YO! SUSHI GETS EVEN MORE AUTHENTIC WITH MENU AT NEWCASTLE LAUNCH

YO! Sushi has launched a brand new menu along with flagship stores in Sydney, Paris, Boston, New York, London and the rest of the UK.
The 100-dish Taste Of Tokyo menu boasts authentic dishes and brings the restaurant chain bang up to date with all things cool Japan.
As a big lover of sushi and YO!'s conveyer (kaiten) belt which tempts diners by showing them endless streams of appetising grub, (veteran telly fans think edible Generation Game) the Showbiz Lion was thrilled to be invited down to the new Flagship store in Newcastle.
Of course we're regulars at the Edinburgh Harvey Nicks store as well as the Buchanan Street and Silverburn stores in Glasgow but it's always nice to travel, especially to Geordie Shore land.
The store there boasts a flagship 69-cover restaurant on Grainger Street in the heart of the city, and the opening party was something else.
Walking in, it felt like we'd just landed in Tokyo.
Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku
Lovers could have been at the next table while K Poppers SuJu and bands like Baby Metal might have been in the booth opposite.



The interior takes inspiration from the city’s unmistakable street culture and creative energy and features a slogan wall which runs the full length of the restaurant, capturing the essence of life in this unique, fast moving, neon metropolis.



The food wasn't just raw fish - and our party got tucked into beef and numerous deep fried chicken wings as well as salmon, edemame beans and dumplings. Oh and there were cocktails and authentic Japanese beer too.
The opening party boasted a visit from Miss Newcastle herself as well as a DJ set from Let There Be House master of the decks Glen Horsborough.


Founded in 1997, six million guests now dine in YO! Sushi every year, and the numbers are set to increase.
We Gaijins (Japanese word for foreigners) were made to feel right at home and with a 'Wey Aye Man' here and there we soon got the party started.


Highlights on the new TASTE OF TOKYO menu include:


Okonomiyaki - Hot on the food scene in Tokyo, Okonomiyaki is a popular street food consisting of batter and cabbage served with a variety of toppings. Okonomiyaki translated into English means "As- you-like-it Pancake". Full of flavour, YO! Sushi’s Okonomiyaki is topped with mayo, katsu sauce, spring onion, aonori, beni shoga & katsuoboshi.


Chazuke - A traditional Japanese rice dish made with green tea, Chazuke has been served in Tokyo for centuries. It is the simplest of pleasures and is now available for the first time at YO! Sushi where it is served with nori, sesame paste, salmon & sea bass, oba leaf, yuzu koshu furikake seasoning & umami dashi.


Ginza Roll – As exclusive as the district it’s named after in Tokyo – this new roll contains fresh salmon, cream cheese, cucumber and arenkha caviar. Finished by rolling in crispy shallots and drizzled with teriyaki, sriracha & Japanese mayo.


Buta No Kakuni - A Tokyo classic! Always the first thing our group executive chef orders in a restaurant, try this slow braised pork belly and daikon in a sweet soy sauce with rice.



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

CLARE GROGAN BANNED FROM DANCING

ALTERED IMAGES and Gregory's Girl star Clare Grogan claims she has been asked not to dance by her daughter.
The singer laughed: "I was at my daughters school disco the other week and got asked to leave the dance floor for embarrassing mum dancing. I don't go clubbing much and rarely get the chance to do it. My poor daughter couldn't take it any more, genuinely."
Clare who rose to musical fame with hits like Happy Birthday sings jazz in her new film which is being promoted at Cannes.
The Scots talent, who is attending The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice lunch in Glasgow's Hilton hotel tomorrow, features in Delirium with Timothy West and plays the jazz musician wife of a composer.
She said: "I play a singer in it although I don't sing very much on screen. I'm singing a song written for me. I really love the opportunity to unravel and it wasn't too much of a challenge. I'm quite good at unravelling. It's quite nice to do meaty full on drama. There's a full orchestra with an amazing choir and world renowned cello players."
Clare might have starred in the art house flick with Timothy West but says they never got a chance to act together. She said: "We don't have a scene together. If we had a chance to be in a film together it would have been great. He has such an amazing body of work and it's very hard not to have respect for that."
Clare, who lives in London, can't wait to come back to Scotland tomorrow.
She said: "I'm coming up for a lovely event for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice trust. Karen Dunbar said I have to go and she'll be there too. It's just a such an amazing service they provide. Who wouldn't want to support it. Anyone who has been through watching a loved one's illness will understand how important it is to have the right support."


- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

SLOW DANCE OR NETFLIX AND CHILL?

