SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH STAR RETURNS TO EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

SABRINA the Teenage Witch star Aunt Hilda herself is headed to Edinburgh for the famous Fringe festival. 

 Canadian actress and stand-up comedian Caroline Rhea who has attended the fest in previous years has announces a brand new Fringe show at Gilded Balloon - 'I Identify As A Witch'.

 Best known for hit roles which also include  Phineas and Ferb, Caroline will perform a limited run from 15th - 18th August, at Gilded Balloon Teviot from 8.45pm with a show filled with comedy, improv and star-studded Hollywood tales. 

With 5 star reviews the last time Caroline played the Festival in 2013, the Hollywood star's four night run is sure to be unmissable, especially for fans of cult classic Sabrina the Teenage Witch where she made her name as Aunt Hilda for seven years or as Linda Flynn Fletcher on Phineas and Ferb for over 10 seasons. 

The stand-up comedian has also had numerous comedy specials on Comedy Central, HBO and Showtime, marking 30 years as a comic. 

Caroline Rhea said, "Hi, it’s me, Caroline Rhea. I’m thrilled to return to Scotland, my part-time childhood home, and not just because it’s the only place you can get tablet and no salad. 

Yes, you know me as Aunt Hilda on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and I’ve been a standup comedian for 34 years. I’m here to do my new show, “I Identify as a Witch” because at this point I seriously do, so does my 14 year old daughter. My new show covers everything from parenting a teenager to dating (it’s super fun at this age), outrageous stories of life in Hollywood like when I met Taylor Swift, and a lot of improv."

Don't miss Caroline Rhea : I Identify As A Witch at Gilded Balloon Teviot, 15th - 18th August from 8.45pm. 

Tickets via tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5014/

COMEDIAN CRAIG FERGUSON WAS SACKED BY MICK JAGGER

FORMER chat show king Craig Ferguson is using his new found Scots solitude to write a book - but hope it goes better than last time he put pen to paper.
The former Late Late Show host has revealed Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger previously asked him to pen a movie script.
But the snake-hipped front man sacked Fergie when the doc failed to come up to scratch.
Craig who will be doing his Hobo Fabulous comedy gig at The Gilded Balloon for the Edinburgh Festival this August 11 now lives in a two million pond mansion in rural Ayrshire with his wife Megan Wallace Cunningham and two children Milo, 18 and Liam, 8.
He revealed he’s in the midst of writing another book, a follow up to his just published memoir Riding The Elephant - and he’ll be hoping that it has bigger success than his work  for Mick.
He said: ”I worked for a little while with Mick Jagger.  I was on tour with him for a couple of months. We talked a lot about the screenplay he wanted me to write for him. It was an idea he had about a rockstar and roadie and they swap places. Basically it was the Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. They exchange places. It was Mick Jagger. What was I going to go - ‘F off mate’?
Mick was introduced to Craig in 1998 during the Bridges to Babylon Tour before one of his other screenplays Saving Grace won at Sundance  festival.
He said: ”They fly me to Istanbul and I go and see Mick Jagger and I was so excited to meet him and they open the door of my suite and the first time I see him he’s a tiny little guy. I don’t know why I said it but I said oh you’re adorable. I was like, ‘Why did I say that?”
He added: “He’s a very smart guy, he’s self aware and an intelligent human being. I was nervous. I couldn’t get out my head about the  story of the candy bar and Marianne Faithful’s vagina. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask. I think it’s made up by editors of Rockstar biographies. She was very beautiful. Firstly it’s Marianne Faithful and then a candy bar - it’s a waste of both things.”
Unfortunately Craig’s time with the star failed to make the grade when he was firedz
He recalled: “I wrote the screen play, wrote two drafts of it and he was like ‘No, I don’t like it’ and then I got fired. He fired me but he was nice about it. He got his assistant to do it so it was cool. There was no awkward moment between us. You can’t get angry. It’s Mick Jagger.”
Craig has been settling into life back in Scotland by building a fish pond and he saga he’s happy to be away from the corporate suits of The Late Late Show.
He said of the job: “I think being a late night host was like becoming a  realtor - I didn’t aspire to it. I liked it and was proud of the show and changed the game a bit but they put you on a park bench. There is a certain amount of corporate hypocrisy that comes with it. It’s very male. You pretend to be Johnny Carson or David Letterman. I don’t know why you’d pretend to be it unless someone is paying you. It’s an acting job. I guess I pretended a bit. I really wanted the gig and I was excited by the idea it was so lifechanging.
“For the first couple of years it was great and very slowly  and like Chinese water torture it starts to make you crazy.”

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️