Actress and singer Heather Peace has announced a series of UK dates for April next year. Fans of her music can also buy her new album, entitled 'This is Me' directly from her website.
Buy the album or book tickets here
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Heather Peace - New Tour Dates and Album
Actress and singer Heather Peace has announced a series of UK dates for April next year. Fans of her music can also buy her new album, entitled 'This is Me' directly from her website.
Buy the album or book tickets here
Birdbox Episode 2 Now Online
Episode two of Diva magazine's online show, The Birdbox, is now available. Guests include the lovely Heather Peace, Rosie Wilby and a performance by Big Brother Shabby's band Voodoo Hussy.
Watch the episode
Sunday, December 5, 2010
New HomoLab Podcasts Featuring Amy Lame
If you are a fan of podcasts you may want to check out the new gay friendly HomoLab episode presented by the lovely Amy Lame.
To listen to the podcast click here.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
New Diva TV Show Birdbox
UK Lesbian magazine Diva now have an online show called The Birdbox.
The latest episode is presented by comedian Jen Brister and Diva editor Jane Czyzselska and includes articles on girl gangs, 1920's fashion, the Gay Games and gay and lesbian dating applications.
Watch the latest episode
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Heather Peace to Perform At Brighton Ballroom on 2nd December
Heather Peace, star of London's Burning, Ultimate Force and Lip Service, is performing at the Brighton Ballroom with a special guest.
The performance is at a newly established monthly supper club for gay girls.
For more information and tickets visit Heather's official site.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Vampire Ball Friday 29th October at The Medieval Banquet
If you like all things vampiric and fancy doing something different for Halloween then take a look at The Vampire Ball.
Hosted by the Medieval Banquet at St Katherine's Dock, the night includes a 4 course meal, unlimited beer and wine and entertainment.
For more information and to book tickets check out their website
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Lip Service Episode Two Review
This week’s episode of Lip Service was such an improvement on the first episode.
Now we have the basic backgrounds of all of the main characters the dialogue has improved and the plots are developing rapidly.
Tess provides the comic elements again by posing as a child psychologist on Lou’s show and managing to demolish a wedding cake while working as a runner and putting Cat’s mobile phone in the wash.
Most of us can also probably empathise with her struggle to have a fulfilling relationship with the uptight and closeted Louise.
Frankie and Cat attend Frankie’s aunt’s funeral and we see Frankie at her dysfunctional best by trying it on with Cat at the funeral, attempting to lure Cat away from her date with Sam and sleeping with a thief who Frankie’s money and the necklace Jay had just bought for Becky.
Cat is still a neat freak with Tess pushing all of her buttons by being messy and disorganised.
The sex scenes were so much more realistic than last week and it was nice to see more of the cop character Sam.
We also have the mystery of the missing photo album, the boy at the empty flat, Annie Cawthorne and why Frankie’s relatives have alienated her.
So plenty to keep us guessing and I for one can’t wait for episode three!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Heather Peace to Perform Acoustic Gig at Soho Theatre Bar 14th and 28th November
Heather Peace, star of London's Burning, Ultimate Force and Lip Service, is performing two acoustic sets at The Soho Theatre Bar on Sunday 14th November and Sunday 28th November.
Tickets are £7/£9 on the day from the theatre.
Lip Service Episode One Review
The eagerly anticipated first episode of new UK drama Lip Service finally aired last week, at the rather unsociable time of 10:30 on BBC3.
Set in Glasgow the story revolves a set of twenty-something friends of varied sexualities.
Like most first episodes, it gives us the background to each of the characters. We discover that Frankie (played by Ruta Gedmintas) is a womanising photographer who badgered Cat (played by Laura Fraser) to leave her girlfriend; only to run off to New York without saying a word. We find out the aunt that brought her up after her parents died has passed away but that they hadn’t spoken for ten years. Viewers have drawn parallels with The L Word’s Shane but I think this character is more complex and emotional and one you are either going to love or hate.
Cat comes across as a neurotic, but likable, control freak who still hasn’t moved on from Frankie. Cat’s brother Ed (played by James Antony Pearson) is an unsuccessful writer with an obvious crush on lesbian Tess (played by Fiona Button) who provides the comic elements of the show (the scenes with celebrity Lou (play by Roxanne McKee) were also very cute.