A Scots nightclub is bringing back the slow dance in a bid to return romance to the clubbing scene.
Club Tropicana And Vogue which opens in Glasgow this Saturday promises punters the ultimate night of nostalgia in it's two separate 80's and 90's music rooms - and it's owner is keen to combat Tinder and Grindr and encourage people to socialise properly.
The venue in the city's Renfield Street joins others in the company in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh and owner Tony Cochrane reckons its the perfect antidote to life online and 'Netflix and Chill'.
He said: "We're bringing back the slow dance at the end of the night so people can get up close with one another. With the advent of online dating and apps like Tinder and Grindr so many people meet their partners online now that they've forgotten what its like to smooch."
"We're hoping to revive the age old question 'Are you dancing? 'Are you asking?'
As well as the slow dance which used to be known in certain circles as 'the erection section', Tony plans to attract a younger crowd who appreciate all things 90s like Trainspotting and Raves which used to pop up all over the country.
Tony said: "The music was awesome too with Girl Power for the Spice Girls, Brit pop with the Oasis vs Blur battles, dance tunes from TTF, Robin S and Faithless."
He's also hoping to get a visit from some of the original 80s kids who will appreciate Club Tropicana and the decade of excess.
Tony said: "Can you remember who shot JR, or getting busy with the fizzy Soda Stream?The music was amazing with everything from ABC to ZZ Top. Re live the good old days with the tunes you can dance to as well as sing a long too. If you cant sing it we don’t play it. Its about the best fun you can have with your clothes on!"

tropicanavogueglasgow.com



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

NO DOWNTON ABBEY VOICES AS STILL GAME RETURNS TO NETWORK

Beverley Lyons
STILL Game is finally returning to our screens after a nine year gap and although Isa will now be using Google and the show will now be networked Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill reckon the series will remain the same.
It's the news we've all been waiting for as BBC Scotland’s iconic comedy series returns to BBC One this year with a new six-parter starring all the original cast.
The new series will film from July 4 at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton Studios in a purpose built set – the first time the comedy has filmed there – and will air on BBC One later in 2016.
Ford told the showbizlion: "Time has moved on but Jack and Victor's age hasn't. We're hoping to get back and that the audience are as comfy as they are when we left, like pulling on an old pair of slippers or going into a warm bath.
"Greg said: "It's the longest that we've probably ever spent on one series of Still Game. We started writing scripts in November and are filming in July so we wanted to get it exactly right. It's as if no time has passed from 2007 till now. "
"I don't know about it being funnier than ever really, but we are happy with the scripts. We worked harder on them than before. We were on a treadmill before and have had a lot of time to polish these scripts and get it right for newer audience and keep the chore audience happy."
Ford and Greg will reunite to play pensioners Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade for the sitcom which last aired on BBC One in 2007. The new series will also see the return of Still Game favourites Jane McCarry as Isa, Sanjeev Kohli as Navid, Gavin Mitchell as Bobby, Paul Riley as Winston and Mark Cox as Tam.
The series will now be networked but Ford and Greg claim they're not about to get posher or use subtitles so others can understand their Glasgow accents.
Ford said: "We're not going to start talking like Downton Abbey."
Greg added: "The show is what it is. We've been at great pains to look after our core audience. We've tried to expand it as well."
Ford joked: "There are lines like (in posh accent) 'I'm just nipping down to Navids for some totties' but we are trying to keep it down to a minimum. We couldn't possibly do it. They asked us to do the network for what is is not what it might become."
The two Scots talents can't wait to get their make up on to play their older counterparts but they admit they need less slap than when they first started.
Greg said: You can step back into the characters but we need less make up now."
Ford laughed: "When we started doing the characters at the Edinburgh festival we took two hours to get our make up on and when we did the Hydro it was forty minutes.
Greg added: "It's unique in that sense that we can park it and return.
We don't want to leave it for another nine years again. We love it and the rest of cast and Audience who watch it love it too. Hopefully they are back for good.
Ford joked: "It's always difficult to tell the mortgage people you've taken nine years off. I'm probably the only person whose used PPI."
The lads also claim the series will be updates slightly to fit in with modern times.
Greg said: "Time has moved on and the world turn and we will turn and there are contemporary issues like demolition and the changing face of the community. Isa has the internet and was Google before Google existed. There will be nods to those kind of things because we live in the present day.
Ford chipped in: "You could make a Scottish search engine and call it Isa."
He added: “We’re super happy to come back with the show - we had no idea how much it had been missed until we played the Hydro! Myself and Greg are really excited about getting the gang together again and we are putting our all in to make our fantastic audience feel like we’ve never been away.”
Greg Smiled: "We are thrilled to be given this opportunity, with the full support of the BBC Network, to don the bunnets once more! On behalf of all the cast, I'd like to thank Still Game fans for keeping the show alive after all these years. We'll save a seat for you in the Clansman."
The new series of Still Game will be a BBC in-house production and was commissioned by Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning. Shane welcomes a Still Game reunion. He said: “A comedy phenomenon, Still Game’s return is much-anticipated as we, once again, meet up with Jack, Victor and their friends. The new series revisits one of the most iconic comedies of its time, a show which holds a very special place in the hearts of our audience. Ford and Greg are an exceptionally talented writing partnership and we’re looking forward to catching up with Jack and Victor after all these years.”
Ewan Angus, BBC Scotland’s Commissioning Editor, TV and Still Game executive producer added: “It’ll be fantastic to see Ford, Greg and the rest of the gang getting up to more comedy capers in Craiglang. Our audiences love Still Game. Whenever we show past episodes we are guaranteed big audiences and I know this new series will again delight Still Game’s legions of fans.”
The new six-part series will be executive produced by Ewan Angus, BBC Scotland and Steven Canny, BBC Comedy. It will be directed by long-time Still Game collaborator Michael Hines and produced by Jacqueline Sinclair.
Following a mammoth 21-night run of live shows at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena in 2015, audiences have been waiting in anticipation for Still Game to make its TV return.
The original run of the sitcom, which stars Kiernan and Hemphill as evergreen Glaswegian pensioners Jack and Victor, aired for six series between 2002 and 2007, transferring from BBC Scotland to BBC Two. The new series of Still Game will air on BBC One network when it returns later this year.



