Category: celebs

Richard Bacon’s tainted life

Richard BaconOnly the Daily Mail could make someone’s wedding day sound slightly tawdry from their description of the groom.

‘Shamed former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon…’ runs the opening to the story, which actually is more about the fact that Bacon got married and postponed throat surgery, so he could make his big day.

I know that scandal follows you around, but Richard Bacon was sacked from Blue Peter, after being snapped sniffing coke, 10 years ago. That’s right, not last year, not 2 years ago, not even 5 years ago. This happened in 1998.

Since then, he’s forged a successful radio career and has left the scandal and his kids’ TV roots far behind.

I do find it amazing that things follow people around, regardless of whether they carry onto to have a successful career, or not.

Does the Daily Mail really even need to mention it?

OK, so he was stupid to get caught, but it’s hardly even worth mentioning, is it? How irritating must it be always to be remembered for one small thing, rather than all the other big stuff you’ve done elsewhere.

Ridiculous survey alert

Ant & DecA poll published last week revealed that Ant & Dec were the most watched TV hosts of 2007.

Runner-up in this pointless exercise was Dermot O’Leary, followed by Phillip Schofield, Gary Lineker and Tess Daly.

What I find totally needless here is the assumption that people were switching on simply to watch these people.

Yes, Ant & Dec are a big draw, but I’m A Celeb is as much about the contestants as it is about them, no matter how funny their links are.

For Dermot, rewind 12 months and substitute Kate Thornton. Dermot’s a lovely guy, don’t get me wrong, but you could pretty much put any competent presenter at the helm of X Factor and it wouldn’t really suffer.

For me, the one person who really deserves to be on this list is Pip, himself, Mr Schofield. you turn on This Morning because he and Fern are so good.

OK, so Philip’s position also owes a lot to the horror that is Dancing On Ice, but he is someone people actually enjoy watching.

Gary Lineker and Tess Daly are no less pointless additions to this list. Tess is a kind of stooge on Strictly Come Dancing and, personally, I believe the judges are one of the biggest draws of the show.

As for Lineker… I reckon the audiences would be even bigger if Adrian Chiles took over.

Why don’t celebs think before they speak?

Tom HanksFamous people can’t help talking cobblers, can they? In today’s Metro, Tom Hanks is interviewed to publicise his new film Charlie Wilson’s war.

He is asked what it was like working with Julia Roberts and his answer is as follows…

She’s magnificent. She has priorities that go far beyond making movies and yet she knows exactly where she is – in the zeitgeist of the business

OK, let’s look at one part of that quote a little more closely. According to Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts is ‘in the zeitgeist of the business’. Does he even know what zeitgeist means?

This is the first movie that Julia Roberts has made (and I’m not counting voiceovers) since Ocean’s Twelve, which came out in 2004.

Far be it for me to disagree with Tom Hanks, but I thought everyone had to be talking about and what you represent if you are part of the zeitgeist.

And on another point, to be ‘in the zeitgeist’, is, I think, impossible.

Wouldn’t it have been nice, if he’d just said. ‘She’s cool and great to work with’ and be done with it?