TRAITOR ALAN CUMMING’S BIRTHDAY PLANS

Beverley Lyons 
ALAN Cumming says he still feels like he’s thirty three despite turning sixty this Monday as he revealed plans to celebrate with a weekend of clubbing. 
And the Scots actor  who is currently hosting The Traitors US which won two Emmy’s in America also claimed he’d never received his awards because they were deemed too dangerous to take to Scotland. 
Aberfeldy born Alan said of his big birthday: “It’s sort of weird because everybody mentions it, but I'm actually feeling pretty great about it because I like my life. I feel like nothing has collapsed or everything's still working. I feel like pretty much I'm still the same as I was a long time ago.
But also, being 60, you've been around the block a few times, and I think you see that cyclical nature of life that you sort of have wisdom, I suppose.”
He added: “ “I feel that my life hasn't really changed since I was 33. When I moved to New York, I was 33 years old, and basically, my life hasn't changed that much. I still travel a lot.
I still go out a lot. I feel that's when my life settled into a groove. So 33, sadly, the year of our Lord's death, but I managed to push through to 60.”
Of his plans on Sunday Alan, who visited Scotland this week added: “It involves dancing a lot. I'm going to be in London and I'm coming back and I'm going straight from the airport to a club, to this sort of tea dance. It's this thing called Mother Disco. And it's a really fun thing.
And it starts at like four in the afternoon.
“You're home with your cocoa by like 11 o'clock.
That's very unusual for me. It's just convenient with my plans this weekend because I'm normally like a late person.”
Alan also revealed his husband Grant had a not so secret surprise for him. 
He explained: “And then the next night, Grant's organized a secret dinner for me, but I found out about it. I saw it on my office emails, because on my iPad, I get some of the office emails. I can press a button and I see the emails that go to my office. And I saw this thing from the restaurant. I have told him now. I told him when I was drunk the other night. I said to him, you need to be more sneaky. He's taken it pretty well.”
And then after that, the secret dinner, then we're going to Club Cumming and having a dancey night. And I will take in my birthday, you know, I'll become 60 at midnight that night.”
Of his love of partying he added: “It can be very late. I mean, on a normal night. There's nothing I enjoy more. Like, when you think, still got it, that thing when you're going home and other people are going to work.”
Alan also revealed that he never got to take his recent Emmy’s  for the Traitors home to Scotland with him because they were banned on his flight. 
He explained: “I have not got my Emmys. I've just realised that. 
I won in September. And they said they were going to send them. Because I had to leave early, because I had to go back on the plane to Scotland. I was making this film with Brian Cox.
And they said to me, I wouldn't be able to take them on the plane because they're pointy, they’re sharp. They'd be like a weapon.
And then they said they were going to get the little things engraved. 
So I don't have my Emmys. I didn't get my Emmys.”

NICOLA STURGEON AND VAL MCDERMID PARTYING AT COMEDY LAUNCH

NICOLA Sturgeon looked happy and full of high spirits as she went out partying just days before announcing her divorce from husband Peter Morell. 

The First Minister announced on her Instagram this morning that she and Peter had called time on their marriage saying in a post titled Personal: “With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage. To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are. It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will.We will be making no further comment.” 

However just on Friday Nicola and her pal Scots crime writer Val McDermid were full of high spirits as they enjoyed a night out at the launch of Glasgow International Comedy festival. 

Nicola who said she was not drinking on account of driving through from Edinburgh even revealed ‘plans’ to follow in the footsteps of fellow Scot and comedian Richard Gadd with an award appearance at the Golden Globes in two years time.

The former First Minister revealed her unexpected future ambitions and more as she announced her appearance at this year’s Comedy Festival. 

The former MSP, who will be cohosting a show with Val McDermid explained that she was chuffed to be ‘doing a gig’ at the fest in March.

And as she and Val got drinks from the free bar she said: “We are appearing at this year’s comedy festival which is as much as a joke to us as it is to anybody else. 

