Love-rat’ Wayne Rooney has finally some relief – his wife Coleen has agreed to take him back. The reunion came after the footballer agreed to a string of Coleen’s demands, top of the list being an ultimatum: “One more girl, Wayne, and we”re finished.” Grim-faced Coleen finally arrived back at the couple”s 4-million-pound home in [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Cheshire’
Pixie Lott dating model Oliver Cheshire
August 17th, 2010 |
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Singer songwriter Pixie Lott has been revealed to be dating model Oliver Cheshire. Lott, 19, and Cheshire have been dating for a few weeks after they met through friends and clicked at a fashion event for Select Models “Pixie and Oliver are dating. Pixie hasn’t declared it publicly as she doesn’t want to seem too [...]
Morrissey blasts Queen’s Guards’ fur hat
August 4th, 2010 |
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Singer Steven Patrick Morrissey has blasted the Queen’s Guard soldiers for wearing bearskin hats. The guardsmen who stand to attention outside Buckingham Palace in London attract millions of tourists every year with their iconic red jackets and black fur headwear. But Morrissey, 51, has blasted them as being “absurd†hats, and insisted their use “reflects [...]
Kerry Katona ‘house-hunting for a lovenest’
April 2nd, 2010 |
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Kerry Katona is looking for a house to get closer to
Peter Andre, say sources.
The ex-Atomic Kitten will up sticks from Wilmslow, Cheshire and is said to be checking out properties in Hove, East Sussex, where Pete, 37, lives, reports The Daily Star.
“Kerry says she wants to move to Sussex. She’s seen one house [...]
Phish | 12.04.09 | MSG Night 3
December 5th, 2009 |
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Words by: Brian Bavosa
Phish :: 12.04.09 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY
 Phish :: 12.03 :: MSG by Perrucci |
The final night of Phish‘s return to MSG fell on Friday night, and saw the crowd a little more rambunctious than the previous two evenings. For the first time, there seemed to be a market for tickets, as many outside begged and pleaded to get themselves through the doors. For those that did make it in, MSG3 offered some bust outs, firsts and some classic, rocking Phish.
“Heavy Things” offered a light-hearted start, as many fans still scrambled to get situated, as the lines to get in were far worse than the previous two shows. “Possum,” “Wilson” – the first song Phish ever played at the Garden in ’94 – and “Kill Devil Falls” was a sequence of straightforward, soaring guitar rock, which set the tone for a powerhouse Friday night in NYC.
The first, real treat was the return of “Glide,” a song not performed since the infamous debacle of Coventry. This version saw Trey nail the guitar parts, as Fishman tackled the knick-knack of the drums. From the plastered smiles on the crowd, it appeared that few cared how they played this one; they were just happy to be seeing it again.
A smoking “46 Days” was patient, yet fierce in its rocking and frolicking, while “Bouncing Around the Room” and “Reba” offered a blissful mid-set portion. “Reba” showcased lighting director Kuroda at his best, using the patented “bubbles” to illuminate the floor before ascending to the rafters along with the song’s jam. “Dinner and a Movie,” another real treat, saw the juxtaposition of tempos with a breakneck barreling down a highway vibe pushed against the song’s lazy, lullaby chorus.
 Trey :: 12.02 :: MSG by Perrucci |
The stage was set for the sixth and final set of the MSG run with “Maze” and “First Tube.” Trey has often remarked that a Phish show for him is all about the energy. If so, he must have exploded during “First Tube.” The place was simply going bonkers in the way only an MSG crowd can. It’s hard to explain, but in this building everyone just becomes affected a little bit differently. Trey was jumping around, slashing his guitar with a huge Cheshire cat grin on his face. Overall, a well played, wide ranging 12 song first set with a steady incline of energy, like the ascent of a roller coaster that started its freefall during “First Tube” before the wild loop-de-loops to come in set two.
“Scents and Subtle Sounds,” another song not performed since ’04, was a completely unexpected surprise. A song that defined ’03 and ’04, many couldn’t help but think back to this tune’s debut over six years ago in Phoenix, as well as Phish performing this track about 20 blocks away on top of the Letterman marquee on what appeared to be their farewell tour. This song featured some great textures, and as I looked around I saw the masses grow enraptured by the weaving strands of the composition. In the past, it could have been five or 35 minutes. This one came in on the shorter end, but it was all that was needed. A blissful second set opener that brought back memories of Phish 2.0.