Sam (played by Heather Peace) who we haven’t seen much of so far is the cool butch cop who is interested in Cat.
Jay (played by Emun Elliott) is the male equivalent of Frankie, but has surprisingly settled down with his girlfriend Becky.
Of course a series like this that has been broadcast on one of the minor BBC channels has to draw in viewers and this was secured by including the controversial sex scene in the undertakers next to a dead body. Weirdly enough that didn’t shock me as much as what I felt was a rather unrealistic simulation of sex (or perhaps I've been doing it wrong all these years!)
I loved the phrase 'Lezzurrection' and Tess description of lesbian dating being sitting there 'looking hungrily at women hoping that they make the first move'. I also liked that they used real elements of the culture like GaydarGirls and Diva. I think that the portrayal of lesbians (barring the sex scenes) are pretty realistic so far and they have the clothing and culture down to a tee. I would love to know how they all afford such nice apartments though!
On the whole I really enjoyed this first episode, and comparisons to The L Word aside, I think that this is a grittier more refreshing take on the lives of lesbians in the UK.
Flashdance The Musical Opens in London
The musical adaptation of the film that made Jennifer Beals an overnight success has now opened at the Shaftsbury Theatre in London. The musical stars Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as the welder and dancer Alex and Matt Willis of Busted as her love interest Nick.
For more information and tickets click here.
Lip Service Maintains Viewing Figures for Second Week
New lesbian drama Lip Service continued to attract over half a millions viewers this week.
View full article
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Jake of Scissor Sisters Message for Gay Teens
Jake Shears, of The Scissor Sisters, has recorded a very honest, heartfelt response to the recent spate of suicides of bullied gay teens.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
F.A.G. Club Events in Bristol
If you live around the Bristol area then you may be interested in events run by F.A.G. Club. The objective of F.A.G. Club is to build a community for people of all genders, ages and sexualities.
Check out the blog.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Clip of Lip Service Character Ed
Ed (played by James Antony Pearson) is Cat's sister who has a secret crush on lesbian Tess (played by Fiona Button).
Watch the clip here
Watch the clip here
Lip Service UK Air Date Announced!!!
The eagerly anticipated series Lip Service begins airing on BBC3 at 10:30pm from Tuesday 12th October.
For those of you who haven't read my previous posts the programme revolves around a group of friends in Glasgow and stars Heather Peace, Laura Fraser and Ruta Gedmintas.
I will post a review of each episode on the blog and you can also pre-order the first series from Amazon UK.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Zachary Quinto's Response To 50 Cent
Zachary Quinto, star of the latest Star Trek movie and Heroes and a gay rights activist, tweeted this response to 50 Cent's recent controversial Twitter post:
”You know what would truly make the world the world a better place? If people with as much influence and privilege as you spread hope not hate.”
Several days ago 50 Cent tweeted "If you a man and your over 25 and you don't eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol"
The tweet was rather badly timed as there has been a spate of gay teens who have committed suicide due to bullying in the USA. This also followed an previous tweet in which he insulted Perez Hilton and joked about shooting up a gay wedding.
50 Cent has since claimed his latest tweet was a joke about oral sex and not homophobic but if that's the case maybe he should think before he tweets in future.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Glasgay! Queer Culture Festival 13 October to 14 November 2010
This years celebration of queer culture in Glasgow includes performances by comediennes Zoe Lyons and Rebecca Donahue, showings of classic films Like Orlando and poet Jackie Kay reading her memoir to music to name just a few of the events.
For more information check out the web site
For more information check out the web site
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Iris Prize Film Festival 6-9 October 2010
The LGBT Iris Prize Film Festival takes place next month in Cardiff. If you want to see a montage of the shortlisted movies then click here.
Some of the Gayest Vampires in Film and TV
Out.com have a great article on gay vampires and it includes some of my favourite films and TV shows. See if any of your favourites are in their list.
Read the article
The Story of Sophie and Sian
If you haven't watched the ongoing lesbian storyline in Coronation Street so far then it may be worth catching up with events by watching this video on the ITV website.
