GERARD BUTLER HAS NUTS ENCOUNTER WITH SQUIRREL

GERARD Butler grinned away and called himself ‘the animal whisperer’  as a curious squirrel went looking for nuts on his body as he lay in bed. 

The Scottish born 300 hunk, who is newly single, showed off his petite lady friend in a bizarre video on Instagram as he lay in bed wearing a blue tshirt and shorts. 

In the video, Gerard smiles as the squirrel climbs down from his hair to nibble his neck then beard before crawling over his mouth. 

It then disappears out of shot for a moment then returns to his head while Gerard says: “Oh, Oh, oh, yeah. Nibbling everything. It nibbles your face, your fingers, your toes, your heels, and then all your clothes. There she is she’s going to nibble my ear, thank god they are more like nibbles, chewing on my hair. Oh, oh, oh, oh“

The grey squirrel then moves from his beard again to go down to his lower body. 

As she remains out of camera shot, With just her tail on show Gerard tells fans: “Oh tasty, eh? That’s a tasty tshirt. No it’s the string of my shorts. She loves string.”

A male voice in the background says: “The plastic tabs. Yesterday she was going after my shoes.”

The squirrel then decides to go further down Gerards shorts at which point he says: “Don’t go too much lower. Oh you did.”

Fans were thrilled at his nature loving side with one saying: “Who is cuter? Gerry or the baby squirrel?”

Another added: “In my next life I want ot be the squirrel.”

Another warned: “Watch your kibbles and bits.”

While another joked: “Trying to find where you stash your nuts. Very cute lol.”

SCOTTISH LOVE ISLANDER BIGGS CHRIS TO MARRY REBECCA GORMLEY

LOVE Islander Biggs Chris looked loved up as he revealed he’d marry fellow Islander girlfriend Rebecca Gormley in a flash if she gets down on one knee to propose to him. 
The Scottish hunk, a car repair specialist from Glasgow, who initially had his eye on twin Jess Gale when he entered Casa Amore, hooked up with Newcastle model Rebecca after leaving the hit show. 
Biggs and Rebecca who hit the headlines last week after she was accused of blackfishing after wearing her hair in braids, visited Glasgow’s The Dhabba restaurant for a double date with Chris’s parents. 
And Rebecca who had changed up her hair style following the controversy enjoyed  lamb cutlets, chicken curries and wine with Chris’s family in a corner of the restaurant away from the glare of the public.  
The couple later told theshowbizlion.com they enjoyed spending their isolation together and a loved up Biggs said: “I’m waiting for Rebecca to ask me to marry her. I’m waiting for the ring, she got down on one knee yesterday as a joke.”
Former Miss Newcastle Rebecca replied giggling: “You’ll be waiting for a long time cause I’m not getting down on one knee. 

She added: “I’m enjoying Scotland. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and the people are so nice. Obviously with lockdown we haven’t really been going out, just staying in. We came here tonight and we’ve been staying at a lodge in the Lochside hotel which was phenomenal. The scenery was so green and there were so many cows.”
The couple were even given a Bentley to drive around in while they were in Scotland. 
Rebecca added: "It’s been nice. We've been spending time here and then going back to Newcastle to spend time with my mam and my brother. We’re splitting it between the two houses. I’ve been trying lots of Scottish food.”
Later on the couple took to Instagram but as Biggs cosied up to Rebecca in bed he said she stunk of onions. 
Rebecca said: “Our meal was so nice at the indian but I literally ate a full bowl of onions.”

