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Tag: London

  • Uber’s Ride-Hailing Service Banned in Germany

    Uber’s Ride-Hailing Service Banned in Germany

    Reuters is reporting that a German court has banned Uber from providing its ride-hailing services in Germany, saying it lacks the license necessary to transport passengers in rental vehicles.

    Uber currently operates in seven German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The issues stem from the fact that Uber works exclusively with rental car agencies and their drivers in Germany.

    While the ban goes into immediate effect, it is still open to appeal, and the company has not ruled out a legal challenge to the decision. In the meantime, Reuters reports that Uber is looking at other options for how it operates in Germany. What that would look like is anyone’s guess at this point, as a previous court ruling in 2015 prohibited the company from matching customers with drivers using their own vehicles, as it does in the U.S. That ruling is what originally prompted Uber to use rental car companies and their drivers to provide their service.

    Uber is facing increasing challenges and bans around the world. Just last month, the city of London denied Uber a license, citing safety concerns. In the wake of a recent report that thousands of sexual assaults and nine murders have occurred during rides, it’s a safe bet Uber will continue to meet with opposition.

  • Kylie Minogue To Jump-Start London Christmas Season, Will Switch On Oxford Street Lights

    Kylie Minogue has been chosen to do the prestigious job of switching on London‘s famous Oxford street Christmas lights.

    The ceremony is in its 56th year and before Kylie Minogue there were many a celebrity who pushed the iconic button to light the bustling street and officially begin Christmas shopping season.

    For example, X-Factor star and musician Cheryl Fernandez-Versini did it last year and musician Robbie Williams held the honor in 2012.

    For the first time, West Oxford Street will be closed when Kylie Minogue switches on the lights. Only foot traffic will be allowed and surrounding shops will be offering special discounts.

    But the good deals won’t be the only attraction after Kylie Minogue officially starts Christmas season.

    There will be performances by Foxes, Fleur East, Ben Haenow, Gabrielle Aplin, and even a performance by cast members from Matilda The Musical.

    #tbt #KylieChristmas cover shoot…….not long now #lovers!!!!!!

    A photo posted by Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) on

    Capital FM breakfast hosts Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon will be helping Kylie Minogue with the festivities. Needless to say, they’re pretty excited.

    Dave Berry said, “This event officially marks the start of Christmas for London. The atmosphere on Oxford Street at the lights switch-on is always fantastic and it is great to be part of the Christmas countdown once again.”

    Sounds like a lot of fun!

    What do you think about Kylie Minogue switching on the Oxford Street Christmas lights?

  • Lindsay Lohan Wants to Move to London Permanently

    Lindsay Lohan says that, after years of legal trouble here in the United States, she wants to live in England for good.

    Although in the middle of a run of David Mamet’s play “Speed-the-Plow,” Lohan had to run back to the U.S. briefly to fulfill the terms of a community service agreement she says she thought was done. The last-minute blitz of volunteer activity in the States fulfilled her probation terms, keeping her out of the slammer.

    But now Lindsay Lohan says she is strongly considering moving to London to stay.

    “I can definitely see myself settling in London permanently,” Lohan told the Daily Mail.

    “For me, I feel more comfortable working from London. And it is beautiful. The architecture is incredible and the parks are so nice. I also love exploring different cities and using London as a base means I can go to more places. That’s really important to me.”

    “I can go for a run here on my own,” Lohan said of living in London. “I do every morning, early. I needed to grow up and London is a better place for me to do that than anywhere else. In LA I didn’t know what to do, apart from go out every night.”

    But one of the best things about living in London is that Lohan’s own personal woes are not seen as fodder for public consumption.

    “You turn on the news in LA and it is all gossip about people. All the stuff that is going on in the world right now and this gossip is the news?” she said. “I love the BBC. I haven’t heard myself mentioned on TV since I have been here. That has been really weird for me, and great.”

    Not only does she not see her own name dragged through the headlines in London, she does not have to be subjugated to lurid news of others’ lives as much.

    “I don’t even know who got married and who got pregnant,” she says.

    Lindsay Lohan credits her life in london with helping her drop her old habits and grow up.

    “I’m in a really good place. I’m blessed to have been able to do a play in London and start a different way of life,” she says.

    “New York is very fast paced and it’s not like that over here for me. You grow up and change, and I’m really happy about that, as overall I feel a lot better. Moving here was a new start for me and my outlook on life is different now. Clean slate. Fresh start. Hard work pays off.”

