Happy Monday Goys!!

Join Ross, Sorcha and all the gang live in Dublin's Olimpia Theatre for Between Foxrock and a Hard Place! Of course I'm talking about the latest play from Paul Howard, The creator of Ross O'Carrol Kelly...Dublin's foynest rugger!! It's set to be a great production, with all the family getting together..and they're no ordinary family!!

We chatted to Paul about all things South Co. Dublin this week, and Sue may have even created a new character for the next book...lets just say Louis Vuitton bag in the dole Que! It's been 12 books since we all fell in love..or hate with Ross, and what started out as making fun has become an important social commentary! Bound to be a fantastic show!!

And if you want to see how Ross is dealing with the recent climate, pick up the latest offering in paperback ,The Oh My God Delusion

http://www.rossocarrollkelly.ie/





This week GirlsTalkBack got chatting to Caroline Barry the creator behind the blog http://www.misspennydreadful.com/ . With 8 years of fashion behind her and 3 years of PR and event management Caroline decided to establish her blog, which is almost two years ago now!! Originally the idea was to make high street fashion and fashion language accessible to all. She saw it as a great way to write about all the wonderful clothes she herself couldn't afford as a student!

In 2010 she threw a launch party in SPY nightclub in Dublin, which was a huge success and since then the blog has been reviewed in both the Irish Times and the Irish Independent.


Caroline features a lot of different things on the blog including the most successful posts which are the 'what I wore today' posts about whatever items of clothing she has bought or worn.
The meaning behind the name of the blog was because 'penny dreadful' was the name given to cheap Victorian era horror novels, so called because they cost a penny to buy! When Caroline started the blog she posted under a persona which is something she would recommend other bloggers to do as it allows them to be whoever they desire to be and say exactly whatever they want. Caroline’s persona was of course ‘Miss Penny dreadful’. She stated ‘It helped me to write since no one knew it was me’.
Blogging allows people to gain access to a platform which gives them a chance to voice their opinion but the only problem is...are people listening?? Caroline recommended getting all your friends to read you blogs and to plug it anyway you can...you would be surprised how powerful ‘word of mouth’ can be!! She is now proud to say that misspennydreadful has a loyal and steady readership and hopes it continues to grow and grow.
If you would like to get in contact with Caroline you can do so by following the link below and make sure to sign up to the blog for everyday fashion tips and fun reading:
http://www.misspennydreadful.blogspot.com/

Blogging all the way...that is what GTB think anyway :0)

GTB were delighted to speak to the most controversial lady on TV3's The Apprentice! Niamh Humphreys from Lisagry in Co. Limerick, came on the show and gave us an insider peek of life on reality show. The Apprentice is a serious competition, with a serious prize (particularly in this climate. whoever is left standing , gets to be Bill Cullen's apprentice...a job that comes with a hefty salary.

Of course having to work in teams with not only strangers, but competitors brings it's own troubles! oh and did we mention they live together too?? So this begs the question .. Is there any mixing of business and....ahem , pleasure on the show? Niamh ended up in the board room for her second and final time with Ciara an Caroline and got the chop! GTB is excited to see what happens between Caroline and the other two corners of the supposed love triangle, Jamie and Kieran! Her time came to an end after a lucozade lite task became all about camels....confused? catch up on www.TV3.ie by clicking on The Apprentice page!
 
Niamh reckons she went in with her eyes wide open, and was expecting all the little editing tricks that portray contestents in not always the most flattering of lights!! She told us that it was an high tension situtation! And as for the man himself....what you see is what you get. Contestents only see Bill in the board room and at tasks...just like we see at home! Wonderful telly altogther! The Limerick Lady wants hunky Will to win but we'll ahve to wait and see!!We are big Niamh fans and can't wait to hear who Bill's next victim is!!





GirlsTalkBack were delighted to invite one of Irelands fastest emerging talents, up and coming singer/song writer Bairbre Munnis into studio to perform a song ‘Gorgeous Personality’ from her most recent work and have a chat about her music & influences, her thoughts on the Irish music industry, reality TV and its impact on the industry and what we can expect from her in the future!! For such a petit lady Bairbre seriously has one big voice!!

