Tag Archives: Lifestyle

Ian Hislop Savages ‘Idiot’ Dominic Cummings In Brutal Have Got News For You Take Down

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Ian Hislop did not hold back about what he thought of Dominic Cummings’ appearance at the Commons Select Committee on Friday night’s Have I Got News For You.

The team captain blasted Boris Johnson’s former chief advisor in a savage take down following the seven hour hearing in which he made explosive claims about the PM and the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Ian described Cummings’ appearance as “one of the most disgusting performances in public life.”

Other captain Paul Merton said: “Dominic Cummings has been giving evidence, Seven hours’ worth I believe. He made lots of powerful statements and somebody’s lying, somewhere in the middle of all this. Not everybody is telling the truth. 

’He’s made various accusations and Boris and Matt Hancock have denied them.”

Ian – who was joined by David Mitchell – joked: “It’s good that we’ve got David on tonight, because it’s an episode of Would I Lie To You?’, and the answer is, for everyone… yes they did.” 

He continued: “He said ‘Boris Johnson is not fit to be Prime Minister.’ Of course he isn’t, he appointed you! That doesn’t take eight hours, does it?

“He did that classic thing at the start of saying it’s all everybody else’s fault. Would you believe it? 

“The government has really handled this very badly… if only there’d been someone at the heart of government who could have said ‘this whole thing is going wrong.’ Maybe an advisor… maybe a senior advisor… 

“It was one of the most disgusting performances in public life that I can remember.”

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(L-R) Ian Hislop and Dominic Cummings

David then asked: “Assuming we can believe a word the devious bastard says, who is to blame for everything?”

Ian replied: “The Prime Minister is to blame for everything, and the Prime Minister should never have become Prime Minister. Except, this is the man who almost single-handedly worked to make him Prime Minister.

“It’s absolutely extraordinary that he only noticed that the Prime Minister was utterly useless when he was sacked. 

“It just didn’t occur to him the whole time he was on board with the project, and then suddenly, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve suddenly realised… you’re an idiot, and so am I’”.

Have I Got News For You continues on BBC One at 9.00pm tonight, guest hosted by David Mitchell.

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Jeremy Paxman Reveals Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

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Photoshot via Getty Images

Jeremy Paxman

In a statement to the PA news agency, Jeremy said: “I can confirm I have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I am receiving excellent treatment and my symptoms are currently mild.

“I plan to continue broadcasting and writing for as long as they’ll have me and have written about my diagnosis in more detail for the June issue of the marvellous Saga Magazine.

“I will not be making any further comment.”

Jeremy is perhaps best known as the former host of BBC Two’s Newsnight. 

He presented the flagship current affairs programme from 1989 to 2014, during which time he interviewed high-profile figures from politics and culture.

He has also fronted University Challenge since 1994, making him the longest serving current quizmaster on UK TV.

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Your Relationship With Your Alarm Clock

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If you use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, think about relationship you’d like to create with your alarm clock. What would be the healthiest and happiest version of that relationship for you?

If you were an alarm clock, what kind of relationship would you want to have with your human?

For instance, maybe your alarm clock would appreciate it if you’d pat it on the head now and then and say, “Thanks for waking me up today. I appreciate you!”

How would your alarm clock feel about being put across the room and kept at a distance from you? How would it feel if you groaned when it sounded off?

How would your alarm clock feel if you kept using the snooze feature? Would it potentially lose respect for you?

Have you ever thought about the kind of relationship you’d like to have with your alarm clock? How would you like to feel towards it, and how would you like to imagine that it feels towards you?

I normally use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, set for 5am. I never use the snooze alarm since that wouldn’t help me experience the kind of relationships I want to have – with my alarm clock, with myself, and with the start of my day.

I like relating to my alarm clock on the basis of mutual trust and mutual respect. My alarm clock is my buddy who helps me start the day at the time of my choosing. It’s very reliable. I like knowing that I can trust it to sound off when I tell it.

If my intention was to get up at a certain time, and I didn’t just leave the alarm set by mistake, then it’s important to get up to honor that relationship. If I can trust that my alarm will sound off, I also want my alarm to trust me too – to trust that I’ll get up when I intended to get up.

While it may sound odd to have a relationship with an inanimate object, you’re already doing that anyway. Some patch of neurons in your brain is already storing your associations to your alarm clock. Like it or not, that relationship exists in your mind, and it will continue to exist. So you already have some stored thoughts and feelings towards your alarm clock. Do those thoughts and feelings serve you well? Or could you modify how you’re framing that relationship make it better?

