The Brits 2011…cont

Last night, The Brits 2011, brought musics hottest stars, with their best gladrags on, to The o2 arena in London. The annual awards normally fills pages of newspapers for days afterwards with reports of scandals, controversy and best and worst dressed lists.

I have watched The Brits since I can remember, and I must say this years has provided the most well behaved of the lot. James Corden was this years ringmaster, and I don’t think he was on his game. I like the guy, he played one of my favourite characters on television ever, as Smithy on Gavin and Stacey. And I must say, good on him for donating his fee of £50k to comic relief. James Corden made me laugh once the entire show and seemed more interested in Justin Bieber. I am sad to say Dermot O’leary, who presented the Best Group award to Take That, completely outshone him in his under five minute slot.  A true Brits presenter is an entertainer and has the audience hooked and captivated from start to finish, and ultimately knows a lot about the UK music scene, such as a radio DJ.

I was also sad to see there was no scandals. Everyone was far too well-behaved. I used to love going into school the day after The Brits and laugh with my friends about something a little bit naughty, and that if my Mam knew I understood the context of what was said I would probably be barred from watching the awards.

However, my highlights of the show included the fantastic and beautiful adele singing Someone Like You. One thing Corden was right about, you can have all the lights and pyrotechnics you like, but if you sound like that lady, then all you need is a piano and a microphone. Unreal. My favourite man of the year also never fails to impress. Mr Tinie Tempah, picked up two awards and  put on quite a show singing his hits Pass Out, Written in the Stars and Miami to Ibiza. Absolutely awesome and I NEED to see him live! I also loved Arcade Fire. I have all the bands albums and always forget how much I love their music until I hear them. As soon as I watched them perform, I rushed to get my laptop and put them on my ipod. My biggest upset of the night was that Eminem didn’t pick up any of the two awards he was nominated for, even though, in my opinon, produced the best work of his career with his latest album.

Anyway, last week, I  wrote up my predictions of who I thought would be the nights winners. Below are those predictions along with who won what award. I got three and a half right.

British Male Solo Artist: My prediction: Tinie Tempah

Winner:Plan B

British Female Solo Artist:  My prediction: Cheryl Cole

Winner: Laura Marling

British Breakthrough Act: My prediction: Mumford & Sons

Winner: Tinie Tempah

British Group:  My prediction: Take That

Winner: Take That

British Single: My prediction: Tinie Tempah – Pass Out / Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got The Love

Winner: Tinie Tempah - Pass Out

Mastercard British Album of the Year:  My prediction: Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy. I did acknowledge Mumford & Sons and The XX.

Winner: Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

International Male Solo Artist:  My Prediction: Eminem.

Winner: Cee Lo Green

International Female Solo Artist: My prediction: Rihanna.

Winner: Rihanna

International Breakthrough Act:  My Prediction: Bruno Mars.

Winner: Justin Bieber

International Group:  My prediction: Kings of Leon.

Winner: Arcade Fire

International Album:  My Prediction: Eminem – Recovery.

Winner: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Burger ban at football stadium…

Burgers and sausages have been banned from being sold to fans at Forest Green Rovers football club.

The club is owned by Dale Vince who is a vegan who runs a green electricity company.

The ban was introduced for players at the Blue Square Bet Premier club a few weeks ago but now has been extended to the whole stadium. The stadium will continue to sell free range chicken and fish from sustainable sources.

Now I am a meat eater. But I would never judge anyone who is a vegetarian or vegan. I would especially never force my views upon them. I am very much an each-to-their-own kinda girl.

So the news that Forest Green Rovers have stopped selling red meat products across their stadium has shocked me a bit. Why force hundreds of fans to follow your lifestyle choice? People go to football on a Saturday, and excuse me if I am stereotyping here, to watch a match, relax and have a pint and a burger.  If a veggie went into a restaurant that did not serve a veggie option, they would not be happy. Why take away a simple pleasure of a Saturday afternoon?

