BODYGUARD STAR RICHARD MADDEN INSISTS IN PAYING TO WATCH HIMSELF IN GLASGOW

 Beverley Lyons
RICHARD Madden ended up paying for his own ticket to see a film he narrated at the Glasgow Film Festival.
The Bodyguard and Game of Thrones star turned up unannounced at the Glasgow Film Theatre for the world premiere of Harry Birrell: Films of Love And War and surprised punters in the audience.
Richard, who told filmgoers in the audience he was in town for some work, had narrated the documentary about amateur camera man Harry Birrell who was born in Paisley in the 1920s.
The documentary was put together from hundreds of hours of amateur footage and is one man’s view of the twentieth century.
Instead of taking a complimentary ticket which was available at the film office, he insisted on paying his £11 for the pleasure of listening to himself.
Richard then sat with films producer and Harry’s granddaughter Corina Birrell and met up with co producer John Archer and Director Matt Pinder at the end.
A GFT film goer said: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw Richard queue for a ticket and then take a seat in the cinema. It was really bizarre. He looked so handsome in his black too and jacket.  He was keen to be pretty low key and he seemed to have a great rapport with Carina Birrell and the crew. It was around three thirty pm and most people didn’t realise they had a real award winning star in their midst.”
Golden Globe and NTA award winner Richard is currently being tipped as the new James Bond as previews of his new movie project Rocketman are released.
The actor plays John Reid Elton Johns former lover and manager in the movie which is due for release at the end of May. Allison Gardner Co-director Glasgow Film Festival, said:  “We are delighted that Richard made the effort to support the film at its debut screenings at Glasgow Film Festival. Richard leant his voice to wonderful documentary and it was a joy to have him the audience'



From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

CORRIE’S HELEN FLANAGAN GOES WEDDING SHOPPING IN GLASGOW

CORRIE’S Helen Flanagan has been busy preparing for her big day with Celtic winger Scott Sinclair by visiting the Scottish Wedding Show - and picking out cakes and entertainment.
 The glamorous mum of two took her baby daughter Delilah Ruby with her to the runway show as she watched the latest fashions and organised some of the finer details of her wedding with her make up gal Kirsty Martin.
Helen who ended up breastfeeding Delilah during the show, has said she will marry in summer - after taking time to get rid of a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on her arm in order she could wear her dream dress.
She said at the time “I’m super girlie and I’ve dreamt about my wedding since I was young, so I’ve already been wedding dress shopping! I found my dream dress, but it’s sleeveless and I have a tattoo on my arm that I got when I was much younger. I always cover it up, but if I want to wear this dress then I won’t be able to, so I’m going to have to have the tattoo lasered off.”
She spent the day talking to different stall holders at the bash in Glasgow’s SEC. 

and she told followers online: “Had a lovely day at the Scottish Wedding Show.”
Amongst the stalls Helen visited was bespoke wedding cake designer Marie Clare Cake Design whose previous creations include a life size tea set made entirely of sugar as well as owl shaped cakes  and sugary planters. The company makes a point of meeting with couples to create exactly what they want. 

Helen posed for a pic at the stand and owner Marie Clare Heffernan Martin, a baking columnist for our sister paper the Sunday Mail, sent a message to Helen following their meeting saying: “Lovely to chat with you Helen Flanagan. So pleased you like my cake.  S*** just got real.”
Helen who plans to centre much of the activity around her two beautiful children, also managed to chat with Pamela from Arty Party Crafts who provide activities for bored kids at weddings and said: “Thanks for stopping by to discuss children’s entertainment with Arty Party Crafts wedding function and entertainment. It was lovely to meet you and your beautiful daughter.”  
The model and actress also checked out the trendy Blue Parrots event group who have everything from Oscar themed statues, Friends couches and Alice in Wonderland props to interactive games said: “Thanks for stopping by to chat to us today Helen. You looked beautiful. Hope you had a great day.”
Helen also had a chat with flute, violin and piano trio Amarone music who told her she was such a beautiful mama and even more stunning in real life. They added: “Hope you got some inspo for the wedding.”

