Paloma Faith: from BRITs to BAFTA? Eyeing major 'gritty' film role

She finally bagged a Brit, but Paloma Faith won’t stop there – she now has her eyes on an Oscar.

The singer, who scooped best female solo artist at last night’s ceremony, aims to step up her acting skills and thinks a role such as the battered wife played by Olivia Colemanin Paddy Considine’s film Tyrannosaur would be right up her street.

‘I’d be after something that challenges me to do something completely the opposite of what my public persona is. I would like to play a next door neighbour or something gritty,’ the Only Love Can Hurt Like This singer told Metro exclusively.

‘I am a big fan of Paddy Considine. If he does another film I would love to be in that,’ she continued, admitting she would love to be considered as an actress akin to Coleman.

‘I have started petitioning him! I direct messaged him on Twitter saying “If you do another film, please call me!” And he replied saying that in his house they were big fans of mine, him and his kids. Which was cute. I am sowing the seeds!’ she said.

However Faith – who played the girlfriend of the Devil in Terry Gilliam’s 2009 film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – is not abandoning her music career yet as she hopes to have a new album out before the end of the year.

‘It’s an ambitious thing, but I’m hoping. That’s the idea. I’ve started writing but I haven’t been recording yet. It’s still very early days and I’ve just done a few days of writing so far,’ she teased.

[Printed Metro February 2015]

George Ezra almost decapitated by train

George Ezra may have lost out on all four of his nominated Brit award categories last night but he’s still a very lucky man after revealing he narrowly escaped being decapitated by a train.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter almost lost his head in the near-miss last year, but says he was rescued by a guardian angel.

‘I was getting the train from Paddington to Bristol a few months ago and I couldn’t be happier to be getting out to the countryside,’ he recalled exclusively to Metro.

‘The sun was setting and after you go through the industrial areas and past Slough you are in the countryside and it’s beautiful. I had my head out the window and I had my eyes closed. And then I pulled my head in, for no apparent reason, and a train sped past the other way. I would have been fully decapitated. I turned white. I was like a ghost!’

Shuddering he says he learnt a valuable lesson: ‘We don’t put our heads out train windows, do we George?’

And Ezra – who topped the charts with his debut album Wanted On Voyage – says he is often left shaken by fans who tell him they make love listening to his music.

‘People have told me that,’ he confessed, before insisting he never listens to his own material when getting down to business himself.

‘Someone asked me if I listen to my album during sex and I just looked at him and said, “Are you f***ing serious? I do not put my album on before that!”’ he laughed.

[Printed Metro February 2015]

One Direction: The Totally Nuts Interview

One Direction’s latest autobiography Who We Are might be a perfect gift for Christmas, but at this most wonderful time of the year, we just want to know who in the band has been naughty and who has been nice. Guilty Pleasures caught up with the boys this week for some rapid questions.

It’s Christmas time boys, everyone wants to know who in the band has been naughty and who has been nice?
Niall: I have been great.
Harry: He helped an old lady across the street….but he actually left her half way. He wasn’t as nice as we originally thought.
Louis: Niall has been the naughtiest. He steals old ladies handbags.
Harry: That’s why he left her in the middle of the street.

What is your craziest story involving Sinitta?
Liam: Our craziest story is still from The X Factor when she came out with us dressed in leaves.
Harry: Niall slept with Sinitta. Wearing leaves.
Louis: That sounds like we’re joking but that did actually happen.
Niall: My favourite story about Sinitta is when she took a penalty on us in A League Of Their Own. She scored past Harry.

When did Simon Cowell last get cross with you?
Louis: Simon don’t really get angry though, does he, like? He don’t ever raise his voice.
Niall: Sometimes he will do that disappointed voice but he hasn’t done that in a while. I’ve never really seen him angry at all. Even with the people he works with. He just gets his point across in a relaxed manner.
Harry: He will be angry when he realises that Eric is Niall’s.
Liam: This interview is crazy.
Niall: I am going to have to do some serious apologising to Simon now!
Liam: I’ve not met the kid yet.

