Last night's iTunes chart:

Up from #59 to #48: Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio

Strangely, there's no sign yet of the collected works of Liberty/Liberty X, Mutya Buena, Ben Adams or a1. Give it time.

Labels: celebrity big brother, Coolio

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The regular reader will be aware that legislation was passed at the start of last year which made it compulsory for producers of all reality TV programmes to make sure that at least one contestant is someone who I have either met or photographed (or both).

To that end, we saw the following previous encounters of Chig in these 2008 TV shows;

Amy Lamé in CelebAir
Heather Small in Strictly Come Dancing
Austin Drage in The X Factor
Simon Webbe in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
Steve Strange in Celebrity Scissorhands

You'll be delighted to know that I have now upped the ante and demanded that Celebrity Big Brother, which starts in about 15 minutes as I write this, will feature not one but TWO of my celebrity encounters. Hurrah! So, if the rumours are true, you'll be seeing someone who I rubbed bums with on national television in the early 1990s. Not this clip, but this person, on this programme. Yes, it's Terry Christian:



We'll hopefully also be seeing someone who I'd very much like to rub bums with now who I had a very cheeky, amusing conversation with in the dressing room of G-A-Y in 2002, before they performed on the same bill as Jessica Garlick's pre-Eurovision appearance. He's absolutely bloody lovely and I can't wait for this CBB to start. If it kick-starts his solo career once again, so much the better. We've waited three and a half years already for a follow-up hit to his #18 début single. It's about time we heard more from him than his tracks on Myspace. Welcome back, Ben Adams:



Happy New Year, by the way. I hope you made the most of that extra second of 2008.

UPDATE: Scrap all that. It's THREE! And I've had a meal with her ex-husband and ex-father-in-law too!

Labels: celebrity big brother

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Well done to Edinburgh's John Loughton for winning Big Brother's Celebrity Hijack tonight. He deserved to win, but I wouldn't have minded who won really, of the six who were left tonight. They've been the most interesting bunch of Big Brother housemates for several years and this has been one of the best series of Big Brother ever. I don't want to see fame-hungry idiots arguing and swearing. I want to see interesting people getting along, joining in with the tasks and interacting positively with each other. That's exactly what we've had for the last month and it's been a breath of fresh air for the BB format. The celebrities have mainly been interesting too.

The Channel 4 group made just one mistake. This series should never have been hidden away on E4. They were overly cautious after last year's race rumpus. I'm sure I'm not the only one who just forgot to watch this series some nights. This bunch of people deserved a bigger audience. That aside, well done to all involved and goodbye Dermot, you'll be missed.

This is the first series of Bib Broither where we can be pretty sure we'll be hearing from most of the contestants again for all the best reasons, as they will no doubt go on to be even more successful in their chosen fields. I particularly look forward to seeing what Amy comes up with next as I think she's fascinating.

Finally, just because we can, here are a couple of souvenirs of Big Brother's Celebrity Hijack; two images of Anthony Ogogo. Knock yourself out!

Labels: celebrity big brother

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Shilpa won. Thank goodness for that. I would have loved to see Jade's face.

Tonight's programme started with six people left in the house and the first thing to happen was the double eviction of the last two English people left, Jack and Danielle. All the other people who were in the house were English, apart from these last four.

Then the public even chose to get rid of the last Brit standing; Welshman Ian Watkins.

So, what do we have left at the end of the series that will always be remembered for the racism row? We have the three foreigners ending in the top three positions, and the two non-Caucasian contestants (apart from Jade herself, whoi is technically mixed race) have finished first and second. I think that's excellent and sends out a really good message, after all the negativity.

Shilpa had 63% of the final vote, so I guess she didn't really need my two votes. Still, it felt good phoning them in.

Another thing that struck me during Jo and Danielle's interviews this weekend (and Jade's last weekend) was that it's very rare to see the bullies get their come-uppance. Even if it happens in the real world, the bullied don't get to see it, so that's why the eviction interviews with the three bitches have been such compelling car crash television. Uncomfortable, but fascinating at the same time.

Shilpa may now be up for a starring role in a film with Johnny Depp, apparently. I hope it brings her the crossover success that she deserves, not because she's been a victim, but because she's lovely, and one of the most gracious and forgiving people I have ever seen. Good luck to her.

I think what's needed now is for Shilpa and Jade to do a substantial TV interview together, and perhaps Jermaine Jackson could get his little brother to come over and sing Heal The World and Black Or White to them. Then we could all hold hands and the world's problems would be over.

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

Labels: celebrity big brother, Shilpa Shetty

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Poor Cleo Rocos. She should have stayed in longer (although I wish I'd put money on tonight's two evictees as I was spot on, in the right order). Jo didn't do herself any favours in her Davina interview, did she? At least Jade wasn't defensive last week, but went through the whole mea culpa routine. I imagine Jo will be under protection and suicide watch as of right now.

I'd quite like to adopt Cleo, if she's available. Not through any Catholic adoption agencies, obviously. I think she's fabulous. She also brought a tear to my eye earlier in Celebrity Big Brother when she talked about her love for Kenny Everett. It was very touching.

(PS. Shilpa to win.)

Labels: celebrity big brother, Cleo Rocos, Jo O'Meara

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shilpabb5
Originally uploaded by lijomanarcad.

No sponsor. No crowd tonight. No more perfume sales for Jade's pong. Celebrity Big Brother is falling apart.

The one cause for optimism amongst all of the unpleasantness that's been dished out by Goody et al this week is that the British public aren't stupid. On tvpolls.co.uk, over 40% now 55% support Shilpa to win, with between 0% (Danielle) and 5% (Jade) support for the nasty bitches (and that includes Jack).