  • Lindsay Lohan May Not Make It to Deadline; Could Get Jail

    Lindsay Lohan just might be up shit creek.

    When Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 125 hours of community service following a 2012 Santa Monica traffic crash, it seemed like a fairly easy task to complete. But then Lindsay Lohan moved to London to work on David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.” Now she is under warning that she has just a few days to complete her community service time back in the United States or she could face jail time.

    Lindsay Lohan reportedly has 115 hours of the 125 left to do. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Young informed Lindsay Lohan’s attorney on Thursday that she must haul her butt back to Brooklyn to complete her required community service by May 28 or face “consequences.” Prosecutors have said that they intend to seek jail time if she misses the deadline, which has already been extended once.

    “She’s had an opportunity to do this. If the court’s not going to accept this, then we have to figure out if jail is the next option,” Santa Monica City Attorney Terry White said.

    Lindsay Lohan’s attorneys say that she had arranged to complete her community service while in London, but the facility she was to work at then relocated to an hour and a half away. Originally, they had claimed she had completed her time in London, but further investigation revealed that she claimed hours served while she was, in fact, in the hospital.

    So the New York Daily News reports that Lindsay Lohan will start serving at Duffield Children’s Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. She will be working with pre-schoolers. But she only has 14 weekdays to complete 115 hours of service. At that rate, she would have to work eight hours a day, five days a week. If she is able to do weekend work there, that is still over six hours a day, every day through the deadline date.

    Lindsay Lohan was charged with three misdemeanors in 2013 after a 2012 reckless driving incident in California.

  • Khloe Kardashian: Are She and French Montana Back Together?

    Are Khloe Kardashian and French Montana back together? A birthday message she posted for her supposed ex-boyfriend has fueled rumors that he might not be her ex any more. Khloe went to London last week with sister Kim Kardashian to support their Hairfinity business. E! News reports she’s presently headed home–to French Montana.

    Even though she missed the rapper’s official birthday, it sounds like she is headed home to him so they can celebrate a belated version together.

    “Happy birthday baby boy,” she wrote as the caption to an Instagram she posted to French Montana. “In only a short amount of time we have created timeless memories. Happy birthday to a man who genuinely lives life to the fullest. What’s understood doesn’t need to be explained. I can’t wait to celebrate life with you tonight! You deserve it.”

    A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on

    A Twitter post that Khloe Kardashian tweeted seems to negate the notion that the two are still romantically involved, however.

    Does that make it sound like she ‘loves’ him, but possibly ‘only as a friend,’ as the old cliche goes? Or is she simply trying to throw people off with her cryptic tweet?

    Khloe Kardashian and French Montana split up back in September, but even since their break up the two have hung around each other a lot.

    “We’re hanging out,” she said in an interview last week when asked what the status of their relationship was. “I don’t think there’s a title or anything…I don’t know what to say any more, because people go up and down in relationships. Sometimes you’re there and sometimes you’re not.”

    What do you suppose the real deal is with Khloe Kardashian and French Montana? Are they back together again or perhaps just friends with benefits?

  • Lindsay Lohan Finishes Probation for 2011 Necklace Theft

    Often we hear about some sensational trial or charges when the case is first opened or the court proceedings are underway. But we don’t often hear about how everything ended up turning out in the end.

    For example, President Clinton was investigated for years in a string of allegations that finally culminated in the infamous Starr Report. Due to the findings in that report, Clinton was impeached for lying under oath about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

    But what about all the other allegations that Ken Starr repeatedly broadened his investigation to look into? What about Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, and Vince Foster’s death? These are terms that are sure to resurface in a potential Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign, even though the youngest eligible voters in 2016 were not even born when the special prosecutor’s investigations began, and only two years old when the Lewinsky scandal broke.

    Ken Starr’s successor, Robert Ray, released a report that stated, “This office determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that either President or Mrs. Clinton knowingly participated in any criminal conduct.”

    Back in 2011, there was a lot of coverage about charges that actress Lindsay Lohan stole a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store. At the time, Lohan claimed she did not have it. Then she said it was not stolen, but was on loan to her and her stylist would return it. The store owner said Lohan had put it in her purse, but video showed that Lohan simply walked out of the store wearing it.

    In the end, Lohan pleaded “no contest” to the charge and was sentenced to 120 days in jail. Her informal probation extended until this year.

    And here, as the man said, is the rest of the story.

    Superior Court Judge James R. Dabney has ended Lohan’s probation in the necklace case. Reports state that she finished 102 hours of her 240-hour probation sentence by working with disabled adults and neglected children.

