Taylor Swift Recalls ‘Nightmare’ Film Audition Alongside Eddie Redmayne

Posted on 28/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Taylor Swift has recounted a “nightmare” audition she had for the film adaption of Les Miserables opposite Eddie Redmayne.

The singer spoke about the screen test for Tom Hooper’s 2012 version of the musical as she appeared alongside Eddie on Friday’s edition of The Graham Norton Show.

Taylor, who did ultimately not land a part in the film, joked the audition became hellish after she was made to look “like death”.

She recalled: “Basically I was up for two roles – I had the look of Cosette and the range vocally of Eponine, so it was established I was there for a good time but not for a long time, I wasn’t going to get the role.

“But they asked if I would like to go to London to do a screen test with Eddie, who is one of my favourite actors, and I thought ‘This isn’t an experience I am going to get again in my life’, so I said yes.

“When I got there they put me in full 19th century street urchin costume and told me they were going to paint my teeth brown and I was like, ‘You are going to do that after I meet Eddie Redmayne, right?’

“But no, they made me look like death and it became a nightmare. When I met Eddie I didn’t open my mouth to speak!”

Bono, Taylor Swift, Eddie Redmayne and Alex Scott during filming for The Graham Norton Show

Eddie, who was cast to play Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables added: “I thought we would just be singing off each other – I didn’t know we would be in each other’s arms.

“My overriding memory of it is that I had had pizza and garlic dough balls beforehand and all I could think about was my garlic breath while Taylor was dying in my arms and I was trying to show emotion.”

I’d Do Anything star Samantha Barks ultimately landed the role of Eponine in the film, with Hollywood star Anne Hathaway playing Fantine and Mamma Mia! actress Amanda Seyfried playing Cosette alongside Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean.

The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on Friday at 10.40pm.

BBC ‘Urgently Reviewing’ Newsreader’s ‘Gleeful’ Reaction After Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal From Tory Leadership Race

Posted on 24/10/2022 by Boris Clair

The BBC has said it is “urgently reviewing” comments made on air by newsreader Martine Croxall following Boris Johnson’s exit from the Tory leadership race.

The presenter was accused of breaching the broadcaster’s strict impartiality rules after she asked if she was “allowed to be this gleeful” during Sunday evening’s newspaper review on the BBC News channel, which came shortly after the former prime minister announced he would not be standing to reclaim his old job.

“Well this is all very exciting isn’t it?” she told viewers: “Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.”

In her first question to her guests, Croxall also remarked: “Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No they haven’t arrived.

“It’s all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn’t it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.”

Croxall also suggested during the programme that her comments could have breached BBC guidelines.

Responding to a guest’s joke aimed at Johnson, she said: “I shouldn’t probably (laugh). I’m probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.”

Her comments – which aired around 90 minutes after Johnson’s announcement – attracted criticism from some viewers and Tory MP Nadine Dorries on social media, claiming they displayed bias.

The BBC is a public service broadcaster paid for by the general public who overwhelmingly voted for a Conservative government.
This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is. https://t.co/EvBxsGcYf0

— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) October 24, 2022

A statement from the broadcaster said: “BBC News is urgently reviewing last night’s edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality.

“It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.”

The Telegraph and Press Association also reported Martine has been taken off air for an “undefined period”, although the BBC has not officially confirmed this.

The BBC would not verify this claim when contacted by HuffPost UK.

On Twitter, Croxall told one viewer to consider the “context” of her remarks, later clarifying: “The rollercoaster of politics. Fascinating to report on.”

The rollercoaster of politics. Fascinating to report on

— Martine Croxall (@MartineBBC) October 23, 2022

When another Twitter user said they expected her comments were “journalistic excitement and not relief, like most of the viewers”, she replied: “Very much the former!”

On Monday, it was announced that Rishi Sunak had won the Conservative Party leadership contest and will become the next prime minister.

The former chancellor secured the overwhelming support of MPs and will be installed as PM without a vote of the party membership.

Matthew Perry Reveals He Crushed ‘Badly’ On Jennifer Aniston During Early Friends Days

Posted on 23/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Matthew Perry has revealed he harboured a secret crush on Jennifer Aniston during their early years on Friends.

The Chandler Bing actor said things became “awkward” between him and his co-star while filming the hit sitcom because he “badly” fancied her.

Matthew admitted his crush started three years prior to being cast on Friends when they met through mutual acquaintances.

He said he even asked Jennifer out at the time, but she turned him down.

Writing in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, which is being serialised in The Times and The Sun, Matthew said he was “immediately taken” by Jennifer when they first met.

He said (via The Times): “I got the sense she was intrigued too – maybe it was going to be something. Back then I got two jobs in one day – one was Haywire, an America’s Funniest Home Videos-type show, and the other was a sitcom. So I called Jennifer and I said, ‘You’re the first person I wanted to tell this to.’

