Pop Buzz UK

The witch is dead, long live Big Brother! Alexandra De-Gale has been booted out of the Big Brother house ahead of her inevitable eviction on Friday after she is said to have threatened some of the house mates.

This is the first Big Brother post I have done since launch night so I have yet to have my say on the woman that will always be remembered for thinking “Memba, I tol’ you” was a suitable way to prove her point, and end an argument. And arguments are what Alex spent most of her short time in the house engaging in.

She was booted out last night at around 8pm after having a conversation earlier in the day with various house mates. She had recently found out that she was up for eviction along with Mario the fake Italian, and clearly took it badly.

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Blackadder was one of my favourite television shows growing up in the 1980s. Featuring Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick Baldrick, the show also had the cream of British comedy talent providing back-up, including Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, now a huge success playing House in America.

Now, it could be about to make a comeback, with Tony Robinson revealing the possibility of the show returning to our screens in 2010. Before that happens though, the cast are meeting up later this year to celebrate he 25th anniversary of Blackadder II - I assume they just forgot to celebrate the first series last year…

According to Digital Spy, Baldrick told Teletext:

“We always had a fantasy of doing it again in 2010, so we’ll be having that conversation. I would love to do it and suspect Rowan Atkinson would too.”

However, it seems Atkinson may not be as keen as Robinson had hoped because it has now emerged that he is refusing to attend the reunion, which was to form the basis for Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga and Blackadder’s Most Cunning Moments, two shows set to be aired on UKTV Gold.

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Here is the second batch of seven housemates to enter the Big Brother house on this, the ninth series, and my initial impressions of them all.

Alexandra

My least favourite house mate on first impressions. She thinks she is it. Was proud of getting pregnant at 15, and seems to think getting a job is something she should be applauded for. The new Charley?

Rex

yet another vain show-off, but I actually think a lot of it was just show to get in the house. If he settles down and let’s his natural personality shine through, he could be okay. But on first showing, it’s a big if.

Mohamed

A black guy with an afro, which is always good. He’s a Muslim who isn’t practising except when he’s at home, which means he isn’t a Muslim surely? Seems to be quite settled, able to have fun, without being annoying.

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Big Brother 9 launched tonight with an hour and a half long première that introduced us to the usual bunch of weirdos that always seem to be chosen. I’ll be covering the series a lot here on Pop Buzz UK, but we start with my initial thoughts on this year’s sixteen housemates. Here are the first 9 in the house…

Lisa and Mario

They both seem to be very fake, and indeed her breasts are. They grew on me once in the house for an hour, as they came across as terribly shallow and obsessed with their looks in their audition footage.

Luke

A bit of a freak, but I actually quite like him. He might start to grate on the nerves a bit after a few weeks, but it’ll be good to watch as he annoys his house mates so much they want to leave.

Stephanie

A horrible girl who seems to think she’s the hottest, most intelligent person ever to have walked the planet. She’s not. She’s an average looking blonde bint who walked the wrong way when she got out of the van.

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Britain’s Got Talent finally came to an end last night with 14 year old dancer George Sampson winning £100,000 and the chance to perform in front of Prince Charles at the Royal Variety Performance.

The final was a huge success, both in terms of showcasing the talent we do have in this country and in the size of the television audience who watched the series come to an end. However, the big question I am left with is how on earth did George win?

I know he’s a young kid who hasn’t had the best of starts in life, and I know he is talented to a certain degree, but did he really deserve to beat the much more naturally gifted Faryl Smith and Andrew Johnston?

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We already knew that Doctor Who is going to take a break after this series finishes, with just four specials over the course of 2009 before a full fifth series airs during 2010. But now it has been announced that Russell T. Davies is leaving the show, with acclaimed writer Steven Moffat (pictured) taking over his role as lead writer and executive producer.

Davies was the man charged with, and credited with managing to, bringing the cult show back in a new updated format for the 21st century. He has now decided to leave, a decision which after the mediocrity of this latest series I am actually quite pleased with.

Moffat will now take over his duties from the end of this series, and foresee the development of the next full Who series, due to hit our screens in 2010. Moffat was already an integral part of the Whoniverse having written some of the best episodes from the first four series, including the brilliant Blink, with the strangely scary weeping angels, and the two-part The Empty Child which had one of the most endearing catchphrases in “Are you my mummy?”.

