Category Archives: Editorial
Four Volcanoes Erupt in Kamchatka
Kamchatka is currently displaying some stunning earth and sky visuals: Four volcanoes, in close proximity, are erupting simultaneously on the Russian peninsula. A Moscow film crew has produced an awe-inspiring 360-degree video of the natural fireworks.
Volcano experts don’t believe that the four volcanoes are being fed from the same magma source, the parallel eruptions would seem to be the geological equivalent of winning the lottery.
Enjoy the actual flight over the Tolbachik Volcano
Source Media from: http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Kamchatka-Volcano-Plosky-Tolbachik
UFC John Hathaway vs John Maguire weigh in.
UFC Main card fight at Nottingham Capital Arena 28th September 2012:
The Winner is John Hathaway by Unanimous Decision.
Welch Morgan Locations – Launch Party!
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Denise Welch who has joined forces with Gaynor Morgan, daughter of ex Manchester United legend, Willie Morgan, to launch Welch Morgan Locations, offering unique hand picked locations to the photographic & film industry specialising in the North of England hosted the first of their two launch parties this week.
The girls joined by a few showbiz friends and over 150 guests including current Loose Women star Sherrie Hewson who wore a floor length dress that was covered in many different animal prints.
While Dancing On Ice stars Chloe Madeley and Emmerdale actor Hayley Tamaddon both showed their support for the blossoming company.
The party was organized by Denise’s boyfriend Lincoln Townley who put on a great night with some spectacular entertainment not to 
mention the legendary Cole Page who swooned the audience with his classic swing set.
The former Coronation Street star looked lovely in a low cut navy dress, which she teamed with a pair of attention grabbing silver peep-toe shoes and Gaynor looked stunning in a striking purple chiffon dress.
The night was a huge success and the girls plan to host their second launch party towards the end of July – again another spectacular night is planned!
Celebrity Cricket Match ‘Help For Hero’s’
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Lymm Oughtrington Park Cricket Club, in Cheshire, hosted a celebrity cricket match 
and fun day, in support of the Forces Charity “Help For Heroes” I went along as my Dad was playing in the celebrity team. The day also incorporated the official opening of the club’s new practice facility, by Warrington South MP, David Mowat, and Lymm Parish Councilor Sheila Woodyatt.
The showpiece event of the day was a “Twenty20” cricket match between a team of television and sporting celebrities and a Lymm Oughtrington Park XI team. Celebrities included, Peter Reid, WillieMorgan, Stuart Law, Phil Middlemiss and headlining the event was Antony Costa of Internationally renowned Pop Group “Blue”, who performed live during the innings break of the “Twenty20” Match. The club’s charming pavilion served as a “VIP area” during the event, where club officials, local business people and politicians rubbed shoulders with special celebrity guests!
I met the mayor of Warrington, Clir Steve Wright pictured with Dad who turned out to be a huge fan of my Dad’s and told me that as a boy he was his hero.
“City FM” radio station hosted a “Roadshow” from the ground and it was a great day despite the rain!! – But most importantly it raised lots of money for the fantastic charity, ‘Help For Hero’s’
Oh and the celebrity team won the match!
Egypt’s Political Landscape
The New President
I have produced a short breakdown to help with clarity on the subject of Egypt’s Politics.
Let’s go through the main groups you need to know about.
The SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces)
Although they have made a couple of solid steps towards democracy, they’re still not willing to give full power to the democratically elected Islamists, for fear of two things;
- That they would undermine the military role (which makes 30% of the Egyptian economy)
- That they would institute a religious state.
They’ve managed to make an amendment to the constitution to allow them to simply veto decisions taken by the Islamic president and elected parliament regarding the military, going to war, or writing the constitution.
The SCAF views the liberals and revolutionary youth as simply an anti-government, unorganized, and unrealistic bunch and inso believes that left to their devices they’ll lose the battle in front of the Islamists thus turning Egypt into an Iran-like country.
The Islamists
This comprises of the Muslim Brotherhood and also the more radical Salafis (they have their differences but they managed to set it aside for now).
They simply don’t trust the Liberals calling them a bunch of elite snobs that want to constitute a secular anti-Islamic state, and believe that since the people have chosen them they have the right to write a more “Islamic” constitution.
The relationship between the Islamists and the military is mostly that of a game of chess, the military knows that they have massive mobilization power that can fill El-Tahrir in a couple of hours and the Islamists know that the SCAF has legitimacy in-front of the average citizen that a direct confrontation would scare the already sceptical Egyptian population of an Iran-style coup by the Islamists.