“Bad idea. I could feel ice forming through the phone.”

He continued: “Looking back, it was clear that this made her think I liked her too much or in the wrong kind of way… and I only compounded the error by then asking her out. She declined (which made it very difficult to actually go out with her), but said that she’d love to be friends with me, and I compounded the compound by blurting, “We can’t be friends!’”

After they were later cast as Chandler and Rachel in Friends together, Matthew said that even though he was “still attracted” to Jennifer, they “were able to sail right past the past” and focus on their jobs.

However, things then changed as filming went on, with Matthew continuing: “Fairly early in the making of Friends I realised that I was still crushing badly on Jennifer Aniston. Our hellos and goodbyes became awkward. And then I’d ask myself, how long can I look at her? Is three seconds too long?

“But that shadow disappeared in the hot glow of the show. (That, and her deafening lack of interest.)”

Matthew and Jennifer maintained a close bond, and she also once confronted him about his struggles with alcohol, with Matthew revealing she was the Friends cast member who “reached out the most”.

“I’m really grateful to her for that,” he said in an upcoming US TV interview.

Last year, Matthew and Jennifer came together with the rest of the main Friends cast for the much-hyped one-off reunion special, in which it was revealed she and David Schwimmer came close to being a real-life couple amid the romance between their characters Ross and Rachel.

Anneka Rice Causes Confusion After Seemingly Announcing Wrong Winner At The NTAs

Posted on 13/10/2022 by Boris Clair

The 90s TV personality appeared on stage at the ceremony alongside her Challenge Anneka co-star, Dave the sound man, to present the prize for Best Quiz Game Show.

A video package showing clips from nominated shows Beat the Chasers, In for a Penny, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and The 1% Club was played, but things went awry when it came to announcing who had one.

As the camera then cut back to Anneka, she proclaimed: “The 1% Club!”

The audience then began cheering, but as no music played, Anneka quickly realised her mistake.

“No!” she said, before then reading out the list of nominations again.

As she then declared Beat The Chasers as the winner, the show’s host Bradley Walsh appeared to not have realised he’d actually won.

However, as his co-stars headed to collect the prize, he then joined them on stage.

Strictly Come Dancing Result: Richie Anderson Becomes Second Celebrity To Leave

Posted on 09/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Richie Anderson has become the second celebrity to leave this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

The BBC Radio 2 personality and his professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice were voted off the BBC ballroom competition on Sunday.

It came after they landed in the dreaded dance-off alongside Fleur East and her partner Vito Coppola.

Both couples had landed mid-table on the leaderboard during the show’s annual Movie Night, with Richie and Giovanni scoring 27 points for their Samba to Hakuna Matata from The Lion King, and Fleur and Vito scoring 29 for their American Smooth to Part Of Your World from The Little Mermaid.

But after the judges’ scores were combined with the votes from the public, both couples had to dance again and fight to stay in the competition.

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Fleur and Vito, meaning that Richie and Giovanni were eliminated.

However, head judge Shirley Ballas admitted she would have voted to save Richie and Giovanni.

After the result was announced, Richie said of his time on the show: “Do you know what as a Strictly fan I always thought it was a magical thing to be a part of and being here it really is and it’s not just the people that you see on camera, the judges, and you and Claud and the amazing people that I’ve got to meet on this show. The people behind the scenes in hair, make up, costume, Tasha our runner, Stef, Jas, everybody.

“I also want to thank this guy [Giovanni] as well, he’s been so amazing, and I feel so lucky that I’ve got to dance with you every day. Not only are you a fantastic dancer but you are also a fantastic guy on top of that. I want to thank all my family and friends and my other half Dean who is in the audience, I love you so much.”

Giovanni added: “I have to say it’s been an honour to be able to dance with you because I know how much you love Strictly Come Dancing, you really are a superfan. And I’m glad that you got to do this experience and glad that I got to do it with you. It’s been a shame its been too short for us but I hope you’ve enjoyed every single second of it, and it stays in your heart forever.

“Look at us we’ve gone out dressed as Timon and Pumbaa. So lovely jubbly, well done Richie.”

The remaining 13 couples will take to the floor once again when Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.

Stranger Things Writers Reveal Infamous Season 2 Death Nearly Happened In A Very Different Way

Posted on 08/10/2022 by Boris Clair

The writers of Stranger Things have revealed they originally planned to kill off character Bob Newby in a very different way.

The Radio Shack manager – played by Sean Astin – was introduced in season two as the boyfriend of Joyce Byers, but met his maker when he was killed by several Demodogs.

