Monthly Archives: November 2012

November 17, 2012 · 2:05 am

[Archive]: Want Lucious Lips à la Angelina?

Angelina lip glossing at The Globes

Of course you do! Well, join the queue, ladies! While full lips like Angie’s may well be the envy of many, and, seemingly down to brilliant genetics, which you just can’t buy these days; aside from pricey (and scary!) filler injections, just how can you emulate Ms. Jolie?

Enter: Chantecaille. Specifically, its Brilliant Gloss in shade Love. For this is what you need to invest in, if you want to go all copycat kitten on La Jolie’s smackers. After being spotted at the Golden Globes on Sunday (January 16) night applying her lip gloss mid-ceremony, the one question on everyones’, eh, lips, was, surely, “What magical lip boosting potion lies therein?” And, her make-up artist, Toni G., has come up trumps, telling us that this  — Chantecaille’s Brilliant Gloss in Love — is Angie’s go-to shade for days spent on movie sets and nights swishing down red carpets. According to Toni, the gloss “maintains lip moisture and is fresh and sexy.”

Sounds good to us!

The shade retails for $28, but is currently sold out on Chantecaille’s website, no doubt in part due to Jolie-lip-emulating-fever, however is sure to be restocked soon to service the inevitable surge of demand brought by Angelina’s Golden Globe glossing. However, you can find similar Chantecaille products here.

Update (November 17, 2012): Chantecaille’s Brilliant Gloss in Love is now available on Chantecaille’s website, however, it has increased in price from $28 to $33, which corresponds to a hefty18% price hike. Seems like The Jolie’s lips are worth big (lip) glossing bucks.

This was originally published on January 19, 2011.

Image: NBC

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November 16, 2012 · 10:26 pm

[Archive]: Disgraced ex-Dior Designer Galliano Speaks Out

John Galliano, the disgraced, and now ex-House of Dior designer, has just broken his silence in relation to recent claims of drunken anti-Semitism in a Paris-located bar. The Gibraltar-born designer, who had been at the helm of the high fashion label since 1996, is accused of making anti-Semitic remarks, and of generally being a tool. As well as this, a recent video of him has emerged doing pretty much exactly what he’s been accused of lately, adding further fuel to the fire. He is reportedly headed to rehab in Arizona at the time of going to press.

Read his full statement, released through British entertainment lawyers Harbottle & Lewis:

“Since the events of last Thursday evening I have not been able to make any public comment on what took place based upon advice from my French lawyer. However, given the continuing delays at the French Prosecutor’s Office I should make my position clear.

I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the Police investigation.

A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the Police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing. For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me.

However, I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people.

I must take responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself and for allowing myself to be seen to be behaving in the worst possible light. I only have myself to blame and I know that I must face up to my own failures and that I must work hard to gain people’s understanding and compassion. To start this process I am seeking help and all I can hope for in time is to address the personal failure which led to these circumstances and try and earn people’s forgiveness.

I have fought my entire life against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination having been subjected to it myself. In all my work my inspiration has been to unite people of every race, creed, religion and sexuality by celebrating their cultural and ethnic diversity through fashion. That remains my guiding light.

Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.”

View the shocking, venom and oft hate-filled video of an eerily similar earlier occurance of anti-Jewish hatred here.

This was originally published on March 2, 2011.

Image: Google Images

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November 15, 2012 · 10:40 pm

[Archive]: The SAG Awards 2011: Red Carpet Losers

For the sartorially obsessed, the die-hard style mavens and the red carpet aficionados among ye, if you live and breathe, you’ll have undoubtably oohed and aahed over the glamour and gorgeousness of the gúnas* that graced The Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night. And, although there was undoubtably a peppering of prettiness in the way of fabulous frocks; unfortunately for the style watchers of the world there were definitely a few misses amongst the hits. And who among us doesn’t love to hate those dire disaster dress-zones?