Obviously I don’t think that this will stop fans going to matches, however,  I do think it will increase the number of packed lunches and sales of match day burger vans, meaning the club will lose out.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Or do you think the club have made a good move? Let me know what you think.

Claire

Brit Awards 2011…

On Tuesday 15th February 2011, the cream of the British music industry will head to the O2 arena in London, for the annual Brit awards. The awards always generate controversy, gossip, trends and great performances and collaborations on the night.

As a music lover, I always pay close attention in the run up to the Brits, as I have a thing about guessing who is going to pick up the award on the night.  Every year I get some right and my friends think I am lying. So this year I am recording my predictions here, then I have concrete proof!

Here are the nominations and who I think deserves what award:

British Male Solo Artist: Tinie Tempah, Mark Ronson, Paul Weller, Plan B, Robert Plant. My prediction: Tinie Tempah

British Female Solo Artist: Cheryl Cole, Ellie Goulding, Laura Marling, Paloma, Rumer. My prediction: Cheryl Cole

British Breakthrough Act: Ellie Goulding, Mumford & Sons, Rumer, Tinie Tempah, The XX. My prediction: Mumford & Sons

British Group: Take That, Biffy Clyro, Gorillaz, Mumford & Sons, The XX. My prediction: Take That (However I want Biffy Clyro to win!)

British Single: Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got The Love,    Alexandra Burke ft Pitbull – All Night Long,     Cheryl Cole – Parachute,    Matt Cardle – When We Collide,   Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let Me Go,    Plan B – She Said,    Scouting For Girls – This Ain’t A Love Song,    Taio Cruz – Dynamite,    Tinie Tempah – Pass Out,     The Wanted – All Time Low. My prediction: Tinie Tempah – Pass Out / Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (Ok, so I couldn’t choose between these two beauties! )

Mastercard British Album of the Year: The XX – XX,    Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More,   Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks,   Take That – Progress,    Tinie Tempah – Disc- Overy. My prediction: Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy. (However I love Mumford & Sons and The XX’s albums, very close call this year.)

International Male Solo Artist: Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, CeeLo Green, David Guetta, Eminem. My Prediction: Eminem.

International Female Solo Artist: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Kylie Minogue, Robyn. My prediction: Rihanna.

International Breakthrough Act: Glee Cast, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, The National, The Temper Trap. My Prediction: Bruno Mars.

International Group: Black Eyed Peas, Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, The Script, Vampire Weekend. My prediction: Kings of Leon.

International Album: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs,    Katy Perry – Teenage Dream,    CeeLo Green – The Lady Killer,   Eminem – Recovery,    Kings Of Leon- Come Around Sundown.  My Prediction: Eminem – Recovery.

I think its such a close call in some of the categories this year, and I can’t wait to see if I’m right about any of them!

What about your predictions? Do you agree with me? Or do you think you could get more right than me? Leave your predictions here and we shall tally up the scores on Wednesday!

Claire

 

Social media week…

You may or may not know this about me, but I love Twitter. Dont get me wrong, am not massive for posting things, although I do try to engage with people. There is nothing I like more than sitting on the bus with my ipod blaring and trawling through the posts from the people I follow.

The people I follow on Twitter range from bands, news agencies and comedians I am ineterested in to PR agencies in the North East and beyond, and opinion leaders from the industry. Its a great way to pass the time over, plus I always find out great bits of news and loads of great stuff that is useful to the direction of my degree.

This week on Twitter everyone has been raving about social media week. During this week there has been many events hosted from London to Hong Kong, that are encouraging people to connect and engage with each other through different social media platforms.

This year, the London Social Media Week  are holding around 50 live events which will be based around topics including arts and culture and business, media and communications.

My first thoughts were that they will hold appreciation weeks for anything these days. Then I thought about it, as a student who is about to force my CV upon PR agencies around the country, the outcomes of these events will be great for me. The industry I am trying to break into is changing and becoming more creative with social media strategies everyday. So as we are in the third day of SMW, I will be keeping a close eye on any updates on twitter from people who have been lucky enough to attend these events.

