Tuesday 31 March 2009

The ladies of Tennis : Dubai Photoshoot.

We normally think of female tennis players as muscular, grunting, ball playing amazons, but they do have a softer more feminine side as this photoshoot in Dubai shows.

Taking part were Anna Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Daniela Hanutchova sashaying around the hotspots of Dubai before they get down to the serious business of tennis at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Critics round on Madonna over 2nd Malawi Baby

The knives are out for Madonna. It seems her plans to adopt another baby from Malawi is leaving critics spluttering on their double decaf Cappuccinos and choking on their slim-line almond croissants

Take Andrea Peyser from the NY Post

The baby monster must be stopped! Stuck in a midlife crisis, Madonna is hoping to soothe the pain of being 50, manless and well past her freshness-expiration date by taking home a Third World daughter to match the last baby she bought like a human trinket.

Recently divorced for the second time, and accompanied by three children who should be in school -- and not advancing Madonna's pathetic cry for help -- she has traveled to the African nation of Malawi.


and Sue Caroll from the Daily Mirror

Madonna's arrival in Malawi to 'adopt' yet another poor child is the latest example of a new breed of showbiz imperialist who preys on the misfortunes of nations too impoverished to resist.

This increasingly desperate woman is unable to do anything - let alone adopt another poor child - with an iota of dignity or decorum.

This could be another tour, another album or another marriage such is her casual disregard for the emotional delicacies surrounding a huge undertaking like this.

Why is this super-rich egotist allowed to indulge in a spot of celebrity human trafficking?


Ouch !

Monday 30 March 2009

Madonna and her Malawian babies...

Another year and another Malawian baby adoption by Madonna. It looks like the pop star cannot get enough of cute Malawian babies. In 2006 in controversial circumstances it is alleged by some that she bulldozed her way through Malawian law to adopt David Banda, despite David's father still being alive.

Development charities and talking heads were outraged, Malawians were divided and the Paparazzi added a new name to the list of celebrity kids they needed to keep tabs on. As is the case with such things the controversy faded away. Baby David settled into his new multi-millionaire lifestyle with new superstar parents Guy Ritchie and Madonna.

Tow years later and Madonna developed a new adoption itch, reports have it that Guy Ritchie was having none of this and it is cited as one of the reason their marriage broke up. With no Guy to put a dampener of her plans, Madonna has thrown herself into her new adoption and has her sights on a four-year old Mercy James.

Again the the adoption is proving controversial, but Madonna seems undeterred as she has stormed Malawi with her entire brood, Lourdes, Rocco and David and has attended court hearings to formalise the adoption. With the Malawian government backing her it all looks pretty much sewn up.

Sunday 29 March 2009

The ten most expensive streets in the United Kingdom

Whether we admit it or not there is always a part of us that tries to keep up with the Jones's. Some "Jones's" however are quite difficult to keep up with especially if they live on any of the streets we feature in our listing of our "Ten most expensive streets in the United Kingdom"

The list comes courtesy of the property tracking website Mouseprice.com. The list highlights how much of the UK's wealth seems concentrated in London as all of the top ten streets are in the capital, with two of the capital's borough's, Barnet and Kensington & Chelsea dominating with four entries each.

The top ten streets based on the average street property price are listed below


10 . 9 . 8 . 7 . 6 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1


...

Friday 27 March 2009

Most expensive streets in the UK. No1 - Chester Square

No. 1 - Chester Square SW1W (City of Westminster, London)

We have trawled our way through massive Georgian mansions, weaved along gorgeous tree-lined avenues and finally we are at the top of list of the most expensive streets in the United Kingdom. The top of the list finds us in the heart of London. In the vicinity of its great landmarks, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and The House of Commons we find Chester Square, the UK's most expensive street.

Chester Square lies in the heart of Belgravia, one of London's most fashionable, if not its most fashionable neighbourhood. Famous resident's of Chester Square include Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

To get a feel for how expensive this road is, the last three house sold on this road have sold for £19.7 million, £12.7 million and £15 million. That these prices were achieved at the height of the credit crunch tell just about all you need to know about this road.



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Most expensive streets in the UK. No2 - Ingram Avenue

No. 2 - Ingram Avenue NW11 (London Borough of Barnet)

It is Deja Vu at No.2. We are back in Barnet, as a matter of fact we are back in the midst of the cluster of streets that have given us No.3, No.4, No.5 and No.6 and now No.2. It is Hampstead and here amongst the leafy gentility and just south of Hampstead Golf Club we have Ingram Avenue.