You’re on tour again next year – who is the worst for farting on the tour bus?
Liam: To be fair, Niall, you do just let rip at random occasions. And they are proud farts. They are not quiet ones. They are not smelly. But they are musical.
Zayn: The farts used to be worse, but now they are calmer.
Liam: Did you know that Niall can’t burp?
Niall: Yes. That’s something people don’t know about me. I had cholic as a child and didn’t have power over my muscles in my throat. The muscles moved down here [points to bum].

When was the last time one of you walked in on the other naked?
Louis: Someone just walked in on me having a wee, actually.
Liam: [To Louis] You walked past me having a wee the other day. The toilet in the hotel had a window and I was having a piss and then I turned round and he was looking at me.
Louis: A lot of hotels have windows in the bathroom.
Harry: The Standard in New York has windows where you wee. It’s ridiculous.

Harry – who would you rather be stuck in a lift with: Caroline Flack, Taylor Swift, or Kendall Jenner?
Harry: Erm… well I have had amicable relationships with all of them, so that’s a trick question.

All of them at the same time? Would that be fun?
Harry: I see what you are doing…I don’t know.

Would you give Caroline a shoulder to cry on now she’s single again or give her advice?
Harry: Erm… what a question!
[Publicist] Next Question!

Who did you last snog? With tongues? Zayn – we’re assuming Perrie?
Zayn: Yeah, my bird.
Liam: I love how Louis and I have girlfriends, but you’ve not asked like we are out snogging fans all the time.
Harry: Niall’s was Ariana Grande. And Caroline Flack at the same time. They were stuck in a lift.
Liam: That was Niall’s relationship advice for Caroline. And Sinitta was there as well. Wearing leaves.

[Printed Metro December 2014]

Prides eye up Kylie at Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony

Stewart Brock of Glaswegian indie rockers Prides says he would be too intimidated to date Kylie Minogue after sharing the stage with her at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

The 25-year-old frontman fears the media storm that would surround dating the Aussie beauty would overshadow any possible romance.

‘I’m not sure if I could date her. I mean, she is a babe, obviously, but I’m not sure I could do it. The pressure would be too much,’ the Messiah singer said.

Brock did add that he regretted not asking Minogue one question when he had the chance after they sang together at Hampden Park.

‘I wanted to ask her where she gets her hotpants. I feel that could be my new look,’ the singer joked.

Referencing 46-year-old Minogue’s famously pert derrière and youthful looks, Brock said he and bandmates Lewis Gardner and Callum Wiseman couldn’t believe the In To The Blue’s singer is now 46-years-old.

‘We were all looking up how old she is – that sounds terrible, doesn’t it? But we were trying to guess. She does look incredible. She must do her squats!’ he said.

However Minogue can rest easy as Brock explained he has his eye on another famous pop singer for a date.

‘I’m saving myself for Katy Perry. I wouldn’t want to scupper my chances. All her tunes are great and she is a total babe. What’s not to love?’ he asked.

Having wowed the crowds at the Glasgow Games ceremony – plus one billion viewers around the world – Brock revealed he took the ‘House Party’ theme of the closing ceremony literally and partied with mates the night before.

‘I was at a mild house party which was maybe not the best idea the night before the Closing Ceremony. But I recovered in time,’ he laughed.

[Elements of this article appeared in Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Monday 4 August 2014]

Emeli Sandé eyes Bond score, Olympic gold and fears X-rated Jaguar collaboration

Emeli Sandé says she doesn’t understand why people compare her to Adele and says she would rather score and entire Bond film than just sing its theme song.

The 27-year-old Scottish songstress may have emulated the Someone Like You singer in penning the biggest selling record of the year, but Sandé thinks their material is worlds apart.

‘I guess it’s because we are both quite soulful, we’re both British, we’re both girls… It’s lovely and I am a fan of hers, but I think there are other people that both of us can be compared to,’ she said.