What do you think about SMW? Are you interested in being a part of it? Or are you just refilling your coffee and getting on with your workload? Let me know what you think. Or log onto http://socialmediaweek.org/ and see if you find anything interesting.

Claire

Superbowl

On Sunday night, I was one of the rare people in the world that didn’t give a monkeys about touchdowns and plays, etc. But this years Super Bowl  broke US TV ratings records for the second year running on Sunday, with the climax of the American football season watched by an average of 111 million viewers.

So with such eye watering viewing figures, its no wonder that the average 30 second advert cost $3million. The revenue for commercial slots is expected to exceed $210million. Advertisers aim to produce their most creative work for the Super Bowl slots, as they generate rises in sales, they also have to outdo their competitor who could also have a slot.

Now I am a big fan of creative and humorous adverts, and have been youtube to have a look at the best of this years ads. And I must say I have one clear favourite.

Chrysler’s two minute offering featuring Eminem, stood out from the crowd for me. Firstly I am a massive Eminem fan, so anything that involves his brooding good looks and a snippet of “Lose Yourself,” has me hooked.

I also think it was very powerful. Instead of feeding the public the stereotype car ad infused with sex and images of luxury. Chrysler made themselves look good by taking themselves back to their manufacturing roots in Detroit. It showed a working class, gritty and desperate city, contrasting against the luxury of the car. It gave the brand a heart and this is why it stood out against the rest in my opinion.

Great choice on celebrity endorsement, Eminem is from Detroit and always states how much he tries to stay true his roots. Loved this ad, and I keep watching it over and over.

How about you? Have you watched any of this years Super Bowl adverts? Did you like Em’s turn for Chrysler? Or did something else stand out for you? Feel free to leave your comments

Claire

Let’s start over…

Hey guys, guess who has decided to show her face?!

So I realise it has been almost a YEAR since I have bothered to write anything on here, and the other day I realised how much I have missed having this outlet. So I tried starting a brand new blog with a different site, turns out this one is a million times better so I have came home. I will try and post as often as I possibly can, and hopefully at leats once a week.

So let’s start over. When I blogged with this site before, I dawned on me that I expected readers to pay attention to me without  them knowing anything about who the hell I am or my story. School boy error.

So for those of you interested, Hey! I’m Claire Beaton and  I am 23 years old. I am from a lovely town called South Shields in the North East. I am in my final year at Sunderland University studying PR. I love it! Well as long it’s not deadline week! In around 12 weeks time I will be jumping from my cosy classroom shaped ship, and try to land in a graduate level job. I am absolutely terrified, but I can’t wait to see what the real world has to offer me and what I have to offer the real world. When I graduate, I hope to find a job in a consultancy in the North East. I have an interest in media relations, lifestyle and music PR and social media. I am aiming to graduate with a high 2.1/first.

I have a massive passion for music, especially when its live. I like pretty much all genres. I love going to festivals and gigs. I live for the summer, beer gardens, flip flops and Magners on ice topped off with a huge dollop of my friends is my idea of happiness. I love going on holiday and would like to fit as much travel around with my career as possible. My favourite place in the world is Ibiza, it has all of the things I live for in one island.

People who know me would probably say I am a bit gobby. People who don’t think am pretty shy to start off with. I am confident, most of the time. I always try to see the best in people. I am very loyal. I find useless information and weird facts fascinating, much to my mates annoyance. I drink far too much Diet Coke. My friends have 101 nicknames for me. I have an obsession with the film Stepbrothers and Noel Fielding. I work hard and play hard.

So there you go, that’s my story. If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask away.

Claire

What Do You Think?

For the last few months, I have been running this blog. I have really enjoyed scouring through newspapers, watching the news and foraging online stories.

Unfortunately, due to the massive amount of assignments I have been hiding behind lately and my demanding job, I haven’t been able to post as much as I would like.

I am happy to say though, today is my last lecture, and over the next two weeks my deadlines will have been hit, and I have decided to keep on blogging!!!

Before I continue though, I would like to know what you have thought about my blogs. Be as honest, brutal, or kind as you like.

