A high street rejuvenation project will go ahead in Margate whether or not traders take part in a Mary Portas reality TV show, an MP has promised.
The Kent resort is among 12 towns chosen by Ms Portas to share £1.2m of government cash and her expertise.
However, she told hundreds at a meeting on Tuesday: "You either let the cameras in with me or I go back on the train and some other town gets it."
Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale said there was no question of money being withdrawn.
"It is entirely up to individual companies and tradespeople in the town whether or not they take part in the programme," the Conservative MP said.
"The Margate Town Team Regeneration Project, backed with £100,000 of government money, will go ahead whatever."
'Warts and all'Margate is the first of three towns to be chosen by TV production company Optomen Television to feature in a Channel 4 programme, Mary Queen of the High Street, about the regeneration process.
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End Quote Sir Roger GaleI wouldn't have issued a contract like that”
Ms Portas received applause as she addressed the meeting, but acknowledged some people saw the documentary as a "downside".
"If we put this on prime TV people will come," she said. "That is a decision you have got to make.
"It's going to be warts and all but at the end, from my heart, I want this to be wonderful and I want Margate to be wonderful."
Robin Vaughn-Lyons, leader of the regeneration bid, said he was unaware anything had been done "to offend Mary".
"It wasn't until after the event that someone pointed it out to me what she said," he said.
"It was bit of a shock of course but we have got an awful lot to do and we are just getting on with it."
Contract 'redrawn'Sir Roger, a former TV producer, said contracts local people had been asked to sign with the production company were "restrictive".
"I wouldn't have issued a contract like that and I understand Mary Portas herself has insisted that what she describes as the restrictive parts of the contract will be redrawn.
"I want to see the project succeed and if there is a documentary that shows how and why it has been approached and succeeded that would be very good news for the town."
Ms Portas tweeted that her remarks were "heat of moment stuff with camera stuck in face".
Channel 4 said in a statement: "Optomen is in early talks with a number of local shopkeepers and town representatives.
"Some businesses have been given standard TV agreements. As usual, these agreements will evolve once we have received everyone's initial feedback.
"Mary is passionate about her work to help reinvigorate the high street and the programme will be made in that spirit, so we're keen to work closely with everyone involved."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Showing off her Marbella tan! TOWIE's Sam Faiers continues to promote her book wearing not one but two colourful dresses - Daily Mail
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Fans of The Only Way Is Essex watched as she sunbathed around the pool last night, but today Sam Faiers was showing off the tan that she'd worked so hard for.
The 21-year-old reality TV star arrived at the ITV studios today wearing a pretty long-sleeved shirt and skirt but left the building wearing a completely different outfit.
Sam was continuing to promote her book Living Life The Essex Way and made an appearance on Loose Women following The Only Way Is Marbs special which was shown last night.
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Change of plan: Sam Faiers arrives at the ITV studios today in a printed dress but leaves wearing a hot pink number
As Sam arrived at the studios, she was more than happy to pose for the cameras in the turquoise and white printed shirt and skirt from New Look's Limited Collection, which featured a black collar and waist band.
She teamed the cuffed garment with black cut-out heels and a spiked necklace while wearing her blonde hair in a bun.
However, once inside Sam made sure that she had a quick outfit change and showed off her tan even more in a hot pink sleeveless dress by Hybrid and floral heels.
Say cheese! The TOWIE star was more than happy to smile for the cameras before and after her TV appearance
Ready to talk: The blonde spoke to the Loose Women about TOWIE and her book Living Life The Essex Way
The Minnie's Boutique owner may have been feeling a little worn out in her first outfit after doing a mini radio tour of Radio 1 and Kiss FM.
After speaking to the Loose Women panel, Sam spent time getting to know singer Paloma Faith, who was also on the ITV1 show, and had her photo taken with her which she later posted on her Twitter page.
On last night's special episode, fans of the show watched as Sam's romance with Joey Essex blossomed as they holidayed with their friends and co-stars.
Spilling the beans: Sam spoke to the Loose Women panel about her time in Marbella with her co-stars
New friends: Sam had her photo taken with singer Paloma Faith backstage
Someone else who is enjoying a recent romance is Lydia Bright, who spent time with new boyfriend Tom Kilbey in Spain.
She also showed off her tan when she attended an Espirit store launch party on London's Regent Street yesterday.
