Don’t Bite the Hand that Fed you Daniel!

It must be hard being worth over £50m at the age of 21 and having to pay a hefty price for the privilege.

Being known as the star of the Harry Potter phenomenon is something Daniel Radcliffe wants to move away from as he exits the last decade of his life that he devoted to the films. Taking on new roles that couldn’t be farther from PG than if they were pornography, he constantly talks about being taken seriously as an actor.   

I feel for the guy, I really do. Avoiding the stigma of being a child star is hard enough when you made your break in one movie, but when you were the star role in an entire film series spanning your teenage years? That’s gotta be tough.

I respect the fact that Daniel wants to move on (who doesn’t?) and pursue a serious acting career, but what I’m not keen on is his attitude towards the films that made him richer than Prince William. So what if you’re always going to be known as Harry Potter – don’t bite the hand that fed you!

I mean, you don’t hear J.K. Rowling bang on about how she’s so unfortunate to be famous for just one of her creations do you?

What’s more, is I am struggling to see him as an adult. Last night I watched the repeat of The Jonathan Ross Show from Saturday (still as good as his former show, but rudely interrupted by adverts) and thought Daniel gave a brilliant performance.

He likened watching back the Harry Potter movies as seeing baby photos of himself and ‘not an enjoyable experience’ – fair point – but did admit crying when filming ended. Daniel managed to patiently answer Ross’s questions about Harry Potter but soon moved on to promoting his new film, The Woman in Black, saying ‘it’s nice to be able to talk about something else.’

One particular bit made me cringe though….

Ross asked him how long he’s been with his current girlfriend, and he gave the witty response that he’s not sure, but he knows when he would take it from. He didn’t have to say the word, but we all knew he meant sex!

Now, if getting his entire kit off on stage didn’t shout ‘hello, I’m here and I’m grown up’ didn’t do it, then talking openly about sex should! I just couldn’t see past the 11-year-old boy that stole the heart of the nation and Harry Potter fans around the world ten years ago.

I hope for his sake, that we soon start to let go!   

The Freaky Happenings of Friday the 13th!

So, it’s the first of three ‘Freaky Fridays’ (13^th) of 2012 and I have decided to document what happens to me during the day - for no specific reason other than it might turn out to be pretty funny, or totally boring!

I’m not particularly superstitious, but I am a firm believer in ‘mind over matter’ and that this day provides a great focus of blame should anything bad happen during the 24 hours.

08.00am: I wake up as usual. Admittedly, the reflection I see in the mirror is not what I had hoped, but I’m adamant to start the day on a high. That is, until I notice the thick frost outside. Strange, not a bitter cold day since winter began, and today of all days it freezes over. First bit of bad luck – I didn’t get up early enough to de-ice my car and there’s a danger I’m going to be late for work for the first time ever.

09.00am: Just about made it to the office safe and sound. Goodness my tummy is rumbling. Oh, there it is, the second bit of bad luck for the day – I left my breakfast at home and have to go to the local convenience store, which inconveniently only sells breakfast-like food over the calorie count that my new diet has allocated to the first meal of the day. Bummer!

09:30am: Probably the freakiest thing to happen so far – my colleague Louise makes a round of hot drinks for everyone in the office! Shock horror! I have only been in my current job a year and can still count on one hand how many times she’s done the rounds – 4 of which were unintentional!  

11.30am: It was a relatively quiet morning, free from coffee spills or offensive emails sent to the wrong recipient, until the Postman arrived. His reason for being 2 hours late – he got stuck in a lift the unlucky sole! What’s more is that I rummage through the pile of letters looking for a parcel from Ebay for myself and it’s not there. After checking my account, I realise that I failed to click ‘BUY’ last week, so I’m now without a stupid silver glove for a stupid Michael Jackson party I’m attending tomorrow! Due to the Postman being late, I now can’t order today for next day delivery. Typical Friday the 13^th kind of stuff, right?

13.30pm: Got stuck on a call so I’m running down the High Street towards the salon for my beauty appointment (yes, arranging to get my eyebrows waxed on this day was not a good idea) when a selfish lump of transparent fluff decides to wedge itself under my right eye-lid. Too embarrassed to look at my eye in a shop window, I take the risk and walk the rest of the way half blind, bumping into certain signs on my way, but no people. I arrive safely and still have two eyebrow at the end of it – bonus!

17.30pm: After a pretty boring afternoon, I attempt an online test and fail miserably. This puts me in a very bad mood, so I do my exercise DVD to sweat out the frustration, sprain my ankle and retire to the sofa with a large glass of wine and a pizza.

20.30pm: The pizza failed to soak up any of the alcohol and I’m feeling a little woozy.

