Aveeno – my lifesaver!

Have I ever told you how much I love karaoke?

Well, those who know me well enough have long been in on this not-so-secret secret. So, when I got an invitation to the relaunch party for the Smithfield branch of Karaoke Box it was one I couldn’t accept quick enough. Come on cocktails, food AND karaoke – heaven!

Having roped in some colleagues and friends we headed to the venue near Smithfield meat market and took our pick of one of the 16 private karaoke rooms, which range from catering for groups of up to four and 30 people.

The rooms circle a spacious cocktail bar, but if you get too carried away with picking the next Nicki Minaj track you’re going to rap along to, then waitress service is available at the touch of a button.

Trust me, it is so easy to get carried away, with over 9000 tracks to choose from and being among your friends, there’s no big show or fear of making a fool of yourself in front of strangers.

One of my friends who came along is already planning our next visit back, as the great thing about the private rooms is that even people who don’t fancy taking the mike can still join in with the giggles!

 

12 Smithfield Street  City of London, EC1A 9LA

020 7329 9991

www.karaokebox.co.uk

Missed having Shaun the Sheep in your life?

Well, fear not, the lovable woolly character is back with a new friend this October.

Returning to the big screen, this time around havoc is caused when a mystery visitor from another galaxy crash lands near Mossy Bottom Farm. And it’s left to Shaun and his pals to ensure the fun-loving alien Lu-La makes it back home.

Obviously their quest is not without mishaps along the way, especially with an overly keen Men In Black style agent hot on their heels.

It’s actually amazing how much fun you can have watching a feature length film with no actual proper words but I guess that’s part of its appeal to all the family.

We were lucky enough to be treated to a preview screening and my biggest fear was that my two-year-old toddler would not want to stay sitting in one place for the duration of the film.

But in the end – after a slightly rocky start when he got a tad anxious about the rather ominous music in the first five minutes – I was only forced to step out once to go and buy some popcorn!

To round up, I think when it comes to productions by Aardman Animations we as viewers expect a certain quality and type of humour – thankfully their latest offering does not disappoint.

Farmageddon hits cinemas October 18. Watch the trailer here.

With no big names or celebrity performers, the real draw of Soul Sister at the Savoy Theatre is its telling of the Ike and Turner story against the backdrop of her legendary and extremely stageworthy songs.

Starring Emi Wokoma and Chris Tummings in the lead roles, the production which transferred from Hackney Empire, has a lot going for it.

A talented cast, the singing was top class, but with songs like Private Dancer, Simply the Best and River Deep, Mountain High hitting the audience hard and fast, a slight lack of development in the script meant the play was in danger of becoming a Tina Turner tribute concert.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but myself and my friend who joined me on the night, would have loved to have seen some further – and deeper – development in the script.

Wokoma who works hard to take on the characteristics of Tina, while still managing to make the songs her own, is undoubtedly the star of the show and ultimately keeps it from being the feared tribute concert. She’s definitely one to look out for in the future.

Soul Sister is at the Savoy Theatre until September 29, before touring the UK.

Media Mummy rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

When I heard about this film I thought it would be the perfect film to review for my blog – with an all-star cast including Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Chace Crawford, Elizabeth Banks (the list goes on) – it covers everything from conception to childbirth, in all its glory!

I really enjoyed the film, directed by Kirk Jones, the ensemble cast and different strands to the storyline gives it a kind of New Year’s Eve/Valentine’s Day feel to it.  A comedy with some laugh out loud moments, the not so happy aspects of pregnancy are also covered, so be warned that it’s not all smiles and without giving anything away, there may be some tears…

But the thing people seem to want to know about is Cheryl Cole’s cameo in the film. But to be honest it’s a moment I’ve tried to block from memory, as I always have an irrational desire to scream or lash out whenever I see her or hear her voice. But for those of you interested, she said about two lines, appeared as herself – so no real acting involved – and was on the acreen for less than five minutes.

Also, the film is definitely not just a chick flick, the cinema had its fair share of guys in the audience when I saw it, who were laughing and cringing in equal measure. As Vic, Chris Rock leads the pack of fathers making regular trips to the park with their broods, providing several of the laughs as they try to convince Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) to join their world of parenthood.

I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t the movie to see if you like hardcore action movies, but for a couple of laughs and several soppy moments, it’s definitely worth a try.

 

Media Mummy rating? 3.5 stars out of 5