Now how do the Islamists force the SCAF into giving up power? They mostly cuddle-up to the revolutionary youth and the liberals calling the SCAF remnant of the old regime and with such rhetoric they can form a coalition that would be able to pressure the military without being labelled as a proponent of a single political view.
Unified
The Revolutionary Youth and the Liberals
They are a small number of youth and elites dedicated to the cause of freedom, justice and liberal ideals.
They believe that their main enemies are the SCAF and the remnants of the old regime.
They still believe that the revolution hasn’t succeeded yet and that the SCAF is trying to undermine it by performing a coup on a democratically elected parliament and president, and they are willing to partner-up with the Islamists to bring down the military rule, their point of view is that the Islamists would be easier to shake down from power after they are done with the military.
The “Couchies” and the People
They are simply the regular Egyptian folks, they are the only variable in the equations and the largest force when it comes to elections, they basically want a stable, moderately religious, free state where they’d be able to elect their representatives, some of them have more conservative leanings, others would like a more secular state, these “couchies” take their decisions based on the on-going events, if it looks like it’s heading for a military dictatorship they vote for the Islamists, if Egypt is threatened with an Iran scenario they vote-in the liberals, revolutionary and even the remnants of the old regime into office.
- There is a number of other not-so-powerful but effective players as well
The Egyptian Judiciary
The Islamists and revolutionaries believe that it’s controlled by the SCAF, whose decisions introduce entropy to the process (like the decision to dissolve the parliament).
The Remnant of the Old Regime
- A network of anti-revolution businessmen and beneficiaries of the old regime.
- They are simply backing anyone other than the Muslim Brotherhood.
Original Work – AIbrahem
‘Be Clear of Cancer’ Tricia Penrose
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Patricia “Tricia” Penrose was born 9 April 1970 in Kirkby, Merseyside and is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Gina Ward in ITV1′s long-running 1960s drama Heartbeat, a role she played continuously from 1993 to 2010. She has also appeared in The Royal, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Boon, Justice and Dancin’ Thru the Dark.
After Tricia’s own heartache, finding out the devastating news that her beloved Mum, Sue had been diagnosed with lung cancer nearly 2 years ago, Tricia is one of the many celebrities fronting, along with her very brave Mum, the‘Be Clearof Cancer’ campaign which raises Lung Cancerawareness. The campaigners want people to be more aware of the symptoms and to encourage people to go to their doctor to get checked out.Sue now is thankfully in remission and we pray that she recovers fully from this horrendous disease which devastates so many lives around the world.
Other celebrities supporting the campaign are; Ricky Gervais, Robert Powell, Nilesk Shukla, Lynda Bellingham, Duncan Bannatyne, Jenny Frost and Terri Dwyer.
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said:
“Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in this country but worryingly many people don’t know the signs and symptoms that could save their lives. The earlier lung cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of survival”.
I have had my own personnel trauma when I lost my beautiful Mum to ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in December 2003 and died in August 2004. She had symptoms for years but was only treated for a blocked bowel and kept being sent home with fibre drinks and laxatives. If we had known the symptoms of this type of cancer, her life could have been saved.
I have spoken to Trish at length about my own experience of cancer and tried to give the best advice I could to help her through such a dreadful experience for anyone to go through with a loved one. It helped me so much to hear from friends who had experienced ‘Cancer’ to understand how to cope, and more importantly to be strong for the person who is living with it.
Professor Sir Mike Richards, National Cancer Director for England, said:
“It is vital that cancer patients get treated quickly so they have the best chance of surviving. We have made early diagnosis central to our Cancer Outcomes Strategy. Earlier diagnosis of Lung Cancer combined with the best treatments could help save an additional 1,300 lives a year.”
SRT Show 5th May 2012 Part 2
Tom Jones
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Better known as ‘The Voice’; apt as the new talent show he stars in has been called ‘The Voice UK’ after he was confirmed as one of the judges alongside Jessie J, Danny O’Donoghue of The Script, and Will.i.am.
Sir Thomas John Woodward, born in Wales on 7th June 1940, known by his stage name Tom Jones and since the mid 1960s, has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel and sold over 100 million records!