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Stories about the Beckhams are like London buses, there’s none for ages, and then 3 come along at once. One is about David Beckham, one is about Victoria, and one is about that shadow on their marriage, Rebecca Loos who David allegedly had an affair with a few years ago.

We start with David, who has apparently agreed to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for children’s charity UNICEF. The 19,340ft African mountain is now on Becks agenda after U2 front man Bono is reported to have badgered him in to climbing it to raise money.

No date has been set for the climb, with Becks having commitments with LA Galaxy and insurance issues needing to be worked out. It’s thought the climb will take six days, and Beckham will have to be at the height of fitness to even attempt the feat.

Meanwhile, proving their life isn’t all about football and charity, Victoria Beckham has revealed that she likes to get drunk all the time.

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Last week it was reported that Davina McCall was planning to quit being presenter of Big Brother after the forthcoming ninth series had finished. She’s now come out to deny this, and claim that she’d only leave in her coffin.

The News Of The World newspaper had claimed that McCall had eventually decided the time was right to move on, and was eyeing up a serious acting career instead. However, it seems now, after Davina’s denial, that the story was concocted from the fact that McCall has recently changed agents.

Speaking at the London première of the Sex And The City movie, she told reporters:

“I’m not leaving Big Brother. They would have to kill me before I’d stop doing it.”

This will please some but others will be wishing the rumours were true, and that she was indeed going. Her interviewing technique has always split fans right down the middle.

The new series of Big Brother is set to kick off on June 5th, and a few details are being fed to us addicts to try and increase the anticipation. First of all we have the new eye logo, which changes every year, and is pictured above. It shows the same eye as always but in a splintered effect, all coloured black except one slice of red.

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I’ll tell you right here and now that I am not a journalist. I am a freelance writer, and a professional blogger, and some of my work comes close to be what you’d describe as journalism, but still I would never assume to call myself a journalist. I don’t earn enough from what I do for starters.

However, I am more of a journalist than Coleen McLoughlin ever will be, which makes it slightly absurd to learn that is what she has entered as her occupation on the wedding banns for her forthcoming marriage to England footballer Wayne Rooney.

This is a joke right? Coleen McLoughlin is a WAG, nothing more, nothing less. Good on her for bagging a young footballer who went on to become a great player for Manchester United and England, but I think its time for a reality check.

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The story of Mark Speight and his fiancée has taken a terrible final twist today after his body was found hanged at London Paddington train station.

Mark Speight was the TV presenter of children’s programmes such as SMart, Scratchy & Co. and History Buster, who in January, found his fiancée’s body in the bath of the North London flat they shared together.

At first he was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying Class A drugs. He later admitted the pair had been partying all night, but was cleared of murder, and released on bail.

The BBC then cancelled SMart for the foreseeable future, and Speight quit as presenter.

An inquest, which was opened in January, records Collins’ death as one by misadventure after high levels of cocaine and sleeping pills were found in her blood. The results were made public on April 2nd, by which time Speight is said to be depressed.

On April 7th, Speight was reported missing after failing to meet Collins’ mother for lunch. Today, six days after he disappeared, his body was discovered hanged at Paddington station in London.

This is an absolutely unbelievable ending to a tragedy which has ended up taking two lives away, and affecting many others.

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Britain’s Got Talent started very ropily last year, but was saved when Paul Potts came on stage and blew everyone away. This mild mannered mobile phone salesman got over his crippling lack of confidence to win the final by singing opera like an Italian tenor.

Since then Potts has gone on to have a best selling album and is playing venues around the world. But that was last year, and we need another winner of his calibre. Unfortunately, based on the first episode which has just aired on ITV, that ultra talented individual is going to take a bit of searching.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some good performers on show tonight. The dog was talented, the Christina Aguilera-alikes were nice in their own right, the electric string quartet called Scala were brilliant, and beautiful too. And last but not least there was the Pie Jesu singing 13 year old bully victim.

They were all very good, and the latter even made the hairs on the back of my neck tingle in the same way that Potts managed 12 months ago. However, his voice will break, and then he’ll just become another average singer who Simon Cowell will abuse till kingdom come.

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The new series of Doctor Who begins on British television this coming Saturday, with the first episode showing at 6.20pm on BBC One.

