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Ronan Keating "Dumbfounded" By Stephen Newspaper Story

PopSugarUK — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:01:50 -0800

Ronan Keating has been focusing on work lately, following his Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately's tragic death. Ronan performed in Australia this weekend, while here in the UK The Observer published an interview with him where he gave some insight into how he's been feeling since Stephen passed, as well as commenting on the Jan Moir scribed newspaper article that caused much controversy. Here are some extracts from his interview:

On his bad days: "Horrible, you can't breathe, you feel like your chest is collapsing, the walls are coming in on top of you. Anxiety I think is what they call it... I haven't been sleeping at all lately. It's been horrible. We've all been feeling the same way since Stephen passed. Mentally I'm absolutely exhausted."
On grief counselling: "I've never before thought about going to get help with counsellors. For the first time ever I think I should. When I lost my mum it was the hardest thing at the time I'd ever known in my life but because she was sick for two years and we were told three months before she died that she had three months [left], subconsciously you build a wall, your defence mechanism goes up and you prepare yourself for that. Whereas with Steo, there was nothing, just this wall of devastation, shock. I don't think it has hit any of us properly. There's times when you feel like you can't breathe, you know, when you're panicking and I'm not like that. I've always been on a level."
On finding out about Stephen's death: "I bawled my eyes out. Screamed down the phone: 'What are you saying?' I couldn't take it in. When the guy on the phone said 'Stephen passed away' I said 'Stephen who?' because I thought he was talking about someone else. I just didn't think it would be Steo. I'll never f*cking forget it. I ran out of the restaurant, my sister ran after me with my coat [saying] 'What's wrong, what's wrong?' I told her. And then I had to call the three guys. Bloody hell, what a call. Horrendous. The most horrendous hour of my life. Horrific."

To read what Ronan had to say about Jan Moir's controversial opinion piece, just read more.

On the Daily Mail newspaper article by Jan Moir: "None of us read the article because we were told 'You wouldn't want to read it' so we purposely didn't, we ignored it. But obviously it was unavoidable to hear what comments were being made, and I think it's disgusting. It was just wrong; one, for her to write it, and two, for the paper to print it. It shouldn't have been allowed. It was wrong. It looked to me like someone trying to make a name for themselves out of a terrible situation, a devastating situation. And what was worse was the apology – the alleged apology, that was written a week later, was her defending herself! It's just disgraceful. Again, for her to do it and for the paper to allow it. I'm dumbfounded. It's bizarre.... But anyway, again, I wouldn't dwell on it. I wouldn't want to give her any publicity for that. He was a human being. A human being with feelings; a husband, a family that have feelings. At what point do people cross that line? Incredible... incredibly insensitive."

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Katie Has a Big Surprise to Reveal as She Flies Away

PopSugarUK — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:25:00 -0800

Katie Price brought a pop of colour to her dark outfit with her bright pink nails as she flew from Heathrow to LA yesterday. While rumours fly about her possible return to I'm A Celebrity, Kate's taken to her OK! magazine column to respond to suggestions she's pregnant. She also raved about what fun she had at a Halloween party, gave an update on Harvey following his hospitalisation last week, and revealed her opinion on Gordon Ramsay. Here are the highlights:

On Harvey: "Harvey wasn’t too well this week and had to spend the night in hospital but he’s absolutely fine now. He has been sent lots of get well wishes from the public, so thanks to everyone for that."
On pregnancy rumours: "Last week I told OK! that I have a big surprise in store and there is already gossip that I’m pregnant. Well, let them speculate what they like. All I’ll say is never underestimate the Pricey. They can say I’m pregnant, they can say what they like. It will all be revealed before the New Year."
On her appearance on The F Word: "Gordon Ramsay is a really nice guy and completely down to earth like me. I knew I wouldn’t beat him at the recipe challenge, I only practised the chicken kiev recipe the night before. He beat me 5-0 and I think that was about right."
On her future products and shows: "I’m really thrilled to be doing some smellings for my new as-yet unnamed perfume which will be out next year – and I’m currently designing some new eyelashes which will be hitting the shops soon. I start filming my new reality show soon so expect plenty of thrills, spills, laughs and Pricey pandemonium."

What do you think Kate's "big surprise" will be?

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Lucie Jones is the Fifth Act to Leave The X Factor

PopSugarUK — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:15:11 -0800

It was movies week on The X Factor, and the contestants got to enjoy a movie during the week when they walked the red carpet at the premiere of A Christmas Carol. John & Edward divided opinion with "Ghostbusters" on Saturday while Jamie Archer received praised for showing his emotional side in "Crying". Lloyd Daniels may have survived being in the bottom two last week, but he was told he's out of his depth by the other judges after his rendition of "Stand By Me". The Black Eyed Peas and Leona Lewis performed on Sunday's show, and Lucie Jones and John & Edward were then told they were the bottom two in the public vote.

This was the first time either act had been in the bottom two, and naturally Dannii and Louis voted to save their own acts. Cheryl voted to save Lucie, but in a surprising twist, Simon voted to save John & Edward taking it to deadlock, saying that neither act could win so he wanted to leave it up to the public. Lucie started crying even before Dermot announced she was the act with the fewest public votes. What do you think - did she deserve to leave the competition?

Photos courtesy of ITV/Talkback Thames

Momofuku's David Chang Talks Sabbaticals and San Francisco

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:48 -0800

We've always been huge fans of New York chef and restaurateur David Chang: He was Sugar's pick for Best Restaurant Chef of 2008. By fusing innovative flavor combinations and haute kitchen techniques with casual dining, the Momofuku overlord revolutionized the restaurant scene in America.