On that note, may I present to you the red carpet losers of 2011’s SAG awards…

Jane Lynch

Let me begin with Jane Lynch, who’s better known as the venom-tongued Sue Sylvester, arch-nemesis of Will Schuester in happy-go-peppy high school hit, Glee. While she pulls off Adidas tracksuits like no other on the silver screen, the same cannot be said of this rather-dressier-by-several-degrees lilac number. Designed by Ali Rahimi, there’s oh-so-much wrong with Ms. Lynch’s dress that it’s hard to know where to start. But start I shall… From the swimsuit-style neckline to the overly fussy bodice; and the unnecessary draping suffocating the under-skirt to the heaviness of the fabric; it’s pretty heinous. If I had to pick a single redeeming feature, it would be the brooch on the waistline. But other than that, it gets a big F- from me.

Kate Mara

Second on our list of red carpet losers is Kate Mara, who has appeared in box office hits 127 Hours and Iron Man 2. While she may be gaining momentum as an actress, having appeared in the former and latter this year alone, this tan coloured monstrossity that she sported at the SAGS is sure to give her no leg up whatsoever as far as the style stakes go. Half bandage dress, half toilet roll cover, the split personality of this gown is not at all flattering. Or pretty. And her hair band does not help this sorry situation a single bit. In fact, it makes her look rather child-like, which is not what you want when you’re swimming amongst a veritable sea of (sometimes shark-like) sophisticated actresses at an awards do. Her look pretty much ties with Jane Lynch’s purple assault on the eyes as SAG’s most ugliest look of 2011.

Angie Harmon

Third on our list of SAG disaster zone dresses is Angie Harmon’s explosion-in-a-candy-floss-factory, pastel pink Monique Lhuillier number, which certainly grabbed my attention, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Quite frankly, it looks like the bizarre love child of a Miss Piggy cast-off and a flock of unsuspecting ostriches. Or, something the epitome-of-classiness herself (insert sarcasm sign here), Jordan would wear to court some attention from the paps at a premiere. Either way, not a good look, Angie.

Cara Buono

Another strong contender for the SAG’s worst dressed gong is Cara Buono, of Mad Men fame. She walked the red carpet in a teal J. Mendel fusspot of a gown. “Wow” is the first word that comes to mind, albeit not in a good way. There is just too, too much going on in this dress. There’s ruffles, there’s pleating and there’s ruching. Not to mention the overly complicated bodice. It’s just overkill. Less is more, Cara.

January Jones

Joining Miss Buono on this most dreaded of lists is Mad Men colleague, January Jones. To be perfectly honest, the first thing that popped into my head on seeing her decked out in Carolina Herrera was that she bore more than a passing resemblance to a surely-qualifying-as-antique coffee-soaked doily. Better luck next time, Jan.

Christina Hendricks

January and Cara weren’t the only Mad Men alum to don threads of the distinctly dodgy variety on Sunday night. Oh, no. For joining them in the sort of hat-trick one never aspires to is fellow co-star, Christina Hendricks. Usually she looks amazing and brings a bit of va va voom to red carpets with her coveted and oft-commented-on curves, so that makes her inclusion on this list all the more disappointing. But, disappointing at the SAGS she was. While she may indeed be wearing L’Wren Scott, unfortunately the belted waist, long sleeves and thigh-high split evoke visions of a dated-looking bath robe, not a couture gúna of beauty; so the copper haired actress ends up looking more ready for soaking-in-the-bath time than whirling-down-the-red-carpet time. The colour of the robe-come-dress sits too harshly against her porcelain doll-like, alabaster-toned skin, also, gurning wildly against her gently coiffed ‘do. I get that you’re trying to evoke the spirit of the Mad Men ’70’s, with the material, and in homage to the hit that’s got you at the SAGS — probably? — but, it’s just too thigh-high, aged, and ageing.

