What do doughnuts and London Fashion week have in common…Glamour?

I love doughnuts, they are probably one of my mine and my girlfriend’s favourite treats to indulge ourselves in when we are feeling bad.

Krispy Kreme’s are the crack cocaine of doughnuts and Glamour magazine have teamed up with them to produce the Autumn / Winter 2011 Glamour Glaze range of doughnuts billed as glossy, stylish and fruity

This season’s doughnut collection features the Strawberry Glaze doughnut, synonymous with the Glamour Glaze line, accompanied by a new Orange Glaze doughnut. The Orange Glaze has been created from trend predictions of the upcoming season from GLAMOUR’s fashion team, who noted the ‘70s and the bright colour influences as two key themes.

The new limited edition collection will be available at all Krispy Kreme UK stores and in-store cabinets from the 29th August until 2nd October. Single Glamour Glaze’s cost £1.35, or you could share amongst friends a dozen doughnuts packaged in a bespoke black Glamour Glaze box

I’m not normally a man for fashion but when doughnuts are involved…

To find your nearest store visit www.krispykreme.co.uk

…The early morning show is Grease and you can catch a performance of the 1950s American high school hit show over a bagel breakfast for the first time ever.

The show has been condensed so you only see the best bits in a 20-minute bite-sized burst of entertainment

This is taking place on Thursday 24th March for early birds who fancy starting their day the New York bagel-way.

This unique performance will include four musical numbers – Grease Is The Word, Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’ and You’re the One That I Want – plus a finale. The special show will be enjoyed over a bagel breakfast. Not only is this a first for musicals, but it will also be one of the last chances for Londoners to see the show as it moves on tour across the UK.

The early morning musical starts at 0830 at the Piccadilly Theatre – the home of Grease for the past three years – and you can get your hands on two free tickets for you and a friend by emailing your interest to musical@breakfastbagels.com.

Doors will open and a bagel breakfast will be served from 0800.

See you there!

Ok so if you’re anything like me, the thought of Christmas shopping makes you feel a bit hot and queasy. All those people, so much money and that endless Christmas music! Argh I’m sweating at the mere thought…

Well I’ve just found out that Penhaligon’s Olfactory Owl is touring London at the moment. The Owl will be popping up all around London to giving discount vouchers and perfume samples. That’s mum’s, grandma’s and my girlfriend’s presents sorted!

And if you’re a particular fan of Penhaligon’s, you can submit your pictures of the Owl to win Christmas prizes. Check out the Owl’s progress by checking his schedule on Facebook and Twitter to see where you can catch him, but last I heard he should be stopping at these places:

Thursday 16th December – Oxford Street, Bond Street, Savile Row, Burlington Arcade, Fortnum & Mason

Saturday 18th December – Regent Street and Trafalgar Square

Sunday 19th December – Knightsbridge, Sloane Square, Green Park, Piccadilly

Tuesday21st December – Covent Garden, Somerset House, British Museum

Meet up with Brian Blessed in London

If are any of you Brian Blessed fans, I’ve got just the event for you.

To celebrate Brian Blessed becoming the new voice of TomToms, fans will be gathering in Central London on Thursday between 17:30 and 19:30 at Bar Soho on Old Compton Street. Fans can dress up as Brian and get a photo with the man himself. And don’t worry if you don’t look like Brian – TomTom will be supplying beards and other accoutrements to get you looking the part. If you know anyone who actually does look like Brian Blessed, get them to go along as there seems to be a massive lack of professional Brian Blessed lookalikes.

Pretty random I admit, but isn’t that the beauty of living in London? If you fancy getting involved, check out their facebook page to keep track of the event: Wearing Beards and Meeting Brian Blessed »

The Closest tube station to Bar Soho is Leicester Square

I went to the Jameson Cult Film Club last year to watch one of my favourite films; This is Spinal Tap. It was held at the Clapham Grand and it did not disappoint. I took a date with me and she was mightily impressed as it was something different from the usual places that one would take someone. Cocktails, popcorn and a mock Spinal Tap performance then the feature film made for an awesome evening. The night was entirely free and the atmosphere was buzzing.

This 2010/11 Jameson Film screenings will not just be taking place in London but all over the country this time round. The first screening will be Taxi Driver on 23 September at the Brewer Street Car Park and ticket applications are now being taken. Subsequent screenings will be:

Carrie – Liverpool – October 28

Chills in the Chapel:

Quatermass and the Pit – Union Chapel – October 29

The Amityville Horror – Union Chapel – October 30

Psycho – Union Chapel – October 31

Aliens – Manchester – November

Future Cult – London – February

Control – Manchester – March

All you have to do to get tickets to see these great films is to become a member at http://jamesoncultfilmclub.com/member-offers/.

