Claire King: "I'm Not Just An Old Lush"

Claire King has given an interview in today's Daily Mirror.

She assures us that she won't fall for Brendan Cole's charms on the dancefloor. "It's not going to be another Natasha Kaplinksy situation" she tells The Mirror.

She says that they are very similar, and are getting on very well. Like many others, she did a bit of ballet as a kid, but nothing serious.

Quote of the interview has to be this:

"He could have had someone petite who he could fling around by his finger. Instead, he's having to manoeuvre me like a JCB."

I think she shares his competitive streak, and they could be electric. But sometimes expectations can be wrong. We all expected much more from Brendan's paring with Rachel Hunter, but they were only placed 4th by the judges (although remember that the public did not get a vote in this show).

Cover Artwork for SCD Book II

The cover artwork for the updated Strictly Come Dancing book has now been revealed.

At the moment, it is unclear how much of the content will be different, but it seems it will be covering all the Series 4 participants.

The picture of Mark and Karen has been nicely doctored, so that they are next to each other in the photo!

The RRP is £14.99, but doubtless most retailers will be selling it at a discount.

Antlers Anton

Sophie of the Activeboard, and some of her bonkers David Tennant-loving colleagues, have set up an online petition to get Anton to wear antlers on It Takes Two. This is possibly the oddest thing to come out of SCD-land this year. It'll take some topping.

It's very strange, but if you want to, you can sign it here.

Here's an artist's impression of what he'd look like...

Arlene Is Kids' Queen

According to research by Mattell, 80% of children questioned would like to meet Arlene Phillips.

The same research, as reported in the Glasgow Evening Times, shows that Arlene is the most popular judge on Strictly Come Dancing, with over 40% of votes.

And three-quarters of the kids would like to take part in a children's version of SCD. Imagine that. Every child would have to be partnered with Darren or Lilia, and poor Ian and Camilla would be out of jobs! It's a good thing Camilla already did Dance Factory.

Mica at the MOBOs

Mica Paris presented an award at last night's MOBOs. It was the one for Beyoncé, that got the crowd booing. Mica said she'd take it home with her!

There are some nice pics of Mica at the MOBOs on Getty Images.

Anton on The Mint: Part II

I finished watching The Mint this morning. Turns out I hadn't missed much.

Anton talked about getting into dancing - how he loved the glamour.

He said he wants his costumes to get more outrageous this year. He might even show a little flesh. ***Ian Waite in turquoise babygrow flashback*** Sounds like we can expect a Swarovski shortage this autumn!

Brian asked him if you can dance with someone you really hate. Anton said it is possible to fake it, but you have to be really good. And he said he's been lucky enough to get on with everyone he's danced with.

Brian suggested that there should be a gay version of SCD, although Anton pointed out that dancing with a partner of the same gender is not gay, it's same sex dancing. Although Brian probably meant he'd like to see all gay contestants. G-A-Y have spent years on their Porn Idol competition. Perhaps it's time they tried some kind of Strictly Gay Dancing competition!

As he left, he gave Bev a little twirl, which she seemed very chuffed about. I don't blame her!

It was great to see Anton be interviewed. He's certainly getting his face out and about the most so far this year.

Anton Gets Mint-y Fresh

I have new found respect for Brian Dowling. The man is a presenting hotshot. He can take calls from the nation's insomniacs and night workers, reset that 60-second clock and still conduct a decent interview with our Anton. It's all part of The Mint.

Thank goodness I am blessed with a VCR, because, much as I love Anton, I don't think I could have stayed up into the wee small hours.

What did they talk about? Well, here is a small sample. I haven't watched the whole interview myself yet, but here is what I've seen so far.

They had a chat about training with Jan Ravens. Anton described Jan as "Hysterical, gorgeous and a little bit sexy". He said she is similar in personality to Lesley Garrett.

Brian asked Anton if he thought he had a good chance of winning. Anton suggested bribing the judges might be the way forward, paying them with the £60K he would win on The Mint. He described Craig Revel Horwood as "Slightly orange", but praised him for bringing back the cravatt last year.

Brian asked "If you could dance with any celebrity, who would it be?". At first Anton said Bev (Brian's co-presenter on The Mint).

"The lovely Caroline, of course".

Brian explained that he was referring to Caroline Feraday, another co-presenter.

"You've been snogging Caroline Feraday, is that fair to say?", asked Brian.

In one long monotone sentence, Anton replied, "No, that's only a rumour, yes I have".

"Is she a good kisser?", Brian probed.

"Keen! The thing about Caroline, she's very keen. Very eager. I like that about the kisser. It is important".

They then moved on to odd presents. Anton said he's been sent underwear, not all of it clean.

That was all I had time to watch before I left for work.

As Kirsty Wark (as portrayed by Jan) would say: "More on that story later".