Tom has been a family friend for many years, along with his long-standing road manager Don Archel who also used to manage Rod Stewart. Tom has spent a lot of time in Las Vegas over the past few years and hooks up with Dad who goes over a few times a year. In 2008 Dad flew over to Vegas to get married to Kay in the ‘Elvis Chapel’ his idol for as long as I
can ever remember, in fact growing up we had a room/shrine dedicated to ‘The King’.
Tom along with Johnny Mathis and Don Felder joined Dad & Kay on their big day and Tom and Johnny stood by him as his best men! with only a dozen other guests invited.
Tom Jones is a lovely man; very normal despite the huge fame he has gained over the years and was very supportive during my ‘pop days’ when I was in the girl band 90% Angels, offering us a lot of support and encouragement. He was performing in Manchester many years ago now and I had arranged that him and Don would come out after the show to join us in a popular nightspot called ‘The Braz’ but I had left my phone at home that night and so had missed the calls from them to ask for directions!
As Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice UK kick off their ratings war, it’s safe to say that the rivalry is reaching fever pitch. In the latest spat between the shows, Tom Jones has claimed that he was offered jobs on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, prompting a quick rebuttal from Simon Cowell who made a cutting reference to the singer’s age, Simon said: ‘I think he must be comparing us with opportunity knocks.’ Tom in turn has hit back, saying that Simon was under-qualified to judge because he hasn’t performed himself.
Whatever your opinion you cannot dispute the fact that Tom Jones is one of the UK’s biggest ever singing stars!
X Factor Trio
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Peter Dixon, simply known as ‘Voiceover Man’ of the X Factor, Kitty Brucknell, the controversial diva, and who can forget the lovely Johnny Robinson! Who were all in attendance to support Emmerdale’s Danny Miller a few weeks ago at the 2nd Gavin Blyth Gala Ball at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester.
Peter Dixon an overnight success after 37 years, he makes premiere stadium events and big award winning TV shows like The X-Factor, All Star Family Fortunes, Britain’s Got Talent, The Paul O’Grady Show, The National Television Awards and Chris Moyle’s Quiz Night what they are. His voice is now well and truly cemented in the public conscience.
Kitty Brucknell once having to earn a living as a lap dancer in local seedy nightclubs went
onto become a finalist in last years X factor, calls herself ‘The White Tiger’. Love her or hate her she has shown gritty determination throughout and I admire her despite the many put downs and verbal attacks she has endured during her time in the public eye.
Johnny Robinson known for his squeaky voice but lovable way captured the hearts of the British Public during last years show. He went down a storm at the gala ball getting the crowd going and I have to say his 
voice sounded great although a little high pitched!
All three stars performed at the ball that was raising money for Danny’s new charity ‘Once Upon a Smile’ and were a big hit with the audience. Peter along with Danny’s father, compare Vince Miller shared the stage and Kitty true to form made her entrance strutting through the audience with her half naked hunk beside her up onto the stage – I didn’t really expect anything less from her and her performance was much the same – she definitely entertained with most of the guests commenting on how powerful her voice was.
I chatted to Peter Dixon after the show and he told me that he has lots of exciting plans for 2012 as well as of course being the resident ‘Voiceman’ for this years X Factor!
Whitney Burial Closes Cemetery
The cemetery where Whitney Houston was laid to rest has been closed to the public indefinitely.
Officials at the Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey made the decision following a series of traffic problems resulting from grieving fans wanting to pay their respects to the singer, who was buried there on Sunday.
Police Captain Cliff Auchter said: “It’s a private property, and it’s up to them to make that decision. It was done in light of the overcrowding that occurred.
“The cemetery is a maze of very small roads, so if two cars come face to face, you have a Mexican standoff.”
Those with relatives buried in the cemetery will not be affected by the ban, and a round-the-clock police presence will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Capt. Aucher added: “I don’t have any idea as to when that will change. It’s being evaluated day to day [by the cemetery].”
Despite the traffic problems, there have been no incidents at the site.
He added: “It’s been relatively quiet.”
Whitney was found dead in the bath of her Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11. She was 48 years old.
The ‘I Look To You’ singer’s “going home” service had taken place on Saturday and stars including Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Clive Davis and Kevin Costner – Whitney’s co-star in movie ‘The Bodyguard’ – were among the mourners.
Kevin paid tribute to the singer in a moving eulogy at the funeral, telling her fans to remember “the sweet miracle” of the singer.
