Happy New Year All

I hope you all have a great night, have a glass of champagne on me. I'll see you all in the New Year. No go party and dance the night away, I am . . . Richard xXx

Harry And The Hendersons

Would You Buy Tequila From This Lady?

It seems you can put a famous face on just about anything these days, even dead ones. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered my beloved Frida Kahlo, Mexico's most renowned artist and flamboyant Icon, is the latest famous face to front a brand - OF TEQUILA! The thing is, Frida wasn't just known as an artist, she was also an alcoholic known to polish off a bottle of tequila a day. Maybe not the wisest of ideas plastering Frida's face, without her permission, all over a Tequila bottle then. It seems likely Frida Kahlo would have approved, at least of the contents if not the packaging. Apparently Kahlo's niece and heir authorized the use of her image. Me thinks she's just trying to cash in on her aunt's famous name. Needles to say, I still think I'll get a bottle of Frida Tequila. I wonder if the little worm at the bottom looks like Diego Rivera.

Frida Kahlo Tequila - Official WEBSITE Here

Merry Christmas Everybody

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas today. I do hope you are all enjoying the festive spirit as much as I am. I'm gorging on mandarin oranges, candy canes and way too many chocolate, and I'm am about to open all my presents. YEAH! Santa has been. So I hope this message finds you all well, surrounded by loved ones and Christmas cheer . . . and I do hope Santa is VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD to each and every one of you. Have a wonderful day all . . . Richard xXx

Would You Wear This?

I tell you, I'm so glad I didn't get one of these for Christmas. These costumed animal characters from Japan’s new craze, ‘Kigurumi’ are popping up everywhere, from fancy dress party's, summer festivals, even the dance floors of nightclubs. Nicknamed ‘Kigu’, these costumes have only been available in Asia, but now you lucky lot can grab one online. Go on, you know you want one. Spotted on a number of celebrities including Lily Allen and Oli from the Filthy Dukes, these cute costumes are priced at £39.99 and are available in a range of breeds including a cow, tiger, dinosaur and flying squirrel. I'm holding out for the arrival of a giraffe.

Kigu Crew - Official BLOG Here

Kigu Costumes - Official WEBSITE Here

Snowed in, making mulled wine

Today I am totally snowed in, with no escape from my house. In my cupboards are all the ingredients to make a delicious pot of mulled wine. I had purchased all the necessary items last week with the intention of whipping up a marvelous batch on Christmas eve while I entertain guests. Well . . . I'm bored, thirsty and suffering from cabin fever. Sticking cloves in orange's should help pass the boredom for a bit, so out come my ingredients and pots. What I love most about making mulled wine, are the aromatic smells that fill the kitchen, drifting through the house - orange oil, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf and red wine. Delicious and delightful. I can't wait to get started. I've included the recipe that I'll be following to make my mulled wine with today. If you have any recipes of your own, variations, I'd love to hear about them below. Right then I better get started, I'll try and save you a cup.

1/2 bottle red wine
25 ml Port
25 ml Grand Marnier
1 bay leaf
1 quartered orange studded with 12 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1/2 star anise
1 table spoon sugar

Vladimir Tretchikoff

I've always loved Vladimir Tretchikoff's paintings. I think it's his use of color I most love, those gold and emerald greens are so rich and striking. Chinese Girl (above) and Lady From Orient (right) are MY favorite Tretchikoff paintings, his most famous works. Tretchikoff is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time. Chinese Girl is one of the best selling prints ever and has been printed on everything from mugs to pillow cases. I'm actually on the hunt for the pillow cases at the moment. I spotted some in a shop in Clapham some years ago but stupidly didn't purchase them. The retro mugs are on order and if my partner is reading this, anything with Tretchikoff's Oriental ladies on them will make me gush rainbows and glitter for days. For those of you not familiar with the works of Vladimir Tretchikoff, I've included his official website below, so you can read up on him and see more of his marvelous paintings.