Famous residents past and present include Des O'Connor, Peter Sellers and the Sultan of Brunei is said to own three homes on this road. The road also boast Royal connections as the Queen is said to own a 'grace and favour' property here. With an average price of £5 million it is no surprise the road boasts such exclusivity.



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Thursday 26 March 2009

Most expensive streets in the UK. No3 - Courtenay Avenue

No. 3 - Courtenay Avenue N6 (London Borough of Harringey)

London Borough of Harringey is one of the UK's most deprived boroughs, but amongst the want, their lies the oasis of wealth that is Highgate and it is Highgate that provides the third most expensive street in the country.

The private road which lies off Hampstead Lane and borders Highgate Golf Club was in the top spot last year, but has slipped as prices across London soften. By soften we mean that the cheapest houses are in the region of £4 million, just so you know.

Unfortunately because it is a private street Street View only gives us a peek.



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Most expensive streets in the UK. No4 - Winnington Road

No. 4 - Winnington Road N2 (London Borough of Barnet)

We are still in Hampstead, well to be specific it is Hampstead Garden Suburbs, and little things like this matter in areas like this. Lying in between The Bishops Avenue and the Hampstead Golf Club is our entry at No. 5 Winnington Road.

The road is littered with huge double fronted mansions ranging in price from a an entry level price of £1 million to an eye-watering £17 million.



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Most expensive streets in the UK. No5 - The Bishops Avenue

No. 5 - The Bishops Avenue N2 (London Borough of Barnet)

If you took a poll of Londoners and ask them to name the most expensive road in the capital, The Bishops Avenue would be right up there. With massive and ostentatious mansions straddling the boulevard-like road, The Bishops Avenue reeks of power and money and not in an understated way.

With an apartment selling for £7 million in the midst of the Credit Crunch you know the residents of this road are not shackled by the same financial constraints as you and I. In the 1990's it was said that Saudi King Fahd fell so in love with the road in addition to his main home, he bought four more homes for his guests, while other members of the Saudi royal family have picked up a further five. The UK's richest man Lakshmi Mittal is also a resident.


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Most expensive streets in the UK. No6 - Spaniards Close

No. 6 - Spaniards Close NW11 (London Borough of Barnet)

We finally leave the delights of Kensington as we head up the charts and up to the more suburban borough of Barnet home to one of London's most coveted neighbourhoods - Hampstead and that's where we find our entry at No.6, Spaniards Close.

While we don't find the extreme swing in prices we have seen already, what we get in Spaniards Close is consistency, i.e prices consistently over £3 million. Streetview only gives us a peak into Spaniards close but rest assured it is as magnificent as any of its contenders


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Most expensive streets in the UK. No7 - Ilchester Place

No. 7 - Ilchester Place W14 (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)

Is every street in the Royal borough of Kensington full of millionaire pound houses? Seems so because at No.7 we get another Kensington millionaires row, Ilchester Place. Many of the large, low built houses have gardens with view overlooking Holland Park saw it comes as little surprise that prices can go up to £13 million at the top end and entry level prices at half a million.


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Wednesday 25 March 2009

Most expensive streets in the UK. No8 - The Vale

No. 8 - The Vale SW3 (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)

The Vale lies off that most famous of Chelsea roads, King's Road. The Vale was not always this posh having started out in the early 20th century with houses for artists, architects, musicians or writers 'of modest means'. It has come a long way since then with £8.9 million being the top price paid for house on this road and a flat setting you back £540,000 in 2001 and up to £965,000 in 2006.


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Apprentice UK : The Egos are back...

...and they are bigger, brasher and dare I say more incompetent than ever. Yes the fifth series of The Apprentice hit the screens this evening and as usual a motley group of smug, narcissistic and opinionated wannabes in suits are all fighting to be the next apprentice of Amstrad founder Sir Alan Sugar.

It seems as the years go by the quality of candidates is deteriorating and it's becoming more like Big Brother or any other downmarket reality TV show. Nevertheless I still find it entertaining.

Today's episode saw the boys "Team Empire" and the girls "Team Ignite" battle for supremacy in task to see who can earn the most money from washing cars. The girls made the most money but also had the highest costs, so lost.

There so many new faces so it is difficult to get a feel for who's who but a couple of people stood out

Debra Barr: Taken into the boardroom today by her team leader, Mona. She has all the hallmarks of the series villain cold, ruthless and not immune from telling bare-faced lies. She'll go far.

Mona Lewis: solely on her role as debutant Project Manager for the girls, did not cover herself in glory but was ready and able to fight her corner to the bitter end.

Philip Taylor : He is an Estate Agent, do I really need to say more. Stood out amongst the boys primarily for ignoring his Project Manager's (Howard) explicit instructions to was only car exteriors and turning around to accuse him of not giving instructions later on.