    “The judge was pleased, the prosecutors were pleased and of course I’m pleased that Lindsay’s doing well on probation, with her career, and generally with her life,” Lohan’s attorney said.

    Lohan is currently in London working on a production of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow and apparently has no burning plans to return to the U.S.

    While news about Lohan in the States seems to be mostly about charges and rehab, Lohan’s performance in the Mamet play in London has been called “possibly the best thing about this show.” Maybe Lohan has found a place to fit and grow.

  • Amy Winehouse Statue Revealed In London

    Amy Winehouse Statue Revealed In London

    Amy Winehouse was honored today, on what would have been her 31st birthday, when a statue of the late singer was revealed in London.

    The life-size statue, designed by sculptor Scott Eaton, is located in her beloved Camden Town neighborhood, and portrays Winehouse as truly as possible with her beehive hairstyle and winged eyeliner.

    Winehouse’s mother and father were in attendance at the unveiling, and Mitch, Winehouse’s father, took the opportunity to say a few words about his daughter.

    “It’s a day of incredibly mixed emotions, ladies and gentlemen,” Mitch said, according to the U.K. newspaper The Independent. “They don’t put statues up to people that are with us anymore, so it kind reinforces the fact that physically, she’s gone. But spiritually, she’ll never leave us.”

    Post by Mitch Winehouse Official.

    “It is incredibly emotional to see Amy immortalized like this, but Scott has done an amazing job in capturing her. It is like stopping her in a beautiful moment in time,” Mitch added.

    “The Winehouse family are very grateful to Scott and we really hope Amy’s fans love the statue. We want to remind everyone of her talent and that her legacy, through her music and the Amy Winehouse Foundation, carries on,” he continued. “Camden meant a lot to Amy and vice versa and to have her forever standing at the heart of the hustle and bustle of that area just fits.”

    Post by Scott Eaton Studios.

    Winehouse battled substance and alcohol abuse for most of her adult life, and gave her final performance in Camden Town, shortly before being found dead in her apartment at age 27 from alcohol poisoning.

    Post by Scott Eaton Studios.

    “Amy was an integral part of Camden and still is, so you couldn’t really think of putting a statue for her anywhere else, could you really?” Eaton said. “I had a meeting with Camden council and they told me they don’t usually allow statues until 20 years after someone has died, but in Amy’s case they made an exception.”

  • Kanye West Booed After Onstage Rant

    Kanye West Booed After Onstage Rant

    Controversial rapper Kanye West was booed at the Wireless Festival in London on Friday, after going into a 20-minute rant in protest of the media during his set. West was filling in for Canadian singer Drake, who had fallen ill.

    West, wearing a studded face mask, went on to share his views on the culture of fame, consumerism and discrimination in the fashion industry, and took jabs at Nike and Louis Vuitton. Concert goers booed loudly, and began to leave in droves.

    The irascible West commented, “I’m not particularly angry but they’ve taken the idea of celebrity and tried to make me seem like I’m stupid or something. People keep looking at me like I got a problem or something, like I’m not doing something I’m meant to. The lies, the media, they want to make you feel like you’re less to them in their eye.”

    West added, “I’m not going to mention any names but, Nike, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Don’t discriminate against me ‘cos I’m a black man making music. Fuck saving face and what it’s supposed to mean, it’s about living my dream.”

    Here is a clip of West’s rant in its entirety:

    West was the headline act for the Wireless Festival, which included Ella Eyre, Foxes, Pharrell Williams, Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke and Salt-N-Pepa (?).

    Fans who witnessed Kanye’s antics live weren’t too happy:

    West married professional celebrity Kim Kardashian in Florence, Italy in May. The couple has a daughter together named North.

    Image via Twitter

  • Martina Hingis Invited Back to Wimbledon

    In 1996, Martina Hingis shocked the tennis world for the first time by becoming the youngest player to ever win a Grand Slam title, partnering with Helena Sukova at Wimbledon to take home the women’s doubles title. At 15 years old, many expected Hingis to dominate the world of women’s tennis for quite some time. However, due to ligament injuries in her ankles, Hingis was forced to an early retirement at age 22. Since that time, Hingis has experienced mild success and had also had her career tainted somewhat by testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon in 2007. Thanks to the All England Club, however, Hingis has another chance to achieve tennis superstardom this year in London.