Admitting she would love to win Grammy awards like her chart rival, the Clown singer says also fancies getting her teeth into a 007 soundtrack.

‘I’d love to do film scores. Bond would be cool, but I love classical music, so composing would be a big dream,’ she said.

‘I think visuals and music go together beautifully. I’d love to write a musical as well. I have ideas every day about musicals,’ she teased.

Despite being one of the biggest recording artists in the UK, Sandé says the industry she works in is too male dominated.

‘The music world is 100% male dominated,’ she warns.

‘I think when women start writing that’s where the real control is as you are giving a message out to people. But it’s a business and a lot of women just want to stay creative – which I respect. But I think it’s harder to get control if you are a woman.’

Meanwhile Sandé fears her next music offering could turn X-rated as she has been asked to write an exclusive track to promote the launch of the new Jaguar XE Sports Saloon.

The Next To Me hitmaker is asking fans to send inspiration for lyrics via social media using a unique hashtag to influence her FEEL XE Exhilaration track.

‘I’m asking fans for things that sound exhilarating and things that get their hearts going. I am going to sit and watch them all and see what song comes out,’ she explained.

But on realising her description could inspire some saucy suggestions, she laughed: ‘Maybe I will get more X-rated tweets and it could get really RnB.’

Away from her own music, the singer revealed she has also been working with Rihanna and Mary J Blige to help them create their own new records.

‘Mary has been with me this past week. Sitting next to a legend and listening to her sing your words is a real buzz,’ she gushed.

The petite star also revealed she has developed an ambition to compete in the next Olympic Games having performed at the 2012 London closing ceremony.

‘I just got a trampoline. I’m trying to learn some tricks although I’m a bit scared. Next Olympics I could be a trampoline gold medallist,’ she laughed.

And while it seems to have been all work, work, work (and trampolining) for the chart topper, Sandé says she knows how to party.

Spotted at Tinie Tempah’s 25th birthday party in London last November, the Scot was appeared to enjoy herself as bottle after bottle of sparkler adorned champagne arrived at her roped off table.

‘I guess because I spend so much time in the studio that when I go out I like to go for it. I have a wild side. I do,’ she giggled.

[Elements of this article appeared in Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 29 July 2014]

Charli XCX: Iggy Azalea and I are underdogs who won

Charli XCX says she and Iggy Azalea overcame racist jibes and underdog status to rule the American charts.

The 21-year-old British pop babe says it was not an easy ride to the top for either of them, but the pair are enjoying having the last laugh.

‘People give Iggy a hard time because she’s Australian and white and female and apparently that’s a weird thing, which I don’t get,’ she told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

‘People also view me as an underdog so I think it’s cool that we came together and had this girl power moment and were No. 1 in the states for seven weeks. We really proved everyone wrong which I think was really cool.’

With her own synthpop track Boom Clap heading for British chart success this week, Charli said she is glad people are taking note of her solo work.

‘I would never change my style or my way of song-writing just to fit in with what other people think is cool or commercial.

‘It’s cool people now think my s*** is cool – but I won’t change if it becomes not cool either,’ she laughed.

Charli, aka Charlotte Aitchison, also revealed she is angling for a Coldplay duet after supporting Chris Martin and Co on tour back in 2012 and explained she was so overwhelmed by their recent album, Ghost Stories, that she was reduced to tears.

‘I actually listened to that record on a plane the other day and I cried! I think that album is so good,’ she gushed.

‘To collaborate definitely would be cool. I think Chris Martin is one of the best, top line writers around at the moment. I’ve always thought his melodies are incredible.’

And it is not just Coldplay Charli has her sights on – she also wants to work with Bill Murray.

She admitted she had more than a passing interest in the 63-year-old Lost In Translation actor.

‘I sometimes ask for a framed picture of Bill Murray on my rider just because I think he is really cool,’ she said.

‘There are a few I have collected and some of them have been in nice frames!’

‘I have a weird Bill Murray collection, I guess. Although it’s not some weird obsession.