If you’re going to have a relationship with your alarm clock in your mind anyway, why not make it what you want it to be? Make it a relationship that serves you well. Make it a relationship that helps you get the results you want.

If your relationship with your alarm clock is dysfunctional, do you really think that will help you create and maintain highly functional habits? How is that going to be good for your day’s startup routine?

For me a good relationship with any device involves trust, respect, and appreciation. I don’t want to use devices that I don’t trust, respect, and appreciate. Especially if it’s the first device that connects me with my day, I really want that to be a positive and uplifting relationship. If the very first sound I hear to begin my day immediately links me with a negative emotion, a downer thought, or a corrupted relationship, well… that’s a stupid relationship then, isn’t it? How is that possibly going to do me any good, especially if I let that relationship wallow unfixed for years?

If you have a messed up relationship with your alarm clock – or with however you like to begin your day – I invite you to fix that relationship. Start by making a real decision about what kind of relationship you’d like to have. Then go have a little talk with your alarm clock to share your thoughts and feelings about the kind of relationship you’d like to create with it. Imagine that it’s listening to you attentively, and then listen internally for what it wants to see from you.

Imagine creating a truly win-win relationship here. Consider what kind of relationship your alarm clock would love to have with you. What does it want from you? What kinds of behaviors would it like to see from you? How would it like to be treated? You might think that this is taking the idea a bit far, but I encourage you to think along these lines anyway since it can help you get clarity about the right kind of relationship for you.

I have a very positive relationship with my alarm clock. I can get up right away when it goes off and leverage it for a good start to my day. I’ve never put it across the room. I’ve never used the snooze alarm. I like and respect my alarm clock. I honor its purpose in my life. I appreciate what it does for me. I don’t have to burden myself with a negative relationship that I might drag forward into all of my future years. This relationship is all in my mind anyway, so it’s my choice what to make of it. Why not assert your freedom of choice here as well?

If it helps you get up feeling a little happier and a little more enthusiastic to imagine that your alarm clock is proud of you… or to imagine that your alarm clock likes being appreciated by you… that’s all good. Feeling appreciation is wonderful, so why not give yourself any reason to begin your day with that sort of feeling? Use your imagination to help you here. Don’t let a lack of imagination cage you in a negative relationship.

What is your version of a golden relationship with your alarm clock? What would that look like? What thoughts and feelings would you like to bring to this relationship? Whatever it is, you can create that relationship. But it sure helps tremendously if you take a moment to consciously decide what that relationship is going to be.

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Nish Kumar Speaks Out Over The BBC’s Decision To Axe The Mash Report

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Nish Kumar has shared his thoughts on the BBC’s decision to axe the satirical comedy series The Mash Report.

In March, it was confirmed that The Mash Report – hosted by Nish and featuring comedians like Rachel Parris and Ellie Taylor – would not be returning, with a BBC spokesperson stating that the decision had been made “in order to make room for new comedy shows”.

They explained: “We are very proud of The Mash Report but in order to make room for new comedy shows we sometimes have to make difficult decisions and it won’t be returning.

“We would like to thank all those involved in four brilliant series and hope to work with Nish Kumar, Rachel Parris and the team in the future.”

BBC

Nish Kumar hosted all four series of The Mash Report between 2017 and 2020

At the time, several news outlets pointed out that the news came after reports in The Telegraph claiming the BBC’s newly-appointed director general Tim Davie was “planning to tackle perceived left-wing bias in the corporation’s comedy shows”.

Davie later branded these claims “nonsense”, with Nish sharing his thoughts in a new interview with the Observer.

Nish recalled that he found out about The Mash Report’s cancellation in an email from the controller of the BBC Two, telling him: “We don’t have the money, so we’re gonna move on.”

The comedian told the Observer he took the decision in his stride, and when the subsequent reports emerged in the press about the reasons for The Mash Report’s cancellation, he received another email from the BBC urging him to “ignore the article, it’s all nonsense”.

However, Nish has revealed he “pushed for a public clarification” from the BBC, saying: “There’s an important principle at stake. The story suggests a person’s political leanings can have a bearing on what they get to do on television, which is unacceptable.”

Carla Speight via Getty Images

Nish Kumar performing at Latitude Festival in 2019

He added that while he doesn’t believe Tim Davie was responsible for The Mash Report not coming back: “The concern for me is that it’s a useful myth for Tim Davie to have out there, because it placates the British right. It gives the sharks a bit of blood.

