Jake Shears is 'proud' to be an example to gay teenagers

The Scissor Sisters frontman had strong role models when he was coming to terms with his sexuality and is hopeful he can do the same for other people.

He said:"I'm proud to be that. I know what it's like to be a teenager, and what it's like to come out, and the difficulties of it all. And how it feels to be in school and be bullied.

"When I read about suicides and gay teenagers it's so tragic. I don't think teenagers realise that it actually does get better. The minute you're done with high school your life gets better.

"If I'm the go-to for new gays, and if I can be someone that gay teenagers can look at as someone who's happy and who has made a good life for himself, then that's great.

"I had people like that for me when I was growing up, and it was very important."

Jake also gave advice to young people who are struggling to be open about being gay.

He said:"My advice would be to just stick to who you are. There are sacrifices you have to make, there are crosses that you have to bear. You're always going to be portrayed in a certain way, you're always going to be pigeonholed. That's the price that you're going to pay.

"But it's a price that's worth it. It's a responsibility. So that would be my advice - remain exactly who you are."

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Victoria Beckham plans to drink less alcohol in 2011

The fashion designer - who has three sons, Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and five-year-old Cruz, with her soccer star husband David Beckham ' is planning to set herself a series of New Year's resolutions in order to boost her health and beauty regime, but is unsure whether she will stick to them.

When asked for her resolutions, she said: ''d like to sleep more, drink more water and less champagne. But you have to keep it real.'

However, if she does stick to her pledge to drink less alcohol, she and David may have to find a new way to spend their weekly date nights.

Explaining how they keep the spark in the marriage at present, she said: 'We go and get drunk and have a date every Wednesday.'

David added: 'Sometimes we treat each other to an afternoon at the Beverly Hills Hotel and we'll each have a massage and spend the day in our robes.'

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Vanessa White wishes she could fly

The Saturdays singer dreams of having the superpower as it means she would always be on time for important situations.

She told BANG Showbiz: ''d like to be able to fly, I'd get to places quicker and wouldn't have to wait to get anywhere.'

Vanessa's bandmate Frankie Sandford would also like to have a superpower, but she would appreciate something more practical.

She explained: ' would like to time travel to see what was going to happen and also to look back on the past because I always forget everything.'

Another thing Frankie needs to improve is her tolerance for alcohol.

The 21-year-old pop star ' who recently split from her boyfriend Dougie Poynter ' previously admitted she gets drunk very easily.

She said:"I'm a rubbish drinker who can only handle one glass of wine."

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Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2011 Announced

You may have heard about the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in 2010? It all started as an ambitious and creative university project, that made complete sense to continue. The event resulted in a unique awards show hosted by comedian Billy Kirkwood, and Radio DJ Jim Gellatly. Winning artists included Trapped In Kansas, The La Fontaines and more, all collecting awards in specific categories voted by their fans online!

From all the success of the 2010 project (BBC Radio1 / Metro / Daily Record Press / Best Entrepreneurship Award University West of Scotland) founder Richy Muirhead is pleased to announce the project will continue next year. Growing from the experience and energy of the Scottish music scene, the Scottish Alternative Music Awards sets out with high objectives and a lot of big news. Scottish artists will be chosen from a panel of regional Music Industry experts into the following categories:

Best Live Act

Best Alternative/Rock

Best Metal

Best Electronic

Best Acoustic

Best Newcomer

The official website will be launched early January 2011, with news updates / video content released throughout the month. Voting will begin early February, and finally the unique music event will take place on Friday 25th February at the Classic Grand, Glasgow. Scottish Alternative Music Awards proudly runs in association with the following companies: Jagermeister, Red Bull, Music-News, Jamhut Studios, Ignite Records&Detour Scotland.

' think that the way the awards brought a whole host of Scottish music together was really important, and integral to creating a lot of new friendships, which inevitably benefited all of the bands involved.'

Ross Leighton, Energy.

'The SAMAs, was a great night for Scottish music period! Richy made people take notice and theres areason they did.'

The Lafontaines (Winners Of Best Live Act 2010)

'A significant and overdue addition to the Scottish Music calendar ' the SAMA's recognise and highlight the emerging artists who will go forward to strengthen the mainstream of Scottish culture. An essential event.'

Allan Dumbreck (University West of Scotland)

This project will be managed by Richy Muirhead (Redbull / AEG Live / MA Music student) and a small team of creative individuals. More details of last years project can be found on

http://www.myspace.com/scottishalternativemusic

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Gwyneth Paltrow says life with her ex-boyfriends Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck was 'strange'

The Oscar-winning actress - who has two children, six-year-old Apple and Moses, four, with her Coldplay frontman husband Chris Martin ' insists her high-profile relationships with the two Hollywood actors were surreal.

Gwyneth ' who is rarely photographed with her husband and tries to keep her family life out of the public spotlight - said:"It was strange to be part of a public couple.'

Although the 'Country Strong' star's parents were both involved in the movie industry ' her mother Blythe Danner is an actress and late father Bruce Paltrow was a director ' Gwyneth revealed claims she didn't live a privileged life growing up.