However, the writers’ Twitter account revealed this week that Bob was originally going to die at the hands of a possessed Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp).

“Crazy shit that almost happened #1: In season 2, a possessed Will was going to kill Bob,” the writers tweeted.

Crazy shit that almost happened #1:
In season 2, a possessed Will was going to kill Bob.

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) October 5, 2022

Stranger Things bosses previously revealed that a change of heart during the production process stopped one of the show’s main characters from being axed in the most recent season finale.

In the action-packed episode, Max (Sadie Sink) came close to death thanks to Vecna’s curse, with the gang discovering that she is in a coma in hospital.

The show’s creators the Duffer Brothers have admitted they considered killing off the character during the writing process.

Speaking on Stranger Things’ official companion show Unlocked, Matt said: “[Max’s death] was discussed as a possibility. For a while that is what was going to happen. But [in the end we decided] we wanted to end it with a little more of a question at the end of the season.”

However, he insisted that Max isn’t quite out of the woods yet.

“It’s still really dark and if Max is going to be okay, we just don’t really know,” he added. “We wanted to leave it up in the air moving forward into season five.”

Earlier this year, the Duffer Brothers responded to criticism from cast member Millie Bobby Brown about their reluctance to kill off characters within the show.

Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix now.

Strictly Come Dancing Result: Loose Women Star Kaye Adams Is First Celebrity Voted Off

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Kaye Adams has become the first celebrity to be voted off this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Loose Women star found herself in the bottom two alongside singer Matt Goss on Sunday night’s results show after the judges’ scores were combined with the results of the viewers’ votes.

Both stars faced each other in the dreaded dance-off, with Kaye and her dance partner Kai Widdrington performing their Charleston, whilst Matt and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova performed their Samba in a bid to impress the judges and remain in the competition.

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After both couples had danced a second time, the judges – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas – delivered their verdicts.

Craig chose to save Matt and Nadiya, as did Motsi, who said: “Well that was so close, both couples made mistakes. I feel like they were on the same level, but one couple was a little bit better for me, and I am saving Matt and Nadiya.”

Anton Du Beke also chose to save Matt and Nadiya, admitting it “wasn’t a vintage dance-off”.

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With three votes to Matt and Nadiya, it meant they had won the majority vote and so Kaye would be leaving the competition. However, head Judge Shirley Ballas said she would have decided to save Kaye and Kai.

When asked if she agreed with the other judges, Shirley said: “I didn’t. I thought due to a little better quality, I would have saved Kaye and Kai.”

When asked by host Tess Daly about their time on the show, Kaye said: “It was the right result and I did make mistakes, and when it comes to that high pressured situation that’s what happens. So I am delighted for Matt and Nadiya, the only person I am just sorry for is this wonderful man [Kai], who has just been so brilliant.

“It was a hell of a lot of fun, I said my ambition was to learn to love to dance, and actually I have seen a whole new side to myself, it’s opened a little door. It’s been a wonderful experience and to spend time with such talented people who love the show. So much has been a joy.”

Kaye Adams and Kai Widdrington perform on the second live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2022.

Kai was then asked if he had any words for Kaye and said: “Only we know how much real hard work has gone into this. There has been lots of ups and downs and we won’t go into them, but this lady is a trooper, and I know what she’s been going through in the week.

“For this woman to come out and give the performance that she did tonight really shows the testament to her character. I am proud of you, I know that your girls and your other half are proud of you, but the most important thing is that you should be proud of yourself, because you are a superstar.”

The remaining fourteen couples will take to the dance floor again next week for the annual Movie Week Special when Strictly returns on Saturday 8 October at 6:30pm. The results show follows on Sunday 9 October at 7:20pm on BBC One.

Trouble At Topshop: 6 Things We Learned About Our Fashion Fave Of Old

Posted on 26/09/2022 by Boris Clair

Hard to believe it’s been two years since Topshop closed its doors on the high street, but we’re still trying to understand what happened to one of the most iconic brands in British fashion history.

For a generation of women, Topshop was the place to shop, a position sealed by the likes of Kate Moss, Beyoncé, Cara Delevingne, Adwoa Aboah and Gigi Hadid, who all worked with the brand.

Yet by 2020, its high street reign ended when Phillip Green’s Arcadia group, which also owns Miss Selfridge, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, collapsed into administration.

It was bought up by Asos in February 2021, where it now sells online, but it’s nothing on the heyday of its flagship stores, including its 100,000 sq ft Oxford Circus mecca in London.

Now, a BBC documentary, Trouble at Topshop, tells the story of its rise and fall – shedding new light on what happened behind the scenes.

“This is a story of a group of women who led a fashion revolution. And it’s the story of a man who’s retail empire would make him king of the high street,” we’re told.

