026_LS589_stars-TV column_024_LS466_Sports/TV_Column 03/08/2012 11:22 Page 2
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STARS | TV
STARS
L7 TV Your weekly TV guide 87 – 13 AUGUST
With Val Aviv
Telly Talk
★ARIES {Mar 21–Apr 20}
A claustrophobic relationship can leave you frustrated, especially if you’re not given adequate recognition. Take a step back, you don’t really need approval and others don’t need your bullets. You have the power to make light of everything.
★TAURUS {Apr 21–May 21}
You’re very torn between taking a risk, which could be deemed brave or stupid, and playing it safe, which could mean the beginning of the end. Remember that reality is what you make it: if you believe in the possibility of success being yours, then it will be.
★GEMINI {May 22–June 21}
Your ruler Mercury moves into the highly energised and larger than life sign of Leo, which brings added charisma and charm to your daily encounters. If confidence is nine tenths of the magic, then you will not be short of magic.
★CANCER {June 22–July 22}
Love can move you to unhealthy extremes, but you should sense a little light relief as Venus makes everything less intensely serious and more enjoyable. You may have to be tough on the inside now the pressure is on, just don’t lose your cool outwardly; it’s a long game.
★LEO {July 23–Aug 22}
A secret admirer plays a big part in your destiny although you may not see them as much as either of your schedules will allow. You could keep a special place for them in your dreams. Negotiations are tough, but deals have both short and long term prospects.
★VIRGO {Aug 23–Sep 22}
Getting what you want may feel like walking up a downward escalator; it seems tiring, pointless and frustrating. To take a rest and allow yourself to go with the flow may seem like you’re going backwards, but the tide will soon turn in your favour.
★LIBRA {Sep 23–Oct 22}
We make our own luck to some extent and we also create some of our own misfortune. Sometimes when we want things so badly, we over-react to the little things that appear to stand in our way. Avoid seeing the negatives; it’ll help them vanish.
★SCORPIO {Oct 23–Nov 21}
Our brains will keep processing new information no matter how radical. If a previous experience has left you a little embittered, it could be time to re-evaluate what you thought you knew and look upon life with renewed faith. The past does not equal the future.
★SAGITTARIUS {Nov 22–Dec 20}
It has been said that our greatest teachers are our enemies, they help us to overcome challenges, they make us stronger and they help us become conscious of that which is unresolved in our psyche. If it weren’t for the competition, how could you be a winner?
★CAPRICORN {Dec 21–Jan 19}
Love is transforming you in profound ways; it may be appropriate to show your appreciation by expressing deep affection. You may be seen as a stickler, but really you’re focused on the job, let the people around you know that you do care.
★AQUARIUS {Jan 20–Feb 19}
You don’t need to exhibit lugubrious nonchalance about the world because one or two of your dreams are not rooted in reality and you’ve finally just realised that. Anything great that’s ever happened started out as a dream; reality is yet more exciting still.
★PISCES {Feb 20–Mar 20}
Obligations don’t have to be an uphill treadmill; in actual fact, it’s more like a cascading snowball of joyous mayhem, or drama. Wear the right head and you can have a lot of fun. Finances alone can’t make you happy, only you can make you happy. Val Aviv is the presenter for Brighton Lights on Latest TV www.thelatest.tv For more astrological insights and monthly horoscopes visit www.valaviv.com or for a personal astrological reading contact Val Aviv at: astrology@valaviv.com
With Victoria Nangle
Real, real, real
M
any moons ago, people watched Big Brother in droves, it lived on Channel 4, and a star was born. Not actually from the house itself (sorry Brian Dowling) but from the snazzy indents that were essentially the bits with a phone company’s logo on and a strange man holding the first Big Brother winner – Craig Phillips – captive in a wardrobe. This was Avid Merrion, creation of Leigh Francis. Bit of an unlikely break some would say, but fast forward a decade and a bit and Francis’ most popular character to date – Keith Lemon, star of Celebrity Juice and soon to have his own film – is now turning the tables on that chrysalis and starring in a brand new reality programme, all about him.
“He hasn’t lost any of his affectionate venom as the years have passed” It might seem odd to put together a reality programme about a fictitious character, but perhaps it’s a little more honest than taking so-called ‘real’ people and putting them into constructed scenarios; dropping them into a completely contained house for the summer under the assumption that when they come out there’ll be a job waiting for them presenting late night casino telly, or flogging steak knives on the shopping channel. At least Lemon La Vida Loca is clear about its deceptions from the start. Promising to film behind the scenes of the movie being made (it really is being made!) and his life, this bizarre concept seems to work. With the smattering of celebs surrounding Keith and his girlfriend Rosie it’s actually very funny watching people react to the mini scenes the pair create in front of them. In fact, it’s almost the inverse of the majority of contemporary reality shows, with the stars choosing the dramas and the crew and extras having to respond, providing the ‘naturalism’. The first event in the peroxide pair’s tumultuous life is Rosie
moving down from Leeds and in with Keith. With gratuitous amounts of nudity, pornographic duvet sets and swingball (and you can imagine how well they went down at the swanky estate agent’s office) Leigh Francis isn’t pulling any punches with this latest vehicle for his creations. Lemon is ideally situated to poke the bear that is celebrity culture – he rubs shoulders with them every week, be they ‘talented’ actors or reality ‘personalities’. Having started with a comment on fandom, it’s good to see he hasn’t lost any of his affectionate venom as the years have passed. Playing swingball with Dane Bowers, the D-lister asks Keith Lemon if he’s played against any celebrities “apart from me”, only to get a boastful and clearly fictitious response. It’s clear that all the cool kids know they’re not really that cool and are content with that. The really cool kids, the ones who won’t appear on the show and whose noses are actually put out by the supposed depiction of their lifestyles, are lampooned by their own aloofness. Could it be that the ultimate fanboy has subversively levelled the playing field of celebrity, turning celebs into his fans? Surely this means the world is about to implode! Best not to think about it too much. Lemon La Vida Loca, ITV2, (started last week) Thursday 9 August 2012 follow me on twitter
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