‘It would be sick to have him in a music video.’

No stranger to music, Murray was once MC for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 24 July 2014]

Danny O'Donoghue jealous of The Script bandmate anonymity

Danny O’Donoghue says he is envious of the anonymity his fellow The Script bandmates enjoy as he can’t enjoy life’s temptations so freely.

The brooding 33-year-old Dubliner would be easy to spot on the streets after being placed in the spotlight thanks to his coaching position on mainstream TV show The Voice.

‘They can drink and smoke every night if they want but I can’t because I’m the f***ing lead singer. I’m totally missing out,’ O’Donoghue told Guilty Pleasures, comparing himself to guitarist Mark Sheehan, 38, and 34-year-old drummer Glen Power.

‘I can’t do that s*** every night. So I’m jealous for a lot of different reasons. The day the band finishes, I’m going to start another band and become the guitarist,’ he said mischievously.

Having left The Voice after series two last year, O’Donoghue says he is not worried about the band falling back into obscurity without a Primetime show to provide added exposure.

‘The show had an amazing reach and was an amazing platform but it wasn’t like I was on it every week saying “Buy The Script’s records” or singing our songs,’ he said.

‘We announced we were going to do a Google Hangout last week and we became the number one trend worldwide on Twitter, so I really don’t think we’ll have a problem getting the news out.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 22 July 2014]

Pixie Lott guns for TV matchmaking show

Pixie Lott is impressed Cheryl Fernandez-Versini tied the knot after just a few months of dating – when marriage isn’t even on the cards for her and boyfriend of four years Oliver Cheshire.

The 23-year-old pop beauty reckons Chez Fe-Vez, 31, has her ideal picture of marriage set in her head after she got it wrong with Ashley Cole first time around.

‘Maybe she just knows that it’s right? Every situation is different for different people. Maybe she just wants to settle down and have babies,’ Lott told Guilty Pleasures.

However the Kiss The Stars singer admitted she wasn’t yet considering taking the plunge with her 26-year-old model beau but is quite a good matchmaker.

‘I set one of my best friends, Carla, up with my other friend Oss,’ she explained.

‘I had a song called Broken Arrow and Ossian is the boy in the video I do the dance partner work with. We were already friends at school but then we met up again through the video and we became good friends again.

‘Then it was Carla’s birthday so I told him to come down and they got on like a house on fire.

‘Two weeks after I was on tour and booked them both to be dancers so they were together every day on tour and now they’ve been together for four years.’

Lott, whose new single Lay Me Down is out a week on Sunday is so confident about her Cupid abilities she thinks she should be commissioned to bring love alive.

‘I should have a TV show. I could bring together on tour – it’s worked in the past. I could match-make people in the crowd,’ she laughed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 17 July 2014]

Rixton's Jake wants to dance like Nicole Scherzinger

British band Rixton may be in a chart battle with Nicole Scherzinger for this weekend’s number 1 single, but frontman Jake Roche is such a fan he wants the former Pussycat Doll to be his dance coach.

The cheeky 21-year-old singer – the son of Shane Richie and Coleen Nolan – says he has met 36-year-old Scherzy several times but is yet to get one-on-one tuition.

‘Has she ever taught me how to be an erotic dancer? Not yet! I mean, I look at the videos and I try to copy ‘em, but there’s only so much I can do while wearing a bra before it looks a bit wrong,’ he chuckled during an exclusive chat with Guilty Pleasures.

Roche and his pop/RnB bandmates Charley Bagnall, 28, Lewi Morgan, 26 and Danny Wilkin, 24 have their eyes on Sunday’s top spot with infectious tune Me and My Broken Heart and have agreed to get matching tattoos if they beat off Scherzy.

‘We want to get a broken heart single tattooed on each other. But if Nicole does beat us, I might just have to get a Pussycat Dolls shrine tattooed on my neck,’ Roche laughed.

The Manchester-based group have already proven a hit in the USA where they are managed by Justin Bieber’s manger, Scooter Braun.