No doubt more characters will develop over the weeks and we will be here to bring our view to you.

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Most expensive streets in the UK. No9 - Cottesmore Gardens

No. 9 - Cottesmore Gardens W8 (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)

Bordering Victoria Road (No. 10) in the list. Cottesmore Gardens shares the same traditional Stucco finish to the huge homes similar to ones you see on Victoria Road. It would take more than a lottery win to purchase some of the finest homes on this road with the most expensive having been sold for £9.5 million and the cheapest flat sold over 7 years ago for just over half a million pounds.


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Most expensive streets in the UK. No10 - Victoria Road

No. 10 - Victoria Road, W8 (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)

The elegant homes of this road formerly known as ' Love Lane' date back to the 1840's. Houses range from £5 million for a detached villa to £475,000 for a studio flat. The road is home to the Vietnamese Embassy as well as many household names.


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Monday 23 March 2009

Michael Jackson upset after being compared to the IRA.

Michael Jackson apparently was upset and has demanded an apology after a pair of radio comedians compared the pop star to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The comedian Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis had in the BBC 4 Weekly comedy show, The Now Show, made light of the troubles in Northern Ireland by referring to the pop star and terrorist group as "80s celebrities".

They said: "I can't believe which 80s celebrities I want back less, Michael Jackson or the IRA."



In addition to Jackson's complaint several listeners to the show were also said to have lodged complaints. Coming on the back of the problems the BBC have had with Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand and Carole Thatcher I can imagine they will be quick to smooth this over

Michael Jackson
is currently set to start his "This is it" tour with a residency at the 02 centre in London.

Ray Quinn may have won, but Donal McIntyre is the real winner

It was pretty obvious from the beginning that in terms of talent former child actor Ray Quinn was head and shoulders above the other celebrities in ITV's Dancing on Ice. His extensive dance training as well as stints as a roller blader meant he took to the ice like a duck to water (if that's an appropriate simile).

For all his technical ability he never really made an emotional connection with many of the viewers, there was no sense of a journey of achievement and even accusations of excessive smugness .

It was seemingly a procession to his anointment, which it is how it turned out. However there were real winners like Donal McIntyre who was clearly struggling on the ice in the first few week but had blossomed into a competent skater by the end of the series. This, I think, is the magic of these shows, the transformation, the ugly duckling into the beautiful swan.

Donal faced Ray in the final after former Liberty X singer, Jessica Taylor could only grab third place. Despite a competent performance in the final it was not to be.

Kudos to Donal for getting all the way to the final and showing the country what a can-do attitude can achieve.

He was equally gracious in using the opportunity to call for knighthoods for Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean, who have been overlooked for years while knighthoods are being dished out to less deserving characters like disgraced RBS boss Fred Goodwin as he hinted at.

Sunday 22 March 2009

RIP: Jade Goody loses her battle with cancer.

Reality TV Star Jade Goody has passed away. Her death was announced by her family today, in a statement by her spokesman and friend Max Clifford he announced that she passed away at 3:14am today, Mothers Day.

Her mother Jackie Budden told Mr Clifford: "My beautiful girl is gone." and later stood outside her home and asked for privacy as friends and family grieved the news.

Goody was diagnosed with the disease in 2008 but it spread to her liver, groin and bowel and she was told it was terminal in February.




JADE GOODY (1982 - 2009)

Saturday 21 March 2009

Celebrity Haunts : Kate Moss's 4 Day bender

Kate Moss has been on a legendary bender this week that would put many a younger celeb to shame.

Partying through till dawn four days in a row is not for the faint-hearted, so where does a super-model and her super-model's entourage party these days in London. With Google's new gizmo we track the half-eaten canapes, the flutes of Cristal and shots of Vodka left by Kate's party trail as they blitzed through London's party hotspots.

Monday night (Annabels)
The week kicked off at Annabels the private club in Mayfair where Top Shop boss and retail magnate Phillip Green was celebrating his 57th birthday. Kate Moss who designs a clothing collection for Phillip Green's flagship Top Shop was there to add some glamour.

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Tuesday night (Shoreditch House)
Another day, another birthday this time it was for fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who celebrating his 40th. The venue was the Shoreditch House on Ebor Street, unassuming on the outside, extremely luxurious on the inside.

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Wednesday night (Garrads Jewellers, Albermale Street)
It was the Mummy Rocks charity event held in support of the Great Ormond Children's hospital and hosted by Garrard Jewellers who sponsored the event. The event was hosted at Garrard's flagship store on Albermale Street off Picadilly and close to New Bond Street and Kate mingled with a host of other celebs including Sadie Frost and Orlando Bloom.

