Gary and Larry Lane are brothers with more than just blood in common. Both are gay and have a passion for country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. They also have a mission – to get their screenplay into the hands of Dolly in the hope that they can realise their dreams. Hollywood To Dollywood follows Gary and Larry as they travel in their RV (named Jolene) to Dollywood documenting the hurdles, obstacles and challenges they encounter along the way.
On the surface Hollywood To Dollywood seems like a fairly fluffy documentary about two brothers with an obsession for their idol. It’s actually not anything like that at all and actually the mission to get to Dolly is almost secondary to the film. Don’t get us wrong – there’s plenty of Dolly to keep you happy and she’s even allowed Gary and Larry to use 15 of her songs in the film.
What the film actually does is chronicle the close bond between the two brothers and explores the difficulties they have encountered due to their sexuality. They grew up in North Carolina in a deeply religious family and their own family have struggled with acceptance. The brothers recall at one point being younger and their mother asking them to swear on the bible that they weren’t gay. It’s stories like these that make you realise why they have struggled to be open about their sexuality. What’s interesting is that the brothers hold no bad feeling towards their family and hold on to the hope that one day they will be fully accepted for who they are.
Gary is joined on the road by his boyfriend Michael Bowen who produces the movie and drives the RV from Hollywood to Dollywood. You get an insight into their relationship and you can see that there’s some frustration due to Gary’s mother not wanting to acknowledge that her son is gay. Michael longs to be part of the family and the feeling of being on the outside is something that clearly bothers him throughout the documentary.
Along their journey Gary and Larry meet with friends in the movie industry including Chad Allen (who co-produced this documentary) and Milk writer Dustin Lance Black to get opinions on their script. They also track down actors Leslie Jordan and Beth Grant to tell them about their script and talk all things Dolly. We don’t want to give too much away but Dolly does appear in the film and it’s a wonderfully touching moment.
Extras on the disc include deleted scenes, extended interviews and outtakes.
Hollywood To Dollywood is a surprisingly moving documentary that is so much more than just a love letter to Dolly Parton. Gary and Larry are engaging, sweet and loveable people and you desperately want them to realise their dream. It’s admirable the dedication they show to achieve their goal and they are very likeable people. We won’t give the ending away but we recommend you get yourself a copy of this documentary. It’s inspiring stuff.
Halloween has been and gone so this week it’s back to business on Strictly Come Dancing as the 11 remaining couples battle it out to stay in the competition.
At the end of last week’s show Louis Smith found himself at the top of the leaderboard with his partner Flavia Cacace. Sadly former EastEnders actor Sid Owen departed the competition after a tough week that saw his partner Ola Jordan replaced by Iveta Lukosiute during training to allow her time to visit her sick mother in Poland.
This week’s show took away the gimmicks of the previous two weeks and the usual Ballroom and Latin costumes were back. Who topped the leaderboard and who left a lot to be desired?
Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud was the first celebrity to take to the floor with her partner Pasha Kovalev. After wowing the judges with their Quickstep, the couple scored their highest marks to date. For this week’s show Kimberley performed the Salsa but could she overcome her knee injury and wow the judges once again? Len hailed the return of ‘nimble Kimble’ and called it a sparkler. Bruno said that she had ‘luscious hips’ and praised her lift. Craig loved it and Darcey called her a natural performer.
Team RiRo were next to dance as Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor took their place on the dancefloor. Last week’s Charleston was a lot of fun but wasn’t the biggest hit with the judges. Regardless they still scored well but Craig wasn’t happy with Lisa’s footwork. Tonight Lisa and Robin danced the Tango. Did they manage to get the judges back on side? Bruno said no one could fault her performance but admitted it could have been a bit sharper. Craig said Lisa needs more glide across the floor and caused a row with Len and Bruno. He did say that the routine was amazing and he enjoyed seeing Lisa doing something more serious. Darcey said it could have been cleaner but agreed that she always gives a good performance. Len commended Lisa for always giving 100% but said it needed a little refinement.
TV critic Richard Arnold escaped the dance-off last week after impressing with his manly Paso Doble. Not all of the judges were happy with his performance but it seems the viewers were. For tonight’s performance Richard performed the Foxtrot with his partner Erin Boag. Did he perform as well as last week? Well in short no as Richard forgot his steps during the performance. Craig said was ‘a complete disaster’ whilst Darcey told him that his wooden stance was likely the reason why he struggled. Len called Richard ‘the plod father’ and Bruno said he had a face like a ‘frozen haddock’ before slipping up and looking like a puppet who’d had his strings cut.
Denise Van Outen found herself receiving a bit of criticism last week for the first time when her Cha Cha Cha didn’t take her to the top of the leaderboard. This week she slowed the tempo down for a Viennese Waltz with her professional partner James Jordan. After the disappointment of last week could Denise climb back to the top of the leaderboard? Len said it was first class calling the performance ‘spectacular’ whilst Bruno called it ‘a romantic dream set to music’. Craig simply said ‘amazing’.
