LONDON GOSSIPS
| CARRYING A NATION'S HOPES |
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Fame
Academy contestant James Fox will represent Britain in the Eurovision Song
Contest. Fox, 27, a singer-songwriter from Wales, won the nation's vote on the
Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up show. He will head to Turkey to represent
the UK in the Eurovision finals in May. He will be aiming to turn around last
year's disaster when unknown band Jemini scored "nil points" - the worst
result for the UK in 47 years. The guitar-playing singer has worked the pub
circuit, cruise ships and entertained troops in Kosovo, The Falklands and
Afghanistan. He beat a girl band, a boy band and three other soloists with his
song Hold On To Our Love to compete in the Euro contest. Boyband Hyrise -
Matt, Maxwell, Ben and Anthony - were favourite to win, but finished second
following a public phone-in.
2004 Back Stage Bistro Award
winner Rebecca Spencer Announces March Encore Performances
New York City - March 1, 2004 It was announced this week that Rebecca
Spencer has been honored with a 2004 Back
Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Excellence in Cabaret for
her debut solo recording,
Wide Awake and Dreaming.
Rebecca will return to Mama Rose’s for an encore presentation on Friday, March
12 of her critically acclaimed debut cabaret concert, which is based
upon the CD. The cabaret performance was reviewed this past month by John
Hoglund in Back
Stage, who called the show “one of the most impressive
debuts I’ve seen in a decade. The symmetry between her and musical
director-arranger Philip Fortenberry couldn’t be better. The show was an
example of collaboration at its finest.” Cabaret
Scenes Magazine called it an “extraordinary,
wondrous and dazzling showpiece” The encore performance of
Wide Awake and Dreaming
will be at Mama Rose’s
on March 12 at 7:00pm. The nightclub is located at 219 Second Avenue, and
reservations can be made by calling the club at (212) 533-0558. Cover charge
is $ 17.50 with a two drink minimum. MAC and Cabaret Hotline members can
attend on a discounted cover charge of $ 12.00.On Sunday, March 14 at 7:30pm
Rebecca will make her debut at
Odette’s Cabaret.
The cover charge is $ 17.50 with a $ 10 food or drink minimum. Odette’s is
located at 274 South River Road in New Hope, PA., USA Reservations can be made
by calling the club at (215) 862-3000.
Wide Awake and Dreaming
was a completely self-produced debut recording for Ms. Spencer, who served as
the Executive Producer, and as Co-Producer with pianist Philip Fortenberry.
Manfred Knoop was the Engineer. Upon completion of the recording in the
studio, the CD was picked up by the LML Music label and is now distributed
nationwide by Allegro Music. In New York City the recording is currently
featured at Tower Records in Lincoln Square, Footlight Records and Colony
Records.
The
General Medical Council is facing devastating criticism from the inquiry into
Britain's most prolific serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman. According to the
medical magazine Pulse, the GMC will be accused of major shortcomings
including a failure to protect patients. The inquiry examined the role of
the GMC while and since Britain's worst serial killer murdered at least 215
patients. Under 17 separate headings, the GMC is criticised over its
investigations, administration, attitude, policies and practices. The GMC has
said it is "another matter" whether the points will be raised in the inquiry's
final findings and has attacked the magazine for attempting "to interfere with
the processes of the Shipman Inquiry". A letter from the Inquiry to the GMC,
which was leaked to Pulse, accuses the council of being self-serving and
biased in favour of doctors. It also claims it fails to protect patients, is
overly secretive and acts through "expediency rather than principle". It could
have far-reaching implications for all doctors and may even end the
controversial self-regulation regime for GPs overseen by the GMC. The letter
is from Shipman Inquiry solicitor Henry Palin to the GMC's own lawyers. It is
what is known as a "salmon" letter which gives organisations under scrutiny by
an inquiry advance warning of potential criticisms.
Unwanted
text messages are making big money for fraudsters. Last year, 7,000 people
complained about receiving "spam" texts. The number of spams has doubled
since 2002 to around two billion a year. Already, 70 firms have been fined and
banned by the Government's watchdog for unscrupulous practices. In a typical
ploy, a mobile phone bleeps and its owner is informed by text that he or she
has won £5,000. Sky News was contacted by one such phone owner, who, after
replying to a text promising just that, was presented with a £25 phone bill.
Another scam is "missed call marketing", where anyone returning an
unrecognised call is put through to a premium rate phone line charging as much
as £1.50 a minute. The fraudsters concerned buy mobile phone numbers from
brokers who deal entirely legally in long lists of numbers. They can also
bribe consumers to punch in someone else's mobile number when they call
premium rate lines. They also make them up. Computers are programmed to
generate hundreds of thousands of random numbers, which are then sent out
blindly. But consumers are fighting back with the help of a complaints web
site that goes under the name of Grumble Text.SkyNews/Gossips.