Bairbre comes from a musical background with both her father and brother working in the industry. She was a winner in the RTE 2FM Songwriting Competition, the final of which was broadcast live from Vicar Street. Since then Bairbre has appeared in venues nationwide including Vicar Street, Crawdaddy, The Village, The Ruby Sessions, Watergate Theatre & Mullingar Arts Centre to name but a few.

When asked about reality TV shows like X Factor Bairbre believes these types of shows do give people the opportunity to be heard who might never get that chance, but as an artist who has spent so many years focusing on her talent and perfecting it she could never see herself auditioning for a show that could just as easily break you as make you! Also when quizzed about how the music industry is suffering due to people downloading illegally GTB were interested in hearing her opinion as so many your people have grown up in a world where paying for music was never really enforced. GTB pointed out that the internet provided young people with a free option so it is almost hard for them to understand why they should have to pay and the price of concert tickets are so expensive surely musicians can make their money back on that alone??? Although Bairbre understood that argument at the end of the day she felt it is stealing from people who work so hard for their art and passion and that new laws need to be brought in to protect artists and prevent illegal downloading. GTB had to agree that stealing is never ok and although so many people do download illegally , it certainly doesn’t make it right.

If you want to check out Bairbre in person then head to The Ivy in Drumcondra on the 10th of October or else take a trip down to Sligo on the 22nd of this month and head into Cafe Koko Latte to hear her play. We were lucky enough to hear her live in studio and she is defiantly one to check out!!

If you would like to find out more about Bairbre Munnis follow the links below:

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages#!/pages/Bairbre-Munnis-Music/79451854663

http://www.myspace.com/bairbremunnis

GTB want to wish Bairbre the best of luck in the future, it is rare you get the chance to meet such a lovely girl with such great talent.


 




GTB also spoke to Paralympic Boccia Champion Padraic Moran. Boccia is a bowls like sport played by people with a physical disability such as cerebral palsy. Boccia can be played by individuals, pairs, or teams of three and all events are mixed gender. Padraic played boccia from a young age but began to play competitively in 2005.  After finishing 3rd in the national championship Padraic then knew he could go further. He then went onto Brazil in 2007 for the world cup qualifiers where he qualified for the world cup in Canada in 2007. His team went on to finish 7th in Canada. Next up was the paralympics in Beijing in which he made it to the semi finals. Padraic is now Ireland's champion and is looking forward to competing in London 2012 Paralympics.

October Dvd Releases!!!!!

The Movies worth a peek this month...

October is generally considered the Halloween month so it will be hard to steer away from the horrors in your local dvd store, but here is a couple of the choice picks this month.  Some have been around for a couple of weeks now, but if you missed them, they are definitely worth a look.

Kick Ass – Probably in my top 5 favourite films so far of 2010, Kick Ass follows Dave, a teenager who decides to become a Superhero one day, without any superpowers, or training mind you.  Directed by Matthew Vaughn, (who raised the money for the production at a dinner party), Kick Ass includes some remarkable performances from Nicholas Cage and of course, THE it girl of the moment, Chloe Moretz.  Still not sure if he has proven the point that anyone can be a Superhero....

  

At Girls Talk Back, we are always supporting amazing female talent and it’s no different with one of my favourite releases, Whip It. Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut tells the story of Bliss, a girl pigeon-holed by her mother into becoming a pageant Queen who secretly embarks on a career as a roller derby star.  Barrymore is the whole deal; great story, great script, great performances all brought delightfully together by Spielberg’s protégé.  And it’s not just one for the girls!

  

If you are looking for something a little more sensitive and definitely more controversial, it would be worth checking out Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me.  Casey Affleck plays Lou Ford, a small town deputy sheriff whose hidden life slowly spirals out of control following an affair with Joyce Lakeland, a prostitute he was supposed to run out of town.  A three star film at its best, Affleck beautifully holds the entire production together as the psychotic killer, backed up by other great performances from Kate Hudson and curiously, Jessica Alba.  Be warned, not for the faint hearted!