Anton on The Mint

I've just heard that Anton will be appearing on The Mint on ITV1 tomorrow night (Tuesday) from 12.50am.

Thanks to my font of Anton knowledge, Kate, for the tip-off.

Strictly Wallpaper

The new SCD desktop wallpaper is now available from the BBC Strictly website.

All the pics are fabulous. I might have to change mine every day!

Gabby Banned From The Dancefloor

According to a report in yesterday's Sunday Mirror, ITV bosses refused to let Gabby Logan take part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Gabby's not had much luck at ITV lately, having already been sidelined from the coverage of the FIFA World Cup in favour of BBC veteran Steve Ryder.

According to the Mirror article, ITV bosses told Gabby she couldn't do it because they planned to have her take part in Dancing on Ice. But Gabby doesn't want to participate in that show (and I don't blame her!). Georgina Bouzova was brought in as a last minute replacement.

Poor Gabby. The sooner her leaves ITV the better, if you ask me. She's a great presenter, and needs to be somewhere where she's appreciated.

Do Media Types Do Anything But Moan?

I was looking at the Media Guardian this afternoon, as I always do on a Friday, and I came across a discussion about SCD.

Honestly! Are meejar types ever happy about anything? SCD might not be to their taste, but can 7m+ viewers every Satruday night for three months be wrong?

Nicknames

The nicknaming of the celebrities and dancers has started.

There was an interview with Mark Ramprakash in last night's London Paper, in which they dubbed him 'Mark Rumbakash'. I thought it was quite clever.

Emma and Darren were called Bunton and Bennett on Capital Gold last night. Not clever, and not nicknames, but I like it better than using their first names.

There are so many King jokes that can be used for Claire.

Smiley, smiley Carol Smillie is probably dreading it. At least it was Ronni Ancona that did that impression, not Jan Ravens (although she does do Carol). But I can see Jan slipping into Linda Barker from time to time.

Claudia is going to have fun with Nick and Nic, although we'll probably find that he hates being called Nick and has to be referred to as Nicholas at all times.

I can't wait to see what silliness the new series brings...

Anton on Capital Gold

Anton du Beke was a phone guest on the Capital Gold Drivetime Show this evening. Paul Coyte read my email out during the show before Anton came on. Woo! And I only found out he was going to be on because I happened to put the radio on for the first time in weeks.

Anton said that he thought they had a "fabulous lineup" this year. He described Jan as a "surprise package" and said that he did know who she was when he met her (last year he didn't know Patsy).

He said that they met at the end of last week, and began training on Monday. Their first dance will be a quickstep. Anton praised Jan, saying he is very "keen", and that is half the battle. I would imagine that after Patsy, enthusiasm is exactly what he needs in a partner.

When asked who he thought would be big competition, Anton opted for Emma and Darren (or Bunton and Bennett as Paul described them). They did have a little dig at B&B's height, although Paul was to blame more than Anton for that.

They talked a little bit about Jan's impressions. Anton said he should get her to do an impression of the current world champion!

Stick with SCB for all the Strictly news.

Couple By Couple Analysis

I have a bit more time today, so here are my first impressions of the couples taking part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.

Emma Bunton and Darren Bennett
Emma has the advantage that all people from musical backgrounds have - a sense of rhythm. Such a key quality in all dancers. I think she and Darren are well matched, and like Jill Halfpenny, I think Emma will be a hard-worker. I wonder who is a harder taskmaster, Darren or Spiceworld tour choreographer (and a WDSer like myself) Priscilla Samuels.

Georgina Bouzova and James Jordan
This is a tricky one for me. I don't watch Casualty, or any of the other soaps she's been in. And James is new to the competition too. I shall wait and see on this paring.

Claire King and Brendan Cole
Very interesting. Only time will tell if Brendan keeps his temper in check as much as he did on Love Island. Maybe it's to do with the characters she's played, but I imagine Claire to be quite a strong character. I think there could be a sparkle here and this is probably Brendan's best partner since Kaplinsky.

Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone
I chatted to Louisa in the studio last year. She was in the audience. So I wasn't surprised to see her name on the list. She is very sweet, and I think she'll do well. She's a Sylvia Young brat, so she'll be well-trained and competent. I think she'll so well.

Mica Paris and Ian Waite
Like Emma Bunton, Mica has that musical background. I think she'll be great fun, and I see her and Ian having the kind of warm relationship that Ian had with both his previous SCD partners.

Jan Ravens and Anton du Beke
I'm excited by this pairing. I think they'll have a great time, and Jan could easily be another Lesley Garrett. I can't wait for her to start impersonating the other contestants. Their training footage is going to be golden.