Last week saw Victoria Pendleton massively improve as her Tango wowed the judges. For this week’s show she was back to Latin for the Samba. The intro VT showed that the two had had quite a week full of arguments and disagreements. Could they put on a united front and enjoy themselves? Len said that Victoria was brave by entering the studio over the judges’ desk. Bruno said the performance was ‘Las Vegas with a hangover’ and Craig said he thought she did quite well with the routine. Darcey said Victoria started well but criticised her lack of focus at the end.
Louis Smith had a fantastic week last week with his Tango which saw him top the leaderboard. Over the weeks Louis has really improved and is looking like a strong candidate for the final. Tonight Louis danced the Samba with his partner Flavia Cacace. Another week at the top of the leaderboard? Bruno said the Samba suited Louis perfectly before said he bordered on Salsa at times. Craig said Louis made the dance look very masculine whilst Darcey said she was disappointed because the routine was a bit too safe. Len said he liked seeing so many classic Samba moves in the routine.
Colin Salmon found himself in the bottom two last week but was saved by the judges following the dance-off. His Salsa may not have won over the viewers but that’s not stopped Colin from coming back fighting. This week he was dancing the Foxtrot with his partner Kristina Rihanoff. Did he do enough to save himself from the dance-off? Darcey said Colin ‘glided beautifully’ whilst Len disagreed saying he looked like he was ‘dancing on a shagpile carpet’ but thought he coped well. Bruno said Colin’s leg had ‘more extension than Darcey Bussell’s’.
Former Westlifer Nicky Byrne has been improving every week of the competition and impressed during Halloween week. His mad scientist themed Tango won his lots of praise and made him a contender. Tonight Nicky danced the Rumba with his partner Karen Hauer. Could he continue to build on his burgeoning skills? Darcey said that she would have liked Nicky to have seduced Karen all the way through and include more dance content. Bruno said Nicky had intensity and purpose commenting he thought the performance was strong. Craig said it was a series of presentations with not enough basic Rumba.
Fern Britton didn’t have the best week last week failing to impress the judges with her American Smooth. Despite getting through the results show, Fern worried that she was too close to being in the bottom two. This week it was the Paso Doble for Fern and her partner Artem Chigvintsev. Did she put enough fire in the routine? Len said there was fizz but it never exploded. Bruno likened the routine to polishing the floors and Craig said he was distracted by Artem’s chest. Darcey liked the choreography and said Fern was assertive.
Michael Vaughan really pulled it out of the bag last week with his Quickstep and shocked both the judges and the audience. Not only that but he catapulted towards the top of the leaderboard after being close to the bottom every week. This week Michael danced the Foxtrot with his partner Natalie Lowe. Bruno said that Michael was still ‘in the zone’ and expressed his hope that Michael’s Latin would also improve. Craig said that Michael needed ‘swing and sway’ in his steps. Darcey said Michael shines at ballroom and Len said ‘best Foxtrot of the night’.
The last couple to dance tonight was Dani Harmer and her partner Vincent Simone. They opened the show last week with a Scooby Doo inspired Cha Cha Cha. Tonight Dani and Vincent danced the Jive. Did she manage to have another good week? Craig said he ‘copped an eyeful’ when Dani went through Vincent’s legs and told her to keep her legs together for that move. Darcey said she loved the Jive. Len ‘loved it’ and Bruno said it was ‘a cutie pie’ of a Jive.
The leaderboard for the evening was:
Denise Van Outen and James Jordan – 35
Dani Harmer and Vincent Simone – 33
Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev – 33
Michael Vaughan and Natalie Lowe – 31
Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace – 29
Colin Salmon and Kristina Rihanoff – 27
Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor – 27
Nicky Byrne and Karen Hauer – 25
Fern Britton and Artem Chigvintsev – 24
Victoria Pendleton and Brendan Cole – 23
Richard Arnold and Erin Boag – 17
Tune into Strictly Come Dancing tomorrow night at 7.20pm to find out which couple will leave the competition.
We’ve reached the fifth X Factor live show, and tonight the remaining eight contestants were performing Number One songs!
Lucy Spraggan announced today that she has decided to leave the competition after falling ill last week and receiving a wildcard into this weekend’s show. But, Lucy missed rehearsals this week, and wasn’t well enough to perform tonight. Rest well Lucy, we’re sure we’ll see you again.
The X Factor began tonight with Dermot doing his usual introductions, but with no sexy dancing – where was it? Bring it back next weekend please!
First up tonight was Rylan Clark. In his VT, we saw him take his mentor Nicole back home to Essex. They went to former TOWIE star Amy Childs’ salon where Rylan was given a makeover. It was a fun VT! Rylan’s song tonight was a mash-up of Madonna’s Hung Up, Like A Prayer and Abba’s Gimmie Gimme Gimme. It was a good production, but Rylan’s voice wasn’t up to scratch though. Louis said: “It’s week 5, and we’re half way through and you’re still here! It was over the top, but it was enjoyable.” Tulisa said: “OMG Rylan, that was totes amazing! I know why you’re still standing here, everyone is seeing what we see backstage!” Gary said: “The vocals at the top weren’t too bad this week. After then, it went very chaotic and I enjoyed everything about it apart from you.” Nicole loved her boy!
