The Charlotte Church Show

I went to a taping of the fist edition of The Charlotte Church Show last night. It TXs tomorrow at 10pm on Channel 4.

I was quite impressed. Charlotte's pretty natural and seemed to be enjoying the show. She could turn into the next Cilla or Lulu, especially as she performed the theme tune (which has comical
lyrics) and performed with musical guests The Feeling. That performance was a bit weird, though, as The Feeling's lead singer seemed to be performing as if Charlotte wasn't even there...

Denise van Outen was a guest, and was her charming, chatty self.

The only thing Charlotte needs to work on (which you won't notice on the broadcast) is the ability to phase out what is going on in her earpiece unless they are talking to her. She seemed put off by the voices in her head a couple of times. But I couldn't do it, and with a bit of practice she'll be a natural.

I do worry about the show though. She's got a head-start, but from next week she'll be up against the mighty Friday Night
With Jonathan Ross. Charlotte was great, and the show is naturally placed to pick up where The Friday Night Project has left off, but only time will tell if she's strong enough to coax viewers away from Wossy.

Brendan on BNTM

Brendan Cole taught the contestants to waltz on a recent episode of LIVINGtv's Britain's Next Top Model. Check it out below. He appears from about 2mins 55secs.

They Think It's All Over...

Firstly, I can't talk about Love Island without mentioning how surprised I was about The Anderton's departure on Friday. She has been fantastic. She has provided some great telly. At that point I would have thrown out Kelle.

But Kelle came into her own over the last few days, especially in her slow dance with Callum! Good lord!

I was gutted for Brendan that he didn't win. I actually picked up my phone last night (which in my opinion entitles me to pass comment on the outcome) and voted for him. I was backing him and Kelle to win in the end.

I think the fact that Bianca and Callum won says a lot about the audience watching. Did Bianca really deserve to win? What did she actually bring to our screens over the past 7 weeks?

I think that Kate could have been in contention had she been there from the start. I have enjoyed her more than I thought I would.

I shall miss Paddy and Fearne every night. I shall miss Jayne Middlemiss' 'Mouth of the Tyne' - Howay! I shall miss having something to bore people at work about (but fear not, colleagues, Strictly Come Dancing 4 is only weeks away).

Love Island has given us so many things. Brendan running in his pants. Colleen moaning in her sleep. The Anderton crying. The Anderton laughing. The Anderton bossing everyone around. The Anderton pouting. Lee being beaten up by Brendan. And my favourite catchphrase of the moment - Sheeeeat!

You, Me and Dupree

After the excitement of Tuesday night's premiere, it seemed only right that I go and see You, Me and Dupree on it opening weekend.

It was pretty good, but no where near as comical as the trailer would have you believe. It actually is quite dramatic and emotional in places.

Owen Wilson plays yet another drifter-cum-anti-hero, Dupree, who moves in with his newly married best friend Carl and his bride. He makes a pest of himself and accidentally almost comes between the couple.

Don't expect belly laughs from this one. But worth a look if you have nothing else to do.

You, Me and Owen

The premiere of You, Me and Dupree took place in Leicester Square last night. Owen Wilson was in attendance, so we decided to pop along and try and catch a glimpse of him, before heading off to Guys and Dolls. We managed to find a spot with a coupld of short-arses in front, so we got in behind them and waited.

We didn't have to wait long, and the man of the hour appeared. He looked great (I'm getting a crush on him, and his bro) and has been to the Tom Cruise movie premiere school, signing for people and being nice. Mum managed to get him to sign my book, which I was really chuffed with.

Can't wait to see the film!

Guys & Dolls

We went to see Patrick Swayze as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls last night.

The jury is out on him. He was good, but he didn't dance that much, and was in the background in a lot of the big dance numbers. But you can't fault his acting.

The Sweeney was excellent, she is a very talented performer. Can someone please explain to me why she left the first series of Strictly Come Dancing so quickly?

Photos with KITT

Remember I mentioned that we met KITT?

Here is the evidence.






























Note the reflections of Baran (in the grey sweater on the left) and me in this pic.

Strictly Come Fu Fighting

I love Love Island!

On last night's show, the boys had a night out on a boat with a few drinks and some attractive ladies. But on the way home, little Lee got a bit tired and emotional, and took a swing at Brendan. Brendan, much to his own disgust, clocked Lee several times in return.

The best part is that, when the story was recounted to the girls, everyone backed Brendan up. And Lee was exposed as a dog with a chew toy; 'He wouldn't let it lie'. Despite saying to Brendan "Let's forget about it", he then couldn't stop going an about it to anyone who would listen.

