SCOTS ENTREPRENEUR GETS LIBERTY X AND EAST 17 APPROVAL

A young Scots businesswoman is cleaning up after her bathroom products were given the seal of approval by stars backstage at Scotfest.
Twenty one year old Alana Taylor from Cumbernauld only began her online business washmestyleme.com six months ago, but she’s already providing her own brand toiletries as far afield as Dubai and Australia.
As well as selling known brand names at competitive prices, product developer Alana also lists her own products like Taylor and Taylor handwash and shower gel and Casa Dolce Casa handwash on her site.
In an enterprising move, she asked Scotfest organisers if she could gift some of her products to the celebrities who were backstage at the nostalgia music festival.
Artists including S Club, The Jacksons and Boyzone were playing the fest over the weekend.
Alana couldn’t believe it when East 17 and Liberty X both thanked her for her products and made a point of taking them away with them.
She said: “I’m hoping to make washmestyleme a brand that is on everyone’s lips and it’s great to receive the support from festival organisers like Scotfest. I couldn’t believe it when East 17and Liberty X thanked me for the hand wash I’d developed with my family. It’s a long process to get products recognised in the toiletries market but this has definitely encouraged me to keep going with my company.”

MARLON JACKSON BREAKS DOWN ON STAGE AT SCOTFEST

US superstar Marlon Jackson broke down in tears on stage during the band’s first gig since his father’s death.
The Jacksons were headlining at Scotfest in Ingliston’s Royal Highland Centre for their first performance since burying their father Joseph on Monday.
Putting on a brave face earlier in the day, Marlon and his three brothers Tito, Jackie and Jermaine had said that they were keen for the show to go on, just as their father and mentor would have wanted.
Marlon who proudly wore his daddy’s striped jacket backstage said: “Doing a show like this uplifts us especially at this time, especially during these times. It’s all about having a good time so we’re going to have a Jackson party tonight. We are taking our memories on stage with us. Edinburgh means love peace and harmony with our fans.”
Tito added: “We’re dedicating this performance to our late father.  This is our first performance since his passing so tonight’s show is his.”
The ABC, I’ll Be There, and Blame It On The Boogie hitmakers thanked their fans on stage for their support and prayers.
Throughout the set emotions were high as a video of Joe talking about the early days was played, but it was the performance of Gone Too Soon that proved too much for Marlon.
The ballad, sung by Jermaine  is normally a tribute to their late brother Michael, but the brothers had already admitted to friends that they knew it would be hard to sing it with their father’s funeral fresh in their mind.
As Jermaine ended his heartfelt rendition, Marlon couldn’t help breaking down into tears and put his hands to his face or wipe away the tears. He ended up having to turn his back on the audience to wipe his face with a towel before turning back to them.
Later Jackie said: “A lot of people thought we weren’t coming to Scotfest because of my father’s passing but this is something my father would want us to come and do and perform in front of the fans so that’s what we do. We continue.”
Jermaine: “There are moments where it is hard to sing certain songs and when there is a lot of music we won’t be doing which we could do and we will do at another time.”
The nostalgia fest also saw Bay City Roller Les McKeown pay tribute to late band mate Alan Longmuir as he told fans that Alan will be ‘singing with the angels’ .
S Club 3 and Five Star also played while
Boyzone and B*witched performed at the fest yesterday. 