Fans were thrilled to see Helen at the event and breastfeeding her baby in public. 

Irene Cullen told her: “So great to see you normalising breastfeeding in public. It will help nervous mums do it.”

From Scotland with Love 

From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

RANGERS LEGEND FERNANDO RICKSEN GETS NEW LION TATTOO

Watch as Fernando Ricksen gets his new tattoo. 

The Rangers legend, 42, got the tat inked from his bed at St Andrews Hospice in Airdrie this morning and it was filmed by YouTube page Rangers Fans Channel. 

The video features Glow Star Brian Matthews who now also has a famous tattoo   of a Celtic badge on his thigh after his girlfriend sought revenge for his cheating wats. 

In it, fan Kirsty Lindsay, who works at Kenny’s House of Pain Tattoos in Hamilton, can be seen giving Fernando the painful lion tattoo on his neck over a two hour period. 

The tattoo manager, 33, said: “Fernando did amazingly. We thought it would take longer but was quicker than we thought. 

It was one of the sorest places. People find it quite painful to get it done on their neck. For him to sit for two hours and be in pain is amazing. This is the second time I’ve tattooed Fernando. The first time he fell asleep. 

Kirsty added: “He just emailed me a few weeks ago and we were planning it and set a date for today because he wanted it done for some time. It’s not a response to the other tattoo. We’ve been planning it since December. He got it done as his star sign is a Leo.”

“It’s a difficult area to tattoo and we had to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.

“It was lovely to get the chance to do it, thought. It was a real honour and it’s something I’ll remember for a long time.”

ARIANA GRANDE WANTS GLASGOW FANS TO BRING PLASTIC BAGS TO HYDRO GIG

Beverley Lyons
Ariana Grande has asked fans going to her Glasgow gig to bring all their belongings in clear plastic bags.
The Thank U, Next singer will appear at the city’s SSE Hydro in September 17 and has made the move in the wake of the Manchester arena bombing which saw twenty two people being killed.
Scots have been asked to use a see through bag no bigger than 12 inches by six inches by 12inches like a one gallon resealable freezer bag - ziplock or similar. The bags must be made of plastic, clear vinyl or pvc and no cameras or recording devices aside from a phone camera are permitted.
The star is also offering her own brand of clear plastic bum bags in her site for eight dollars and U.K. fans have asked her to make them available here ahead of the tour.
Ariana told her fans: “We’re sending out emails soon encouraging you to order a clear bag to bring your things into the venues as security is going to be very precise and smooth but for sure super strict.
They’re super cheap and simple but having them ahead of time will for sure help things go as smooth as possible so if you see this in your emails please don’t ignore it!
My team n i appreciate it very much! p.s. any clear bags within a certain size (all info will be in the [email]) are totally fine to bring if you already have your own, i just wanted to make sure you saw these and knew about all this ahead of time so everything can go as smoothly and safely as possible.”

GLASGOW’S TRIBECA RESTAURANT LAUNCHES BOTTOMLESS COFFEE

COFFEE lovers will be in their element now that Scotland’s TriBeCa restaurants are offering bottomless cups of the elixir. 

The Glasgow and Edinburgh based American diner is about to announce a brand new menu incorporating its famed burger and pancakes - and we’ve managed to get a bit of inside info ahead of its launch.
Diners at the four Glasgow restaurants - Dumbarton Road in Partick, Park Road in Woodlands, Fenwick Road in Giffnock and Bell Street in the Merchant City  as well as the one in the capital’s London St, will be able to enjoy limitless cuppas  Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 11:30am and 2:30pm-5:30pm.
The bottomless coffee and a bagel offer gives you unlimited filter coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese or butter for 4.95 and is available now.
The new menu will also be available across all TriBeCa within the next two weeks.
We recently told how new owners stepped in to save the restaurant chain from liquidation - and they have plans to expand the American-style diner further with fifteen planned over the next two years.