“We don’t have a double act name but watch this space - it might happen. 

We did a gig together, haha, ‘a gig’ together, before Christmas about books and it went well and we thought ‘why not’?” 

Asked to look at comedian Richard Gadd who won a double award for his own production of Baby Reindeer at this years Golden Globes she added: “Absolutely - Do you think we’ll be at the Golden Globes next year? Maybe the year after…”

Nicola, who drove to the launch party after passing her driving test at the age of 53 in October last year, ensured she was sticking to soft drinks on the night whilst Val went for something more spirited. 

Nicola said: “I’m driving so I’m going to have an Irn Bru.

Val then referred to Nicola’s newfound driving skills as she quipped: “I’m going to have a drink because it makes it easier to be driven by Nicola when I’ve had a drink.”

Nicola added: “She just slagged off my driving by the way. This duo might not make it to the comedy festival if she keeps insulting my driving.”

Nicola who will join fellow former Nat MP Mhairi Black and Scots comedians including Susie McCabe, Ashlie Storrie, Connor Burns and Rosco McLelland at the festival in March added: “We’re not going with the intention of telling jokes but there will undoubtedly be a couple that just come to us. We think we’re funny, but probably our nearest and dearest don’t think we’re funny.” 

“It’s books and banter. Val will be talking about books but will I be talking about politics? Not if I can help it.”

“There’s definitely a lot of comparisons between politics and comedy but I’m a great believer in life that everything is political to some extent so 

I’m sure there will be the odd political reference. It joins up perfectly. We will have one liners but we’ve only got a limited number of them so if we tell you them now we won’t have more on the night. 

“I find lots of comedians funny. We’d better not name names but anyone that wants to work with us, they just need to come and enquire.”

Val said of their double act: “It’s funny sometimes, not intentionally, but sometimes. We’re quite funny when we get going. She takes the piss out of me and I take the piss out of her.”

There’s lot of laughs in politics not many of them intentional. I think everything is funny.”

KAREN GILLAN SHOWS OFF BABY CLEMENTINE

SCOTS actress Karen Gillan has shown off pictures of her new baby girl for the first time as she revealed her daughter’s name is Clementine and talked about her pregnancy fatigue and C section.
Jumanji and Doctor Who actress Karen, 36, who married Nick Kocher in May 2022 at Castle Toward near Dunoon in Argyll, announced she was pregnant in September but had not disclosed the gender of her baby. 
She was seen on December 11 taking her newborn for a stroll as she wheeled a grey pushchair in Los Angeles in a figure hugging dress but until now had kept quiet about any further detail. 
Now Inverness born Karen, who moved to LA to work and live with her comedy writer and actor husband Nick, has told her fans online of her joy at becoming a mother. 
She also revealed she had given birth by C Section and explained that she sang a Shakira song to get over her fatigue and nausea while filming during her first Trimester. 
Karen showed off a picture of herself smiling as she cosied up to her daughter Clementine who she held close over her shoulder as she also describe husband Nick as “a hot dad” in another picture as he held his daughter in his hands. She wrote: “Hot Dad Alert.”
In another picture on her Instagram she gave a thumbs up as she lay on a hospital bed wearing her hospital issue paper  gown and hat and wrote: “C section fun timez.”
Karen, who is thought to have given birth at the end of November, also shared a video of her looking at a pregnant belly as she knelt on the floor and peered through legs and explained: “Filming 'Let's Have Kids' having just found out I was pregnant in real life and hiding first trimester fatigue and nausea by singing Shakira.”
Karen also showed off drinking mugs that she and Nick had been given saying “Best Mom Ever, Best Dad Ever.”
She also wrote: “2024 thank you for giving us Clementine. Also as per the last slide - I shot a film called 'Let's Have Kids' right as I got preggo in real life so take that Daniel Day Lewis.”