“And when do sharks ever stop at a bit of blood? When do sharks ever say, ‘Thank you for the bit of blood. That was the perfect amount. Like tapas’?”

He added: “If the BBC does not say something publicly to make it clear they were not reacting to the political content of the show, it will set a bad precedent. It may well stop people pitching new programme ideas. It is not about any reassurance they may have privately given me since.”

A BBC spokesperson had no additional comment besides the original statement when contacted by HuffPost UK.

The Observer also reported that production company Zeppotron is in talks with several broadcasters about potentially reviving The Mash Report on a commercial station.

Although viewing figures for The Mash Report were usually around the one million mark, it did garner a loyal following during its four years on TV.

It was also responsible for a number of viral clips, most notably a scene featuring Rachel Parris, which was titled How Not To Sexually Harass Someone.

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Friends Reunion Guest Stars Include David Beckham And Malala Yousafzai (Yes, That Malala Yousafzai)

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The eclectic mix of celebrities putting in an appearance in the upcoming Friends reunion special has been unveiled, which includes Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Malala Yousafzai.

Yes, the actual Malala Yousafzai.

On Thursday, the first trailer for the forthcoming episode was unveiled, showing all six of the original cast members walking in slow motion on the studio lot where the Friends special was filmed.

As well as the short trailer, details of the special’s guest stars have also been revealed in Variety, with James Michael Tyler and Maggie Wheeler – better known as Gunther and Janice – set to appear in the episode.

Joining them will be Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles (who played Monica and Ross’ parents, Jack and Judy Geller), Reese Witherspoon (who co-starred as Rachel’s sister in two episodes of the sitcom) and Tom Selleck (who played Monica’s love interest, Richard).

Getty Images via Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon previously shared the screen in Friends

That’s where things start to get really interesting.

Also appearing in the show will be a string of famous Friends fans, which includes James Corden, Justin Bieber and Cindy Crawford, alongside the aforementioned Gaga, Beckham and Malala.

The One With Beckham And Malala is definitely not a Friends episode we saw coming, but we’re kind of here for it.

MARLA AUFMUTH/Johnny Louis/John Shearer/Getty

Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Malala Yousafzai

Completing the line-up are K-Pop stars BTS, model Cara Delevingne, Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington and US actor Mindy Kaling, as well as Thomas Lennon and Larry Hankin, who played minor roles in Friends.

It’s also been confirmed that the Friends reunion will be available to stream on HBO Max in the US from 27 May, exactly a year after it was supposed to launch, before the pandemic scuppered plans to begin production.

It’s still not clear exactly when or how British fans will be able to watch, but HBO productions typically come to Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.

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My Intentions for CGC Year 5

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This is the one week during each year during which Conscious Growth Club opens for new members to join. We are open through May 1st. It’s an exciting time inside the group as current members who’ve been in the group for 1-4 years are actively welcoming new members who are just now beginning their CGC journey.

Every year at this time, some members renew for another year. Some members decide to leave or take a break from CGC. And many new members join. Also this year, some previous members who skipped Year 4 have already rejoined CGC for Year 5. I’m delighted to welcome them back.

So it’s a time of transition. Every year in CGC is a different experience because the people are different, and the group dynamics change. Year 5 is likely to be an especially creative year in the group due to many people from the Amplify course joining us. We launched Amplify on March 1st, starting with just 2 lessons, and today I’ll be publishing lesson #60. I’ve been creating and adding a new lesson every single day, 7 days a week, for the past two months. I expect we’ll close at about 62 lessons, so the main course will be complete this week, and then I’ll create some additional bonuses for it too. The feedback on this course and the interactions with the members have been deeply rewarding.

We’re having our 8th and final live group call for Amplify tomorrow (April 28th). CGC members get to attend that call too.

CGC’s Will and Consciousness

The lesson I recorded yesterday for Amplify is called “Stellar Nursery,” and one topic it covers is how big projects can take on a life of their own, as if they have their own will and consciousness. CGC is one of those star-like projects. In the beginning I felt like I had to give it tons of careful thought and nurturing, always going back to getting clear about the intention for it. Now I feel like it’s doing a good job of voicing its own intentions and summoning its own energy for where it wants to go and what it wants to explore and experience each year.

Many people have contributed their own intentions to what CGC is to become. In the past, some had conflicting views about which way CGC should go, and when the group zigged one way, they zagged and left. Others preferred to hang with the zig.