HARRY POTTER AND CRACKER STAR ROBBIE COLTRANE HAS NEW ROLE

At seventy years old Harry Potter and Cracker star Robbie Coltrane is in a happier place than he has been for years - emerging out of the shadows to hit the screen and play one of his lifelong heroes. 
And the new role sees Robbie who has now had long awaited surgery to remedy his painful knee, taking on the guise of Orson Welles, the man voted the greatest film director of all time in Urban Myths: Orson  Welles in Norwich for Sky Arts. 
It’s Robbie’s first on screen appearance in four years since Channel 4 drama National Treasure - unless you count his brief appearance on Universal’s 2019 theme park Hagrid’s Motorbike Ride voicing an animated figure. 
The Rutherglen born actor who came into the world as Anthony Robert McMillan has had a preoccupation with Citizen Kane director, star of The Third Man and creator of War of The Worlds Welles since he was a young boy and has frequently talked about his admiration for the American talent who he first witnessed on screen when he was eleven years old. 
His mother Jean Ross, a teacher and pianist, was a film fan and they would sit together and watch old movies on TV.
He saw The Third Man when he was 11 featuring the famous scene where Orson Welles as Harry Lime steps out of the shadows and the light from a window falls on his upturned face.
Robbie, whose father, Ian Baxter McMillan was a general surgeon who also worked for police pathology also gave young Robbie books to read on medicine and crime. 
Robbies first foray onto the stage at the age of twelve was to deliver rants from Henry V - a favourite of Welles in Chimes At Midnight - at Glenalmond College, but he claims it was 1969 when he first realised the strength of Welles on screen persona. 
He said in a recent interview with Radio Times: “They showed Citizen Kane at the film club and I just thought, Who is that guy? It’s been a lifelong thing since then.”
Indeed later on Robbie agreed to appear in the 2008 movie The Brothers Bloom because he’d been told the writer Rian Johnson was the new Orson Welles. 
He revealed at the time: “Rian Johnson's a big hero of mine because of Brick. Although I hadn't seen it, everyone told me Brick was the best film made for about 10 years and he was the new Orson Welles, and if he sent me a script I'd have to do it for nothing if necessary. I got the script, and I just thought yes, I would do it for nothing."
Robbie also admitted he was  flattered when one reviewer described him as a ‘low rent Orson Welles’ so it was a natural choice for him to be picked as leading man For the Sky Arts drama based on the incident called F For Fakenham. The story goes Orson was abducted by an armed gang in Norfolk after travelling there to make a series of mystery dramas with Anglia Television.
Robbie said:  “Nobody knows if it‘s actually true.”
Robbie believes Welles greatest gift was storytelling and continued: “Listening to him was just like sitting with a pal and a whisky in front of a roaring fire and saying, ‘Let me tell you a story’ and you don’t care if it’s true. You just want to hear what happens next.’
Physically the two bear a portly resemblance and Robbie admitted: “I had no problem with his voice because we were the same kitchen. A Scotsman doing American is no stretch because a lot of the American accent did come from the Scots.”

GARY TANK COMMANDER STAR HITS OUT AT STONE ROSES IAN BROWN

GARY Tank Commander star Greg McHugh has hit out at Stone Roses singer Ian Brown, calling him ‘shameful‘ after he posted a tweet suggesting his scepticism of lockdown, mask-wearing and even vaccinations.
Ian took to Twitter to post the message: “NO LOCKDOWN NO TESTS NO TRACKS NO MASKS NO VAX #researchanddestroy” After a public backlash he followed the post up today with the comment: “ So im a Conspiracy Theorist HA! a term invented by the lame stream media to discredit those who can smell and see through the government/media lies and propaganda #researchanddestroy”
BBC star Greg, who recently urged people to stay at home to protect themselves during Covid in a video featuring his character of Scotland’s best loved Squaddie Gary, decided Ian needed a talking to and confronted him on Twitter. 
He wrote: “The influence you have, and this is how you choose to use it? Shameful- not an artist, a puppet.“
One of Ian’s fans came to his defense and said: “Opinions are like a***holes we’ve all got one don’t judge someone’s right to express theirs.”
Greg then replied: “To express their a***hole? You’re genuinely encouraging people to express their arsehole? Fair enough. I suppose it does have a kind of voice....”