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Thursday night (Volstead Night Club, Swallow Street)
The final night of the four-day bender was the launch party for PlayStation3 game, Singstar Queen at the Volstead Night Club, off Regent Street. Was Kate flagging? No way she was not slacking after getting so far, she partied through to Friday morning.

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"Slumdog" Kids hit the catwalk at Delhi fashion week

Can't they really go back to the way they were and should they!.

It has been a momentous couple of weeks for the child stars of the multi-Oscar winning hit Slumdog Millionaire, Rubina Ali and Mohammed Azharuddin Ismail. Plucked from the grinding poverty of the slums of Mumbai which were the focus of the film they starred in, they have been catapulted into the heady world of show business, glitz and fame.

February saw them hob-nobbing with Hollywood stars at the Oscars and now they've hit the catwalk at the Delhi fashion show. All this must be a million miles from the life they knew before Slumdog, but where do they go from here

There were many promises to pull the children and their family out of the grinding poverty they are surrounded with but so far little has happened. They have had a trust fund set up for them by the film makers but that provides funds for the long term.

Let's hope more changes soon, particualrly getting them somewhere good to live



Celebrity Haunts : The Hawley Arms

Like almost everyone else in the UK we can't get enough of Google Street view. We love it so much we have decided to start a new series using google street view to unearth place where the rich, famous and notorious head to.

Today we visit the Hawley Arms the scene of many (some will say too many) of Amy Winehouse's escapades. Yes the Hawley Arms is her local in Camden.

The pictures were taken last summer just after the Hawley Arms and large parts of historic Camden had been damaged by a huge fire.


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Thursday 19 March 2009

Leona performs at million pound concert

Leona Lewis has bagged a million pound pay day after performing at the Birthday party of the daughter of one of the UK's richest men, phone entrepreneur John Caudwell.

Leona performed the seven song set (£143,000 per song) at the billionaire's daughter's 21st birthday party in front of 200 guests .

She broke her off from working on her second album to do the performance. She had been up to then been on strict orders from X-Factor supremo Simon Cowell to cut down on all outside engagements and focus on the album, clearly a million for seven songs was too much to resist.

Natasha Richardson Dies after Skiing accident.

It has been announced today the Natasha Richardson has died. It just an unbelievable tragedy. It reminds us how fragile life can be :-)

Our condolences go out to her husband Liam Neeson, sister Joely Richardson, her mum Vanessa Redgrave and all her friends and family.

It seemed so innocuous, she fell while skiing on a learners slope at the Mount Tremblant resort in Quebec, Canada. Initially brushed off as a minor fall, her situation deteriorated rapidly and she was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to Hopital du Sacre-Coeur in Montreal. From there she was transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

The situation deteriorated to the extent that she was put on life-support before finally passing away today aged 45.

CNN reports

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Amy Winehouse in court over assault charges

Amy Winehouse and a gaggle of paparazzi and fans turned the normally sedate City of Westminster Magistrates court into a media circus this afternoon.

Amy Winehouse, a gaggle of paparazzi and press, adoring fans, burly bodyguards and well-groomed lawyers all converged on the City Of Westminster Magistrates Court today as the Winehouse media bandwagon marked its official return from the sun kissed islands of St Lucia to the slightly chillier London.

Not that Amy seemed to notice as she made her appearance at court today in a revealing floral print mini-dress.

It was not all light-hearted though as Amy was in court on charges of assault. It is alleged that she assaulted dancer Sherene Flash last September at a charity ball in London. Ms Flash said Amy had attacked her after she had requested for a photo which had been initially agreed to.
She case was adjourned to July 23, when no doubt the circus will return.

Sunday 15 March 2009

Is a 'Toy Boy' the must-have accessory for the woman who has everyhing

We are all used to seeing aging male celebrities sharing the limelight with the obligatory pretty young thing as they live up to full the adage "you are as young as the woman you feel". Well what a man can do, a woman can do just as well, and a whole host of A-list female celebrities are out there proving just that, in what some have dubbed the Cougar phenomenon

Madonna(50) and Jesus Luz(22) are the lastest Yummy Mummy Toy Boy (YMTB) combo to hit the headlines. The singer has found comfort in the arms of the young Brazilian model after the acrimonious split from her British film director husband Guy Ritchie. They were said to have first laid eyes on each other while Madonna was doing a photo shoot out in Rio de Janierio.

Demi Moore(46) and Ashton Kutcher(31) are the poster children for the YMTBs. The couple who got married in 2005 after going out for 2 years. They first met when Kutcher was a fresh faced 25 year old actor and the then Ms Moore already an established actress had had two marriages behind her (musician Freddie Moore (1980-84) and actor Bruce Willis (1987-2000)), six years later it is still going strong.