Vladimir Tretchikoff - Official WEBSITE Here

A Dorothy Parker Quote A Day

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue" Dorothy Parker




Today I thought I'd celebrate Dorothy Parker, the peerless wit and my favorite writer. I wish I could have sat with Dorothy and her gang of writers, critics, actors and wits when they gathered for lunch and martinis at the Algonquin Hotel in New York in the early 1920's. I think I would have made fine company for Dorothy and her "The Vicious Circle" - to be a part of those conversations, to have exchanged wisecracks, wordplay and witticisms with Dorothy and her merry gang. Oh well! It's just a shame I don't have a tardis. In the meantime, a Dorothy Parker quote a day always puts a smile on my face. I hope Dorothy Parker makes you smile too?

Christmas With The Puppini Sisters

The Christmas album has always had a special place in the pantheon of pop. This season, the wonderful Puppini Sisters join the arena, rolling out their specially-themed full-length collection of festive favorites. I picked up a copy of this marvelous CD the other day and have been playing it non-stop ever since. It's currently my favorite Christmas album and has managed to knock Mariah Carey and her yuletide tunes off my player, not an easy feat. So what's so wonderful about The Puppini Sisters and their Christmas jingles? Well, quite simply, the Puppini's know how to have a good time, delivering one super FUN Christmas album. The Puppini Sisters (who aren't really sisters but best friends Marcella, Kate and Stephanie) interpret some of their favorite Christmas songs, 1940's style. The harmony perfect girls add a touch of swing to classics like - Santa Baby, Winter Wonderland and Here Comes Santa Clause, all accompanied by a big band. Even Wham's Last Christmas gets the Puppini makeover. Oh! and so does Mariah's All I Want For Christmas, quite marvelously in fact. So, why don't you spend Christmas with the Puppini Sisters this festive season? I think you'll agree, this really is the perfect Christmas dinner party album and a wonderful soundtrack with your mulled wine and Christmas pudding. Do check out the Puppini Sisters website and other information below.

The Puppini Sisters - Official WEBSITE Here

Christmas With The Puppini Sisters - Order by Amazon Here

Something PINK to cover my Ears!

This cold winter chill is really getting to me. It's a Canada freeze, here in the UK. I mean I never complain about the cold, however. There are days I walk around the city thinking my ears are about to drop off from frostbite. What I need is a pair earmuffs. I have my sights on this fluffy hot pink pair. What do you think? Hardly conspicuous, but so ME!

Harald Glööckler: Prince Of Fashion

Who is Harald Glööckler? Only Germany's biggest TV star, that's who! Harald knows fashion. He lives it, breathes it, and brands it - and the Germans love him, consuming his collections on the nations biggest teleshopping channel. Next week he'll be hitting British TV screens like a blitzkrieg, showering UK audiences with his trade mark wit and pretension - and I can't wait. In this one off documentary Harald Glööckler will parade through London's fashion week in attempt to make his mark on London's couture scene, 100% bitchiness is guaranteed. I think I might just be a little bit in love with Harald and his tattooed eyebrows. I mean really, what's not to love about a man who looks about 101, sleeps in phemaldehyde and sprays himself with mannequin paint daily. To camera, Glööckler declares, "I'm like a piece of art" and demands a chair for his designer bag. Wonderfully pompous and certainly worthy of a documentary in his honor. Oh, and If Glööckler appears familiar, that's because he inspired Sacha Baron Cohen's title character from the movie Brüno. YES! Brüno does exist. Glööckler really should be a full time celebrity on these shores, sadly we have to make do with a Chinese lady called Gok Wan and her show about making fat people look good naked. No thank you! More Glööckler PLEASE!