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld, the up-and-coming young actress who has been critically lauded for her performance as Mattie Ross in True Grit, unfortunately is not going to be lauded for her sartorial sense any time soon, if this offering is anything to go by. And sadly, provides us with proof positive that Prada doesn’t always mean pretty. To be frank, this garish gown is nothing short of an absolute monstrosity. It looks like an overgrown pumpkin patch, a tube of fuschia lippie and a Sharpie marker got into a fistfight. And I’m not really clear which one of them won, to be honest…

Helena Bonham Carter

Let me preface this by saying, in the championing-of-over-capitalization-style-of-Caitlin-Moran, that I LOVE Helena Bonham Carter. Oh, I do LOVE HER! So, oh, how it pains me to add Helena Bonham Carter to this list. It really does. I can usually be counted on to champion her quirky, some even may say wacky, style; and to be honest I adore how she isn’t just another cookie cutter star who wears only what the fashion Gods deem to be ‘in’ that season; and how she just doesn’t seem to give a damn about what anyone thinks of her sartorial choices.

Yet here I am, adding her to yet another worst dressed list. In fairness, her monochrome Marc Jacobs pick for the SAGS pales in comparison to some of the other horrors mentioned above, but still, I can’t say I’m a fan of her red carpet look here. Overall, the dress just screams 1990s. From the thick, sheer straps to the detailing on the skirt and bodice, it just looks dated. And that fringe is doing her no favours, I’m afraid. However, on the plus side, I’m all for her Lulu Guinness clutch. But other than that, it’s a definite no from me.

Naya Rivera

Coming in last on the list is Glee‘s Naya Rivera. While by no means the worst dressed on the red carpet Sunday night, she definitely is worthy of at the least an honourable mention here, mainly due to the side-order of bolt-on boob à la Victoria Beckham’s implants -of-old, which are in no way concealed in this silver Aurelio Costarella number. Her showy display is more than a bit naff, and the metallic detailing on the bust is very breastplate-like. Next time, cover up the half-watermelon-like appendages and you might fare better in the style stakes.

Well, there you have it, style addicts. The nine most fugliest looks on the SAG red carpet of 2011. Here’s to many more dubious dress disasters to snark over in the future!
This was originally published on February 4, 2011.

Images: Google Images

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November 15, 2012 · 9:36 pm

[Archive]: Des Bishop’s Father Michael has Sadly Passed Away

Well known Irish-American comedian Des Bishop is in mourning today, due to the sad passing of his father, Michael, yesterday. His management have stated that, “It is with great sadness that… [we] can confirm that Des’s dad, Michael Bishop, has passed away earlier today.” Michael Bishop had been fighting a brave battle against terminal lung cancer since his shock diagnosis in November 2009, but has sadly lost the fight little more than a year on.

The signs weren’t looking good when his popular comedian son was forced to cancel a string of gigs within the past few days, which were due to take place in The Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin from Febuary 1 — 5. This cancellation prompted a spokesperson for the venue to state that, “Des’s dad has taken a turn for the worse. He is flying back to America now.”

Des and his dad, Michael

His current tour, My Dad Was Nearly James Bond, is a celebration of Bishop’s dad’s life both on and off screen, interspersed with Bishop’s trademark comedic style, and delves into the drama of Bishop’s near miss at playing James Bond on the silver screen. Michael appeared on stage at the end of every show during its run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which was critically acclaimed. The tour itself was also the subject of the documentary, In The Name of The Father, which aired on RTE 1 on January 27.

Management for Des have said: “We wish to confirm that the national tour of My Dad Was Nearly James Bond is postponed, until further notice.” Ticket holders are advised to contact their individual venues for any further information.

Des and his family have asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.

This was originally published on February 5, 2011.

Lead image: Des Bishop

Second image: Google Images

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November 15, 2012 · 6:46 pm

[Archive]: Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Seeks Treatment for Substance Abuse

Green Day’s lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong is, per a statement released by the band, “seeking treatment for substance abuse.”

This admission follows a controversial set by the band at Friday’s (September 21) iHeartRadio Music Festival, which took place at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.

During their appearance at the festival, Billie Joe appeared at times agitated and angry, ultimately culminating in him becoming enraged, and spouting a multiple expletive-filled rant, during which he said, amongst other things: “Fuck this shit,” “I’m gonna play a fucking new song,” and (even though it is not pleasant viewing, and is not the Green Day we know and love) my personal favourite: “I’m not fucking Justin Bieber,” on realising that there was only one minute left in the band’s set. He went on to then smash his guitar.