From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

BRENDAN ROGERS GOES TO UNI FOR A LANGUAGE COURSE

CELTIC boss Brendan Rogers became a university lecturer for the day after urging students to learn a foreign language.
And students couldn’t believe it when he started chatting away to university professors in Spanish, French and Italian in the lecture theatre at the private event.
Northern Irish football gaffer Brendan was the very first speaker at the Living Languages event hosted by Senior Language Teaching Fellow Cedric Moreau.
And he even welcomed children from St John Ogilvie High School in Hamilton and Holyrood Secondary in Glasgow to the chat about his love of linguistics.
Brendan spoke of his love of learning and revealed to students that an "inspirational" teacher/coach Jim spurred him on to be the best coach he could be.
He told them: "Do the extra work, put the time in".
Brendan, who recently translated a written message in the official football programme to Spanish fans for the Celtic Valencia game, also said it was important to use languages in work life
Student Jack Batty admitted afterwards: “I’m still shook at Brendan Rodgers chatting away to my uni lecturers in Spanish, French and Italian. What a man.”
Hollyrood French and Spanish teacher Mr Mcilkenny added: “I had a great Monday night hearing from Brendan Rodgers about the importance of learning languages. It was a tremendous experience for our four S2 pupils from Holyrood Secondary who attended and got to hear about language learning first hand from an inspirational and high-profile guest speaker
Brendan has told of his loved of language in the past.
He had tried his best to communicate with players in their native or shared language and explained: “I always think if you speak to someone in their second language, you speak to their head. If you speak in their first, you speak to their heart. I've always tried to let players see that.”

From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

BOYZONE MEET SCOTS CANCER PATIENT IN GLASGOW 25 YEARS LATER

Boyzone were thrilled to meet one of their first Scots charity patients on Glasgow - twenty five years after they first helped her make her dreams come true.

Shelley Cunningham first met the boys in Scotland at the SECC In 1994 during their first big tour of Scotland.

Shelley then aged 12 was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. She also had septicaemia and a form of meningitis.

The visit was organised by her dad, now the famous Les Hoey MBE who is behind Scotland’s Dreammaker charity and who was desperate to help his daughter meet her idols.

At the time no other charity would help fourteen year old Shelley to fulfil her dream.

Les who is currently looking for Kiltwalk volunteers said: “I made three phone calls and no one would help me. They said they were too big a band, so I had to do all the groundwork myself. Eventually I managed to get in touch with Mark Plunkett who was the tour manager at the time and he told me he would organise it on the day of the concert.”


Shelley had spent nearly two years in Yorkhill Hospital, after a bone marrow transplant following her diagnosis in 1992  and pop group Boyzone were new to the scene.

When Les saw how happy this made Shelley, he was inspired to give other children with life threatening illnesses the same joy, and so the DreamMaker Foundation was born.

Shelley said: “The first time I met Boyzonethey were all so nervous. They asked me how I was because they could see I was skinny from all the treatment.

It built my confidence up and made me think positively after the meeting. It was incredible to meet them again twenty five years later.


Ronan remembered our first meeting and Shane said to me I’d grown up since the last time. We had a great laugh backstage and it was so lovely to chat after all these years.

I talked to other families who were there and met some kids who were going through the same illness that I had. As one parent said it was good to see the positive instead of the negative things.”

BUSTED IN GLASGOW AND OUTLANDER LATEST WITH RICHARD RANKIN

BUSTED rolled into Glasgow yesterday for a not so secret trip ahead of their tour date at the SSE Hydro on March 23.
The lads managed to fit in a wee visit to King Tuts Wah Wah Hut where they even hid a copy of vinyl for one fan to find once they’d gone - (it’s now been found to save you a trip) The lads also popped into the BBC where they have guested on Mrs Browns Boys alongside Paddy McGuinness who was also here for a flying visit. I’m so glad they are back and that I never caused any damage to them when I went paintballing with them inside the Radisson Hotel years ago. I just missed Matt Willis eye at one point. I guess I almost busted Busted.