The blonde star showed off her tiny frame in a black dress which she wore with an electric blue blazer that appeared to be tucked into the dress.
True blue: Lydia Bright attended the Espirit store launch on London's Regent Street last night
Lydia completed her look with a pair of platform heels and looked rather happy as she left the clothes store with a few shopping bags.
Joining her at the event was Made In Chelsea star Francesca Hull who wore a nude-coloured vest with matching embellished shorts while carrying an over-sized pink clutch bag.
Singer Dionne Bromfield kept her look simple wearing light blue skinny jeans, a white vest and a turquoise blazer while Donna Air showed off her slim figure in black cropped trousers, pointy heels and a netted top.
Also there: Made In Chelsea's Francesca Hull, singer Dionne Bromfield and Donna Air attended the store launch
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Divorce parties - a celebration of life or just bad taste? - The Age
Is divorce really reason to celebrate?
Are divorce parties in bad taste?
We love rituals. We do. They make us feel connected and purposeful. Rituals may be religious, or not. They may be shared with hundreds or few. But we love them because they are transformative. Weddings transform single people into a married couple, funerals transform dead bodies into living souls. Dinner dates make Friday night sexy. Grand finals make families from strangers, and enemies of others.
Of course, while passion for ritual process is common, commonly loved rituals are rare; one person’s sacred practice is another’s silly superstition – a waste of time, a hassle, even an inexcusable horror.
But what makes some rituals more supported than others? What makes one ritual right and another wrong in the eyes of society?l
I’d like to talk here about a relatively new ritual phenomenon. The divorce party – a modern, Western ritual spawned in America sometime in 2007 that has grown in popularity since.
Though Jack White and Karen Elson’s divorce party was a shared affair, in the main divorce parties are organised independently, a la Heather Mills who famously forked out $500,000 for one of her own.
And while women may be seen as the hostesses with the mostest divorce party inclination, they aren’t the only ones doing it; many men’s events organisers cater to divorce parties for boys. In fact, the divorce party has been described as the “final frontier of the wedding industry complex”.
But are divorce parties rituals that are good or bad for society? Are they generally appropriate or in very bad taste?
The Guardian this week had an article written from a pro-perspective. In this context, divorce parties were not about celebrating the end of a marriage, but the start of a new life. Following von Gennep’s famous ‘three phases’ ritual model, the divorce party prompts healing by first separating the protagonist from their married identity, then passing them through the awkward post-separation threshold before finally rejoining them with the fresh life and love potential beyond.
Looked at this way, divorce parties can be seen as a ritual with myriad positive consequences. As a sacrament devoted to a person’s newfound singledom, the divorce party might be a ritual with power to transform woebegone broken-hearts into optimistic hoping-hearts. Surely this is a good thing in a world where divorce happens, and happens often.
Yet when viewed from the other side of the fence, divorce parties can look like very negative exercises in regret - visions of vitriol spewed into tacky, stabby invitations, cocktails of misery and bitterness served up with slices of dead-spouse blood-velvet cake.
Instead of a positive trajectory of healing, divorce parties can see the central character stuck in a regressive loop of loathing. Beginning with hate for the old relationship, middling with stewing over the old relationship and ending with refreshed hate for the old relationship, a divorce party can read like a downward spiral of doom.
How, you might ask, could anything good come from something so vindictive?
Indeed, in this age of social oversharing, it’s likely the shenanigans of a divorce party will be captured and disseminated, possibly intentionally so (especially to the wrong people, ie The Ex). Such grave-dancing is reprehensible, and gains little. Actually, it could lose the jigger quite a lot if the settlement is not quite finalised, and the ‘celebration’ is used to sucker-punch funds.
So perhaps they key factor here is time. Divorce parties might be a healthy, socially desirable ritual practice if held at the right time. That is to say after the bruising and swelling has gone down. Then perhaps the focus will be of new life, rather than ruined life. Then, maybe, likely guests would be contributing to a new future rather than being caught up in a messy war. Then the party is more ‘new-you debut’, less ‘divorce party’ – something we surely should support.
But what do you think?
Have you ever been involved with a divorce party? What do you think about them? Are they a healthy ritual practice, or should we stamp them out on the grounds they’re a socially destructive force?
kfeeney@fairfaxmedia.com.au (I promise I do read mail, even if I don't respond right away...)
Source: www.theage.com.au
Looks middle aged
- lou, Staines, 14/6/2012 20:31
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