The Verdict
Apart from the Postman getting stuck in the lift, I’d normally not feel so depressed about today’s events. As it happens, I am.

If you took the time to read this, I’m sorry, you will never get this 10 minutes back (possibly 20 if you’re a slow reader). Happy Friday!   

You Either Love It or Hate It…..

….And I’m not talking about Marmite!

Reality TV is like junk food - you pretend you don't like it, but you secretly love it and then feel guilty after watching it. It takes over your evenings, your emotions and your social media news feeds, evoking the worst opinions in people!

From X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to TOWIE and Made in Chelsea, the British public cannot help being gripped by tragic performances and other peoples’ lives, no matter how sad, boring and uninteresting they may be. The latest reality TV show to take hold of the nation is Channel 5’s second series of Celebrity Big Brother. I for one think it’s the best it has ever been!

Here’s my low-down on the housemates, starting with my least favourite!

Andrew Stone (Pineapple Dance Studios Star) – aka Whinger
Let me start by saying thank goodness he’s out! It must be hard playing second fiddle to Louis Spence and I’m disappointed in the show’s producers for going for second best, but it’s time to get over it! His story about auditioning for the X-Factor was so cringe-worthy, I almost had to turn over. Being a lead in a West End show doesn’t make him a pop star – you don’t need to be Simon Cowell to know that! And as for being straight, I’m not one to judge, but I have coat hangers straighter than him.

Georgia Salpa (Model) – aka Boring
Watching Georgia is more boring than watching paint dry and the fact that she doesn’t get much air time implies that producers think so too. As for the boobs – I once had MASSIVE boobs and they looked nothing like that. Perhaps she was blessed but I’m not convinced in the slightest. Very tactical putting her fellow beauties, Nicola and Natasha, up for eviction though. Do I detect a hint of jealousy?

Nicola McLean (Former Page 3 Model) – aka the WAG who pretends she’s not
The sound of her voice makes me want to grind my teeth and put my fingers in my ears! I never thought I’d agree with Imogen Thomas, but yes, Nicola is a fake and very bitchy – surprisingly only towards the girls in the house.

Frankie Cocozza (X Factor Reject) – aka Loser
I actually have a nickname for Frankie, but I can’t publish such obscenities! He’s an arrogant child – the end!

Michael Madsen (Hollywood Actor) - aka Underwhelming
Probably the most famous person in the house, I have been continuously underwhelmed with Michael’s presence. It’s my opinion that celebrities only go on reality TV shows if they’re desperate, but I have never actually seen anyone show openly how much they don’t want to be there. All he does is sulk and retire to bed. Total let-down.

Natasha Giggs (Ryan Gigg’s former bit on the side) – aka Nobody
I don’t dislike her as much as I thought I would but she’s definitely got guts, I’ll give her that. What I don’t want to keep hearing is how she is implying she was taken advantage of when she was 21 or whatever. Erm hello? You were an adult who had a chance to bed a slightly better than average looking football player! Stop preaching being a victim!

Kirk Norcross (TOWIE Star) – aka Thick as Sh*t!
Kirk seriously needs to learn some home truths. The first is that he’s not THAT good looking, the second is that his temper shows how immature he is and the third is that he is thicker than my 3-year-old God Daughter. How on earth (literally) can you not know where anywhere is in the world except England (and I’m not even sure if he knows that)?

Gareth Thomas (Retired rugby player) – aka The Rock
I really respect Gareth for ‘coming-out’ as gay, and he really showed genuine compassion during the first task in the house. I don’t think we have seen his personality emerge yet, but I’m willing to give him time as he’s a team player and just a nice guy!

Kristina and Karissa Shannon (Playboy Bunnies) – aka Terrific Twosome
Anyone who answers back to Kirk is right up my street and despite being little hotties, I couldn’t help noticing a pinch of fat during the bodybuilding task, which makes them human in my eyes. I think they could surprise us.

Romeo (So Solid Crew Member) – aka Sweety Pie
While Romeo had said and done very little, he hasn’t done anything that warrants him being further down my list, so I’m going to keep watching him. Plus, I am a closet So Solid Crew fanatic.

Natalie Cassidy (Actress) – aka Normal
She is just a pure breath of fresh air – normal, funny and opinionated – three things I love! I hope Natalie goes far in the house.

Denise Welch (Actress) – aka Hilarious
I am most certainly part of #teamdenise as Carol McGiffin puts it. I’ve always been a fan of her witty humour and ‘say it like it is’ attitude. Because she’s older, I also think more viewers can relate to her. She’s the mummy, the comedian and mediator rolled in to one. However, I also think she could be the flame that sets off some fireworks too!