Students party at Kent's annual Summer Ball

Thousands of students partied to the likes of Labrinth and Chase & Status last night, as the Kent Summer Ball was hailed a “big success”.

Guide to the Kent Summer Ball 2013

With the likes of Labrinth and Chase & Status all taking to the stage, or rather car park, this year’s Kent Summer Ball looks set to be a night of fun, bad dance moves and lots of alcohol to celebrate the end of the summer term. 

Twin popstars Jedward to perform in Medway

If you found their performances on The X Factor and Eurovision annoying, then you might want to avoid Chatham this September because Jedward are coming.

The Irish-duo, who rose to fame on ITV’s The X Factor in 2009, are playing at the Central Theatre in Chatham on Friday, September 27.

More than 100 tickets were snapped up by Jed-mad fans in just a few hours when they went on sale yesterday (May 9), with tickets being sold to fans from the Netherlands, Bosnia and Australia.

Taking to Twitter, fans could barely contain themselves at the news.

@xStephGrimes13x said: “I still can’t believe I’m seeing @planetjedward in September, anyone else going to Chatham if so I’ll see you there <3.”

And @itsJasmineHey said: “JEDWARD ARE COMING TO CHATHAM OMG LIFE IS COMPLETE.”

The songsters, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and have released nine singles and three albums, were voted Yahoo! OMG UK’s Best Boy Band in 2012.

The concert starts at 7.30pm at the Central Theatre, Chatham on Friday, September 27. Tickets start from £23, available at Medway Tickets Live.

(Story written by Kieran Watkins for The Medwire)

Kieran Watkins at Digital Spy

I was lucky enough to spend two weeks at Digital Spy during April and early May on a work placement.

The entertainment news website, based in London, offers exclusive content and news on sections including film, television, music and gaming, along with videos and pictures.

I was very lucky to gain a two week placement with their team, and over the course of ten days wrote up more than 70 articles.

One of my articles, on two Nasa Rovers which 'accidentally' drew a penis on Mars, was shared nearly 2,000 times on social networks including Twitter and Facebook, with Digital Spy's story featured on the US satirical show, The Colbert Report.

You can find a link to all my articles here.

Special thanks to Ben Lee from the Digital Spy team for organising my placement. I hope to return to the website next year.

Details for forthcoming Medway Summer Party announced

The Medway Campus Summer Party will return to Coopers this year with a promise that it will be “bigger and better”, The Medwire can exclusively reveal.

Last year’s event was held at Coopers and featured live music, food and plenty of sunshine.

It was also widely heralded asa success by students from all three universities on the Medway Campus.

Looking to succeed on last year’s event, Coopers manager Gareth Gay, music student and Kent Union Vice President (Activities) candidate Jack McDonnell and Activities Officer Clarissa Place will be organising the festivities.

Talking about the plans for this year’s party, Clarissa Place said: “We are hoping to make the event bigger and better than the previous year, hopefully with more societies able to take part.

“The event is for students from all the universities on campus to celebrate the end of term and hopefully they’ll come down whatever the weather.”

The summer party is expected to take place on Saturday, May 18 and will include 12 hours of live bands and DJs throughout the day.

The theme is set to be “Exam Buster”to celebrate the end of exams.New additions to the party this year will include a planned marquee allowing for bands to play outside, as well as various showcases and displays from the campus’societies.

The popular Coopers BBQ and cocktail bar will also return, with a range of drinks deals to be revealed closer to the event.

Coopers will also be hoping to provide a range of summer themed refreshments, including ice cream.

A motion to charge students to go to the event has, however been scrapped, The Medwire understands.

A consultation meeting for the Summer Party is scheduled to take place later this month, with more details to be released in the coming weeks.

Article written by Kieran Watkins for The Medwire

Plans unveiled for Paramount Studios London

“Britain’s largest post-Olympic regeneration opportunity” was promised by the project leader behind London Paramount, students at the University of Kent were told recently.

Speaking at a talk arranged by the Kent Business School, Tony Sefton, the project leader behind plans to build a £2bn theme park and entertainment resort in Kent, unveiled details ahead of a public consultation in June this year.