And while the boys couldn’t make 33-year-old Braun’s star-studded wedding to philanthropist Yael Cohen last week, they reckon he’d be chuffed if they rule the charts.

‘We did get invited but we missed it as we were gigging in Manchester, London and Birmingham,' Roche said of Rixton's workload.

'A number one should be a good wedding present for him. I don’t know what you buy a man like that but hopefully we can get him a number one.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Wednesday 16 July 2014]

Amelia Lily loves drinking...and cleaning

Amelia Lily is ready for a booze-up to celebrate her pop comeback – as soon as she can tear herself away from her mop and bucket.

The 19-year-old X Factor star said she has developed a love for cleaning but her Geordie roots mean she knows how to live it up when she does head out for a night on the town.

‘I like to have a party and I like to drink. I’m a northerner – I’ve got a Geordie dad so I like to let my hair down,’ she told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

'I’ve not had a mad one in a while. I need one. I’ve just kind of got more domesticated. I’ve become a bit of an old woman,’ she went on.

‘I like to clean and I’m just getting the hang of using the iron. So rock and roll, I know.’

Lily is now gearing up to release her new song, California – a summer pop tune that is all about a long distance relationship between a guy and a girl who are constantly flying between LA and London and passing each other like ships in the night.

While the singer was known to be dating Lawson hunk Adam Pitts last year, she refuses to say if the song – out on August 24 – is about him.

‘I can’t name names. I don’t kiss and tell. I’ll have to keep you guessing,’ she teased.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 15 July 2014]

Ella Eyre in bus crash horror

Ella Eyre got quite the scare when she 'dodged death' in a crash on her way back from Glastonbury festival.

The 20-year-old pop babe was forced to cancel a planned appearance at an Irish music festival when her tour bus was written off.

But she managed to escape in one piece after being rudely awakened by the drama.

‘I didn’t even know we crashed – I was asleep!’ the If I Go singer revealed to Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

‘I woke up when I slid off the seat. I was in the living room with my band and everyone was chilling with laptops and stuff and suddenly the bus halted really quickly,’ she continued.

‘My keyboard player flew over the table, over two people, banged his head against the door and landed on the stairs. It was horrific. But he was alright in the end.’

The husky voiced Londoner insisted her bus driver was not at fault for sending her tumbling to the floor.

‘What happened was this woman had turned out to do a 360 because she was stuck in traffic and she didn’t look to see if anyone was coming and the bus had no time to stop. I dodged death!’ she said.

Eyre – able to laugh about the accident now she's safely back home – is hoping for better luck when she hits the road this weekend.

She is on the bill at the Wireless festival - performing in London today and in Birmingham on Sunday.

And the singer - whose real name is Ella McMahon - said her audiences can rest assured that she will give her all each time she gets on stage.

‘I will never mime. Anyone who comes to my shows will hear that my vocals are real. Mainly because I am out of breath half the time!’ she laughed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Friday 4 July 2014]

James Cordon begs Harry Styles to let him write for 1D

James Corden says he is constantly begging One Direction to let him write them a hit after he penned a tune in his new film.

The jolly 35-year-old comedian stars alongside Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in music rom-com Begin Again and now he wants to use his new skills to help his mate Harry Styles.

‘I’d love to write with One Direction but I doubt they would let me. I’m constantly talking to Harry about letting me do anything,’ he revealed at the low key UK premiere at London’s Ham Yard hotel on Wednesday.

Corden also revealed he is working on a TV project with HBO – which is notorious for sex and violence filled shows like Game of Thrones and Sex & The City – however he’s not sure how extreme his own efforts will be.

‘Can I write a good sex scene? I’ve not given it a huge amount of thought!’ he laughed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Friday 4 July 2014]

McBusted: Matt and Dougie on boobs and drugs

Matt Willis has confessed he still thinks about alcohol and drugs ‘every single day’ but said he is glad to leave his addictions in the past.

The 31-year-old, who has gone into rehab three times, told Guilty Pleasures he would have been an addict even if he hadn’t found fame.