For more information visit http://jamesoncultfilmclub.com

Don’t miss out on this!

In his sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, one of the most popular musicals of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber has combined mixed elements of old and new in order to create Love Never Dies. Ten years after the events of Phantom, star soprano Christine Daae has a ten year old son, Gustave, supposedly with her husband, Raoul. Now a worldwide singing sensation, she is summoned to Coney Island by a mysterious figure who asks her to perform – when his identity is revealed as the Phantom of the opera house in Paris, Christine has to struggle with her inner conflict, tempted by the magnetism of the phantom but knowing the dangers it presents.

The recurring characters are, of course, the main ones. Christine Daae, played by Sierra Boggess in the show currently running at the Adelphi Theatre in London, has developed from the young, delicate flower of Phantom into a powerful woman, yet still she is vulnerable to the Phantom’s dark romanticism. The Phantom himself has stepped out of the darkness into a colourful yet macabre world of the Coney Island amusement park, with airs of a sinister freak show. Ramin Karimloo retains the menace of the original whilst still evoking our sympathy. Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, has become an embittered husband, consumed by self-loathing adequately portrayed by Joseph Millson.

Meg Giry is another recurring character, but she is much changed and further developed. The only daughter of Madame Giry, who in the Phantom of the Opera helped the Phantom and pushed Christine into the limelight, Meg is now the star of the Phantom’s show on Coney Island and resents Christine’s reappearance. She is played by Summer Strallen in the show at the Adelphi, with Liz Robertson taking on the role of her mother.

The greatest addition to Love Never Dies is undoubtedly Gustave, the ten year old son of Christine Daae and supposedly her husband Raoul – yet questions arise over whether the Phantom is, in fact, his biological father. The introduction of the boy gives Love Never Dies an edge of tenderness and vulnerability, as he wanders through the gaudy, adult world of the carnival.

For more information and tickets visit www.reallyuseful.com

Barclays Live event - Smash Broz

Barclays is celebrating the investment across its Branch Network by hosting a popular new competition designed to find the country’s hottest dance acts, and it’s coming to Leicester Square, London on Saturday 31 July.

The competition is open to anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to become Britain’s next dancing superstar, be it as an individual, duo, group or troupe.

The top ten entries will be put through to the live auditions, which will take place on Saturday 31 July on a stage at Leicester Square. These contestants will perform in front of a celebrity panel of judges that includes Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole, as well as an audience made up of the great people of London!

The top five acts will then be subject to a public vote to decide the winner via the Barclays Live website www.barclayslive.co.uk.

The winning act will be waltzing away with a pair of VIP tickets to see Brendan Cole in action as well as dancing all the way to the bank with a cool £1,000!

To enter visit www.barclayslive.co.uk or send a link to a YouTube video showing them your moves via email to info@barclayslive.co.uk along with your name, phone number and postcode before Sunday 25 July.

The Barclays Live auditions will form part of a day-long programme of events, including a dance master class by Brendan Cole and performances by a variety of fantastic dance acts.

Children under the age or 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

www.barclayslive.co.uk

www.facebook.com/barclayslive

www.twitter.com/barclayslive

Image by Chris Getliffe taken from www.getliffe.com

On the 19 June Portobello Market is launching a new Art & Design Market, which will take place every weekend under the Westway on Portobello Road. The space that is currently derelict will be regenerated so that the market can take up residence there.

The market is set to be filled with an array of unique and creative treats, designed by artists and designers from London and beyond. For the first weekend of the new market some great designers and artists will be showcasing their wares including:

Fashion designer turned artist, Robert Carey Williams, showing his street wear collection of fashion and art www.robertcary-williams.co.uk

Graphic artist and illustrator, Chris Getliffe, www.getliffe.com

Artist and painter, Dorka Zgrzeba, www.coffeeandcigarettes.org

This space will also play host to a series of arty events including the Notting Hill Art Festival and a week long urban street-art event later this Summer.

It’s free admission and the Art and Design Market takes place from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, from the 19th June.

The closest tube stations are Ladbroke Grove/Westbourne Park/Notting Hill Gate

With the increasing participation of celebrity personalities in London shows, including Blue’s Duncan James in Legally Blonde and Rowan Atkinson in Oliver!, contemporary Musical performances have a lot more to offer compared to traditional musical theatre. Additionally, thanks to the encouragement of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s reality TV shows to find the leading roles for top West End shows, including Joseph, the Sound Of Music and his current search for Dorothy and Toto, Wizard of Oz tickets and tickets for other musicals in London’s West End have become increasingly popular.

