Woman’s Day caught up with Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders at the Sydney premiere of their movie to talk about the star-studded flick.
It’s the film on everyone’s lips but it might not have ever happened if it wasn’t for Dawn French, who bet her longtime pal and comedy accomplice, Jennifer, £100, 000 she’d never write the movie script.
As it turns out, Jennifer works well under pressure.
“I did write the film and I never had to pay her! I need a threat,” Jennifer, 58, tells us.
“This is how tragic [Jennifer] is. She has to bet large sums of money in order for her to get her act together. The thought of her becoming 100,000 pounds poorer doesn’t sit well with Jennifer,” adds Joanna Lumley, 70, with a chuckle.
The pair dazzled at the Sydney premiere of the film on Sunday night.
And now with a slew of A-list pals, Jennifer and Joanna have made their fashionable return as Eddy and Patsy in the Ab Fab feature film.
So who was their favourite celebrity to work with?
“Emma Bunton isn’t actually an actress as such but she is brilliant! She is always really serious on set. And of course she is my favourite Spice Girl how could I say otherwise,” Jennifer shares of Baby Spice, who had a reoccurring role on the TV show from 2003 to 2012.
Watch the trailer in the player below. Post continues after the video!
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“Dame Edna was the biggest diva. She only agreed to the film to upstage Joan Collins, I know it! She wanted to be in the film the moment she knew Joan was going to be in the film,” Joanna reveals.
“On the other hand, Barry Humphries who plays a boyfriend of mine.. was pretty damn attractive,” Jennifer adds.
With names like Kate Moss, Suki Waterhouse and Alexa Chung starring in the film Jennifer says that “Edina’s girl gang is better than Swifties!”
As for whether we can expect a sequel, Joanna hints: “Never say never!”
So what is there secret to looking so damn good? “Very heavy makeup and great lighting! Having a laugh, that’s the main thing,” Jennifer says.
From Emma Bunton, Lily Cole and Stella McCartney – the film is overflowing with A-list cameos!
Between weekends away and group holidays, it can be tough for people who find being switched 'on' socially for more than a few hours a time. Here's how to deal.
Orientation Week at university, for me, was a right nightmare. Each night, I would come back to my shitty halls room, close the shitty door behind me and break down into tears, call my mum and beg her to come and pick me up. She, like the good lady she is, always encouraged me to try again the next day and promised it would get better in the end. Eventually, I’d calm down and re-read Harry Potter until I fell asleep. Because I, unlike my mum, am a super cool person.
Now, this wasn’t because people were being mean to me, they weren’t. It wasn’t even because I wasn’t making any friends, I was. No, it was the sheer pressure of being switched ‘on’ into social mode for up to 18 hours a day with a whole bunch of people I didn’t yet feel comfortable with.
See, I, like reportedly half of you lot too, am an introvert. I can enjoy social situations. I can fake extrovert behavior for a limited time but ultimately; I need time by myself to feel normal.
Obviously things got better at university. I learned to spent time by myself when I needed it. I learned that comparing yourself to extroverts is futile and I learned to revel in the secret pleasures of being introverted.
Now, the only time I struggle is when I find myself in others’ company for long periods of time. Situations when ‘me’ time is difficult and I have to have my brain engaged in ‘super turbo social mode’. Things like weekends away, group holidays, work away days… times when being surrounded by others is the entire point of the exercise. Sometimes I find these situations so overwhelming that even the action of opening my mouth to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ is a tall order.
So, I spoke to Dr. Max Blumberg, a Psychologist Researcher from Goldsmiths University of London (which is totally where I went too. Turns out Max and I have got tipsy in the same pubs, sadly not at the same time which is a shame because Max is an excellent human being) to find out if there’s anything introverts can do to feel more comfortable during extended periods of social interaction.
Max explains to me that there’s a very clear chemical reason as to why some people find socialising easier than others. “It’s a part of your brain called your reticular activating system,” he say, calling it ‘RAS’ for short. It turns out that introverts have already got very active RASs which means that if they get much more social stimuli, they struggle. Extroverts, on the other hand have ‘lazy’ RASs. “They need stimulus from other people before they’re operating at their normal pace,” he says. “They literally take energy from other people to kick their systems into gear.”
So, that’s cool right fellow introverts? It’s not that you’re boring. It’s because your brain was already working in overdrive before you had to talk to a bunch of people.
Here are a few tips from Max on how to deal with long periods of social interaction.