Second up to the stage tonight were Union J. They were in the bottom two last week, and were very grateful to the judges for saving them. They said: “We’ve been given another lifeline by the judges, so we’ve got to take everything on board now its our second chance.” Their song was Taylor Swift’s Love Story. They harmonised very well with each other, and they all can sing brilliantly! Tulisa said: “First of all, I would like to congratulate Louis for such a brilliant song choice! It all goes to show, song choice is key. Your fans are a load of screaming songs and they all want to see you do that! Well done!” Gary said: “I could hear your voices at last. George, you fit well in the band, visually, I would like to hear you more.” Nicole said: “I thought that was a solid performance. Kudos to Louis.” Louis said: “Guys, you made the right decision saving the boys last week. You could be the next big boy band!” Well done Union J!
Next up was Kye Sones. In his VT, we saw his elation at receiving a tweet from Robbie Williams. We also saw Kye go back to see his brother at work as a chimney sweeper. His brother is the blond version of him!! His song was the New Radical’s You Get What You Give. As much as we like Kye, we can’t help but think it was a bit karaoke tonight for him. He’s a good performer though and he looked as if he was having fun on stage. Nicole said: “Were you inspired by Robbie’s performance last week? You had so much energy, charisma. You did a really good job!” Louis said: “You came out there and delivered tonight!” Tulisa said: “I think your energy and vocal performance totally turned it around and you made the song your own.” Gary said: “A compliment from Louis? Amazing! You’re showing people out there what a versatile performer you are. Well done.”
The lovely James Arthur was next, and in his VT he said: “I thank the lucky stars that I got through the first auditions ofThe X Factor. It’s changed my life around.” We also saw how much support his family has given him. We also saw him being given a master class by No Doubt, and he performed Don’t Speak to them. Gwen Stefani told him: “Thanks for choosing that song. That was cool. You did a great job.” His song tonight was the brilliant Don’t Speak. It was a good rendition of the classic, and he added a rap in the middle which made the song his own. We liked it! Louis said: “I love the way you take a chance every week, and take a well known song and give it The James Arthur treatment.” Tulisa said: “That performance was stripped back this week, I felt like I was watching James Arthur at his concert. It was wicked!” Gary said: “Another brilliant performance. You seem to pull it out of the bag. It wonderful. I always look forward to you.” Nicole said: “Even though I’m your mentor, I watch you up there and I’m in awe of you. I respect you so much. People don’t realise how hard you work. You blow my mind, man.” Well done James!
Next to the stage was Tulisa’s last remaining girl, Ella Henderson. In her VT she said: “The last two weeks, I’ve kind of lost myself. I’ve let the themes get to me. This week, I want to go back to my routes, and how I was at my last audition.” Ella had a master class with No Doubt and they loved her. Her song was Katy Perry’s Fireworks, stripped down and raw. With only a piano accompanying her, she was truly magical. Ella captured our attention and we even felt emotional whilst listening to her. Well done Ella. Gary said: “Congratulations, simplicity is the key to this competition for you. One slight criticism, the key was slightly too high, but well done.” Nicole said: “For one moment, I forgot I was on The X Factor, I saw fireworks, it was like I was in a movie. I’m really proud of you baby girl.” Louis said: “Tulisa, a brilliant song choice. You are smelling brilliant and you’re looking smoking!” Tulisa was very proud of her protégé.
District 3 were up next, and in their VT we learnt that they met at school and they’ve been friends ever since. They had a master class with No Doubt, and loved it! We saw them rehearse choreography with girls, and they said: “We’re not very good at interaction with girls!” Their song tonight was Taio Cruz’ Dynamite. It wasn’t good, it was very shaky and verging on cheesy. We’re thinking that District 3 could be in the bottom two this weekend. Tulisa said: “Oh guys, I love you but Louis, you got it wrong this week I’m sorry. Over-stepped the cheese mark. You all looked awkward. But you were given too much.” Gary said: “I have to think back to when we first saw you, and you were very technical vocal harmony band. You’ve gone lost.” Nicole said: “Louis, you got it wrong with the song. If we were at the Mickey Mouse club, it would be amazing, but this is X Factor – they’ll eat you alive.” Louis thought it was fantastic.
It was then time for Jahmene Douglas to take to the stage. We saw him take Nicole back to where he used to work in Asda, and Nicole got the chance to try it out. She was excited. His song tonight was Beyonce’s Listen. Now, we like this song, and whenever we hear it we think of Alexandra Burke’s duet with the woman herself in the final back in 2008. Will he make this song his own? Yes he did. He sang his heart out and was a class act! Louis said: “That is how its done. The vocal performance of the night, by a mile.” Tulisa said: “Yeah, I’m speechless. I’ll see you at the finals right? I’ve never heard a women sing that as good as Beyonce, never mind a man. You killed it!” Gary said: “You killed that song tonight! Your talent is amazing. Well done.” Nicole said: “You little slice of heaven, you. I’m so proud of you. You light the torch for so many people.” Good job Jahmene!