    Wednesday, Hingis will make her return to the grass courts of Wimbledon for the first time since 2007. Hingis’s return comes after the All England Club granted her a wild card spot in the women’s doubles tournament, where she will partner with Vera Zvonareva, who lost to Serena Williams in the finals of the singles tournament in 2010.

    Hingis, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last year, has experienced much success at Wimbledon in the past, winning doubles championships in 1996 and 1998 and splitting those wins with a singles championships in 1997.

    Unfortunately, Hingis was not able to continue her partnership with Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, to whom Hingis served as coach for some time. In March of this year, Hingis won her first tournament since her second retirement in 2007 with Lisicki at the Sony Open.

    Since that time, however, Hingis and Lisicki have mutually decided to part ways, with each tennis star seeking to better her own respective career:

    Post by Sabine Lisicki.

    It is yet to be determined at what time Hingis will take the court at this year’s Wimbledon.

    Image via YouTube

  • Julianne Hough and Brother Derek on Tough Childhoods, Today’s Success

    Julianne Hough and older brother Derek Hough spoke recently with PEOPLE magazine about their tough childhoods and how that time led them to where they are today. Dancing With the Stars was essentially the catalyst that moved the brother and sister pair from simply being professional dancers to becoming household names. Derek was this season’s champion. Julianne has gone on to add ‘actress’ to her impressive resume as well. It all started, however, when they were just young kids.

    It was back when Derek and Julianne Hough were only 13 and 10, respectively, that their parents sent them from their sheltered home life in Utah to London where they would study at the prestigious London dance school Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. They lived with family friends Shirley and Corky Ballas, whose son Mark Ballas is one of the current DWTS pros.

    Julianne recalled leaving the house early in the morning to catch a London train.

    “I remember one of my first days there I got off at the wrong train station,” she said. “I was just standing there thinking, ‘Where am I?’”

    She was taken advantage of as a young girl in a sensual world–most likely because her parents weren’t nearby keep a watch over her.

    “I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer,” she said during a recent interview with Cosmopolitan. “I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life. But my heart was the same, and I was this innocent little girl.”

    Both Derek and Julianne Hough acknowledge that they made lots of sacrifices–ultimately their childhoods–but that without those sacrifices they wouldn’t be where they are today. The dancing duo is presently on tour with their own show called ‘Move,’ in venues across the U.S. Julianne posted photos from a rehearsal for their Connecticut show on Instagram.

    “People will say, ‘How could your parents let you go off to do that?’” Derek said. “I think it’s great that they saw an amazing opportunity. That is the reason we are here today.”

    Do you suppose that’s how Julianne and Derek Hough really feel or might they harbor resentment they’re reluctant to share because of how it might mar their professional personas? Will giving up their childhoods and being separated from their family at such a young age one day come back to haunt the brother and sister?

    Image via Instagram

  • Lindsay Lohan To Make Stage Debut In London

    Lindsay Lohan is set to make her theater debut on London’s West End this November in a production of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow.

    “It’s the first time I’ve done a stage play or anything like that. I’m nervous but I’m excited” said Lohan.

    She announced her plans at a Moschino fashion show in London on June 17th, mentioning to a New York Times reporter that she has been in town for months preparing for the play.

    Lohan will take on the role of Karen, originated by Madonna on Broadway in 1988. Speed-the-Plow is a satirical play about the activities of Hollywood producers and was most recently staged in a Broadway revival in 2008.

    Though Lohan has confirmed her participation in the production both verbally and through Instagram and Twitter posts, there has been no official announcement that the production is moving forward nor that Lohan has been cast.

    Her most recent project, the Bret Easton Ellis film The Canyons, received mixed reviews and didn’t provide the comeback performance Lohan was hoping for.

    Despite this, Lohan appears to be very committed to her current project, with reports surfacing that she has in fact moved to London in order to thoroughly prepare for her role.

    According to a source from RadarOnline (sounds reliable), “Lindsay’s convinced everyone in America is out to get her, but she’s had the opposite experience in London. She loves British culture and says people have treated her with respect for the first time in years. Now she’s looking into the immigration process and planning a full-time relocation.”

    While all this sounds dandy, there have been rumors circulating of bad behavior at the same Moschino fashion show where she announced her plans to appear in Speed-the-Plow.

    A source (do these people EVER have names) told The Daily Mirror that “Lindsay was dancing on the table and couches by the DJ booth. Her table were getting through a lot of Tequila Patron. Everyone was talking about her being smashed.”