The project by London Resort Company Holdings, which if granted planning permission would open in 2018, includes a number of plans to develop “a new world-class entertainment destination.”

Unveiling the “Master Plan” for the park, which was code-named Project C to avoid leaks, Mr Sefton told students that the park would merge hotels, rides, event space and restaurants together to “utilise facilities” in order to create “the largest entertainment complex in the world.”

London Paramount will be situated on the Swanscombe Peninsular, and will consist of an entertainment district at the centre of the park, with rides, attractions and a water park spread around the entertainment plaza.

The theme park will be based on themes from different films, including romance & drama, comedy, family and action & adventure.

Speaking about the theme park, Mr Sefton said: “The park will have more rides and shows per hour than any other studio park in the world.”

“There will be five first class rollercoaster’s,” he added.

Films from Paramount Pictures that will feature as attractions include Mission Impossible, Tomb Raider, Titanic and Star Trek.

The theme park brand and theme has yet to be unveiled, however it is likely the park will feature heavily on British themes. Mr Sefton confirmed that the British Film Institute would be working with the project, with other partners to be announced in the future.

The main entertainment plaza of the park, which will be accessible to guests for just £5, will feature an array of attractions. This includes nine world-class experiences, a spectacular evening show, plaza shows every half hour, a daily carnival and two amazing play areas.

Other areas of the park planned include a Techno Expo, which Mr Sefton called “our version of Epcot”, which “will consist of 10,000 sq m of high tech attractions based around the best technology in the world.”

A 1,500 bed hotel, 150 food outlets and 10,000sq m of retail space will cater for more than 26,000 guests on peak days, with 7,000 staff on hand to manage facilities.

Guests will also benefit from “75% of the operating area being undercover” to cope with the British weather, as well as a revolutionary new queuing system which will ensure guests are not wasting their time in queues for their favourite rides.

Mr Sefton went on to confirm that the park would open all year round. “Business won’t be seasonal, there will be full time jobs”, he confirmed.

With “infrastructure key” to the project, Mr Sefton confirmed that lobbying was underway to extend Crossrail to the site to improve transport links into the city.

The park will be accessible by the current HS1 line, with trains taking just 17 minutes to travel into central London from Ebbsfleet International Station.

The station will also allow for visitors from further afield in Europe to travel to the park, which will open slightly later then most parks to avoid congestion on roads like the M25.

“Every customer is an entertainment customer”, Mr Sefton said as he stressed the importance of local communities and families to the project. The park has the backing of local MPs and councillors in Kent.

Talking specifically to students from the University of Kent, Mr Sefton said: “There are serious job prospects here for students, with hundreds of jobs available in many departments.”

Public consultation on London Paramount will begin in June. Although the scheme has not officially been given the go-ahead, Mr Sefton said he was “quite confident that it will go ahead.”

If planning is approved, the 872 acre park will start construction in 2015.

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Tony Sefton, the project leader behind the plans, also unveiled that the project had come together as a result of a night-out in South Korea. When asked by one of the Kent Business Students how the project had been brought about, Mr Sefton said: “The ideas came together at a karaoke bar in South Korea four years ago”.

(Written by Kieran Watkins for The Medwire)

Review of the Week: Soho

This weeks Review for the Week is asking you to get out of the house and experience culture, fine food and the bright lights of London town. In particular, the jazzy, tourist London landmark of Soho.

Having never ventured to London’s ‘red-light district’, I was bursting at the seams to go and experience what all the fuss was about. I’d heard many a wild rumour regarding a night out at Soho, so meeting with friends for a meal and a few drinks sounded like the perfect way to tickle my taste buds with the sights and sounds of what Soho has to offer.

The best way to start your evening in Soho is to get there early for a meal in one of the many restaurants. From London’s very own Chinatown to gorgeous bistro’s and American themed diners, the area offers a variety to wet the appetite for any tourist. I met friends at the cheap but cheerful Bistro 1, which had a nice cosy feel about it. The food, £10.99 for two courses, was a fantastic price for Soho, but be warned, the quality matches the price.

After drinks, book into a showing at one of the various theatre’s in the district. Current shows include Singing in the Rain at the Palace Theatre or Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre. If you’ve never experienced a West End show, then what better way to kick off a fantastic evening then catch one of these award-winning performances.