I could go on forever but my last pick of the month would be Iron Man 2.  Look, I’ve heard it all and no, it is not going to change your life but you know what?  It’s a bit of fun and some light entertainment and who doesn’t need that!  Downey Jr.  of course returns as Iron Man with some new additions including Scarlett Johannson who actually makes little impact as Black Widow and Mickey Rourke, who is not present for long enough.  The real villain is Sam Rockwell who adds a particularly slimey and sleazy quality to the character of Justin Hammer.  And don’t forget Downey Jr is always pure cinematic entertainment....

Enjoy!!

Until next time...

Sue xx

GTBs Last Live Sunday....But now making your Monday Lunch times that bit better ;0)

Hey All,


Firstly GTB would like to say a big thanks to you all for tuning in on Sundays, we really appreciate the support and hope that you will be able to continue listening to GirlsTalkBack at our new time (well really back to our original time!!) of 1PM – 2PM every Monday….we like to think we will be turning those blue Monday’s PINK…;0)

First on the show this week GTB covered a topic which we felt needed attention and we would love if all the listeners of the show started to make a conscious effort in making the world we live in a safer and greener place. We need to recognize the importance of valuing social enterprise, reuse in practice and employment, training and social exclusion!! We are all aware of the huge changes that are happening locally and nationally and the people of Ireland need reassurance and guidance. GTB brought Sarah Miller onto the show to discuss the ‘Preventing Waste, Strengthening communities’ conference from the Ballymun Civic Centre.

(below a picture of recycled clothing from rediscover fashion)


There is still to this day a stigma surrounding recycling and a lack of effort from the people of Ireland in trying to make the environment cleaner. The Ballymun Civic Centre is holding this conference in order to provide ideas and solutions on reuse and waste prevention while creating training and job opportunities. They will have contributions from the likes of Sean Coughlan on why investing in social enterprise is value for money, Marc Willem from Komosie on their development as one of the top reuse and training centres in Europe and people will get the opportunity to network and speak with organisers and guest speakers at the event. There will also be an exhibition put on for people to see.

The only people who can help save the environment is us, it needs to become second nature to us not something we have to think about consciously!! It would seem that the youth and older generation are those making the most effort in recycling and giving back so now it is time we all chip in!!

If you would like to find out more about this event then simply log onto http://www.crni.ie/

The event itself will be happening this Thursday the 7th of October at 9.30 and all are welcome.

Ellen Gunning  is a woman with many strings to her bow and her latest offering ia a new Radio Presenting course. She popped into the GTB studio to tell us all about it! Ellen is running a one day radio presenters course in 103.2 Dublin City Fm!Iif you have ever been curious to see how you'd sound on radio this is your chance!! Not only will you be learning about different presentation styles, how to do news, continuity and interviewing, you'll be in studio trying them out for yourself!!

 This is an excellent opportunity for anyone who has always wanted to give it a go!! Who knows? it could be a case of a "get it out of your System" day or it could be the begining of a new career!

You will meet Ellen Gunning, author,journalist and PR oman extrodinare on the day, and you'll also be getting some sound advice from Mick Hanley CEO at Dublin City Fm -pretty good addtions to the contacts book we reckon!

Our favourite part is the evaluation you'll get on the course, you'll be told whats style suits you, what you're good at and what not to give up the day job for. Pretty productive day all round! The course costs €240 and is being held at Dublin City FM on Saturday October 16th. Enrol now at http://www.irishacademy.ie/

      Unfortunately in today's society animals cruelty and neglect is a huge problem in Ireland. We see and hear of so many horror stories of animals left for dead due to them being both mistreated or neglected.  Girls Talk back were joined by Orla Angier from the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The DSPCA is a registered charity which has been around since  1840 and was set up to prevent cruelty to animals. The DSCPA have a shelter in Rathfarnham where many animals go to live out the rest of their lives in happiness or they may just go there until they are re-homed. The DSPCA also run many programmes from how to care for your pet to educating school children  . They also have mobile clinics and a dedicated team who give up their time to help animals in need. The shelter is open to the public and if you do not have time to adopt a pet you can also sponsor some of the animals. For more information you can contact the DSPCA on 01-4994700. 