    Doesn’t seem London will be too much kinder to Lohan than America has been, but I’m hoping Lindsay will surprise us all and take this play by storm. Unless, of course, the whole thing is “a very grand and very sad delusion,” as the champs over at The Daily Beast say. Nice.

    Image via YouTube

  • Skyscraper Evacuation in London Prompted by Smoke

    London‘s tallest skyscraper was evacuated on Thursday following reports of smoke in the building’s basement.

    According to Twitter reports from the building’s management and the London Fire Brigade, the Shard was evacuated at around 10:30 am on Wednesday as the building’s fire alarms went off. Ambulances and at least ten fire trucks reported to the location as approximately 900 people exited the building.

    Dozens of firefighters entered the building to investigate the cause of the smoke in the building’s basement and the London Fire Brigade sectioned off a 50 meter perimeter around the building. Despite the alarm, no signs of fire were discovered and the smoke began to dissipate later Thursday afternoon.

    Workers were allowed back into the building after the smoke had cleared shortly before 3 pm.

    Despite the false alarm, the smooth evacuation served as proof that the building’s evacuation procedures are sound. Workers in the building reported that the evacuation took around 30 minutes. No injuries were reported as a result of either the smoke or the evacuation. A London Fire Brigade station manager told the BBC that the evacuation, which could have impeded firefighter progress, was “quite a quick and easy process.”

    In addition to being London’s tallest skyscraper, the Shard is also the tallest building in the European Union. The building was completed in 2012 and replaced an entire office block in the city’s London Bridge Quarter.

    Image via London Fire Brigade

  • Lindsay Lohan Is Planning A Move To London

    Since her younger days, starring in films like The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan has seemingly spiraled out of control.

    The six-time rehab alum has struggled with drugs and alcohol, and was recently seen partying it up at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

    “Lindsay’s really enjoying being in the UK and has told her pals that she’s staying here for good,” a source close to Lindsay revealed. “Lindsay has also started investigating getting acting work in London,” the source added.

    Lohan recently moved from her Los Angeles home to her native home in Long Island, New York, citing wanting to be closer to her family and leave her partying ways as the reason. Now, Lohan is planning a possible move to another country, where she hopes to redefine herself as an actress.

    Lindsay most recently appeared in her self-titled OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) reality show Lindsay, where she documented her struggles with drugs and alcohol. The eight-part documentary series showed Lindsay at her lowest times, and provided a very emotional look into Lindsay’s life.

    The first couple episodes of the show had us concerned that Lohan was just falling back into her old bad habits. However, she explained that the producers picked one of the craziest times of her life to start filming, and they were simply looking for ratings.

    “It is a television show so they want ratings—they picked the first two months after I got back to New York after I had been in treatment,” Lohan said at the time. “I became really spiritual over this past year and I have been trying to find peace and serenity in my life. So of course they take the chaos of me moving after eight years of living in L.A. back to the city of New York. So it’s like ‘Oprah reprimands Lindsay!’”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display At London’s Natural History Museum

    Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display At London’s Natural History Museum

    Mummified mammoths are a big deal in the science community as they give us a better look at life thousands of years ago. We got our best look yet in 2007 when scientists discovered an almost perfectly preserved baby mammoth and now British citizens will finally get to see it in person.

    BBC News reports that the Natural History Museum in London will be putting 2007’s mummified baby mammoth on display. The specimen is said to have lived 42,000 years ago, is 51 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. Everything on the mummified mammoth is intact except for the tail which was chewed off by dogs following its discovery.

    So, how was the mammoth so perfectly preserved? Like most mummified things, it’s all about preventing outside forces from decomposing the flesh. In the case of this particular mammoth, scientists believe the specimen was covered in ice for thousands of years. The ice only recently melted and allowed a local reindeer breeder in Russia to discover it. From there, the mammoth moved around a bit before it ended up in the hands of scientists at Russia’s Shemanovsky museum who named it Lyuba after the breeder’s wife.

    If you’re of morbidly curious type, it’s like that Lubya died from suffocation. Scientists found clay in its trunk which leads them to believe that it was drinking water, but got clay stuck in its trunk. Lubya died and was soon after buried in ice.

    Here’s what it looks like:

    Mummified Mammoth Goes On Display

    You may be wondering why Lubya doesn’t have any fur. While ice may preserve skin and the organs, it doesn’t preserve hair. Except for a few tufts here and there, all the hair was already gone when Lubya was found.

