V Festival...wild at nights

V Festival 2011 - Hylands Park, Chelmsford

Eminem, Rihanna and Chase and Status made V Festival 2011! Without question the atmosphere was electrifying for everyone that stood in the mass crowd and appreciated the live music that was bellowing across the fields.

Chase and Status headlined in The Arena Saturday night. It had rained earlier on in the day but that did not disgruntle any one's mood. After all, that is the basis of a festival in England. The one thing that makes me go insane with happiness whilst watching live acts is the uproar and togetherness that the crowd contains. Chase and Status had it all! They had the tracks, the melodies, the bass-line and a magnificent range of people, and they all ended up wanting more. I didn't know all of the tracks they performed admittedly but every track sounded as good as the last. MC Rage kept the crowd pumped with adrenalin and Delilah gave an outstanding vocal performance.

Rihanna headlined before Eminem on the V Stage Sunday night. The day had been hot and the mood seemed more relaxed than the day previous, as people found themselves trying to re-cooperate from the night before. To be honest I was not expecting much from her vocals. In fact, I could suggest there was some auto tune involved... I had not once seen a live performance of hers that I felt was any good. Either way, she smiled throughout her set; she strutted across the stage like she owned it and gave everything she had, which seemed to be a lot. 

Eminem was the act that everyone wanted to witness. Having been out of the limelight for some years after rehabilitation and disconnected himself from the world of media frenzy, for most it was the thought that Eminem was actually in Chelmsford that made it that bit more special. One of the biggest, if not The biggest rapper in the world was going to be performing in front of hundreds of thousands! Certainly no one really knew what to expect, I know I didn't but I had a positive vibe that Eminem was going to impress, that he was going to blow us away with his entire chart topping tracks...and he did just that! The appreciation from the crowd to him and vice versa was phenomenal. He had returned to the world of live music and proved that when you fall down you can always get back up...

Give yourself a second chance...

The riots that trashed the streets of major cities in England last week have raised some unanswered questions and given answers to questions we thought we would never find ourselves asking. It was a tragic period in England that we all had to witness and one week on we follow the developments and justice is now being served!

It is not as though we did not know that these kinds of people existed in our communities. There has always been gangs that loiter the streets; day in day out, night after night. They look bored, unenthusiastic about life and certainly you would chose to walk in the opposite direction if you were to find yourself walking towards them. There has always been troublesome children in schools who become rowdy and cause disruption. They act out to release a feeling of loneliness, failure and disconnection from the world around them.

How can it now be stated, by so many, mainly those that have been involved in the riots in one form or another, that the riots were triggered by poverty and the lack of jobs?!?! There has not always been a recession. There have been and still are jobs available to people of any age...you just have to look for them. Laziness and pure greed eats at the people that think they can stay at home, live off benefits and destroy our great cities. They have no manners, no remorse and no respect because they have always been this way, not because of the recession. Yes, people become depressed over time of unemployment and feel like there is nowhere to turn but I do not believe that this kind of person would turn into a raving thug!

These people did not grow to become a thug over night. But they haven’t helped themselves now, in what they believe are already tough times. They should have stepped back and thought about their actions before they committed to them. At least that way, they would have the second chance in life created by themselves and not by our PM!

Correct me if I'm wrong but...

...the end seems near.

I have been watching the BBC News on and off this evening. I had a vague idea of what has been going on in the City of London over the past three days. I believed what I was being told by the media. It all started with a young man being shot dead in Tottenham by police and justice for his death was being sought after.

This does not seem to be the case. The scenes have worsened, innocent people are now suffering and this has gone too far. This is a catastrophe and I pray to God that it ends sooner rather than later because at this rate Great Britain will no longer exist as Great Britain.

I have now seen that Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool have begun riots and looting. The state of the streets is quite unbelievable! These are sights that I don't think that I have ever seen in my years of being alive. 

The question I am asking, apart from 'is this actually happening?' is... 'Why?' What is the purpose or motive behind this shameful behaviour? We all know that gangs exist. There are gangs of people that steal and make a living out of it – some commit crime because they want to survive and some because they know no different, destroying people's lives seems to be their way of dealing with their own life. But this is too much. This is not what they do. Something has cracked. Something has been broken. And from where I am sitting right now, there doesn't seem to be anyway of fixing it any time soon...

What a shocker!

And so it goes on...and it will for some time...

The News of the World investigations commence, Trinity Mirror have now been accused of phone hacking, The Daily Mail are to review their editorial procedures...what a mess!

If this type of criminal activity has been going on for years isn't it about time every one knew about it and all publishers and journalists get their act together? Some good will come out of this upheaval in due course. It needs to. However, what really grates me is predictably the same, self centred, self involved, lonely and pathetic 'celebrities' that jump on the band wagon...and undoubtedly not for justice but undeniably for money.

Heather Mills! What a character she is. She has peered out from her hole and now claims that a senior journalist within the Mirror Group admitted to her that in 2001 her phone was hacked.