George Michael Moved to Grade C Prison While Lindsay Lohan To Be Arrested
I feel sorry for people that battle drug addiction whilst in the public eye.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan after breaking the conditions of her probation by failing a drug test. Meanwhile George Michael, who was given an 8 week sentence for drug related offences has been moved to a less restricted prison outside of the capital.
Lets hope they both recover soon.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan after breaking the conditions of her probation by failing a drug test. Meanwhile George Michael, who was given an 8 week sentence for drug related offences has been moved to a less restricted prison outside of the capital.
Lets hope they both recover soon.
Sue Perkins To Host Stonewall Awards
Comedienne and presenter Sue Perkins will be hosting the annual Stonewall Awards at the Victoria and Albert Museum on the 4th November.
Last years winners included Sarah Waters for her latest novel The Little Stranger.
Book Tickets Here
Friday, September 17, 2010
And Another Lip Service Teaser Clip!
In the latest clip from the forthcoming Glasgow based lesbian drama, Lip Service, we learn a bit about the character Tess, played by Fiona Button.
Watch the clip here
Watch the clip here
Monday, September 13, 2010
Katee Sackhoff to Join Cast of CSI Las Vegas
If you were a fan of the recent incarnations of Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman then you might find the prospect of Katee Sackhoff joining CSI Las Vegas as a feisty detective pretty exciting. Sackhoff was previously offered a role in True Blood but opted to become part of the cast of new police drama Boston's Finest. Unfortunately the pilot wasn't picked up by any of the networks.
Another Lip Service Teaser Clip
As yet there is no official air date for Lip Service but here is another promo clip, this time about the character Cat (played by Laura Fraser)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Emma's Imagination Cover Version of 'Change' by Deftones
For those of you that have been watching 'Must Be The Music' on Sky and like Emma Gillespie then check out this amazing cover version of one of my favourite Deftones songs.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Lip Service Character Frankie
If you want to know a bit more about the character Frankie (played by Ruta Gedmintas) in the soon to be aired series Lip Service then check out this clip on the BBC Three site.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Rhona Cameron Stand Up 19th August 2010
Rhona Cameron is performing a one-off routine at Bristol's Metropolis as part of Bristol Pride Week. Tickets cost £14.50 plus booking fee.
Book Here
Bristol Pride 21st August
Singer Sonique is headlining Bristol Pride day at Castle Park this weekend and the Pride Walk begins at St Augustine's Parade at noon.
Click here for more details and the rest of Bristol Pride Weeks events
Click here for more details and the rest of Bristol Pride Weeks events
Queer Fiction Night Tonight 18th August Arnolfini Bristol
A book reading, Q and A and signing evening of gay writers is taking place tonight at the Arnolfini as part of Bristol Pride week. The panel includes comedienne and author Rhona Cameron, author Stella Duffy, Time Out editor Paul Burston and Jack Wolf.
Tickets are £10.
Book Here
The Official Bristol Pride Site
Tickets are £10.
Book Here
The Official Bristol Pride Site
Pink Festival Cambridge 21st August 2010
The Pink Festival, held at Cherry Hinton Hall in Cambridge, is a free event that also welcomes families and groups of all sexualities. Headlining the main stage is Amanda Wilson of Freemasons with performances from Secret Circuits, drag act The Killer Queens plus a children's area, community tent and art and workshop area.
The Official Pink Festival Site
The Official Pink Festival Site
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Cornwall Pride Truro 24th August 2010
Cornwall Pride is in it's third year and includes a parade from Lemon Quay and Picnic in The Park in Victoria Gardens. Headlining the evening entertainment is Lisa Scott-Lee (Steps), with other acts including a Madonna impersonator (Melissa Totten) and burlesque by The Slinky Minskys.
Official Cornwall Pride Site
Official Cornwall Pride Site
Thursday, August 12, 2010
New Transgender Character in Hollyoaks
Stonewall recently published a report that found lesbian and gay people were positively represented in just 0.6% of popular TV shows. Another severely neglected area are transgender individuals. Apart from Hayley in Coronation Street, I can't think of any positive representations of transgendered people on current television so the emerging storyline of 15 year old Jasmine Costello who transitions to Jason is very welcome.