While the boys were out, the girls had to decide who was the most attractive, intelligent, funny etc, and Brendan came top in a lot of the categories.

The only thing that concerns me is Sophie's relationship with Brendan. They are a great team, and I think they are both becoming better people. But, as I've said before, I just hope she doesn't develop a Shane-style fixation with him. She has a very addictive personality, and I hope she can keep it in check.

Dave Gorman Loves Blogs

Dave Gorman appeared on Richard & Judy recently, talking about blogs. He has a set he looks at regularly, and thinks they're generally a good idea! Here, here!

He doesn't have a blog of his own, despite having a MySpace and a Flickr account. But he sort-of-blogs (meaning he posts news) on his own website.

On Richard & Judy, Dave mentioned a blog called Paul Daniels' Ebay Transactions. Now that is an odd blog. And slightly disturbing... (by the way, you can check out my eBay auctions here).

I love Dave Gorman. Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure is one of the funniest comedy shows I've ever seen.

Brendan's New Do

I can't start the day without mentioning Brendan's slightly new look in the Beach Hut last night. The brushed forward look. Me likey. It looked good, and made Brendan look totally different. It's amazing what a difference changing the way you brush your hair will make. It seems it was Lee who worked on Brendan's new do.

I'm still trying to get to grips with mine. It looks better today. In a world of poker straight hair, I'm embracing my natural waves. I still haven't decided if I like it, though. There's every possibility I will go back to brushing soon. Even though the stylist told me not too. It'll make it go big and fluffy. She's probably right. We'll see...

Brendan seems to be getting on well with Sophie, and Sophie seems to be working on some of the things that Brendan explained get on his nerves about her. She really seems to be growing as a person. They both had a cry at Pretty Woman yesterday, followed by a heart-to-heart while strolling on the beach. It's not love, but it's nice to see both their softer sides. I just hope Sophie doesn't develop a Shane-style obsession with our Brenny.

Lee Stafford Day

I had my Capital Radio prize of a hair cut at the Lee Stafford Salon in Soho yesterday, followed by lunch and a show.

I walked in with unwashed hair, looking pretty dodgy.



By the time I left I looked a bit less dodgy.



I look a lot more dodgy today. The stylist told me that it is zero maintenance hair. Just wash, comb, rub in a little mousse and you're good to go. That's slightly untrue. I did that today and the fringy bit looks pretty crap. It has a huge kink in it. Methinks I will have to blow-dry the fringe. Or get the GHDs to it. The new look makes my roots look less pronounced - although I think I will have to dye it again soon. Too many grey hairs!

We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which was very pleasant. It was the first time I'd been there and it was pretty nice.

Finally we went to see Evita at the Adelphi. It was odd going there and not seeing Chicago. Evita was excellent, a fantastic production, although not the sort of thing I would choose to see. I really enjoyed it, especially all the lashings of Argentinean Tango!

Simply Ballroom is coming to Catford!

Simply Ballroom, the dance show which was choreographed by Anton & Erin is coming to the Broadway Theatre. The most annoying thing is that this is the day Mum and I come back from New York. And I'm going to work that day, so I'll be 100% shattered. And we're going to see Tom Jones at Wembley the next night. But I didn't see it at Bromley, so I should really get along to see it.

Of course, there'll be no-one from Strictly Come Dancing in the house. They'll all be at dress rehearsals.

Strictly Come Running

Brendan did a runner from Love Island, briefly.

I have to comment on his time with Kate in the Love Shack first though. I really have strong objections to Kate Lawler referring to Brendan as a "sex pest". Brendan was bantering with her for fun (the poor guy is bored out of his mind) and she seemed to be taking it all the wrong way. It really was just for fun. It was all a bit Carry On..., just harmless innuendo. The interesting thing was on the live on ITV2, when Kate was asking him about his past relationships. He said that there was someone at home that he'd seen for a few hours before coming to the Island, and hoped he could see again. Who was that?? It sounded like one of the usual suspects, most likely Camilla, someone Brendan really cares for and was familiar with. I have everything crossed that things work out for Brendan.

Brendan also used his time in the Shack to release some pent-up frustration about the other contestants. But his comments were shown to the rest of the group. He found out when he returned to the resort and Kelle told him. Brendan felt stitched-up by the producers and, desperate for some time away from the cameras, ditched his flip-flops and sarong and made a break for it in his pants! See Brendan run!