Let me know.

Claire

Coalition Government…

Yesterday saw the first full day of what I dreaded. David Cameron becoming the UK’s Prime Minister as part of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

Obviously I was born when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and don’t remember much about John Major. I have read and heard a lot about it. My Mum brought me, my brother and sister into the world, at a time when our country’s government was notoriously for the rich. People I know are still bitter about those times, when there was no work and no money.

So the big question on everyones mind is whether or not a new Tory government is going to turn our country into the same wasteland. As I watched the press conference yesterday afternoon, and listened to them talk about a new direction for politics, I genuinely hoped that this is were they are headed.

However, when I was reading the new Cabinet line up, I noticed that pretty much most of the Tory members, are former Thatcher and Major civil servants and ministers. For example, Defence Secretary, Dr Ian Fox, was a whip and later a Foreign Office Minister for the Major government. How can you claim to be heading in a new direction with politics, if you have the same old people?

I really hope I am proved wrong on this, but I can’t help but think otherwise.

What do you think? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Let me know?

Anyway, here is my Favourite bit from the press conference yesterday. Enjoy!

Guilty Pleasures…

I was looking back over my blog yesterday and realised that I have only done one post about what’s going on in my life. So this post is just for fun. Me and my partners in crime from uni, were sat in the library all day yesterday doing work. Well when I say work I mean, doing some work then messing around, then doing some work then messing around.  We went all nostaligic.

We were looking at the cheesiest boybands from our childhoods on Youtube and deciding who we liked or disliked. Now the official line is I hate boybands.

However, there are a few exceptions. Guilty Pleasures. Boybands you shouldn’t like, but can’t help singing along to. I am not talking about boybands like Take That, who have made a comeback and genuinely are good. I mean the ones who we had forgotten about. Obviously some of them were absolutely terrible and some were  absolutely terrible but we  refused to admit it.

For example, LFO. In my opinion, LFO are the most terrible, cheesiest boyband of the 90′s. So bad that they are good! I realise that I am probably ruining my reputation as a person with good taste in music, but with hits such as Girl On TV and Summer Girls, who could say they wouldn’t sing along to the cheese fest? In fact I still have it stuck in my head now.

LFO - That bad they're good?

So I put it to you. Who is your guilty pleasure boyband?

Claire

Hung Parliament…

So most of you voted on Thursday, and 649 of the 650 seats have been declared. With no party having an overall majority, the UK have their first hung parliament in 36 years. A lot of people keep asking me what a hung parliament means, so I thought I’d post what I know about it on here, so I am not telling the same story over and over again.

The UK has what is reffered to as a “first past the post” voting system. This means that to win an election, your party must win 326 out of the 650 seats in parliament. The results of election night look like this:

Conservative 306 seats

Labour 258 seats

Liberal Democrat 57 seats

 

Lib Dems are negotiating terms for a coalition government with Labour and Conservatives

As no party holds the majority, Gordon Brown remains Prime Minister, yet  may not be for long. Under the unwritten constitution, the sitting PM is entitled to try and form a government first. As Labour did not win the most seats or have the biggest vote share. Nick Clegg is in paralell talks with both camps to form a coalition government. This would mean, whoever agreed to a deal, would merge seats to form a majority. Most news channels are reporting it being more likely to be a Con-Lib alliance.

I find this quite annoying to be honest. As most people know, Liberal Democrats are a centre left party. Whereas Conservatives are a centre right party. Labour are a centre left party also. Of course just because they have the same political posistions, does not mean they have the same policies. They are however more similar than the conservative policies. Yes Nick Clegg said he would talk to whoever got the most votes in the election in the result of a hung parliament first, which I suppose  is fair to the electorate. But I think it shows that he is not really in politics for what he believes in. If I had the power that Nick Clegg does right now I would be negotiating with the party who’s vision was similar to my own or I wouldn’t be negotiating.

Who would you rather the conservatives formed an alliance with? Do you want a Con-Lib or a Lab-Lib alliance? Let me know.

Claire