He said: “I urge us all inside and outside, across the nation and around the world, to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and perhaps our anger just long enough, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of Whitney … So off you go Whitney, off you go, escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father and when you sing before him don’t you worry, you’ll be good enough.”
R.I.P Whitney Elizabeth Houston
For more on Whitney tune in to The Urban Factor on playvybz.com.
Hosted by Gino every saturday 3 to 5.
U Factor Podcast (Update)
Join Gino on the “Urban Factor” (U-factor) a mix of new music, technology, latest sports results and a bit of laid back discussions. R&B, Hip-hop, Jazz and Soul every Saturday from 3-5pm GMT.
http://www.playvybz.com
http://feeds.feedburner.com/IcuPodcast
Join Gino on the “Urban Factor” (U-factor) a mix of new music, technology, latest sports results a bit of laid back discussions. r&b, hip-hop, jazz and soul!
Danny Miller
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Still relatively new to television, Danny Miller won his first major role in 2007, when he played Kyle Brown in the long-running BBC children’s show Grange Hill. In 2008 he landed a prominent role, being the second actor to portray Aaron Livesy on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Sadly Danny has decided to leave the show and told me that after 3 years although he has loved every minute of it, he has itchy feet and wants try something new.
Danny’s father Vince Miller is a close family friend and I have worked with him for many years in the industry. Vince is in my opinion one the best compares’ in the country – he is a true professional. Vince often talked about Danny over the years and I know is very proud of his achievements so far.
After the death of Gavin Blyth at only 41 who was the TV producer in charge of Emmerdale, Danny along with his good friend Daniel Jillings set up a new charity ‘Once upon a smile’ which was founded in 2011. They have already been recognized throughout the UK as a source of support for families who have suffered the loss of a parent or child from a long term or terminal illness. The charity have already held a few events including a children’s Santa Day in December but are having their official launch hosting an exclusive dinner at the Hilton hotel in Manchester on February 18th, which will be sponsored by OK! Magazine and attended by celebrities from Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Eastenders.
Danny is also one of the celebrities featured in a new documentary ‘Celebrity Charities’ made by Paramount Media productions and produced by my son, Alex Morgan which highlights the hard work celebrities put into helping their chosen charities that is often overlooked in the media – along with Sir Cliff Richard OBE, Denise Welch and Willie Morgan.
I had an informal chat with Danny and he told me that now he has left Emmerdale he would be putting any spare time he has into raising awareness of the charity.
For any information on the charity or to book tickets for any future events log onto: www.onceuponasmile.org.uk
Toxic Twins – Go Home!
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Two manipulative and hypocritical twin sisters – the Shannon twins from America, have rocked the Celebrity big brother house!
Some very strange characters have been in the Big Brother house over the years but the twins are in my opinion are the most conceited housemates ever. After becoming public enemy number one with viewers after their fight night with Denise Welch, Karissa and Kristina Shannon were still arrogant enough to admit that they believe they can win the show. The Playboy twins seemed unaware that they ware not favourites in the house and were way behind retired Welsh rugby stars Gareth Thomas and X Factor reject Frankie Cocozza.
Their behaviour is unacceptable – bullying Denise Welch which as you can see from their
picture’s was just one big farce and accusing Frankie of sexually harassing them telling Big Brother that they are certain the 19 year old wants to sleep with them stating that he has got the hugest crush on us, obviously he wants to bang us and then she added that he is disgusting.
Denise Welch may be riding an emotional rollercoaster with her fellow contestants in the house, but here on the outside her buddies and the British public are still there for her. Speaking at the National Television Awards red carpet, 
Jane McDonald told of the pride that the Loose Women gang have for the 53-year-old actress and added that they just want to go in there and get her out now, but at least she’s standing up for herself. Support was also forthcoming from Carol Vorderman, ready to welcome Denise back with open arms and a big hug.
Speaking from my personal opinion knowing Denise now for over 20 years I would like to say that Denise Welch is one the the kindest ladies I know, she hasn’t got a bad bone in her body and has worked tirelessly for many years raising money for her devoted charities – I am very proud to say she is God Mother to my daughter Jessica who adores her.
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER ENDS ON FRIDAY – VOTE DENISE!
Richard Fleeshman
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Richard Fleeshman is and actor/singer/songwriter and the son of former Brookside and Coronation Street actress Sue Jenkins and actor/director David Fleeshman and has two sisters, Emily and Rosie who are also actresses.