Harald Glööckler: Prince of Fashion
This Monday, Dec 13th on Sky/Living TV, 10pm

Harald Glööckler (Watch TRAILER Here)

Celebrity Stinks

I was wondering around Boots the other day, bored out of my mind, dragged there by my partner so he could shop for grooming products. While he shopped I played around in the perfume section, browsing over smells for women, as you do. It seems every celebrity from Katie (Jordan) Price to Kate Moss, even Kylie Minogue, have a fragrance to flog this season. Why any woman would want to smell of a signature fragrance from Katie Price is beyond me. The whole notion of fragrances endorsed by celebrities has always baffled me. Curious, I took the opportunity while my partner shopped to sample them all, starting with Kylie. I sprayed her on a little piece of paper and waved her under my nose. PHEWWW! Kylie smells, not of Aphrodite, but a compost heap. Poor Kylie, downgraded by rotting veg. Moving on, Katie Price's "Precious Love" just stunk of desperation and onions. I was soon in a spraying frenzy, filling the air with famous lady smells. YUK! Britney's "Eay De Parfum" was hardly a fun filled circus and stunk like a poop filled horse stable. I had created a haze of celebrity smells, wafting through Boots, sales assistants stared at me disapprovingly. I like spraying sample bottles, it seems to offend anyone within a one-meter radius. So, I carried on. So many famous smells still to spray, to offend - Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Lopez all stunk, BADLY.

However, nothing could prepare me for Coleen Rooney's Pong. If you haven't heard of Coleen Rooney, all you need to know is, she's married to an English footballer and has an open relationship with him. It seems women who marry football players are very popular when it comes to selling bottled smells, as Mrs. Rooney prooves. I picked up another little piece of paper and sprayed Coleen's fragrance on it. Unfortunately no one warned me that Coleen's hole would open up and gush like a garden hose. I was chocking on Coleen's lady mist, hacking up a lung, ducking behind a counter, mortified. A sales assistant rushed over, snatched Coleen's bottle out of my hand and told me off with a single glare from her eyes. As I hurried off, embarrassed, she began to cough loudly. Clearly I wasn't the only one offended by Coleen's smell. Coleen Rooney's fragrance was by far the worse smell I have ever been hit with, a combination of old sweaty gym socks and vinegar. Her STINK stuck to me for days, I'm still scrubbing it off days later and it lingers below my nose as I type this. I don't think I'll ever spray another celebrity fragrance again. I mean god forbid Ann Widdecombe decides to launch a fragrance, a single spray could take my last breath and end my life. Maybe I should stay out of the women's fragrance department of Boots, I mean what was I doing there in the first place, they do have a mens section boasting David Beckham's new fragrance.

I Want Candy

There's one thing missing from my Christmas tree this year - Candy Canes! Hanging candy canes on your Christmas tree seems to be an American/Canadian tradition, not one practiced here in the UK. For years, I've searched high and low on these shores for those Christmas boxes of candy canes, and I just can't get them anywhere. What I miss most about them are the childhood memories. Every North American child looks forward to eating candy canes off his/her tree, sneaking one when mom and dad aren't watching. I miss having those little candy canes on my tree. My Christmas tree just doesn't look the same without candy canes on him, especially when I'm sat on the sofa biting my nails with a craving for sweets.

Twin Pleasure

I woke up this morning to Bros, remember them? Identical twins Matt and Luke Goss? SADLY, I wasn't tucked in bed with them, a twin on each side - one can dream. They were however, blasting out my radio. Heart FM! Boy did I ever love/fancy Bros back in the day. I took great pleasure in watching the hunky Goss brothers along with Craig Logan (him on drums) jump about in their music videos on MTV. They kind of set the trend for biker jackets, ripped jeans and Doc Martens, a look I emulated in my late teens, but never really got right. My biker jacket was oversized and hang off me like a carcass out to dry. I could never rip my jeans just right and ended up with so many pairs of cut off shorts instead. Years later, a friend told me I had to use a steak knife on my jeans (I was using sewing scissors) in order to get the right effect. By this time ripped jeans had gone out of fashion and so did Bros. Looking back, It's hard to believe that Bros was the biggest boy band on the planet, with 11 Top 40 singles and 3 Top 20 albums in the United Kingdom alone. The Goss brothers have since gone their separate ways. Matt is still enjoying a moderately successful solo music career, while Luke has popped up in some rather big Hollywood films, the Blade and Hellboy franchises come to mind. Unfortunately there are no plans of Bros reforming in the near future, like so many former boy bands have. They will however, be forever reunited on radio stations like Heart FM, waxing lyrical "I Owe You Nothing" and "When Will I Be Famous?" . . . Do take a moment and drool over/remember Bros, won't you?