The frontman certainly didn’t seem like his usual jovial, happy-go-lucky self during the trio’s on-stage stint, during which his voice appeared at times strained, and where he genuinely did appear tired.

Green Day have since apologised, saying, “We…  apologize [sic] to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas,” and “would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short…”, quelling rumours that Armstrong’s outburst was due to such a reason.

At least he’s not trotting out the old, overused, celebrity stalwart go-to excuse of ‘exhaustion and dehydration’.

His wife, Adrienne, has pledged her support for the singer, saying, “Sometimes we just need a moment to reset ourselves… Thanks for all the love & support”

This treatment follows Armstrong’s recent admittance to hospital on September 2, in Bologna, Italy, as a consequence of which the band was forced to cancel their scheduled concert in Bologna, saying, “We sincerely apologise to our fans, but unfortunately due to illness Billie Joe has been hospitalised, and we regretfully must cancel our performance,” adding; “We are beyond devastated… “ and that, “Billie is extremely upset about it.”

Billie Joe’s treatment comes during what is arguably the band’s most ambitious period to date, with the trio having recorded a series of three albums – ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tre!, which are due to be released within the space of five months, between September 2012 and January 2013; touring during 2012, including a surprise show at Reading; and having announced ambitious tour plans for “a full UK tour” in 2013.

Tickets go on sale for a concert at London’s Emirates Stadium, with a capacity of 60, 000, on September 28 (Friday). Armstrong will also be appearing on the upcoming season of The Voice as a mentor to judge Christina Aguilera. The band also have two upcoming documentaries which are due to be released to accompany their new records; one about the making of same, the other to feature vintage footage of Green Day, shot before the release of their 1994 album, Dookie.

As well as these, they have recently collaborated with Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, to put out a Green Day-themed update to Angry Birds Friends, the Facebook version of the popular game, which features new music from the band. As of now, though, the band says, “We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances.”

Billie Joe was previously arrested for DUI in January 2003, and has admitted to using drugs in the past, saying recently that he had, previously, written under the influence of “methamphetamines.”

Hopefully this is just a blip in the road for Green Day’s main man, and Mr. Armstrong will be back to his best soon. Get well soon, Billie.

See the video here — even though this YouTube video claims that the band’s set was cut short, they have said in a statement, as detailed above, that it was not.

This was originally published on September 24, 2012, and can be seen, in edited form, here.

If you would like to see all my work on TheDailyShift.com, please click here.

Images: iHeartRadio

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November 15, 2012 · 6:22 pm

[Archive]: Neil Armstrong’s Family Release Statement on His Death — “Next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, passed away today, August 25, 2012. His family have released a statement, which is so beautiful in its own right, that no words need be added. I carry it below, in full:

“We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

“Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

“Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He also found success back home in his native Ohio in business and academia, and became a community leader in Cincinnati.

“He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits.

“As much as Neil cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the expressions of good will from people around the world and from all walks of life.

“While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.

“For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

This was originally published on August 9, 2012, and can be seen, in edited form, here.

If you would like to see all my work on TheDailyShift.com, please click here.

Image: NASA

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November 15, 2012 · 6:08 pm

[Archive]: Fearne Cotton is Pregnant!

Fearne Cotton has just announced that she’s with child! The Radio 1 DJ, 30, has just shared her and boyfriend, Jesse Wood’s (son of one Rolling Stone, Ronnie) happy in-the-family-way news with the world, saying in a statement this evening, 8 August,

“Jesse and I are very happy to announce we are having a baby. We are over the moon, morning sickness aside (me, not Jess) and looking forward to the little Cotton Woods arrival.”

Of course, Ms. Cotton’s celebrity chums were quick to chip in with congratulatory tweets, Twittering a-plenty about the cute in-utero-Cotton-Wood and family-of-three-to-be, with stars such as chanteuse Ellie Goulding and Mel C, and DJ Sara Cox all tweeting kind, baby-related congratulations to Fearne.