The character is played by newcomer 23 year old Victoria Atkins.
View The Stonewall Report
View the Character Profile on the C4 Website
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Flashdance The Musical Opens 24th September
A long overdue adaptation of the film that made Jennifer Beals into a household name overnight begins at the Shaftesbury Theatre next month. Boasting choreography by Strictly Come Dancing's Arlene Phillips the show follows the life of 18 year old Alex from Pittsburgh; a welder by day and dancer by night and includes the original soundtrack music plus 10 additional songs.
Book Tickets Here
The Official Site
Book Tickets Here
The Official Site
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Mia Kirshner Plays Vampire Lilith in 30 Days of Night Sequel
If, like me, you love vampire movies and enjoyed '30 Days of Night' then the sequel '30 Days of Night: Dark Days' may be worth a look. Stella (played by Kiele Sanchez) is one of the survivors of the vampire attack in Alaska and makes it her mission to convince the World that vampires exist. She discovers that the attack on her town in Alaska was orchestrated by the vampire queen Lilith (played by Mia Kirshner - Jenny in The L Word) she decides to avenge her husbands death.
The Official Movie Site
View The Trailer
The Official Movie Site
View The Trailer
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
How Do TV Execs Decide What Programmes To Axe?
The news that Heroes has been axed, just as Claire and and Gretchen's relationship was blossoming, is just about the last straw for me. I still don't know if Jenny Schecter was murdered or not and by whom, and if John Connor was left trapped in a different time to his mother Sarah (played by the gorgeous Lena Headey of Imagine Me And You
) forever. I will never know how Kizza, Saint and Sugar managed to co-habitate or where the ghost of Thelma went to live once the school in Hex burnt down.
) forever. I will never know how Kizza, Saint and Sugar managed to co-habitate or where the ghost of Thelma went to live once the school in Hex burnt down. I would love know how modern ratings are measured; as with the emergence of PVRs
and online players most TV programmes do not get watched in real-time. Do the TV execs also take note of the number of fans on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and the protests when series are ended prematurely with no closure or tying of loose ends for the viewers? Do they register DVD sales as part of their analysis or do they stick a pin on a list of shows and whichever it lands on gets cancelled?
and online players most TV programmes do not get watched in real-time. Do the TV execs also take note of the number of fans on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and the protests when series are ended prematurely with no closure or tying of loose ends for the viewers? Do they register DVD sales as part of their analysis or do they stick a pin on a list of shows and whichever it lands on gets cancelled?Who at ITV thought it was a good idea to cancel the quality drama 'Wire In the Blood' created from the novels by the lesbian author Val McDermid, yet leave on anything containing David Dickinson or the word 'Celebrity' in the title? Hasn't reality TV (apart from the excellent Come Dine With Me of course) had it's day?
I realise that sometimes real-life events, like actors wishing to leave, or in the unfortunate case of Spartacus Blood and Sand, get delayed due to illness (get well soon Andy Whitfield) but I really think that the execs owe their fans a bit of closure and should at least produce a one-off special episode to tie up loose ends before they destroy the sets.
Nintendo vs. the Pirates and the High Court Decision
Last week the UK high courts outlawed all flash carts as they believed that they lead to piracy. What they forgot to take into account is that the carts can also be used for open source software, known as homebrew, and of course backing up your existing game collection.
Nintendo’s argument was that their sales had dropped in the last year. I think that there may be reasons, other than piracy for this occurrence.
Firstly, we are in a recession, and if the current coalition government continues with their drastic cuts, we will no doubt be heading for another. During a recession most people would logically cut back on luxuries items such as entertainment products.
Secondly, there are, in my opinion, a glut of poorly developed games churned out by companies that just want to make a quick buck. If Nintendo developed a system whereby gamers could play trials of a game before they buy then people would be more likely to buy the full version of a trial they have enjoyed.
Thirdly, I feel that there are not enough Nintendo games aimed at the adult market. Most dedicated adult gamers that I know would scoff at the thought of a Nintendo console like the DSi; opting for a Sony PSP as the games are more stimulating for adults.