    If you want to see even more, GE scanned Lubya a few years ago and made a mini-documentary about it. Check it out:

    Those interested in seeing Lubya up close will have a chance when it goes on display starting May 23 at London’s Natural History Museum. It will remain at the museum until September 7.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Penny Dreadful Series Premiere Shows Promise

    Penny Dreadful, Showtime’s entry into the supernatural category, had a relatively strong formal debut Sunday night.

    Going up against genre heavy weights such as AMC’s The Walking Dead and FX’s American Horror Story, Penny Dreadful attempts to set itself apart “with a combination of literary allusion, fine acting, patience and fearlessness” according to a review in The New York Times.

    The series was created by John Logan, who is known for his Oscar-nominated work on films such as The Aviator, Gladiator, and Hugo. Sam Mendes (American Beauty, The Kite Runner, Revolutionary Road) is executive producer. Logan and Mendes previously collaborated on Skyfall.

    Set in Victorian London, 1891 to be precise, Penny Dreadful stars Timothy Dalton, Eva Green and Josh Hartnett as a mishmash trio of explorers searching for Dalton’s character’s daughter. Classic horror characters such as Frankenstein, Dracula and Dorian Gray are woven into the story line.

    “Penny dreadful” was a term used to refer to dime novels and horror books in Victorian-era England.

    According to The Toronto Star, the series premiere “did a fantastic job at setting the series’ dark, gothic tone while making it accessible to both new and seasoned horror fans alike.”

    Penny Dreadful debuted in Showtime’s 10:00 pm time slot immediately after network strongman Californication and drew in 872,000 viewers. After accounting for multiple plays Sunday night, the total number of viewers came in at 1.443 million.

    Breaking down the stats even further, 895,000 – or 62% – of the 1.443 million were in the highly-sought-after 18-49 age demographic. This made Penny Dreadful’s premiere the best in that younger age group since Dexter’s in 2006, which set a network record of 65%.

    Impressively, Penny Dreadful topped the series premieres of Homeland and Masters of Sex by about 5%.

    Further evidence of the premiere’s success is the fact that the numbers above don’t include the 900,000 Showtime subscribers who watched online when the network made the premiere available two weeks prior to Sunday night’s formal debut.

    Image via Penny Dreadful, YouTube

  • Miley Cyrus Denies Drug Overdose

    Miley Cyrus Denies Drug Overdose

    Twerking sensation Miley Cyrus has denied rumors that her recent illness was the result of a drug overdose, and asserts that she is “the poster child for good health.”

    While addressing talk that her recent hospital stint was actually due to illicit drug use, Cyrus insisted that this was not the case, during a press conference at London’s O2 Arena Tuesday, in anticipation of the relaunch of the European leg of her Bangerz tour. “I didn’t have a drug overdose,” Cyrus explained, adding, “I took some shitty antibiotics that a doctor gave me for a sinus infection and I had a reaction.”

    The potty-mouthed superstar, 21, commented, “I’m probably the only one on this tour who doesn’t drink or smoke before a show, as I take this really seriously. It’s almost like being an athlete being up here, because if someone was fucked up, they definitely couldn’t do my show.”

    Cyrus attributes her recovery to vitamins and honey, and called her hospital stay “the most miserable two weeks of (her) life.” The pop idol made her rounds on social media as she prepared to return to her Bangerz stage:


    Cyrus, back in form, at the O2 Arena in London Tuesday:

    Cyrus was forced to cancel the last of her North American Bangerz tour dates after falling ill in mid-April due to an extremely adverse reaction of antibiotics. The singer ended up being hospitalized for several days, and tour dates had to be rescheduled. It’s been speculated that Cyrus’ loss of her beloved dog Floyd might have compounded her illness. Just before getting sick, Cyrus had apologized in advance to Boston fans for her April 2nd gig. “I’m sorry in advance if I am not myself tomorrow Boston. I will try my best to be my best,” Cyrus said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Miley Cyrus Resumes Tour Amidst Drug Rumors

    Miley Cyrus Resumes Tour Amidst Drug Rumors

    Miley Cyrus resumed her Bangerz tour in London last night after a weeks-long break amidst rampant rumors that her hiatus was drug related, not stemming from an allergic reaction to antibiotics as stated by her rep. “I didn’t have a drug overdose. I took some shitty antibiotics that a doctor gave me for a sinus infection and I had a reaction,” said Cyrus of the rumors.