‘Sometimes you have a romanticism about the past and stuff but you know that was the past and it’s the past for a very good reason,’ the McBusted star said. ‘And I am constantly reminded of that every time I wake up.’

The singer – married to TV beauty Emma Willis, 38 – also put his substance abuse problems down to his personality and not his success in mid-noughties punk band Busted.

‘I would’ve ended up the same way if I was an accountant or if I worked in Tesco. It’s the way I am,’ he said.

‘Maybe because I had a bit of money that allowed me to progress quickly. But I don’t think me being in a pop band or anybody being in a pop band puts you in a position where you have to go off the rails. It’s very much on the person and what that person chooses to do.’

The star will join the other McBusted boys – James Bourne, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter on stage for the Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time in Hyde Park on Sunday – but it won’t be the last of the supergroup.

Poynter, 26, explained they are already working on new material – which means McFly’s planned sixth studio album is on hold.

‘We had an album ready to go but we spent too much time mixing it and then thought “Sod it. Let’s do the McBusted thing!” But we might use songs from that and Matt and I have been writing about boobs!’ the cheeky lad laughed.

Confirming the saucy new tune, Willis added: ‘We wrote a little song about boobs, which is fantastic. It is an appreciation song, more than anything.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 3 July 2014]

5SOS talk private jets, chocolate milk and the mile high club

Australian punk rock band 5 Seconds Of Summer are looking forward to the day they can travel by private jet.

The Don’t Stop singers have been supporting One Direction on their world tour but have been forced to travel by bus while the 1D lads zipped off in their own private jets.

‘We couldn’t afford our own jets yet. That’s the thing you can do once you’ve done massive things in your career,’ 19-year-old Ashton Irwin from the band told Guilty Pleasures.

Jets could soon be on the band’s shopping list, however, as their self-titled album out this week is hotly tipped to top the charts around the world.

However Irwin says any mid-air antics would be pretty tame.

‘There would probably be some chocolate milk and maybe an X Box,’ he said, adding: ‘And none of us would join the Mile High club.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 3 July 2014]

Union J eye Iggy Azlea and Little Mix duets

Union J say they would love to get a couple of babes – and possibly a baby – on to one of their singles.

Proud dad JJ Hamblett, 26, said his six-month-old son Princeton could add vocals to a track in a similar way to how Mariah Carey’s three-year-old twins sang on her latest album.

‘He doesn’t speak at the moment so it would be a bit difficult, but maybe the next album. That would be cool,’ Hamblett told me.

He added that the band – which includes Josh Cuthbert, 21, Jaymi Hensley, 24 and 20-year-old George Shelley – would love to draft in some female vocalists as well.

‘We’d love to do a song with Little Mix,’ the former X Factor star said, adding that Australian rap babe Iggy Azalea was also a target.

‘Me and George are huge fans of Iggy. We said eight months ago when she released Work that we would love to collaborate with her. And she just collaborated with Ariana Grande. She is so cool,’ he gushed.

It could become possible because Union J and Azalea are set to take to the stage at the Capital Summertime Ball in London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

‘I’ve planned it already. I’m going to go backstage and put the idea out there. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know,’ he laughed.

Union J will perform their new single Tonight (We Live Forever), which is released in August, live on Saturday.

‘It’s about partying all night and being with your friends,’ Hamblett said of the song – adding that his young son with model girlfriend Caterina Lopez is not keeping him awake at night.

‘Do you know what? He sleeps all the way through. We are so lucky.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 19 June 2014]

Cher Lloyd wants a baby and a honeymoon

Cher Lloyd can’t wait to have kids – so she can finally go on a honeymoon.

She tied the knot with 23-year-old Craig Monk in November but the happy couple have not had time to go on holiday to celebrate.

‘It has been non-stop for the last two years. The only thing I was able to do for myself in that time was to get married – and I was only given two days to do that,’ she told Metro in an exclusive chat.

