SHANIA TWAIN AND THE SECRET BEHIND HER GLASGOW CHICKEN VISIT

Shania Twain might have had dinner at Bucks chicken restaurant but she admitted to me that she didn’t eat any birds on the night. 

Shania checked into her city centre hotel around about seven pm along with her five guitars and crew. 

She had snuck through a side door at her hotel and I actually thought initially that she’d gone to bed - maybe cause she was still on transatlantic time. 

But then, a little tipster told me she’d gone for some dinner at Bucks Bar and was still there. 

I ran and after a wee bit of waiting around I spoke to her as she walked outside with her crew. 

She was a lovely gal, so down to earth. 

She told me she’d just been in Glasgow two hours and that she hadn’t had a chance to explore but was looking forward to spending the next four days here. 

When I asked her how her chicken dinner was and admitted I thought she was veggie she laughed. “Yes most of us are vegetarian but there was still plenty for us to enjoy.”

 I have it on good authority that the much impressed Shania enjoyed vegan option The Umami Tsunami - crispy tofu with a miso mushroom sauce, and salad in honey lime dressing. 

The singer also drank a couple glasses Sauvignon Blanc and her pals enjoyed some pints of Drygate Gladeye IPA each.
The rest of the party also indulged in Thai Style Hot Wings and Halloumi  Nuggets with 25 ingredient BBQ dip. 
A spokesperson for the bar said later: “Funny thing is that she was served by our Canadian waitress Sadie. As Shania was leaving Sadie turned round to he manager and said ‘that woman looks a bit like Shania Twain. No one in the place recognised her.”
After Shania posted up a picture of her toilet trip with the signs reading Cocks for men and Hens for women’s some cheeky fans wondered if she’d change the name of her famous song to “Cock, I feel like a Hen.”
Seeing her standing outside the loos another joked: “Looks like she made it.”

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: FRANZ FERDINAND, YOUNG FATHERS, EDEN HAZARD AND MORE

FRANZ Ferdinand drummer Paul Thomson flew into Glasgow airport just in time for The Scottish Album of The Year Awards - but he admitted he was there by mistake.
Long haired muso Paul picked up the bands shortlisted award for album Always Ascending.
I caught him standing outside the trendy gender neutral toilets at Paisley’s Town Hall.
He said: “We’re actually officially on tour. We just played in Holland in a place called Haarlem at a beach resort called Woodstock 69. We have a group calendar and somebody had put the dates wrongly in the calendar and I thought we had two days off so I thought just I’d come home but it turns out I’ve got a gig tomorrow in Milan. Fortuitously this is happening so I turned up to represent.”
Paul also revealed he and the band never set out for fame or dosh when they started their band.
He told me: “We just did it for fun and that’s what your motivation should be. You see a lot of great places but it just doesn’t compare to being here. As soon as I fly into Glasgow I just think thank God.”


MARTIN Compston was thrilled to get hold of Scott Browns shirt after his charity football match at Celtic Park over the weekend.
But the Line Of Duty star who ended up playing the game in his converse trainers after giving away his boots to a fan midmatch, admitted the shirt was slightly worse for wear.
The memento was covered in Scott’s blood as well as his sweat (and probably tears of joy)
Marin said later: “I’m over the moon to get Captain invincibles Scott Brown’s tap the day straight up on the wall. His literal blood and sweat on it, granted the  blood resulted from him volleying the ball off his own face but still.”

Clyde 1’s Cassi squeezed in a wee Friday lunchtime catch up with me this week.
The talented gal who teams up with George Bowie in the morning tried out some of the North Indian dishes at The Dhabba as we chatted non stop.
We actually picked a table near the back because we knew we’d end up making lots of noise as we laughed at each other’s stories.
She revealed she’s about to get her own afternoon show on Sundays on Clyde 1.
It means she gets a wee lie in after all her DJing commitments on a Saturday night but she will now be working seven days a week.
Sometimes she plays as many as three sets in one night! Busy lady.