LOVE ISLAND SCOT LAURA ANDERSON SPLITS FROM FITNESS TRAINER AFTER MOVING HOME

LOVE Island’s Laura Anderson has split up from her fitness coach boyfriend Tom Brazier after moving back to Scotland.  
Despite initially intending for hunky Tom to join her in Scotland six months into her move it seems their romance is off. 
Stirling born Laura told fans on an Instagram story: “Thankyou for all the DMs asking about Tom and I since I moved up north. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked out between us. In respect of Tom’s privacy I won’t be discussing this further. All my love to him and you all for continued support.”
Laura had originally enthused about her new life in Scotland with Tom who she got together with during lockdown after meeting him in January whilst walking her dog. 
The two even went on holiday to Dubai together and hit the headlines when they were mugged in Barcelona, before Laura also introduced Tom to her family in Scotland. 
She’d enthused about him saying: “ We live in the same complex and we used to stop to say hi when we took our dogs to the park. I needed a new PT so I approached him. Then one night, six weeks into my training, one thing led to another. He had no clue I had been on Love Island.”
Laura who moved to the swish Park Circus area of Glasgow last week said she had fully hoped Tom would join her in her new home. 
She had gushed about Tom being strong and caring saying she’d never met anyone like him before adding: “ I'm still going to move to Scotland and Tom is looking to follow me up in the next six months. He's the cherry on top of the cake."


Now that the romance is off, Laura who previously dated Wes Nelson and Jack Fowler on Love Island as well as Max Morley and Paul Knopps appears to be looking for a new fitness coach. 
She asked fellow Scot and Love Island Star Anton Danyluk if he would train her now she’s back, telling him: “I’m still waiting for you to train me now I’m back FYI. Where’s a good gym?”
Anton said he’d DM her. 

TYSON FURY AND TOMMY FURY ARRIVE ON EDINBURGH’S ROYAL MILE

TYSON Fury and his brother and fellow boxer  Love Island Star brother Tommy Fury are in Scotland after coming on a road trip here.
The lads started their day early so they could drive down to Edinburgh in Tyson’s Rolls Royce as he pretended to seek out WWE heavyweight Drew McIntryre who is actually from Ayrshire. 
The lads checked in at the luxury Waldorf Astoria Caledonian Hotel where they were staying in a plush three bedroom suite. 
Tyson said: “We’ve got a lovely suite here, a three bedroom suite, pimping, living it up.”
Tyson then compared the corridors to those of The Shining films Overlook Hotel while Tommy tried to give him a fright and said: “Here’s Johnny.”


During a walk on the Royal Mile, Tyson got a sole piper to escort him while he played the bagpipes. With Edinburgh Castle in the background Tyson shouted over the pipes for the Ayrshire boxer to ‘come out and fight like a proper man’  and accused him of hiding from him. He said: “Been looking all over Edinburgh for you. Drew McIntryre come out and fight the Gypsy King.”
Later he and Tommy and their friends were suited and booted by local suppliers and Tyson got a hot towel head shave so he could be ‘smooth as a baby’s bum’  as they all drank bubbly ahead of a night out for dinner and drinking. 
Tommy even did an impression of James Bond as he said: “The names James, James Bond.”

GLASGOW RESTAURANT WANTS FUN-GALS AND GUYS TO TRY NEW MUSHROOM ICE CREAM

A Glasgow restaurant has come up with Scotland’s first mushroom ice cream celebrating national mushroom month. 

It’s officially the season of mushrooms from September to November and with 14,000 species of wild mushroom in the U.K. we’ve got lots of celebrate. 

If you’re a fun-guy or fun-gal then The Dhabba in Glasgow’s Merchant City has definitely come up with something different. 
The Mushroom Kulfi is made by The  Dhabba’s chefs from cream, milk, sugar, cardamom powder and mushrooms which are chopped and whipped through the mixture to give it a special texture. The ice cream is topped with sugared mushroom which all taste decidedly delicious. The dish will be served throughout September for £5.95. 