Carol Smillie and Matthew Cutler
I think Carol will be very dedicated, although I have a gut feeling that she'll be one of the most nervous in the group. But she's always willing to give things a go, and I'm sure the public will be behind her. I'm sure most people will have forgotten, but Carol came 4th of 6 on Strictly Ice Dancing back in 2004. I desperately hope Matthew gets further in the competition this time around. I have heard such wonderful things about him, and we didn't get to see enough of him. He and Nicole Cutler are dancing together again, and I'm looking forward to their show routines on SCD.

Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova
Matt could turn out to be a dark horse, just like Darren Gough. Being a scum-half, and only recently retired, he should be pretty light on his feet and quite nimble. As we have seen, Lilia is a tough trainer, but Matt will be used to that from his rugby days and will take it in his stride. I think this pair will do well.

Ray Fearon and Camilla Dallerup
Ray is another contestant I am not familiar with. Camilla is an excellent teacher, so I'm sure they'll rustle up a good first routine.

Nicholas Owen and Nicole Cutler
Nick and Nic I think will do well. Nicole is a very patient, very empathetic teacher and did a great job with Diarmuid Gavin. I'm sure she'll do just as well with Nicholas. I'm already hooked on Nicole's blog, and shall be taking a keen interest in her training updates.

Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy
I have said on many occasions that I think Karen is one of the most talented, original choreographers I have ever watched. And a fantastic dancer too. Mark is very lucky to be partnered with her. I hope he takes to her style as well as Bill Turnbull did. It's hard for Mark, as he has a lot to live up to, treading in Darren Gough's footsteps.

Peter Schmeichel and Erin Boag
Peter should be pretty agile, as goalkeeping keeps you on your toes, much like rugby. Erin has drawn another sportsman, which is good for her as they are as dedicated to training as she is. Working with a soprtsman is probably good for any of the pros, as they do not fear training. We have had a few work-shy participants in the past.

Spoony and Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan
Spoony is possibly the most unusual choice for the competition, but as an urban/dance/R'n'B specialist DJ, you would hope that he knows his way around the dancefloor. Ola is new to the competition, and I shall be watching her contribution with interest.

Jimmy Tarbuck and Flavia Cacace
Will Jimmy be a Dodgy David Dickenson or a Dazzling Dennis Taylor? Who knows? But I'm sure he'll be great to watch. Especially as he's an old friend and golfing buddy of Bruce Forsyth. I have heard good things about Flavia, who is also new to the competition.

I think we've got an interesting mix of celebrities from all different disciplines. Put them with some of the most talented dancer-choreographers in the world and it's going to be another fantastic series.

Good luck to everybody.

Roll on 7th October!

SCD4 Celebrities Announced!

The big announcement about Strictly Come Dancing Series 4 came out this morning, while we were all desperatly melting the BBC phone lines to get tickets.

I don't have time today to post too many thoughts, but here is the list.

Emma Bunton and Darren Bennett
Georgina Bouzova and James Jordan
Claire King and Brendan Cole
Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone
Mica Paris and Ian Waite
Jan Ravens and Anton du Beke
Carol Smillie and Matthew Cutler
Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova
Ray Fearon and Camilla Dallerup
Nicholas Owen and Nicole Cutler
Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy
Peter Schmeichel and Erin Boag
Spoony and Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan
Jimmy Tarbuck and Flavia Cacace

The judges are back, with Bruce and Tess. And Clauds is back on ITT.

Very excited about Ian and Anton's pairings this time. I think they both have a good chance. I can't wait for Jan to do her Carol Smillie impressions. She'll probably have to work on an Arlene Phillips impersonation too.

Dancing With The Stars Starts Tonight

This is where this site gets more serious.

Dancing With The Stars starts tonight on ABC in the US. I shall be following this show as best I can, with the help of Raphael and YouTube. It will keep me occupied until Strictly Come Dancing kicks off in a few weeks time. And it gives me a Len and Bruno fix, which can only be a good thing.

Here is one of the ABC trails.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Chemistry?

I caught the end of the Maria results show on Saturday. The girls did a snog and dance routine with John Barrowman.

I thought that the routine was really enjoyable, and fun. But that was nothing compared with their drama lesson with John, which I've only just seen on YouTube this morning. Where can we sign up for these lessons?



I wish I'd have seen John on 5's Company. But by the time we really got into the show and started being in the audience on a regular basis, he'd already pretty much left the cast.

Anton & Erin in Dance Today

There is a big Anton & Erin article in the September issue of Dance Today.

Aimee642 from the Anton & Erin Forum has posted scans. I won't repost it here, so it you want to read it, go and join their forum.

Just to tease you, here is the cover...




I've also just learned that after the Dancing In The Street event in Trafalgar Square (which I now wish I'd gone to), Ian and Camilla performed at The Arts. Check out the article for some lovely pics.

Word on the forums is that the big Strictly annoucement could be in the next couple of days. It could even be today. The suspence is killing me at the moment. I doubt the BBC Press Office has had this many hits... well, not since last September, anyway!