Remember why you’re there
This is vital. Being introverted means you tend to focus on yourself and your own feelings a lot. Max advises externalising your thoughts by remembering your reason for being at the event. Max has a friend who gets so overwhelmed by networking events that he will get a migraine every single time he attends one, without fail. However, he knows he needs to attend for business and so that’s why he goes. “You need to have a goal as to why you’re going to the event and keep that goal,” he says. “If you’re going to your mate’s hen night remember you’re doing this not for YOU, you’re doing it because she’s your friend.”
Make a plan
This might sound extreme but it’s a really important part of preparation. “You must plan,” Max says. “The worst is when you’re dreading going before you start. The cortisol will be really pumping up in the blood stream and the anxiety is up. You’re a mess before you even get there!” Pre-planning can help minimse this pre-worry. “Have an escape plan,” advises Max. “Ask a mate to phone you like if you wanted to escape from a first date.” If possible, he also advises scouting the place out first to find any quiet spots you can retreat to.
Prepare your small talk
If you’re anything like me, you suck at small talk. Or at least you think you do. To introverts, small talk can be seen as failure because it’s not the full, meaty conversation that you think everyone else around you is having. According to Max though, extroverts thrive because they TOTALLY view small talk as a conversation. “If you’re going to have to make small talk then prepare some topics,” he says. “Read the paper, read some magazines! Come armed with topics so you’re not suddenly faced with an awkward silence.”
Alternatively, advises Max, get into an argument! Or at least, an interesting debate. “Introverts like arguing because it’s not small talk!” he says. “If you see a heated discussion going on, go and join that because that’ll be much easier for you than what you think is the normal rubbish.”
Buddy up
Another good trick is to find an extrovert you know and trust and stick to them. “Say to them ‘You are my shield!’ says Max. “Firstly, they actually like the attention and if they know you’re introverted they’ll be able to grab it for you. Except if you meet someone you really fancy. Then they might grab them as well but hey, you can’t have everything!”
Alternatively, Max says, find a fellow introvert and hang out together quietly.
Plan breaks
This is a must do. No matter what strict itinerary you’re on. “I went to a stag party in Amsterdam a few years ago,” says Max, “and we had a guy there who was religious about it. He would disappear every couple of hours and come back refreshed. He’d just be like ‘I find the intensity of these things really hard. I really enjoy being with you and so that I can enjoy the whole time we’re together I’m going to need to take a break every couple of hours.’ And we all understood! We said ‘Fantastic. We will continue partying and we look forward to seeing you when you’re back.’”
Be kind to yourself when you’re back home
Imagine your brain like your phone on charge. If you’re an introvert and you’re around people for an extended period of time, you’re going to need to recharge with some alone time. “Create extra time when you’re back,” says Max. “Don’t book in another event or another social activity the next day. The chemicals in the brain can take 8-10 hours or even more to leave the body so you need that recharge time. It’s critical. Human beings are like an electrical device. Aside from the ghost in the machine, we are pretty device-y”.
Remember you are you and you are great the way you are
Here is where Max gives you a pep talk fellow introverts. It’s easy to feel like a failure in situations like this when you see everyone else socialising like champions without a care in the world whilst inside you’re wilting. But, remember, that is not your fault.
“Introversion is one of five personality traits. Personality traits are given. They’re not a disease. They’re neither bad or good, they are just the level of chemical you have in your head,” he says.
What’s more important is that, rather than trying to mould your personality to fit in with everyone else, make the world around you work for your personality. “You absolutely have to acknowledge your personality traits and build your life around them,” says Max. “You can’t change them by definition. So you say this is MY personality. What kind of job do I need for this personality? What kind of partner? What kind of house? You build your life around your personality and not the other way. Mind-blowing hey?”
Indeed.
This article was originally published on The Debrief.
On July 10, six-months on from his father’s untimely death, Duncan Jones and his wife, Rodene Ronquillo, welcomed a sweet baby boy into the world.
The BAFTA Award-winner announced his exciting news via Twitter, with a comedic cartoon of his father, himself and his new son.
The sweet drawing emphasides the “circle of life.” (Image/Duncan Jones Twitter)
“Stanton David Jones. Born July 10th, exactly six months after his granddad made room for him,” the proud dad shared alongside the drawing of the three generations, adding, “Love you both so.”
Also sharing a touching message to his brave wife, the legend’s son wrote: “All my love and awe to the incredible @rodeneronquillo who made a human being in her belly.”
“Warrior woman & every day, my hero.”
Stanton David Jones is the couple’s first child together.