In a new E! special, 'Gwyneth Paltrow', that aired in the US on Wednesday night (22.12.10), she said:"I would say, 'Dad, I can't go out to dinner, I have no money.' And he would say, 'You're welcome to come over here and eat at our house anytime, but I'm not giving you money for your social life.' '

Blythe added:"We could have paid for everything and had a spoiled kid. {But} I think it's really important for people to work hard."

Despite her seemingly perfect life, Gwyneth ' whose acting career is going from strength to strength - admits she has gone through some difficult times, especially when she suffered from post-partum depression after the birth of her son Moses.

She explained:"You don't want anybody to know that you're depressed or crying all the time. There's this shame that we bring to it and it's incredibly debilitating and scary and you just don't feel like yourself."

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Morning Parade 'Under The Stars' video

Hailing from Essex, Morning Parade are currently one of the most hotly tipped bands for 2011. Look on the internet and you will see that every reputable music and style site across the board including Gigwise, Q The Music, Clash, i-D, Vogue.it and ASOS are tipping this young five-piece for big things next year.

Their pulsating synths, energetic guitars and candid lyrics fuse to create a supercharged sound. They release their debut single 'Under The Stars' this week, which has been receiving early support across Radio 1, XFM, 6 Music, Absolute and Q music; with Zane Lowe championing the band on his website. The band have been recording their debut album at the legendary 13 Studios owned by Damon Albarn with longtime Blur collaborator, Jason Cox.

Morning Parade now set off on their own headline tour having played early supports with the likes of Florence and The Machine and Glasvegas and are already developing a ferocious live reputation.

What do you get when you fuse anthemic indie rock with contemporary, electronic, dance elements? The answer is one of the most exciting sounds of 2011. i.D Online

These Essex natives have a well polished sound suited to stadia and an already growing fan base threatening to fill them in future. Q The Music

We know that there are more huge euphoric anthems up their sleeves for next year too, which makes them the smart British rock tip for those preview lists for 2011. Record Of The Day

Mesmerising Essex shoegazers tipped to be the stars of 2011. Clash Online

Dates as below

Tuesday 18 - Jan - 11 The Water Rats, London

Monday 21-Feb Audio, Brighton

Tuesday 22-Feb-11 Cooler, Bristol

Wednesday 23-Feb-11 Bodega Social, Nottingham

Thursday 24-Feb-11 Night and Day, Manchester

Saturday 26-Feb-11 King Tuts, Glasgow

Sunday 27-Feb-11 Loud in Libraries, Lancaster

Monday 28-Feb-11 Cockpit, Leeds

Tuesday 01-Mar-11 Masque, Liverpool

Friday 04-Mar-11 Joiners, Southampton

Two further 7"singles will be avilable this week to form a 3 x&"set.

Details as below

1 - Under The Stars

A. Under The Stars B. Monday Morning

2 - Your Majesty

A. Your Majesty B. Your Majesty (Live at Cambridge Junction)

3. In The Name

A. In The Name B. In The Name (Live at Cambridge Junction)

www.morningparade.com

www.myspace.com/morningparade

www.facebook.com/morningparade

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Russell Brand has been styling Katy Perry

The comic actor ' who married the 'Firework' hitmaker in India in October ' encourages his wife to show off her curvy figure and is particularly keen on helping select her stage outfits.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper:"Russell is very hands-on with all Katy's dresses and loves giving his opinions.

"He always tells her to show off what God has given her.

"Russell now really gets involved with what Katy wears. He gets a buzz helping with those decisions."

Russell, 35, has previously admitted that he and Katy, 26, have an influence on one another's wardrobes.

He said:"I would like to endorse that idea. I think I've started to wear more colours and she's started to go darker. She's started to dress less like a pantomime character and is a bit more sexy - a bit grown up."

Though the 'Get Him to the Greek' star loves styling his wife, he has previously claimed he never finds shopping for himself very fulfilling.

He explained:"My look is a collision between bondage, 70s rock 'n' roll and a gentleman at the Henley Regatta. I don't go shopping much because I find it hard to commit to an object. Will I ever wear these? Then I question the value of consuming, trying to make yourself feel better just by buying a pair of shoes. I think, 'Will I feel better after I've bought these shoes? Or will I just be me...in some shoes.'"

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Nicole Richie a 'protective' mother

Nicole Richie is a"protective"mother.

The socialite - who has two children, two-year-old Harlow and 14-month-old Sparrow, with Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden - recently made an out of court settlement to ban photographer Fabricio Luis Mariotto from going near her family for five years and insists she would do anything to satisfy her maternal instinct to shield her loved ones from harm.

She told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in an episode due to air in the US on Monday (06.12.10):"I don't want to prevent anyone from making a living, but at the end of the day, we all have to follow certain guidelines and we all have to answer to somebody.

"At the end of the day, as a mother, I have to protect my children. It's instinctual, right or wrong, you have to protect your children.

"Like I said, there are certain guidelines for everyone. For you, for me, for everyone. And it has to be the same for everyone. We all have to be safe."