The Dhabba owner Nav Basi said: “We always like to offer our customers something  a bit different in our restaurant and our chefs came up with this dish. We were all pleasantly surprised at how good this tasted and decided to run it.” 

Mushrooms provide a lot of B vitamins as well as selenium, an antioxidant which helps to support the immune system which  is perfect for the sudden change of seasons. 

Diners can go for a whole mushroom experience by having some stuffed mushroom in their starter and a main course vegan dish containing mushroom as well as this special dessert. 

mushroom fun-gal facts 

1. Official mushroom season in the U.K. runs from September to November.
2. Mushrooms are one of the oldest living organisms known to man and there are over 14,000 types of mushrooms in the UK but only 250 are edible.
3. To celebrate mushroom month The Dhabba restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant City has come up with Scotland’s first mushroom ice cream with chopped mushrooms whipped inside the creamy texture. The surprisingly addictive Mushroom Kulfi  comes complete with candied mushrooms on top and will be served throughout September at the nut free  North Indian restaurant.
4. Mushrooms are full of umami – the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour.
5. Mushrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and a notable source of B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and selenium.  They also provide a significant source of fiber, with a 3 full grams in a typical 3.5 ounce serving.
6. Mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants and like most living organisms, are 85-95 percent water. Like mammals, mushrooms take in oxygen for their digestion and metabolism and “exhale” carbon dioxide as a waste product.
7. Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds, and a single mature mushroom will drop as many as 16 billion spores!
8. Modern studies suggest mushrooms can be useful for antibacterial, anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. While also helping to reduce blood pressure, moderate blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, enhance the immune system, reduce stress and help in fighting many types of cancer.
9.There are more than 30 species of mushroom that  glow in the dark. The chemical reaction called bioluminescence produces a glowing light known as foxfire. If there’s no electricity around people have been known to use these fungi to light their way through the woods.

SCOTTISH ALBUM OF YEAR AWARDS LONGLIST AHEAD OF VIRTUAL CEREMONY

THE Scottish Album of the Year awards have turned virtual for September and theshowbizlion.com is delighted to announce the line up. 

This year’s Live at the Longlist event as Free Love, Kinnaris Quintet and Sacred Paws all take to the stage ahead of the exclusive 2020 Longlist reveal. 

Transformed into a virtual event for the first time ever, this year’s Live at the Longlist will be broadcast as a YouTube Premiere from 19:00 BST on Thursday 17th September (www.youtube.com/sayaward)with fans from around the world able to watch and discover 2020’s Longlist first, as well as witnessing some extremely special, socially distanced performances from former SAY Awardnominees. Following a record-breaking 362 albums submitted for consideration to The SAY Award in 2020, artists with Eligible Albums includeDeacon Blue, Declan Welsh and the Decadent West, Gerry Cinnamon,  Lewis Capaldi, Mogwai, The Ninth Wave,  Rachel Sermanni, Sacred Paws, The Snuts, Tide Lines, Twin Atlantic and many more. To view all 362 Eligible Albums, visit www.sayaward.com 

Live at the Longlist gets this year’s campaign underway with the programme having been shot at both Edinburgh’s Summerhall and the city’s most exciting new events space 54EP, where co-hosts Vic Galloway and Nicola Meighan will reveal which twenty albums make up this year’s Longlist. Ensuring music fans find out the highly-anticipated Longlist first, Live at the Longlist is a night to celebrate Scottish music from all corners of the country, spanning genres and styles and uniting fans in these unprecedented times.

SAY Award alumni and Glaswegian duo Free Love return to the virtual Live at the Longlist in 2020, after being Shortlisted in 2019 for their album ‘Luxury Hits’. Known for their exhilarating live shows, Free Love will give fans a taste of their latest mini-album ‘Extreme Dance Anthems’ which sees the band excel in a completely different musical direction than previous records and garnered high praise from the likes of Clash and The List.