The couple announced their pregnancy back in February of this year, just one month after David passed away of cancer.
In another cartoon Tweet to his 300,000 followers, the expectant father wrote, “1 month since dad died today. Made this card for him at Christmas. Due in June. Circle of life. Love you, granddad.”
Speaking to E! News, the film director admitted that in his final months, David took the liberty of revealing his grandchild’s gender to the expectant parents before saying a proper goodbye.
David’s legacy lives on in his grandson’s middle name.
“When we found out what the gender of our baby was going to be, we were able to get the doctor to write it on a card without us seeing it and then I got to spend Christmas with my dad and he actually told us what the gender was going to be,” Duncan said in May.
“We found the time to do all of the family stuff that we wanted to do, got a chance to spend some time together, have our talks and say our goodbyes and things like that.”
Watch Duncan open up about his final moments with his dad in the video player below.
I cannot bear Donald Trump. There is so much to despise about that man. The hate. The racism. The misogyny. The homophobia. The narcissism. The stupidity. He stands for absolutely everything I despise in the world.
I cannot respect anyone who supports Trump, particularly not females. After all, we women have a responsibility to call out misogyny, not champion it.
So what are we to think of Melania Trump, Donald’s wife? She actually married this terrible man. I mean, Trump’s children cannot help who their father is, but she chose him! And, as I said, we women should be calling out misogynists, not marrying them.
And so I cannot feel any respect for Melania Trump, and particularly not for her choices. Still, the recent leaking of her nude shots, taken twenty years ago, is completely inappropriate.
This is how the New York Post decided to break the story… Really?
Firstly, there is nothing wrong with posing nude when you are a model. There is nothing wrong with posing nude, full stop. To imply otherwise not only shames models, but shames every woman who has ever posed nude for a photo. And this is unfair. There is nothing shameful about the female form, and there is nothing scandalous or salacious about being photographed nude, as long as it is consensual. The whole ‘scandal’ just contributes to the endless shame we women feel about our bodies. Melanie Trump was a model. She did a nude cover. Big deal. Move on.
Secondly – and separate from the above – those pictures were taken in Melania’s previous life. And let’s be honest – we have all had previous lives. I, for one, have had many. These days I am a divorced mother of three who writes columns and books for a living. Twenty years ago I was a weight loss consultant in a relationship with a man I can barely now remember. I am not that person anymore. Melania Trump is not her twenty-five year old self, either. Life is long. We all made decisions in our youth that does not reflect the people we are today. Judge Melania Trump for who she is now, not for the young woman she was two decades ago.
Thirdly, and most importantly, Donald Trump is a despicable man. The consequences for the United States if he gets into office – the consequences for the world – are dire. We need to focus on his fear mongering, on his dramatic inconsistencies, on his hyperbole and falsehoods, on his sexual slurs of his female colleagues and opponents. Focus on his lack of economic policies, on his championing of guns, on his desire to criminalize abortion, ban Muslims, close the borders, support nuclear weaponry, repeal Obamacare. Focus on everything that makes Trump a real and present danger to minorities and the underprivileged in the United States and around the world.
But Melania Trump is not part of that real and present danger. She is a woman who has extremely questionable taste in men, and a disturbing lack of commitment to the feminist cause. Other than that, she’s utterly irrelevant to the Trump problem.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump on day one of the Republican National Convention.
Go after Trump, not his wife.
After all, we women should be calling out misogyny, not helping it along.
You can get more from Kerri Sackville on Twitter at @KerriSackville
Rose Byrne welcomed her first child, son Rocco, into the world in February, and while it’s been a tough slog she says parenting is the best thing she has ever done.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the actress said: “You have this huge responsibility you didn’t have before – there’s someone you have to keep alive. I also like to think Rocco has brought out better qualities in me.”
Earlier this year the 37-year-old admitted the transition to motherhood hasn’t been all smooth-sailing. In fact, at some points it got so chaotic she barely left her apartment.
“I’m still in a fog,” she told news.com.au. “I haven’t even left my apartment in three months.
“It takes an hour and forty-five minutes to get out of the house with a baby, and by the time I’m ready, I’m exhausted. I’m done, I’m going back in. I don’t care!”
It’s a struggle millions of women around the world can relate to – becoming a mother certainly takes some getting used to – but one that is simultaneously hard and the best thing that has ever happened to you.
“I’m tired, but even so, all of it’s great,” she said. “You definitely go into a cocoon.”
In Iran it is compulsory for women to cover their heads with a hijab when they are in public. Women who do not comply risk punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment.
In fact, the so-called ‘morality police’ have even put up state-funded billboards that present those who do not wear a hijab as spoiled and dishonourable.
But women have started to hit back by staging protests against enforced hijab. Some women have even resorted to shaving their heads so that they can appear in public without a veil
And now Iranian men are taking to social media to show their solidarity.
The ‘My Stealthy Freedom’ campaign was started by Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist and journalist living in New York. Women are encouraged to enjoy a ‘stealthy’ moment of freedom by removing their hijab in a non-domestic setting.
Taking the campaign a step further, Alinejad urged men to join in and post a photo of themselves wearing hijab.
“Most of these men are living inside Iran and they have witnessed how their female relatives have been suffering at the hands of the morality police and humiliation of enforced hijab,” she told the Independent.
“For years, from childhood to womanhood, we’ve been forced to wear the compulsory headscarf and for years we have had to endure the loss of our dignity. Many men have gotten used to seeing women in compulsory hijab every day and you think that is normal. But for millions of Iranian women, this compulsory hijab is an insult to their dignity.
One of the pictures shows a man wearing his cousins headscarf. He captions:
“When my female cousins saw that I was wearing their headscarf, they couldn’t stop laughing. I asked them, does it look so funny on me? I really love and respect my cousins.
“I think that one should not talk about freedom if she/he supports the idea of restricting other people’s freedom. If only hijab were the only problem in our country, as the authorities would like us to believe.”
He continues: “It is as if they have hypnotised our brains with a black piece of cloth and they only want us to believe that hijab is the most important issue in our country.”
From bright young things to bona fide adults, we've watched the Potter clan grow up for better or worse. As the final series installment is released, we look at how the actors changed over the years.
From bright young things to bona fide adults, we’ve watched the Potter clan grow up for better or worse. And now, nine years after the seventh book in the Harry Potter series was released, fans were given a reason to get excited all over again.
The series author, JK Rowling, just released Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, picking up years down the track as 37-year-old Harry juggles raising his three children with a tiresome job at the Ministry of Magic.
Cues outside bookstores this morning ran around the block; many stores have even confirmed they have sold out of all copies of the novel.
With the release of Cursed Child, Rowling– who turned 51 this week– confirmed the franchise is now well and truly over.
“I’m thrilled to see it realised so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now,” she told Reuters.
From beginning the series on a delayed train J. K truly did rise from rags to riches to become one of the most influential women in the publishing world.
The British novelist stepped into the spotlight with her very first book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and followed it up with a seven-part series that sold more than 450 million copies worldwide.
To mark J. K’s birthday– and the final installment of her treasured series– let’s take a look through Dumbledore’s Pensieve and see how her beloved Harry Potter characters changed through the ages.
JK hasn’t aged a day! She looks bewitching at age 51.
Miss Watson has grown up glam! Since beginning the Potter films, she has graduated from Brown University, represented several global brands in their fashion and beauty campaigns, and has helped launch a UN campaign for gender equality. Hermione would be proud.
The man, the myth. He began his acting career as Cedric Diggory, but launched into worldwide fame as Twilight’s Edward Cullen in 2008. You may not know: he also composes and plays his own music, some of which featured on the Twilight soundtrack.
Remember the bright-eyed wise-cracking protagonist Ron, Harry’s best mate? No longer 11, Rupert Grint has become one of the most widely recognized young adults. Since Potter, he has stayed mostly away from film roles, and opts for theatre shows instead, as well as the now infamous cameo in Ed Sheeran’s music vid.
Felton has moved his headquarters from Snape’s office to Youtube- now laying down tracks under the name “Feltbeats.” Tracks don’t sound quite like what you’d expect from a young Slythern however. His tracks entitled “Hawaii” and “When Angels Come” won’t buy him many Malfoy accolades.
“You’re a wizard Harry!” Hagrid echoes, and little Daniel Radcliffe marches through Platform 9 3/4 away into global popular culture. A lot has happened since then. Including even having a gay sex scene in Kill Your Darlings, riding a horse naked around a stage in Peter Shaffer’s Equus, and a rap battle on Jimmy Fallon. You know, the usual.
Young Ginny Weasley, the modest love interest of Harry himself, has jumped behind the camera recently. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in film production she directed her first film, premièring at Cannes. She now has her own production company, Bon Bon Lumiere and is working on several music videos.
Neville Longbottom has grown up over the years! From the awkward adolescence of highschool, Matthew Lewis has grown his acting career and you can catch him headlining a film this 2016. He’s gained a lot more fans since his pet toad Trevor.
The Weasley Twins are portrayed by real life twins James and Oliver Phelps. Not too dissimilar from their characters in the Potter flicks, they are often seen in at sporting events. However, now they solemnly swear that they are up to lots of good. They recently completed a charity skydive for cancer research in Australia.
In the lead up to her wedding, the author stuck to a strict fitness routine.
What an extraordinary achievement!
The soon-to-be Lady reached the 14,691ft (about 4.5km) summit of the treacherous mountain just after daybreak on Saturday morning.
The 32-year-old pushed through the challenging climb in honour of her fiance James’ late brother Michael, who was tragically killed in a storm while descending Mount Everest in 1999.
He was just 22-years-old, and was the youngest Brit ever to have reached the peak at the time.
Young Michael is missed by the Matthews family every day.
The adventurous brunette looked down on the conquered mountain without her long-term partner James, who decided to forgo the climb due to “disturbing memories”.
She was, however, accompanied by her supportive brother James.
Speaking to MailOnline of the rewarding experience, the event planner said, “It was humbling to have been able to climb one of the world’s most beautiful mountains and raise money for a charity created in memory of an extraordinary young man who lost his life on another peak.”
The Matterhorn in Switzerland has claimed the lives of over 500 climbers.
“Although neither I nor my brother ever met Michael, we both share his spirit and passion for the mountains,” she went on, adding, “we made this climb knowing he would have been there nudging us on, and we are honoured to be supporting his memory.”
Speaking of her hubby-to-be, Pippa added: “It would have been good if my fiance James had been here to share the experience, something I know he would have loved to have done.”
“Mountain climbing, though, has disturbing memories and understandably James kept his feet firmly on the ground, while giving us his complete support.”
The loved-up couple announced their engagement last month.
And it seems that the investment banker is ready to support the thrill seeker for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as they both shall live.
Just last month, the news of the couple’s engagement was confirmed by a joint statement, and the serial appearance of one very glittery ring.
Discover more about the happy couple’s exciting proposal in the video player below! Post continues…
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“Miss Pippa Middleton and Mr. James Matthews are delighted to announce they became engaged on Sunday 17th July and plan to marry next year.”
And older sister Catherine simply cannot contain her excitement! Upon hearing the news, a spokesperson for the mother-of-two and her family echoed: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are absolutely delighted with the news.”
Some brave citizens in from Maryland’s low-lying town of Ellicott City have formed a human chain to save a woman trapped in deadly flood waters.
The footage captured by local resident Sara Ardaitti shows four men pulling a woman to safety from her black sedan as the fast moving waters threatened to wash the vehicle away with the woman inside it.
So far the wild weather has claimed the lives of two people and caused devastating damage to local homes and businesses.
A spokesman for Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, told AAP that the town received nearly 7 inches of rain, including nearly 6 inches between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“This is by far the worst devastation Ellicott City has seen in decades,” Kittleman told WBAL-AM.
We thought he had found the one, but in today’s daily reminder that love is indeed dead, Andy Lee, himself, has confirmed that he is no longer with Rebecca Harding.
Sleuthly revealing the news, the radio personality told his bestie, Hamish Blake, on air that “Bec and I broke up a little while ago”.
Listen to the bombshell in the video player below… Post continues!
The 35-year-old was joking with his co-host about the logistics of kissing when he told the nation he was back on the market.
“I am worried about you because you know that Bec and I broke up a little while ago. And so she was the only one that was going to slug me,” he admitted.
Other things we’ve learnt, slugging is when you kiss someone and let your tongue go limp in the other person’s mouth… or as Hamish’s puts it, “You’ve been slugged!”
On that note, ladies, Andy is single… and hopefully he can do a little more than slug!
The duo went public at the tennis last year…
No doubt the radio host’s funnyman Hamish will happily step back into his job as ULTIMATE WINGMAN!
The former couple went public last January at the Australian Open.
Andy met the brunette beauty while she was working as waitress.
Being his charming self, the 2006 CLEO bachelor of the year revealed the sweet meet-cute to his sidekick, Hamish.
“I was trying to chat to her, so I was ordering a lot. I had like an hour and a half breakfast and you know I don’t really like that because I like getting in and out in food situations.”
Andy will be just fine, especially with Hamish as his “ulitmate wingman”… watch their funniest moments in the video below!
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