A trip to the West End can be a night of glamour and romance; one thing a theatre trip isn’t (and is commonly mistaken for!) is expensive. A ticket to London’s top West End shows can range from under £20 to a much more pricey £80. However, with a bit of organisation and compromise you can save money on the show you want to see and get more than the ticket you paid for. Listed below are 3 tips to avoid paying the top end prices.

1. On-line retailers such as lastminute.com and uktickets.co.uk are a great resource for cheap London theatre tickets. Going with one of the leading online travel and leisure retailers, it’s a good start to finding cheap tickets to the theatre in the West End. Look out for tickets that include a pre-theatre supper at participating restaurants!

2. Are you under 26? The Arts Council England are offering young people FREE (yes free!) tickets to theatres all over London. Launched in 2009, A Night Less Ordinary is a scheme that offers thousands of free theatre tickets to anyone under 26 for all sorts of theatre events including comedy, tragedies, musical theatre, dance, modern mime, plays, circus and much more. Check out www.anightlessordinary.org.uk to check what is on at your local participating theatre.

3. Theatre ticket booths are located on every corner in London’s Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. Very often, the best seats in the theatre are reserved for these ticket booths – if seats are still available on the day (very often the case) the tickets are sold at a substantially discounted rate! If you are happy to risk not seeing your first choice of show, then ‘just turning up’ on the day can be the cheapest way if you want a (near) front row seat.

I hope these help, if you have any other ideas on how to get cheap theatre tickets in London then share the wealth

There is loads going on at this years East End Film Festival, below are some of the free highlights of the event:

Local(eyes) Installation

Spitalfields Market, Daily 23-30 April, 10am – 6pm – FREE

Running (or cycling!) for the duration of the festival, a specially commissioned interactive film installation Local(eyes) shows us East London’s streets from the perspective of a cyclist. Pedal powered projection takes you on a journey through the streets of East London allowing you to share the view of local artist and keen cyclist Mila Lipowicz.

A Riot of our Own Exhibition

Vibe Gallery, Saturday 23 – Friday 30 April, Daily 12pm – 6pm – FREE

‘A Riot of Our Own’ is the feature exhibition of the East End Film Festival. ‘A Riot Of Our Own’ revisits the energy of the Rock Against Racism (RAR) Movement, 1976-1981. The movement based its operations in the East End. It was a collection of black and white political activists, reggae and punk musicians, artists, graphic designers, photographers, actors, writers, fashion designers, and fans who came together to pool their energies and talents in the fight against the growth of racism and the National Front

Silent Cinema: The Lodger + Minima

Spitalfields Market, Saturday 24 April, 8pm -FREE

Wrap up and join us for the free outdoor screening event of the year. After last year’s amazing silent screening of Nosferatu, the East End Film Festival returns once again to Spitalfields Market with acclaimed soundtrackers Minima performing a live accompaniment to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent film The Lodger. One not to miss!

Cinema Sirens Pop-up Hair Salon

Courtesy of Hair & Jerome and Leons Restaurant (3 Crispin Place, Spitalfields), Saturday 24 April, 5–9pm – FREE

Throughout the screening of The Lodger, East End’s finest award-winning boutique hair salon, Hair & Jerome will be on hand to work their artistry on your tresses in our free pop-up hair salon hosted by Leons Restaurant. Just pop into Leons Restaurant from 5pm for your free session

Heritage Film Trail launch event and premiere screening

26th – 30th April – 18.00 until closing FREE

Compiled from over 30 thirty years of photographs, East End Heritage by Phil Maxwell and Hazuam Hashim is a beautiful visual document of the lives and changes that have occurred in the meeting places, houses, streets and communities of East London over the last thirty years.

This event kick starts at the Waterpoet pub on the Heritage Pub Trail taking place in ten of East London’s oldest and best public houses:

The Waterpoet, Kings Stores, The Gun, The Golden Heart, The Ten Bells, The Princess Alice, INDO, The Grave Maurice, The Blind Beggar and The White Hart

Palimpsests

Four Corners Gallery, Wednesday 28 April, 6:45pm – FREE

Lara Saxby-Soria’s practice embraces a cross-disciplinary approach, which includes photography, sculpture and most predominantly film & video installation. Her installations attempt to engage the medium of film as a physical presence.

‘Give’ & ‘Take’ at the East End Film Festival – FREE

Old Spitalfields Market, Daily Mon 26 – Wed 28th April 2010

The latest craze to hit the streets comes to Spitalfields courtesy of The East End Film Festival.  Cinephiles, Spitalfields regulars, budding artists and eager bargain-seekers are invited to bring along their unwanted clobber from 4-6pm, then be ready at 6pm sharp to rummage through the array of treasures and waltz away with a handful of FREE goodies (yes, your money is no good here). It’s that simple. First come first served, every man for himself!

For mor Information on the East End Film Feastival plkease visit www.eastendfilmfestival.com