OUTLANDER and Burnistoun star Richard Rankin is slightly worried about his next trip Stateside.
The fun actor is due to appear in Portland Oregan at the Wizard World convention on February 22-24.
He’s been to fan conventions before but this one has a twist.
As well as going on a whisky tasting session with Outlander fans, Richard also has an axe throwing session lined up.
He joked: “Mixing axe throwing and whisky is always a good idea. No one ever died doing this.”


I’m feeling musical after attending Glasgow’s Clyde college for the end of year music showcase.
It was great to watch promising musicians of the future including vocalist Keira Marks, xylophonist Erin Dalrymple and saxophonist Matthew Ruddy.  It’s put me in the mood for some of my own vocal lessons and I’m about to get some from the brilliant Robert Wishart who has trained up numerous Jim Diamond Award winners as well as helped Freddie Mercury tribute Gary Mullen fix issues he had with his voice.
Watch out for my next performance... out of the shower. 

EXAMPLE PLAYS THROUGH PAIN IN GLASGOW WHILE BILLY BOYD MAKES US COMEBACK

Musician Example managed to play through the pain of a knee injury while he was in Glasgow - but he’s had to cancel other gigs.
I caught up with the brill singer, songwriter and producer ahead of his SWG3 gig at his city centre hotel.
He told me he’s written songs here in the past and may be inspired to do it again.
He told fans he’d need to be in Australia where his supermodel wife stays from February 17 until March 4.
He also told one fan to get rid of her boyfriend after she told him he’d dislocated his knee and couldn’t walk to go to his concert.
Surely there some irony in that.

Musician and author Scott Cowie has just penned his latest book and invited Val Cleminson, of the Sensational Alex HarveyBand to perform on his launch night.
Things You Won’t Believe About Music is launched at the Blue Arrow on March 5. The book is also illustrated by fellow musician Martin Kelly.
I’ve had a sneaky peak and did you know Music makes plants grow faster, Prince played 27 instruments on his debut album and Music was once an Olympic sport.

Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd thrilled fans of Greys Anatomy Stateside. The former hobbit donned a kilt, bagpipes and Scottish accent for his time on the show with Kevin Mckidd who was also directing. Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame was also on the show. Billy said it was a real treat to be on the series.
American fans are now clamouring for the star to appear in more shows over there. 

FRANZ FERDINAND TALK HOTELS , JANICE FORSYTH RAVES ABOUT RECORDS AND HELEN FLANAGAN GETS LOVED UP

FRANZ Ferdinand’s bass player Bob Hardy has just published a very personal account and unusual of his touring experiences.
Bob, who has always been an artist in addition to his musical talents, managed to take pictures of the hotel rooms he stayed in during his time with the Scots band.
He’s now got them published in the latest issue of Performance Research.
He said of the quirky project: “I provide a sample of a larger project termed World Tour. The images, in their accumulation, provide a record of the interior spaces – the hotel rooms – that I have moved through in my position as a bassist in the band Franz Ferdinand. The images detail, in their own unobtrusive way, my attempt to re-appropriate and dwell in spaces that are not my own.”



Greg Hemphill and Janice Forsyth were amongst the first in the queue for the newly reopened Fopp music store in Byres Road.
Both had campigned for its opening alongside Alex Kapranos and Tam Dean Burn.
Janice, who I last met at the Scottish Music Awards bought lots of goodies including DVD’s of Funny Life, Funny Girl,  The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and the Billy Wilder collection.
I love it when people put money where their mouth is.


Helen Flanagan was a special guest of Fake Bake at their latest hotel party.
The Corrie star took time out of being a busy mum to indulge in a host of goodies at the bash including a hot tub filled with balloons.
The event in aid of Galentines - Valentines for gal pals saw guests showered with bottles of tan eraser, tanning water and other glowing products.
Helen even managed to take home a gift for her wee one Matilda in the shape of a froggy balloon.
She said: “Matilda will be delighted. She’s princess and frog obsessed.”