Matt Goss - Website Here

Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber

There are many famous women that I'm convinced are men, secretly masquerading as the opposite sex. But how many famous men in the world, are secretly female? Now . . . I can not confirm, but I've often been convinced that the X-factor's Olly Murs and the fresh-faced pop midget, Justin Bieber, are ACTUALLY WOMEN . . . Lesbians. I mean, Murs and Bieber LOOK like teenage Lesbians. Even the Lesbians seem to think so, with regards to Bieber anyway. I found this adorable website called Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber. Young Lesbians visiting this site can actually submit photos of themselves looking like JB. The fun comes in trying to figure out which one is the real Bieber. Some are so convincing you'll spend hours glaring at your computer, others are just trying. The site also sells some rather cool merchandise, caps and t-shirts. Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber is a rather funny site with some very witty comments. Have a look for yourself below. Now, we just need a site for Lesbians Who Look Like Olly Murs, anyone?

Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber - Website Here

Wagner . . . NOW THAT WAS ENTERTAINMENT!

Well there really is no reason to continue watching X-factor, now that Wagner has been booted out. The fun really is over folks, as last nights double eviction ended like a really bad hangover. Fame hungry Katie Waissel was the first to go as she poled the lowest votes. A good thing, as she can now be put out of her headline grabbing misery. Not to worry, Katie will no doubt go on to make a fortune, selling her grandmother's knickers on eBay. The revelation that Katie's 81 year old grandmother was £250 an-hour prostitute really was the stuff Hollywood scripts are made of. Together Katie and Wagner propped up the X-factor and maintained media interest like no other contestants in the shows history.

In the end Wagner and Mary were left standing, due to fight it out in the sing-off, a predictable result. More predictable was poor Wagner's fate. You just knew he was going, with all four judges voting him off. Simon barked, "There are people (Me) out there trying to derail this show and tonight we've put this show back in the hands of the audience". Blah! Blah! Blah! Simon seems to be under the impression that X-factor is a serious talent show, a bit like Stars In Their Eyes maybe. I personally view the X-factor as nothing more than a wonderful Saturday night karaoke show, a bit like Stars in Their Eyes. X-factor is an entertainment show and this season no one contestant entertained more than Wagner. Let's face it, Wagner is the only thing you will remember about this years show. Can you name all the previous contestants that have left before him? Go on. Because I certainly can't. X-factor snobs, pretentious columnists and precious television presenters have been screaming, "Enough! The joke is over. Wagner has to go." Yet, the joke was just getting started, the punchline about to be delivered. Wagner's departure, means NO DUET with a major world pop star at the grand final. I had visions of Wagner and Lady Gaga joining forces on "Telephone", the genius of it! This would then be followed by his X-factor win and Simon Cowell's jaw quite literally dropping off. How I wanted to walk into an HMV to be greeted by a large display unit full of Wagner CD's. Okay, so I probably wouldn't buy one, but I sure would marvel at it, thinking, "man that Wagner sure did make me laugh" . . . THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! Saturday nights on ITV just got really boring. Well at least I'm free for drinks again. I leave you with a fine Wagner performance, below. Enjoy!

Wagner - She Bangs/Love Shack (Watch Here)

The Frankfurt Christmas Market, In Birmingham!

I ventured out in the cold today as I heard the Germans are currently bringing some well needed festive cheer to Birmingham. The Frankfurt Christmas Market has become a huge favorite with both residents and visitors to the city from all over the UK and Europe and is now the largest outdoor Christmas market in the UK. The city centre has become a labyrinth, crammed with traditional stalls, pilled high with handmade toys, Christmas decorations and craft goods. A word of advice, bring lots os spending money. Everything is temptation, especially the food and drink. I just couldn't resist the German mulled wine, grilled sausages, pretzels and German beer. Not all at once of course, that would be greedy and could lead to one hell of an ingestion problem.