JLS MARVIN HUMES TALKS RUINED CALVIN HARRIS GIG

JLS star Marvin Humes claims that Scots DJ Calvin Harris still hasn’t forgotten the time that he and the band made him cancel his gig after they were mobbed by fans.  
Marvin who urged Scots to support bandmate JB Gill on Strictly as he played a Dj at Ingliston Country Club in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, admits Calvin still reminds him of his disappointment when he sees him. 
He explained: “When we first left the X Factor, we did the Christmas lights in Birmingham. We went on first, and there were about 15,000 people. They were only expecting about 5000 people, and there was a massive crowd surge, and the group got cancelled, and Calvin Harris was going on after us. And obviously the whole gig got pulled. Whenever I bump into Calvin now, in London or wherever, he always remembers it and tells me ‘Yeah, I was just about to get on stage, but the gig got canceled.’
Luckily it got shut down and luckily no one got hurt, but it was basically for health and safety. He still loves us though and we’ve been lucky enough to do some tracks with him. Id love to work with him again, especially the stuff that I do now, for myself. I'm doing a lot dance and house music.”
Marvin, who is back together with JLS and has done two arena tours recently, said his last Scots gig at Edinburgh Castle was a bit scary too. 
He said: “We did Edinburgh Castle this summer, which is amazing. It just about didn’t happen though because the weather was really bad even though it was in July. 
The winds were like 20 miles an hour, so it nearly got cancelled. The speakers were blowing and I think if it was 25 miles an hour,  they would have had to cancel the gig.  It was freezing, but everyone loved it. 
During his gig at the lavish Ingliston Country Club, just twenty minutes from Glasgow,  Marvin played a host of hits from the noughties and even included some JLS tracks. 
He said of his trip: “This place is amazing. When I was booked I didn’t know what I was coming to but it’s incredible. I’ve had a look round at the horses and the RV park and even enjoyed a steak in the restaurant. I’d love to come back again next year.”

LOVE ISLAND’S EKIN SCARED OF SCOTS TAP WATER

 

Love Island’s Ekin Su Cülcüloğlu was worried sick she might have caught something contagious from the ghost of King Henry VIII after drinking tap water at an ancient hotel during a trip to Scotland.

And she admitted she even ended up texting friends to see if she was OK.  

 The brunette beauty, who also starred in Traitors US, recently hit the headlines after denying she is dating Married At First Sight star Georges Berthonneau after the two were spotted together at a gym. 

Just this month she spent three days with pals visiting Scotland, exploring local sights and enjoying a sumptuous dinner at Glasgow’s AC Marriott hotel for their first birthday celebrations.

After being given a crystal bracelet to bring her ‘abundance, hope and money’ by Scot’s jewellery company Space to Create, and Dancing On Ice star Alex Murphy, Ekin told the Sunday Mail about her fears over the local tap water. 

Ekin, 30, who revealed she had been staying in a vast suite at Mar Hall hotel in Bishopton  had even written a text message about it which she later shared online:

It said:  “Hi guys I've brushed my teeth with this tap Water here.Is it safe? X”

Her Scots friend Victoria Halliday replied: “Hello Yes the water in Scotland is safe/great to drink xx.”

Ekin Su who also thought her hotel room was haunted by the ghost of Henry 8th, then responded: “Okay thank you I thought it was Henry V111 water. Just thinking it might have something contagious plague?”

Victoria later added: “Normal chat when you're staying in a haunted castle.”

During her time in Scotland, Ekin and a group of influencers including Saffron Barker, visited Sexy Coffee in Glasgow and also listened to a mix of traditional and modern songs by a harpist while enjoying a meal including fresh salmon blinis, duck, halibut and a chocolate dessert, at the Glasgow AC Marriott as part of their birthday dinner.

Ekin told her friends: “I’m single and ready to mingle. I’ve got this really nice bracelet and it means abundance and hope and money. I’m hoping that my life is going to be more successful.”

She was also seen at dinner in Harvey Nicks Edinburgh before heading back to London ahead of work commitments.

