Tag Archives: Humour

Another day, Another new podcast by Richard Wright

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Podcasts. You either love them or you’ve never listened to them. They are the democratisation of radio on the internet where anyone can create and distribute an audio show of their own all over the world via the internet. That was a mouthful. This is clearly why I’m not a professional writer. But if you could stick with this then I promise to try harder. Ok. Much like podcasting let’s just plug it n and begin. It’s not the future of media anymore it’s the absolute present. With shows like AMC’s Comic Book men becoming a TV show based on the antics of a podcast it’s no longer just a bit of something extra. People like Kevin Smith & Joe Rogan have turned podcasting into an art form and a business. There are a lot of podcasts out there and if you want proof of that just check the itunes store when you have a spare minute. The competition for listeners is fierce and now the landscape of podcasting has another voice. Yes another deluded, well intentioned person giving their opinions like people should care what they think. And the person behind that podcast is…me.

I realise you don’t know who I am and that is perfectly understandable. I am an “emerging” Stand Up comedian and part-time writer and director of films. What films have I made? That is none of your business. What films have you made? See. You can’t answer it either. Unless you did in which cause I haven’t seen it. Unless I have in which case I didn’t enjoy it. Unless I did in which case well done. You see the rambling? That’s my podcast. I co-host with another brand spanking new comedian called Richard Casey and our podcast is called The Comedy Autopsy. I do tend to murder quite a lot of jokes, I’m just starting leave me alone, and so hence the name. We talk about comedy, film, stand up, occasional pro wrestling references no one will get and, if this first episode is anything to go by, pigeons. We are planning live podcasts with a bunch of audience interaction for the live crowd where the shows will include stand up for a very reasonable fee. We are going to have guests to talk comedy and film and maybe even pigeons. The podcast will be out every Thursday and will be roughly speaking an hour long. And you know what the really cool part is? It’s free. That’s right free I tells ya. We know we aren’t the funniest podcast in the world but we are funny enough.

I feel at this point I should introduce you to our technician. His name is Steve and not only is he terrible at his job he is also not real. That’s right. We made up a technician. Why? A number of reasons. Firstly it’s funny. It is. No it is. And secondly so that we can take all the negative things people will say about the podcast and blame Steve. It’s not our fault it’s Steve. On our podcast we will be getting to know the speechless one known as Steve through our section called “Apparently Steve” where we will share facts we know about Steve. If you know Steve then you can hashtag on twitter #ApparentlySteve and we will see those and use them in the podcast. Maybe you drink with Steve, share a hobby, once dated Steve or you know his mum. If you do let us know with the hashtag.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Frost Magazine for this chance to, basically, pimp our podcast in this fine publication. You didn’t have to do and we are happy that you did. Maybe we can work out some kind of sponsorship deal – we’d be very cheap *wink wink*.

(PS: if you have complaints regarding spelling in this article, if you can call it that, then remember it’s all Steve’s fault!)

Millie Mackintosh and Professor Green Have a Twitter Spat.

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Millie Mackintosh launches The Incredible Body for Umberto Giannini, and her boyfriend is not happy.

Millie Mackintosh, from Made In Chelsea, has become the first star from the reality show to
use her new-found fame to tie up an amazing contract with top hair care brand Umberto
Giannini. Millie plays a super sexy femme fatale in a graphic online novel; The Incredible
Body, which launches Umberto Giannini’s new hair care range. Her boyfriend had something to say about it though!

The interactive, black and white novel, set in London, shows Millie as a hyper-glamourised
version of herself with killer hair and an attitude to match. The narrative plays out as a
stunning, highly stylised, 1950s influenced interactive graphic novel where every frame has a
detail of movement.