Last but not least tonight was Christopher Maloney. He was struggling with the comments the judges gave him about not being current, and after a talk with No Doubt and Gary Barlow, he felt very better. His song tonight was All By Myself by Eric Carmen. Good to see Gary and Chris haven’t been listening to the other judges’ critique. It was a nice performance and he did hit the top notes, but we’re not keen on Christopher. Nicole said: “I’m a sucker for that song. It really pulls at my heartstrings. Enjoy it and embrace it. You did an amazing job.” Louis said: “It was a really big song to pick, and you hit the big notes, but I do feel like we’re in a time machine.” Tulisa said: “For the first time ever, I loved your song choice, your vocals were brilliant, but its taken five weeks to get to this.” Gary said: “You are delivering to your public, and you sing it incredibly well every week.”
Who did you like tonight? We loved Union J, Ella Henderson, James Arthur and Jahmene Douglas. Who will leave tomorrow night? Tune into ITV1 at 8pm for the Live Result Show.
Australian musical The Hatpin enjoys its European debut at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell. Set in the late Nineteenth Century, it tells the shocking true story of Amber Murray; a young woman forced to hand her child born out of wedlock over to the Makins, a foster family, and then pay for his upkeep with what little she can muster from menial work.
Although Amber is promised that she can visit her son every fortnight, the Makins always palm her off with an excuse. When they disappear from the neighbourhood, Amber is determined to find them and reunite with her son whatever the cost. She soon discovers that she’s far from the only unmarried mother who entrusted her infant to the Makins, never to be seen again; but the social disgrace of bearing bastard children ensures a conspiracy of silence, leaving her to fight the battle to find her child alone.
The Hatpin is a dark, disturbing piece, but by no means unremittingly so. Lyricist James Millar does much to weave moments of tenderness and humour into what emerges as a macabre and chilling story. There is a rewardingly complex bond between Amber and Harriet, her boss at the fruit store. Amber finds a confidante: Harriet finds an outlet for her affections. If their friendship lends The Hatpin a welcome glow of warmth, then the dreadful Makin family provide the laughs. Agatha and Charles Makin are painted like Dickensian grotesques; selfish, cruel, and with all the funniest lines. Their weird daughter Clara, the eccentric product of twisted parenting and a sheltered upbringing, provides another angle to the sinister family from hell.
Photo by Adam Trigg
The production is quite a departure for the Lazarus Theatre Company, whose usual output concentrates on the classics. Yet at the same time The Hatpin bears all the unmistakable hallmarks of a Lazarus show. Where their productions generally incorporate movement and dance elements, these become integral parts of the musical, especially in the punchy actions of the chorus. The Hatpin retains Lazarus’ usual flair for strong visual theatre too. Simple but highly effective lighting lends it a filmic quality, and the rich fabrics of the costumes quickly distinguish characters and add texture. A constant layer of smoke provides an Australian haze, but also blurs the boundaries of the black box stage giving the illusion of space and depth. Ricky Dukes’ assured direction also adjusts for musical theatre, with moments of stillness punctuating the action, allowing the actors to carry the story through song.
Music is provided solely by piano, which is the only instrument melodically rich enough to orchestrate alone. The unvaried instrumentation is intense, but Peter Rutherford’s score is richly melodic, with some deceptively complicated off-beat melodies that meet with assured vocals.
Such an emotionally rich piece requires great performances to convince, and the cast aren’t found wanting. Gemma Beaton takes on the lead role of Amber, giving her an earnest conviction in her quest for justice, with achingly beautiful vibrato every time she’s required to sing. Her scenes with Eleanor Sandars’ grounded and loveable Harriet are exquisitely played by both actors; but Beaton admirably lives up to the requirement to carry the audience through the story with her.
The Makins form a hugely enjoyable unit. Robin Holden and Kate Playdon as the parents offer shades of the Thénardiers from Les Misérables. Whereas Holden plays it with sufficient likeability to allow the audience to find chinks of decency in him, Playdon’s Agatha is outrageously larger than life, bordering at times on pantomimic villainy. The result is gloriously funny: and therein lies the reason it works so well. You’ll laugh as her vanities and absurdities are held up for ridicule; then question your own reaction as the full depths of her depravity are revealed.
Photograph by Adam Trigg
Another standout performance is Emma White as Clara, the quirky and endearing Makin child. Her funny eccentricities are delightful throughout, but her solo performance at the dénouement is incredible: frightening in its conviction and raw emotion. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
The Hatpin ties in to the much more recent scandal of the generation of infants stolen by the church from their unmarried mothers in the Australia of the 1950s to 1970s. The traumatic consequences for the survivors still resonate around the shared shame of the complicit Australian authorities and Catholic Church. Their inhuman treatment of unmarried mothers has come to symbolise the dark side of post-colonial Australian history.
Whilst it’s understandable that the story emerged from Australia, it will shock and move audiences everywhere because it forces us to examine what happens when the universal bond between mother and infant is broken. Even though the West has largely emancipated itself from the grip of stifling religiosity, and Amber Murray’s life now would be more hopeful, The Hatpin remains a cautionary tale, retaining the power to shock and enthral because societies tend to find new ways to neglect and abuse vulnerable children.