"FUCK IT!" was my mantra for the day, as I gorged on gingerbread, crepes, marzipan sweets and these rather yummy, flavored marshmallows dripped in chocolate. Heading up to Victoria Square, the heart of the market, I stumbled upon a traditional bandstand where musicians perform every lunchtime and evening. I was treated to christmas carols by a lovely group of carolers, sadly no Oompah Band. Anyway, I've taken some pictures for you all to see, things I liked very much while browsing the market. If you are impressed by my Blog and think you might like to visit the Frankfurt Christmas Market, you better hurry, as it is only here until December 23rd. For more information about the Frankfurt Christmas Market check out their Facebook page below.

The Frankfurt Christmas Market - Facebook

Actress Worship: Gong Li

Gong Li is another of my favorite actresses that deserves her rightful place in the Actress Worship section of my Blog. Why? Because she has the onscreen presence of a nuclear bomb. No other Actress plays 'Bitch' as well as Gong Li does. She plays her roles with such vampish wickedness, that she has you leaping out of your seat, scratching at the screen, cursing her every treacherous move. She always ends up betraying her leading man in a bid to save herself and just as her harrowing back story comes to light, you realize, she's not that evil after all. With her soulful eyes, tears welling up, she always manages a random act of kindness just before her downfall. Watch any of Gong Li's performances and I can guarantee, you will be left in floods of tears. She is China's most famous actress and is responsible for helping attract American and European audiences to Chinese film for the first time. Her impressive list of lead roles in a variety of Academy Award-nominated films is as long as Meryl Streep's.

Gong Li first came into international prominence with her performance in the Oscar-nominated Raise The Red Lantern. From that point on a truly sensational actress had arrived. In Chen Kaige’s magnificent Farewell My Concubine (1993), Li was awarded a New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1995 she was a tour-de-force in Shanghai Triad, playing a nightclub chanteuse and gangster's moll. She reunited with Chen Kaige in 1996 to play an isolated, spoiled heiress in the director’s Temptress Moon. In 2005 she went on to dazzle in Wong Kar Wai's magnificently flawed epic 2046. However, despite her popularity, Gong avoided Hollywood for years, due to a lack of confidence in speaking English. All that would change, as later that year she made her English language debut as the beautiful but vindictive Hatsumomo in Memoirs Of A Geisha - a dreadful film, saved only by her amazing performance. Other Hollywood roles would follow, Miami Vice in 2006 and Hannibal Rising in 2007. Interestingly, In all these films, she learned her English lines phonetically. Gong Li never really took Hollywood by storm, but I'm quite happy she didn't, as I've always preferred my foreign actresses in their native tongue. Consequently in 2006 she returned to Chinese cinema and again delighted audiences around the world in Curse Of The Golden Flower, a role in which once again, she received heaps of acclaim for. Gong Li has been rather quiet with her film roles as of late, but there is some good news - she is about to set American screens ablaze again. Early next year, she'll be starring alongside John Cusack (High Fidelity) and Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) in the epic World War 2 thriller Shanghai. Gong Li fans unite! I'll see you in the ticket cue. In the meantime I leave you with a few Gong Li highlights.