There’s been debate over whether the BBC have done the right thing in moving the cult series from its 7pm timeslot. I personally think it’s a bad move, especially when you consider it’s only been done to allow the God awful reality show I’d Do Anything to nab the prime time slot instead.

Regardless of when it’s on however, I and millions of others will be glued to our screens week after week for the next few months, so here is a short preview of the upcoming series.

David Tennant once again returns as the Doctor, although he does have a new assistant in the form of Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.

I wasn’t too keen on her character, and performance in the Christmas special but having seen previews of her in the new series at the cinema over the last few weeks, I think she’s upped her game, and become more of a traditional assistant.

Martha Jones, the Doctor’s last full-time assistant will also be making an appearance in a few episodes, as will Rose, played by Billie Piper, after she somehow manages to bypass the previously closed void between her and the Doctor.

Also returning for brief appearances will be Captain Jack, and Sarah Jane Smith, as well as Rose’s mother Jackie Tyler, and the lovable Mickey Smith.

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Noooooooooo, please say it ain’t so! When I posted last week about the end of the marriage between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills with a high court judge awarding the one-legged model $48 million, I thought that would be it, end of the matter.

I was hoping beyond hope that I could avoid talking about the whole sorry mess ever again here on Pop Buzz UK. Unfortunately, my plan has come crashing down after just six days, and here we have another post on the topic.

It’s not my fault, it’s Heather Mills fault, as she just won’t shut up about it all. Instead she seems intent on keeping herself and her many tales of woe in the public eye for as long as she can.

According to The News Of The World, she is bitter about the divorce ruling, and only receiving $48 million, rather than the $250 million she was asking for. And so is hatching plans get revenge on Paul, his lawyer (who has already had a glass of water thrown over her) and the high court judge who branded her a liar.

She has allegedly told a friend:

“He’s a Beatles fan. His ruling was so one-sided. It just shows that when you’re a Beatle you’re untouchable. The ruling shows an element of Beatle worship. The judge is just another person who idolises Paul McCartney.”

Rubbish, the high court judge just gave his opinion. Just because it wasn’t an opinion in your favour doesn’t mean that it was wrong or for any other ludicrous reason.

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Well thank God, disguised in the form Judge Hugh Bennett, that that is all over! These divorce proceedings between Heather Mills and Paul McCartney have been going on for far too long, and got far too bitchy, but finally they are at an end.

The celebrity couple, well an ex-Beatle and a one legged ex-model at least. split up over two years ago, but it has taken this long for the pair to settle on a financial deal, and then only because a high court judge decided the outcome for them.

Mills has ended up with $48.6 million, which is broken down in to a lump sum of $33 million to add to the assets she already holds (basically, property, cars, furniture etc) which she already holds. On top of that, the couple’s 4-year-old daughter Beatrice will receive $70,000 per annum, as well as McCartney having to pay for the child’s nanny and school fees.

While McCartney retained his dignity (what little he had left after this charade) by remaining silent at the end of the court proceedings, Mills called an impromptu press conference to express her delight at the outcome.

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The Spice Girls brought their comeback to a stuttering halt last month when they played their last concert together in Toronto, Canada, on February 26th. The tour was meant to carry on of course, but the girls had earlier announced that they were cutting the tour short.

There have been many arguments put forward as to why this happened. The Spice Girls official explanation was that “family and personal commitments” had forced the group to abandon the tour, despite having already promised to play places such as Beijing, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires. The fans in these places were expected to just accept that reason, but a lot didn’t.

What most people believe is that the girls just simply couldn’t stand to be together any longer than absolutely necessary, and stopped the tour at the earliest available opportunity, although Mel C has denied that any great rift happened to cause the group to split for the second time.

She told Rolling Stones magazine:

“All of us have really enjoyed getting closer again. The whole atmosphere on the tour [was] very fun and there hasn’t been time for any bickering or the fighting that’s always reported about the Spice Girls. It’s just like a big family. There’s been more laughing than anything else.”

“We’ve been through something so unique together that even if we don’t see each other for a few months, we get together and it’s been like no time has passed at all.”

There’s a reason these reports keep cropping up though, because there’s evidence to back them up, with sources close to the girls reporting constant arguments. There’s never any smoke without fire. Egos probably pay a huge factor in that, with each of the five girls thinking they are the bigger star.

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