“When their world’s collided, there would be a battle for the soul of Topshop.”

The two-part series details Topshop’s biggest controversies – from questions over Green’s tax record to his treatment of employees – all of which have been well documented, though make for fascinating viewing. But along the way, we also learn some lesson-known facts about the brand we worshipped as teens.

Think you knew Topshop? Here are a few snippets from the doc that surprised us.

Topshop was seriously uncool

You probably associate Topshop with the noughties, but the brand (originally Top Shop) was actually founded in Sheffield in 1964 as a ‘youth store’. And by the 80s, when Jane Shepherdson joined the brand as an assistant buyer, it was a “dated retailer for teens”.

“When I took the job at Top Shop I thought: ’Well, this is a bit embarrassing, because it’s Top Shop. It’s a bit naff!” she says in the show.

Burton and Dorothy Perkins were the “cash cows” of the retail group at the time, and Shepherdson recalls: “We didn’t get a huge amount of attention at the time, we were left to get on with it really.”

But thanks to her smart eye, Shepherdson started repositioning Topshop in the market and increasing profits – long before Phillip Green came along.

Women led the fashion revolution

Phillip Green may be the household name, but a team of women led by Shepherdson (who became brand director in 2007), Caren Downie (buying director 1998-2008) and Jenny Garcia (head of buying 2011-2019) created the Topshop look adored by millions.

Until Shepherdson took over, the clothes and marketing were created for the male gaze, says Downie. But she shook up the market by prioritising looks women wanted to buy with their own money – for themselves, not for their husbands.

“Because we were all women and we knew what we wanted to wear – and we knew how it should feel and how it would make us feel – we were able to kind of drive it forward in a completely different way,” Downie says.

Shepherdson would sign off all collections, with outfit options shared in front of a panel – “it was quite Anna Wintour-ish and reminiscent of Vogue,” says Garcia.

But in 2002, Phillip Green’s acquisition meant a shakeup of the business, which was controversial from the off.

“When we heard we were being bought out, there was a whole [sigh] around the office, and a feeling of: ‘Really? What on earth is that going to be like?’” recalls Garcia.

A shoutout for Radio Top Shop

Green’s methods may have been controversial, but he did know how to increase profits – in the early days, at least. And as the brand grew, so did the popularity of its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street. If you visited it in its heyday, you’ll probably remember the DJs positioned by the front door.

But did you know that long before the in-store parties, the brand had its own radio station? Radio Top Shop, which became Fashion FM, launched in 1982 before it eventually closed down. It played in Topshop stores, even launching the career of BBC Radio 1′s Chris Moyles.

The flagship store also did a turn as a gig venue, with wannabe pop acts performing live next to the clothes.

Pop band Precious, performing at the Topshop / Topman store on Oxford Street, as part of the BBC Talent initiative.

Topshop wasn’t quite as quintessentially British as you’d think

Topshop marketed itself as the home of Brit-cool fashion, with London very much at its centre. But Garcia reveals the team travelled all around the world to find inspiration for their collections, taking “thousands and thousands of photos” of people on the “fringes” of the fashion scene in streets, clubs, shops, markets – you name it.

Although we associate the brand with British youth culture, it’s actually one of the few British fashion houses that’s broken America. And at its height, Topshop had stores in 40 countries worldwide.

It brought the high street to London Fashion Week

In 2005, Topshop took to the catwalk at London fashion week – something no other high street brand had done. If you were a tween or teen at the time, this game-changing show may have evaded your attention, but it almost definitely influenced the clothes you bought over the next five years.

Topshop was suddenly associated with models – catapulting its reputation to a whole new level – and within months, Phillip Green’s empire was estimated by the Sunday Times rich list to be worth £3bn.

That Kate Moss collab almost didn’t happen

Anna Wintour, Sir Philip Green and Kate Moss attend the Topshop Unique show at London Fashion Week AW14 at Tate Modern on February 16, 2014 in London, England.

Kate Moss launched her first collection for Topshop in 2007 and within its first week, it made around £3m. But it almost didn’t happen. In the documentary, we learn that Green met Moss by chance at a party.

″[It was] by pure luck that I found her, it wasn’t a plan,” he says in interview footage from 2013. “It was just one of those instinctive moments. She said ‘why don’t we do some business?’ and I said ‘well, come and see me.’”

The collection may have been a hit with customers, but papers at the time claimed it contributed towards Shepherdson’s resignation. In the documentary, she says the collection with Moss was a good idea – but hints at tensions mounting behind the scenes regarding how business decisions were made.

You’ll have to watch the documentary for the full details, but what’s clear is without Shepherdson at the helm, Topshop was never the same again.

Trouble at Topshop airs on BBC Two at 9pm on Monday September 26 and on iPlayer

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