The Incredible Body, developed using the popular blogging platform, Tumblr, brings Millie
and her desires to life, allowing the viewer to live and share every moment. Millie said: “The
character in this video was great fun to act. It felt really sexy to play the “femme fatale” role!
I love the film noir, 1920’s feel to it all and think it captures the glamorous essence of the
Incredible Body range perfectly”

The video is available at incrediblebody.co.uk

Umberto Giannini’s ethos of No Plain Janes has been at the basis of the graphic online novel.
They believe in bringing high-end hair and beauty styling to the high street – taking the art of
glamour from the few to the many. Umberto Giannini create products that help the user to
master the art of transformation and are stocked exclusively in Boots stores nationwide

Britons are prouder of their history, NHS and army than of the Royals.

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While 2012 celebrates the Diamond Jubilee and London hosting the Olympics, it is history that makes people most proud to be British.

A survey commissioned by Channel 4 from Ipsos MORI found that more people (45%) are proud to be British due to the country’s history than they are because of the Royal Family (28%). And more people cite the NHS (37%) and the armed forces (36%) as a source of pride than they do the Royals. British sports teams come in at a lowly 10%. Bringing up the bottom of the table is British business, with only 4%.

Overall, which two or three of the following, would you say makes you most proud to be British?

1. Our history (45%)

2. The NHS (37%)

3. British Army / armed forces (36%)

4. The Royal Family (28%)

5. Our culture and arts (24%)

6. Our system of democracy (22%)

7. Having a free press / media (15%)

8. British sports teams (10%)

9. Our position in the world (5%)

10. British business (4%)

Timed to coincide with, Make Bradford British, a documentary series exploring what it means to be British, the survey also found that a ‘good sense of humour’ (45%) topped the poll when people were asked what are the best characteristics of British people, followed by friendly (34%) and tolerant to all sections of society (30%).

But while being funny may be the best British characteristic, of those surveyed, half (50%) said the worst was drinking too much. Ignorance of other cultures (33%) and complaining too much (23%) were also cited. And a fifth of respondents thought the worst characteristic was being lazy (20%).

Tea topped the poll not only as people’s favourite drink (38%) but also what they thought was the country’s national drink (65%) proving that we are a nation of tea lovers.

While fish and chips is seen as the national dish by four in ten Britons (41%) just one in ten (9%) say it is their favourite food. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding tops the poll as the nation’s favourite dish (33%).

And while 15% enjoy a curry as their meal of choice, only 8% think it’s the national dish.

Make Bradford British continues on Thursday 8 March at 9pm on Channel 4

Ashton Kutcher On His New Village.

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HELLO ASHTON KUTCHER VILLAGE!

NEWS OF ASHTON KUTCHER VILLAGE TAKEOVERS REACHES US STAR HIMSELF!

Residents from across the UK were left bemused as their villages of ‘Ashton’ became the first villages in the UK to be named after a celebrity, the Hollywood hunk and US actor ‘Ashton Kutcher’.

In a prank, orchestrated by Comedy Central to celebrate the new series of Two and a Half Men, residents across the UK woke to find their small villages of Ashton had been transformed overnight to honour the television star.


The one and only Ashton Kutcher loved the prank, prompting his 9.5 million twitter followers to take a look at the UK tribute. He joked that at ‘least they’re carbon-neutral’ in reference to the village sign in Ashton Hayes, Chester which states the village’s aim to ‘become England’s first carbon-neutral village’. US media are also going crazy for the story too, of the quaint little UK villages that we’re transformed in homage to the US celebrity.

In the early hours, village signs were mysteriously changed to ‘Ashton Kutcher’, flowers beds sprang up spelling out the star’s name and local pubs were re-named the ‘Ashton Kutcher Arms’, serving 3.9% Ashton Kutcher Ale – much to the confusion of many of the regulars.

A mysterious bust statue of Ashton Kutcher himself was also spotted in the local village shop of Ashton Keynes, plus a further statue taking charge at the bar of The Golden Lion in Ashton Hayes. Bus drivers later pulled-up at Ashton Kutcher bus stops to let on passengers.

Details of the phenomenon have now made it across the Atlantic to the real Ashton Kutcher.

From the north to the south of the county, the local residents of Ashton Hayes in Cheshire, Ashton under Hill in Worcestershire, Ashton in South Northamptonshire and finally Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire, were left stunned as their villages were ‘taken over’ and transformed last week – well and truly putting The Two and a Half Men star on the UK map.