YOUNG Fathers bandmember Alloysious Massaquoi says the band are now chilling after being awarded Scottish Album of The Year for their third studio offering Cocoa Sugar.
A suited and booted Alloysious, who was posing with his posse outside Paisley town hall when they asked if I would take some pics for Instagram, told me he’d recently been in New York for a catch up with friends after touring with Massive Attack.
He revealed he had a good laugh with the dance legends behind the scenes.
He said: “We got Daddy G and Rob(Del Naja)  to try out the Dele Alli challenge (where you put your hand over your eye in an upside down OK sign like The Spurs strikers goal celebration) and it was hilarious. They were steaming.”
If you’ve not tried it yet you’ve missed the craze, but it’s always good for a laugh.
Alloysious told me he always finds it hard getting back to normality after big tours. He said: “For me it’s always about finding balance and the kind of razzmatazz stuff I always take with a pinch of salt. The guys and I, we are local lads, so spending time with family and friends and regulating friendships is important. A lot of the time I come back everybody is working and the reality  is a lot of the time I just go to the cinema by myself. Or I got tomy mums house.”




CHELSEA players Eden Hazard and his teammates checked out the fine dining at Brian Maule’s Chardon D’Or restaurant during their trip to Glasgow.
The lads who were staying at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel worked up an appetite after a busy time of it during their victorious stay here.
While Eden, his brother Thorgan and some of his teammates headed to Braehead for some ten pin bowling at Soar on Saturday, the other half of the team went to the circus!
The Belgian lads had a great time at Ovo by Cirque du Soleil and on Sunday they all headed out for their meal at the prestigious Chardon D’Or before jetting home at eleven pm.



I had one of my weirdest meals this week at Mharsanta restaurant in Merchant City - as I celebrated Christmas with them.
The Scots food venue invited a posse of food bloggers and events organisers along to their festive menus launch night.
There was a tree - with baubles aplenty, Christmas songs galore and even delicious mince pies and turkey, not to mention the potent mulled wine (half a glass did it for the lightweight that is me)
I thought it was pretty unique, but I’ve now seen signs of the Chrimbo holidays pop up in a few other haunts...including The Village Hotel, The Hilton hotel, Chaophraya and David Lloyd.
Does Santa send out a memo?


Brilliant news that our very own Hardeep Singh Kohli did so well on Big Brother.
He’s an intelligent guy who is always great to chat to - and he’s a fab cook.
Hardeep, of course is now home in Scotland, and remains as down to earth as ever.
Instead of posing in flash restaurants and negotiating big endorsement deals like some of his reality peers he could be found immediately in one of his ‘offices’ in Dennistoun.
The first place he visited off the train was ...Redmonds bar and food venue for some... poached eggs and coffee.

Look out for Mogwai Satan beer.
The Scots band revealed of me that they are actually releasing the real stuff in a bottle very soon. It’s named after their song of a similar name, substituting the word Fear for Beer. It’s not the first time they’ve dabbled with booze - they’ve released limited editions of whiskey and rum before too.
In Japan they’ve also had cardboard effigies made of themselves.






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SCOTS COMIC WRITER MARK MILLAR GIVES BLESSING TO WOLVERINE BABY

Exclusive 

Beverley Lyons 

SCOTS Wolverine fan Laura Hayton has called her new baby boy Logan after going into labour within hours of winning best costume at a Comic Con hosted by Utlimate X Men writer Mark Millar. 

Laura, from Coatbridge, who is a huge fan of the comic character had her costume made by her husband and waited for eight hours to meet Mark at the event. 

She said it felt great to get Mark’s blessing after he saw the outfit. 

She explained:”My husband Andrew and four year old son Nathan and I are over the moon that Logan is finally here. Andrew is very artistic and thinks of things that no one else really does. He came up with the idea and gave the outfit to me on Saturday morning. I'm usually up for anything especially with having a four year old. It's good to teach him not have any reservations about enjoying himself. 

“At the event it was tiring but I spent most of the time sitting down in the main hall listening to the Q+A's with the Outlander stars, Mark himself,  Robert Florence and Sanjeev Kholi. My husband introduced me to comics and the comic films, and Nathan loves Spiderman and the Marvel superhero comics. 

“Wolverine is one of my favourite films and my husband's favourite comic so he suggested the name Logan. He's definitely going to be a little superhero. I'm looking forward to seeing both my superheros growing up together.