Shanghai Film Preview (Watch Here)

Curse Of The Golden Flower (Watch TRAILER Here)

The works of Pierre et Gilles

I must have been about eighteen when I first discovered the works of Pierre et Gilles. I brought one of those Taschen postcard books of their photography from an independent book shop near my high school. My love for their work was instant and still ongoing to this day. There's just so much to love about Pierre and Gilles work. Their world is an enduring one filled with glitter, myth, camp-infused references to religion, fame, sex and homoeroticism. In their pictures they pay homage to the 'cult of celebrity' creating a glamorous shrine to movie icons, pop idols, fashion legends and porn stars. Their message is quite simple - all of their subjects, in contemporary life are worshipped equally alongside saints, martyrs and Hindu gods. Their pictures mesmerize, all glowing complexions and luminescent eyes, sparkling glitter and dazzling decor, somewhere between baroque opera and gaudy disco. This French duo don't just produce highly stylized photographs, they also build their own sets and costumes. Pierre takes all the photographs and looks after retouching, while Gilles, is the painter, set and costume designer. They are lovers, trend setters, maestros of visual fantasy. They first came to notoriety working for Thierry Mugler - moving on to design record sleeves, shot fashion ads and work on numerous magazine covers. They have photographed an eclectic array of famous folk over their thirty year career - Nina Hagen, Amanda Lear, Erasure, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Marc Almond, Iggy Pop, Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Naomi Campbell, Paloma Picasso, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint-Laurent and porn legend Jeff Stryker. I just had to mention THE Stryker. Add to this their venture into the world of music videos (In the early 90's they directed Marc Almond's music video for the song "A Lover Spurned" and Lamour's, "Tu es Foutu") and these two sure have done it all. I've attached a few of my favorite works by Pierre et Gilles to this Blog, their earlier stuff. I've also included a few links below to websites and videos, should you want to see more of Pierre et Gilles. I hope you fall in love with their pictures as I did all those years ago.

Pierre et Gilles - Fan Page

Lamour (Music Video by Pierre et Gilles) (Watch VIDEO Here)

Sweet Caramel

If you're looking for a good DVD to watch this winter, I'd like to recommend one of my favorite films, Caramel, another in my top 100 movies of all time. This sweet little independent film from Lebanon will definitely warm you up while you sit curled up on the sofa in front of the TV with a warm cup of hot chocolate. Add some cinnamon to that hot chocolate, sit back and relax, start this film and prepare yourself for a really wonderful night in. So what's it about? Well . . . Caramel (Sukkar Banat) is a bittersweet film casting a rare gaze upon the pleasures, sorrows, longings and romantic desires of Arab women in the Middle East. Director and co-writer Nadine Labaki also stars in Caramel as Layale, the attractive young owner of a Beirut beauty shop. Layale (Labaki) is in heartbreak mode, having a self-destructive affair with a married man. Taking frequent unscheduled breaks from the shop for quickie afternoon love trysts, to the concern and dismay of her female employees. Layale has also caught the eye of a local infatuated neighborhood police officer, who's interested in a lot more than just her erratic driving. This film is a candid and heartfelt ensemble creation that at times feels like an Arabic version of Sex & The City without all the superficial thrills, pretension and endless shopping sprees. Caramel is one of the most beautifully shot films of the last decade with a flawless cast of actresses and one of the most sensual soundtracks, all playing out in that universal female sanctuary, the beauty salon. If I haven't sold you on getting a copy of this film on DVD, then have a look at the films trailer below and do let me know what you think of Caramel. I sincerely hope you find Caramel as sweet as I did.

Caramel Movie (Watch TRAILER Here)

Dreamy Actor Watch: Nicolas Duvauchelle

French actor Nicolas Duvauchelle really does deserve International stardom. Surly his good looks make him a worthy candidate for a future Hollywood hunk, one to watch. Not to mention he's a damn good actor with an impressive acting CV, having worked with some of Europe's finest auteurs and actors. Sadly Duvauchelle hasn't succumb to Hollywood's lure and remains virtually unknown outside the French speaking film industry. You might however recognize Duvauchelle when visiting France and other European cities. He has fronted huge campaign's for Hugo Boss (He's the face of the Hugo fragrance line), Lois Vuitton and Miu Miu, his handsome face is plastered all over billboards. He's also know for being in that super cool Levis commercial, running through walls. I first laid eyes on Nicolas Duvauchelle in Gérald Hustache-Mathieu's Avril (April In Love), playing the beautiful Pierre, a paint shop trainee who falls for a Nun in training. Talk about screen presence, Duvauchelle mesmerized, like a young Marlon Brando. From that moment on I have followed Duvauchelles career in French cinema, with great delight . . . and you should too.