One thing I love about CGC is that it too is an explorer. There are so many explorer types like me in the group, and we’ve collectively given CGC a similar explorer consciousness. CGC has some nicely structured elements, but it has plenty of flexibility to move and dance in different directions throughout the year.

For instance, members often use the CGC Lounge (our 24/7 video hangout room, basically an open Zoom call that never ends) to mastermind together in various ways. Groups form, meet purposefully for a while, and then naturally dissolve when they energy is ready to flow somewhere else. CGC has a very wave-like nature internally, much like how I like to blog and create new courses with the flow of inspiration.

I feel there’s a part of CGC that absolutely resists being caged. It loves freedom. It loves to explore the possibility space. It does not want to be locked down into an overly rigid structure, but some structure is healthy for it as a base from which to explore. It loves to invite and encourage experimentation, spontaneity, and going with the flow of inspiration among its members.

CGC also loves abundance. It delights in inviting new people to the party, yet it’s unattached to who stays and who goes, knowing that it’s up to each individual to align or not. CGC doesn’t try to convince or chase after anyone to join. It offers no resistance when people leave. It simply basks in the energy and presence of being what it is and becoming what it wants to be. And it knows without a doubt that it’s going to be an incredible match for people who want to surf its waves and dance with it for some portion of their lives.

CGC loves compassion. It willingly accompanies people into the depths of their sorrow. It has no fear of pain or trauma. It welcomes transformational tears with love and hugs. It will stand in the Pit of Despair with members and do tequila shots with them while they’re there, occasionally pointing up at the stars.

No Advertising or Social Media This Year

Last year I spent over $6K on Facebook ads to promote CGC during its launch. This year the ad budget is zero.

This isn’t for financial reasons. The ads for previous launches were always profitable, bringing in 2-3x what was spent. But I haven’t spent a dime on advertising this whole year.

I’m not even mentioning CGC on social media this time. I deleted my Facebook and Instagram accounts in January. I had thousands of followers on both services. I let that go.

Interestingly, CGC’s sign-up and renewal rates are even better than they were last time at this year. It’s still early in the launch week, so I can’t predict where we’ll land, but so far 38 people are already enrolled for Year 5 (40 if you count Rachelle and me). That’s a fantastic start. We’ll see where we end up after the May 1st deadline.

The Amplify launch was ad-free and social media-free as well, and 300+ people signed up for it during the first 2 weeks. That was a good test to verify that advertising and social media just aren’t needed.

I trust my intuition – a lot – and it tells me that it’s time to let go of some old frames, even frames that may have served me well in the past. So instead of thinking of a launch in terms of reaching out to more people, I’m focusing on alignment and depth. I’m deliberating inviting fewer people this time.

This year I’m only sharing the CGC invitation with the core community around my work, namely my blog readers, course customers, and email subscribers. It’s really this community that CGC is intended for. Reaching beyond this community just doesn’t seem necessary or wise.

I’ve noticed that a lot of CGCers don’t even have Facebook accounts anymore. CGC has become such a good and healthy online home for them, and I too see the potential to go even more all-in with this community. Facebook may have a lot of reach, but it terms of depth and intimacy, it’s nowhere close to what CGC offers. And Facebook has so many misalignments that CGC doesn’t have to deal with.

I feel like my own alignment with CGC has grown even stronger since letting go of Facebook and Instagram. I think it has something to do with letting go of the shallowness and misalignments of those services. My brain no longer has to maintain any circuitry for the Facebook-style interactions, so it can repurpose all of that mental and emotional energy for greater depth and engagement. I like how this has simplified my life too.

I especially notice that I’ve been feeling a lot more compassionate and caring towards people this year. I can really feel that as I record lessons for the Amplify course – there’s a depth of compassion there that feels very powerful to me. And I think letting go of social media misalignments helped. This kind of energy feels like it’s way more me. It’s nice that I no longer have to maladapt some part of my thinking and my energy to deal with social media interactions. It feels like my energy matrix is free to stretch into its proper dimensions now – no need to put so much energy into shielding anymore.

I’m just so used to engaging with people at great levels of depth and intimacy. It’s like being a submarine that doesn’t want to surface anymore because there’s so much beauty to explore below the surface.

Last year I was involved in other communities too, including a year-long coaching program. I wrapped all of that up in December, and I also wrapped up my 2020 daily blogging challenge. I feel that CGC is drawing me even further inward, which seems like a very aligned invitation to accept for Year 5.