She added: “The fact Mark has 'blessed' the baby is fantastic. I find it so funny and definitely a story that will be told at Logan's 21st.

A thrilled Mark Millar said: “The fact that Laura has now called her baby Logan after Hugh Jackman’s famous character is the cherry on the cake. It almost feels made up. Our host, the brilliant Glasgow comedian Billy Kirkwood, who was giving his services for free, picked Laura out from about thirty entries on stage. There were some great costumes here and Billy was left in the genuinely difficult position of choosing, especially given more than half of the entries were young kids. 

“Laura’s wee boy shouted from the audience, super-proud, that his Mum was having her baby on Monday and Billy looked around at this girl with the big pregnant bump who had brought her kid to the event for the entire eight hours and said ‘well, your Mum’s just won £100’. 

The money had been donated by Residence Estate Agents and it was the perfect end to a great show. The costume was utterly brilliant, two baby Wolverine claws busting out of her tummy. In a crowd of great costumes it was the stand-out and also means we can sell an extra ticket for the event next time!”

Mark added:”We all had a ball at the show and I’ve had a great time putting on these big events in my old Townhead area of Coatbridge. We’ve got a big Santa Experience planned for Nov 24th and a free Christmas dinner for all pensioners at an Abba Tribute night in December. My wife Lucy and I have enjoyed all these more than anyone.”

SOUL NATION WIN AT EDINBURGH DEBATING HALL

Beverley Lyons
IT was a one night only performance but Soul Nation Choir showcased a month’s worth of vocal power at their Edinburgh Festival show.
The passion filled troupe headed up by vocal coach and ex boy bander Chris Judge already count Susan Boyle, Tom Jones, Paolo Nutini and Lulu amongst their celebrity followers and collaborators and it’s easy to see why.
Choirs are aplenty but Soul Nation are at the top of their game and boasted a repertoire of songs ranging from gospel standards like Higher and Higher to pop and rock anthems like Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me A River in their set.
Their All Fired Up gig at the Gilded Balloon Debating Hall saw a full house as the ten strong choir powered through anthems including an emotive mash up of This Is Me from the Greatest Showman and From Now On.
The buttery vocals of Chris and the gang made songs like Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Shackles by Mary Mary seem like a walk in the park. 

The troupe were joined onstage by beat boxer Bigg Taj and gave a modern twist to classic songs like 
Stand By Me.
  

They even managed to have some extra fun interaction during the performance with ‘karaoke’ style singing by plucky audience members. 

It all added to the feel good element of the evening and it’s easy to see why the choir who were the featured vocal in the Red Hot Chilli Pipers version of Avicii’s Wake Me Up are a favourite at high profile gigs as well as weddings and theatre shows.
Roof raising anthems like I Believe I can Fly and Walking In Memphis really showcased the individual voices that make up this passionate group.

By the time the inspirational performers sang their trance fuelled rendition of Set You Free (as featured on their recent River City wedding appearance), and a finale featuring west end star Brian Leys performing Circle of life from Lion King, the Debating Hall was filled with a plethora of Affirmatives. 

It’s a big yes for the talents of Soul Nation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Lyons Share: From The Dolls to Matt Baker with Overwatch gossip in Glasgow

IT was great to bump into The One Show’s Matt Baker in Glasgow on the 12th anniversary of the show. 
The first episode of the BBC flagship show was aired on August 14 2006 and although it’s made down south, it was nice to see Matt up here. 
Matt was one of the surprise guest presenters for the European Championships, taking over from Clare Balding who was also here. 
I say surprise sports presenter, but anyone who knows his history won’t be that shocked. 
Matt is an ex gymnast and was a Junior British Champion who was heading for the Olympics before illness (anaemia) meant early retirement at 14.
Matt who was staying at the Village hotel while here told me he loved being back in Scotland and couldn’t wait to catch up on the atmosphere of the European Championships around town. 
My mum was with me at the time and he gave her a wee wave as she smiled at him from her seat. 
He’s so well known to those of all ages from his Blue Peter days to his Countryfile shows and he’s set for even bigger things.  
He arrived on Friday for the tail end of the event but managed to squeeze a lot in before heading back down south for the One Show celebrations. 
He actually studied drama in Edinburgh before applying for his job on Blue Peter and left before his time at Queen Margaret College was over so it was nice to see him back.




