Brighton's Opinion on the Autumn Statement


The people of Brighton give their opinion about George Osbourne's Autumn statement. Police funding, adult social care cuts and limiting cuts to tax credits. Latest TV News' Holly Keogh reports.

Eyebrow Drama | Latest7 Column

Holly Would:

Ever since Cara Delevingne came into the public eye we were graced with the bushy eyebrow trend.

Big, thick, beautiful eyebrows. Whilst many people could quite easily replicate this look, I struggled.

You see, I’m lacking in the brow department.

I am naturally very fair and for some reason this means that my eyebrows are invisible to the naked eye.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit… But they do take quite a bit of pencilling in to resemble an eyebrow.

Last summer I went on holiday to with my friends to Cyprus, I knew that this meant I would be swimming (makeup free) in the sea. If I tried to pencil my eyebrows in, I thought, before I go swimming I’d only end up with them dripping down my face by the end of the day.

Blonde/ invisible eyebrows is one thing but having dark smudges smeared across my cheeks would probably look worse.

It wasn’t the end of the world and it didn’t really bother me as much as I’m making out, so I was ready to admit defeat.

Until I was introduced to the world of HD brows. What are HD brows, you ask? They’re basically the fairy godmother of eyebrows.

Normally, I don’t like paying for anything if I can get the same result at home. But I definitely would not be able to replicate HD brows with my pair of tweezers.

They start off by tinting the hairs of your eyebrow… Genius. Although, when I first saw the colour of the dye that the beautician had made, images of Groucho Marx sprang to mind. She reassured me that the colour would be a lot lighter and she was, of course, correct.

The colour looked very natural but still dark enough to not need any additional help from a pencil.

She then proceeded to wax them into shape for me. At last, I had perfect eyebrows that stayed perfect all summer long!

I would definitely get these done again but only for a special occasion or a holiday, as it is quite expensive.

You can get a regular eyebrow tint for a fraction of the price though and I fully recommend getting that done.

It makes the smaller hairs darker which gives you a bigger eyebrow to shape and overall a more polished look.

CelebCity:

Chris Eubank, has entered the jungle. Former WBO middleweight champion and Brighton resident has joined this years contestants of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Known for his eccentric personality, Eubank is sure to be one to watch. 

 Paul Weller was spotted outside the Brighton Centre on Friday, November 20. His album “Saturns Pattern” was released in May and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. Weller is performing in Brighton as part of his second tour this year.


Winter Is Coming | Latest7 Column

Holly Would:

As my name might suggest, I love Christmas. But every year when the signs start to appear that Christmas is on its way, there’s an unspoken rule that you can’t talk about it immediately. 

“Halloween hasn’t even happened yet!” My friends said to me as I looked at Christmas cards in October. “You can’t feel Christmassy until after Guy Fawkes Night!” 

Although I disagree with this and could probably feel Christmassy all year round, I’ve put present buying on hold and am trying my hardest to repress my festive enthusiasm. 

When is it an appropriate time to talk about Christmas? 

The people that moan about it being “too soon” are probably the same people that run around Churchill Square on Christmas Eve with panicked expressions on their faces and bags full of last minute shopping. 

If I’m not allowed to talk about Christmas yet, I will at least embrace winter being on its way… If there’s one thing you cannot escape from, in England, it’s the cold. 

I’m not moaning either, the colder the better! I hate the hot weather and all throughout the summer I had considered moving to Antarctica. 

But now, at last, my favourite season is approaching and I could not be happier to welcome back the icy mornings. There are three things that I really love about winter. 

Number one is that it’s the perfect excuse for cosy nights in. One of my favourite things in the world is listening to and watching a thunderstorm from my window when I’m all snug and warm indoors. Blankets, candles and movies; is there anything more ideal than that? 

Number two is the clothes that winter brings. When else can you wear fluffy pink socks, undetected, to work? It’s the season of boots, polo neck jumpers, thick coats and faux fur. You can wear as many layers as humanly possible and still look stylish. 

The third thing I love about winter is the warm drinks that definitely don’t do my diet any favours. How can you say no to a gingerbread latte? There is nothing that says “winter” more than sitting in a coffee shop with your friends and warming yourselves up with a hot drink. 