I have known the family for many years and have done many charity events in the past where they would come and support me. As a young boy I remember Sue coming down in the daytime during set up to a particular music event I did every year and would set Richard to work helping us out with whatever needed doing at that time – he never complained just got on with it and always with a smile. He was always such a polite young man, a credit to his parents and a few years later at my wedding in 2005 he was a guest along with his family but also did me the honor of singing at the evening party – Elton John’s rendition of ‘Your Song’.
In 2002 Richard joined the cast of Coronation Street and played the role of Craig Harris that really catapulted him up there in the spotlight and his last episode was aired in October 2006. He also won Soapstar Superstar in 2006 and won £200,000 for his chosen Charity, The Kirsty Appeal which I remember well as Sue would text me to support Richard which of course I did! Richard’s true passion is singing/song writing and he signed a major record deal with Universal Records in 2007 and then completed writing his debut album – In 2008 he was invited by Sir Elton John to join him on his summer stadium tour – it doesn’t get much bigger than that!
In June 2010, Richard joined the company of Legally Blonde in London, taking over from Duncan James in the role of Warner and currently he stars in Ghost The Musical playing
the role of Sam Wheat (played by Patrick Swayze in the film) He finished his role in the West End on 12th January before moving to New York to star in the new Broadway production in March which his Dad had told me a few weeks ago when had he had found out!
I went to London last week to see Richard’s last show with the Fleesman’s and a few close friends – the show is an emotional pull on the heartstrings anyway but alongside the fact it was Richard’s last night we were all in tears at the end as they took their bow to a full standing ovation and I noticed even the ushers were in tears.
We have all planned to fly to over to New York for Richard’s opening night in April – can’t wait!
Celebrity Big Brother 2012
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The house is open – they have moved in – let the fun begin!
Throw away your new gym membership, ditch the New Year’s resolutions to not watch so much trashy TV and forget about your promise to spend more time with friends and family – Celebrity Big Brother is back and it’s here to take over your January.
As the house welcomes one of my best friends, Denise Welch along with some other ‘fun’ characters I think we are going to see one of the best yet!
Natalie Cassidy had to perform a task as soon as she entered the house and traditionally, housemates who have to do the first secret task do quite well but I think Denise will have a few tricks up her sleeve. I was excited when Denise told me she was going into the CBB house because she’s not going to hold back if someone gets on her nerves and she’s a very funny lady. Not only that, but she’s been on the showbiz circuit for over twenty years, and believe me she has some great gossip.
I recently spent a week in the Bahamas with her when we bid for a villa in a charity auction with a few other friends and just being herself she is pure entertainment – I laughed for a 
week!
It was nice to her close friend Pammie there to support her going in to the house and also fellow ‘Loose Women’ Andrea Mclean who I met recently in London studios when the ladies were filming a show – I couldn’t believe the hard work that actually goes into every show!
I know Denise was dreading going into the house as was her eldest son Matthew who told me he wasn’t too keen for his mum to go in – I suppose being a protective son as they are very close in case of back lash as the media can be cruel, however ‘Little Louis’ as I call him, Denise’s youngest son was very excited.
I told Denise I thought she would do well – just to be herself whom she always is and most of all enjoy the peace and quiet and not having to take 10,000 phone calls a day!
VOTE DENISE!!!!
Meeting of Legends
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Sir Cliff Richard OBE and Johnny Mathis – arguably two of the biggest music legends of their generation.
This summer I was at Cliffs villa in Portugal having coffee chatting about many stars we had both met over the years – Cliff spoke about many huge stars such as Olivia Newton-John and then I mentioned growing up with stars such as Tom Jones and Johnny Mathis who were guests at my Dad’s wedding in Las Vegas a few years ago. Cliff’s eyes lit up when Johnny was mentioned and he told me that they had unbelievably never met over the 50 years in the business and that he would love to meet him.
As fate had it in October this year they would both be doing a show at the MEN arena on consecutive nights and so I spoke to Johnny and asked if we could arrange some sort of meeting whilst they were both in the UK. Johnny was delighted to meet Cliff and so we all arranged to go and watch Johnny perform and then meet backstage for a drink. During the show Johnny made reference on stage to Cliff, Lamont Dozier (Why Can’t We be Lovers?), Freda Payne (Band of Gold), Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. (Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In) and Percy Sledge (When a Man Loves A Woman) who were all performing some their own hits and then singing their recent duets with Cliff from the SOULICIOUS album in the show the nextnight – the group were clearly delighted and responded with cheers from the box.