I am genuinely not surprised that Ms Mills has added her not so popular name to the list of victims. I can understand why she has jumped on board. She has portrayed herself clearly in the past as a typically self centred, self involved, lonely and pathetic individual - remember the Heather Mills GMTV interview, comparing her life to that of the late Princess Diana! She has had some time out from the media. Hidden behind closed doors since her divorce with Sir Paul McCartney. This massive media story involving the News of the World is the perfect opportunity for her to get back into the limelight and she just couldn't help herself! 


What she needs to realise is that this phone hacking scandal will turn the public's eye onto her for a split second but will not influence the public's opinion of her. She can pretend to be a victim all she likes but the damage has been done. As far as her reputation is concerned (if she ever had one) is well and truly down the pan. She is clearly desperate but she must know that we are not stupid.

Next to jump on the band wagon may be...Kerri Katona perhaps! Oh no, that's not right, she's going  to join the Celebrity Big Brother House instead...Lord help us all!

The powers of those that don't really know...

We all know that the "man at the top" / "the big boss" doesn't know what is really going on...don’t we?!?!

The saga with the News of the World has been heading down a one way street, a very long street with only one outcome. Without hesitation the “criminals” were named and shamed and I am not convinced that the right person/s have been asked the right questions.

Almost immediately, we found under the spotlight Rebekah Brooks, James Murdoch and the famous global media baron Rupert Murdoch. All of which are of high reputation in the media world and almost household names to many. They have, in their own right, created and been a part of the biggest national newspaper in Britain. They have influenced the minds of those that walk out of the front door on a Sunday morning with the intention of buying a copy of the News of The World. Having said that, the point I am wishing to make is...how is it that those at the very top are expected to know the ins and outs of everything and why have they been scrutinised by the media and questioned in front of a panel?

I direct this towards Rupert Murdoch primarily, having seen him being plastered with shaving foam by a member of the public. Take any organisation, and I say this from past experience having worked for a large organisation for over eight years and having spoken with others about their opinion, you will find that those “at the top” have no idea what is going on on the ground floor and they certainly don't know how to do the job of those who work 9-5 and get paid just above minimum wage!

So my question is, why is Rupert Murdoch taking the blame for a crime that he did not commit nor did he have any idea was being carried out within his huge organisation? You may well find that a manager of say 20+ people in one busy office is unable to supervise all of his/her staff because there are not enough hours in the day to get the job/s done, let alone babysit those that you have employed to do a job. How on earth is some one of Rupert Murdoch’s stature, having considered realistically how large News Corp is, supposed to know about the phone hackings that had been carried out over a term of years?? How can anyone seriously believe that Mr. Murdoch has the answers to the numerous questions that have been put before him??

Start from the beginning I say, start from the bottom and work up...The questions need to be put to those that physically carried out the crimes...

Amy and Norway

Is it right that people compare the death of Amy Winehouse to the victims of the Norwegian bombing and shootings? I don't think it is, and yet they are!

I have read many comments on FB over the last few days. Some people's status' start with "RIP Amy Winehouse...tragic news...inevitable". Others are quite the opposite and quite disturbing, for example "Amy Winehouse chose to be a crack head.... Norway's children didn't chose to be blown up... Rip Norway!!!!"" Is this the first thing that comes to our mind? Is this how we really feel? Is this how we deal with death? Comparing one death to another and then making a decision as to which deserves peace and which doesn't? 

Why are people offended when others want to pay their respects to someone who struggled through their short life on drugs and alcohol abuse? No one can understand what they felt. No one can know what was really going on in their mind. Take Amy Winehouse for instance...she may have had fame, money and may have spoilt herself with whatever she fancied, unlike the rest of us who live 'normal' lives but there is the saying "money can't buy you happiness". How do people forget this popular, used so often phrase so quickly when the famous, some of which are sudden and tragic, die?!?

I don't feel that Amy Winehouse, because she was famous and known by all around the world, that she deserves more love and respect than those in Norway but she was as innocent as those individuals that were massacred in Norway. They each led a life that was different to anyone else's, as we all do. No one life is the same. They each had families. They each were loved. Let's not curse the death of any one when we know so little about them.

There was yesterday and then today - down day

We had the most wonderful day yesterday in Kent. I quite often found myself looking at each person around the table, wondering and contemplating what was on their minds or what their life was like, outside of this cosy marquee that we were sat under, as the clouds closed in and the winds did not seem to disperse. Everyone, although I probably know factually different, was happy. There were laughs all round, at the expense of others mostly but we were all on common ground. Family, after all, seem to have that gift. Regardless of what the jokes are there does seem to be a connection, an agreement and acceptance that we can all be a part of. The day flew for us all. Before we knew it we had eaten, laughed and cried hysterically when night time arrived. In a way it went too quickly because we all know, as we are leaving and saying our goodbyes it will be a few months until we see each other again. Probably Christmas now, so that will be in five months. That is the way it is though and that is probably why we have so much fun each time we meet...because we don't live in each other's pockets and therefore we appreciate each other more.