So whilst it may be too early for the countdown to Christmas, we can at least start the countdown to talking about Christmas.

CelebCity:

Fat Boy Slim has been spotted touring the i360 construction site. 

According to Brighton i360 he is very excited about the observation tower being built and was keen to be shown all of the progress that has been made. 

Chatty man, Alan Carr can be spotted in Brighton this Thursday. He will be performing his new show 'Yap, Yap, Yap!' all around the UK and Ireland and will be at the Brighton Dome November 19- 21. 

Seen a celeb in the city? Send your sightings/ pictures to: hollykeogh@hotmail.co.uk or tweet: @holly_keogh

My Interview With Joan Armatrading


I'm not retiring. I turn 65 in December, so that's why it's the last major world tour as opposed to the last tour ever.

During her four decades in music Joan Armatrading MBE has written classic singles including Love And Affection, Drop The Pilot and Me Myself And I, and recorded a total of 18 albums.

In 1996 she received an Ivor Novello award for an outstanding song collection. 

She doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

"During this tour I would have had two birthdays," laughs the Caribbean-born Birmingham-raised singer-songwriter.

"All of my tours have been very long and they tend to be almost uninterrupted. I don't think I need to be on the road for 18 months or a year.

"Any subsequent tours the longest they'll be is a month, so I do want people to understand that I'm not retiring."

For this tour Joan chose to perform in small cities, like Chichester, as she wanted ti experience places that she had not played in before.

Although she will be singing and playing herself in this retrospective show she is not scared about performing solo.

"It would be quite unusual not to get nervous but it's not scary," she says.

"I know about being on my own- I'm on my own when I write all of my songs.

"But I'm still nervous even if I'm with the band just because people have turned up. You worry about pleasing the audience."

The three-time Grammy nominated star's voice has been described by the Guardian as "timeless" and the emotion in her songs often brings the audience to tears.

"I find it quite easy to stay connected to the song because the songs are written from something real and music is very powerful," she says.

"The songs are important to the audience listening; you can see people clutching each other as the emotion is very real for them.

"We're kind of feeding off each other.

"I'm making sure that I do a good job and they're making sure that they enjoy the song and everything connects, we prop each other up."

Joan takes inspiration from the people she sees around her to write her songs.

The Shouting Stage, the title track of her 60,000=selling 1988 album, was written after she had witnessed a couple arguing in a restaurant in Australia.

"The man stormed out and the woman was crying," she says. "I was wondering what got them to the shouting stage."

One of the most shocking moments of Joan's career was when she was about to go onstage and a lighting rig toppled over into the audience.

She said: "I was in America and, you know, in the old days the lighting was on a thing that we call a lighting tree. So there were lights on a pole, the lights on top of the pole. So it looked like a tree. And I was literally about to come on stage when this toppled over into the audience."

The aftermath displayed the dedication her fans felt towards her.

"I remember one girl had blood running down her leg and I had to persuade her to go to hospital because she didn't want to miss the show," she says.

"It was quite traumatic but it shows you how many people want to see the show."

* Joan Armatrading is playing at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Friday, November 20.

Becoming An Auntie | Latest7 Column

 

Holly Would:

I have always loved being around little kids; I think they're hilarious. 


During sixth-form I was a maths and english tutor for school children and every week they had me in stitches; hearing about all of their little dramas and how losing their favourite pen was the end of the world. 

It was great; kids are great. 

As I'm one of the youngest in my family I never had any little siblings or cousins to look after at home, that's why when my sister announced she was expecting a baby I could barely contain my excitement. 

In fact, I didn't really contain my excitement. Everyone I spoke to was shown the baby scan photographs and told about my sister's growing bump. 

I went a bit overboard with baby shopping, how could I possibly walk past shops displaying tiny little outfits without buying them? They were so small and cute; I was counting down the days until I could meet the new addition of my family. 

I was going to be an auntie, which, I decided, was the most important job that I could possibly have.

As we didn't know the baby's gender until it was born on October 12, it was referred to as 'Dot'.

