Jessie J wears Vivienne Westwood for the London 2012 Closing Ceremony

The London 2012 Closing Ceremony took place last night with an explosion of culture, music and fashion. Among the musicians that performed was Jessie J, one of the most talked about British artists of the past year. For her 2 performances of the night Jessie chose to wear two couture creations by the renowned British fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood.

The first look saw Jessie wearing a nude bodysuit with hand embroidered flower detailing taken from a Vivienne Westwood Gold Label archive collection entitled ‘World Wide Women’. In the words of Vivienne Westwood:

‘Fashion is global, influence comes from everywhere in the world. But don’t let the world get smaller: World Wide Woman cultivates her values for the sake of our planet and all who live on her.’

For the second outfit Jessie chose to wear an asymmetric catsuit with nude holofoil sequins embroidered with gold metallic thread. The catsuit was taken from the Vivienne Westwood Gold Label Autumn- Winter 2012/ 13 collection that was inspired by 17th Century London, a century of change and drama.

Vivienne Westwood is not only considered a symbol of British avant-garde she is also one of the most influential and recognized designers in the world today. With references to historical dress and British fashion and culture Vivienne Westwood continues to design clothes which stand the test of time.

Inspired by the Olympics? Wish you could take part?

Michelle Sinclair’s novel Olympicked! imagines just that – a Games where all the competitors are chosen by random selection and given just four years to train in their allocated sport.

Michelle, who lived in London until earlier this year, got the idea from a chance remark made by her husband. “He joked that the Olympics would be much more entertaining if it was ordinary people competing instead of highly trained athletes. It was just a passing comment, but the thought stuck in my mind and the more I thought about it, the more I realised it wasn’t such a crazy idea. People could achieve quite a lot with four years to train, and it wouldn’t quite be the comedy or disaster that you might first imagine.

“In fact, Olympic athlete Helen Glover has vividly demonstrated that it isn’t a completely crazy idea – she only started rowing four years ago, and won Gold at London 2012!”

But Michelle also realised that having to undertake such intense training would be bound to impact on the lives of those chosen, and that became the focus of the novel, which follows eight of those chosen to compete for Great Britain at the 2020 Games.

Gary is a jobless teenager being edged towards a life of crime on a run-down housing estate; can his salvation take the form of a horse? Betty is a campaigning pensioner living life to the full and determined to fly the flag not just for her country but for older people everywhere. Susan is desperate to have a baby and is worried that the Olympic dream will interfere with her own personal goal. And Carl simply wants to impress his young daughter.

Together with an alcoholic civil servant, a party-loving gay man, a bored housewife and an out-of-work actress, their stories are told. Follow them as they learn of their selection and begin their training, facing obstacles along the way. Will they make it to the Olympic Park, and can any of them achieve that elusive Gold medal?

Victoria Pendleton Lights Up

Victoria Pendleton is set to light up the velodrome tonight in the women’s sprint final; if she brings home another gold for GB, the EDF Energy London Eye will shine gold in the evening

In anticipation of Team GB Golden Girl Victoria Pendleton’s quest for Gold this evening EDF Energy is celebrating her achievements so far in the Games. Attached is a creative shot of Victoria who is using bike lights to shine Team GB colours in a show of determination.

This shot is part of EDF Energy’s Energy of the Nation campaign, encouraging everyone to get behind the Games by tweeting their 2012 support. Energy of the Nation is measuring all Olympic-themed tweets and transforming this data into a spectacular lightshow on the EDF Energy London Eye every night throughout the Olympics at 9 and 10pm.

Andy Murray Wins Gold In 2012 Olympics.

Andy Murray met his old nemesis Roger Federer on the Wimbledon court again, and took the gold home. Murray won two Olympic medals today at Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

The Scot beat the Swiss tennis champion on the same court were he was defeated at Wimbledon. Afterward he joined his mixed doubles partner Laura Robson where they lost in the deciding tie-break.

The audience chanted “Team GB, Team GB, Team GB” as Murray took gold. He won gold in less than two hours and then went into the player’s box to hug his girlfriend Kim Sears and his mother Judy.

Murray said: “It’s number one for me – the biggest win of my life.”

Brit Ben Ainslie also won a gold for Team GB after becoming the most successful sailor in Olympic history

Britain is not in third position on the medal table with 37 in total – 16 golds, 11 silver and 10 bronze. Go Team GB!

Jessica Ennis | People

Jessica Ennis is 9 stone of steely determination and today she has made Britain incredibly proud. The 26-year-old broke the British record in the 100m hurdles and won heptathlon gold for Team GB.

Down-to-earth and wonderfully normal for someone so gifted, Jessica has a fiance, Andy, who works in construction. She has been with Andy for seven years and he is three years older than her. They met in a night out in Sheffield even though they went to the same school.

She’s outspoken “When things don’t go well, I’m always really irrational and thinking, ‘Oh, my world is crumbling around me.'” and honest, saying before a game: “I get really anxious”.

Her ambition is obvious “The silver is a position I just don’t want to be in again. I’ve tasted that and I don’t like it.”

She missed out on the 2008 Olympics because of a stress fracture in her foot. Before the Olympics 2012 Marie Claire magazine asked her how it would feel if she didn’t get it, she said: “I don’t like to think about the negative or the possibility of things going wrong, because that’s just a really bad way of viewing it. It gets in your head.”

Jessica says she visualises every event going well, but not winning as there is “so much to come before that, and so much that can go wrong”.

She trains at the Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport and is the face of Olay Essentials range. She come across as a girl’s girl and says “I don’t even walk the dog without make-up. I’ve always been like that”.

Her beauty icon is Jennifer Aniston and she loves Bobbi Brown make-up. Her beauty routine is low-key, “I train twice a day so I’m always sweating, which is actually quite good for your skin. But I always wash, cleanse and moisturise so my pores won’t clog.”

