A young Essex boy’s quest for a Number One.

Alex Day singing at a gig for Children in Need

A 22-YEAR-OLD unsigned artist has started a campaign to get a Christmas Number One- and he could get it.

Alex Day, from Hornchurch in Essex, is a successful Youtube vlogger and musician and has released his single ‘Forever Yours’ this festive season, intending to top the UK singles chart.

Currently the song is fourth in the UK singles chart, with over 35,000 sales this week. Mr Day is now almost certainly guaranteed a top-10 single this Christmas and is a serious contender for the top spot.

Mr Day, who is competing against the Military Wives’ ‘Wherever You Are’  and X Factor winner’s Little Mix’s ‘Cannonball’, for number one, has no backing from a record label and is promoting the single through the power of social media.

Mr Day, who performs on YouTube using his pseudonym ‘Nerimon’, has promoted the single with ‘Forever Day’ on November 18- the first day of his attempt to top the UK Singles Chart for Christmas. This day marked when people could buy the single and it would count towards the Christmas number one slot.

Mr Day counted down the days to Forever Day on his YouTube channel, which has over 480,000 subscribers. On November 18, both Forever Day and Forever Yours were trending on Twitter.

Mr Day has brought out 11 other versions of the song, including an instrumental version, a live piano version and a version sung by his housemate, Charlie McDonnell. Mr McDonnell is also a YouTube sensation and was the first UK Youtuber to reach over a million subscribers. The music video to ‘Forever Yours’ has been posted on his channel. All other versions of the song are in the top 100 of the UK Singles chart.

Proceeds from the sales will go to World vision, a Christian relief organisation dedicated to working with children and communities in poverty. Mr Day has worked with this charity in the past in Zambia.

Mr Day’s quest for a number one has caused large amounts of controversy as he is a virtual unknown. Celebrity news website, www.holymoly.com, has written an article entitled ‘Stop Alex Day from getting the Xmas number one’. They ask ‘Why have we allowed this to happen?’

Mr Day, just a 22-year-old musician who lives in London and all-round nice guy, has proved that he can get a hit single through pure talent and hard work. I, for one, applaud him and his efforts. He has shown there’s hope for the rest of us unknowns out there who aspire to reach out and go far in life.

The ‘Forever Yours’ single costs only £0.79. You can buy the single here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/forever-yours/id480168442?i=480168443&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

To watch the Forever Yours music video, visit: http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieissocoollike?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/3/qOW2eEz9cYk

The man who is a living memorial- two years on.

Shaun Clark having his leg tattooed this year.

AN EX-SOLDIER from Doncaster has had the names of all the British soldiers killed in Afghanistan tattooed on his body.

Shaun Clark, 45, from Rossington, began having the names tattooed on his chest, back and sides in 2009 as a fundraiser for charity Help the Heroes. He had 227 names tattooed, which took over six hours.

Every year Mr Clark sits in the tattooing chair at 11am and adds the names of those killed in the last year onto his body after the two-minute silence.

Mr Clark, who calls himself a ‘living memorial’, underwent another batch of tattoos this Armistice Day two years after he began, bringing his total up to 383.

Unfortunately since then nine more soldiers have died, including 28-year-old Matthew Thornton from Barnsley.

Over two years Mr Clark has filled his chest, back and sides. This year 40 names were tattooed on his left leg.

Mr Clark, who estimates he has over 1000 tattoos, is running out of space and only has one leg left.  He said: “I never thought it would get this far and the tattoos would cover me this much, but I will carry on until they stop dying.

“The military are meant to be pulling out in 2015 so I hope I only have to carry on until then.”

His son, Robert, 22, has agreed to take over from his dad if needed but said he would be starting on his legs.

Mr Clark originally aimed to raise £1000 and in 2009 he raised £3000. Today he has raised over £4500 and said he is amazed people are still giving two years later.

He said: “I thought £1000 was an unrealistic target. I never thought I would get it in a million years so I never imagined reaching £4500!