SIMON COWELL AND SCOTS DREAMMAKER CHARITY HELP CANCER TEENS

Beverley Lyons
SIMON Cowell has invited two Scots cancer teens and their families as VIPs during the live finals of Britain’s Got Talent after they presented him with a teddy bear and Tunnocks Teacakes for his son Eric.
The music mogul and reality show judge was in Manchester and held up the show recording with Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Williams when he met Sara Miller, 15 and Molly Cuddihy, 16.
The two girls and their mums had been invited down to watch the auditions of the shows by the Les Hoey MBE Dreammaker Foundation.
Sara who has suffered from non Hodgkins lymphoma and has had five phases of chemotherapy since 2017 said: “It was amazing and everyone was lovely, especially Simon who couldn’t have been nicer. I took him a teddy bear and said he should give it to Eric and he said Eric would love that and he would give it to him that night. He was a wee bit smaller than I expected but was amazing and asked us to come to the live shows. David Walliams is so funny too, hysterical. Me and my dad and brother love him and he was interested to hear about our conditions.”
Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Williams also welcomed Sara and Molly.
Molly, 16 from Gourock who was diagnosed woth Ewings Sarcoma and finds it hard to walk now said: “It was incredible. Simon was so friendly and not the cold personality you see on TV. He was quite taken aback we thought of Eric and he loved the Teacakes too and kept them beside him for the auditions.  They were all really lovely and really interested to talk to us even though we met them during the actual show. They said they would restart after our meeting. Ant and Dec even gave me a high five on the way down.






















From Scotland with Love Theshowbizlion.com

WIN A VALENTINES DATE WITH CAITLYN VANBECK AND GREGOR HUNTER COLEMAN

SCOTS singers Caitlyn Vanbeck and Gregor Hunter Coleman have offered themselves up for a hot double date with lonely singletons this Valentines Day. 

The talented twosome who have performed on our screens through X Factor and beyond teamed up with Scots online beauty company Washmestyleme.com and Glasgow’s Dhabba restaurant to give two lucky winners a priceless night to remember. 

And two separate winners  will be treated to a bundle of K|Night, Betty Jo and Pain In The Sass perfume and aftershave gifts and toiletries alongside a full three course meal with drinks. 

As well as dining with the singing stars each winner will be given a love book about Indian Goddess of Love Kamadeva, and a bunker pack of pressies from the Washmestyleme.com website created by 22 year old Scots beauty entrepreneur Alana Taylor. 

Caitlyn from Edinburgh who has had hundreds of millions of hits online and once shared a flirty exchange with Justin Bieber said: “When it comes to dating I’ve not yet met Mr Right so this night could be perfect in every way. As well as smelling nice we’re all going to leave our dates with very full bellies.”

Glasgow’s Gregor Hunter Coleman, who counts Nicola Sturgeon amongst his admirers,  says he’s had a whole host of bad dates - including one where his ‘ex girlfriend ended up serving him and his date on a night out - leading to a very unfortable atmosphere’, can’t wait to play host with the most and wine and dine his winning date on Valentines week. 

He said: “It’ll be a fun night and I’m more than happy to serenade my date on the evening. I can’t wait to see what Lady Luck brings my way.”

Both Caitlyn and Gregor want to hear about peoples worst dating stories and two winners who impress with their tales of woe will be picked for a Valentines date with them. 

Entrants must be over 18, able to take their prize in Glasgow between February 13-17 and willing candidates should send their worst date story and name, age and address to alana@washmestyleme.co.uk by February 11.

As part of Valentines Day, toiletry company Washmestyleme.com have reduced the price of their aftershave and perfume box sets by up to a third. The Dhabba In Candleriggs is also offering the first thirty couples who book on Valentines Day a copy of the book of God of Desire Kamadeva.