SCOTS comedians The Dolls were hanging out at The Barras this weekend - posing like haddies for photos for their new show The Dolls Dragged Up. 
I love a wee walk round the stalls looking at the vintage delights on offer - and it’s been great to see some new shops pop up there in recent weeks. 
But I couldn’t believe it when I walked into Gayle Telfer Stevens and Louise McCarthy who make up the vocal comedy duo. 
The two quintessential Glesga cleaners  were not alone - Glasgow drag queen Reba Martell was in tow. 
She’s no relation to old singer Lena as far as I gathered. 
Anyway the three of them looked like a sight for sore eyes in the best possible way in their brightly coloured overalls and dodgy make up. 
River City star Gayle told me their last show sold out the top Scottish venues in just twenty minutes. 
Co star Louise who is due to appear in country music film Wild Rose can’t wait to star in the next Dolls Show which is now on sale throughout Scotland. 
It’s called The Dolls Dragged Up and this one looks set to be a smash too. 
The girls are keeping tight lipped about the plot line but I couldn’t resist asking for a wee song sing with them on the streets outside the Barrowlands sign. 
I’m sure some of the passers by thought it was just a normal day down there. 





I had a wee laugh when I met the Netherlands gymnastics team during the European Championships. 
They sported tops emblazoned with the words NED Gymnastics.
It made me imagine there might be prizes for necking a bottle of Buckie while chibbing someone at a street corner, or wearing a Burberry baseball cap whilst pulling up one leg on your tracksuit bottoms and running up and down the park. 
There could also be a prize for how quickly you could steal a Berghaus jacket while vaulting over a fence. 
 



FANS of Overwatch video game will be chuffed to hear that I met with the brilliant Lucie Pohl in Edinburgh during the festival. 
I’ve actually had the pleasure of meeting the US German born comedian and actress a few times through the brill publicist Mel Brown who looks after Lucie during her shows there.
We’ve even sung karaoke together. 
This year though, Lucie was here for a holiday after working very hard on some new projects. 
She is the voice of Mercy from the video game Overwatch which has received Universal acclaim. 
You might also recognise her from Red Dwarf. 
She’s due to come to Glasgow Comic Con in September but has also just been revealed this week as a new voice for World of Warcraft’s new Battle for Azeroth game where she’ll play pyromaniac Rixxa Fluxflame. If you’re not geeked out yet you soon will be. 



I partied with influencers including blogging mummy Mama Reid and instagrammer Abbie Blyth at Fake Bake’s latest night out. 
In the ultimate girlie soirée., a small posse of us including were treated to a delish dinner at new Scots restaurant Mharsanta (meaning Merchant in Gaelic) followed by a trip to the cinema. 
Everything was Mamma Mia themed including the cocktails and the food - and throughout the night we listened to Abbas finest songs. 
Our trip to the cinema caused a few looks as we made our way in a stretch Hummer complete with disco lights inside. 
And once inside the private room at the Odeon Quay that Katy Perry hired when she was last here we had an endless supply of sweeties from Glasgow company Sweet Sookcess. 
The sweeties weren’t the only candy to catch everyone’s eyes - and by the end of the cinema most of the girls had fallen for Young Bill played by actor Josh Dylan. 
Few know that he has already treaded the boards in Scotland appearing at the Edinburgh festival in 2013.
And he cites a Scottish accent as one of his strong points in his CV - so he’s practically one of us.  




I had the pleasure of hanging out with Barras Square Yard cafe owner Roddy McPherson and his chums at the weekend. 
He’s got a wee cafe that’s frequented by bikers and people who come for a chat and a bit of counselling. 
Roddy who has led a colourful life in institutions says he always has time to listen to other folk. 
Amongst the gang I met on the day were great tattooed man Andrew and Frankie with the red beard. 
They looked like something you’d see in a picture postcard. 
Frankie asked me to tell you he’s looking for a good woman while Andrew wants peace and harmony throughout the world. 