Bamboozled locals were led to believe that it was the work of Ashton Addiction – a self-help group of fans completely obsessed by the celebrity, often resulting in strange acts of homage.

Alerted to the news by leaflets and posters, the message to locals was clear: ‘Congratulations! Your village has now been named Ashton Kutcher’.

Shopkeeper Tessa Mills, from Ashton Keynes said: “I think it’s fantastic, and if he could even be here in person, especially as we’ll be having the village shop official opening soon, if he could be at that, I think we’d have really hit the jackpot. We’re a bit light on celebrities in this village so actually, if we could have Ashton Kutcher as our own, that would be fantastic.”

Steve Falder from Ashton said, ‘I think there’ll be quite a bit of debate about changing Ashton to Ashton Kutcher. I think we’d have to discuss that at the Parish Council Meeting, and probably in the Old Crown Pub actually. A little beer might be required to convince everyone’.

Unknown to the residents, the Ashton Kutcher village take-over was orchestrated by TV channel Comedy Central, who decided to play-out the prank in honour of the Hollywood star and celebrate the return of hit series Two and a Half Men, in which Ashton Kutcher plays the part of internet billionaire Walden Schmidt.

Bill Griffin, from Comedy Central said: “It seems the UK has been gripped by a kind of mania for Ashton Kutcher. Even the man himself has commented on this mysterious phenomena. The stunt was genuinely meant in good humour and if any of the locals were amused, bemused or in any way inconvenienced I’ll stand them a drink at the Ashton Kutcher Arms”.

The new series of Two and a Half Men is due to air on Comedy Central on Monday 5 March, 9pm.

Four Paws Seeks Face for Laboratory Animal Campaign

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CALLING ALL BEAGLES… FOUR PAWS SEEKS FACE FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL CAMPAIGN!

All animals are wonderful and worthy of celebration, and all animals deserve a life free from pain, fear and suffering, which is why FOUR PAWS continues to campaign on behalf of laboratory (and other abused) animals.

Beagles are no exception…not only are they beautiful (inside and out), they are also the most widely used-and-abused breed of laboratory dog, partly because of their size and short hair (this facilitates vein accessibility) but partly because of their gentle and affectionate nature and great intelligence. Sadly they are also easy and relatively inexpensive to obtain from breeders.

Thousands of beagles are used worldwide in horrific experiments to test drugs and chemicals ranging from green tea to glue; tests involve repeated force-feeding or inhalation for days, months and sometimes years to induce toxic effects such as vomiting, convulsions, seizures, organ failure, paralysis and death. These beautiful dogs have also been exploited for decades in alcohol and tobacco research around the world.

Beagles (and other dogs) neither develop diseases nor respond to drugs in the same way as humans. To overcome key species differences, the disease must therefore be artificially induced, either surgically or chemically, in an attempt to provide a ‘model’ for humans. The dogs suffer not only from the disease itself, but also from the trauma of surgery or the toxic effects of other methods.

FOUR PAWS needs your help to capture the essence of what is so unique and wonderful about the beleaguered beagle. We are looking for a very special image that will be used to spearhead our laboratory animal campaign – it will be reproduced on our website and leaflets and used as part of our international campaigning work, so your beagle will become a star!

Please send us good-quality photos (preferably as an email attachment) of your beloved beagles with a note stating their name, sex, age and a little information about both their background (maybe your beagle companion has been rehomed from a laboratory?) and interests, and of course why you love him/her so much! Please don’t forget to include a brief note giving FOUR PAWS permission to reproduce the image.

Deadline for entries is 1st March, 2012, so start snapping! We can’t wait to hear from you and see photographs of your beagle best friends!

Email: marie-claire.macintosh@four-paws.org.uk
Postal address: c/o Marie-Claire Macintosh, FOUR PAWS, 32-36 Loman street,
London. SE1 0EH.