There are a few elements to the structure of The Hatpin I was less keen on – moments of exposition-heavy dialogue and a second half courtroom drama – but they weren’t enough to detract from the show being thoroughly entertaining and emotionally gripping. The Lazarus Theatre Company never fails to impress, and The Hatpin raises the bar for ambitious fringe shows once again.
Four weeks into this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and the competition is getting pretty intense. Last week Team RiRo performed the Charleston and came under some criticism from the judges despite scoring high on the leaderboard.
This week Lisa Riley and her partner Robin Windsor will be switching from fun to serious as they dance the Tango.
We popped down to the rehearsal studio yesterday to see them in action and took the opportunity to get our weekly update from Robin. He talked to us about last week’s performance, updates us on how the Tango is coming along and has a special message for Team RiRo supporters.
Last week you and Lisa performed the Charleston. How did you feel about it?
Last week’s Charleston was frenetic as anything. Everything from the ankles up went brilliantly but unfortunately Lisa lost her swivels which is what the Charleston is all about. I said on the show on Saturday that I took full responsibility for that because she was slipping everywhere on the floor and we had a couple of dancing tricks where I was jumping upside down so I needed her to be sturdy and not slip on the floor. I put rubber soles on the bottom of her shoes not realising that it was going to hinder her swivel action. In rehearsals it was there, she did it and it was perfect but on the night it didn’t work and it was my fault.
As you know we were in the studio and the audience loved it. You got a standing ovation again…
That Charleston for me is one of the most entertaining that there’s been for a while. It was fun and that song was so infectious, as much as we all hate it because it gets stuck in your head for hours and hours, I listened to that song about 500 times in one week so you can imagine what I thought about it by Saturday night! To have the audience up on their feet again for week 4 was amazing. It’s really amazing to know that the public are behind us, supporting us and just enjoying what we’re doing.
This week you’re dancing the Tango…
Yes! This week we’ve got the Tango so bye bye goes all the fun aspect of everything and it’s all about me and Lisa being serious and getting into that sultry flavour of the dance. Of course we’ll be adding our own little tongue-in-cheek bit in there somewhere because it has to be done.
This is your second ballroom dance, and therefore serious dance, of the show isn’t it?
The Viennese Waltz, even though it was a serious dance, it had a great story to it. There was a little touch ofCinderella and the public just loved the fact that they could relate to what was going on. This one doesn’t really have an underlying story to it and it’s just a pure Tango from beginning to end. It’s what people want to see Lisa do to show she’s not just a one-trick-pony with all the fast armography and everything like that. The routines do perhaps blend a little bit so we just want to do something this week that people aren’t going to expect and show a different side to Lisa.
What song are you dancing to this week?
We’re dancing to Let’s Stick Together by Bryan Ferry.
That’s quite a funky tune for a Tango isn’t it?
Well Jerry Hall was actually in the pop video for it so we dedicate this dance to her this week as she’s not here with us anymore.
We were sad that she went so early…
She was brilliant. She wasn’t the best dancer but personality wise she was brilliant but it didn’t come across on camera so well. She had these amazing one-liners that had everyone in stitches backstage. She wasn’t necessarily trying to be funny, it was just the accent and the way she said things with her drawling accent. It just made everyone laugh and we miss her.
Let’s have an update on Lisa’s feet. She was having trouble a few weeks back but last week they seemed to be getting better. How are they this week?
Lisa’s feet are much better. The corns have gone, well almost gone, and the pains in the bottom of the feet are gone. She’s put some little jelly inserts into the bottom of her ballroom shoes and for now they seem to have solved the problem of sore feet. Today I’ve had her in her ballroom shoes all day and she hasn’t complained once; that’s a first (laughs). You will have all seen that I did prove a point that they can’t hurt that much because I wore a pair of Latin shoes for a whole afternoon during our jive.
We ask you every week about your chances in the competition so this week we’re going to switch it round slightly. Who do you think is your biggest competition?
What’s amazing about this series is the standard of everybody and it’s been like that from the beginning. For me you’ve got the likes of Denise and Kimberley. Dani is very under-rated. I think she’s absolutely wonderful and I think she’s going to go really far. I don’t think people have seen her potential. When I watch her I see her as one of the biggest candidates, just because of how she executes the dances. I think she’s fantastic. I think there’s a much stronger feel on the lady front this year – Kimberley, Denise, Dani, Lisa, Victoria – all of a decent standard. Whereas the, boys Louis is the complete standout at the moment so everyone has to take it up a notch to catch him up.
You have people like Michael Vaughan who has done pretty badly but then last week just pulled it out of the bag…
Michael is an absolutely beautiful ballroom dancer. I watched him and I just felt proud for him because it was a really beautiful dance. For someone to go from having the worst Jive in Strictly history to having an absolutely incredible Quickstep was awesome. I know he has another ballroom dance this week so he’s going to excel at that. His downfall is his Latin so if he spends time working on that he can build himself up. This is a competition overall of the Ballroom and Latin dances so you need to excel at both of them.
Now we’re four weeks into the show what message do you have for our readers and supporters of Team RiRo?