JUDY MURRAY’S BLAZE DRAMA IN GLASGOW

ANDY and Jamie Murray’s famous mum Judy was at the centre of a blaze drama this week. 
The famous mummy who is also a Strictly Star was giving her talk to an audience at the Theatre Royal when the alarm went off at the venue. 
I was in the crowd and there was sudden panic on everyone’s faces as it dawned on everyone they had to get out of their seats. 
As Judy and her interviewer rushed off the stage, we scrambled to get to an exit and the safety curtain came down on the stage. It was all very rushed and as we exited the theatre we were told to stand in the other side of the road. 
Judy herself remained composed as she stood beside the fire engine that arrived on the scene. 
Thankfully it was a false alarm  and after thirty minutes of waiting outside we were ushered back in. 
Judy and her interviewer joked that someone might write a headline about her being carried to safety by six burly fire fighters. They also joked that more people had entered the building than had left. 

She told theshowbizlion.com later: “We've had a great evening even though the fire alarm went off midway through the second half which was a bit of a challenge but they came really quickly and we sorted it out and everyone got back in.”

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO IS LOOKING FOR SCOTTISH INSPIRATION

UNIVERSAL Studios in Orlando could be looking at Scots legends to inspire its latest attractions.

The park is in the process of unveiling its Halloween Horror Night attractions, which include 10 mazes based on tv shows and films like Trick R Treat, Stranger Things, Chucky, and Killer Klowns.

And the showbizlion.com was invited down by Barrhead Travel and Universal Studios  to a very exclusive evening at Glasgow’s Blythswood Hotel to hear about all the plans. 

The mazes, or experiences look amazing and feature fully designed sets that are only unveiled after dark. 

This year you’ll get to see them from September 14 to November 3 and Barrhead Travel has teamed up with Universal to offer special packages from Scotland and the rest of the U.K. 

The attractions open after the daytime park shuts down and there’s plenty of things that go bump in the night. The attention to detail is incredible. 

Michael Aiello, Senior Director Entertainment Creative Development, said: “We’re developing an entire horror maze attraction centred around the first season of Stranger Things. You’re going to be surrounded by the Upside Down and be attacked by the Demigorgon. We’re working with Netflix on that. We also have a maze based around Trick R Treat, an awesome movie about Halloween, and you’ll be stalked by Sam. He is the caretaker of Halloween and if you don’t follow the rules he will make your life a living hell.”

Sam was wandering around the Blythswood and a manger to give us a good fright or two with his creepy demeanour. 

Michael added: “We’ve also got a black light maze called Zombie Exposure where you will be in total darkness.  We also have a Chucky and Killer Klowns maze based on those movies.”

Michael said he was definitely open to spooky ideas from Scotland now that the nights are in their 28th year.

Amongst those we discussed were the legend of Sawney Bean, Burke and Hare, The Wickerman and Bible John.

He said: “When I travel I try to get a sense of the stories that exist in different cultures. what are the things that go bunk in the  night in Scottish lore and if they can become real full blown horror experiences in the States.”

Barrhead Travel, one of the UK’s leading travel agencies, is the only UK travel agency to operate a strategic partnership with Universal Orlando Resort. 

The Glasgow-based business is working closely with Universal Orlando Resort to deliver highly engaging and inspirational marketing campaigns to their customer network. Orlando remains a top-selling destination for Barrhead Travel, who have this year reported increases of 111% in bookings to Universal Resort Orlando.

Dedicated Florida specialists can be found throughout Barrhead Travel’s 74-strong retail network across the UK and will tailor-make getaways specifically to each of their customers’ requirements. 

All park passes, accommodation and tickets (including tickets for Halloween Horror Nights) can be booked with Barrhead Travel online, in-store or via telephone. Tickets for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights are on sale and start from £101pp. Find out more about booking your Universal Orlando Resort holiday with Barrhead Travel:

https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/florida/universal-orlando-resort

Explore the hotels:

https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/florida/universal-orlando-resort/universal-orlando-hotels

Explore the parks:

https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/florida/universal-orlando-resort/universal-orlando-parks

Explore ticket options: 

https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/florida/universal-orlando-resort/universal-orlando-tickets

Book your Halloween Horror Nights experience:

https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/worldwide/usa/florida/universal-orlando-resort/universal-orlando-tickets/halloween-horror-nights-at-universal-orlando-resort

Call Barrhead’s Florida specialists: 0141 242 1300

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