the young and successful pop star was involved in a car accident. The twenty year old star was driving his Escalade, when he reportedly was hit by another vehicle, a BMW to be exact. There are no reports stating which driver is accidentally responsible for the entire ordeal.

The BMW that collided with Biebers Escalade was pulling out of a parking garage in Beverly Hills, around two pm in the afternoon. The good news is, even though the car accident did occur, neither party, involved in the ordeal was injured. An eyewitness report that was made after the accident occurred is not anything shocking. Therefore neither party will need to make a no win no fee claim… however the chances that the opposition will claim are high!

According to an eyewitness, the pop star, who was not operating the vehicle when it collided with the BMW was not the one operating the vehicle. In fact, he was unfazed by the entire ordeal. Instead of stopping and speaking with the other party that was involved in the ordeal, he simply jumped out of his Escalade, and immediately jumped into a different vehicle, so he could continue going wherever he was originally headed to.

Sources claim that the Escalade that Beiber was in was being followed by photographers and the paparazzo. At the time that the incident occurred, the Escalade was traveling at a high speed. The driver that was operating the BMW, misjudged their speed, prior to crashing into the Escalade that was carrying the pop star. There is no news if a no win no fee claims attorney will be hired to represent either party who was involved in the collision. With Bieber leaving the scene, it is amazing that anyone was able to find out that the star was involved in an accident to begin with.

Love him or hate him, the truth be told that Justin Bieber is not going anywhere. While the individuals that are employed by the young pop star are trying everything to keep his wild ways under wraps, the truth of the matter is, keeping Biebers shennagins out of the media can be difficult to do. No win no fee claims will probably be filed by both parties, if these claims are filed by the parties, then everything will probably be handled outside of court, and an undertable settlement will probably be rewarded to the opposing party.

The Canadian born star, who recently moved himself into two newer rental properties within an upscale neighborhood, has been the subject of various police reports. Most of the reports being made against the pop star, are due to his excessive partying ways. Apparently, Justin has managed to be able to rekindle his long-term on again and off again love affair with Selena Gomez.

The two originally started dating back in 2010. However, Gomez admits that she wants to start taking things slower this time, than what they did in the beginning of their relationship, in the past. A source reports that Gomez still loves Beiber, but it is hard for her to be able to get over him, due to the amount of history that they have. While some may state that the relationship is not going to go anywhere, the truth is that what matters is the way that both of stars feel about one another. Feelings are something that cannot easily be dropped, the two have so many different feelings about one another, that it is hard for either one of them to avoid them.

Ellie Goulding Admits That She’s Petrified of Cosmetic Surgery
14
Jul

Plastic surgery has become the number one way for people for people to change their body, and correct it, without that much work. In the past, the thought of plastic surgery used to make people laugh and people sneered that altering your body, simply meant that you did not like yourself. However, most of those people instantly assumed that plastic surgery was going to be a fad that would eventually wear off.

As time has progressed, the opposite has occurred. The busy lifestyles of modern day adults, makes it impossible for people to mold their bodies into what they desire, especially, if they were not born with the assets that they wanted. In the capitalistic society that we live in, the old saying is that there is nothing in this world that cannot be bought, this includes the perfect body, yet life is getting more and more materialistic with the celebrity fads that are ever increasing.

Although perfectionism is looked at in a negative light, the only reason why it is viewed in this manner is because so many people believe that it cannot be achieved. No one is born perfect, and no one is going to be seen as being the perfect person in the eyes of everyone that they meet. Perhaps, this is the primary reason why the adage that beauty is in the beholder was created to begin with, because everyone has their own perception of what they believe perfection to be.

Breast augmentations have become the most prominent type of cosmetic surgery to have. Women constantly compete with one another, and feel that they must do something in order to make themselves stand out from the competition, plus the breasts are one areas of a females body that predominantly are displayed. Therefore, women who feel like their breasts did not naturally grow as large as they want them to, purchase them to be what they expect.

Celebrities are known for altering various parts of their bodies, in order to be seen perfect, in the eyes of the fans that idolize them. Ellie Goulding, a British popstar has been dealing with rumors that they underwent a breast augmentation operation. However, Goulding claims that the rumors that are being spread are just that, rumors. The popstar openly stated that she would never consider getting plastic surgery. She stated in an interview that even the thought of having to be cut on, simply for cosmetic related reasons, scares her.

The hitmaker that jumped to fame with the song Burn, has recently had a lot of tabloid interest when she started being seen wearing a series of extremely revealing shirts. Apparently, many people that saw the star wearing the shirts, instantly started making rumors that she had altered her appearance, by enlarging her breast. The twenty seven year old denies all of the claims that she did any type of alterations to her body, and has no wish to go under the knife.