Not ones to mess around, Phish got back to the rocking shortly thereafter with The Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll.” Another tune that the crowd was primed for, when Page belted out the lines, “Then one fine mornin’ she puts on a New York station/ You know, she couldn’t believe what she heard at all/ She started dancin’ to that fine fine music/ You know her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll,” the place exploded. “Rock and Roll” eventually wound down and found its way to “Seven Below,” with the infectious hook by Trey leading the way and some synth action by McConnell. Again, this tune, and the following “Twist,” featured some great textures like the opening “Scents.” “Twist” saw the place do just that, complete with accompanying calls of “Whoo!” during the chorus.
Everything came to a head with the song of the night: “Mike’s Song.” An absolutely blistering, razor sharp rendition, the energy in the building was at the highest of the run, with Phish fucking nailing it. The transitions were perfect and the band was hell-bent on offering an earth-shattering version. It landed in old counterpart, the beautiful “I Am Hydrogen,” before the slap bass breakdown and dance party of “Weekapaug Groove.” Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, the “Mike’s Groove” was short, sweet and certainly to the point, with “Mike’s Song” doing the heavy lifting.
 Phish :: 12.03 :: MSG by Perrucci |
“The Horse” > “Silent in the Morning” is hardly a bathroom break, but offered a slight respite before the cherry on the sundae, set closer “You Enjoy Myself.” Another outstanding version, “YEM” capped off the main portion of a truly special three-night return to MSG. It was so funky and hot that it was like a broken steam pipe, offering a scorching blast of Phish right down your insides. All in all, a perfect way to end the run.
Not one to forget how they got here or what they’ve been doing lately, the encore was the second ever reading of “Shine a Light” from the Halloween album, Exile on Main Street. No, Sharon Jones didn’t show up, but all we needed was the phab phour. Isn’t that all we ever needed? As this extremely poignant tune suggests, “Make every song you sing your favorite tune.”
Whether you’re a cynic, a critic, a fluffer, or somewhere in between, there is simply no denying the message that Phish 3.0 is sending: We have gas left in the tank, so let’s continue to enjoy this ride together – in the moment. MSG has seen some serious Phishtory over the years, and ’09 did nothing but add to that tale.
Phish :: 12.04.09 :: Madison Square Garden :: New York, NY
Set I: Heavy Things, Possum, Wilson, Kill Devil Falls, Glide, 46 Days, Bouncing Around The Room, Reba, Dinner and a Movie, Guyute, Maze, First Tube
Set II: Scents And Subtle Sounds, Rock & Roll > Seven Below > Twist, Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, You Enjoy Myself
E: Shine A Light
Order the show for Download on LivePhish.com.
Phish conclude their current tour tonight (12/05) at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA; complete tour dates available here.
You can keep up with all things Phish, including live Tweets and setlists, at jambase.com/phish.
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Ex-McFadden to fight for kids’ custody with drug scandal-hit Katona
September 5th, 2009 |
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Former Westlife singer Brian McFadden has said that he’ll fight for custody of his kids with ex-wife Kerry Katona, following the knowledge of her addiction to drugs.
“I”ll fight to get custody of my kids and bring them to Ireland,” the Sun quoted him as saying.
Katona was recently caught snorting drugs at her Cheshire home and [...]
School pupil, 90, dies in Kenya
August 14th, 2009 |
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Kenya’s oldest pupil, Kimani Nganga Maruge, has died in Nairobi aged 90.
The great-grandfather held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to start primary school, at the age of 84.
His house in the Rift Valley was burnt down in post-election violence last year and he was later moved from a camp to an old people’s home in the capital.
Despite the disruption, Mr Maruge kept hard at his studies and had two years left to finish his primary education.
Mr Maruge, a veteran of the Mau Mau independence movement, never had the opportunity to go to school when he was younger.
The father-of-five said he wanted to learn how to read the Bible for himself and he was also suspicious that he might not have been getting his full pension so he was also keen to study maths.