Interestingly, he said he has spent the time on Love Island learning to control his short fuse. I hadn't realised that, but it seems so obvious now. And he's done a great job. I have so much respect for him. I wonder if this new side of Brendan will still be around when Craig Revel Horwood and Arlene Phillips have their say...

In Bed With Pam Ann

Wow! One day out of the office and I now have loads of things to talk about.

Clairey, Lib and I went to see Pam Ann on Tuesday night.

I must admit, she wasn't quite as funny as she was at Catford. And the show seemed really short. There was about 30 mins of banter with the audience, and 30 mins of material. It didn't seem enough to me. But she was still good.

She now actually becomes the other characters (Susan from British Airways, Donna from easyJet), instead of just talking about their types. I did love her Aussie accent coming through when doing chavvy, Burberry-wearing Donna. I wonder if she's reinvented as Charlene from Virgin Blue for the Aussie market.

Lib seemed to enjoy it, but I'm not sure if Clairey did or not. She didn't say much.

Go Green With Tesco!

For some while now I have been confusing supermarket cashiers with the phrase "Don't worry about a bag". This phrase is usually met with blank looks, or a confused expression and the question "What??". "I don't need a bag, I have one". The cashiers in central London are the worst of all. They seem to think I need a full-size carrier bag for a half-litre bottle of Diet Coke!

So I was delighted when Mum informed me that Tesco are now offering extra Clubcard points to green consumers. As of yesterday, you now get one Clubcard point for every bag you re-use. And they don't have to be Tesco carrier bags - they will give you the points on any supermarket carrier.

I think this is fantastic news. It's great to see a supermarket encouraging re-use. I can remember when Sainsbury's used to give you 1p per carrier back, but those days are long behind us. Many, many moons ago, supermarkets used to charge for carrier bags. That would really encourage re-use.

Well done Tesco. I just hope the blank looks stop...

DWTS 3 Participants Announced

US Broadcaster ABC has announced the participants for Season 3 of Dancing With The Stars. Most of the names don't even ring a bell with me.

Tucker Carlson - An MSNBC anchor.
Monique Coleman - She was in High School Musical. That's coming to The Disney Channel soon, but we don't subscribe so I won't see it.
Sara Evans - Country singer.
Willa Ford - Self-professed "bad girl of pop." OK, then.
Vivica Fox - Actress. I've heard of her but have no clue what she looks like.
Harry Hamlin - Actor. Ditto.
Joey Lawrence - Blossom star. Yes! I know him!!
Mario Lopez - Saved By The Bell actor. Yes! I know him, too!!
Shanna Moakler - Reality TV star. Hmm...
Emmitt Smith - Football player. Yes! I know him!!
Jerry Springer - Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!

I don't really have strong opinions about any of these, as I don't know who most of them are. Lawrence used to bust a few moves in his music videos, so one would expect good things from him. I think Springer could surprise us. And if Emmitt has half the talent of Jerry Rice, he'll go far.

Pitfield Shop closed

I was absolutely gutted to read that the Pitfield Beer Shop has closed down. Where else am I going to get some Anchor Steam from by Friday?

I'm dying to find somewhere that stocks Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat in London. If anyone knows anywhere, let me know.

Traffic To SCB

The trouble with having a traffic tracker on your site, is that is makes you a little obsessive about who is visiting.

I love seeing where people have clicked from. Most people are coming from my signatures on the various forums. My favourite was a person who Googled "sophie anderton bunny boiler". Another searched "FEARNE COTTON HAIR LOVE ISLAND". One person looked up "stylist love island" on Google Germany! Someone else looked up "Anton Du Beke" on Google Blogsearch. Other searches have included Natasha Kaplinsky, Shane Lynch and Pipex Hoffworld. Ian looked up my name and Strictly Blogspot. He couldn't remember my URL.

But traffic reporting can be spooky too. I have one visitor who seems to come in more than once a day. And it's not me. Glad to see their enjoying my site, though! It's fab that so many people are stopping by.

Why not say Hi? Post a comment.

ITT: The Montage

Thanks to eclipse80, who uses the Activeboard Forum, that fabulous montage from the last Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two of the last series is now online.

Sophie Soap Opera

Love Island is still all about Sophie.

The evil producers brought Victoria back to confront Sophie about getting in there with Chris. Meanwhile, Chris has decided he's not that into Sophie anymore, and has moved on to Colleen! Sophie was properly sobbing this time, although I do understand her reaction to having wine poured over her, as she is in recovery.