Favourite celebrity tweet so far, though? Deffo Keith Lemon, (alter ego of comedian Leigh Francis) presenter to Fearne’s (co-)captain position on ITV’s Celebrity Juice:

“I am so happy for you Fearne. Honestly. Greatest news ever. Can’t wait to see your milk trucks. Love Keith x”

Hee hee.

Congratulations and felicitations, Fearne and Jesse!

Come over to Twitter, where you, too, can pretend that celebrity people are your actual real life friends… but follow me first, @aprilbarry101

This was originally published on August 9, 2012, and can be seen, in edited form, here.

If you would like to see all my work on TheDailyShift.com, please click here.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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November 15, 2012 · 5:54 pm

[Archive]: Oh, Kindle, how do I hate you? Let me count the ways…

Oh, Kindle, how do I hate you? Let me count* the ways…

Kindles. iBooks. Electro-readers (I know they’re called e-readers, but humour me here, the term electro-readers goes with the general awry-with-technology grumpy grumblings of this post). They all have one thing, and one thing only in common as far as I’m concerned: ugh.

Can you guess that I don’t have/want/need/aspire to having one?

Just, ugh.

I know they’re (sort of) eco-friendly [insomuch as something which is, in all possibility, manufactured by an impoverished sweatshop worker, thousands of miles away, then shipped here, clocking up mile after mile of carbon footprint, and, just generally being immoral and all, can be]. But, hey, if it saves a tree… I know less forests are felled due to electro-readers. I’m aware that it opens up a world of literature, at gobsmack-me rock bottom, bargain-licious prices.

I realise that it’s an awesome way for an unestablished writer to gain some foothold in the literary jungle that is the wild world of publishing. And, I’m not so un-hip that I don’t understand that they’re new (well, newer than books, older than… mystery, yet-to-be-introduced iPhone 1000s…), and that all the cool kids, along with sporting strange bit-buzz cuts jauntily juxtaposed against their otherwise long and lustrous locks; like everything to be technology-ey, and plug-in-able, and touch screen enabled, and 3G wifi (and all the rest) accessible. I get it. I had a wireless when I was your age too (okay, walkman, followed swiftly by a CD player). And by all means –  you have my permission – make your music as minute as possible, and as carry-about-able as earthly attainable. There’s no need to carry a load when it’s a lyrical one. But books, my dears, are a whole ‘nother (library) matter…

You see, I’m of the firm persuasion that you should be able to see books – i.e. that they are actual, visible 3D objects, in and of themselves. Not just some silly file on some mad piece of machine gadgetry. You should be able to thumb through them, to make notes on them, to spy strange and sometimes ambiguous coffee, tea, and general caffeine cup stains within their pages. You should be able to feel their cool weight in your hand (have you ever met a warm book?!). You should be able to smell them, that lovely, cannot-be-replicated book-ish smell that you get from books and only books. (I mean, you don’t see electro-readers sniffing all up in their electro-books now, do you?)

You should be able to fold them, and make creases, and mark important pages, and passages. You should be able to slip a bookmark in between the pretty pages.  You should be able to take note of how battered (or not) the book’s spine is, and fold pages over accordingly, in relation to how much TLC your oh-so-brilliant book requires. You should be able to ponder through page after page, finding where you read last, seeing all manner of lovely printed words along the way.

In short, there ain’t no bibliophile ever who curled up with an electronic book reader like they would a book.

Okay, well maybe there is (I like to think that these ‘renegades’ are 50 Shades of Grey readers) but they’re so cold, and so electronically sterile, that’s there’s no way a true bibliophile would.

Probably the only time I could actually condone use of an electro-reader is if you’re actually reading 50 Shades of Grey. But, seriously, it’s almost a mark of kudos-come-honour (in some circles) at this stage — you’re one of the cool ‘in’ kids, so why not own it, and flaunt your pseudo-bondage (mightn’t be an exact description, but I’m hell as not actually reading what originated as Twilight fan fiction, allegedly) porn-lite with style. In the form of paper and ink.

And for fuck sake, don’t come near me with either the electro-reader or the tomes, in book form or otherwise.