Nicolas Duvauchelle - Hugo Boss Commercial (Watch Here)

Up Goes My Christmas Tree

HELP ME! I'm living in a Christmas bubble, like one of those snow globes. I've been playing Christmas songs on my iPod for the last few weeks and today I pulled out ALL my Christmas ornaments and faux tree from the attic. I poured myself a glass of mulled wine and began blasting Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" from the stereo. The end result - my flat now resembles Santas grotto, fully decorated, draped in tinsel and big shiny red baubles. What's wrong with me? It's mid November, no one should be this festive now. Have I caught Christmas fever? I've attached some lovely pictures of my marvelous tree for you all to look at, my big red baubles and my partners little fairy, that he's had since a child. Can anyone recommend some good Easter decorating tips. I'd like to roll out my giant stuffed pink bunny as early as January.

Coiffeur For My Windowsill

How wonderful is this old black and white photo of a women's hair salon? I came across this image at www.swingfashionista.com. I find this old photo striking and full of nostalgic beauty, so much so, I'm in the process of having it printed for a frame. So what do I know about this image? Well not much. What I do know is that it was taken in 1926. Interestingly, the Marcel Of Paris Salon wasn't based in Paris. It was located on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C. - soon to be located in an ornate antique silver frame on my windowsill.

A Cheaters Guide To Solving Rubiks Cube

Rubiks Cube sure is making a come back, stores are stocked with the little colored cube in the gear up to Christmas. So if one pops up in your stocking this Christmas, then here are my tips to solving this frustrating little puzzle. Now I was given a Rubiks Cube way back in the 80's and no matter how much I twist and tuned that little cube I could never get the colors to match up. I just didn't have the required skills and the patience. Being the clever child that I was I figured out that you could peel off all the little colored stickers and then match them up by sticking them back on. However this would only work once or twice as the stickers would loose their ability to stick to the cube the more you removed them. My prefered solution, take the Rubik Cube apart. Using a thin blunt instrument such as a medium sized flathead screwdriver you can flick open a lid under one of the middle squares, usually under the green. You will find a screw which when removed will cause the cube to fall apart. You can then put the cube back together matching up the colors correctly, put the screw back in . . . and . . . PRESTO! Rubiks Cube complete. Much simpler than all that time consuming twisting and turning.

The Solid Gold Dancers

Solid Gold was a music countdown show that ran from 1980 to 1988. Basically, North Americas answer to Top Of The Pops. The only difference, the Solid Gold dancers - a risqué dance troop of lycra loving, leg warmer obsessed bendy ladies, with the occasional dancing (male) queen. Every Saturday I'd plonk myself in front of the television set to be dazzled by these beautiful creatures. What elaborate, sexually charged routines would they come up with this week? I couldn't wait for the opening credits and that familiar theme tune. The Solid Gold dancers would charge through a haze of smoke like ninjas, flying through the air. Man did they ever shine, gold lamé and sequins were rife. So what was their purpose exactly? Well, during the weekly one-hour show a host would count down the Top 10 while pop acts performed. The Solid Gold dancers filled in the gaps of the acts not taking part, a simple premise really. Now every fan of Solid Gold had a favorite dancer. My favorite Solid Gold dancer was Darcel (above right) with her floor length beaded hair that she'd crack like a whip. Darcel was the principle dance and always looked FIERCE. I'd try and copy her dance moves often hurting myself, knocking over lamps, shacking pictures off the wall. Sadly, I never followed Darcel's footsteps, pursuing a career in dance. I do however occasionally watch clips of Solid Gold on YouTube. It's all rather nostalgic and I can't help but wonder, where are the Solid Gold dancers now? Performing on a cruise ship with Zimmer frames as props no doubt.

Solid Gold Dancers (Watch Here)