Lastly, I think that the rating system is a bit vague and I propose my NAG system. N is for Numpty, A is for Average and G is for Geek. That way the geeks won’t be insulted by the low level of intelligence required for the Numpty games and the Numpties won’t buy a game that they can’t understand how to play.
Piracy is obviously wrong; when people pour their time, effort and money into something they believe in to find it exploited is immoral. Conversely, with artists like Lady Gaga being the most legitimately downloaded artist of 2009 and films like Avatar breaking the box office it proves that, hype aside, consumers will pay for quality entertainment products. Surveys have also found that those that download copyright infringing material still spend just as much on entertainment products as those that don’t.
So perhaps the answer is for a try before you buy trial system on products like games and more information about products so that consumers aren’t mislead into buying things that just end up gathering dust on a shelf.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Lindsay Lohan Released from Jail After 14 Days
Actress Lindsay Lohan has been released from the Lynwood Correctional Facility to serve the rest of her 90 days in rehab.
Read the Guardian Article
Read the Guardian Article
Rhona Cameron Stand Up Saturday 7th August 2010
Rhona Cameron, stand-up comedienne and author, is performing a warm-up gig at the Hen and Chicken Theatre Bar in Islington this weekend. Tickets cost £5 from the box office - 0207 7704 2001.
I have seen her a couple of times and she puts on a very entertaining show.
Click here for her other performance dates
Hen And Chicken Theatre Bar Location
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Claire Balding Takes on The Times - Boycott them now!!!
Sports presenter Clare Balding has lodged a complaint against the Sunday Times over an article written by restaurant critic, AA Gill. The article contained unnecessary and insulting references to her sexuality and unfortunately the newspaper have taken an unapologetic stance stating that 'some members of the gay community need to stop regarding themselves as having a special victim status and behave like any other sensible group that is accepted by society.'
X Factor Winner Joe McElderry Comes Out!
In a recent interview, with The Daily Mirror, the singer and 2009 X Factor winner admitted that he is gay. This closely follows the hacking of his Twitter account where the perpetrator posted 'I am Gay' on his page.
Read The Pink Paper Article
Read The Pink Paper Article
Friday, July 30, 2010
Best e-book Readers
If you are an avid bookworm then you may want to consider buying an electronic e-book reader, but with such a choice of devices opting for one that meets all of your needs can be confusing. Below is my brief comparison of the most recent devices.
Amazon Kindle (New Edition)
Amazon UK are launching a new version of their device in August.
unprotected Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), PDF, HTML, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files.
What it doesn't seem to have is a touch screen or memory slots.
I own one of these devices and I like it for the following reasons:
It has a responsive touch screen with stylus.
It has two memory slots for a Sony MS Duo card and an SD card.
It reads a wide variety of formats.
It has a good battery life.
It has a built in dictionary, notes and annotations functions.
You can use Sony Connect to purchase and download music to the device
The only downside is that I've found the Sony software to be a bit buggy so I use a free application called Calibre.
The recently released Apple iPad has a free downloadable iBooks application. There are several disadvantages to using this device as an e-book reader. Documents have to be transferred via iTunes as the device has no USB connection. Battery life isn’t as impressive as other dedicated devices and the glare of the colour screen is harsher on the eye than the e-ink devices. While the device has many other features I would not purchase it for that functionality.
BeBook Neo
The BeBook Neo, like the Kindle, has Wi-Fi, supports most formats, has a notes and sketching application and can also store and play MP3 files. Unlike the Kindle it also has a touch screen. It also has no memory slots for expansion.
The Cybook Opus is a smaller, more lightweight device than the others and also has a touch screen and a Micro SD memory slot. However document formats are limited to epub and PDF.
Cool-Er Classic supports multiple file formats. It also has a memory for a 4GB SD card but no touch screen.
Buy the Cool-Er Classic
Buy the Cool-Er Classic
This device was originally sold by Borders but it now available at Waterstones. Looks wise it resembles the original Kindle and has text-to-speech and a QWERTY keyboard. It is packaged with a 4GB Micro SD card, notes and annotation functionality but no touch screen.
Buy the Elonex 511EB at Waterstones
Buy the Elonex 511EB at Waterstones