‘When my mum and dad got married they never had a honeymoon. And then there was us four kids and then we all went on holiday together and that was kind of classed as their honeymoon.

‘I wouldn’t mind doing that. I would like to wait until we have a kid. And I can take it with me.’

And the 20-year-old former X Factor wannabe is determined to start a family.

‘I cannot wait. It’s something that I’m really looking forward to and it’s a very rewarding thing. It’s important for me to have a really good family,’ the Swagger Jagger singer said.

Having spent two years in the US, Lloyd is home and looking forward to the release of her second album – called Sorry I’m Late – which is due to be released on her 21st birthday.

‘The past two birthdays I’ve spent in America I have worked on my birthday. And I will probably be doing that this year as well because my album is out,’ the workaholic claimed.

‘I can’t believe it’s been nearly four years since I released an album. Whenever I have a day off I write anyway because I can’t physically stop.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 17 June 2014]

5 Seconds of Summer sent male strippers by fans

Obsessive fans of pop rockers 5 Seconds Of Summer once sent a group of male strippers to the band’s shared house.

The Don’t Stop singers were stunned when uniformed officers turned up on their doorstep – only for them to be erotic performers.

‘Some people sent strippers to our house, which was interesting because they were male strippers. It was a bit of a joke, but it was funny,’ 18-year-old Calum Hood of the band explained in an exclusive chat.

‘I’m not sure who sent them exactly, but I will try to get them to send female ones next time.

‘They were dressed as policemen but we didn’t answer the door because we were scared. They could actually have been the real police,’ he laughs, saying his bandmates can be rowdy when they get together.

Although Hood said he and his Aussie bandmates enjoy their shared party pad, the Kerrang! award winners prefer to chill out when they take a break from supporting One Direction on tour.

‘We have fun when we live together – it’s kind of hard not to. We haven’t had the neighbours complaining yet but they probably will in the near future.

‘When we have free time we would rather be sleeping, to be fair.’

As for painting the town red with thier 1D tour mates, Hood added: ‘The thing is we are very busy at the moment and it’s very hard to find time in our schedules to party together.'

With 1D recently causing a storm when a video emerged appearing to show band members smoking drugs, Hood said 5SOS were much more clean living.

‘Did they offer us marijuana or drugs? No! Definitely not,’ he said.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Monday 16 June 2014]

Kirsten Dunst: You have to love acting to make it last

Kirsten Dunst has warned child stars who want to go the distance in Hollywood that they will need to love their jobs to make it all the way.

The 32-year-old blonde beauty found fame at the age of 12 when she appeared opposite Tom Cruise in Interview With A Vampire in 1994 and is still going strong 20 years later.

'You really have to love it, I think. If you don't, then there's no point. You have to love the craft of doing what you are doing,’ she said at the UK premiere of her latest film The Two Faces of January.

The star also warned that acting hopefuls that want to get into the industry for fame and fortune alone will be left disappointed.

‘If you are just in it to be famous or for the glamour, it can feel very empty,' she added.

While Dunst has been dating fellow actor Garrett Hedlund, 29, after meeting on the set of 2012’s On The Road, it is action man Viggo Mortensen that she plays the wife of in her new mystery thriller.

'Viggo is a very handsome man and a very talented actor,’ she said of her co-star, adding: ‘It was very easy to play his wife. He was one of the reasons I wanted to make the film.'

With filming taking place in various locations – including Greece and Turkey – Dunst revealed she was glad to soak up some culture with her boyfriend when she had breaks in filming.

‘We lived in the sightseeing places. We were at the Acropolis and places like that. We would go swimming in the sea, we would eat and swim – although we only had one day off per week. It wasn’t like being on vacation. We were at work.’

And the actress also explained she made some four legged friends while on the continent.

'There are a lot of cats in Greece and I love cats, so I would feed the cats with my boyfriend,' she giggled.

Co-star Mortensen was quick to enthuse about working with Dunst as well, saying: 'I enjoyed having Kirsten as my beautiful, young wife. It was fun. She works very hard but she also has a very good sense of humour which helps.'