Inviting Aligned Members

CGC has a very beautiful culture inside that took a while to evolve. There were some bumps along the way, which served as invitations to make clearer alignment decisions. I’ve especially loved how nicely it’s been flowing for the past several months. There’s been a core group of active members who’ve been holding a strong vibe of mutual caring and compersion. I really like how we’ve managed to merge mutual caring with goal-oriented pursuits and improving our results. Internally it feels like group has become more team-like than ever.

Compersion is a word you may not find in the dictionary. It’s adapted from non-monogamy circles. Compersion is the opposite of jealousy or envy. It means feeling happy for other people’s successes and happiness.

I’ve been flowing with a lot of compersion lately too. I really enjoy seeing people in CGC make their lives better. I like celebrating their wins with them. It’s an honor to connect with such growth-oriented people each day. I get to see how much they invest in moving their lives forward, especially when it comes to working through various misalignments. I really do feel good about their accomplishments, big and small, since I seen a lot of their journey to get there, making it feel like I’ve walked that path with them.

Same goes for connecting with people on the Amplify group calls. It’s been a joy to watch people advance their lives in so many ways.

I think one reason that I’m able to feel so much compersion for other people is that I’m really happy with my own life. The pandemic situation has made me feel luckier and more appreciative. In some ways I feel that the pandemic has been a gift. It helped me flow into a much-needed contraction phase, which helped me see how much there is to appreciate that’s right in front of me.

To help members see if they’re aligned with joining CGC, I’ve made some tweaks to the CGC Invitation Page, and I’ve also updated the CGC Frequently Asked Questions to provide even more answers and details about the club.

CGC Is a Trump-Free Zone

One specific thing I’ll share is that CGC isn’t a fit for Trump voters and supporters. This isn’t for political reasons, and it doesn’t actually matter what someone might state as their reasons for supporting Trump, such as their personal financial interests. It doesn’t matter if people made that choice out of ignorance or careful consideration. The behavior alone is enough to disqualify someone from being a match for CGC. That behavior and its effects are just too incompatible with CGC’s culture, values, and internationally diverse membership. This is stated plainly on the CGC Invitation Page too.

Additionally it would not feel good to be put in a position where I’d be expected to coach or help Trump supporters to achieve their goals, so I’m not willing to offer that service to them. That would be incompatible with my own values and ethics. If I invited such people to join, it would degrade my relationship with CGC, and I’m not willing to let that happen. It’s my intention to develop and even stronger relationship with CGC this year, and having Trump supporters in the group would be incompatible with that intention too.

For anyone who has a serious problem with this, I would ask them not to join CGC.

I think that for many people who are very well-aligned with CGC though, the fact that I’ll do my best to maintain CGC as a Trump-free zone may even bring some relief regarding what they will not have to see or deal with inside. This decision includes acknowledging how Trump supporters’ choices and behaviors negatively impact the lives of many members of this community.

Maybe there will come a time when ex-Trumpers have a place in CGC – and if so, I think it would be a very long road to get there – but this year CGC needs to stay Trump-free. If anyone doesn’t like this decision and wants to blame it on my personal shortcomings, it won’t change the decision. It’s my responsibility to make this call, and I think it’s the right call for where the energy flow is going for CGC Year 5. I’m just not seeing any kind of flow in a direction that could be compatible with having Trump supporters joining us this year. I don’t see a scenario where that could be a win-win situation, so I do think it’s wise to take that option off the table.

Public Q&A and “Meet the Members” Call for CGC

To help people who are thinking about joining CGC this year make a good decision, I’ll be hosting a Public Q&A and “Meet the Members” call this Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 11am Pacific time.

You’re welcome to attend if you’re interested in CGC, subject to the caveats I shared above. Just register for the call, and Zoom will send you the link to join.

I’ll answer people’s questions about CGC, and CGC members are also invited to join the call and share about their experiences and tips for new members. They can offer their own perspectives on what CGC is like and who’d be a good match for it.

So this is an opportunity for you to get a little more perspective on what CGC and the members are like.

We’ll record this call too, and I’ll share it on my blog afterwards, so if you can’t make the live call, you can still watch the recording.

My intention for this call isn’t to try to convince anyone to join, so it’s not going to be salesy. My intention is to help people make the right decision for themselves and for CGC. I know that each year, some people really sweat this decision. If someone really is a terrific match for CGC and would likely gain a lot from joining, then everyone is well-served by helping them to see that. And if someone really wouldn’t be a healthy match for CGC, then it’s also in everyone’s best interest that they see that too.

