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.

WILLY WONKA STARS OVERCOME COVID CHAOS IN EDINBURGH

Beverley Lyons 
An Edinburgh Willy Wonka production starring viral Oompa Loompa Kirsty Paterson and original Veruca Salt Julie Dawn Cole is back on track - after almost half the cast were hit by covid. 
And now the two global stars have met for the first time after four of the cast were left bed bound at the start of the production run at the Fringe. 
Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody had its premiere at Edinburgh Fringe after US producer Richard Kraft decided to make a musical about the story of Glasgow born Kirsty and the mammoth failure of Glasgow’s Willy Wonka experience.
Actor Julie, who was just 13 when she starred in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, flew in to join Kirsty as narrator of the fun show at the Pleasance King Dome.
However disaster struck when Covid meant the production, which even has scratch and sniff cards,  had to rely on stand ins 
after Kirsty and some of the other actors were unable to perform as a result of catching Covid. 
Julie, now 65, and a grandmother who came out of retirement to join in the fun at the Fringe show explained: “The first one who went down with Covid was Cassie, then Shelley then Kirsty then one of our directors. 
The show relies on singers and without it, if you’ve got Covid you can’t do this show.”
Kirsty added: “Two of our main singers got it and I got it. It was going around but we are all recovered now thank goodness.”
Julie who has taken Kirsty under her wing since initially Zoom calling her from the States said: “I’m teaching her everything I know. I’ve had a very lucky career and to anyone - if a door opens go through it -and hope it’s not a toilet.”
And Kirsty added: “I didn’t think my life would end up like this five months ago so I’m just rolling with it. I get to narrate with Julie Dawn Cole which is amazing. She’s showing me the ropes. I genuinely couldn’t have done this without Julie. She was so great before we met, zooming from Los Angeles.”
Kirsty also said she couldn’t believe she has a variety of actors playing her on stage. 
She laughed: “When Richard asked me to do this I thought I’d get a line or two but when I found it was all based on me with characters called Kirsty Paterson one and Kirsty Paterson two, I thought it was amazing. We are praying it does go to bigger places but we don’t know what is going to happen. It’s been a rollercoaster and I feel like I’m having an out of body experience. There’s so much more to this show. They could make a film out of this too.”
Julie added: “Richard is a persuasive man. I thought ‘This will be easy. I’ll be reading off cue cards and going to see other shows at the Fringe but I do a bit more than that. I’ve had an absolute ball doing it. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done with my life since Willy Wonka,  seeing everybody smile and being part of this and the joy, the music is wonderful, the buzz. Who knows what happens next? There’s no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going.”

SHEENA EASTON FEELS WELCOME IN SCOTLAND

SHEENA Easton had revealed she feels welcome in Scotland despite being booed at a Glasgow festival three decades ago.
The Morning Train (9to 5) singer vowed to never perform in Scotland again after being pelted with bottles, some containing urine when she sang at Glasgow’s Big Day in 1990.
However, Sheena, who was spotted on a chocolate shop in Durness with two female friends just this week now appears to be more comfortable with her homeland. 
She explained: “Well, I haven't performed back in Scotland for a long time, but I was just back in the West End in London doing 42nd Street for the entirety of 2017. That wasn't that long ago. And I had tons of people coming from all over and lots of people from Scotland coming down on the train to London to see the show.
So I felt like I was welcomed back home to work. People were very kind to me and that meant a lot to me.”
The singer, who still remains sprightly at the age of 65, admitted the run of shows in London’s West end was exhausting and that it took her a while to recover. 
She said: “ The first role that I did on Broadway was Man of La Mancha with Ralph Julia. And then I did Greece. And then actually for all of 2017, I was over in London and I was in the West End doing 42nd Street.
She admitted: “I have to say, doing eight shows a week and the rigor of that is probably the hardest thing that I've ever done. And I have a great deal of admiration for people that go out there and do that year after year after year, because I don't know how they have the energy to do it.
A year of that at a time and I was wasted. I was tired. I had to take like a few months off after every time I did that, just because it absorbs your entire life and your entire being.” 
Sheena who has had success with a whole host of songs over the years including 
She Says she is now very much at one with herself and said: “My life is well balanced with having a good home life and then still out there working all the time, seeing the fans, doing the shows. And we get to go all over. I mean, we've been, this year we were in Switzerland doing a show, we were out in the Caribbean doing a show, we were up in Canada, we've been to different states all over.
So yeah, we get to see fans from all across the globe and it's wonderful because, you know, I haven't recorded in a long time, so the fans coming to see the shows, they know they're coming to see those legacy hits and they keep supporting me and they keep giving me a reason to go out and do gigs and I'm forever grateful for that.”
Looking. back Sheena says she owes it all to the documentary she starred in when she was at drama school. 
She said: “ I'll be honest, I didn't have to struggle. I mean, I was lucky that when I was at drama school, I get the chance to do this documentary.I guess nowadays they call it a reality show. But back then, reality shows didn't exist. And reality shows now are kind of scripted and set up.
There's not a lot of real about reality. This was real. This was six different documentaries.
And when I did that and it was shown on British television, my music got attention because I had television exposure and I was lucky that I had hits early on. So I won't claim that I had a long struggle. But I will say that yes, my dreams have come true.
I got to do everything that I wanted to do and again and again. So I have no complaints. I have had a great life and music has brought so much to me and so many wonderful people into my world.So yeah, I really feel blessed.”
These days she’s keen to have other artists cover her songs and laughs: “ Lover on me
You know, I think that would translate as a country song. I think it's something that, you know, some of these young artists out there should check out this old lady's portfolio and gassy them up. Well, gassy them up, give them a new treatment and get them out there
She also says she knew pretty early on that not everyone in her audience would be appreciative of her talents. 
She said: a”I decided that pretty soon I would audition for my first gig and went on from there. I think I didn't let it faze me because I knew that I would get a lot of people telling me, yeah, you've got no talent, you can't sing. You just know it's gonna happen.
Not everyone's gonna like you. I don't like everyone that I hear. I don't care how successful they are.”
Sheena who also has worn a variety of sparkling and revealing stage outfits in her time also admits that not everyone was appreciative of her style. 
Now a self confessed ‘Fao girl’ who is not a dresser upper,l and no binder gets fancy. she recalls the Royal verity performance  “.I felt like I was a sort of dress up doll. And I think that when you step up on stage, you have to be a slightly different character anyway. And so when you dress up in all these crazy outfits and all the crazy hairstyles, it's like a little kid again. So it was fun then. It was fun for the young me, but the old tired me, I'm like, uh-uh.
“I got in trouble, though, doing that. Did you hear about that?
I got in trouble because I was wearing a sassy little outfit with long black leather gloves. And apparently, that was not the thing to wear when you were meeting the royal family. And back then, that kind of thing counted.
So I got told off by some people in the media that I wasn't appropriately dressed. So there you go.
She still has a mountain of stories form her times with Prince. Jenny Rodger’s and bring a bond Girl singing the theme for your eyes only, but says she has no interest in writing a memoir. She added: “Not at all.No, I'm private. You know, that's why I don't do social media and document every thought that I have on a daily basis. No, no, I really, really value my privacy.”

ELAINE C SMITH WON’T PUT HER DAUGHTER ON STAGE

ELAINE C Smith says she will never put her comedian daughter Hannah Morton on stage with her at The Kings Theatre unless someone else has auditioned her for the part. 

The Two Doors Down actress and much loved Scots comedian will this year play the Kings Theatre as part of the Glasgow International festival which celebrates its 21st birthday with over 500 acts this March while her daughter Hannah,30, also performs her self penned Sad Girls Club appearing at Strathclyde Union. 

And Elaine, now 65, has always tried to ensure that Hannah is not a nepo baby.

She said: “I've said to her, there will never be a time that I will put you on the stage of the Kings with me unless someone else has auditioned you and thinks you're right for the part. 

“I can't do that to her. I remember it happened to Sophia Coppola in The Godfather Three and Francis Ford Coppola put her in and apparently Al Pacino who had known her since she was a baby always said ‘Don't do this. She's not ready’. It exposed her to the worst criticism and it was awful.

She added: “Not that she wasn’t talented, but she had to plough her own furrow and I think that's really important. I'll always encourage Hannah and always say ‘Yeah, I think that you should do that, but there's no ‘Oh, here's my daughter. She should be in this.’

Elaine said she made sure Hannah experienced the unglamorous side of the business before embarking her her comedy career.

She said: “She  didn't have rose tinted specs, thinking ‘I'm going to be an overnight success like you’. She saw the graft and it was really important to me. 

“The first job she took was a schools tour of Highland and Island schools where you built the set, travelled in a bus and stayed in rotten digs and all of that. I thought ‘If she survives this, then she does want to do it. She realises it's not glamorous. I started out doing that. I also did say to her ‘Write what you want to do’. Don't sit around waiting for a guy to come along going ‘Yes, you are brilliant’.”

Elaine herself says it has been a hard journey to become the well kent face she is today. 

She said: “It's been a hard climb, a hard journey and I took lots of risks, setting up my own company and everything like that. So it has not been easy as a woman in this city in the over the last 40 years of doing this. As soon as you get to a part in the climb up the mountain and sit there and just survey the view, you think, wow, I've come a long way.”

Talents at this years fest which runs from March 13-34 include viral sensation Zara Gladman (west end mum), Mark Nelson Susie McCabe, Frankie Boyle, Some Laugh Live and Old Firm Facts Live,  alongside Frank Skinner, Reginald D Hunter and Caroline Rhea. 

More at www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com 

SCOTTISH INFLUENCER AWARDS RETURN TO AWARD TALENT AT RADISSON RED IN MARCH

THE Scottish Influencer Awards return for a second time to recognise Scotland’s stars of social media. 

And this year presenter and broadcaster Danni Menzies will host the event on Sunday March 3 at the city’s Radisson RED Glasgow, with the country’s top influencers – individuals or collectives – honoured for their endeavours in the digital world.

The inaugural Awards, in October 2022, which theshowbizlion.com was honoured to witness in the flesh, saw 75 of the country’s most successful and influential social media talents shortlisted across 15 prestigious categories, and reaching an audience of 60 million+ in the process.

Aiming to recognise inspirational, distinct and original storytelling, the Scottish Influencer Awards highlights the positive contribution many influencers are making. 

In 2022 this was reflected in the breadth and oozing-with-quality shortlisted talent and winners. 

From entertainment reporter Laura Boyd (@lauraanneboyd) whose journey through cancer, surrogacy, charity campaigning and celebrity saw her named Scotland’s overall Influencer of the Year, to Emily Shak (@emilyshak) whose 1.7 million style-hungry followers accelerated her to Superinfluencer status. 

The refreshingly inclusive roll call of winners also included eco-warrior Laura Young (@lesswastelaura) who was recognised for her Inspiration in using the power of social to help save the environment, Jack Jamieson (@scottishmixology) whose tips for home imbibing won him Drinks Influencer of the Year, Rona McMillan (@ronamcmillan) whose dreamy nature and active outdoors-led content saw her named Health & Wellbeing Influencer of the Year, to Graeme Johncock and Molly The Lab (@scotlands_stories) whose exceptional social feed of Scottish tales and legends saw him honoured by VisitScotland: Year of Stories.

Now, with the 2024 ceremony announced, camera phone flashbulbs are set to pop as 500 guests walk the red carpet to a dramatic digital photo wall at Radisson RED Glasgow; a truly insta-worthy arrival. 

A drinks reception, presented in celebration with Rock Angel, will follow thereafter along with The Laings Lunch; a sparkling affair toasting this year’s trusted influencer voices and trendsetters.

Fifteen award categories, supported by a raft of prestigious partners and assessed by a panel of illustrious judges, will once again be presented across the afternoon, spanning Food, Drink, Health & Wellbeing, Family and Lifestyle, as well as Travel, Interiors & Design, Arts & Culture, Style, Beauty and Visual.

Special recognition will be made to those influencers who define Inspiration and whose social endeavours are underpinned with a positive contribution to diversity, equality, and/or inclusivity.

One individual or enterprise will be named overall Influencer of the Year 2024.

Each winner will receive a highly covetable and 100% sustainable art-collectable sculpture by renowned Argyll design innovators Midton, plus a magnum of Rock Angel.

To be eligible as a potential nominee, Scottish-born or Scottish-based influencers must have shared compelling, informative, original and creative content in 2023 across one or more of the award categories. 

All forms of social mediums including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, podcasts or other innovative and publicly accessible digital platforms will be considered. Influencers may nominate themselves or invite others to do so on their behalf through the entry form found on the official website: www.scottishinfluencerawards.com. There is no fee to nominate.

The Radisson RED Glasgow will also have a hot-ticket Rock Angel Official After Party the same night with Special Guest Billy Woods of Supermax - a sizzling kaleidoscopic soundtrack from past, present and future.

Tickets are on sale now to the Scottish Influencer Awards 2024 at £45 per person and include red carpet arrivals, Rock Angel reception, awards ceremony with Danni Menzies and Rock Angel Official After Party with Supermax. Available via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-influencer-awards-2024-tickets-802548794047

Mary McGowne, Founder, Scottish Influencer Awards said: ““Delighted to announce the return of the Scottish Influencer Awards in Glasgow, in celebration with a host of prestigious partners, and following the success of our inaugural year. The Awards recognise the best of Scotland’s social media community, and the positive contribution so many are making towards the country’s image and appeal at home and internationally.

“Nominees will once again be trusted voices; independent and passionate arbiters of good taste in their respective fields with the power to propel messaging to their highly engaged followers. These stars of social play an important role in bringing stories and campaigns to life, and we are pleased to be shining a spotlight on the best of Scotland’s influencer talents. It promises to be another memorable afternoon.”

Danni Menzies, Host, Scottish Influencer Awards added: “I am delighted, thrilled, to be coming home to host the Scottish Influencer Awards.

“It is an incredible celebration of the country’s most influential stars of social and an unforgettable occasion.

“It will be a pleasure to toast Scotland’s wealth of outstanding digital talent and I can’t wait to see everyone in March.

SIX BY NICO MERCHANT CITY GLASGOW HAS ARRIVED

SIX By Nico have opened their new flagship restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant City - and they launched with a Mad Hatters Tea Party. 

Theshowbizlion.com has watched the ascent of Six Company, the Glasgow-based company behind the Six by Nico restaurants, since thry began their incredible journey in 2017. 

 

Now, having  opened fifteen sites throughout the UK and Ireland in the same time frame, the brand is moving into a new phase with a new look Six by Nico restaurant in its hometown of Glasgow. 

The new Six by Nico Merchant City on Albion Street will provide the experience guests all know and love in elegant surroundings that compliment all aspects of their product.

 

An earthy and inviting interior  is inspired by the number SIX, and designers Studio Two developed ideas for Six by Nico by using the six-legged dragonfly as its muse, honing in on characteristics of the insect's body form, colour, and natural habitat.

 As Six by Nico continues to develop the brand across multiple venues, restaurant sites will gain a harmonious design style whilst maintaining individuality inspired by locational concepts.

Since St Andrew's Square, Saltmarket, and Trongate are all part of the neighbourhood known as Merchant City with its rich history around trading goods such as tobacco, sugar and salt, designers opted for an earthy, rich colour palette inspired by the tobacco leaf.

Authentic timber panelling is influenced by mahogany cigar cases, fixed seating is upholstered in antiqued leathers reminiscent of opulent home lounges and joinery pieces are embellished with antiqued brass hardware. Furniture pieces are complimented by plush patterned fabrics like those seen in the wealthy merchants homes.