KEITH DUFFY GETS EMOTIONAL AT SCOTFEST AS BOYZONE NEAR END

Beverley Lyons
BOYZONE singer Keith Duffy says he’s becoming emotional as the end of the band is in sight - but he’s hoping family and  friends  including the famous sporting Evans brothers lend their support when he plays Scotfest this weekend.
The singer is going to make sure he has a real party in Edinburgh when he plays the Royal Highland Centre In Ingliston on Saturday for the nostalgia fest.
Boyzone will headline the gig while B*witched, Five, East 17 and Liberty X also play Saturday following The Jacksons, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers, Five Star and S Club on Friday.
He said: ”Scotland has always been one of my favourite places to gig and Scottish fans are just nuts, not unlike the Irish. They like a swally, as we say, and  know how to have fun.”
“Scotfest is a festival show and will be a great outdoor party. Hopefully we don’t get the typical Scots weather and it remains sunny.”
The Scotfest show is the second last time that Boyzone will perform here - with their last ever Scots gig at the SSE Hydro in January next year.
Keith admits he’s already preparing himself for an emotional time but is hoping his friends and family will give him a sense of perspective on the end of the band.
He said: “It is the end of Boyzone and a conscious decision has been made. It’s  not a decision we’ve taken lightly and we’ve been humming and hawing over the last while about what way we should do it.
We’ve all gone down different paths and have been busy. Brian McFadden and I have been doing very well as a duo and enjoying playing smaller venues. It’s been more like the early days playing theatres and halls and looking into peoples eyes.”
Keith said of the split: “Thankyou and good night is what was decided and we have respected the memory of Stephen Gately.
It feels like one last hurrah after twenty five years and it will be really nostalgic.
I’m emotional. If you spoke to a member of my family they will tell you I am quite sensitive and quite emotional. There will be melancholy and a tear in my eye. I’m still coming to terms with it because it is so final and does need to be so final and so dramatic and for us to believe it and embrace it. It is dramatic and final but it is going to be a great party. The Evans brothers come to all the Boyzone gigs so they are invited to Edinburgh.  They can stand by the side of the stage or if they want to go out front they can do that too.”
“When you look at it, we are all grown men in our forties with grown up kids. Although there will be tears, there are far worse things in life like the loss of Steven and my daughter Mia who has autism graduating from school, so we will get over this. There are always different channels in the entertainment industry. “

GLASGOW PIZZA RESTAURANT WINS AWARD FROM ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

Scots Italian restaurant ORO has been named as one of the top seventy restaurants with pizzeria in the world by the Italian Government.
The stylish South side restaurant at 85 Kilmarnock Road is owned by Glasgow restaurateur Domenico Crolla. 

The name means Gold in Italian and it’s particularly fitting now that Domenico and his wife have been awarded a gold True Italian Taste award by the authorities in Rome. 

Domenico who has hit the headlines around the globe with his pizza portraits and use of gold leaf in his cooking, always planned to set the gold standard in Scots Italian food and he’s thrilled to make the list alongside some of the world’s top Michelin starred restaurants. 

Domenico who has just returned to Scotland after picking up his award at a prestigious ceremony in Rome’s three Star Michelin restaurant Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria over the weekend said: “We are now officially recognised by the authority and ministers of economic development in Italy and are in the top seventy pizzeria restaurants in the world out of an incredible 32 countries.  I’d like to thank all our customers, staff and chefs. Without them we wouldn’t have made it.”

Restauranteurs from as far afield as New York to Tokyo, from Dubai to Oslo were presented with their prize by Italian TV presenter Fabrizio Nonis while Michelin  Three-Star Chef Heinz Beck prepared the winners meal.

Domenico said: "Gold plays a large part in our interior design and of course we use some gold leaf in pizza toppings and other dishes but the name choice is more because our food is to a gold standard.”

The difference is our ingredients. Our chefs are brilliant but I do the buying of ingredients like the chicken and veal so I can guarantee the quality of our meat and that it's additive free.
ORO is my baby and I eat here, and my children and family eat here. If it's good for my family it's good for your family.  That's the definition of a family restaurant."