If you do feel aligned to join CGC already, then I invite you to visit the CGC Invitation Page and join us. The new CGC year runs through April 30, 2022, and your membership starts immediately when you join. So if you join now instead of waiting till May 1st to decide, you’ll get several extra days for your one-year membership (the rest of April 2021), and you can begin engaging with the community right away.

If you have other questions about CGC, you can also get in touch via my contact form. 😃

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9 Roles You Totally Forgot Daniel Kaluuya Played Before His Oscar Win

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Todd Wawrychuk/A.M.P.A.S./Shutterstock

Daniel Kaluuya accepting his Oscar during this year’s ceremony

After years of growing his profile in huge films like Get Out, Black Panther and Widows, Daniel Kaluuya has just achieved the ultimate acting accolade, when he won his first Oscar.

Pretty much cementing his national treasure status, Daniel was awarded Best Supporting Actor during this year’s ceremony for his performance in Judas And The Black Messiah.

As the London-born actor’s star continues to rise to even greater heights, we decided to take a look back at the roles he appeared in long before he became a worldwide star.

Along the way we unearthed long forgotten comedy characters, big-screen outings and, of course, a certain “Posh Kenneth”…

Skins (2007)

If you sat down to watch Get Out in 2017, only to get the distinct feeling you’d seen Daniel Kaluuya before, that could well be because you watched him in Skins back in the day.

Although not one of the main cast, Daniel played “Posh Kenneth” throughout the show’s first two series. And while Daniel’s Skins past has been raised several times since his rise to global fame, what you might not realise is that he also penned two episodes of the British teen drama, series two’s Jal and series three’s Thomas, which he co-wrote with Skins creator Bryan Elsley.

Doctor Who (2009)

Like many burgeoning British stars, one of Daniel’s earliest TV appearances was in the BBC’s long-running sci-fi show Doctor Who.

Daniel played Barclay in the 2009 special Planet Of The Dead, sharing the screen with David Tennant and – perhaps more excitingly – Victoria Alcock, otherwise known as Julie S from Bad Girls.

Psychoville (2009)

Daniel was one of several British actors to land a role in the black comedy mystery Psychoville, with Steve Pemberton (the show’s co-creator), Dawn French, Adrian Scarborough and Imelda Staunton also among the cast.

While much of the show’s humour derived from League Of Gentleman-esque surrealism and unpredictability, Daniel’s character, Tealeaf, was decidedly more rooted in reality than those surrounding him.

Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry And Paul (2010)

In 2010, Daniel appeared in a recurring sketch in the Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse comedy series Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry And Paul.

He played the overzealous traffic warden Parking Pataweyo in a somewhat questionable sketch intended to be a parody of Postman Pat.

Prior to this, he featured in David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s sketch comedy show, which also boasted future Oscar winner Olivia Colman among its cast. 

Johnny English Reborn (2011)

When Rowan Atkinson’s Johnny English character was resurrected in 2011 for a sequel almost a decade after the original film, the film brought in an all-star cast which included Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike and Dominic West.

Daniel was also among the new additions to the film, playing Colin Tucker, a young MI7 agent assigned to the same missions as the hero, who he assists along the way.

Black Mirror (2011)

A breakthrough moment in terms of Daniel’s profile was his leading role in the Black Mirror episode Fifteen Million Merits, a send-up of reality TV and instant fame, particularly off the back of Simon Cowell talent shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

Fifteen Million Merits was only the second episode of Black Mirror ever made, when the anthology series was still being shown on Channel 4, and saw Daniel playing Bing, who spends his inheritance on helping a friend realise her dreams of becoming a star. Black Mirror being Black Mirror, though, things don’t quite work out the way they hoped.

While still early in his career, Fifteen Million Merits allowed Daniel to show off his huge range as an actor, particularly in his character’s dramatic speech near the end of the episode.

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Universal

Daniel Kaluuya in Kick-Ass 2

Two years after winning critical acclaim for his performance in Black Mirror, Daniel appeared in the sequel to the superhero comedy Kick-Ass.

He plays a member of the villainous troupe The Toxic Mega C**ts, playing a UFC fighter known as Black Death. 

Babylon (2014)

Channel 4

Daniel in Babylon

In the police drama Babylon, Daniel played Matt Coward, a documentary filmmaker who aims to use his craft to highlight corruption in his local police force and bring them down.

Created by Danny Boyle, the show featured James Nesbitt, Bertie Carvel and Jill Halfpenny among its expansive cast.