After the show we all met up and it was lovely to have been the person responsible for bringing two such amazing artists together for the first time.
Johnny came to stay for a few days with Dad at home to relax after his tour before he headed back to the states and to play a few holes of golf! Dad hosted a dinner one night and invited Denise & Tim Healy who were delighted to meet Johnny as Denise’s mum Annie is a huge fan and so we surprised her with a phone call from Johnny on the night!
An extraordinary few days with two truly amazing legends.
Denise Welch & Tim Healy:
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Actress Denise Welch and her husband actor Tim Healy have been close family friends for as long as I can remember. Famous for his role in Auf Weidersehen Pet I remember as a youngster Tim’s renditions of the old football songs as he used to come over to the family house to go to watch some of the matches with Dad when his beloved Newcastle were playing at Old Trafford. Denise famous for her role in Coronation Street where she played the character Natalie Barns, landlady in the soap’s public house, The Rovers Return is more recently seen on the panel of Loose Women as well as trying her hand in the world of professional ice dancing in the hit show ‘Dancing on Ice’ with her lovely partner Matt Evers and then went on to do the dancing on ice tour.
In 2001 I started an events company with my very good friend Julie Arnold with a mutual goal to help raise money for children’s charities. Denise wanted us to help some of the charities she was patron of to raise some much needed funds and so together we came up with the idea of putting on an annual spectacular celebrity/charity event hosted by Denise & Tim and held the first one in 2002, themed Ice Fantasy. The main charity that benefits from these events is ‘The Gem Appeal’ a charity close to Denise and Tim’s heart and 10 years on it is now one of the biggest celebrity/charity events in the UK. I did my last event in November 2006 before I moved to Portugal to live for a few years. The event is still run by Entertainment Today which Julie carried on with after I left and this years event is on the 26th November at G-Mex in Manchester and is themed ‘The Magical Ice Fantasy Ball’’ I am proud to have been part of creating an event which has raised hundred’s of thousands of pounds.
Last month I flew out to the Bahamas with Denise and a small group of friendsto a villa she bid for at a charity event!! Tim was filming in Benidorm so couldn’t join us but we had a great time with Denise who entertained us for the week. It would have made a great TV reality show something similar to ‘Big Brother’ had there been a camera crew there, but probably a good job as you know what they say…what happens on holiday stays on holiday!!
DALLAS TV STAR! Raises two million for charity!
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Actor and singer Howard Keel, who played Clayton Farlow in the mega TV series Dallas which is to return to our screens next year had put his name to Europe’s biggest celebrity golf charity event here in the UK ‘The Howard Keel Golf Classic’. After his very sad death in 2002, Don Felder formerly from the legendary band ‘The Eagles’ and the co writer of the world famous song, Hotel California took over as the tournament’s host and the event celebrated its 25th year a few weeks ago at Carden Park Hotel near Chester with over 50 celebrities’ flying in from all over the world to help support this prestigious event that has raised two million pounds for charities.
The event this year was in aid of the NSPCC and Christies and the evening’s celebrity cabaret was as usual world class including Tony Christie who blasted out amongst many his hit song, ‘Show me the way to Amarillo’ and top of the bill was Don Felder himself who played guitar and sang most of The Eagles hits, which brought the audience to its feet.
The event has been run for the past 25 years by my Dad, ex-Manchester United and Scottish International legend, “Willie Morgan’ and was going to be his last but at the request of so many celebrities’ and regular guests he has decided to pass the event down to me as I am very well established as an events organiser and was recently asked by Sir Cliff Richard OBE to run a charity event for him to help him raise some much needed funds for the Algarve charity he supports.
We will run next year’s event, as a father and daughter team and then Dad will finally hand over the reins to me the following year.
‘I am looking forward to working with Dad over the next few months, but as we have never worked on the same event together before it should be an interesting time!”
The Summer Of Discontent: How Web TV Has Changed
The following is an article written by Ryan Lawler for gigaom.com in September 2011, the content was so riveting to ICU Online Ltd members, and as I keep getting asked about the future of web TV, I though the best solution would be to re-post Ryan’s excellently researched and written article here.