Shilpa really deserves to win this series, for the dignity she has shown in the face of the vile harridans. Let's hope she does. It might restore a bit of our faith in this country.

Labels: celebrity big brother, Shilpa Shetty

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She's gone. I was wrong. Teenage girls and Heat readers must be voting for Jack.

That eviction revelation was just cruel. Why does Big Brother have to do these horrible things to people?

Labels: celebrity big brother, jackiey

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He may be pretty, but could it possibly be anyone else evicted tonight?
Jade's going to be furious. But first, she'll just be confused.
Should be worth watching.

Labels: celebrity big brother, jack tweedy, jade goody

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It looks like Ken Russell is about to leave the CBB house. Damn. The others will no doubt be relieved to get some sleep, but I want to see more of him.

Perhaps he can't wait to hear today's 'new' 'singles' chart, with re-entries expected from Snow Patrol, Gnarls Barkley, Nelly Furtado and Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules. I may have to grit my teeth and listen to the Radio 1 chart show, as I am vaguely excited about this, the most unpredictable chart ever! It's even more unpredictable because there's been no Popbitch mailing this week, so I have little clue what the positions might be, or even if Leona is likely to be deposed, either by U2 or Eric Prydz vs. Floyd (as they have renamed Pink Floyd, for reasons best known to the lawyers).

We'll be back later tonight with some blinding comments on the shape of the new chart. Probably.

Must go now. I'm trying to watch Dermot's BBLB and Match Of The Day Live (in which Villa will surely go out of the FA Cup to Man United) at the same time. It's surprisingly easy with two TVs next to each other.

Labels: celebrity big brother, chart, today's TV

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Donny's gonny. Silly man. He won't be missed.

Labels: celebrity big brother

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In the CBB house! Bl**dy hell!

And also...

Jermaine Jackson: Let's get serious with Michael's brother and one of David Gest's many showbiz friends. (Perhaps Jermaine will spill the beans about Vaginika Semen. He must have met her.)

Danielle Lloyd: Deposed Miss GB and Teddy Sheringham's bit of stuff (WAG).

Jo O'Meara: Probably S Club's best singer and showbiz partner of Chris Fountain in last year's Just The Two Of Us. Lucky cow. One solo single - number 13. Unlucky cow.

Leo Sayer: The third of the five so far to have topped the UK chart! Doesn't really need any more introduction, but will 'Thunder In My Heart Again' or any of his older songs be the first beneficiaries of the new chart rules on Sunday? Intriguing.

(These dips in the sound on C4 are really annoying me. Will the buggers please stop swearing? It's all because the show isn't live; it's being broadcast with a 15 minute delay to avoid any Ofcom rap for the inevitable bad language.)

Shilpa Shetty: Bollywood film star (and a genius bit of casting from C4). Glamour! A voice I could listen to all day long! Faaaaaaabulous!

Carol Malone: Nope, me neither. Evidently this year's Germaine Greer. Will walk within a week.
Donny Tourette: Singer with hot'n'happening poodle punk band, The Towers Of London. They've grazed the Top 75 four times, with three hits making 32, 30 and 32 again. This year's Preston, without the looks but a bit more controversial. So, Tourette's in the house again! Rock and, indeed, roll! (How in heaven's name does he know Leo Sayer?!)

(The punters, not surprisingly, are singing, 'who are ya?' at Mr. Tourette.)

Ian 'H' Watkins: Hurrah! "Everybody loves a bit of cheese", he says. Yes indeed. He's no longer blond, but I feel a lifetime of panto work has been secured in the last two minutes.

Cleo Rocos: Oh, it just gets better and better! Glamour puss, loveable loon and Kenny Everett's fag hag extraordinaire. Has been out of the limelight for far too long. Please push her around in a wheelbarrow over a bumpy pavement while she carries some jellies and wears a corset. Again.

So, Leo and Cleo!

Dirk Benedict: When I heard he was a possibility a couple of weeks ago, I confess I had to google his name. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place him. However, he's a lot more famous than that, as he was in one genuinely massive TV series (The A-Team) and one bona fide 'cult' programme, namely Battlestar Galactica. Unfortunately, I've never really watched either of them, but I bet he makes a lot of money doing PAs at sci-fi conventions. To some people, this will be big news, and a viewer hoover. Good choice.

That's it, but Davina says the CBB family moves in on Friday and they will adopt one of the celebrities. It's rumoured to be Jade Goody and her Mum. I hope that turns out to be wrong, but she does have a new fitness DVD to promote, so it seems likely.

Labels: celebrity big brother, contestants

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Bless his spangly little cotton socks. Ian 'H' Watkins - the one we never did refer to as 'the straight one' out of Steps - has given an 'exclusive' coming out interview to The Sun, in advance of him entering the Celebrity Big Brother house tonight. While most people on Earth knew that he was gay years ago and that he was going out with the male manager of Steps, apparently this is news to The Sun's readers. Guess what the headline is? 'The Only Gay In The Village'. Geddit? He's a gay and he's Welsh! Brilliant! Since Dafydd in Little Britain, all gays in Wales are now living isolated, lonely, downtrodden existences and all gay venues in Cardiff and Swansea have in fact closed down. Let's face it, gay and Welsh. How could H possibly be happy?

Oh well, now that he has sold his story and made some money while the fickle window of opportunity opens briefly for him again set the record straight (every pun intended), let's hope he provides some entertainment for us in the house. Some songs from musicals at the very least. Meanwhile, we await tonight's CBB with interest, to see if the rumours about Stephen Hawking entering the house were just a bizarre joke or one of the most compelling decisions in TV history.

Labels: celebrity big brother, coming out, contestants, h, ian watkins

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