What's most refreshing about Chang, however, are his irreverent demeanor and unapologetic opinions. Even though I'd interviewed him before, when I heard Chang and his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan, were in town promoting their new bible, the Momofuku Cookbook, I couldn't resist chatting with them. His two cents on culinary trends, TV, and Top Chef Masters, after the jump.

Rachel Adedeji is the Fourth Act to Leave The X Factor

PopSugarUK — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:55:18 -0800

It was Rock week on The X Factor this week, where Lucie Jones looked rather like Kristen Stewart during her performance of "Sweet Child of Mine" and John & Edward divided opinion yet again with their version of "We Will Rock You"! Danyl Johnson's confidence was very obviously knocked by being in the bottom two last week, and his performance was pretty shaky, but the public brought him back. Bon Jovi and JLS performed on tonight's show as we waited for the results, which brought surprisingly bad news for Rachel Adedeji and Lloyd Daniels, who were the bottom two in the public vote after their performances on Saturday.

Rachel was in the bottom two for the third time, and Lloyd has been sick this weekend and his voice cracked a few times during his performance tonight. Dannii and Louis voted to save Rachel, while Cheryl and Simon vote to save Lloyd, taking it to deadlock. Rachel was then announced as the act that would leave due to the public vote. What do you think - did she deserve to leave the competition? Let me know.

Photos courtesy of ITV/Talkback Thames

Sandra Lee Shoots Back at Food Elitists

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:50:37 -0700

To promote her appearance as a celebrity volunteer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, TV chef Sandra Lee chatted with Walletpop about the merits of jarred garlic, premade cosmos, and other random musings. But the Food Network star waits for the end of the interview to leave the biggest takeaway: Being a foodie isn't about snobbery.

"A lot of people think that foodies are this huge, elitist group in the sky that are there to critique and to judge. Can I tell you? If you eat, you're a foodie. If you have an opinion about what you're tasting, that makes you a foodie. Your job in life is to enjoy your life. So whatever makes it easier, faster, and more wonderful, that you can enjoy your life by, God bless you."

After watching Sandra defend her position with poise, I have to say I agree with her. Why are certain subsets of eaters more entitled to make judgments than others? Say what you will about Sandra Lee. She may not be the most popular of cooking personalities, yet she continues to take on her opponents with kindness.

Are you surprised by Sandra's public statement? Do you agree with her?

Health Headlines: Shame, Sanitizer, and Fit Immune Systems

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:00:47 -0700

After nursing two sick children last week, these headlines caught my attention, since staying well is always on my mind.

Shame "Boosts Hand Washing Rate" - BBC
"Is the person next to you washing with soap?" This is the shaming message used to scare Brits using public restrooms into washing their hands . . . with soap. This big brother-like query was more effective than, although not as cute as, in my opinion, the phrase, "Don't be a dirty soap dodger."

Does Exercise Boost Immunity? - New York Times
According to a couple of studies, the answer is a qualified yes. It is regular, moderate exercise that helps you fight off bugs. Too much vigorous exercise seems to suppress the immune systems, leaving endurance athletes at a disadvantage as marathon season wraps up and flu season begins.

Flu Worries Pump Up Sales of Hand Sanitizer - NPR
The stock market might be making a slow turnaround, but hand sanitizer sales are bumping. In the US, we spent over $117 million on the gel-based cleaners last year. Fear of the H1N1 virus and the back-to-school season made for a 50 percent increase in hand sanitizer sales in August 2009 over the same month the previous year.

Fab Cover: Tatler Celebrates 300th Anniversary!

FabSugarUK — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:30:00 -0700

Tatler magazine is this month celebrating being older than some countries – it's 300th anniversary! The London based publication has been bringing fashion, style and society news for three centuries and is marking the occasion with a very royal covergirl. It promises to be the biggest issue ever boasting 408 pages and a triple fold cover. Editor Catherine Ostler explained the first ever issue from 1709. “There were no pictures - and it was filled with gossip, opinion and wit. [Jonathan] Swift was the first contributor! It was distributed in the coffee houses of St. James’s, and readers were addicted to it. This is how a title keeps going.”

The November issue contains plenty of key society players including the Guinness family, Annabel Goldsmith, Tamara Beckwith, Victoria Hervey and Boris Johnson. One shoot in the magazine involves Union Jack-themed designs by Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney and Jasper Conran.

The Good Wife Is a Must Watch for Mothers

LilSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:30:20 -0700

To say that Alicia Florrick from CBS's new show is The Good Wife is an understatement. After her politician husband Peter (Chris Noth) is embroiled in a sex scandal, she publicly appears with him. We've all wondered why real-life women like Elizabeth Edwards and Silda Spitzer stood by their men despite being humiliated. In Tuesday's episode, Alicia explains how she could never understand their behavior until she was in the situation. She says:

"How can you allow yourself to be used like that? And, then it happened and I was . . . unprepared."

Julianna Margulies is remarkable in her role as the wronged wife and former lawyer who returns to work after a long hiatus to become the family breadwinner during her husband's incarceration. To see why I think the show is a must watch for mothers, read more.

While the character's circumstance is one most women hope to never find themselves in, Alicia is someone we all can relate to because despite the enormity of some of her issues, she also deals with the everyday stuff like protecting her children from the media, enduring an overbearing mother-in-law, and competing with co-workers half her age at the office. The character has been crafted so it's impossible not to sympathize with and respect her. Who could forget the poignant opening scene where she slaps Peter after exiting the press conference? I'm anxious to see how the show unfolds and consider it a must see for mothers this Fall. What's your opinion?

Tonight we'll be tuning in to Fall's other hot mom shows, so follow LilSugar's live tweets as we watch ABC's Modern Family and Cougar Town!

Photo courtesy of CBS

Unforgiveable Newspaper Error Is Corrected (As a Side Note)

GiggleSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I believe this deserves a full-page apology.

Thank you, College Humor!