After the show, you’ll find Soho teaming with people as the atmosphere intensifies as you near midnight. This is the perfect opportunity to socialise with your friends, work colleagues or indeed the locals at one of the many bars or pubs lining Soho. Grab a cocktail, pint or glass of wine and sit and admire the world go by. I’d recommend the Pornstar cocktail, available from various bars, which comes with its own shot of Champagne. Look for the places with the cheaper prices, although you’ll find many of the bars offering deals on selected drinks.

To round off the night, you have to visit one of the swanky clubs Soho has to offer. From jazz and blues at Ronnie Scott’s to cheesy pop at G.A.Y, the atmosphere is intense as revellers flock to the dance floor. Here you’ll also find the odd celebrity performing, and there’s often many ticket promoters outside offering discounts to get in. Get there early if you wish to avoid the queues.

Of course, Soho like much of the city never sleeps and during the day you’ll find plenty of café’s, record shops and the odd sex shop catering for your individual needs. Just make sure you bring plenty of money to really enjoy the day.

Even if you go in the day, Soho still has lots to offer. From it’s religious backgrounds to it’s mark as the ‘Gay centre’ for Londoners, it’s certainly the place to go for a day or night out in the capital city.

5/5 stars

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Review of the Week: Winners & Losers

It's rare for me to get into a TV series and watch it all the way through. Television and I have a very turbulent relationship, usually because there's nothing on of interest and I just don’t have time to watch a series all the way through.

But this year, I became totally addicted on one series in particular after catching an episode in New Zealand. But surprisingly, it wasn’t made in Britain or America, and it wasn’t shown on a prime time slot (although it should have been!) In fact it was an Australian series called Winners & Losers, and it certainly won me over!

The show focuses on four women who were friends at high school, who meet up after a period of absence to catch up on their lives, each with their own story to tell. Before they depart, promising they will stay in touch, they buy a lottery ticket which, it transpires, is the winning ticket for $8 million Australian dollars.

Sounds a bit predictable you might think? Well, yes in some ways the show is predictable. It follows the story of four women leading turbulent yet glamorous lifestyles - similar to narratives of Sex and the City and Mistresses - but with subtle humour and an easier plot line to follow. All four girls have their own storylines. Jenny, played by Melissa Bergland, plays her part beautifully as the female who hasn’t quite grown up yet. Her scenes with her family in particular are highly amusing, and it’s no surprise to find out she’s won awards already for the role.

The other female protagonists offer interesting character traits too. Bek is the loved-up, newly engaged beauty that is loved by everyone but struggles with trust issues. Sophie is the sex-driven, drug-fuelled party girl of the gang and Francis is the responsible, independent businesswoman who works hard. Their backgrounds are intriguing and as the series progresses you learn more about their lives and become more engrossed in the drama.

The title basically gives the game away where narrative is concerned. Occasionally, the group find themselves ‘winning’ (where everything is going well) and then ‘losing’ (when something goes wrong.) The storylines unravel throughout, with such issues as drugs, underage drinking, bullying, attempted murder, cancer and pregnancy all cropping up throughout the 22 episode long first series.

The series was a standout success in Australia, and has already been handed a second series, which finished filming earlier this year. The show, annoyingly, is shown on ITV2 in the UK, who originally started showing it on Tuesday nights at 10pm, then moved it to an earlier lunchtime slot on a Sunday. It’s perhaps the only thing I like to watch on ITV2, and considering the appeal it has on audiences (particularly female), I would have thought ITV2 would have given it a more prime time slot instead.

So the series is a must watch! If you don’t enjoy it for the storylines, just watch it for my new favourite game, ‘Spot the former Neighbours character’, for the show features an array of former Neighbours stars (a few of which play main characters). The Gross family are particular favourites of mine, especially mum Trish, who despite an emotional storyline later on in the series, never fails to bring humour to the show.

So if you’re looking for a refreshing, easy-to-watch comedy drama series this summer to fall in love with, why not try Winners & Losers? You’d be a loser not to!