*Not really count. You may have noticed, this piece does not contain any numbers. But, they are listed. And I trust that The Daily Shift readers are super-smart, so can count all the many ways featured if they so wish.

I’m over on Twitter, hating all things newfangled-ey. However, I have managed to make that there ‘Twitter’ word back there clickable. So, click, and join me in the hatred of all things non-book-y, over yonder on ye olde Twitters.

This was originally published on August 8, 2012, and can be seen, in edited form, here.

If you would like to see all my work on TheDailyShift.com, please click here.

Image: WeHeartIt.com

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November 15, 2012 · 5:30 pm

[Archive]: London 2012 Olympic Games: All the Facts you Need to Know

The Olympic Park as viewed from the sky, showing the giant crayon art installations on the river next to the Aquatics Centre

We’re just under halfway through the London 2012 Olympic Games, can you believe it? So, here’s your pocket guide for all things Olympic, from all of us at The Daily Shift.

A Little Bit of History

The Olympic Torch Relay, on the River Thames, under the giant Olympic Rings

 

•    According to historical records, the first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC
•    These took place in Olympia, an area in West Greece
•    They were abolished, after almost twelve centuries of play, by Emperor Theodosius, in 393 AD
•    The International Olympic Committee, founded in 1894, organises the modern Winter and Summer Olympics
•    1896 was the first year that the modern Olympics took place, in Athens, Greece
•    The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games are the 30th Summer Olympic Games to be held
•    London has hosted the Olympics twice before – in 1908, and 1948 respectively

Fanning the Flame

Olympic Gold Medalist, Torchbearer Matthew Pinsent, lights the cauldron with the Olympic Flame

•    8000 Olympic torchbearers carried the Olympic Flame
•    During this time, the Olympic Flame visited all 33 Boroughs in London
•    It travelled 8000 miles, to over 1000 different areas in the United Kingdom
•    On average, 110 torchbearers carried the Olympic Flame each day, with it travelling an average of 110 miles per day
•    On its United Kingdom journey, it will have come within ten miles of contact of 95% of the UK population
•    The Olympic Torch relay took place over 70 days

London 2012

The Olympic Torch, with the Olympic Rings in the background

•    Even though the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place last Friday – 27 July 2012, the games actually began two days earlier
•    Women’s football was the inaugural sport to be played at this year’s games, beginning the competition on Wednesday 25 July
•    The men’s football followed, beginning on Thursday 26 July
•    10,490 Olympians will be taking part in the Games
•    The London 2012 Olympics will feature 26 sports, divided up into 39 disciplines
•    302 medal events will be taking place over the course of the games
•    These will take place in 34 different venues
•    There are 8.8 million tickets in total available for the London 2012 Olympic Games
•    There are 19 competition days in full – starting from Wednesday 25 July, the games come to a finale on Sunday 12 August 2012
•    Every London ticket comes with a travel card valid for tube zones 1 – 9, on the day the Olympic ticket is valid for
•    Over 200 Olympic sessions have a ‘Pay Your Age’ policy in place-those aged sixteen or under at the outset of the Games pay their age amount for tickets-i.e. a 14-year-old will pay £14, a 16-year-old paying £16
•    The Pay Your Age scheme ensures discounts for senior citizens also, with ticket prices capped at £16 for senior citizens

Let The Games Begin

The London 2012 Olympic medals

•    1 million pieces of sports equipment have been stockpiled for London 2012, including:
•    6000 archery target faces
•    2,700 footballs
•    2,200 dozen tennis balls
•    600 basketballs
•    541 life jackets
•    510 adjustable hurdles, for use in athletics
•    356 pairs of boxing gloves
•    120 head protectors, for use in taekwondo
•    99 training dolls for judo and wrestling
•    53 sets of pool lane ropes
•    22 tape measures for boccia
•    12 pairs of handball goalposts

The Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium, floodlit at night

•    Will be used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
•    Took three years to build
•    Is made of 10,000 tonnes of steel
•    Is 53 metres high
•    Has paid host to 241,000 visitors since 2007