Sicario (2015)

Richard Jr Foreman/Black Label Media/Thunder Road/Kobal/Shutterstock

Daniel as seen in Sicario

Sicario marked Daniel’s final on-screen role before Get Out and Black Panther launched him to global fame, earning him an Oscar nomination and Bafta Rising Star win.

In the action thriller, he plays an FBI agent who is the on-duty partner of Emily Blunt’s character. A sequel was later released in 2018, though Emily and Daniel did not return for it.

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Line Of Duty Series 6 Finale Trailer Reveals Answers Are ‘Definitely’ Coming And We’ve Got Goosebumps

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If you were worried the Line Of Duty finale might leave things up in the air, rest assured that answers are “definitely” coming. 

The BBC has released a new trailer for the final episode, which suggests the identity of ‘the fourth man’ – otherwise known as ‘H’ – will be revealed. 

The 30 second clip teases that “every investigation has led to this”, as it lines up key suspects DCS Patrica Carmichael, Chief Constable Philip Osborne, Superintendent Ted Hastings, DI Kate Fleming and ex-officer Marcus Thurwell. 

BBC

The identity of ‘the fourth man’ will be revealed

It also previews other dramatic events in store, including another armed face-off AC-12 have with members of the OCG as they look to secure the suspect. 

BBC

Arnott and Fleming have an armed shoot-out with OCG members

DCI Jo Davidson also faces an uncertain future, following her imprisonment in Sunday’s episode. 

The former MIT boss – who was revealed to be in league with organised crime due to her family connection to Tommy Hunter – is seen being transferred in a van with a corrupt prison officer, suggesting she could await the same fate as her birth father. Hunter was killed in series two after bent officers staged an ambush on his police convoy to stop him revealing their identities as he entered witness protection. 

BBC

Does Davidson await the same fate as her birth father, Tommy Hunter?

There is also another ominous misspelling of the word “definite”, which has been a known trait of ‘H’, and indeed of Ted Hastings…

BBC

We know that ‘H’ cannot spell “definite” 

The internet is already flooded with theories ahead of Sunday night’s finale, as many fans believe Marcus Thurwell is actually alive, after the character was found dead at his Spanish villa – and some of then claim to have the proof. 

Suspicions have also been raised about DCS Carmichael, as some viewers spotted what they believe might be a clue that confirms she’s ‘H’. 

Line Of Duty concludes on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.  

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Join Conscious Growth Club by May 1st

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Conscious Growth Club

Conscious Growth Club is now open for you to join, from now through May 1, 2021. First started in 2017, this is our most comprehensive personal growth program and support group.

We’re about to start our 5th year together, and you’re invited to join this week. This is the only week you can join CGC in 2021.

What Is Conscious Growth Club?

Conscious Growth Club is a private online club and coaching program to help you make faster and more consistent progress. It turns personal growth into a team game.

The essential purpose of the group is simple: We help each other grow into smarter, stronger human beings, whatever it takes.

CGC is an annual membership that includes:

  • A private member forum – Our forum is active every day (87,000 posts so far). It’s ad-free, spam-free, and troll-free. Members share intentions and goals, update progress, help each other solve problems, and encourage the heck out of each other.
  • A 24/7 video chat channel – Imagine a continuous group video call that never ends. Any member can connect immediately to talk live with other members at any time. Meaningful conversations with conscious, growth-oriented friends are always available.
  • Member progress logs – A popular feature for support and accountability, members can maintain progress logs to share their actions and results. I also record progress logs for my own creative projects such as the deep dive courses, so you can see how they’re developed. This is great for people who love seeing how goals are accomplished behind the scenes.
  • Group video coaching calls – We do live group coaching calls 33 times per year – on different days and times to accommodate all timezones. I happily provide personal help and guidance to any members who want it.
  • Quarterly planning sessions – Every quarter we invite members to participate in a structured 5-day process to assess recent progress, refresh 90-day goals, define action steps, and build momentum going into each new quarter. These quarterly beats will help you stay on track towards your goals, as you align yourself with the ambitious energy of people who are committed to improvement.
  • Course library – Members get access to all deep dive courses past, present, and future, including Deep Abundance Integration, Submersion, Stature, Amplify, and a new self-development course to be co-created with our members in early 2022.
  • Monthly challenges – Similar to my well-known 30-day trial experiments, we invite members to do 12 different challenges (any or all) per year for exploration, skill building, and habit improvement. We all support and encourage each other as we go.
  • Club emails – We send a few emails per month to remind members of upcoming coaching calls, share forum highlights, and to keep everyone in the loop on upcoming happenings.
  • Many extra bonuses – CGC includes lots of extra support material, including a 10-day creative challenge mini-course.