What I don't understand is her need to tell people everything. Yesterday, she took Bianca aside and said "I wanted you to know that Chris and I have decided to cool it". Why would Bianca care? Then she tells Colleen too, but says "Don't tell Kells, I don't want her to know". But earlier, it was Kelle's shoulder that Sophie was sobbing on. I just don't get it.

Brendan told the group that he didn't think it was right that they were slagging Victoria off in her absence. Fair enough, I thought. Especially as they had only listened to Sophie's account of the conversation. But Lee piped up and said he didn't agree. Brendan went into the Beach Hut (and talked to Kelle) and ranted about "Tw*t features". I'm loving Brendan's work on the island.

Love Island is fantastic telly. Embrace the Island!

We met KITT!

On Friday, we got a tip-off that The Hoff's camp-voiced, oddly over-protective automobile mate KITT would be appearing near the office, to publicise the launch of The Hoff's autobiography.

Andy H, Emma B and I all headed off to the rendezvous point, and sure enough, there was KITT. It was pretty cool, but sadly the big man himself couldn't be there. I heard a rumour that he was somewhere drying out, although I'm not sure why becuase it wasn't raining...

There are some pics on Andy H's Flickr site.

There a series of book signings coming up next month. I'm sure Andy H and I will be taking a long lunch to go to one of those.

Love Shack Slackers

Poxy football. It makes Love Island very late, and then I can't sleep at night because I'm in bed analysing the show.

Poor Brendan. He's still with Kelle, thanks to Bianca and Calum who were in charge of Coupling Up this week. And he's dying for a change. I don't think he'd dispute that they get on well, but the poor man is bored. I loved the way he refused to let Lee cook becuase he's dirty and stands around "with his hands down his pants all day". Go Brenny!

Meanwhile in the Love Shack, Bianca and Calum do not seem to be getting on as well as you would imagine. They have a fantastic opportunity to learn all about each other without interruption from anyone else. Instead, they seem to be subtly winding each other up and being petty and nonsensical. What a waste.

I can't decide if Fearne is wearing hair extensions. Colleen's extensions look nice. It's a shame her natural hair on top of them looks so rough...

Rootwatch!

I know it's petty, and I certainly can't throw stones, but I'm still obsessed with Fearne Cotton's roots. Last night she was saved by a nice scarf which looked lovely, but did not quite hide her roots. And I check the credits. They do have a hair stylist on Love Island!

Don't get me wrong, I love Fearne Cotton. I think she's got bags of personality and is very attractive. She would make a great Strictly Come Dancing contestant.

I haven't had this kind of interest in something petty since watching Claudia Winkleman's bump (is it or isn't it? It was!) grow during the last series of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two!

Dancing on Tredmills

This is genius. Makes that Jamiroquai video look amateurish!

Brendan on Camilla

I miss Love Island for one day, and Brendan opens his heart to Eve about Camilla. It seems he's still grieving over letting her go.

Oh well. At least Female First has most of the conversation detailed.

I did see Love Island last night, though. I don't think there has even been a reality contestant quite as self involved as Sophie Anderton. She told Paul Danan not to look at her while she was exercising. He already had his back to her. Why is she so convinced he'd want to look? All I could think of was that Italian Maid on Tittybangbang. "Don't look at me! I'm shy."

Rhythm is a Dancer

Scientists in Tempe, AZ, have develped a music and lighting system to make the most hopeless dancer look good. The system dances to your beat, no matter how bad it might be.

"If you can’t dance to the rhythm, we can make the rhythm dance to your tune," said one of the scientists.

Izabela Hanna's best advice to all dancers is "Shoulders back". Couldn't have put it better myself.

If only David Dickinson had known about this (see below!).

Geeks make rhythm dance to their tune: Hopeless dancing conundrum solved.

All About Eve

So, Brendan was voted into the Love Shack with the twins, and chose Eve to spend time with.

They seemed to be having fun, and spent some quality time together. After saying he didn't want his first kiss with someone to be on camera, he lent forward and gave Eve a sweet kiss on the lips. They also had a little cuddle in bed.

The cynic in me thinks that our Brendan has realised that the other Islanders are getting more screen time than him, and has decided to give Patrick and Fearne something to talk about. Deep down, I think he is enjoying the company of someone new but I really don't see this going anywhere. I guess time will tell...

Dance, David, Dance!

After his huge success on Strictly Come Dancing, David Dickinson is still cutting the rug, busting the moves and stylin', baby.