The star says she has some new telly projects lined up next year in both the States and UK. 

And she added that she is on the dating site Raya for any potential suitors now that she has turned thirty.

JAMES MCAVOY FILMING GLASGOW

Pics bev lyons 

James McAvoy has been spotted filming behind the scenes for the first day of his new film in Glasgow as he makes his directorial debut. 

Glasgow born James disguised himself with a small beard, wore a black cap and several layers in the cold air as actors Seamus Mclean Ross, the son of Deacon Blue stars Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh,  and Bafta-nominated Samuel Bottomley talked and rapped for the scene in the East end of the city. 

California Schemin’ is a true life story about Silibil N’ Brains, the Scots born rap duo who duped the music industry in their hopes to become global superstars.

After pretending they were from the States, Dundee born Gavin Bain and Arbroath’s Billy Boyd were signed by Jonathan Shalit and rubbed shoulders wirh Madonna and Eminem before their elaborate hoax came crashing down. 

Seamus, who plays Bain is a graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

His debut was in Payback, alongside Peter Mullan and he has been in three episodes of Rebus. He also portrays Colum MacKenzie in Outlander spin-off Blood of My Blood.

Yorkshire born Samuel who plays Boyd in the film first appeared in Paddy Considine’s film Tyrannosaur alongside Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman.

He has also been in Ghost Stories with Martin Freeman and the film version of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

He received a Bafta nomination for his role as Aaron in Channel 4 drama Somewhere Boy.

Pics bev lyons 

In an interview with Deadline, McAvoy, who was recently spotted in Dundee mapping out scenes, said: “With California Schemin’ I’ll be telling a story about friendship, rap and glorious failure that has the potential to move, shock and entertain.”

The BBC documented the rise and fall of Silibil N’ Brains on its Storyville series in 2013.

MARK WRIGHT’S TOUR OF GLASGOW

MARK Wright has spoken about his love of Glasgow as he spent time in a plush Scots country club and after filming his latest series. 
The former Towie star who is married to actress Michelle Keegan, has just completed filming on his new BBC series Clean It, Fix it, which sees him going to people’s homes and transforming rooms in their house as well as cleaning and fixing what they got. 
Mark who was a guest DJ at Ingliston Estate and Country Club in Bishopton Renfrewshire over the weekend was thrilled to return to Scotland and reminisced about his time in Glasgow over the years. 
Relaxing at the venue, which is just twenty minutes from Glasgow city centre, he said: “Glasgow and Scotland is my second home. My wife Michelle is always up in Glasgow and one of my best mates Arfan is from here too. I used to go shopping in the city centre and me and Arfan used to go partying together in the city when I was younger. I remember we went to Sugarcube club in Queen Street for a birthday party and it was brilliant. We went to the place opposite it too.” 
“The first time I was ever here we went to Jumping Jaks too. Actually that was for my first paid personal appearance here. Obviously Michelle’s family is from here so it’s a great chance to come up and just relax.”
Mark enjoyed a beer, chicken tenders and truffle fries at Palominos Italian restaurant in Ingliston before playing his latest set, ahead of Marvin Humes daytime DJ set with food at Ingliston on November 10.
He said:  “I’m staying overnight, so I’ll wake up for a bit of breakfast then I’m on my way. We’re in a Lodge. I love staying here and we brought all the family up last time. Michelle loved it and so did her grandpa who came last time. He is good. It’s such an amazing place and it’s becoming a second home.”
And Mark whose DJ set follows on from an appearance by Take That’s Howard Donald couldn’t resist a cheeky swipe at his fellow DJs. 

He laughed: “I’m DJing in between Howard Donald and Marvin Humes. What’s the best thing about a sandwich? It is the filling. Howard can be the granary bread,  Marvin can be the gluten free bread and I’m the cheese, ham, coleslaw and everything else.”
Tickets for Marvin Humes DJ appearance from 2pm-9pm November 10 are available here https://ingliston.com/events/marvin-humes-jls-day-club