I can’t thank all the readers and supporters enough. You guys voting for us, supporting us and just acknowledging everything we’re doing, makes it an even more magical experience knowing there are so many people behind us.
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ continues tomorrow night at 6.30pm on BBC One. Watch Lisa and Robin’s Charleston from last week’s show below:
Continuing the steady flow of talent pouring in from the South West, Fighter is the latest single to come from striking drum and bass band Dr Meaker.
A surprisingly uplifting track, with the aid of vocals supplied by Lorna King, Fighter has garnered a fair amount of high profile support and consistent critical acclaim from the likes of Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6Music.
Combining spirit-stirring strings, ultra tight beats, gnarly bass and soulful vocals, this track looks primed to appeal to anyone with an ear for a strong tuneful backbone and not just fans of the genre.
As the third single release from the group, consisting of producer Clive Meaker (producer, keyboards & vocals), Lorna King (vocals), Tom Wheeler (Drums), Dexter Edmund – DJ (Bass), Jon Winder (Trumpet) and Ben Wood (Sax), Fighter looks set to be their most successful offering to date, having broken into the mainstream arena.
As drum and bass continues its ninja style attack on our consciousness, let’s hope this band of Bristolians can keep up the good work.
Ronnie Kroell is best-known for his work as a model and an actor but for his latest project he’s turning film-maker.
Friend Film is an important film exploring bullying and sexuality that Ronnie is making with film-maker Elliot London. Ronnie will also be acting in the movie and Ugly Betty’s Alec Mapa has signed on to the project as a producer. Currently Ronnie and Elliot are running a campaign on IndieGoGo to help fund the film and they need your help and donations to make Friend Film a reality.
We called Ronnie to talk about the project, discuss the issues of bullying and homophobia, and find out why he needs your help.
What is ‘Friend Film’?
Friend Film is an anti-bullying film project feature film that’s going to tell a story of two high school seniors that live in Tennessee in the US and they’re dealing with being bullied. It’s a quest of love and friendship and essentially defining what it means to be a friend and what family looks like.
Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
In preparation for writing this script Elliot London and myself have interviewed actual teens; teenagers aged 16 living in the United States that have actually been bullied in 2012 and have contemplated taking their own lives because they didn’t have anyone to talk to, they felt alone and became very depressed. The great thing is that the people we did interview found reasons to live. They shared those with us and the reasons mainly were because they loved their family and didn’t want to hurt them and decided it was more important to live and keep pushing forward. We admire their strength and two individuals that we interviewed were Joseph and Ali. They have inspired us to write a narrative that is loosely based on their real-life experiences but it will have fictional characters.
What we would like beyond just creating this film, which will hopefully open hearts and change minds, is that it becomes a call to action to our community. Bullying is a global issue and it’s happening in our schools – especially in the United States where 1 in 4 kids is bullied – so rather than just talk about the fact that people are being bullied, we want to equip our community with tools that will continue to educate not only our students on what it means to embrace diversity but also to help our educators and our faculties to overcome fear and break silence. A lot of people don’t know exactly how to handle bullying. The most important thing we can’t do is villanize our bullies. Bullies are more times than not also victims. Just sending a bully to detention for making fun of someone or hurting someone is only providing more fuel for that fire because it gives them more time to think how they are going to get revenge against an innocent victim. 75% of school shootings in the United States have been linked to the victims that have been bullied coming back to school with a concealed weapon – be it a gun or a knife.
What are you hoping to achieve with the film?
Our goal, Elliot and I, with Friend Film is not only to continue the conversation that bullying still exists in our schools but to take Ali and Joseph who inspired us to make this film and we’d like to make sure they are our role models. That we can travel and the county and the globe and show this film to schools and have them do a talkback with the students and the faculty so they can share their real life stories with people who are going through similar circumstances. It’s important that we have role models to look up to that look and sound like us. It’s really wonderful that in the LGBT community we have people like Ellen DeGeneres and Ian McKellen to look up to. For someone who is going through the issues in present day, especially those who are coming out and understanding their sexuality, I think it would be a great deal of help to see someone on stage who looks and sounds just like you knowing that they have overcome the same problems that you’re experiencing; that they were brave enough to push forward in the face of adversity.
How easy is it to get a project like this off the ground?
In today’s economy it’s very difficult to produce queer cinema and it’s not getting the same funding that it had in the past. It’s really sad to us as filmmakers because it’s really important that these stories are shared. We believe that there are people out there that want to make a difference. With our campaign every dollar really does count. Our budget is $250,000. It’s a micro-budget film and where most independent films have a $3 million budget we’re working with a very small budget. We have a very willing able and talented team of people that we know can create a film of quality in a short amount of time. Our goal is to film in Tennessee in February and March of 2013. In doing so, we can edit and have the film ready for film festivals as early as OutFest here in Los Angeles in the spring. Then we can be doing a tour of schools after that. We have a very quick timeline and a very adventurous timeline to work with. We’d really like to see this film happen in 2013.
As you say it’s such an important issue that affects so many people across the world. I myself was bullied as a youngster but thankfully I took no nonsense. A lot of people aren’t like that and don’t have anyone or anything to look up to so potentially this could really changes things for some kids?