    It’s natural to correlate Cyrus’ wild on-stage behavior with the consumption of something a bit stronger than weed (which she openly advocates for and smokes), but where one would expect garbled words and erratic movements, Miley demonstrated superb hand-crotch coordination at last night’s concert. Not necessarily the behavior of a slurring, stumbling druggie who likely couldn’t even find their own crotch under that kind of pressure.

    While Cyrus’ statement that she is the “poster child of good health” may be taking things a bit far, she doesn’t demonstrate any behavior unexpected of a twenty-something with gobs of money and attention. In fact, Cyrus displayed taste incongruous with her image when she covered Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton last night, two artists Cyrus equals in panache, if not in wisdom/the good sense to cover up one’s butt in public. That comes later, Miley. No rush.

    Her Bangerz tour is set to continue through mid-August, if her poor pelvic area can take that much wedgie action/Michael Jackson-esque clutching without the support of a solid mind-altering substance. “I’m probably the only one on this tour who doesn’t drink or smoke before a show…It’s almost like being an athlete being up here, because if someone was fucked up, they definitely couldn’t do my show,” she said. Props to you, girl. Just say no.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jennifer Lawrence and Boyfriend Buy a House

    Actress Jennifer Lawrence and beau Nicholas Hoult reportedly bought a house in London, after looking at properties in the area for the past few weeks. Lawrence, 23, and Hoult, 24, met on the set of X-Men: First Class in 2011, and are again starring together in director Bryan Singer’s upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past.

    Hoult’s sister Clarista commented that the couple also considered buying a property in Hampshire, where Hoult’s parents live, but settled on London, and now plan to decorate.

    “It’s his first house,” Clarista said, adding, “He’s very excited and has been getting all his furniture from Ikea. Nick has been big into feng shui. In his room he has had branches, twigs with lights, the mattress and everything else on the floor, like water feathers and chairs, facing in the right direction.”

    Lawrence and Hoult had been dating for two years before taking a break, and got back together during the latest X-Men production. A source said, “Jen loves the English way of life. As they are now serious again, it makes sense to look into buying somewhere.”

    Here is a clip of Hoult and Lawrence as Beast and Mystique from X-Men: First Class:

    In related news, X-Men: Days of Future Past director Singer is presently embroiled in a civil suit in which he is accused of having sex with an underage male in 1999. Former child actor Michael Egan named Singer as being involved in a string of underage sex parties, and filed a civil lawsuit. Singer has decided not to participate in the promotion of his new X-Men film, and commented, “Out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I’ve decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film. However, I promise when this situation is over, the facts will show this to be the sick twisted shakedown it is.”

    Here is the X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer:

    Image via YouTube

  • London Underground Workers Go On 48-Hour Strike

    Workers of the London Underground (LU) went on a strike, which began at 9pm on April 28 and will last for 48 hours. The strike was done in protest of the plans to close the Tube’s ticket offices. The closure will cause hundreds of Tube workers to lose their jobs, as well as threaten the safety of commuters.

    According to the administrators of the London Underground, the staff would be better employed on station concourses instead of ticket offices, because according to their data, only 3% of tube tickets are obtained through the ticket offices anyway.

    The April 28 strike will be followed by another on the Heathrow Express on April 29 starting 3am in a separate conflict over worker compensation and job cuts. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is planning yet another strike, which will run for 72 hours starting 9 pm on Monday, May 5.

    Commuters are advised to seek alternative routes, such as walking, cycling, taking the buses, and riding the black cabs.

    Union leaders held a last-ditch negotiation meeting with the London Underground administrators in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the closure of the ticket offices; however, the gathering ended after only two hours without the issue getting resolved.

    RMT leaders stated that the union had given the company some proposals that could have stopped the strike from happening, if only LU responded positively to their ideas.

    According to Mick Cash, the union’s acting general secretary, the company leaders “have dug themselves into an entrenched position” and have expressed their refusal to reconsider their stance regarding the closure of the Tube ticket offices. He said that this breaches the agreement they reached before through the conciliation service known as Acas, which allowed them to suspend the round of action previously done.

    RMT believes that contrary to what the LU is proposing, the closure of the ticket offices have nothing to do with modernization, and is more about the substantial austerity cuts driven by the Prime Minister David Cameron and implemented by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

    London Underground: A Brief History

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • George Clooney Engaged to International Lawyer Amal Alamuddin

    Actor and human rights activist George Clooney is reportedly engaged to international lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

    Rumors started swirling Saturday when Clooney and Alamuddin were spotted having dinner at a Malibu, CA restaurant with Clooney’s longtime friends Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. Observers reported that Alamuddin was wearing a “huge ring” on her left ring finger as the two couples dined at Nobu, a trendy Japanese restaurant located on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway.