Mariah Carey(39) and Nick Cannon (30). She is the world's best selling solo artist and winner of countless awards and he is a part-time presenter, comedian and rapper, but together they are a sizzling hot YMTB couple. It was a whirlwind romance quickly followed by marriage in 2008 in Bahamas, what a Vision of Love some might say (not us though, cos we don't do cheesey stuff!).

Halle Berry (43) and Gabriel Aubry (33). The twice married American actress must have thought she she had her run after her second marriage to R&B star Eric Benet ended but when she bumped into French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry on the set of TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God it was love at first sight. Fast forward three years and they are blessed with a one-year old daughter, Nahla.

Cher (62) and Tim Medvetz (38). While Tim Medvetz was still a twinkle in his parents eyes, Cher had recorded and released her classic I got you Babe, married her first husband Sony Bono and had her fist child Chastity Bono. As they say love conquers all and their relationship is so far still going strong.

Friday 13 March 2009

BBC2 to screen US TV hit - The Wire

US Hit cop show The Wire is to get a UK terrestial screening at last. The critically acclaimed show produced by HBO is to be shown on BBC2 although no dates have been given but it expected to start this spring with daily episodes.

The Wire which is based on life in Baltimore sees the city through the lives of cops, politicians, drug lords and journalists. The show has already been aired in the UK on the sci-fi satellite channel FX but its debut on BBC2 will see it reach a greater proportion of the UK's TV viewership.

The Wire ran for 5 season (60 episodes) . If you can't wait enjoy a clip of the show. Personally I am really looking forward to this, hope it lives up to the hype.

More heart break for 'unlucky in love' Aniston

It looks like fresh heartbreak for Friends star Jennifer Aniston. Reports are coming through that she has split from her latest Beau, musician John Mayer.

Having recently turned 40 Aniston's latest relationship breakdown must leave her wondering if she is ever going to find true happiness. It must also be particularly galling when she looks over her shoulder and sees former love Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie playing happy families with their myriad of kids.

Aniston and Mayer hooked up last April and their relationship has been bit rocky but their appearance together at the Oscars seemed to be a sign of it getting on the right track, sadly it is not to be.

Michael Jacksons' London concerts sell out in minutes

Who would have thought, he may well have been in King of Pop in the Eighties, but this is 2009, he is half a century old and over the last few years has been dogged by lurid allegations in his personal life.

Could he really sell tickets for 50 (yes 50!) live shows at London's huge concert venue, the 02 centre? Yes he can. Over the space of a few hours this morning a million tickets for Michael Jackson's 'This is it' concerts to be held between now and February 2010 were completely sold out.

Organisers of the concert claim they ticket sale set a new world record (they would, wouldn't they) selling 11 tickets every second.

This being the Internet age it comes as no suprise though that many of these tickets have found their on to online auctions website like EBay on offer for between £170 and an eye-watering £10,000 compared to their cover price of £75.

Thursday 12 March 2009

The richest celebrities in the world 2009.

We know Bill Gates is back as the richest man in the world. He is so well known he is arguably a celebrity in addition to being the the richest software entrepreneur in the world, but is he a celebrity in a 15 bytes sense? Well not really, so who is?

For this we turn again to Forbes to find the richest celebrities in the world.


Michael Bloomberg ($16bn) - The Mayor of New York city who made his money providing financial information to wall Street and beyond is top of the list with a hefty $16bn.

Steve Jobs ($3.4bn) - The public face of Apple Computers and technology evangelist may be physically waning, but financially he is still in good health

Steven Spielberg ($3bn) - He was brought magic to our screens with his films over the years and has reaped substantial rewards.

George Lucas ($3bn) - Star Wars continues to top the favourite film list of film buffs and the success of the franchise has proved to be a success for George Lucas

Giorgio Armani ($2.8bn) - A stalwart of the fashion industry and designer to the stars, Giorgio Armani sits pretty with a fortune of $2.8bn

Ralph Lauren ($2.8bn) - Not to be outdone by his Italian counterpart, fashion designer Ralph Lauren also makes the list at the same position as Armani

Oprah Winfrey ($2.7bn) - The doyen of daytime TV and friend of the stars, Ms Winfrey has built a very profitable media empire from scratch.

Richard Branson ($2.5bn) - The affable British billionaire, owner of the Virgin brand, consunmate self promoter and Britian's most admired entrepreneur makes the list.

Donald Trump ($1.6bn) - He has fired and hired on his hit show The Apprentice and looking at his net worth it is no suprise hundred of eager young things are queuing up for the show.

JK Rowling ($1bn) - Her Harry Potter books have captured the imagination of the old and young all over the world and her bank balance is all the better for that


Related Post : The Richest Men and Women on Prime Time US TV 2009

Bill Gates is back on top as the world's richest man

Yes, William H. Gates III (Bill Gates to you and me) has reclaimed his title as the man with the most cash to flash as he storms to the top of Forbes list of global Billionaires in 2009 .

No suprise though as it likely that to read this blog post, you're using one or more of the all-pervasive computer products from Microsoft , the company Bill Gates founded.

Still the credit crunch has been a bitter sweet experience for Bill as he lost a staggering $18bn over the year to see his overall wealth drop down to $40bn, but still rising to the title of the richest man in the world as the crunch was even harsher on his rivals.

His rivals, former richest man in the world and investment guru, Warren Buffet ($37bn) and Mexican telecoms Tycoon, Carlos Slim Helu ($35bn) lost even more. Both Warren and Carlos lost $25bn to drop from into positions 2 and 3 respectively.

In these times of want it is a welcome respite to celebrate success, even if a lot of it seems excessive (What the heck do you do with $40bn?)

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Michelle Obama is the flavour of the Month...

...in publishing circles.

Vogue the iconic fashion Magazine had her on their cover for this March's edition. Oprah Winfrey's Magazine Oprah has also muscled in on the action with the latest edition which goes on sale March 17 also featuring Mrs Obama



Even the New Yorker which in the run up to the election featured the infamous cartoon of an AK-47 totting Michelle fist bumping with a taliban-esque garbed Barack has succumbed to the 'Michelle Obama as a fashion icon craze' currently sweeping the nation with its latest cover




However not everyone seems to be getting it right. Glamour Magazine's take on the this trend is a shoot featuring Alicia Keys and two child models as as Michelle, Sasha and Malia as part of their American icons series. We love Alicia Keys but we aren't feeling this faux-family Obama.


Tuesday 10 March 2009

Dancing with stars kicks off we review the lineup

It's the eight season ABC's flagship reality TV shop - Dancing with the Stars and as usual it is a mixture of the "she should be good at this" and the "Oh my God is he really going to do this".

So who's signed up to cha-cha-cha, rhumba and paso doble their way into our homes and supposedly into our hearts.

Belinda Carlisle - The 80's pop sensation is back to strut her stuff. Will her dance steps be like "Heaven on Earth"

David Alan Grier - Actor and comedian famous for his roles in comedy series - In Living Colour.

Shawn Johnson - Multi-medal winning gymnast from the Beijing Olympics, Shawn will definitely be a contender.

Lil' Kim - Grammy Award winning rapper and recently reprieved jail bird. Lil' Kim would be looking to rejuvenate her image with some stylish displays.

Holly Madison - Former Playboy playmate (Nov 2005) and one Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. Madison will be keen to show she's more than just a pretty face and sexy body. Having stepped into replace last minute withdrawal Jewel, she needs to get into the groove quickly.

Giles Marini - A Sexy Monsieur from Sex and City. French born Giles is most famous for his role as Dante in the HBO smash hit.

Ty Murray
- Ty is the nine times Rodeo world champion, a man's man in man's sport. I guess somewhere inside all of us there is a little Billy Elliot yearning to get out.

Steve-O - Is the genteel world of Dancing with Stars is really ready for Jackass star Steve O. To say he loves controversy is an understatement.

Denise Richards - Charlie Sheen's ex and Hollywood actress. Like Madison she'll be hoping to prove that she more than just a 'yummy mummy'

Melissa Rycroft - Ex Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and winner of ABC's reality TV show The Bachelor although she later got dumped by the bachelor in question - Jason Mesnick. Time to show him what he's missing.

Lawrence Taylor - Legendary line backer for the NY Giants and star of American Football from the 80's. Interesting to see how he makes out, as with Steve Wozniak these two are the 'Daddies' of the group

Chuck Wicks - Country Music singer song writer. Interestingly his professional partner will be his girlfriend Julianne Hough. Brave man!

Steve Wozniak - Apple Computers Supremo. Now this is bound to be hilarious, middle aged uber-nerd sashaying across the floor. For Steve's sake I hope he has a good outing, otherwise it could be car-crash TV.

Monday 9 March 2009

Shock ! Alex Burka and Ruth Lorenzo are no longer BFFL

This is news that is going to rock the entertainment industry, Best Friends For Life (BFFL), fraternal soul mates and fellow contestants on the X-Factor Ruth Lorenzo and Alexandra Burke have had a major bust up and it looks like their friendship may be over for good.

Despite living , partying, shopping and vacationing together over the last few months it looks like the strain of fame finally caught up with the relationship.


The Sun reports

“Ruth claims they fell out because she pulled a dancer Alex had her eye on. She reckons Alex bullied her but the old green-eyed monster has been creeping in.

“Meanwhile Alex feels she is being singled out by Ruth and the others on tour because of her success.

“She insists she was never after any dancer — she doesn’t think that would be very cool. She thinks Ruth is just using it as a excuse to pick on her.

“But either way their friendship is well and truly over. They can barely look at each other.

“Both have threatened to leave unless the other is booted off the tour.”



A shame as they seemed to share a genuine friendship...


UPDATE:

What do you know thanks to one of our readers, It looks like the story in the Sun might not be true.

Our reader met both Alexandra and Ruth during the X-Factor tour and you can judge yourself from the picture below if they've really fallen out.

Click on picture for the story on Alexandra's forum.


Dancing with Ice : It's only entertainment folks

It looks like another John Sergeant type situation is developing on ITV's dancing on ice. We initially thought Todd Carty was the new 'John Sergeant' but we were wrong bubbling away under the radar was Coleen Nolan and she has turned out to be Dancing On Ice's 'John Sergeant '.

Admittedly she was never as dire as John was on Strictly Come Dancing, but she has been clearly outperformed skating-wise by a least three of the celebs that have been eliminated namely; Zoe Salmon (former Blue Peter presenter), Roxanne Pallet(Emmerdale actress) and Melinda Messenger (Model and TV presenter).

No surprise them that Internet fora and newspapers are questioning whether Coleen deserves to have got this far, claiming her quality of skating is far below that of most of the peers and her continual stay demeans the programme.

Please! Why do people forget that this is ultimately an entertainment show and if Coleen entertains folk then all power to her and long may she reign on the ice. At 15Bytes we would love to see Coleen win rather than the ever-smug and annoyingly capable Ray Quinn .

Thursday 5 March 2009

"Now I am really going to kill you" Chris Brown to Rihanna in LAPD report

Just when it seemed the Chris Brown Rihanna saga might have be ebbing away from the public domain, an explosive copy of the affidavit and search warrant has unearthed and the details are shocking!

Multiple threats are alledged to have been made by Chris Brown including alledgedly threatning to kill Rihanna.

CNN's Ricki Sanchez takes up the story.

Britney Spears "The Circus" Concert Tour Dates and Venues

You've read the reviews and if you are keen to find out whether Britney Spears is miming outrageously, burlesque enough to join the Pussy Cat Dolls or simply back to the form that made her one of the biggest pop stars in the world then you can catch Britney' Circus tour at the following dates and locations.

It is a massive 10 weeks of touring; 8 Weeks in North America and just over two weeks in the UK!

MARCH

Tue, Mar 3
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans, LA


Thu, Mar 5
Philips Arena
Atlanta, GA


Sat, Mar 7
American Airlines Arena
Miami, FL

Sun, Mar 8
St Pete times Forum
Tampa, Fl

Wed, Mar 11 & Mon, Mar 23
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY

Fri, Mar 13 - Sat, Mar 14
Prudential Center
Newark, NJ

Wed, Mar 18 - Thu, Mar 19
Air Canada Centre,
Toronto, ON (Canada)

Fri, Mar 20
Bell Centre
Montreal, QC (Canada)

Tue, Mar 24
Verizon Centre
Washington, DC


Thu, Mar 26
Mohegan Sun
Ucasville, CT

Fri, Mar 27
Mellon Arena
Pittsburgh, PA

Mon, Mar 30
Toyota Center
Houston, TX

Mon, Mar 31
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX

APRIL

Thu, Apr 2
Sprint Center
Kansas City, MO

Fri, Apr 3
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN

Mon, Apr 6
Rexall Place
Edmonton, AB (Canada)

Wed, Apr 8
GM Place
Vancouver, BC (Canada)


Thu, Apr 9
Tacoma Dome
Tacoma, WA

Sat, Apr 11
Arco Arena
Sacramento, CA


Sun, Apr 12
HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA

Tue, Apr 14
Energy Solutions Arena
Salt Lake City, UT

Thu, Apr 16 - Fri, Apr 17
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA

Sun, Apr 19 - Mon, Apr 20
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA

Wed, Apr 22
Oracle Arena
Oakland, CA


Fri, Apr 24
Jobing.com Arena
Glendale, AZ

Sat, Apr 25
MGM Grand Garden
Las Vegas, NV

Tue, Apr 28 - Wed, Apr 29
AllState Arena
Chicago, IL


Thu, Apr 30
Schottenstein Centre
Columbus, OH

MAY

Sat, May 2
Mohegan Sun
Uncasville, CT

Wed, Jun 3, Thu 4, Sat 6, sun 7, Wed 10, Thu 11, Sat 13, Sun 14
The 02
London (UK)

Wed, June 17
MEN Arena
Manchester (UK)

...and if you can't wait then enjoy this snippet from the New Orleans concert.