Brighten Up Valentine's Day in Aid of UNICEF

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PURPLE RONNIE BRIGHTENS UP VALENTINE’S DAY WITH A SPLASH OF COLOUR

– Retro poet provides uniquely created poems in aid of charity –

Romantic rhyming favourite, Purple Ronnie, is creating a series of one-off poems for loved-ones this Valentine’s Day, to accompany a very special gift – your very own colour.

A world first, men and women will be able to gift their loved-ones an actual colour for them to own, through Facebook.com/OwnAColour, for a minimum donation of £1 – an initiative in aid of UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation.

A number of celebrities have named their own colour, including;

Jemima Khan – CFC Blue, named hers for her Chelsea mad son

· Sir Roger Moore – Swedish Blue, I chose to name this particular shade of blue Swedish Blue as it is the colour of the Swedish flag, the homeland of my very wonderful and very beautiful wife, Kristina, and not far off the cyan blue that represents UNICEFfor his wife

· Matt Dawson – Arcos Olive, Reminds him of his wedding day as it was the theme of my Wedding so will always be associated with good memories

· Duncan Bannatyne – Scottish Saltire Blue, It represents my proud Scottish roots

The gift of colour, accompanied by a unique Purple Ronnie poem, will be available from 8th February – for those who are organised – until Valentine’s Day itself – for those not so organised – and provides a special solution for all those Valentine’s Day gifting dilemmas, whilst also contributing to a great cause.

The limited-edition poem, in Purple Ronnie’s iconic cheeky style, will appear on your loved-ones Facebook wall on the 14th February, along with a link for them to pick and name their colour of choice.

Stewart Longhurst from the Own A Colour team comments:“What’s great about the Own A Colour initiative is that, not only does it allow people to put their name to a never-before-owned colour, but it harnesses the power of colour to have a positive impact on saving lives of children. Colour is such an important and personal method of expression, so what better way to show someone you love them this Valentine’s Day than with a colour of their very own, accompanied by an original love poem?”

PURPLE RONNIE OWNACOLOUR

With Own A Colour, your Valentine will be the exclusive owner of one of the 16.7 million colours that the average computer, smartphone or tablet can display.

Recent celebrity donators include The Saturday’s beauty Frankie Sandford as well as other UNICEF Ambassadors and fans such as Jemima Khan, Matt Dawson and Sir Roger Moore, who have all been inspired by their loved-ones in buying and naming their colours; Jemima Khan named hers CFC Blue for her Chelsea mad son, Sir Roger Moore’s Swedish Blue for his wife and Matt Dawson’s colour reminds him of his wedding day.

To Own A Colour, and for more information, visit: Facebook.com/OwnAColour

Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. First Look Trailers and Photos

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My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding starts 14/02/2012 on Channel 4

It’s time to go frocking bananas, as the new series of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is almost upon us.Welcome to a world of bridal excess, where the cakes are the size of dresses, the dresses are the size of limos, and the limos are the size of small Central European republics. This is how to get married Gypsy-style, with enough sequins, spangle and stardust to make Liberace blush.

True Blood is Back!

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True Blood is back with fairies, panthers, wolves, vampires and witches all in one tiny American town. This should be interesting….

Spoiler Alert

Sookie is back after going missing for two years.(she was hanging out with fairies and her dead grandfather) A lot has changed since she left and her brother has sold her house. But who bought it? Eric, and not surprisingly, that causes some problems.

Season 4 Episode 1 “She’s Not There”

Sookie journeys away from Bon Temps leaving Eric and Bill to win back the human public.  Elsewhere, Jason learns that no good deed goes unpunished.

Season 4 Episode 2 “You Smell Like Dinner”

After returning to Bon Temps, Sookie adjusts to the town’s new realities. Meanwhile, Bill reveals more about his past and Eric crashes a witches meeting. The witches put a spell on Eric and he loses his memory. Sookie ends up looking after him. Little does she know that her brother has been kidnapped and someone is trying to use him to have babies with.

True Blood is pure fantasy. It is lots of fun and it is also very adult. Not one for kids but a good evenings entertainment.

True Blood is on FX every Sunday, 10pm.