The star informed Britain Glamours magazine that she’s petrified of undergoing any type of cosmetic surgery. She even found some humor in the rumors, stating that her friends would fancy the thought of her getting plastic surgery as a hilarious event. The star admitted that before she used to be extremely fit and athletic. She would go on runs consistently, and did so, for the course of seven months. The star admits that she became obsessive about running, and when she ceased her obsession, her body began to become curvier, than what others had seen her as. Goulding admits that her body was looking better than ever when she had stopped consuming fish and meat, and working out excessively. And let’s face it, with the increasing number of celebs that have gone under the knife and then had to file a no win no fee claim because of a botched job, it’s probably better that she keeps her natural state!

Charlotte Church Admits That She’s not as Rich as Everyone Thinks
14
Jul

Former childhood star, Charlotte Church admitted in an interview that all of the millions that she made as a child have since dried up. Church stated that due to the occurrence, she will now have to work the rest of her life. Church, who is now twenty eight years old, was reported to be worth 25 million, at the age of seventeen. But, she states that she is nowhere near as rich as everyone thought she was.

The former star, who sold nearly ten million records, while her career was at its peak, admits that in order for her to maintain the lifestyle that she is accustomed to, she will need to continue to work throughout her adult life. Church states she will need to work the remainder portion of her adult life, not because she chooses to do so, but because she has to. Church admits that she understood that her career in music was not going to be her end to everything.

While in the brink of her fame, Church was worth twenty five million, which was just in 2003. However, by 2010, when the childhood star divorced her husband, Gavin Henson, her net worth greatly depreciated. Last year, she was reported to be worth eight million. However, even though that still sounds like a lot to modern everyday working adults, Church admits that she is worth far less than what many people assume she is worth.

Church joked that the tax man is probably wondering where all of her money is being hidden. In an attempt to keep her musical career striving, Church switched her genre of singing from classical music to pop music. However, since making the switch, Church has given up singing in both of her known genres. Church has set up a record label of her own, and has since released experimental EPs that produce limited sales.

Church has also made attempts to try presenting on TV. Church states that she feels that her life is so rich and full that she has gotten the best side of the deal. Church purchased a luxurious home within Cardiff, where she lived with her husband Henson, prior to the two splitting. When asked where all of her money went, the former star states that she has given thousands of pounds of cash to various charities. She is making plans to pursue a physics degree.

The current interview that Church was in is not the first time that she started speaking of her finances. In a subsequent interview, Church stated that she does not have a lot of money, at least, not like she used to have. Church states that she has enough money for her to be comfortable for the remaining portion of her life, as long as she does not do anything compulsive. The only way she can sustain the lifestyle she has been accustomed to since she was a child, is to keep a modest lifestyle, for her and her two children.

Church admits that it has just come to her attention that she does not have to be a singer in order to be successful. Instead, with the amount of money that Church has, she can go to university, and do any tasks that she desires. Church admits that she has never wanted to stop educating herself, and she wants her kids to see that having a regular career, can be just as exciting as the career that she once had as a child. With money running low, Charlotte Church probably wishes that she had a solicitor that could help her file a few no win no fee claims, in order to be able to obtain some fast money!

10 Things to Love About Iggy Azalea
14
Jul

There’s a new girl rapper on the block, with the best name ever; Iggy Azalea. She has two singles currently riding high in the Billboard Hot 100, almost out of the blue it seems. Here are ten good reasons to love her;

#1.Iggy Azalea is a rapper and not from LA. In truth she’s a Sheila from Mullumbimby, Australia. She speaks like an Aussie but raps with an accent straight from Alabama. She learned the hip-hop art from the Internet under the influence of Missy Elliot and Tupac. Needless to say, rapping was not widespread at home.

#2. T.I. is master to Azalea’s apprentice. She is one of his Grand Hustle crew. Her relationship to him, is stormy, but also very good for the newcomer.

#3. “Work,” is an autobiographical song by Azalea. It tells of her coming to America via the three cities of  Miami, Atlanta and of course LA. Doing cleaning work to support herself she finished her education having dropped out of it back home in Australia.

#4. Azalea’s two Billboard hits – 1 and 2 in the charts – are called ‘Fancy’ and ‘Problem’. This is a music feat unheard of in 40 years. (The Beatles did it in 1964 with ‘I wanna hold your hand’ and ‘she loves you’).

#5. ‘Pu$$y’, her viral raunchy video in 2011. The Beatles never wrote songs about the pleasure girls get from oral sex. It is a subject rarely covered in the rap world, so for a white woman to take it to the streets of LA was a unique and refreshingly new event. The video gained her a modelling contract with Wilhelmina Models as well as turning her into the hot target for every music label in town. T.I. snatched her first.