Nicole took action against the photographer after accusing him of acting in a"predatory"manner and waiting outside Harlow's school, though Mariotto denied knowing what the Los Angeles building was.

He said:"When I realised it was a school, I left."

Under the terms of the settlement, it is believed Mariotto agreed to sign a document drawn up by lawyers to guarantee he will stay away from Nicole and her family for a five-year period.

In return, the 29-year-old star is to drop her prior court request for a permanent restraining order against the paparazzo.

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Kate Moss is reportedly taking a Chinese aphrodisiac to help her get pregnant

The 36-year-old supermodel is said to be trying for a baby with her rocker lover Jamie Hince and was advised to take Horny Goat Weed pills by her designer pal Sadie Frost.

A source told The Sun newspaper:"Kate thought it was worth a go, even though she killed herself laughing at the name of it."

Also known as Yin Yang Huo, Horny Goat Weed is extracted from a Chinese mountain plant which is said to improve reproductive health.

Kate - who already has an eight-year-old daughter Lila Grace from her relationship with publisher Jefferson Hack - tried hypnotherapy earlier this year to help her give up cigarettes and alcohol in her bid to get pregnant.

The British beauty - who in the past has insisted on having 100 cigarettes near her at all times - went to see a Harley Street therapist to help break her bad habits after deciding to have a child with The Kills guitarist Jamie.

A friend said at the time:"Jamie is keen to start a family and Kate knows that it would be wise to try and conquer her vices before she gets pregnant again."

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Kelly Osbourne has a yearly HIV test

The reality TV star first underwent the process when she was 17 in order to get a green card to move to the US and after having another one while her then-boyfriend was in hospital, Kelly has now decided to get an annual check-up.

She said: 'He was in the hospital getting his appendix taken out and they needed to test him and they were like, 'Why don't the both of you get tested?' They have amazing ways to be tested now. They had this thing that they just swabbed the inside of our cheeks with and within 10 minutes they told us.

'Now, it's something that is part my yearly check-up with my doctor.'

Kelly says it's important to be aware of HIV and AIDS ' which can be contracted by having unprotected sexual intercourse, blood-to-blood contact and through the shared use of needles to take intravenous drugs - and know how to stop the virus spreading.

She told E!: 'When people say things like, 'It's never going to happen to me,' or, 'I'll never get it,' they're less inclined to protect themselves the way that they should. It's so simple. All you have to do is wear a condom. It's not like anyone is asking you to do something really difficult and hard.'

As well as having regular HIV tests, the 26-year-old beauty also makes sure she always carries condoms with her, although she would never sleep with someone she had just met.

She said: ' have condoms. But I'm not the kind of person who will go out with them because, if I meet someone, it's not like I'm just going to have sex with him the first time we meet.'

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Nicole Richie bans a paparazzi photographer from her family

Nicole Richie has banned a paparazzi photographer from coming near her family for five years.

The former 'Simple Life' star - who has two children, two-year-old Harlow and 14-month-old Sparrow with Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden ' has reportedly instructed her attorney Mark Geragos to reach an out of court settlement with photographer Fabricio Luis Mariotto.

According to gossip website TMZ, Mariotto agreed to sign a document drawn up by the lawyer to guarantee he will stay away from Nicole and her family for a five-year period.

In return, the 29-year-old socialite will drop her prior court request for a permanent restraining order against the paparazzo.

The settlement comes after Nicole sought an order to prevent the photographer from going anywhere near her daughter Harlow's Los Angeles School, after his"predatory behaviour"caused her"emotional distress".

In court documents, she said:"Mariotto drives erratically around my children and others, yells, screams and attempts to scare us so that he can photograph our reaction. He trespasses on pre-school property to photograph the children.

"He has often left his car in the middle of a busy street just to chase me for a photograph. His predatory behaviour caused and continues to cause severe emotional distress as I fear for the safety of my children."

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Victoria Beckham runs around 'five miles' every day to keep herself slim

The singer-turned-fashion designer hits the treadmill every morning to maintain her slender figure and admits she prefers it to running outside.

She said: ' run four or five miles every day on the treadmill. For me I like the fact I can get off whenever I want . I've also started seeing a trainer at the gym and he's fantastic. Brutal, but absolutely fantastic.'

Although her husband David Beckham shares his wife's passion for keeping fit, he doesn't enjoy pounding a treadmill.

The soccer superstar admires Victoria's commitment to exercise but he prefers to run and get somewhere for his efforts.

In a joint interview with his 36-year-old partner for InStyle magazine, he said: 'Victoria's obsessed with working out. She's in the gym every morning . But I hate running and not getting anywhere. I like to be outside. I like to run on the roads late at night. When I've got the day off, I'll go to the gym with Victoria. There's this amazing gym in Santa Monica we go to.'

Despite being prepared to hit the gym daily, Victoria accepts she will never be able to compete with 35-year-old David's fitness levels because he has to stay-in-shape for his sports career.

The brunette beauty ' who has three children, Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and five-year-old Cruz, with David - said: ''m not going to compete with him ' are you kidding me? Come on. He has an amazing body. He doesn't have any fat on him at all.'

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