For Tickets, Photos, Videos and Merchandise visit the official tour site

Britney is Back. Come back tour kicks off

It's been five years since Britney last hit the concert tour and that's no surprise with the problems she's had. It looks like she's sorted herself out and is now back making music and hopefully more cash as well. Her comeback tour, dubbed the Circus Tour kicked off in New Orleans yesterday at the New Orleans Arena before it heads off to more venues across the USA, Canada and the UK

Here's what the critics had to say


Los Angeles Times

Despite that first-night stumble and several numbers in which her dancing was no more than adequate, Spears can safely call this performance a success. She apparently has no interest in proving herself as a vocalist; Pink is a better acrobat and her friend Justin Timberlake is a far better dancer.



BBC

Spears was met with wild applause as she first appeared descending from the ceiling on hoops suspended by wires.

But the star did not interact much with the crowd - only saying to the audience, "Thank you, New Orleans", at the end of the nearly two-hour show.


The Times (London)

Although Spears chose to mime rather than sing live during the first of her Circus Tour shows, the New Orleans audience went wild for the star, who swiftly proved she had finally returned to form following a protracted public meltdown.


Entertainment Weekly

The "Circus" tour was another strong step in the right direction. Spears didn't interact much with the crowd — the only thing she uttered to the audience was "Thank you, New Orleans" at the end of the nearly two-hour show — and appeared at times to be lip-synching. But fans didn't seem to care, screaming wildly at the first sight of Spears, who descended from the ceiling on hoops suspended by wires, wearing a short red and black ringmaster ensemble.



and a peek behind the scenes as Britney prepares for the tour....

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Chris Brown and Rihanna are they really married?

Well it never rains it pours, at least that seems to be the case in the Chris Brown, Rihanna saga.

First we were gob-smacked when the news came out that the clean-cut All American pop Prince Chris Brown was arrested over allegations that he beat up his girlfriend R&B sensation Rihanna. Cue general disbelief and a media frenzy, with speculation on why it happened, when it happened, who was involved, and so on. The 'photo' came out and disbelief turned to shock. The general consensus was it was all over for Chris Brown.

Then first shock, three weeks later and Rihanna and Chris Brown were reported to be back together. Apparently they were working over their issues at P Diddy's palatial Miami home. Chris Brown was even reported as having started Anger Management classes. Hmmh! we thought, well as long as she knows what she's doing and hopefully people around her will assess the situation carefully.

So how were we to react when we read today that they have actually got married. Well nothing confirmed but the media is buzzing with the latest twist in the saga. Heat Magazine reported that

A minister was called to the mansion Chris and Rihanna were staying at, and that they tied the knot there and then.
Well if true, all we can say is wow!. Not for us to get all moral and sanctimonious about someone else's life but that would be incredible bordering on insane. Would it have been love, self esteem or what ? There is definitely more to come.

Monday 2 March 2009

For Spice Girls to Spice Mums...

Or how Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Posh Spice, Ginger Spice and Sporty Spice have all become Mummy Spice's.

The big Spice related news of the last few days is that Sporty Spice aka Mel C aka Melanie Chisholm has joined ranks of the Spice Mummies when she gave birth to a bouncing (I have never understood that term) baby girl in London. The new mum and her partner, millionaire property developer Thomas Starr have named the Baby Scarlett.

The arrival of Scarlett Starr marks the completion of the transition of the cheesy feel-good pop girl band into some of the world best known yummy-mummy's.

First off the block (so to speak) was Scary Spice (Mel B \ Melanie Brown) who had a daughter Phoenix-Chi (19 Feb 1999) with then Husband Jimmy Gulzar. A short-lived romance with Hollywood star Eddie Murphy saw the arrival of her second daughter Angel Iris Murphy (3 April 2007) and an expensive law suit.

Hot on her heels was Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) who had her first son, Brooklyn (March 4 1999) just before her fairly tale wedding to football star David later that year. Brooklyn was soon followed by two more boys Romeo (1st September 2002) and Cruz (20 February 2005).

Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell) had a daughter Bluebell Madonna (14 May 2006), a load of speculation surrounded the identity of the father which Geri has so far refused to divulge.

In August 2007 despite being diagnosed with fertility issues Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) and boyfriend singer Jade Jones had a daughter Beau Lee (10 Aug 2007)