I think it would cause a major change. People keep asking us ‘what’s with your film and the work that everyone else is doing?’ and the main difference is that this is a call to action. We’re trying to create a tool for educators to use and for our youth to have to look towards for guidance and support. The Friend Film webpage, once that is created, will also be a tool for our youth and educators because we’re going to have educational links, resource links, counselling links…everything you can think of is going to be housed on the main page. From start to finish this is not only an artistic endeavour but it’s going to inspire people in our community. We’re going to show them and outline the things they can do to be advocates or in our case be friends to the people around them. It’s as simple as that.
We’re trying to promote and foster good feelings reminding people what it’s like to be friend. What does it mean? I think a lot of us have forgotten how to be a great friend to someone. When you’re a friend you support someone. People are ever-changing beings trying to follow their goals and pursue their dreams. It’s important to show them every day that you’re there for them and that you respect them and that you want to help them be the best person they can possibly be.
With Friend Film we are going to share our vision of what our communities can look like if we can become better friends with one another. We’re hoping people will walk away having seen this film with hope and be inspired to do what they can. If everyone did what they could our communities would be a lot safer. I believe that we could hopefully find a way to have our educational institutions be conducive once again to inspire curiosity and learning without fear. Fear is so strong. People are so afraid even educators. If they’re in the heat of a moment in a classroom where someone is being bullied, sometimes those educators are afraid for their own safety. If they stand up to a bully are they going to find their tyres slashed or are they going to be putting themselves in harm’s way. I think what we need to do rather than having detention is realising that bullies should be taken aside and asked ‘what is it you are afraid of? What is it that’s bothering you and causing you to behave in this way? How can I help you?’ rather than ridiculing them in front of an entire class and reprimanding them.
I think all in all Friend is our way of being advocates in the community and trying to do our part to prevent bullying. It’s one of those issues that may never ever go away but hopefully if we can inspire other people to take action it can get better. It’s great that we have campaigns like It Gets Better but it only gets better if we choose to take these actions that are necessary to foster and cultivate the change we are looking to create.
Bullying is something that you’ve experienced in your life isn’t it?
Yeah. It’s really hard to talk about. I was lucky that I had people to go to. I was time and time again in school called a faggot. I was beaten up after school. Some of the kids used to take my shoes off and play monkey in the middle with them. They’d tackle me to the ground and pull my pants down. They would do horrible things. Kids are capable of doing really mean things. I remember how scared, lonely and vulnerable I felt. I couldn’t even imagine not having anyone to turn to. I could always go to my mom and say ‘these kids are being mean to me’ and she was the first person to go to bat for me but a lot of these kids, especially those growing up in places that aren’t necessarily as open-minded and understanding of our diversity, they don’t really have anyone to go to.
Now living in 2012 with technology being what it is cyber-bullying is such a big issue. Imagine when I was bullied as a kid and times that by 1000 or more. Now they can video tape it on smart phone, instantly upload it and the whole world can see someone being beaten up. That leads to ridicule. Tyler Clemente’s unfortunate suicide happened because someone taped him in his dorm room.
It’s very personal to me and out of all the projects I’ve worked on I won’t rest until this is made. I’ve made that commitment to Elliot, I’ve made that commitment to the community and I’ve made that commitment to Ali and Joseph. Ali and Joseph are being brave enough to share their stories and I’m sure they’re getting a lot of great feedback from their community. I’m sure they’re probably getting bullied because of it and there’s people out there making fun of them for sharing their stories. If they can do it, I can do it. I believe in this film because it’s a film for the community and I really hope the community rally around it. Not just in the United States but a global community because bullying is a global issue. The way we handle it needs to be talked about.
To touch upon what you said about the Internet – it’s become a ‘coward’s playground’ hasn’t it? People sit their sending hateful and hurtful messages to people with no consequences and think that’s acceptable.
Yeah there’s no real repercussion. You can do and say what you want online with anonymity. It’s much harder to say those things to someone’s face and do those things when someone’s standing in front of you than when you’re separated by the Internet. These kids have to be so tough today and I think that whenever there’s bad behaviour going on there’s always more going on beneath the surface. My hope is that when we produce Friend Film we not only highlight that there is bullying going on but that we address what’s underneath those layers and what’ behind the bad behaviour. We hope to show a community that comes together and rallies around each other. A community that can be supportive and help figure out how to resolve the everyday problems we face.
Tell us about the IndieGoGo campaign. What’s that all about?
The campaign has 4 days left after today. We have to raise $81,000 of our $250,000 budget through the campaign. The reason why I feel this project more than any project needs to have our attention is the fact that as artists we not only want to share stories and be artistic and creative, we also want to address the underlying issue of bullying and inspire people to action. It’s not just a film that’s going to be made, highlight the things that are going wrong and make people feel bad for a moment. We want them to be inspired to take action with us and we’re going to show them what they can do in their communities.