 Speaking about their performance Free Love said, “Played some live music for the first time in a long time through a big soundsystem and it was an epiphanic catharsis. We had no idea how much we were missing hearing sound loud and being able to feel the vibrations through the body and move with it and scream and sweat and tune ourselves to rhythm and tonality. You can only really do this at loud volumes as the vibrations need to be felt holistically, not just in your ears. The obvious deficit was an audience to feedback and synergise the NRG but some day we'll be able to do that again. Grateful for this experience which we'll be able to share with you soon..." 

Also Longlisted in 2019 for their debut album ‘Free One’, Kinnaris Quintet join this year’s Live at the Longlist line-up, bringing their combination of Scottish and Irish folk with Bluegrass, Old-Time and Classical to the virtual stage. Taking audiences by storm at festivals around the world, the band’s highly emotive, uplifting sound is a stunning example of the best Scotland’s music scene has to offer.

 Aileen from Kinnaris Quintet said,“What a joy it was to be asked to perform as part of The SAY Award this year! We were so thrilled to have been involved, and it was such a welcome and anticipated performance for us lot who have missed playing music together so much! In recent times it's been a real challenge to stay motivated, given that the music and arts industries have been pushed aside so much. Having had the opportunity to play music again, in front of a small but wonderful crew, filled us with so much happiness and excitement for live music to return, and we're grateful to The SAY Award for giving us that high again. Without the support and enthusiasm of the team behind it all, it would leave music and everyone involved in creating music in a darker place than it currently is. We are dead proud to be a part of it and urge one and all to get behind the award in any way possible!"

 The 2017 SAY Award winners Sacred Pawscomplete the ultimate Live at the Longlist line-up, following the release of their sophomore record ‘Run Around The Sun’ in 2019. Weaving perfect pop melodies with their distinctive style of singing back and forth as if in conversation with each other, culminates in a vibrant, optimistic album from the Glasgow-based duo, making for an extremely special socially distanced performance.

 Sacred Paws said, “Playing live is always such a great release and a source of joy for us - we're not really used to playing for cameras but everyone at The SAY Award made it so much fun that we almost felt like we were at a real gig for a moment! We really hope you enjoy watching as much as we did playing."  

Live at the Longlist will announce which twenty albums make up this year’s Longlist, before being reduced to the Shortlisted ten, with the final winning artist collecting one of the most lucrative prize funds in the UK; a £20,000 cash prize and nine runners up each awarded £1,000. The final award ceremony will take place on Thursday 29th October 2020.

The SAY Award have also announced their commitment to the Keychange pledge in 2020, ensuring the independent judging panel and nominators list set to decide this year’s Longlistand ultimately, the final winner, features a 50:50 gender split for the second year running. Featuring a broad range of influential tastemakers from across the country, the list spans music genres and creative industries, and is an outstanding representation of the Scottish music scene’s diversity and strength. The Scottish Music Industry Association, the team behind The SAY Award, strive to ensure equality and diversity are at the forefront of all they do and their commitment to a 50:50 gender split for the second year running is key to this work.

An integral part of the Scottish music industry, The SAY Award celebrates, promotes and rewards the most outstanding Scottish albums each year. To date, the award has distributed over £232,000 in prize money and championed 160 Longlisted albums across eight previous campaigns.

This year’s Longlist will be decided by 100 impartial nominators, asked to vote for their favourite albums from this year’s Eligible Albums list. With the 2020 campaign seeing a record-breaking 362 Scottish albums submitted, this year’s nominators include a range of journalists, promoters, music retail and live venue staff, festival directors spanning all music genres and styles. This year’s Nominators list will be published on sayaward.com following the announcement of this year’s Longlist.

The 11 judges, chaired by John Williamson, are tasked with listening to the twenty outstanding albums which make up this year’s Longlist to narrow down to a Shortlist of ten. Nine titles will be decided by the esteemed judging panel while the final album will be chosen by music fans in a 72-hour online public vote. At a time of crisis when much of our culture is confined to our borders, for the first time in the award’s history, The SAY Award will feature judges from four selected international territories; building upon and maintaining vital and valued international links for Scottish music.

