Tuesday 29 July 2014

Amelle with inspiring words

"Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever"


Carl Froch swaps the ring for pommel horse to appear in gymnastics talent show Tumble

Carl Froch swaps the ring for pommel horse to appear in gymnastics talent show Tumble

  • Carl Froch will appear in BBC celebrity talent show Tumble
  • Super middleweight champion will compete in different gymnastic disciplines
  • Froch defeated George Groves in a Wembley rematch in May
  • The 36-year-old will partner Sita Bhuller in the show
  • Other celebrities taking part include Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Ian 'H' Watkins and Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah
World super middleweight champion Carl Froch is swapping the ring for a pommel horse after signing up to take part in the BBC1's new celebrity talent show, Tumble, this August.
Tumble, which will air on BBC One on Saturday nights, will see the 36-year-old boxer compete with a number of celebrities across a range of disciplines.
Froch, who beat George Groves in their grudge rematch in May, will be judged by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith - himself back on the professional scene after a hiatus.
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Power couple: Boxing champ Carl Froch has been paired with a petite gymnast partner Sita Bhuller
Power couple: Boxing champ Carl Froch has been paired with a petite gymnast partner Sita Bhuller

Meet the gymnasts: The famous faces behind the BBC's first Tumble showdown include Amelle Berrabah, 'H' Watkins and Bobby Lockwood
Meet the gymnasts: The famous faces behind the BBC's first Tumble showdown include Amelle Berrabah, 'H' Watkins and Bobby Lockwood

Nottingham-born Froch has yet to confirm his future plans in the wake of his eighth-round stoppage of Groves at Wembley. He has expressed a desire to fight in Las Vegas before retiring, while options of a domestic scrap with James DeGale and a straight-up retirement have not been ruled in or out.
Froch will be joined on the show by the likes of Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins and Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah.

'After a fight of such magnitude it will be great for me to get my body and mind stuck straight into a new discipline,' Froch said.
'I am excited to learn these new skills as gymnastics, backflips and somersaults are something that have always impressed me and I have wanted to be able to do.'
Froch has been paired with petite circus skilled gymnast Sita Bhuller to offset his sizeable build. 
Finisher: Carl Froch knocked out George Groves last month at Wembley
Finisher: Carl Froch knocked out George Groves last month at Wembley

Waiting game: Froch has not decided if he will fight again but will appear in TV show Tumble in the meantime
Waiting game: Froch has not decided if he will fight again but will appear in TV show Tumble in the meantime
Also in the line up are Wolfblood actor Bobby Lockwood, EastEnders' John Partridge and Dynasty actress Emma Samms.

Mentored by Olympic gold medalist Beth Tweddle and judged by gymnast and Strictly Come Dancing winner Smith, the competing contestants will certainly be in good hands for the channel's first gymnastics project.
The celebrities have also been paired with an eclectic mix of circus performers, acrobats and gymnasts as their official training comes to an end for the start of live shows on 9 August, hosted by The One Show's Alex Jones.
The fitness expert and former GMTV personality Derrick Evans, aka Mr Motivator, was forced to withdraw after dislocating his knee during a trial run of the show.
Previous: Froch appeared in dance show Stepping Out with partner Rachael Cordingley last year
Previous: Froch appeared in dance show Stepping Out with partner Rachael Cordingley last year
The judges: Louis Smith joins Sebastien Stella, (far left) Nadia Comaneci (right) and Craig Heap (far right)
The judges: Louis Smith joins Sebastien Stella, (far left) Nadia Comaneci (right) and Craig Heap (far right)
Showstopper: Lucy Mecklenburgh and her partner Billy George pose as one of Tumble's first ten couples for the new BBC1 show
Showstopper: Lucy Mecklenburgh and her partner Billy George pose as one of Tumble's first ten couples for the new BBC1 show
Killer quads: H from Steps shows off the power in his legs as he poses alongside circus skills performer Holly Johnstone
Killer quads: H from Steps shows off the power in his legs as he poses alongside circus skills performer Holly Johnstone
Girl power: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding joins tumbling gymnast Leon Fagbemi with a sharp bob haircut and fierce full-fringe look
Girl power: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding joins tumbling gymnast Leon Fagbemi with a sharp bob haircut and fierce full-fringe look

Cute twosome: Wolfblood's Bobby Lockwood pairs up with world level gymnast Kristin Allen

Cute twosome: Wolfblood's Bobby Lockwood pairs up with world level gymnast Kristin Allen
Power pair: EastEnders actor John Partridge works alongside Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would for the new BBC competition