THE JACKSONS WILL PLAY SCOTFEST DAYS AFTER DADS FUNERAL

US supergroup The Jacksons will fly to Scotland next weekend to pay tribute to their late father at their first gig since his death.
Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon have confirmed to Scotfest organisers that they will still perform at Ingliston Royal Highland Centre on Friday July 6.
Their legendary father Joe, also dad to music legends Michael and Janet Jackson, lost his fight to cancer on Wednesday aged 89.
Michael’s daughter Paris has already paid tribute to her granddad calling him ‘one of the greatest patriarchs to ever live.’
Scotsfest Director Stuart Prentice confirmed he had been in contact with The Jacksons management as soon as he heard the news.
He said: “We sent our sympathies through to the Jackson family as soon as we heard of Joseph's death and gave them the space they needed. We are delighted to hear they are still playing Friday night and we can’t wait to see them on stage. We know that fans in Scotland will show them the love and support that they need at this emotional time.”
Joe’s funeral is expected to take place over the next week.
An insider added: “The Jackson family are grieving but also want to celebrate the life and work of their father.  He was always of the opinion that the show must go on and as Scotfest is the first date in their tour diary they will be flying to Edinburgh to do what they do best. There will be tears but The Jacksons won’t let their fans down.”
Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers, S Club, Five Star and 911 all play Friday at Scotfest whole Boyzone, B*witched, Liberty X, East 17 and 5ive play Saturday. 

DAVID HAYE TALKS RETIREMENT, LULU, SOCIAL BITE AND LBD GOSSIP

BIG CAT
Boxer David Haye told me he’s enjoying his retirement at the Action For Children Sport Dinner on Friday night.
The Hayemaker who held multiple world championships in two weight classes was interviewed on stage by STV’s Peter Martin but mingled readily with guests.
He told me: “I officially retired a few weeks ago so pipe and slippers are in full effect and I’m not smashing it as hard. I can eat and drink what I want now.”
David who cautioned off a personal training session on the night,  couldn’t stop giggling as Peter, whose humour is often close to the bone,  took the mickey out of main sponsor Poonam Gupta OBE who owns the hugely successful PG Paper company.
Poonam and her husband Puneet managed to help raise over £100,000 on the night, no doubt helped by Puneet bidding £15,000 for a personal portrait session with Scots artist Gerard Burns who has painted Nicola Sturgeon, Billy Connolly and Ewan Mcgregor amongst others.  Gerard who was there admitted it takes a lot of effort to paint portraits so he was thrilled his donation had gone  for such a great price.

FEAST FOR THE BEAST

I might have felt slightly worse for wear after my Saturday night Katy chasing but I had a lovely Sunday brunch with influencers including Emily Shak and Abbie Blyth at Glasgow’s Hummingbird on Sunday with clothing and accessory brand House of LBD.
It’s run by Emma Sinclair who is a real entrepreneur. After realising her initial business of Little black dresses had limited appeal she decided to personalise her products with peoples initials, starting with scarfs. She presented me with a clutch bag which is part of her new range and she has toilet bags and phone covers too. She works at STV too but her work with House of LBD has become a real success.
We all enjoyed a cocktail masterclass  before tucking into mini donuts, brownies and an array of sandwiches as well as posing by Mr Flowerwalls latest creations.
We even drank cocktails from a disco ball! It’s a hard life.

JUNGLE DRUMS
Ex Rangers striker Mark Hately reckons he might like to be an active player in  the football game again if he gets the chance.
Mark was a guest of PG Paper at the Action For Children Sports dinner .
After our chicken dinner, he revealed: “I’m always thinking about things. Football has been my life since i was born and whether the next stage of my life is going to be in or out of football I don’t know. It’s difficult one to answer. I’ve been club ambassador for eighteen years but I might want to dip my toe a little bit deeper into the game. We will see.”


ON THE PROWL
I managed to say a quick hello to the Glasgow’s own Lulu before her gig at Kelvingrove bandstand.
Lulu, who was at the stylish Malmaison hotel, is someone I’ve grown up with.
My wee daddy Ben Lyons, who is no longer with us, produced her first radio broadcast on the BBC after discovering her singing at a party in town so we’ve got some lovely memories.
Lulu always looks younger every time I see her. She loves to wear a baseball cap off stage and she’s the only sixty nine year old I can’t think of who suits it. She reminded everyone at her Scots gig of her age when she told them she used to get a tram car from Denniston to Kelvingrove bandstand as a wee girl for one penny in the old days.
Lulu, who was married to Bee Gee Maurice Gibb, is chuffed that Barry Gibb is receiving a knighthood from the Queen and told her fans on Twitter exactly that.