Enjoy:
The Summer Of Discontent: How Web TV has Changed | by Ryan Lawler
The unofficial end of summer has passed with the Labor Day weekend, and with it goes a three-month stretch of bad news for online video viewers:
- Netflix announced and implemented a new pricing plan that increases the cost of DVD and streaming by as much as 60 percent
- Starz walked away from contract negotiations with Netflix to renew its streaming deal, and its content will disappear after Feb. 28 next year
- Hulu was put up for sale after receiving an unsolicited bid, and the possibility of an acquisition has raised serious questions about its business model
- Meanwhile, Fox has implemented an eight-day window on Hulu and its own network site for viewers who aren’t subscribers to one of its pay TV distribution partners
In other words, the summer has marked a major pullback in the amount of content that is available, as well as a major change in the way it’s licensed, priced, accessed and paid for. But more importantly, it shows that traditional media companies have moved past experimentation mode and are finally formalizing business models around digital distribution.
The empire strikes back
If the past few years of success by upstart digital distributors like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu represented Act One in the story of how content moved online, we’re clearly moving into a second phase, where the incumbents assert their power and launch their own attacks in the battle for consumers’ attention.
For TV programmers, the main weapon in the fight has been TV Everywhere. The idea is that cable subscribers can watch streaming on demand content, so long as they log in and prove that they pay for the network that they’re trying to access. This has proven highly successful for networks like HBO, which has seen millions of downloads for its HBO Go iPad app.
While originally introduced to provide more value to cable subscribers by putting previously unavailable content online, the model is now being emulated by the broadcast networks. The first to do so is Fox, which is now requiring a pay TV login for next-day access to new episodes of its shows on Hulu and Fox.com. But ABC is also reportedly interested in doing the same, and other broadcasters are sure to follow.
Of course, when applied to cable shows, the TV Everywhere model has the effect of providing more value to paying customers. But for broadcast content, authentication ends up taking away access to shows that were previously available for free on an ad-supported basis. The issue is further complicated when not all distributors are on board, as is the case with Fox. Of all the pay TV operators, only Dish Network has committed to enabling authenticated access to Fox shows online — which means that the vast majority of cable and satellite customers today are no better off than those who don’t pay for TV.
The changing economics of digital content
At the same time that content players like Fox are building walls around their newest content, they’re also making it increasingly more expensive to license for digital distribution. The best example of this is Starz, which originally struck a three-year deal with Netflix pegged at around $25 to $30 million a year. Last week, it reportedly turned down $300 million a year for the same content.
Not only does the Starz example show how much more expensive streaming licenses have become in a very short period of time, but it also highlights a general pullback in the willingness of networks to make their content available online.
There’s a fear among Wall Street types that this increase in the cost of content will ultimately undermine the Netflix model — that Starz is just the first of many content providers that will demand more than Netflix and other online distributors are willing to pay. Unable to provide a compelling content package, these distributors will see their subscribers flee.
Netflix as modern-day cable network
What these fears overlook, however, is that Netflix has never been about providing the newest releases or most popular Hollywood movies. In a statement after the Starz non-renewal, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings reported that Starz content makes up just 6 percent of all viewing on it’s streaming service.
That’s because viewers don’t necessarily log into Netflix looking for a certain piece of content — about 60 percent of all Netflix viewing comes from click-throughs on movies that are recommended to subscribers. Even if Netflix isn’t able to offer up the latest release from Disney or Sony pictures, it will be able to recommend something they might want to watch instead.
In many ways, the Netflix model and content catalog isn’t terribly different from what you might expect to have seen on cable a few years ago. Netflix is no HBO, but it might be TBS: the channel that catches your attention when there’s nothing else good on TV. Let’s not forget: Basic cable networks survived, and even thrived, on old movies and syndicated TV shows long before they began making award-winning original programming of their own.
Digital revenues finally matter
Content producers and online distributors increasingly have a symbiotic relationship; on their earnings calls, executives from CBS, Disney and Viacom all acknowledged that revenues from digital licenses were providing a boost to their top and bottom lines. The amount that Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others are contributing is still small relative to their overall businesses, but it’s finally real revenue, not the digital pennies that then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker famously lamented just a few years ago.
Furthermore, there are now more digital licensees than ever. Netflix has grown large enough to spend billions of dollars a year on streaming rights. Amazon is investing heavily to grow its own streaming library and compete with Netflix. Meanwhile, Dish Network and Apple — which have stood on the sidelines while others grew their subscription video-on-demand businesses — are both rumored to be rolling out their own Netflix competitors soon.