Power pair: EastEnders actor John Partridge works alongside Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would for the new BBC competition

Smouldering: Amelle Berrabah poses alongside her male counterpart Doug Fordyce ahead of the live shows
Smouldering: Amelle Berrabah poses alongside her male counterpart Doug Fordyce ahead of the live shows
All smiles: Andrea Mclean, dressed in sunset orange, joins Spelbound performer Alex Uttley for the live shows
All smiles: Andrea Mclean, dressed in sunset orange, joins Spelbound performer Alex Uttley for the live shows


Team players: Dynasty actress Emma Samms has been put with Ivan Pastore, a former international artistic gymnast
Team players: Dynasty actress Emma Samms has been put with Ivan Pastore, a former international artistic gymnast





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2709086/Carl-Froch-swaps-ring-pommel-horse-appear-gymnastics-talent-Tumble.html#ixzz38t1yi500
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Porgy and Bess, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - theatre review by Evening Standard

Porgy and Bess, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - theatre review

Doomed love goes on an epic journey in Timothy Sheader’s sinuous and sophisticated take on Porgy and Bess


Conflicting desires: Nicola Hughes excels as Bess ©Alastair Muir



FIONA MOUNTFORD 
Updated: 15:39, 29 July 2014
Critic Ratingstar number 1star number 2star number 3star number 4star number 5
Reader Ratingstar number 1star number 2star number 3star number 4star number 5

The musical has long been a highlight of each season at the Open Air Theatre and this year serves up another treat with artistic director Timothy Sheader’s sinuous and sophisticated production of Porgy and Bess. The parkland amphitheatre proves a gloriously atmospheric setting for George and Ira Gershwin’s 1935 “folk opera” about those titular doomed lovers, who are joined by the largest company of singers and musicians that Regent’s Park has ever seen.
The most striking aspect, initially at least, is Katrina Lindsay’s huge crushed bronze rumple of an abstract sculpture set. It glows warmly in the gloaming and is very beautiful, if not immediately evocative of Catfish Row, where the characters eke out a hardscrabble existence. Yet it chimes perfectly with Sheader’s slow-burn reading of the work, which tends to the impressionistic, suggesting the universality, rather than specificity, of Porgy and Bess’s tumultuous relationship.
Nicola Hughes excelled as Bess in Trevor Nunn’s 2006 production and she’s splendid all over again here as a woman torn by conflicting desires in a small community where drugs and drink battle for supremacy with the word of the Lord. Rufus Bonds Jr gives Porgy a battered decency and the pair are confidently grounded in a supremely tuneful ensemble who achieve moments of real grandeur in the second half. A storm is thrillingly evoked by the twirling of a dozen scruffy coloured chairs. It may be summer but the living isn’t easy.
Until Aug 23 (0844 826 4242, openairtheatre.com)

Open Air Theatre Blog: PORGY AND BESS OPENING NIGHT PHOTOS


THE BLOG 


By Open Air Theatre
Last night was the official Opening Night for the Gershwins’
Porgy and Bess. Have a look at photographs from the evening
 below:
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess press night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, 28th July 2014.Receiving a standing ovation at the curtain call. Photo David Jensen
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess press night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, 28th July 2014.Jade Ewen, Nicola Hughes and Sharon D. Clarke. Photo David Jensen
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess press night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, 28th July 2014.Nicola Hughes and Rufus Bonds Jr. Photo David Jensen
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess press night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, 28th July 2014.Phillip Boykin, Rufus Bonds Jr and Cedric Neal. Photo David Jensen
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess press night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, 28th July 2014.Orchestra during the curtain call. Photo David Jensen
For more information about the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess or to book tickets, please visit the production page.

Amelle, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sarah Harding lead the line up as stars of BBC1's latest reality TV show Tumble are revealed

FIRST LOOK: Lucy Mecklenburgh and Sarah Harding lead the line up as stars of BBC1's latest reality TV show Tumble are revealed

Meet the stars twirling a ribbon to the beat of BBC1's new celebrity talent show, Tumble, this August.
Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding, Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins and Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah will all be turning their 90s and Noughties pop choreography to gymnastics as the show hits screens this summer.
Familiar reality TV face Lucy Mecklenburgh of TOWIE fame will be performing the splits alongside a Loose Woman and a professional boxer in Andrea McLean and Carl Froch respectively.
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Meet the gymnasts: The famous faces behind the BBC's first Tumble showdown include Amelle Berrabah, 'H' Watkins and Bobby Lockwood
Meet the gymnasts: The famous faces behind the BBC's first Tumble showdown include Amelle Berrabah, 'H' Watkins and Bobby Lockwood

