Eurovision 2023 It was a dream come true for British Eurovision fans to host, on behalf of Ukraine, the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, in Liverpool.  For many youngsters, it was the first time in their generation, the last time the U.K. hosted being 1998.  It was not, however, a dream come true, for the U.K. […]

Categories: Book Review · Celebrities

Len Goodman (1944 – 2023) “Seven!” ~ Len Goodman The top judge on the top show – it doesn’t get much better than that…the much loved Len Goodman passed away last week, at the age of 78.  His life seems to have been mapped out for a trajectory of dancing success in the ballroom. Birth […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary

Barry Humphries (1934 – 2023) “Both Gifted and a Gift” ~ Anthony Albanese, Australian prime minister Barry Humphries, otherwise known as his alter ego Dame Edna Everage, died yesterday at the age of 89, peacefully after complications from hip surgery. Adopted in the U.K. from his native Australia, he became a national treasure here.  We […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary

Mary Quant (1934 – 2023) “A leader of fashion but also in female entrepreneurship – a visionary who was much more than a great haircut” ~ Alexandra Shulman The swinging sixties fashion icon, Mary Quant, died this week aged 93.  She was responsible for the slick haircut, the mini-skirt (you had to have the legs), […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary

Paul O’Grady (1955 – 2023) “…funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise” ~ Lorraine Kelly The nation had many reasons to love Paul O’Grady: from those who loved to be entertained, to dog lovers, to the LGBTQI community.  He died at the age of 67 this week, unexpectedly, but peacefully. Birth Chart Paul O’Grady had the […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary

Chaim Topol (1935 – 2023) “If I were a rich man, yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum/All day long I’d biddy biddy bum/If I were a wealthy man…” ~ Tevya, Fiddler on the Roof Chaim Topol (whose name means Tree of Life in Hebrew), passed away this week at the age of 87.  […]

Categories: Celebrities · Film · Obituary

Ruth Madoc (1943 – 2022) “Funny, kind, salty, shrewd and beautifully uncynical” ~ Russell T. Davies Two comedy actresses left us this week.  One was Kirstie Alley, but it turned out there were three different birth dates in different years for her, so there was no basis for an analysis of her chart, interesting though […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 – Part 3 This is my third blog attempting to cover the contestants for this year’s contest.  So far, some really wonderful dancers have been eliminated because the public have been voting in the “joke” performer Tony Adams.  Meanwhile he has honed his dance skills, to make it more difficult to […]

Categories: Celebrities

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 – Part 2 We’ve had a chance now to see what the contestants are made of, and a great standard has been set, with No. 10 Scores already handed out.  Craig Revel Horwood has often been awarding scores that are either abysmally low or very high, developing a Jekyll and Hyde […]

Categories: Celebrities

Loretta Lynn (1932 – 2022) “Well, I was borned a coal miner’s daughter In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler We were poor but we had love That’s the one thing that daddy made sure of” ~ Loretta Lynn Country singer Loretta Lynn died peacefully in her sleep in Tennessee at the age […]

Categories: Celebrities · Obituary