Being in the waiting room until visiting hours was the longest wait I’ve ever experienced. I would like to describe myself as a patient person... But if you speak to anyone that knows me they might disagree... I can't even wait for next week’s episode of Eastenders without googling the spoilers online! 

The new and overjoyed father eventually came out and met my parents, brother and I with the news that we had been waiting for: “It's a boy!!!” I had a nephew! A tiny little nephew: Baby Oscar, weighing 6lb9oz. 

We peered into my sister's hospital room; she was sat up in her bed with the look of complete content on her face and a little wriggly pink lump in her arms. 

He was beautiful and everyday becomes more so. When I got to hold him for the first time I couldn't stop staring at him, how can anything be so perfect? He has his mother's nose, his Nana's toes, his father's fair hair and his entire family's undivided attention. 

He slept peacefully in my arms and didn’t cry or wake up even when he was passed around to every aunt, uncle, grandparent and great-grandparent eager for a cuddle. 

My little nephew doesn’t know it, but he’s changed all of our lives. 

In the weeks since he was born I’ve been lucky enough to see quite a lot of him and I’ve taken to auntie duties willingly. 

I don’t even mind changing the baby boy's nappy, despite the constant risk that he'll wee in my face. I am just totally in love with him. 

Welcome to the world Oscar.

CelebCity:

Celebrities were spotted at the London to Brighton Veteran car run finish line in Brighton on November 1. TV presenter Chris Evans, Ken Bruce and Alex Jones travelled from Hyde Park to Brighton on vintage buses filled with people raising money for the BBC's Children in Need. More than 400 veteran cars took part in the annual event.

Lynn Ruth Miller | Latest7 Column

Holly Would:

As part of his documentary, ‘Granny’s Gone Wild The Lynn Ruth Miller Movie’ based on the book Starving Hearts; Bill Smith transformed his living room into a 1950s style dining room. 

With Ant Carpendale as the cameraman and drama editor, Bill directed the actresses as they re-enacted scenes from the book based on Lynn Ruth Miller’s early life. 

 Lala Maria Redin played the main character Susan Talberg, who struggled with anorexia and bulimia no thanks to her verbally abusive mother, played by Julie Watson. Both actresses had spent that morning scouring Brighton’s vintage shops to find the perfect outfit for their characters. 

 I was the costume advisor and general assistant to Ant; helping with the lighting or sound. 

 The first scene that we shot was a series of gritty moments that showed the effects verbal abuse can have on children. 

 Susan’s mother psychologically tormented her to such an extent that she developed an addiction to food. 

 Lala demonstrated this addiction perfectly by eating as many cakes and spoonfuls of cream/custard as she could as fast as possible. 

 She then went on to highlight Susan’s eating disorder by pretending to throw it all up again. 

 Even with cream all over her face, hair and blouse she managed to stay serious and portray the pain that her character felt in between mouthfuls of food. 

 Once the camera had stopped rolling and Julie had finished saying nasty things to her on-screen-daughter, both actresses fell about laughing. 

 A few weeks later we shot some more scenes, this time with the addition of Jacob Fulton playing Susan’s first husband and Rose Grover as the lady he had an affair with. 

 Dressed up in 50s wedding attire the actors and actresses performed some scenes outside St Georges Road Church, Kemptown, Brighton. 

 Ant expertly dodged any sign of modern day life from his shots, including all of the cars that were parked right behind the actors. 

 Having seen some of the footage I can already tell that this documentary is going to be brilliant because the acting was so special. 

 Who said Hollywood can’t start in your living room?

CelebCity:

Will Young was spotted outside the Brighton Centre on November 2.
His nationwide tour 'The Love Revolution Tour.' has run throughout October and continues into November.

After a stretch in the West End production of Cabaret it is his first tour in four years. 
His new number one album '85% Proof' is described as "his most personal/ honest songwriting to date." 

After a 9-year wait The Ordinary Boys are back with their new album 'The Ordinary Boys' The boys performed at The Haunt, Pool Valey on October 27 with support from The Spitfires and The Lost Boys. 

Preston, who owns and used to live in a flaat in Brighton, Western Road, excitedly tweeted: "First proper hometown show in 10 years tonight" - the boys had not performed in Brighton since they had performed in the Dome.


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