Also in the line up are Wolfblood actor Bobby Lockwood, EastEnders' John Partridge and Dynasty actress Emma Samms, alongside Mr Motivator, whose inclusion has been called into question due to  a recent injury.
Mentored by Olympic gold medalist Beth Tweddle and judged by gymnast and Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis Smith, the competing contestants will certainly be in good hands for the channel's first gymnastics project.
The celebrities have also been paired with an eclectic mix of circus performers, acrobats and gymnasts as their official training comes to an end for the start of live shows on 9 August, hosted by The One Show's Alex Jones.
Showstopper: Lucy Mecklenburgh and her partner Billy George pose as one of Tumble's first ten couples for the new BBC1 show
Showstopper: Lucy Mecklenburgh and her partner Billy George pose as one of Tumble's first ten couples for the new BBC1 show
Killer quads: H from Steps shows off the power in his legs as he poses alongside circus skills performer Holly Johnstone
Killer quads: H from Steps shows off the power in his legs as he poses alongside circus skills performer Holly Johnstone
Girl power: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding joins tumbling gymnast Leon Fagbemi with a sharp bob haircut and fierce full-fringe look
Girl power: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding joins tumbling gymnast Leon Fagbemi with a sharp bob haircut and fierce full-fringe look

Essex babe Lucy Mecklenburgh will be joined by circus performer Billy George, a master of the Cyr Wheel (an acrobatic hoop designed to manipulate the body across a dance floor), which is expected to see the dainty brunette using apparatus in her routines.
The 22-year-old beauty has already been showing off her gym-honed physique in Rome this week as she holidays with friends ahead of the show hitting screens.
Having expressed her excitement at attending Circus School in preparation for the live performances, reality TV star Lucy can be seen boasting endless pins and a petite frame in a pink leotard for the promo shots.
Cute twosome: Wolfblood's Bobby Lockwood pairs up with world level gymnast Kristin Allen

Cute twosome: Wolfblood's Bobby Lockwood pairs up with world level gymnast Kristin Allen
Power pair: EastEnders actor John Partridge works alongside Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would for the new BBC competition
Power pair: EastEnders actor John Partridge works alongside Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would for the new BBC competition

Meanwhile, Cirque de Soleil performer Kat Would will work alongside EastEnders' John, giving him a lesson or two in artistic flair before he hits the dance mats this August.
Britain's Got Talent winners Doug Fordyce and Alex Uttle (who rose to fame as members of dance troop Spelbound in the BBC show) will go head to head as they work with Sugababes singer Amelle and TV presenter Andrea, in the hope of bringing their winning streak to the BBC's latest talent project.
Amelle makes a smouldering partnership with her male counterpart Doug with her washboard abs giving a hint at her athletic capacity ahead of the programme's launch next month and can also be seen performing the splits in the first images of the new series.
Smouldering: Amelle Berrabah poses alongside her male counterpart Doug Fordyce ahead of the live shows
Smouldering: Amelle Berrabah poses alongside her male counterpart Doug Fordyce ahead of the live shows
All smiles: Andrea Mclean, dressed in sunset orange, joins Spelbound performer Alex Uttley for the live shows
All smiles: Andrea Mclean, dressed in sunset orange, joins Spelbound performer Alex Uttley for the live shows
Carl Froch and Bobby Lockwood have both been paired with petite counterparts, in the form of circus skilled Sita Bhuller and acrobat Kristin Allen, to offset their sizeable builds.  
Though one professional gymnast who will be taking a back seat on the BBC this year, is Strictly Come Dancing winner Louis.
The silver medal-winner will instead be in observation, joined on the judging panel by gold medal gymnasts Craig Heap and Nadia Comaneci as well as French choreographer Sebastien Stella.
Power couple: Boxing champ Carl Froch has been paired with a petite gymnast partner Sita Bhuller
Power couple: Boxing champ Carl Froch has been paired with a petite gymnast partner Sita Bhuller
Team players: Dynasty actress Emma Samms has been put with Ivan Pastore, a former international artistic gymnast
Team players: Dynasty actress Emma Samms has been put with Ivan Pastore, a former international artistic gymnast


The judges: Louis Smith joins Sebastien Stella, (far left) Nadia Comaneci (right) and Craig Heap (far right)
The judges: Louis Smith joins Sebastien Stella, (far left) Nadia Comaneci (right) and Craig Heap (far right)


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2708550/Lucy-Mecklenburgh-Sarah-Harding-lead-line-stars-BBC1s-latest-reality-TV-Tumble-revealed.html#ixzz38nh13Yf3
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