The actor also took a moment to reflect on his time in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - revealing he enjoys watching Peter Jackson's current Hobbit trilogy and holds no resentment over not being invited to take part in the blockbuster series.

'Aragorn isn't in the book - although they've taken so many liberties for The Hobbit so they could have stuck him in there as well. But I have been to opening days for the first two and sat in the front row with 3D glasses. For me, personally, it was interesting to once-in-a-while catch an element of non CGI parts of New Zealand and that brought fond memories,' he said.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender revel in X-Men roles

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender have delighted in the fact they play young versions of Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen in the latest x-men film.

Fassbender, who plays a you Magneto - played also by Mckellen - confessed he stalked the older actor online to perfect his part.

'I did study Ian Mckellen. I found something on YouTube which was a workshop back in the 70s for the RSC which was about 10 minutes long.

'I thought I'd watch that as I didn't want to ask him how to do my acting,' he said. Meanwhile McAvoy took a more jovial approach to working with Patrick Stewart.

'It's terrible to have Patrick on screen. This is my film now and I want it back!' he laughed. 'The next one I want all for myself. It's been amazing.'

He also believes the X-Men series owes it's success to keeping the story-lines relatable.

'Most super heroes have super problems, X-Men have very human problems. They're being punished for being different and that relates to so many,' he said.‎

Meanwhile, with the World Cup coming up, McAvoy risks being rejected by his homeland after confessing he will support England in Brasil.

'‎I will actually - and I know that hurts a lot of Scottish people that any Scotsman would back England, but I do,' he revealed.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 13 May 2014]

Miley Cyrus: I didn't overdose

Miley Cyrus has hit back at online trolls who accused her of a drug overdose when she was forced to cancel part of her Bangerz World tour due to an allergic reaction.

The 21-year-old singer blasted her haters who didn't believe her when she fell ill after swallowing some dodgy antibiotics.

'I didn't have a drug overdose. I took some s***ty antibiotics the doctor gave me for an infection and I had a reaction,' the star defiantly stated at the opening of the European leg of her Bangerz world tour in London on Tuesday night.

'My immune system was already low because I had a death in my family and my body literally couldn't take anything else so I had an antibiotic and had an allergic reaction that really sucked,' she explained before sarcastically adding her online critics took a low blow.

'You know what makes me a lot better is when people online say that "you're overdosing on drugs!" That makes me feel a lot better. I had a really s***ty week and those s***ty comments made it a lot s***tier.'

The Wrecking Ball singer said she also feels bad that she got struck down with illness - because she is surprisingly clean living.

'I'm actually really responsible when it comes to being on tour. What's the most fucked part of me being the one who got sick is that I'm probably the one on this tour that doesn't smoke or drink before a show because I take this s**t really seriously. It's like being an athlete up here.'

'I did a lot of yoga and all natural because doctors couldn't fix me but now I feel better than I've ever felt because I've been on honies and laughing and that stuff is keeping me healthy. Doctors should be scared of vitamins and this insane honey that is amazing for immunity as the next day I woke up and was ready for this tour. It will cure people and then doctors will be out of a job.'

Now back to full strength, Cyrus promises she will bring even more fun now the tour has resumed.

'I'm gonna f**k this place up. We're gonna have a lot of fun. Some people were saying "maybe they are more conservative in England?" And I'm like, "No! We're gonna have tops off, screaming and having a good time!" I'm excited for this European tour because I feel I can do what I want.'

Cyrus also says her racy stage costumes have brought her a tonne of compliments - from Strippers.

'A lot of strippers like my outfits,' the star said ahead of her headlining performance at the O2.

'So many strippers ask me where I get my shit and I'm like "this is custom made",' she laughed.

The singer back tracked on a statement from last year that a 'star is someone who doesn't have to take her clothes off to be sex' saying: 'you are a lot more famous if you show your tits.'

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Wednesday 7 May 2014]