The big knock against online distributors to this point has been that they potentially cannibalize viewership from more traditional channels, but without paying the same in revenues. There’s still an imbalance in the amount of money online distributors contribute, but as DVD sales and broadcast ratings decline, it would be foolish for the content companies to destroy new nascent competitors that provide an important new revenue stream.
More choices, not fewer
There’s a tendency to question the viability of digital video providers, given the general pullback that we’re seeing from the networks. But this type of short-term view overlooks the fact that viewers have more content choices now than at any other point in the past.
It’s not like 30 years ago, when the local cable company was the only game in town, or 15 years ago, when satellite finally provided a viable alternative, or even five years ago, when AT&T and Verizon began offering up competitive IPTV services. The emergence of online distributors are creating even greater competition for viewer attention — and they’re doing so at competitive prices.
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant Videos and other subscription video-on-demand service might not have all the same content that is available on broadcast, cable or satellite TV, but they’re not supposed to have it all. Their value proposition comes from providing a wide range of TV shows and movies, and a smart way to find new content of interest. And more entrants will soon emerge, soon offering up even more choice.
So what does the future hold?
Online viewers might lament the disappearance of certain TV shows and movies from their online destinations today, but the trend looks temporary to me. As more subscription and ad dollars move online, more premium broadcast and cable content will follow. The latest pullback, then, seems a minor bump in the road to an otherwise broader array of content available online.
More importantly, the success of digital distribution platforms means new and different content to choose from, beyond just what is syndicated and re-broadcast from network television. Hulu has been showing web originals for some time, and looks like it will continue to do so. Netflix made headlines when it announced it would exclusively license the Kevin Spacey-David Fincher series House of Cards to run on its streaming service instead of pay TV channels like HBO or Showtime. And YouTube is quietly building an empire of web original content, which it is expected to program into channels — basically building the online equivalent of a 21st century cable company.
In short, as viewers increasingly move online, there will be no shortage of content to choose from. In the same way that cable networks came into their own despite costs associated with syndicating broadcast content, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and others will continue to grow — and continue to offer an alternative to the incumbent production and distribution networks.
http://gigaom.com/video/web-video-summer-2011/
Hunting
Recently I have come across a few friends who have joined dating websites (this is new news in my circle). Many of my friends, especially those I met at uni have spent the majority of their adult lives searching for that dream job. Don’t worry this is going somewhere, trust me!
So you’re on a dating website, fingers crossed your ‘love story’ begins here. You upload your picture; scroll through Facebook to try and find one where you don’t look trollied and you actually look half decent (whilst doing this you find dreadful pictures your cousin has uploaded behind your back…you will deal with her later!). Right, you have a picture, now for the profile; name (selective in certain spellings; any Greeks out there will know that spelling Magdalena Constantinides is mind boggling to non Greeks, therefore it transfers on the page to Mags Stan), age (maybe knock a few numbers off?!), area of residence (be as vague as you can) and you create a username; your stuck between Sweetgirl88 and Iheartdiamonds11, you go with sweetgirl88 (don’t really wanna look like a gold digger). And finally you are asked what you’re looking for; sex and age range. You click on ‘not fussy’ (can’t be in 2011) and settle for 22-35 (big enough to find someone right?). Profile created.
Job hunting. You Google the career path you’d like to follow, starting with Journalist, moving on to Writer, and settling on Receptionist (all of the others you looked at are way out of your league, even with that 2:1). You find something half decent and spend hours fine tuning a cover letter (you want to demonstrate your writing skills after all) and open the CV you have created most fitting for this position. After submitting your application, the website asks you ‘Would you like to store your CV?’ You click yes and once again you are instructed to create a profile. See where I’m going here? No picture needed, however it does ask for your area of residence and what you’re looking for. Salary: you select the figure you dream of earning but suddenly come straight back to reality and remind yourself that Simon Cowell didn’t reach that amount of money till his 40’s. So you compromise and go for something a bit more realistic, done. Profile created.
It dawned on me that selling yourself is something we do on a daily basis, whether it is for a job or for a date. Is searching for the perfect man (sorry to bring him up again) just like searching for your dream job? The start up is the same. The outcome is the same feeling; pride, happiness and success…until you get 6 months in and you start spitting in your bosses tea and screaming at him because he left the toilet seat up for the fourth time that day!
It goes without saying, these things may start the same, they will run their course, sometimes it won’t be easy and sometimes you’ll be so grateful you have them, but everything happens for a reason, so roll with it!
Till next time…x