#6. Iggy says things in her way. She nearly blew all the good publicity she got from “Pu$$y” with the lyric in her song “D.R.U.G.S.”: “When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave / Master.” Iggy played acrimonious Twitter ping pong with Azalea Banks over this ‘racial’ lyric before grudgingly apologizing. Several labels ran scared from her. Her view was that they think; ‘there can only be one rapper with a vagina,’”.

#7. Iggy is nobody’s puppet. She is critical of the misogyny she sees everywhere in the music industry and especially in the hip-hop men’s world. She feels they hold out of date views, only promote one female rap artist at a time, and the culture extends all the way down to the fans. She won’t crowd surf anymore because some people tried to finger her. She keeps herself at arm’s length during performances now.

#8. Azalea’s lyrics break every taboo, but she’s a class act when it comes to self-promotion. An important part of her brand is the fashion side. She is seen front and centre at New York and Paris fashion weeks. Went to the elite Vanity Fair Oscars party, and is seen as a style icon to watch, in the top magazines. She knows how to play the game and dress to impress. Having her own fashion campaigns will complement her music career.

#9. Iggy Azalea is the only white girl ever to have a No. 1 rap album. The album is very ‘now’ but nods towards classic rap of the past. She says she wants teens of today to value their own culture and to know they are making the classic culture of the future.

#10. Azalea is like no rapper there has ever been. It is her uniqueness that is both her biggest asset and her greatest curse. The rap establishment knock her for being unauthentic. Surely only black Americans do rap?  But then they said that about Jazz too.

There’s Only Two Justin Biebers- Say What!?
6
Jul

There’s only one Justin Bieber, or so you would think. But in 2013 a Los Angeles guy spent close on 100 thousand dollars for three plastic surgery procedures in order to look as much like ‘babyface’ Bieber as possible. Don’t try this at home kids.

They weren’t botched operations either. Toby Sheldon’s time under the knife was time well spent according to him. But surely any right thinking person would see this as taking, being a ‘Belieber’ way too far. Don’t get me wrong; Bieber is a nice looking kid, even if his manners need working on, but to put all your cash into your appearance? That type of thing only happens in LA, home of the ‘Peter Pan’ complex.

Toby Sheldon is 33, while Justin Bieber is not…YET! Pre-surgery Toby did look very youthful it has to be said. Check out his picture on your favourite social media site. A Bieber hair-do was nowhere near enough for the fan man though. First came the hair implants with the doctors being guided by photos of the pop star. Toby had thinning hair. Really! all you had to do Toby, was wait for Justin to catch up with you. In ten years’ time his hair will look like yours. And you would have saved yourself $21 thousand, for your medical insurance or old age pension.

Is thinning hair a crime in LA? To read the celebrity pages you might well think so. But Toby had his hair line brought into line with teen norms, closed off his temples and had his ‘bangs’ (whatever they are) restored. Then came the botox injections and Aquamid treatments to subtly reshape his face. He would have had more chance if he had learned to make the polyjuice potion, from Hermione Granger in Harry Potter! I suppose he was more likely to be shot trying to yank out a piece of Justin’s hair as the final ingredient.

In order to get eye to eye with Justin, Toby spent another $5 thousand on some serious eyelid surgery. Was the pain and sacrifice worth the effort? One can’t help wondering what his mother feels about it all; proud? Betrayed? Worried most likely.

Toby went to extremes to literally put a smile on his face, with further surgery to achieve the Bieber grin. He insists he is not obsessed with the baby pop star, and he’s probably right. His eccentric behaviour stems more from a phobia of ageing, than it does from a desire to be Bieber. A phobia is defined as a fear that actually detracts from the quality of one’s everyday life. But doesn’t that depend on your point of view? Toby probably thinks he is adding to the quality of his life. But then self-delusion is the primary symptom of body dysmorphic disorder.

He certainly puts a lot of thought, time and expense into his Bieberization. He feels the smile is the key to looking youthful but his ambition has not yet been fulfilled. There is still more work to come. He plans, probably when his song writing bears enough financial fruit, to have the Bieber nose installed and his own jaw reduced to more eye-catching Bieber proportions.

Imagine if it had all gone badly, as some plastic surgery can. Toby could end up looking like a grotesque. Or maybe worse from Toby’s perspective; what if he ended up NOT looking like the sainted Justin? He could always sue the surgeons on a ‘no win no fee basis’ I suppose. That way he can try to recover his investment with interest for pain and suffering.