Returning for its ninth year in 2020, The SAY Award is widely recognised as one of the country’s most reputable and prestigious music initiatives. Coming together to celebrate the passion, value and diversity of Scottish music in 2020, The SAY Award strives to be egalitarian throughout all stages of the campaign, reflected in the fact there is no fee to submit an eligible album for consideration, and digital releases that fulfil the criteria are also deemed eligible. To view the 362 Eligible Albums submitted for consideration this year visit www.sayaward.com.

Developed and produced by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), the 2020 campaign will be delivered in partnership with Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, YouTube Music, 54EP, Sweetdram, Culture & Business Fund Scotland via Arts & Business Scotland, PPL, Summerhall, Ticketmaster and new charity partner Music Declares Emergency.

Previous winners of The SAY Award include Auntie Flo ‘Radio Highlife’ (2019), Young Fathers ‘Cocoa Sugar’ (2018), Sacred Paws ‘Strike A Match’ (2017), Anna Meredith ‘Varmints’ (2016), Kathryn Joseph ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ (2015), Young Fathers ‘Tape Two’ (2014), RM Hubbert ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ (2013) and the inaugural winner Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat ‘Everything’s Getting Older’ (2012).

THE SNUTS GET READY TO ROCK THE TALL SHIP FOR VIRTUAL GIG

THE Snuts will perform at Glasgow’s famed Tall Ship this Friday and they promise to play fan favourites including recent single Elephants. 

We’ve had the privilege of watching The Snuts in their infancy and following two sold-out shows with The Libertines on Saturday, Jack Cochrane and the lads are ready to rock the boat. 

The band recently appeared in Strongbow’s latest advert with a stunning cover of ‘Summer In The City’, and their devoted fans have been working hard to help support the live music industry. 

Singer Jack Cochrane wrote a passionate open letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as part of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign and their passionate fan base showed their adoration for the band by raising over £3300 for their crew who have been left without work via a GoFundMe.

With a sensational rise since the release of live favourite ‘Juan Belmonte’ in 2019 and an adoring fan base, The Snuts have been garnering a massive following in the UK with support from the likes of BBC 6 Music, Radio 1, Radio X, Absolute Radio, NME, Independent, Clash, Notion, Far Out Magazine and Dork Magazine. Their latest single ‘Elephants’ went straight in at number 1 on the iTunes chart and shut down Twitter with their hashtag topping the trending chart. This followed the band’s debut ‘Mixtape EP’, recorded with Inflo (Karen O / Danger Mouse, Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) and Tony Hoffer, reaching number 1 in the Scottish and Vinyl Album charts and number 14 in the UK official charts in March. 

LINE OF DUTY ACTOR MARTÍN COMPSTON HAS GOOD HAIR DAY

LINE Of Duty’s Martin Compston showed off his shaggy hairdo before getting a cut backstage on the set of the award winning show. 
Greenock born actor Martin told fans he was ‘officially back in business’ as he shared a picture of himself in his famous waistcoat and suit on set. 
And after quarantining for two weeks ahead of filming to ensure he followed the health and safety procedure he wasn’t taking any chances with Covid backstage as his hair stylist Cat Coogan wore a mask and shield as well as plastic apron to protect him from any risks. 
As he sat in the barbers chair he joked: “This woman’s surgical with scissors.”
Martin also posted up a picture of himself in police uniform teasing fans: “In The civvies, must be Line of Duty 6.”


The actor has been spending lockdown with his family and recently posted a picture of a damaged bush in his garden after he fell into it during an outdoor dancing session. 
He told fans at the time he’d been dancing to the tunes of local DJ George Bowie when the mishap happened and after  apologising to his wife Tianna Flynn also admitted he hurt his back.
Martin also said that  lockdown was like being an unemployed actor, but said he enjoyed the sober conversations he been having with pals on WhatsApp and time with family after spending March till November away from home last year.