    Clooney and Alamuddin were first spotted together in London last October.

    Clooney was in town filming The Monuments Men when he and Alamuddin met for dinner at Berners Tavern in The London Edition Hotel. At the time Clooney was rumored to be dating the London-based Croatian model Monika Jakisic.

    On February 18 Clooney took Alamuddin to a special White House screening of The Monuments Men.

    In March Clooney and Alamuddin were spotted on the beach in Seychelles and on a safari in Tanzania. Later that month the two were seen dining with friends in both New York City and Studio City, CA.

    Who exactly is Alamuddin?

    Unlike Clooney’s ex-wife Talia Balsam and ex-girlfriend Stacy Keibler, Alamuddin isn’t an actress.

    In fact, she’s an accomplished and award-winning international lawyer who often works on human rights cases.

    The British attorney attended Oxford University and New York University School of Law. She practiced law in New York City for several years, representing big-name clients such as Enron and Arthur Andersen. Later she famously represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in his extradition proceedings with Sweden.

    Alamuddin and Clooney likely find common ground in their passion for human rights.

    Clooney is almost as well-known for his humanitarian work and political activism as for his A-list movies. Along with Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and several others Clooney founded Not On Our Watch, a non-profit whose goal is to “focus global attention and resources towards putting an end to mass atrocities around the world.”

    Clooney has advocated tirelessly for the marginalized in such places as Chad, Haiti, and Sudan.

    Alamuddin, who speaks fluent Arabic, English, and French, specializes in extradition, human rights, and international law. Currently based in London, she has represented clients in legal cases before the European Court of Human Rights, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court.

    Back in October, Clooney’s rep claimed that Clooney and Alamuddin were discussing a satellite surveillance program over Syria during their dinner at Berners Tavern.

    Alamuddin is an appointed advisor to former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who currently serves as the United Nations Arab League envoy to Syria.

    Many who are working to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria would be thrilled if Alamuddin could convince Clooney to lend his star power to the situation there.

    “The authentic involvement of cultural icons helps form a movement, and that makes Syria more than some distant quagmire,” Mercy Corps chief development and communications officer Jeremy Barnicle said in January.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kate Upton: ‘The Other Woman’ Bikini Scene was “Uncomfortable”

    Kate Upton says she felt “a little uncomfortable” during filming of her bikini scene in The Other Woman.

    It was a sentiment that surprised some, given the fact that Upton has made several appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, even gracing the cover in 2012 and 2013.

    Upton’s character Amber makes her first appearance almost halfway through the movie in the form of a slow-motion-running-on-the-beach-in-a-bikini scene that brings to mind Bo Derek’s iconic performance in the 1979 comedy 10.

    Upton discussed the scene when she appeared with co-stars Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann on Good Morning America on Wednesday.

    She said Diaz and Mann noticed she was feeling uncomfortable and acted to alleviate her discomfort:

    “These two saw that I was feeling a little uncomfortable — because anyone’s uncomfortable when that many people are staring at you — but these two came and ran beside me offscreen,” she said. “I’ve never had support like that before and it was just so amazing that I got that on my first film experience.”

    At the April 2 London premiere, Upton revealed that she, Diaz, and Mann became quite close while filming The Other Woman.

    “[Diaz and Mann] are such inspirations, amazing actresses and even better people, so I was really lucky,” she said. “We grew as friends and I also learned so much just watching them, they’re phenomenal, just hilarious.We had girls’ night all the time.”

    Diaz and Mann concurred:

    “I love these women. They … literally could not have been better … partners,” Diaz said. “We just had so much fun together … They’re such great women. They’re such good-hearted, nurturing generous lovely women who are so talented and are completely just the best partners you could have.”

    “We had so much fun together … we really became very close friends,” Mann added.

    The Other Woman marks Upton’s third and largest feature film role. In a red carpet interview in London, she said that when she started modeling she didn’t have anyone to help her find her path or give her advice but acting has turned out differently. She feels she can call Diaz and Mann whenever she needs help or advice, or even just a relaxing girls’ night out.

    Upton’s sentiments are the real life version of how Diaz envisages the underlying theme of The Other Woman:

    “It’s a story about female friendship. Three women become friends and don’t fight over a lying, cheating man. They realize it’s not worth it. Instead, they come to each other’s rescue and help one another through heartbreak.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons