Why is this blog in german? Ich verstehe ein bisschen aber nicht alles. I should sleep. I’m leaving in 5 hours..actually, no, I’m waking up in 5 hours. I was thinking in my bed and then (yet again) -BAM- inspiration hit me. It took me at least 10 minutes to open my ancestral VAIO computer...
It’s been too long since I’ve written anything, let’s call this the Summer edition. I have so much to say in so little time. First of all, I think I should rename my blog "Dear Rupert" or "Roopie the Boobie" as Roop is my only devoted follower. I really want to watch "Lie to me" at the same time as writing this but my internet connection is shit. The series isn't even that good but Tim Roth is a good actor. What was I going to write about...
OH yes. I just saw "Naked" by Mike Leigh. I liked it a lot. 3 and a half munchkins out of 5. It was much better than these other Cannes Festival films. The dialogue was epic, I could quote the whole film. Maybe it was also the fact that the main character was played by that actor who does Remus Lupin in Harry Potter. His Manchester accent is just priceless.

Johnny: Well, Brian, congratulations! You've succeeded in convincin' me that you do 'ave the most tedious fuckin' job in England.
**
Johnny: You think you can recapture your youth by fucking it? You don't want to fuck me. You'll catch something cruel.
**
Brian: Would you like a mint?
Johnny: Is this a new policy? Ply the culprit with menthol?
**
Johnny: You know at birth when you cut the umbilical cord - what would happen if, uh, well if it was never cut?
Sandra: I don't need this. I just...
Johnny: Well it'd be embarrassing, wouldn't it? Especially at my age.
**
Oh, "Jane Austen" by Emma. That's one of me favorite books.

etc.

Another film which is worth watching 10 times is Trainspotting by Danny Boyle. Love it. Ewan McGregor is so good that you want to watch his other films, the ones he collaborated with Boyle. The script is also amazing.

I've never really written anything on my blog about fashion. And funny enough, I'm obsessed with really weird clothes at the moment. I also have this thing for ankle boots and (yes ruperv...) beenies. Very very strange. Maybe it's the new Tischite in me (the wannabe artsy type). (by the way Roop, your mum's twin story has inspired me big time)
What else... ouh. My new motto in life: je ne regrette rien. Let's follow Edith Piaf's wise words. Regrets are just a waste of time. Seriously. You just gotta snap out of it. (again, I sound like a teenager...but why not?)



SLEEP.

Fancy a snog?

No, no, no...I am NOT offering intimate services to you after my love life has failed miserably. I am talking about frozen yogurt, the new craze of the Brit population. Imported from the States, everyone is talking about it and I must say, at first I was reluctant...thinking it was just yogurt pretending to be ice cream...but once I tried the chocolate version...yum. They have shops in Paris too, in the infamous trendy Le Marais.

It's healthy, you can choose different toppings (my suggestion: strawberries and oreos yay), and it's guilt-free!

Come on, get those tongues wagging and enjoy a snog.

Snog is actually a chain of FROYO shops, with a very cool ambiance. Perfect for a first casual date...at least, you're sure to get a snog at the end of it. Ok I'm going to stop with the snog jokes...it's just so catchy!

Frozen Yogurt addresses:

London:
South Ken: Snog (next to the station): 32 Thurloe Place, South Kensington, London SW7 2HQ
Covent Garden: 5 Garrick Street
Soho: 9 Brewer Street

http://www.ifancyasnog.com/

Paris:
my berry
25 Rue Vieille du Temple
75004 Paris, France
http://www.myberry.eu/

NYC baby:
pink berry
Upper East Side
between 81st + 82nd St
1577 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10028
P 212 861 0574
http://www.pinkberry.com/


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Don't you just hate it when...

I haven't written for a long time, mostly because I'm a very busy person at the moment (haha) and I wanted to leave Eddie Redmayne on the front page for a while hehe.
Anyway, once again, inspiration comes at night! I'm just thinking about a conversation I had today with a friend. It has nothing to do with film, nor fashion, nor french, nor fuck for that matter. It was about how we, girls (or guys..) behave differently when we like someone. OK this is going to be the corniest entry yet. I'm just really pissed off against myself and will be even more angry if this blog turns out to be a "teenager crying her heart out" kind of blog. NB: I am not a teen.
Why do we act differently in front of people we like? Why can't we just be ourselves? I know people with funky personalities who will just freeze in front of Mr Hottie.
I had coffee yesterday with this person I "kind of" like. (in RON's language, it means yes but I'm ashamed to admit going soft!! hopefully the person concerned will not be reading this)
I couldn't speak. Well I could but I really had nothing interesting to say. BORING. Each time I thought: no, he'll think you're a weirdo. No you can't say this, ain't politically correct! Hmm...the coffee ended with a couple of blanks, both of us, our noses in our empty cup of teas and the guy finally saying "should we maybe head back.." Nice. So my friend today explained to me that it was the same for her, the only difference is that she has been "going out" with this person for a couple of months. Will it ever change? Is there still hope?
It's not as if I'm socially inept or anything, I do have many guy friends. But when you don't care about what the other thinks about you (he's your friend, not your boyfriend), it's a whole different story. I did have deep and meaningful conversations with mystery man...but only when we were drunk.
Secondly, why can't we just say explicitly what we think or feel? It would make things so much easier. Who cares about moral or social values... "I like you too. Let's just skip the small talk and bussi bussi?" (I'm trying to remember if bussi bussi in german means kiss or something else less appropriate in this context).
I found the funniest article on the most "reliable" source (wikihow)... I typed shy girl in google and this is what came up:
How to have a relationship with a shy girl...
First: Determine what kind of shy your girl is.

If she is vague and trails off when speaking, she is conversationally shy.
If she is outgoing, but never gets past the small talk, she is cover-up shy. You might feel like she is hiding who she really is, when in fact, she may have been hurt in the past and is afraid to open up.
If she withdraws when you touch her, becomes more quiet or just changes herself in order to send negative signals, then she is physically shy.

Ok the rest is a mix of boring and hilarious advice.

http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Relationship-with-a-Shy-Girl

My favorite quotes: "Speak to her tenderly, so as not to scare her off"
"Do not feel offended if she doesn't warm up to you immediately, as everything takes time." Oh well thanks.

I keep listening to these songs. They are amazing. I love the beginning of the Two Door Cinema song...it's very Glee-acapella-like.
Cheryl Cole - couldn't resist! (I love how she went from chav to elegant fashion icon. Impressive)
Florence and the Machine - fantastic
Feist Remix by Boys Noize - two thumbs up





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Eton Mess

Meeting someone you’ve never met before can sometimes be awkward. Meeting a rising actor who has played Angelina Jolie’s son in The Good Shepherd is a completely different matter. So you can imagine the state of my stomach before entering Cafe 171 of Southwark’s Jerwood Space. To step in or not to step in? That is the question. As I listened to THE song that gets me in the mood, also known as Haddaway’s “What is love?”, I took a deep breath. I couldn’t possibly cancel on Eddie Redmayne. This Old Etonian (that’s how they say it, he’s not actually old...), turned Cambridge Graduate, is now one of Britain’s most aspiring actors. Farewell Jude Law (I know it’s hard) and hello Eddie!
I try acting casual as I enter the Jerwood Space. The place has a very modern feel to it and is simply...white. This art gallery also functions as rehearsal spaces, where Eddie is currently practising for his new play “Red”, a study of abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko wrestling with fame. To distract myself, I flicker through art books, it’s always nice to pretend to be cultured because honestly, I was more concerned about my next encounter than cubism. Moments later, a stunning man with flaming ginger hair arrives. As Michael Jackson would say, this is it. He looks much laid back and gives me the warmest welcome ever. “So you do actually have Ginger hair”, I gasp. When he had warned me the day before, I actually thought he was joking. “Yeah I know, I’ve just finished this film called Pillars of the Earth in Hungary and had to dye my hair”. After ten minutes of getting to know each other, buying lunch (he orders salmon and noodles), crisps and diet coke, I already feel that:
a. He is the most adorable and nicest person ever.
b. Funny and so down-to-earth.
c. Will you marry me?
Jokes aside, I am very glad that we finally meet. Eddie is very unique and his huge modesty is absolutely refreshing. His passion for acting came at a very young age, and since then, he has been involved in many projects both on stage and on screen.
In 2002, the 27 year old got his big breakthrough during his Cambridge years. To celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th-anniversary, Redmayne took part in an all-male production of "Twelfth Night" where he played Viola. His performance got him an agent and the rest is history. After graduating from Cambridge, Eddie decided to take a gap year and pursued theatre, by playing Billy in "The Goat or Who Is Sylvia", which won him the Outstanding Newcomer award at the London Evening Standard Awards in 2004. His face might seem familiar as he has also starred in many Tudor movies, including The Other Boleyn Girl and is now appearing in Stephen Poliakoff’s Glorious 39. Did I forget to mention the Burberry 2008 ad campaign? Having done many films with top Hollywood actresses such as Julianne Moore and Scarlett Johansson to name a few, we can clearly say that Eddie is on the route to success.
Let the interview begin.

So Eddie, what have you been up to this year?

This year – 2009 – basically, I’ve been working a bit like a trunk. I started the year doing a film about the plague, called Black Death. Then I went to Budapest, in June to shoot Pillars of the Earth which is based on Ken Follet’s bestselling novel. Even Oprah had it on her show! It’s set in England in the 12th century fictionalised period of history. The story is about the war and monarchy. It’s funny because in filmmaking there are always trends. Years ago, when Gladiator came out, people were like: “we need to do a classic epic”. So Troy was made and then Alexander...this year, it’s definitely medieval.

What’s your character like in Black Death?

I play a monk. A naughty monk with a girlfriend. He basically leads this group of soldiers, led by Sean Bean to this village which is meant to be free from the plague and all this mysterious stuff starts happening like witchcraft.

Did you enjoy it?

Um yeah... the director was Chris Smith, who is at the moment one of the greatest horror directors of England. I don’t know anything about horror; I don’t even enjoy horror, so for me it was a completely different challenge. I spent two to three months in a monk’s outfit, in swamps in Germany, having the shit beaten out of me by Sean Bean. Was it fun? I dunno, but it was interesting...

Did you have to shave parts of your head to get the whole look?

What happened is that the day before I was going to film it, I got a call from my agent saying that they wanted to shave my head. But because I was going straight on to Pillars of the Earth, in which the only feature that’s really important in my character is that he has big red flaming hair, I wouldn’t be able to do the job. So I had a fake tonsure which was so funny. I actually have stills of it, I’ll show you.
He shows me hilarious pictures of him as a monk and of course his tonsure they had to glue every morning.

So now you are doing “Red”.

Yes, it’s a play about Mark Rothko set in 1956 when he was commissioned to paint the walls of this restaurant of the Four Seasons in New York. Huge commission. He painted the paintings and he then decided that he was so disgusted with the restaurant and the idea of the commercialism of it that he pulled out ...Anyway, there’s always been a mystery on why he did that. John Logan, who wrote Gladiator and The Aviator, wrote the script and fictionalised the account that [Rothko’s] young assistant, the character I play, has a lot to do with the decision. The play is really about that moment when the apprentice overtakes the master. At that time, pop art was emerging with Warhol, and because [Rothko] represents abstract expressionism, he was considered old-fashioned. So my character represents the youth, the overtaking. It’s a play about art, about passion, the father/son relationship, it’s amazing and I get to paint.

Oh perfect. Very convenient as you were a History of Art major, right?

I hadn’t studied his work specifically in huge amounts. But it’s great. That’s why I’m smiling at the moment. This is my dream job.

You seem to never stop. What do you do in your spare time?

I’ve been very busy, especially this year. It’s great for employment, it’s shit for your life (giggles) it’s quite hard to keep friendships, relationships and family. It’s tricky but again I made a decision At the beginning of the year when these jobs arrived, whether to do it or not. Firstly, as an actor, you’re very aware of how lucky you are to be employed. At some point, you need to balance your life – I thought: I was single, I was 27 and I was like “fuck it, it’s now or never”, if you have no commitment, nothing, just do it.

Do you prefer theatre or cinema?

I started doing theatre, I knew nothing and still know very little about film. The process of filmmaking is so different; it kind of adds variety to your life. With filming, you get to travel a lot, what’s amazing also is that film is this meeting of science and art, camera and all that stuff is so technical and the costumes and the design, everything is theatrical and artistic. It’s kind of amazing to be with these people, to watch those two worlds collide. That sounds really pretentious.

Nah. Isn’t it more boring to have to redo takes?

Well yeah but at some point in your life, you want that boredom. The problem in film is you only get a few times to get it right. In theatre, if you fuck it up, you can always do it better another night. In film, if you’re not in the right frame of mind a particular day, it stays forever. Ideally you get to do both [theatre and cinema].

How do get into the mood for a scene? When the director says cut, do you just snap out of it?

It really depends on the actor. Some will spend the whole day locked up and some will use humour. I remember doing this movie “Savage Grace”. There’s this really intense love scene with Julianne Moore who plays my mum. For weeks, I had been reading these disturbing things and my character is kind of freaking out at some point. But Julianne was such in a normal chatty mood and I had to be brooding. On that specific day, the character is going mad, I had to keep going to a corner of the room whereas she was absolutely laughing all the time. I felt a bit of a dick for doing that but there are other days where it’s the other way round.

How did your mum react to Savage Grace?

Ahha. You know what’s really funny is for my first play The Goat, in London, I was playing a young gay New Yorker. In the last scene, I had to kiss Jonathan Price who played my dad. My brothers would come and watch the play in order to watch my dad’s reaction. It was a funny thing. And when there was a film festival for Savage Grace, my family were there to watch my mum...I feel I put my parents through a lot. Bless them; because they don’t come from this world, I think they are so shocked that I actually get work. They are very supportive. They’re like “if this is what you need to get work, go ahead”.

In The Other Boleyn Girl , you play alongside Scarlett Johansson and Nathalie Portman. If you had to choose between the two, who would it be?

Genuinely? They are two completely different people. But both wonderful. Natalie [Portman] is incredibly, incredibly cute, bright and spunky. Scarlett is incredibly instinctive, beautifully smart and grown up. I couldn’t believe she was younger than me! The dream woman would be a mixture of both but they are both extraordinary in their own ways. I loved working with both. Scarlett was my wife so it was the high point of my career.

Do people mistake you for another actor?

The hilarious thing that happens is that they recognize you...but recognize your face. And think: do I know you? And either they think you are a friend, alternatively what they do is they go: you’re an actor. What have you been in? Which is a completely natural approach. You then have to go through your CV. And on the rare times that I have done that I go: “the Good Shepherd? No. The Other Boleyn girl? Nah. The Golden Age? Definitely no. I haven’t seen it. And you’re like: do you want me to keep listing my CV to you? which is really humiliating.”

Do girls come up to you?

It really depends on where you are. I went to a picture gallery recently and sat at a cafe. Schoolgirls came up to me and that was incredibly weird. When you’re doing a play, people know where you are and then they’ll come in. But it’s not like I get sent knickers.

If you had to have dinner with 4 people dead or alive real or fictitious, who would it be?

I was asked this question recently for a magazine. And I’m thinking of whether to give you the same answer. One would be Yves Klein who I’m a bit obsessed with. The other is a random Australian singer called Missy Higgins. Do you know Tom Sturridge? He’s my best mate. We did a film together in Australia about 4 years ago [Like Minds] and we would just stroll around New Zealand in a car and there was a singer called Missy Higgins. A songwriter. And we can’t work out whether she’s straight or gay from her song lyrics. We became quite competitive over her. We genuinely believed that one day we would find her and ask her who she’d rather. So I’d have to invite Missy Higgins. Only 4? I can’t pick family. Who else...(long pause) I’ll throw in Rothko to see what they thought of each other and I’ve always been fascinated by Barbara Baekeland who’s Julianne [Moore] ‘s character in Savage Grace, to see how she really was.

In the Burberry ad you did a lot if jumping, was it tiring?

No. Not really. I wasn’t the one in 9 inch heels like Agy [Agyness Deyn] . What Burberry do is get people from different industries. So you had musicians, there was a golf player, and Martin [Tomlinson], from the band Selfish Cunt, the most flamboyant charismatic person ever. So there was a very interesting dynamic too it. Mario Testino is wonderful and hilarious, he’d be like (takes the peruvian accent): “you’re a supermodel”, “you’re a star”...

Any advice for aspiring actors?

Be driven but don’t be overly ambitious. I think ambition hurts a lot of people in our industry...and it changes a lot of people.


HOW BRITISH ARE YOU? QUIZ

It’s 4 am. You just came out of a club and you are very hungry. Do you go for the local kebab shop or the nice and greasy fish and chips? 4 o’clock in the morning? Kebab shop
Marmite: love it or hate it? Fucking love it. I had it for breakfast this morning on muffins with cheddar cheese. In fact, Starbucks has now amazing Panini cheese cheddar marmite. My favourite thing in the world. You clearly hate it.
Scones or English Breakfast? I love a full English breakfast but I can’t deal with eggs, I hate eggs, so everything that’s under the egg but I love scones as well. Tricky choice. Scones if it had loads of clotted cream.
Spice Girls or Girls Aloud? (Pauses) Girls aloud. There was a moment there. I really really fancy Nadine. I love the Irish accent. And she has amazing legs and an amazing voice.
What about Cheryl Cole? (very enthusiastic) Oh I love Cheryl Cole! ...of course I love Cheryl Cole. We had a discussion about her the other day and we thought that the moment we saw her dimples...she took over the nation.
This is a great quiz.
Friends or Eastenders? Friends. I never really watched Eastenders.
Jonathan Ross or Parkinson? Jonathan Ross
Thomas Hardy or Victor Hugo? Hardy but purely because I’ve read more of him.
Coldplay or The Strokes? The strokes
Bin or Trash? Bin
The good old Pint or a nice glass of wine? Pint. Wrong answer. Although I do drink wine.
Tea or Coffee? Coffee
Can’t or can’t? Can’t

Result: So British!

Horsegalore

Oh and as promised...my friend who auctioned as a horse...sold for £50!
Woop woop.
Other highlight of the night: the Malaysian dance to Single ladies by Beyonce. Priceless.

Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser @ Roundhouse

Yesterday was a rainy day. It was also a busy day for the music and film industries. Whilst “Alice in Wonderland” was making its big debut in Leicester square, Camden’s Roundhouse was hosting a fundraiser for Haiti. Luckily, I got a ticket to the concert as soon as I heard I Blame Coco was playing. The show started at 6.30 pm but of course, I was still lying on my sofa at 7 pm. I didn’t sleep much the night before and was very reluctant of going. But hey, it was a charity event and so many big artists were playing. My friend picked me up in her mini (thank god for the car!), but we were a long way from our ultimate destination. It’s in times like these where you praise technology! Indeed, I must say, the iphone came quite handy as Camden is a long way from the Frog pond. After 40 minutes of going too far east and too far west, we finally arrive at this huge warehouse. Welcome to Roundhouse. Some people are dressed indie-like and some just came from work. I can hear the echo of the music and desperately want to go upstairs. But my purple coat is being a bother and I have to check it in. I then sprint to Level 1, where the standing area is. The room is full of people sipping beer (yes, sipping, this is a civilised event) and casually listening to the music. A shake of the head on the left, a shake of the head on the right, I’m surprised nobody is going wild or bouncing around. I don’t recognise the person on stage, apparently she’s a comedian. She seems more drunk than funny…well, actually, that was the funny part: she was telling all this personal stuff about her divorce and all. Some people have issues that the world doesn’t need to know about. Maybe it was part of the act. Anyway, she announces that her 30-minutes are up, making me happy that we’ve just arrived. She introduces Mr Hudson (peculiar name). You know, that blond dude who sings with Jay-Z and N-Dubz. He’s quite the classy type of man, and as I get closer to the stage (little people have acquired this technique of getting ahead in concerts), I realise that Mr Hudson is quite a good-looking lad. His voice is quite cool too but he only stays for two or three songs. After a couple of other artists whose names are unknown to me finish their songs, KT Tunstall comes on stage. Her dimples are very cute and you can imagine that she has a fun personality. She’s what we call a real musician as she can play so many instruments. Although KT doesn’t play her most famous songs, her new material is just as good. Her co-guitarist is also someone to watch out, he was very stylish with these cool earrings and could really bust a move. Other acts that just blew my mind was Paul Weller. I had heard his name before but not his music. However, just by looking at the crowd going wild, I knew he was a legend, and what a legend he was. He had a really cool haircut too, a bit like a character in Star Trek. I love live music because when it’s really good, you can get the chills. The guy must be 60 but he still has it and can play the guitar amazingly. I love it when musicians go crazy and do wild movements. It was like the girl from the Magic Numbers who were there that night. She was amazing. Her long hippie hair and guitar skills blew me away. I must must find a video!
I also have to mention I Blame Coco. I did pay 40 pounds to go and see them...So when they announced I Blame Coco, I cheered until I had no more voice. I was so happy that I was literally in the front row. One of my aims in life: be in the front row at a concert. Coco came in, quite shyly – who wouldn’t be shitting themselves in front of a thousand people? – with these really cool boots. She has the most amazing voice ever. It’s a bit like her dad Sting but her style is more reggae. I discovered her music last November when I was researching information for my interview with Eddie Redmayne. I stumbled upon this Burberry ad with her and him in it. I was convinced she was that girl from Estee Lauder, and thanks to youtube, I realised that in fact, she was an 18 year old who had her own band. You really don’t expect her to have such a powerful and deep voice. I definitely recommend you to check out the following songs: Never be, Look the other way, No smile, Bohemian Love (which she sings with Pete Doherty), Kato...
She just released her first single “Caesar” – go and check it out now!!
The funny story is that at the end of the show, I was going down the stairs and she was behind me. I froze!
The concert ended with Seasick Steve, a 70-something Southern music hero and his drummer (I actually thought the former was having a heart attack...). It was really entertaining...I’m too tired to write more as again, I didn’t sleep much...all I can leave you with is a couple of pics and videos..enjoy!

Wake-Up Call

Ok people (or person..depending on the number of readers..). I have decided to stop planning my blogs and to just write whenever I feel like it. I'm in my bed right now, the lights are off and I was about to start a fabulous dream when inspiration came knocking at my door. If we were in a cartoon, the bulb would have illuminated. Ting.

I thought of my blog and how I should write random stuff because let's be honest, I spend my life talking about the most random events and topics that occur during my day. For example, yesterday, I came home late in the evening to find my mum reading a book about Sex tips from a Call Girl (je m'excuse d'avance ma chere maman...mais c'est pour rigoler) Yes. Was I shocked? Hmm not really (She used to read Simone de Beauvoir in the 10th grade (for literary purposes of course...), c'est pour tout vous dire!)
She had received a party bag (apparently) with two books in it: one about housewife duties and the other one about naughty, naughty activities. Not to my surprise, the book about how to remove stains was no where to be found but under a pile of old magazines. Untouched. However, on the other hand, my mum couldn't stop giggling and quoting lines from the other infamous "guide"..."Oh do you think this way of seducing works?" She starts doing an exaggeration of batting eyes...it was quite sweet. She claims that the book is harder to read than a philosophy novel and requires two readings at least and a dictionary (language barrier?)
Why am I telling you all of this? Oh yeah. Because it's a random episode and I wanted to share it with you. My mum is a funny person.
Anyhow, it's late and I'm suppose to pass a test tomorrow that will determine my ultimate future. Bugger. But I can't stop writing. At least it's in the afternoon...I'm not very good with early mornings. On another subject...
Does anyone have these really weird dreams where you wake up wondering "wtf mate?"? It happened to me yesterday. Weird, weird, weird. Generally, I tend not to remember dreams. This time was strange, there's always a peculiar mix of people involved. What I hate the most in dreams is when everything is perfect and then you wake up and realise it was just a dream. There's this kind of frustration that comes out of it. I'm sure everyone has had this at least once in their life...One example goes way back, when I was a neo-teenager aka 13...those were the days when I had a huge crush on someone I had never met before (always the worse)...Orlando Bloom. (It was the elf ears and the long blond hair. Definitely.) I dreamt we were going out!! Imagine a 13 year old with a 26 year old. Ew. Not cool. The funny part was that three years later, I saw Orlando next to my school snogging Kate Bosworth. Fear not, I did not run upto them and break their embrace whilst crying "WHY?". It actually made me laugh. Anyway, coming back to the dream, I woke up, was in a great mood..and bam. Reality hit me. The sadness, the disapointment...people, don't go too far away from real life! It's not good for your mental health. Ok I'm ending the blabbling about dreams. Dodo. Goodnight.

Coming up... AMcQ, my friend being auctioned in a horse costume, I Blame Coco, these awful Chanel Bags, Interview with Eddie R., and erm fancy a snog?