“This situation is not going away any time soon so it’s great people understand this and are continuing to give all the time.”

He said his tattoos shock people into realising just how many people have died.

Mr Clark, who served in the 8^th Battalion Light infantry between 1989 and 1997 in Gibraltar, Norway and Denmark, said he was overwhelmed by the support.

He said: “At first I wasn’t sure how mothers, wives and girlfriends would take it but everyone thinks it’s fantastic. I’ve had a few nasty comments, but everyone has a right to their own opinion. I just ignore them.”

Mr Clark came up with the idea with tattooist friend, Kevin Kent, 47, who owns Fantasy Tattoo Studio in Princegate, Doncaster. He said it started because he read people were stealing plaques from war memorials.

He said: “I was sick of hearing it and wanted the soldiers’ names to stay sacred. They can’t steal their names off my body can they?”

Mr Clark said when he first came up with the idea his children thought it was great but his wife, Amanda, 44, thought he was mad. His friends suggested a sponsored walk instead. “But I wanted to do it my way,” he said.

Mr Clark said this was his way of saying thank you to those that had lost their lives. 

“Although I nearly backed out of the whole thing because of the pain, I thought it was nothing compared to what those soldiers went through.”

But Mr Clark has changed his opinion about getting tattooed since he began in 2009. He said: “I used to feel proud but now I hate getting the tattoos. It feels horrible to have more names tattooed on me still. It’s a chore.”

From now on he wants to split the money he raises between two new military charities, Pilgrim Fathers and Soldiers off the Street. He wants to give to them as he feels Help for Heroes no longer needs his support.

Tattoo artist, Mr Kent, said: “I thought it was a stupid idea at the beginning but the more I thought about it, I realised you couldn’t get a better tribute. I thought it was absolutely outstanding.

“I feel proud to have him coming back each year and that he’s got that much conviction to keep coming back for the lads. It is a very painful process.”

Mr Kent gives his services free of charge for charity and has spent over eight hours tattooing the names on Mr Clark since 2009.

Bryn Parry, Help for Heroes CEO & co-founder, said: “Help for Heroes is all about ‘doing your bit’ and Shaun Clark’s efforts are brilliant example of people taking on a challenge, rallying support and accomplishing something extraordinary while they raise money for a wonderful cause.

“The commitment and dedication that Shaun has demonstrated through his fundraising is truly inspiring. We have been able to use the millions raised, over £120m in just four years, to provide practical and direct support to those wounded in the current conflicts.”

Still here!

Hi everyone,


Just a quick update from me. Still plodding along (slash working ferociously hard) on my Masters. I'm nearing the end of the first semester now and can't wait for the last week to arrive to get all my deadlines out of the way!


Hope you are all well and looking forward to Christmas, I know I am! 


I'll still be writing stories and snippets of things I enjoy on here when I can, I'll be aiming for a couple a month.


Thanks for reading and be sure to tune in often,


Emma xx

The 19:57 from Euston!

Click to see the epic moment caught on film!

When you think of the most romantic places in the world to be proposed to, exotic places such as Paris, Venice and Rome are likely to spring to mind. Not so much the packed 19.57 train to Watford Junction.

But with amazing skill, planning and sheer love, Adam King, 34, has pulled it off and the video of his marriage proposal to girlfriend Lucy Rogers has become an instant Youtube hit, spreading across the globe.

The video captures carriage two on Tuesday’s cramped train where rail users watched in wonder when the Adam Street choir, seeming to be regular passengers, suddenly burst into an untimely but beautiful rendition of Bill Withers’s Lovely Day.

Onlookers instantly began filming on their mobile phones and even began to sing along as the Adam Street singers reached the peak of the 1970’s hit. However, at this moment, they abruptly stopped their performance, expectantly watching an unknown and unsuspecting passenger on the train.

And then from his hiding place, Mr King, who also performs in the choir, strides up to his beautiful girlfriend, bends down on one knee and asks her to marry him. Ecstatically and in floods of tears, she says yes!

