Daily Archives: February 17, 2010

Covergirls can be over 40 too!

juliarobertsAt last some sanity prevails within the cosmetic industry! some years back the beauty giant Lancome was represented by the exquisite face of the actress/model Isabella Rossellini who also happened to be the daughter of legendary actress Ingrid Bergman. Fine genetics there if ever there were some! but that still did not stop Lancome from firing Isabella from being ‘the face’ of their cosmetic lines such as face moisturizer, toners, cleansers, make-up…her only crime to warrant being sacked was to turn 40.

How times have changed since the 80′s. Julia Roberts, herself now 42, has been appointed ‘face’ of Lancome and this is a wonderful move by the company. Beauty is not restricted to being under-25, many women improve as they mature…sure my own skin is far better now than when I had an oily complexion as a 21 year old. I now have ‘normal’ skin whereas back then I had to opt for the ‘sensitive’ range. Women are beautiful at any age and it about time this was acknowledged and celebrated.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

Sade was the best part of the unstylish 80′s.

sadeIt has been good to see some great artists from the 80′s and 90′s making a welcome return to popular music and performance – Alison Moyet springs immediately to mind – but without a doubt the coolest performer to grace the stage was Sade Adu.

Around 1984/5 Sade was all over the airwaves and if you considered yourself an arbiter of good musical taste then you counted her ‘Diamond Life‘ among your music collection. I remember every time you went into a hairdressing salon there was a Sade song on the stereo or radio; nightclubs played her huge hit ‘Smooth Operator’ because her music was just so easy to move to. Then she disappeared from sight as quickly as she appeared. If you want to learn more about the Sade from back then just simply go to YouTube and see what I mean!

It is wonderful to see this excellent singer making her comeback and her new album is out and will win her a whole new legion of fans.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

The Brit Awards: why can British television not do a decent awards night anymore?

britawardBritish television has produced some of the best entertainment ever seen, and continues to do so, why then can the industry not pull it together and give viewers a decent awards show anymore? last night’s Brit Awards was, in the words of mediocre compere Peter Kay, “twenty minutes of entertainment stretched over two hours…”

And he could not have been more correct and even those twenty minutes was a stretch. The two things that can really make a show like this work brilliantly is a) the host and, b) the writers. You had Peter Kay as host, one of the UK’s top comedians and yet he was let down badly by what he was given to say presentation-wise. I have to be honest and admit that Peter Kay’s appeal in the funny-stakes escapes me, I like a really dry delivery – which is what he has – but I just cannot find him funny enough to laugh at. Maybe it is because I’m not from ‘Up North’ – I have seen Micheal Parkinson almost fall out of his chair laughing at this guy, well he would wouldn’t he…?

The awards were given out to some really run-of-the-mill acts, except I guess for Lady GaGa…her stuff is starting to sound the same to me though. Unless she becomes the queen of reinvention a-la Madonna you will be hearing Poker Face type songs from her still in ten years time. Liam Gallagher – what can you say about this twat other than “grow up you imbecile”. That ‘moody, cool swaggering’ might have gone over fine when you were a young fella Liam, but now you just look like a cantankerous old twit – and as for your giggling-idiot of a wife Nicole Appleton…a has-been if ever there was a never-would-be.

The British television industry has some of the greatest comedy writers in the world – just look at Yes, Prime Minister; One Foot in the Grave; Dinnerladies…all a brilliantly varied mix of  biting satire and comedic genius and yet we get productions like last night’s effort. Where are the great writers when the producers are putting these shows together! find them, use them, and get a host who can deliver the goods. And one last thing: Put Jonathon Ross out to pasture.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.