In 2004 he enrolled at Kapkenduywa primary school, in Eldoret, a year after the Kenyan government introduced free primary schooling.
With one of the best attendance records he was made a prefect in the school.
Two of his 30 grandchildren, who had been at the same school, said he had eventually wanted to complete a veterinary diploma.
‘Courageous’
Mumbi Kamuri, head of Cheshire Homes in Kenya where Mr Maruge spent the last year of his life, told the BBC he was dedicated to his studies right to the end.
Even after he was diagnosed with cancer in February he asked for teachers to teach him at home, she said.
"He was a very courageous man," she said.
"Even if you don’t see it through to the end, you will still have achieved something."
In 2005, he travelled to the United States where he called on world leaders attending a summit to make education for the poor a priority.
The BBC’s Will Ross in Nairobi says he will be remembered by many people as an inspirational figure who brought new meaning to the phrase, "it’s never too late".
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The Flaming Lips | 07.28 | Australia
August 3rd, 2009 |
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Words & Images by: Alex Anastas
The Flaming Lips :: 07.28.09 :: Hordern Pavilion :: Sydney, Australia
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If Willy Wonka had music piping through his personal quarters at the Chocolate Factory, The Flaming Lips would be in heavy rotation. Their contagious zest for life, underlying political consciousness and general wacky Prankster behavior is rare in today’s minimalist scene. Often times I wonder if Rip Taylor or Wavy Gravy have ever seen or been a part of a Lips show. If either of those unique characters were present, Wayne Coyne‘s hard-working crew would certainly have to bring even more confetti and balloons, if that’s actually possible.
Kicking off their show at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion with an enthusiastic synthesizer laden groove, Melbourne standouts Midnight Juggernauts laid down a backbeat reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. Featuring voice box effects, heavy metal vamp endings and a Floydian flair for dramatic key changes, the Juggernauts received a warm reception from the now anxiously frothing audience, many dressed appropriately in a variety of costumes. Perhaps having seen the film 24 Hour Party People one too many times, Vincent Vendetta spilled forth youthful exuberance in his operatic vocal turns and ambivalent posturing. Meanwhile drummer Daniel Stricker never relented his pounding on the skins, even when his comrades joined him on an electronic percussion jam center stage. However, Andrew Juggernaut stood out as he led his fellow bandmates with commanding skills on the bass, guitar and synth, taking almost all the solos. Juggernaut and Vendetta occasionally switched instruments, most successfully while sampling some Daft Punk during a “Welcome to the Freakshow” jam. Ending by stating, “This is the third time we’ve shared the stage with The Flaming Lips in as many days,” Wayne Coyne certainly enjoyed his protegees, smiling like a Cheshire cat in the shadows side stage.
While the crowd swelled to near sold out capacity, the master of ceremonies, Wayne Coyne, repeatedly surveyed his band’s equipment, stalking back and forth across the stage while his mates sound-checked their gear. Soon disappearing backstage, their massive lo-fi display screen came to life, depicting a naked, glowing neon woman contorting as an emanating light from between her widely spread legs sent the words “birth” out to the band and crowd. This must be seen to be believed as one by one band members opened a hidden door in the screen and marched down a plank positioned by stagehands. With guitar/synthesizer wizard Steven Drozd positioned behind his rig stage left, Kliph Scurlock sitting atop his drum throne center stage, and the always cool Michael Ivins seated bass in hand off to the right, the crew slowly inflated Wayne’s now customary sphere. Bouncing around the first few rows of the crowd as the Lips opened with “Race for the Prize,” Coyne’s shit-eating grin inside his clear bubble was matched by every fan that pushed his orb back towards the stage.
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The show’s energy may have peaked early with Coyne introducing the third tune, “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” as an ode to the new President of the U.S. of A. However, throughout the evening The Flaming Lips frontman was extremely cordial and talkative with the rabid crowd, stating the last time they were in Australia was for 2004′s Big Day with Metallica, The Strokes and The Mars Volta, and that they’d be back sooner if “only Australia wasn’t 9,000 fucking miles away.” So true. Dedicated to their “cosmic brother Nick Cave,” “Vein of Stars” had the Worm King and frogs stage left grooving with the Fat Sun and hot bunny dancers stage right in the wild party atmosphere of pure bliss that a Lips concert perpetuates. A ballad version of “Yoshimi… Part 1″ followed closely by Coyne on trumpet for “Taps” mellowed the show with olfactory sensations of dank, possibly brought from their recent stop at Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass days before.
Closing their set with a video display of The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart introducing “She Don’t Use Jelly,” this smash tune off 1993′s Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, let the rapturous Tuesday night crowd show they had a little more in their tank. Before capping it all off with “Do You Realize?,” Coyne proclaimed, “The Flaming Lips audience is the greatest ever. You’re not cynical. We throw balloons and confetti and you treat each as a magical piece of fairy dust or squishy magical piece of plastic. Through all this happiness, there are a couple people out there experiencing real sadness in their lives, too, and YOU give them a reason to think that tomorrow will be a brighter day.”
During the extremely brief encore break, Coyne quickly ducked backstage to grab two of the frog people for a marriage proposal center stage, to which the female frog proclaimed, “It’s about time.” After a blowout night of Flaming Lips bombardment, I think many of their Australian fan-base would agree.
The Flaming Lips :: 07.28.09 :: Hordern Pavilion :: Sydney, Australia
Race for the Prize, Silver Trembling Hands, The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, Fight Test, Enthusiasm for Life, Convinced Of The Hex, Mountain Side, Vein Of Stars, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots – Part 1, Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung, Taps, The Wand, She Don’t Use Jelly
Encore: Do You Realize??
The Flaming Lips tour dates available here.
Continue reading for more pics of The Flaming Lips in Australia…
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Kerry Katona left furious after hubby was pictured fondling stripper
August 3rd, 2009 |
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Brit media personality Kerry Katona was left furious after her husband, Mark Croft, was pictured cavorting with a stripper.
Katona, 28, stormed out of her 1.5million pounds mansion as she made her way to the shooting of her Iceland Christmas ad campaign, a few days after she made an attempt at reconciling with her hubby in [...]
Pals urge love-split Katona to ‘check into rehab’
August 3rd, 2009 |
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British media personality Kerry Katona, who has sparked health fears following her split from husband Mark Croft, has been advised by friends to check into rehab, it has emerged.
Katona’s marriage to her former taxi driver hubby is set to go to the courts soon, and her friends fear the break-up could make the 28-year-old habitual [...]
Kerry Katona splits from Mark Croft for 3rd time this year
July 25th, 2009 |
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Former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona has once again split from her hubby Mark Croft, making it the third time this year.
Katona, 28, was seen leaving her home with her two newly appointed life coaches on July 24, and on July 25, her nanny walked out the house, in plush Wilmslow, Cheshire, with the couple’s [...]
ILLUSION, MAGIC AND IMPOSSIBLE IDEAS COME TO LIFE IN UPCOMING ALICE IN WONDERLAND VIDEO GAMES FROM DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
July 24th, 2009 |
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Games inspired by the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures film to give players their own unique journey through Tim Burton’s Underland As Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll fans become curiouser and curiouser (Carroll, 1865) about Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming “Alice in Wonderland†film, Disney Interactive Studios today announced development of video game adaptations of the beloved [...]
Tatton Park flower show
July 23rd, 2009 |
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Head to Cheshire’s top flower show to spot up-and-coming garden designers and innovative new ideas
Freddie Flintoff’s new home in Cheshire burgled
July 20th, 2009 |
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Burglars have robbed England all-rounder Freddie Flintoff’s new home of 6,000-pounds worth of builders” gear.
According to The Sun, the gang stole tools after breaking into the four million pound property at Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire.
A toaster was also picked up.
The house is being built on the site of a smaller one Freddie bought from soccer [...]
The Carbon Neutral Town
July 15th, 2009 |
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One community that is trying to become the first zero carbon village in England is Ashton Hayes, Cheshire.
Buy Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-pad for just £950,000
July 15th, 2009 |
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Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s luxury Cheshire pad has been put on the market, and it has been valued at just 950,000 pounds.
The 24-year-old winger’s sprawling home is an impressive three-storey, five-bedroom, five-bathroom mansion in Woodford, Cheshire, and it even has reminders of the footballer having lived there.
“The design and history of the house makes it [...]
GM reborn after 40 bankruptcy days
July 10th, 2009 |
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‘Business as usual is over at GM,’ said CEO Fritz Henderson
America’s biggest carmaker, General Motors, won a second chance to prove itself as a profitable motor manufacturer today as it emerged from bankruptcy at lightning speed after a remarkably swift, smooth financial restructuring.
After just 40 days under court-supervised protection from its creditors, GM was resurrected as a solvent business shortly after 6.30am when lawyers, completing an all-night paperwork session, signed over its factories, stocks, equipment and intellectual property to a new entity controlled by the US government.
GM’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, pledged to pay back $50bn (£30.9bn) of public loans well in advance of a deadline of 2015 and promised that the streamlined company would be a nimbler, less bureaucratic and more decisive organisation. GM will focus on four vehicle brands – Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
“Business as usual is over at GM,” said Henderson at a press conference in Detroit. “Today, we take the intensity, decisiveness and speed of the past several months and transfer it from the triage of the bankruptcy process to the creation and operation of a new General Motors.”
He continued: “We recognise that we’ve been given a rare second chance at GM, and we are very grateful for that. And we appreciate the fact that we now have the tools to get the job done.”
The US government owns 60.8% of the new GM, while Canada’s government holds 11.7% and a union-controlled pension fund has 17.5%. Creditors of the old company, who were owed $27bn (£16.67), were compensated with a stake of just 10% to the dismay of Wall Street bondholders who fought a short, unsuccessful battle for a larger slice.
President Obama had initially predicted that reforming GM would take 60 to 90 days. But creditors’ objections were decisively thrown out by a New York bankruptcy judge, Robert Gerber, in a resounding win for the administration’s auto restructuring taskforce.
“This is a major victory for the Obama administration over Wall Street,” said Aaron Bragman, a motor industry analyst at IHS Global Insight in Detroit. “The government really put the screws on bondholders and enforced a deal on them that it thought was suitable.”
After swapping loans for equity, the new GM has debt of $48bn (£29.6bn), compared to the $170bn (£105bn) burden when it filed for chapter 11 protection. But the transformation has been painful for thousands of employees, parts suppliers and car dealers.
Once cutbacks are complete in 2011, GM is likely to have just 38,000 blue-collar factory workers in the US, compared to 113,000 three years ago. The number of GM plants will fall from 47 to 31 and, through a clear-out of senior management, GM’s executive team will shrink by 35%.
The firm, which was once the largest corporation in America, is in the process of selling international names including Saab, Vauxhall, Opel and Hummer as part of its downsizing. In Britain, the decision to offload GM’s European operations has cast a cloud of uncertainty over 5,500 jobs at Vauxhall factories in Luton and Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Henderson said GM’s emergence from the bankruptcy courts would allow “every employee, including me, to get back to the business of designing, building and selling great cars and trucks”.
He insisted that GM could shake off its reputation for uninspirational designs and slow-moving bureaucracy.
“Einstein’s definition of insane is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results,” said Henderson. “We know we have to change.”
Among GM’s priorities will be the development of environmentally-friendly vehicles such as the electrically powered GM Volt, which is due to be launched by the end of next year. GM executives have even reportedly mulled changing the company’s distinctive blue logo to a green hue, although Henderson said he did not plan to do this.
New initiatives include a joint venture with the website eBay to explore ways of auctioning cars online, and a forum called ‘Ask Fritz’ in which customers will be able to share suggestions with the chief executive.
But financial experts warned that the company faces challenges in winning back the trust of customers and the financial community.
“The legacy costs are gone. The challenge in the future is how to approach a marketplace that has been burned by GM,” said Pete Hastings, a credit analyst at Morgan Keegan.
Along with its rival Chrysler which also recently went through bankruptcy, GM has been hit by the worst slump in US vehicle sales since the second world war. The company has struggled to cope with high petrol prices, a change in tastes towards smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and fierce competition from Asian rivals. It has lost its title as the world’s leading carmaker to Japan’s Toyota.
A new chairman, former AT&T boss Edward Whitacre, will preside over GM’s board. He told reporters: “For 100 years, General Motors was among the world’s greatest companies. It deserves to be there again and it will be there again.”
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