And what more can a girl ask for? A beautiful, carefully crafted moment that she will undoubtedly remember for the rest of her life.

Talking about planning such an event, Adam King said: “The biggest problem was making sure Lucy made the train.”

After months of careful planning, which even involved making a mock-up of the carriage in which to rehearse, the iconic moment almost didn’t go ahead. At the last minute on Tuesday November 1, Miss Rogers decided she wanted to drive to her destination rather than take the train. Not to be deterred, however, Mr King disconnected the car battery to make sure she made it on board!

Mr King said that he and Miss Rogers had not thought about any wedding plans as of yet, but added: “I guess the pressure is on to make it memorable now.”

And from all the hopeless romantic girls out there like myself, it sure is!

The happy couple now: Adam King with fiancee Lucy Rogers.

Halloween Ghost Tours!

Hi guys,


So as some of you may know, I'm currently doing a Masters in Print Journalism at Sheffield University, which is why I haven't been posting as many blog posts recently but I promise I haven't forgotten and will still be updating my blog as regularly as I can! 


For Halloween, I went on a spooky ghost tour around Sheffield with my flatmates and decided to write a quick story about it, hope you enjoy!

A fuzzy but atmospheric image of Mr P Dreadful describing a ghost outside the Lyceum Theatre.

Sheffield’s ghostly secrets are being retold in spooky strolls around its back streets. The Steel City Ghost Walks are especially popular at Halloween and Mr P Dreadful, the city’s resident ghost whisperer, can surely guarantee a chilling experience. As you follow him around the dark alleyways of the city, you will be regaled with tales of murder, scandal and ghostly encounters lasting to the present day. To make it worse, the stories are not based on rumour but on years of meticulous research and eye-witness accounts.

The ghost walks, which are unique every time, go across a variety of paths and sights, including the site of the Adelphi Hotel, the Lyceum Theatre and the Old Queen’s Head pub, one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Mr P Dreadful, whose namesake comes from the lurid story-telling paper the Penny Dreadful, is a clairvoyant and a medium. He claims to have been able to see and speak to the dead since he was a baby.

The walks were set up seven years ago, beginning as a joke with the Job Centre. But who’s laughing now? Mr P Dreadful, or 41-year-old Darren Johnson-Smith, has had over 30,000 people on his tours and wrote a book called ‘Haunted Sheffield’. His wife, Mrs J Dreadful, also runs the tours and has links with the supernatural. She reads tarot cards and claims to hear and smell the dead.

He said: “Even if I wanted to cheat on her, I couldn’t. She’d know exactly who I’d been with, at what time and where!”

The Ghost Tours run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and begin at 7:30pm at the Town Hall steps. 

Horrendous picture of me with Mr P Dreadful, but it was the only one I had!

Thanks for reading,

Emma. xx

Knight to see you, to see you, Knight!

So the long-awaited moment has finally arrived after much campaigning and speculation on behalf of the public. Bruce Forsyth, entertainer of the masses, has received a knighthood after a mere 70 years in show business! The 83-year-old star, who entered the industry at a tender age of 14, was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2011 Birthday Honours last Thursday, 12 October. The knighthood came after a year-long campaign by fans who were adamant that Bruce, or ‘Brucie’ as he is affectionately known, should receive recognition for his services to charity and entertainment.

Bruce was accompanied to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace by his stunning 54-year-old wife, a former Miss World, Wilnelia Merced, and his children Jonathan, Charlotte and Laura. When asked at how long he’d been in the entertainment business for, the Queen seemed to express surprise at the answer. Bruce joked after the ceremony: “Maybe I’ve been in the job longer than she has!”

Bruce’s success began in 1958 on a weekly variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, where he established himself as a natural performer and all-round variety star. Bruce’s talents include singing, acting, dancing and telling jokes (albeit slightly more cringe-y ones nowadays). He then became even more famous by presenting his own game shows, Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and The Price is Right. It is through these shows that he developed his famous catchphrases, such as “It’s a Brucie bonus”, “Didn’t they do well?” and his show-starter “It’s nice to see you to see you...nice!” Nowadays, he is still using the catchphrases by co-presenting the successful ballroom dancing show Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly.