THE LYON’S PRIDE
I had a wee chat on the phone with Social Bite’s Josh Littlejohn as he announced that his charity venture Sleep in The Park will be held in four cities.
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen will see around 12,000 people sleeping rough for charity on Saturday December 9.
Josh who did it last year told me: “it was the coldest night of the year and when I got home I found it hard to imagine doing it night after night. We’re hoping to raise even more this year - with six million as our target.”
Amy Macdonald, and KT Tunstall will be flying to all four locations with Fred MacAuley hosting Edinburgh and Irvine Welsh reading a bedtime story.
The helicopter that will fly the girls on the night has been donated by Andrew Devlin who owns Curtis Moore Cladding Systems.
Andrew was last seen spinning around a dance floor at the Little Less Strictly Come Dancing ball with Strictly’s Oti Mabuse. Since then he’s been known as Twinkle Toes.

THE LYON SLEEPS TONIGHT...
It’s a busy weekend for festive fun in Glasgow and beyond - and it’s going to be mad for me.
As well as the cool Fiesta x Fold at Kelvingrove this Friday and Saturday with Nile Rodgers, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind and Fire and Hoey Morgan’s NYC Block Party there’s also TRNSMT.
I went to the first TRNSMT at Glasgow Green last year and it was a lovely friendly festival in the heart of the city. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday sees the first of three dates with two more planned next weekend. I can’t wait to catch bands like The Killers, Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, Jessie J, The Script James Bay and our homegrown talents like Franz Ferdinand, Nina Nesbitt, Lewis Capaldi and Gerry Cinammon.
I love the fact that it’s in Glasgow Green so I don’t need to take any over night bags.
I’m also due to pop into Dumfries Youth Beats festival on Saturday with Basshunter, Jax Jones and Sigala so I’m still not sure how it’ll all pan out...

KEVIN BRIDGES AND HIS HEREDITARY LOOKALIKE

A Kevin Bridges doppelgänger is making fans laugh out loud when they go to see scary movie Hereditary. 

The little girl in the scary movie looks like a younger version of the thirty one year old stand up comedian from Clydebank - and fans can’t get over it. 

The young girl Charlie played by Milly Shapiro is meant to terrify audiences as she makes dolls from stray items that she finds including a birds head - and makes a strange clicking noise with her tongue. 

Even celebrities like Katy Perry have been unnerved watching the drama unfold. 

Instead, Scottish fans have come out giggling at her likeness  to ‘hoose rice’ jokemaker Kevin. 

Fans on Twitter were amongst the first to comment with Bethany Black saying: ”Saw an advert for that Movie Hereditary. Looks terrifying, imagine being haunted by Kevin Bridges? Doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Shannon added: “Watched hereditary last night and spent the whole film laughing at how much Charlie looks like a mini Kevin Bridges. It’s uncanny.”

Goal Pooch added: “Just seen 'Hereditary'. Two hours of a little girl who looks like Kevin Bridges creeping around the seemingly immortally preserved mum from 'The Sixth Sense'. Absolutely mind boggling.

Iain Riley joked: “Kevin Bridges' new stand-up show, Hereditary, looks terrifying.”

Catherine Kieley said: “Everyone’s tweeting about Hereditary but honestly I can’t get past how much that kid looks like Kevin Bridges.”

And Jade Milliken added: “See that “Hereditary” movie that’s getting called the scariest movie ever? I’m sorry but watch the trailer and tell me that the wee lassie isn’t Kevin Bridges wae a wig on and il tell you you’re a liar.”

 Ally Finnan also suggested Kevin might have a secret offspring. 

She laughed: “Here @kevinbridges86 have you seen that new horror Hereditary? The wee lassie in it is your ringer #secretwain”

So far Kevin whose favourite movie is Ghostbusters has not responded to their enquiries but were not sure we’d like to meet him in a dark night out.”