We’ve got a long-term plan with this film to provide resources for the community that will hopefully make a difference every single day. We want people to walk out of the theatre feeling inspired and knowing they have everything it takes to do their part and if everyone does that our communities can be much safer. This is a film for the community and it has to be powered by the community. Elliot and I were talking about this the other day – we’re just film-makers and we’ve been inspired by Ali and Joseph but this entire film is way bigger than each of us as people. It involves everyone. If we don’t have the support we need to make this film, Ali and Joseph’s stories will go unheard and they are just two of many teens that are experiencing this bullying. In fact 160,000 students every day in the US stay home because they are afraid of being bullied. We need all the help we can get.
What will happen if you get to the end of this campaign and don’t manage to raise the funds you need?
At that point the campaign has ended and we have to go about finding other ways to raise the funds. We’d have to continue to go out into the community and host parties, which we’re going to do any way, and also perhaps look to try and find investors. We were hoping this would be a community funded film rather than have investors. Once this film starts to actually make money we want to use that money to start a scholarship fund for Ali and Joseph, and bullied teens like them, so they can continue to follow their dreams. We’d also like to donate copies of the DVD to school libraries across the country and in other countries.
The biggest thing about having an online crowd-funding campaign is to inspire the community to produce the project. We really are looking to the community for support. It’s not just our project, it’s the communities and we’re hoping to inspire others to see how important it is to be a part of it. It’s a powerful thing to be part of a project like this at the ground level. Everyone who supports us on IndieGoGo, even if they donate $1, is a producer on a film that is going to change people’s minds, touch people’s hearts and at the end of the day they’re going to save people’s lives. Whether they realise it or not that dollar in helping to create the film is going to touch and change people’s lives. They will be a part of that and they can go to bed knowing they made a difference.
Nicki Minaj came to the UK over the summer to perform a handful of dates in support of her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded tour. We went along to see her at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo and were disappointed by the show. A mixture of lip-synching, drawn out crowd participation moments and hurtling through her songs made the evening feel like a letdown. As she prepares to re-release Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Minaj is back in town for an arena tour and we were intrigued to see if she could put on a better show than the last one.
Last night Minaj played The O2 Arena in London and we went along in the hope that she’d added a bit of polish to her show. Despite arriving a little late on stage (again) Minaj pulled off a much slicker performance than last time clearly having learned from her mistakes. Rather than half-arsed miming along to her songs and performing only portions of them, for the most part Minaj pulled it out of the bag delivering slickly choreographed routines and full songs. Arriving on the stage in a pink spaceship, she launched into the expletive-filled Come On A Cone whipping the audience into a frenzy.
Like her latest album you could almost split the setlist into two halves. The first half focused more on the hip-hop side of Minaj whilst the second half delved into her catalogue of pop hits. Of the hip-hop material Did It On ‘Em was an early highlight and Moment 4 Life was one of the best moments of the evening. She performed her new song The Boys surrounded by dancers and a video screen set that looked mighty impressive.
Of the pop side the catchy Superbass got the crowd singing along and the surprise inclusion of Right Thru Meperformed in a bath tub was Minaj at her best. For Automatic Minaj arrived on stage in a pink car, she stripped it back showing a bit of emotion for the ballad Marilyn Monroe and caused a frenzy in the crowd by performing Pound The Alarm.
The best moment was saved for the end though as Minaj returned for an encore performance of her biggest hitStarships. The crowd went wild, Minaj beamed a huge grin and the energy was high for the entire performance.
The points where the show didn’t quite work were the long costume changes which saw Minaj’s DJ playing some of the songs off her record whilst bright video screens entertained the crowd. These were too frequent and meant at times that she was off-stage for almost 10 minutes at a time. The other criticism we had, and it we had it with her show earlier in the year, is she has a tendency to perform material that all that familiar to her core audience. One section saw her perform her verses from a variety of collaborations she did but she whipped through it at such a frenzy we struggled to identify what she was actually performing. On the plus side though the majority of the set was live and Minaj sounded really great.
Overall Minaj mostly redeemed herself last night by putting on a much more professional and cohesive show than her UK summer dates. There’s still a bit of streamlining that could be done with the setlist but there’s no denying her presence and energy as a performer. The crowd was one of the loudest we’ve witnessed at The O2 and our ears are still ringing this morning. When she hits the mark Minaj is a tour-de-force but when she doesn’t she quickly loses your interest. There were flashes last night of just how good an artist Minaj is and next time she tours we want this to hit us in the face rather than be buried amidst self-indulgence.
This week AIM Independent Music Awards rewarded the hardest working musicians and industry people at their ceremony in London. The Brewery sold out in no time and guests could enjoy a three-course meal as well as music from Frankie and the Heartstrings, Big Deal and Land Observations.
We were lurking backstage where we got around to speaking to Black Butter Records who won ‘Best Small Label’. Here is what happened:
Hosted by renowned broadcasters, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq, with live performances from Frankie and the Heartstrings, Big Deal and Land Observations, AIM Independent Music Awards, was a success as it took The Brewery’s stage and established itself as the event of the year for independent music talent.
We were in the heart of it all and chatted with the winners, including LeeFest organisers who won ‘Best Small Festival’. Find out what we talked about below:
