Beverley Lyons ARIANA Grande was caught up in drama along with Billy Connolly after the fire alarm sounded at her Scots hotel. The US singer was staying at the stylish Blythswood hotel in Glasgow when the fire alarm sounded earlier today and she ended up being forced to evacuate her penthouse. Ariana, who was staying with her two dogs at the hotel inside the two and a half thousand pound suite, was less than enamoured after the alarm sounded. She later posted an Instagram video of her putting her middle finger up to the alarm on her ceiling as it flashed and sounded its noisy siren. Ariana asked the question ‘Why’ as it appeared to wake her up just after ten thirty am. Pitbull cross Myron and beagle chihuahua cross Toulouse even got their own room at the £2,500-a-night penthouse suite at the Blythswood where she was staying — which comes complete with a sunken-bath Jacuzzi, sauna and roof garden. The pop princess who was using the back entrance of the hotel was not the only star staying at the city centre hotel when the incident happened. Sir Billy Connolly was also staying in one of the suites and was forced to come down from his room. One hotel guest Dr Martin Valentine wrote on Twitter: ”Meeting abandoned temporarily as fire alarm has gone off and the Blythswood hotel is emptied. On the plus side the Big Yin is here too check out his groovy shoes.” Another hotel guest Deborah Maclachlan Dougall told the showbizlion.com The disturbance only lasted around ten minutes. She laughed: “Everyone in the spa had to evacuate as well as the hotel guests. It was quite funny seeing Billy Connolly out with the rest of us. Only us would be standing wrapped up in just our robes and towels with Billy Connolly walking past us.”
SHE was going to Walk on By, but Dionne Warwick stopped in her tracks as she was serenaded by a group of teenagers outside her Scots hotel. The singing legend had performed at Glasgow’s Armadillo and was making her way back into the Blythswood hotel when she was treated to the impromptu performance. Three young members of five piece Scots pop band G Side had wanted to meet her so decided to give her a rendition of her famous hit Heartbreaker in a bid of grab her attention - and it worked. Dionne who was with her granddaughter at the gig listened intently to the singing trio before thanking them with a bow of the head and stepping inside the door. Her granddaughter told me afterwards: “That was awesome.” Earlier in the day Dionne had become emotional when she was shown pictures of Whitney Houston by one of her Scots fans.
Steven Gerrard had his big week in Glasgow for the first day at Rangers but no one knows (until now) that he visited the cinema in the city centre the very same day. The new Ibrox team manager popped into the Blythswood hotel just a few hours after his first day on the job to watch a film with seven other official looking pals in the hotel’s private cinema room. It has Harris Tweed chairs and is a cosy place which fits forty at a cost of just under a thousand pounds. The room was booked under Box To Box which is Steven’s nickname but I’m still not sure if he watched the latest Disney movie, Power Rangers or a Rangers induction video now that he’s a new member of the club. Maryhill fan Kenzie Smeaton, 12, got to meet him when he was outside with his dad Mark and was probably the first Glaswegian to do so.
Sometimes I just bump into celebs... The surprise meeting of the week was with Gilbert O Sullivan who was dining at the Crowne Plaza while I was waiting for Johnny Depp. Clair singer Gilbert, 71, was in Glasgow to appear on BBC’s The Quay Sessions and had just been interviewed by Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross across the road at BBC HQ. He told me he had family ties in Scotland. He said: “My daughter is married to a Scotsman who is from Glasgow so we come up here.” Gilbert is celebrating five decades in the music business and he says he listens to artists like Jay Z and Paloma Faith just to keep on top of current trends. He wasn’t however heading over to see Johnny Depp, preferring to have a quiet night with the family.
THE Mitchell Library played an important role after the Glasgow Art School Fire. It. was with great sadness that I reported live from the fire at The Art School. My Facebook livestream ended up being shared around the world as people showed their love for the beautiful building that has become such an important part of Scotland’s streetscape. Charles Rennie Mackintosh remains as relevant today as he did 150 years ago. The scenes on the street were chaotic as revellers tumbled out of clubs only to be met with the blazing scene. Some screamed in shock while others remained silent and open mouthed. I spoke to a few residents who couldn’t get into their homes due to the blaze. They were directed to the Mitchell Library where officials met them to help them get alternative accommodation for the night. I also spoke to Arun Day who was DJing at Campus and had to tell people to evacuate the building. He had to abandon his car, wallet and belongings in the frenzy. As we watched the fire take hold, small explosions could be heard. He claimed they were due to air cannisters exploding in neighbouring entertainment venues.
I tried out the new seasonal menu at Vapiano Glasgow and found out the Celtic lads had beaten me to it. Dembele and N’tcham are regulars at the Buchanan Street restaurant where you can order single, double and triple portions of your meal. You watch as they prepare your food and you can decide how much salt, sauce and pasta you get- perfect for the diet conscious footballer. I on the other hand just stuffed my face. Some of the new dishes include Risotto Vegetalia with white and green asparagus - probably a favourite of the hoops lads.
STOOSHE didn’t let a bit of rain cramp their style when they played the outdoor stage at Edinburgh Pride. The Black Heart and Waterfall hitmakers are doing a tour of Pride shows around the U.K. and just returned from Ibiza. Contrary to some rumours they said they’ve no intention of splitting up. They just like to pursue individual projects in between. The girls said a quick hello to Lloyd Daniels who was also floating about backstage with Edinburgh’s own Caitlyn Vanbeck and Glasgow’s GSide.
FORMER X factor singer Lloyd Daniels claims that Glasgow is like a second home to him. Lloyd is currently in the middle of rehearsals for Closets - a time travel LGBT drama about two boys on different time zones. He says he’s keen to set up a big band so he can return to Scotland with a full music show. The Welsh lad is keen to avoid other reality shows for the time being but says he’s always had a soft spot for his Scots fans. He told me: “Glasgow has - family feel to it. It’s like Wales - it feels like home.”
Katie Price might have enjoyed a weekend of healthy fitness fun with her new beau Kris Boyson, but she because the subject of a cheeky meme online. Katie was staying at Gleddoch House and popped into Club 29 and Coast restaurant in Langbank while she was here. She was still here on Fathers Day as she met another girl called Jordan at the airport. Unfortunately some cheeky internet creatives decided to put up their own imagined depiction of Katie Price’s Father’s Day celebrations - with photos of her huge family of exes online.... Wonder if our Loose Woman favourite saw the funny side.