Some idiot may have called her fat, but the world was outraged and she brushed it off. Jessica has a lot of pressure on those toned shoulders of hers, but she is handling it all with grace and beauty.

62 Per Cent Increase in Rent During Games in London

LONDONERS RACE TO CASH IN ON THE GAMES

· 62 per cent increase in short term property rentals listed on Gumtree.com

· Average rental price drops as homeowners look to fill their properties over July and August

Gumtree.com has seen a 62 per cent increase in adverts posted by Londoners looking to cash in on their homes and spare rooms in prime Olympic hotspots.

The average asking price for London short-term rentals has actually dropped by 24 per cent between May – June 2012, as homeowners become more realistic in their price expectations and the Games draw closer.

From studios to five-bedroom houses, Gumtree has seen more than 10,500 replies for London properties for rent during the Olympic period. According to the latest Gumtree.com site data, the average asking price for a 4-bedroom family home during the Olympics period is currently £2,377 per week and for a 1-bedroom apartment or room, it is £892 per week.

Gumtree.com has seen hundreds of savvy Londoners advertising spare rooms or sofas, renting their property out in its entirety, while other advertisers are trying to secure themselves a holiday by swapping their property for a week with those living overseas or in other parts of the UK.

Current ads live on the site include:

·         3-bedroom apartment, Euston £995 pw

·         2-bedroom apartment, Wapping £700 pw

·         2-bedroom apartment, Shoreditch £2,495 pw

·         1-bedroom apartment, Stratford £1,000 pw

 

 

Hamish Stone from Gumtree.com said: “With the Olympics starting this week we are seeing more and more Londoners looking to capitalise on their prime locations and get in on the Olympic fever sweeping the country. For anyone interested in renting out a room or home at the last minute, make sure that you highlight how close you are to the Olympic venues, flag transport links, and talk about any local events that visitors might be interested in in your area.”

RAFA NADAL JOINS POKERSTARS

Olympic gold medallist and multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal has joined PokerStars, lending his support to the world’s largest online poker site and inviting sports fans to join him in playing the popular game of poker.

Known globally for his fierce competitive spirit, the 26-year-old Spanish superstar is keen to learn the game of poker. Through mentorship with PokerStars pros and playing online, Rafa will draw on many of the skills heuses to such great effect on the tennis court to improve his game one step at a time.

“It’s no secret that I love to compete and try my very best in everything, whether that’s tennis, golf or video games,” Nadal said. “When I discovered the game of poker, I chose to join PokerStars because they understand what it takes to be the best and associate themselves with the qualities of champions. I’m very happy to be working with them.”

Rafa will play poker in spare moments this summer while he concentrates on his tennis. In the Autumn, he will be able to devote more time to poker and to representing PokerStars in online tournaments, in advertising campaigns and at charity events. Details of these will be announced in the coming months.

“Rafa Nadal represents all that is great about competition – the mix of talent, intellect, dedication and mental strength that you find in champions in every sport,” said MarkScheinberg, PokerStars Chairman of the Board. “We are proud to have Rafa as an ambassador for the brand and excited at the opportunity to help him enjoy and improve his game.”

Rafa joins a stable of elite athletes who have chosen poker as their “other game” and who play with PokerStars, including other Olympic medallists.

He will play a key role in introducing new players to the game of poker, particularly in his native Spain where online poker is surging in popularity following the recent awarding of government licenses to operate online poker. PokerStars is committed to providing regulated, safe and secure environments for poker players of all skill levels and is the choice of more poker players than any other site.

Consumers are invited to join Rafa on his journey to improve his poker game at a dedicate site: http://www.pokerstars.co.uk/poker/promotions/rafa-nadal/. Twitter followers can participate in the conversation about Rafa’s poker playing by using #nadalpoker.

Kim Cattrall stars in Nintendo’s new Super Mario 3D Land TV campaign

A fun new TV campaign highlights how women like to game in their ‘me time’

Iconic screen and stage actress Kim Cattrall will add some Hollywood glamour to Nintendo’s latest TV campaign for Super Mario 3D Land, as she reveals her secret passion for gaming.

The brand new adverts, which launch on 11th June, show Kim in her bedroom reaching over to her bedside table and opening her Ice White Nintendo 3DS as she indulges in a bit of ‘me time’.

Kim shares how Mario is one man she can always rely on to have some fun and adds, with a twinkle in her eye, that their shared love of dressing up has kept things interesting over the years.

Nintendo first approached Kim after hearing how much she enjoys playing video games whether with friends or on her own. The campaign aims to show how the rich and colourful world of Mario provides the perfect escape for women for five minutes or five hours*.

Kim understands that women need to keep challenging themselves in all areas of life, and that it is important to make time to play, at every age. Through the campaign, Kim helps to show that gaming can be a form of escapism for all women, in their busy everyday lives.

Vanisha Kavia, Junior Product Manager at Nintendo UK, said: “The new campaign is all about women having fun. Kim Cattrall is an inspiration for women of all ages; she’s attractive, successful, intelligent and knows how to have fun. Plus, she is a genuine fan of Nintendo! We are really excited to have her involved in our new campaign.”

Kim Cattrall said: “It has been fabulous to work with Nintendo. I have been playing Nintendo games for years, have often gifted them to my family and have fallen in love with the new Nintendo 3DS and Super Mario 3D Land. I think it’s really important for women to take time out to play and Mario games are so much fun. An added bonus is that my nephew thinks I am the coolest aunty.”

Super Mario 3D Land is the first-ever true 3D Mario adventure game and sees the return of the Tanooki suit. It launched exclusively on Nintendo 3DS in November 2012, has remained in the top 25 games chart since launch and, like all Mario titles, is particularly popular with women.