4/5 stars

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Katya Virshilas axed from Strictly Come Dancing

We all now what a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing I am, so you can understand why I was eager to await the news of which professional dancers would be facing the cull this summer ahead of Series 10 of the award-winning, successful BBC dance show.

But alas, I feel slightly disappointed that the Beeb have only decided to axe one dancer, the strikingly beautiful but frequently irritating Katya Virshilas. Only one female dancer, what's all that about?

Ok, so Katya wasn't the strongest professional. She's only been onscreen for three seasons, and in the latest series, she was helpless at training bookie favourite Dan Lobb. In fact, he only lasted a few weeks before they were sent home by viewers.

Katya is pretty, yes, and she certainly has the skills but I don't think she had the personality to match. She seemed to be very cold towards the celebrities, the other professionals and the judges. Maybe she thought it was all about her, but I and a lot of other disgruntled viewers seem to think the same - she had too big an ego for the show to care about her celebrity partner.

But why stop the cull there? Why not get rid of a few others? The BBC have said that by axing Katya, they can bring in new, fresh dancers. But Katya was hardly old, and was one of a new bunch of dancers who shimmied across the dance floor a few years ago. And even with her faults, she wasn't the first name that came to mind.

So who else should have gone? Well, I personally feel that Erin, Anton and Brendan have had their time now. All three have been on the show since the start, and with the boys cases, their ego's seem to get ahead of themselves. Anton really has become the joke of the show, and yes the Beeb bosses use this to entertain the audiences, but even Anton must realise he's becoming the pantomime dame of the show (although I'm sure he doesn't mind too much.) Brendan's Mr Mean persona has now been stolen by James, and he's too old now. Erin, bless her, always gets the older celeb and, if I were her, I'd leave in protest.

I think Vincent and Flavia are contenders for the axe too. Vincent, the Italian lothario who comes across like an overdone chirizo sausage, has lost his cheeky chappy persona to the likes of Artem and Pasha. Flavia had a good year last year, where I think we finally saw her smile for the first time since Series 5, but would people really miss her if she was axed?

New dancers always bring new skills and talent to the dancefloor and it shows. The last few winners of Strictly have all been celebrities that have been trained by new professional dancers, with the oldies flagging from the start.

I realise that viewers have grown accustom to some of their favourite professionals, but like that old teddy bear you've had since birth, you've got to let go someday, and I for one am disappointed that the Beeb didn't get rid of more.

Maybe the move was to calm the already disgruntled audience, who are disappointed from the recent signing of Darcey Bussell as replacement judge for Alesha Dixon, who left for rival reality show Britain's Got Talent.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Is The Voice on course to flop?

It all started so well for Britain's newest reality TV contest.

With a mass media operation exciting fans and drumming up support from the public, The Voice - the singing contest from Holland - launched to a ratings high of 10 million, the highest launch ever for a reality TV concept in the UK.

The concept is fresh, the judges are legends and the singers are VERY talented. So how come ratings have nearly halved in just a few weeks? Why can't The Voice, ironically, find it's voice with the UK audience?

It seems, to many, that the concept is just a little bit boring. OK, the Blind Auditions were fantastic. Genuinely great singers featured from the onset, and it was great to see the 'coaches' judging purely on The Voice. We saw singers from all age groups and all backgrounds performing and getting through to the Battle Rounds.

But it was the Battle Rounds where things hit a snag. You see, the unique concept of The Voice is the Blind Auditions. Now that they're over - they finished rather quickly, in my opinion - the whole idea of the spinning chairs and just focusing on The Voice is gone. It just turns into another music contest.

I personally liked the Battle Rounds, but sadly a lot of people disagreed. Ratings started to slip as some of the fan favourites, including Jessica Hammond who performed 'Price Tag' to critical acclaim, headed home. The problem was, a lot of the good acts were put against each other, meaning some great singers got through, but quite a few left too. The live shows then brought forward a mix of 'good' singers and some who, well, just don't really cut it.

And it seems the audience agrees with me. The most recent live show saw viewing figures drop to under 6 million, nearly half from the opening weekend. Many people I have spoken to have said it's boring now, the singers are dull and there's no chemistry between the judges.