Despite his long career and success, Bruce remains humble about his award, thanking his fans first and foremost for being so incredibly supportive. He attributes his success to being a family performer and always working on family shows that can entertain any age. And, he doesn’t intend on retiring any time soon!

Some may hate him and his dodgy jokes but I think it’s wonderful that ‘Brucie’ has finally got the recognition he deserves after a lifetime of serving the public through our TV screens! Although he stumbles over his lines, looks in the wrong direction and drops jokes like a lead balloon, we wouldn’t have him any other way. The words on his autocue are also rumoured to be so big that the audience in Strictly Come Dancing have to be asked not to mouth along. However, he is a true entertainer. A type of performer who near-enough ceases to exist with the death of variety shows and the swearing edu-comics that exist today. And I, for one, will be sad to see him go, as it will mark the end of an era. Thanks Sir Bruce Forsyth CBE for entertaining us, and here’s hoping it lasts for many years to come!

Strictly my own views...

Strictly Come Dancing 2011 has begun!

So the new series of Strictly Come Dancing has kicked off and already we’ve had our fair share of bitching, moaning and tantrums. (Yes, I’m looking at you Nancy Dell’Olio).

The 9th series of the popular ballroom dancing show began on September 6, 2011 and the familiar faces of the professional dance partners are back to entertain us, including Italian stallion Vincent Simone, trash-talker Brendan Cole and long-suffering Anton du Beke. And of course, this year’s show provides the public with a host of famous celebs (and some not-so famous, yes I’m looking at you Nancy Dell’Olio) to strut their stuff and try not to humiliate themselves in front of the judging panel. The line-up this year includes The One Show presenter Alex Jones, impressionist Rory Bremner, footballer Robbie Savage, actress and ex-Eastender Anita Dobson and many more.

The first send-off has been and gone with politician Edwina Curry waving goodbye to the glitz and glamour of Strictly last week. And let’s face it, she wasn’t the worst but I’m not exactly upset she’s left. Her dancing wasn’t exactly up to par against the celebrities who are in it to win it (see Holly Valance and Jason Donovan). Also, her cougar attitude was downright disgusting. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with having a cheeky flirt with your prospective dance partner, but growling at the camera and talking about her suddenly wonderful sex life is a bit too far for my liking Edwina! ‘Red hot Curry’ you were certainly not, I’m afraid!

But some of the dancers are obviously in it for the long haul. Aussie, Jason Donovan, pulls out all the stops week after week, determined to be the best and putting the work in to do so.  Holly Valance steams up the dance floor with her sex appeal and Latin American dance moves; her performance as Roxy from Chicago this week astounded both the judges and the audience. I also feel that McFly’s Harry Judd is destined to go far but as of yet hasn’t had the recognition from the judges that he deserves. He surely has the rhythm, from being a drummer, he certainly has the looks, and all he needs now is the technique!

Holly's stunning performance as Roxie Hart from Chicago in Strictly's  Broadway week.

So this year’s Strictly is guaranteed to be another roller-coaster ride. Will romance blossom between Waterloo Road’s Chelsee Healey and new professional Pasha Kovalev? Will Lulu and Brendan’s feisty relationship result in him carting her off the dancefloor over his shoulder once again? Will there be any more costume disasters? (Yes, Nancy Dell’Olio). There’s only one way to find out..

How to... create Newspaper Nails!

Recently I stumbled upon some pictures of this gorgeous, unique and readable nail art! Don’t they look fantastic? And they are extremely easy to do at home, which is perfect for me and any others who are a novice at creating nail designs. Plus, as I’ve just began a Print Journalism Masters, these designs are pretty apt and are a great way to use those used papers I have lying around!

What you’ll need: Light-coloured nail varnish, top-coat nail polish, rubbing alcohol, an old newspaper (make sure everybody’s finished reading it!) and a small container.