Anton and Caroline

I have now found the article. It appeared on the Londoner's Diary page of the Evening Standard on Friday 18th August.



Interesting. Good for them, if they're really a couple. Naughty Standard if they're not!

Anton and Caroline Feraday?

As I have mentioned before, I have a site tracker to see how people have reached this page.

The other day, someone came in having searched Anton du Beke on Google Blog Search. When I went to the page, the story above mine caught my eye...



When I clicked on the story, the link didn't go anywhere, so this cached portion is all I have.

This story is dated 18th August, so it's a few weeks old.

Being a Londoner myself, I'm not sure it is actually possible to have a romantic stroll down Piccadilly. The traffic is so heavy you have to bellow at each other. Although the smell of exhaust fumes is always a big turn on.

I wonder what she put her hand to exactly...

MySpace - A Change of Heart

After saying some weeks ago that I didn't really get the fuss over MySpace, I am now totally addicted.

I seem to spend hours looking people up and adding people. It seems there are quite a lot of work people who use it. And I'm addicted to finiding new celebs to add.

It does have it's uses too. For example, Nicole Cutler posted on her MySpace blog that she has met her celebrity. Now, that's exciting news. And I might not have known if I wasn't a MySpace user.

I still wouldn't use MySpace for blogging. But it's a good way of directing my friends here.

http://www.myspace.com/loulabelle44

Regent Street Festival

We went to the Regent Street Festival yesterday. They close the road, and have stalls, acts and a stage.

This year the theme was Spain! We got a few yummy Spanish treats to try. The place was rammed. I don't think I've ever seen Regent Street that busy, even around Christmas!

The thing that attracted me to go was the promise of a couple of live sets which we'd seen on a programme we were given on Saturday afternoon.

First up was Nerina Pallot. She sang five songs, including Everybody's Gone To War. It was a fantastic set. Nerina is annoyingly talented - she sings, writes, plays guitar, plays piano. She was so good.



And secondly, there was Paolo Nutini. He also did a five-song set, which included Last Reqest. He was very good, although it appeared that he may have been enjoying the San Miguel before he took to the stage. He's Scottish and his accent really came through while he was singing, which I hadn't noticed on the single. He did a good set. I was pleased I went along.



We then went on to the taping of today's The Sharon Osbourne Show.

I thought it was a bit of a snooze-fest, although that might be because the guests were Denise van Outen (who I'd seen on The Charlotte Church Show last week, as well as spotting her with David Walliams at the BBC on Saturday (they were also recording the Little Britain Christmas Special)) and Lemar (who had been the musical guest on Maria on Saturday). It might also be because I was so tired after Saturday night at G-A-Y.

The Puppini Sisters at G-A-Y

After seeing The Swayze, it was off to G-A-Y with Lib to see The Puppini Sisters.

It was the first time in ages that I'd been to G-A-Y. I'd forgotton just how much I enjoy it. Although it was about the quietest I've ever seen it. The music was a bit 'clubby' this week. I prefer it when it's a bit cheesier. I didn't even get to dance to Your Disco Needs You. I was so looking forward to that.

The Puppini Sisters were great. We stood right at the front, which was excellent. Although I think I have now discovered that there is such a thing as too close!



I hope to catch The Puppinis again sometime soon. They're out and about quite a lot at the moment. Although they'll be on tour soon and slowing down the promo stuff, I expect.

The Swayze

After Maria, we headed to the Picadilly Theatre to catch Patrick Swayze. We went to see Guys and Dolls a a couple of weeks ago, but for reasons I won't go into, we didn't go to the stage door after.

Patrick was on good form, and thanked everyone for coming. He said how important the audience are on a day where you have two shows, and watch a lift everyone gave the cast.















According to the security guards, he's not allowed to sign. The Police have banned it. I can't help but wonder if that's true, or if it's just a story becuase he doesn't want to sign...

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

Wow! Lots to talk about today. A very busy weekend.

Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start.

We went to see How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? on Saturday evening. It was a good show (I love being in live telly audiences). It was Goodbye, Farewell to Simona and Leanne.

We were sat next to Simona's people, and I really felt for them. They were gutted she'd been voted out.

Interesting that Andrew saved Helena in both votes. I think her time will probably be up soon. If ALW does have a plant in there (as the rumours have suggested), perhaps it's Helena. Although, I wasn't surprised he saved her this week. I would have done the same myself.

Also have to mention that while we were waiting to go in to the studio, we saw our old showbiz pal Dale Winton. It's been a while since we've seen him. We only got time for a hello, but that was better than nothing.

Kelle in Catford

Word reached me yesterday that Kelle Bryan is now going to be appearing in panto in Catford. Hmm. I wonder if there will be any sightings of Mr. Cole...

Cinderella opens on 16th December (ie after I have left for my holiday) and runs until 7th January. So I could just catch it when I get back.