The Aquatics Centre

The swanky Aquatics Centre

•    Will use 10 million litres of water
•    Has 180,000 tiles laid through three pools — two 50 metre swimming pools, one 25 metre diving pool
•    Four skeletons were excavated from the prehistoric settlement found on the site

Living It Up

The entrance to the athletes’ Globe recreation area

•    There have been 2,818 apartments built in the Olympic Village, compromising of a grand total of 250,000 square metres of living space
•    These apartments house: 16,000 beds
•    28,000 branded duvets
•    22,000 pillows
•    1,200 blankets

An apartment at the Olympic Village

•    9,000 wardrobes
•    11,000 sofas
•    That works out, per apartment, as: 5.6 beds, 9.9 duvets, 7.8 pillows, 0.4(!) of a blanket, 3.1 wardrobes and 3.9 sofas
•    So, while the athletes have loads of sofa space to lounge it up, they might find themselves fighting over the blankets!
•    Although, seeing as there are 150,000 condoms available to the Olympians, giving each participant 14, they might be pretty hot under the collar already. Looks like somebody will be getting The Daily Shift anyway!

Food For Thought

The main dining hall in the Athletes’ Village

•    14 million meals will be served at the Olympic Games, 45,000 of these at the Olympic Village
•    Food and catering for London 2012 will comprise of:
•    330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables
•    232 tonnes of potatoes
•    100 tonnes of meat
•    82 tonnes of seafood
•    31 tonnes of poultry
•    21 tonnes of cheese
•    19 tonnes of eggs
•    75,000 litres of milk
•    25,000 loaves of bread
•    All tea, coffee, sugar and bananas are to be of the Fairtrade variety
•    9.8% of food at the Olympic Park will be served by
McDonald’s (healthy choices ahoy! But, you do get a free, limited edition London 2012 Coca-Cola glass and wristband with every large meal or premium salad, so…)

Working It Out

Work being done on the Velodrome site, before completion

•    The games will be employing about 200,000 people–approximately 35% of these are volunteers, with contractors making up about 50% of the number
•    70,000 Games Markers will volunteer for a grand total of 8 million hours
•    Uniforms for Games Markers, staff officials, and contractors will be comprised of:
•    765.92 miles of fabric
•    359.37 miles of thread
•    1,069,034 single zips
•    730,610 individual buttons
•    2,000 newts have been relocated from the Olympic Park to the Waterworks nature reserve
•    There are 2,012 official London 2012 pin designs
•    44 companies have signed up as sponsors in the United Kingdom
•    £1 billion worth of merchandise is aimed to be sold before the end of 2012

For Future Reference

The Olympic Rings, Coventry

•    The 2014 Winter Olympic Games are due to be held in Sochi, Russia
•    The next Summer Olympic Games, in 2016 will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

So, let the games  begin, eh, carry on!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @aprilbarry101

This was originally published on August 6, 2012, and can be seen, in edited form, here.

If you would like to see all my work on TheDailyShift.com, please click here.

Lead image: Wikimedia Commons

Additional images: London 2012/Getty

 

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November 15, 2012 · 5:14 pm

[Archive]: Fancy a Sneak Peek at Lady Gaga’s Upcoming Vogue Cover?

Breaking news out of the world of fashion: The yet-to-be-released cover of American Vogue’s March issue has been leaked. As traditionally March is the second biggest issue after the iconic September issue, this leak is news indeed.

The glossy cover features none other than Lady Gaga, whose rise to the uber heights of fame has been nothing short of stratospheric lately. On the cover of the magazine the chanteuse sports a short, bubblegum-pink bob along with ebony lips, and dons an almost-cut-to-the-navel, Grecian style dress by new-kid-on-the-fashion-block Haider Ackerman. The image was shot by famed photographer Mario Testino, and according to gagadaily.com, the shoot took place in November at the Museum of Fine Arts which is located in Antwerp, Belgium.

No word yet as to what Gaga wears within the covers of the iconic fashion bible.

This was originally published on February 4, 2011, and could be seen, in edited form (when the site was still up), here.

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