What to do:

1.       Paint your nails in a light colour so the newspaper print can be seen easily, such as white, cream or pale colours of green, pink, etc. Allow the varnish to dry completely before moving onto the next step!

2.       Next, pour some of the rubbing alcohol or surgical spirit in the UK, which is available in Boots, into a small container. Once your nails are dry, dip your nail into the container for about 5 seconds.

3.       Take a small piece of newspaper and press it firmly onto your nail for about 15 seconds. Peel it off and the ink from the words will be left behind! If needed, you can then use a cotton bud and nail polish remover to clean up the nail.

4.       Next, you should ideally use a top coat to keep the design intact. Plus, it gives the nails are lovely shine.

Et voila! Your eye-catching newspaper nails are complete and you are now ready to wow the public with your stunning nail art!

Hope you enjoyed this beauty post,

Love,

Emma! Xx

What I'm listening to... Latino Summer!

Disc 1 1.       On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez 2.      We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool and DCup 3.      She Bangs - Ricky Martin 4.      Alejandro - Lady Gaga 5.      Whenever, Wherever - Shakira 6.      Rhythm Is Gonna Get You - Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine 7.      Copacabana (At The Copa) - Barry Manilow 8.      All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie 9.      Hey Sexy Lady - Shaggy and Brian & Tony Gold 10.   Guantanamera - Wyclef Jean 11.    Macarena - Los Del Rio 12.   (Mucho Mambo) Sway - Shaft 13.   La Bamba - Los Lobos 14.   Bamboleo - Gipsy Kings 15.   Ran Kan Kan - Tito Puente 16.   Carnaval 2010 - Dario G. 17.   Samba Pa Ti - Santana 18.   Tu Es Foutu - In-Grid 19.   Miss California - Dante Thomas 20.  La Camisa Negra - Juanes 21.   Coco Jamboo - Mr. President 22.  Oye Como Va - Santana

Disc 2 1.       Hot - Inna 2.      Stereo Love - Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina 3.      Sway - The Pussycat Dolls 4.      Te Amo - Rihanna 5.      Mambo No.5 - Lou Bega 6.      Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez 7.      Rhythm Of The Night - DeBarge 8.      Mambo Italiano - Shaft 9.      Quando Quando Quando (Tell Me When) - Connie Francis 10.   Guaglione - Perez Prado and his Orchestra 11.    Soul Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones & His Orchestra 12.   Spanish Eyes - Engelbert Humperdinck 13.   Maria Maria - Carlos Santana and The Product G&B 14.   Mambo - Helena Paparizou 15.   Inside Out - Imelda May 16.   Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole And The Coconuts 17.   Me Río De Ti - Gloria Trevi 18.   Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes and The Black Eyed Peas 19.   Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Santa Esmeralda 20.  Nah Neh Nah - Vaya Con Dios and Rico Bernasconi 21.   Babara Batiri - Beny More

Latino Summer is a collection of hot latin-influenced pop, which includes a whole host of stars who use the Latin flavour to create their summer anthems, such as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Shakira, Ricky Martin and many more. Although we are heading into Autumn now with Summer (what Summer?) most definitely behind us, these fast-paced, sing-along tunes get your hips swinging at any time of the year and sure make that housework/homework a whole lot more bearable!

A mixture of new summer hits and cheesy old classics reminiscent of the sizzling Spanish holidays of the past, such as Bamboleo, La Bamba and Mambo Italiano, this album is the only one you want to be listening to (and singing to) right now! Listening to these sexy summer anthems reminds me of those hot summer nights by the beach and always makes me want to break out the Latin American dance moves!

Although some songs have a pretty tenuous link to Latino pop, such as Engelbert Humperdink’s Spanish Eyes, I simply love this collection of songs and if I’m ever having a bad mood moment, putting this album on certainly cheers those blues away and is always a good start to a party!

Does anyone else own this album, what you think?

Adios + te amo,

Emma xx