And they're right. The judges/ coaches (or whatever you call them) do lack chemistry. Will.I.Am is very amusing, but his comments are too nice, the same with Danny and Tom. Tom is too old to know anything about the current music industry, and Danny is too unknown to really excite viewers. Plus, he stands up all the time (just sit down for once, please!) Jessie J on the other hand is an oddball; occasionally, she makes constructive criticism and she's usually right, but a lot of the time she comes across as a spoilt brat who is overshadowed by the three men.

The programme ideally sees itself as the 'nice guy' in the music world, but in reality, this never happens. We need a nasty record producer in there, and dare I say it, the show is missing the buzz and excitement surrounded by someone like Simon Cowell.

Although you'll never hear me admitting to liking the X Factor or Britain's Got Talent (both are terrible shows which exploit their own artists for a few laughs), you have to applaud them for being successful. Sadly, if The Voice can't pick itself up and raise viewing figures, ratings will fall flat. And no one likes a flat voice now do they?!

Pictures Courtesy of Wikipedia

Review of the Week: Glee live!

After the end of Season 2 and what with all my exams to contend with, I was definitely missing the Glee club, along with Sue and all the others. So what better way to ‘reaffirm’ my love with the hottest American export than see the cast dancing and singing live at the UK’s biggest venue, the 02, London.

An overview for anyone who feels they’re not ‘cool’ enough to watch the show; it's about a group of ‘misfits’ perform songs, a mix of covers and original music, in order to win the coveted ‘Nationals’ trophy. There teacher, Mr Schuster (Matthew Morrison), guides them through each week - despite the best efforts by his arch nemesis, the comedy genius, Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). It’s a show that brings people of all ages together, and has proved a hit across the globe. With numerous singles making their way to the Singles Chart, the actors making a name for themselves and with a film and a new series recently released, the only way really is up for the show. Therefore, it seemed fitting that the cast decided to honour their fans by performing at selected venues across Europe. And what a performance it was!

However, I had my apprehensions. Firstly, I had never been to the 02 before, and was worried none the less that our seats, which were not cheap, might leave me with a strained neck when trying to catch a glimpse of the stars belting out popular tunes. But alas, once we walked through an organised security barrier, we quickly found our seats, glanced through the programme and enjoyed the buzz as the pews surrounding us quickly filled up with more fellow ‘Gleeks’ than I thought possible. If you’re looking to go to the 02 in the evening, a quick tip would be to come a few hours early and have a meal in one of the many restaurants - but leave plenty of time for this, the queue’s were long but worth the wait!

With the atmosphere now hotting up, the support act; a dance troupe who mixed mainstream pop with contemporary dance, helped set the tone for a night to remember. Enter New Directions! The first song, arguably their most famous cover to date, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, was met with wild cheers and clapping from the gleeful audience, most of whom sang along with the stars (including myself!) A fantastic opening, which went from strength to strength with other cover hits such as ‘Bad Romance’, ‘Lucky’ and ‘Valerie’, sung by true musicians (those critics who thought it was all made up in the recording studio were certainly a long way from the truth). All the stars performed, danced and acted as if their life depended on it.

To pick out just a few superstars, Amber Riley (Mercedes) sung her heart out with a rendition of ‘Ain’t No Way’ by Aretha Franklin, which was the only moment throughout the entire show that the audience remained quiet, as her powerful and unpredictable personality and voice touched the hearts of all the fans. In contrast, Chris Colfer (Kurt) provided humour and screams of delight as he performed to Beyonce’s Single Ladies, a routine that undoubtedly Beyonce would find hard to live up to herself! In fact, most of the performances were better than I had anticipated, although a few performers could have performed better. Artie’s voice was particularly weak, despite the actor once being the lead in a rock band. As the many duets, solos and group sing-offs came to an end, my numbing hands and dry throat were an insignificant compromise to the 90 minutes of excitement endured.


Overall, it was a night to remember, and a performance that once ended, I wished could be repeated again and again. The effect of watching and seeing it live was much more than I could ever have imagined. The songs, the dancing, the acting, the audience, even the venue despite the cost, all contributed to a great, unforgettable night that I would recommend to anyone who has the chance to either see the cast again live in concert, or someone else at the O2!

4/5 Stars (reviewed last year)