 

Studio Two said, "We're excited to be working on such dynamic schemes with a strong creative brand who continue to push boundaries within their sector".

 

Every six weeks, Chef Nico and his team completely reinvent their food offering, serving a brand new six-course tasting menu, each one themed around a different location, memory, or idea. 

The menus combine different ingredients, flavours, and dishes to create a brand-new dining experience, drawing inspiration from both home and abroad. Every six weeks, foodies in Glasgow will be treated to a completely new six-course menu at the new Merchant City location, with the first concept theme based on The Mad Hatter's Tea Party. 

 

Six Company Chief Executive and founder Nico Simeone said, “Our team is driven daily by the challenge to constantly create and reinvent. We are dedicated to being different, never resting on our laurels, and continuously striving to create the best customer experiences. Marking our six-year journey with such a significant evolution of experiences in our home town and reaffirming our commitments to the city seems like the best way to celebrate the next stage in our company vision.“

Since launching their first restaurant in 2017 in their hometown of Glasgow, Six by Nico has served over 350,000 customers across the city's locations in Finnieston, Byres Road and Glasgow Southside and a staggering 2 million dishes. 

The Six by Nico brand has created 49 tasting menus since the conceptual brands launch in Glasgow and raised over £700,000 in two years for the groups charity partner Beatson Cancer Charity. Since the partnership's inception less than two years ago, the restaurant group and their customers have raised funds across their fifteen Six by Nico locations in England, Scotland, and Ireland as well as 100% of the proceeds from the Beat 6 restaurant in Glasgow Bearsden going directly to Beatson Cancer Charity. 

 

For further details on Six by Nico Merchant City and to book now for The Mad Hatter's Tea Party please visit https://www.sixbynico.co.uk/glasgow

 

Please view The Mad Hatters Tea Party menu here

 

Address: Six by Nico Merchant City,  84-86 Albion St, Glasgow G1 1NY |www.sixbynico.co.uk

 

GLASGOW’S MADRAS CAFE HAS MORE AWARDS THAN TABLES

GLASGOW’S Madras cafe has snapped up another gong as 2023 South Indian Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Asian food awards - and they now have more awards than tables. 
The eateries latest trophy makes it the most awarded Indian restaurant in Glasgow as it adds to its collection of glass and silverware - including Trip Advisor Best Indian restaurant in Glasgow.
In fact, the restaurant in the city’s Howard Street now boasts so many awards it has more trophies than its 16 tables that seat 50 diners.  
Owners Altaf Hossain, chef Shabu Natarajan and JD Tewari have worked tirelessly for the last three years to build a solid foundation and they can’t wait to give back more to the community this year. 
Altaf said: “I think we’ve become the most awarded Indian restaurant in Glasgow. We have won twenty awards in total with eleven being presented to us in just the last year. 
“Winning the prestigious award that honours our south Indian dishes is truly a moment of triumph for all of us at Madras Cafe and I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to each member of our extraordinary team. 
Dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to delivering the best culinary experience have undoubtedly played a pivotal role in achieving this accolade.
To our chefs, who craft each dish with precision and love, thank you for elevating our culinary offerings to new heights. Our head chef Shabu’s creativity and skill shine through in every bite. 
Our front-of-house staff ensure that every guest feels welcomed and cherished.
I think this recognition will inspire us to continue striving for excellence, innovation, and the highest standards of hospitality. To our guests, Thank you for being the driving force behind our success, and here's to many more accolades in the future.”
Dishes like the golden crisp Masala Dosa and Chicken Chettinad with its coconut herbs and spices are two South Indian dishes which have proved popular with regular and new diners including celebrities like Liverpool and Scotland player Andy Robertson and top Masterchef contender Sagar Massey.
Altaf and his team now want to give back to Glasgow and say: “We hope to do even better in 2024 in our service and offering new dishes to our guests. We would also like to do more charitable work, and more engagements in the community.”
To celebrate their win, Madras Cafe is offering 20 per cent off its food menu throughout January.