New for 2021: A 3-Day Halloween Online Workshop

This year we’re adding an all new CGC benefit: a 3-day online personal growth workshop for October 29-31, 2021 (Fri-Sun).

This workshop will be content-rich and will include plenty of interactive fun and connection with other members. The structure will be similar to one of our live in-person events but adapted for Zoom. This workshop will be recorded, and you’ll get the recordings too.

I will deliver most, if not all of the workshop content, but it’s possible that we may invite some CGCers to contribute too if there’s interest in that and if any CGCers want to stretch themselves.

Since the last day of the workshop lands on Halloween, we’ll invite everyone to wear costumes that day (totally optional, your choice) to make it even more fun and lively. 😃

Consistency Is Key

Conscious Growth Club is a unique program that was carefully designed and tested to help growth-oriented people support and encourage each other to keep improving their lives. I know of nothing else like this anywhere.

This group serves a powerful need that many of my blog readers have expressed – the need for a strong, stable, conscious, and ambitious peer group to support and encourage them every day. People especially need help staying focused and making consistent progress. I realized that this was a problem I could realistically help people solve – a significant yet achievable goal. Hence Conscious Growth Club was created to serve this need.

I’ve done the heavy lifting for you, so you can instantly add a growth-oriented social circle to your life simply by joining us. Rachelle and I will become a regular part of your social circle too since we’re active in the group every day.

Learn More and Join CGC

Here’s a web page to learn all about Conscious Growth Club, so you can decide if you’re a match for joining us.:

Enrollment Is Open Through May 1st

We’re opening enrollment for a 7-day window only, from now through Saturday, May 1st. This will be our only enrollment period for 2021. So if you want to join this year, now is the time. Visit the Conscious Growth Club page to learn the details.

The reason for opening just once for the year is so we can welcome new members all at once. Then we can focus on serving them well for the rest of the year.

I invite you to join us. It’s fun inside. 😃

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Nicola Coughlan And Kim Kardashian’s Bridgerton Love-In On Twitter Has Warmed Our Hearts

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Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan could not control her excitement after finding out Kim Kardashian was a fan of her’s – and it appears the feeling was very much mutual. 

The pair shared a Twitter love-in after the actor revealed the Kardashians were a source of inspiration for her on the set of the hit Netflix period drama. 

On Tuesday, Nicola tweeted: “As the world’s number one @bridgerton Stan does @KimKardashian know that the Kardashians were a massive inspiration for the Featheringtons and we talked about them all the time during our fittings? Because I feel like she should know this.”

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Nicola Coughlan as Bridgerton’s Penelope Featherington and Kim Kardashian

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before Nicola’s tweet caught Kim’s attention, and her mind was blown. 

“WHAT?!?! I am freaking out!!!!!!” Kim wrote. “This tweet was sent to me on my @bridgerton group chat! Can I please come to a fitting?!?! It would make my whole life!!!!!! I love you Lady W!!!”

Nicola. whose Bridgerton character Penelope Featherington was revealed to be the mysterious Lady Whistledown, replied: “Omg yesss of course we would love to have you!

“Also did you know that Mr Pearl made your corset for the Met Gala and the very next one he made was mine for Bridgerton? You’ve been part of the Bridgerton world for longer than you know.”

Kim then tweeted: “OMG I’m gonna faint!!!!!! Does this make me an honorary Duchess in Bridgerton ?!?!?!? I am the corset Queen!!!”

Nicola then gave her the ultimate honour, tweeting: “Why of course, Duchess Kardashian of Calabasas! Lady Whistledown is happy to declare you the season’s true incomparable.”

“I will wear this title proudly and not let you down Lady Whistledown!” Kim insisted. 

Speaking to her followers, who were living for the exchange as much as she was, Nicola tweeted: “You know I’ve loved Kim for like over a decade, I can’t even deal.”

There’s a real possibility of Kim’s dreams coming true too, as earlier this month, it was confirmed that a third and fourth series of Bridgerton have now been commissioned, on top of a previously-announced second season.  

Jonathan Bailey’s character Anthony Bridgerton will take centre stage in the second series, with Sex Education star Simone Ashley joining the cast as Kate, a new love interest for him.

However, it has been confirmed that Regé-Jean Page will not be appearing in the second series as the Duke Of Hastings, which did not go down well with fans.

The show’s producer Shonda Rhimes has since spoken out to deny reports that Regé-Jean turned down an offer to appear in another series. 

Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix now. 

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