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

JUSTIN SAYS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AHEAD OF SCOTS GIGS

JUSTIN Bieber won't be posing with his Scots fans when he comes here later in the year.
The singer, who already cancelled his meet and greet packages on tour, has had enough of having his picture taken with fans and doesn't want to be treated like an animal in a zoo anymore.



He posted a message to his Instagram on saying he is 'done taking pictures' .
On the upsetting post Justin who performs at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on October 27, 29 and 30 wrote: "It has gotten to the point that people won't even recognize me as a human, I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity.
I realize people will be disappointed but I don't owe anybody a picture. and people who say "but I bought ur album" know that you got my album and you got what you paid for AN ALBUM! It doesn't say in fine print whenever you see me you also get a photo."



- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

HIGHLANDER: A HOMECOMING FOR CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT, SEAN CONNERY AND CLANCY BROWN?

COULD Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery be returning to Scotland along with the rest of the cast of Highlander?
The Edinburgh International Film Festival has just announce that a special 30th anniversary screening of the newly 4K restored HIghlander, with special guests in attendance, will take place on Saturday June 18 2016, as part of the celebrations marking EIFF’s milestone 70th edition.
The cult favourite and one of the great action-fantasy romps of the 1980s, is packed with quotable lines, stylish sword-fighting moments and a memorable soundtrack from Queen.
The story has its dramatic origins in the 16th century Scottish Highlands where Connor MacLeod (Christophe Lambert) first discovers he is not like other men. After doing battle with a rival clan he is stabbed by a strange mercenary fighter called the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), but finds that he cannot die.
Befriended and trained by the charismatic Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), he finds out he is part of a group of immortals who must do battle until there is only one left alive.
Clancy Brown is acclaimed as a cult icon thanks to his mesmeric and maniacal performance as the Kurgan whilst Christophe Lambert is soulful and heroic as Connor, and Sean Connery quite sublime as the foppish yet skilful Ramirez.
Clancy Brown commented: “It’s taken a while, but I swore to myself that I would return again to Scotland after filming Highlander 30 years ago where I first learned of Robert the Bruce, James Macpherson, The Fortingall Yew and, most blissfully, single-malt scotch whisky."
Mark Adams, EIFF Artistic Director said: “We are truly delighted to be screening this cult classic on its 30th anniversary. It is a vibrant, fun and thrilling film and just as entertaining as it was all of those years ago. Plus it features some magnificent Scottish locations. This will be a great celebratory event for the 70th edition of EIFF.”
Clancy and other special guests will be in attendance at the screening on Saturday June 18 at Cineworld, Fountain Park.
Tickets priced £8/£6 will be on sale at 12noon on Monday 9th May and can be purchased here: bit.ly/1WjSfEm
The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 11th July complete with brand new bonus material.


- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com

IONA CRAWFORD AND THE LADIES WHO BRUNCH

SCOTS fashion designer Iona Crawford launched her new collection with extra fizz at Hutchesons restaurant in Glasgow.
Stirling born Iona, whose tailored fashion combines art with style and unusual textiles, entertained a hundred people at the stylish venue in The Merchant City.


Guest enjoyed four glasses of Laurent Perrier champagne - Le Jardin cocktail, Ultra Brut, Vintage 2006 and Cuvée Rose along with a specially created menu.


Homemade waffles with confit duck egg, Champagne poached pear salad, and Parma ham eggs benedict were amongst the dishes on the brunch menu.


Guests including veteran Scots hair stylist Rita Rusk, former newsreader Viv Lumsden and TV presenter Jean Johansson enjoyed the delights on offer.


Iona revealed that she very rarely puts size labels on her clothing as she likes to create bespoke items that will satisfy her customers who come in all shapes and sizes. She showcased some of her deconstructed fashion alongside accessories, outerwear and cashmere.


- From Scotland with love from theshowbizlion.com