 

SHOWBIZ NEWS

 

It has been nearly a year since the tragic death of much loved Stephen Gately. It has been revealed that only one of the Boyzone members will be able to make it (Mr Keith Duffy!) to the scattering of his ashes. The ceremony will be held at one of the Gately’s favourite places in Ireland on the 10th of October it is believed. The remaining members of the band are believed to be in OZ at the time!! GTB still can’t believe it is nearly a year since Stephens death…RIP

We all of course remember the man who made ‘Drink’ ‘Feck’ and ‘Arse’ the talking point of Ireland. Well it would seem Father Ted star Frank Kelly is now making a move from craggy island to the Yorksire Dales. Frank has landed himself a role in Emmerdale. But people can be sure that Frank’s new character ‘Dermot Macey’ is very different!!

Finally in showbiz news everyone’s much loved ultimate Big Brother housemate Brian Dowling is returning to Panto! It was revealed that Brian signed a six figure deal to star in The Beauty & The Beast Panto @ the Tivoli Theatre. He will once again play the outrageous character ‘Bridie’ and according to the Metro Herald Brian said ‘I am delight. It’s a;wasy such fun’.

What is happening around Dublin......

Hello All,
We hope you enjoyed this week’s show!! If you for some unmanageable reason, beyond all your control did not get the chance to tune into 103.2fm last Sunday from 12pm well you can stop kicking yourself because we are so kindly going to fill you in on everything u missed!! Here we go…

The lovely Sue Murphy came back onto GTB to fill us in on all the must see films around at the moment! Film critic Sue was at the Dublin Premier of ‘The Town’ a crime thriller produced and staring the ever so gorgeous Ben Affleck. Sue gave the film two thumbs up and highly recommended people to go see it!! It is also starting the beautiful and talented Blake Lively who is mostly known for her role in Gossip Girl as rich kid Serena Vanderkamp!! Blake plays a character nothing like any of her previous work and it was in fact revealed that when Blake auditioned for the part it was written for an older lady but Ben Affleck loved her so much he re-wrote the part for her!! That is some compliment!! The film deals with the trials and tribulations of a criminal Doug played by Affleck who falls for the manager of a bank he is planning to rob! ‘The Town’ is in cinemas nationwide so make sure to check it out!!

The Switch is another film which Sue highly recommends. Jennifer Aniston plays the female protagonist who is a single women wanting to have a child. This film covers very topical issues in relation to single parenting but still manages to stay upbeat and funny. Definitely one to check out!!

Finally one to look out for is an Irish film called ‘Savage’. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the film and as everyone knows we at GTB love showing support to our own so make sure to give it a watch!!It is a story of obsession and revenge! How a man tries to come to terms with a brutal attack and its consequences!! The film has been in cinemas from September 17th so make sure to catch it!!   

Stellar Magazines 'Bachelor of the Year'

After hours of hard work and dedication we at GTB finally found the bachelor we felt most deserved the honour of being crowned Stellar Magazines 'Bachelor of the year'!! It is a difficult job but someone has to do it people!! We decided to give our vote to Mr Patrick Mackeogh!! So we invited Patrick onto the show to have a little chat with him to see why he should get your votes and why he was still single!?? Patrick is a hard working man who runs his own company in personal training!! (Fit body-check!!) The reason he believes he hasn't found a girlfriend yet is that he is shy and just hasn't met the right person! He loves Irish women because of there ability to have a laugh and go out and have a good time!! (Good answer!) His lovely sister actually entered Patrick into the competition, so he is obviously a family man (check!!) and although his friends give him a little bit of stick for being in the competition he doesn't mind and they are behind him 100% at the end of the day! If you want to find out more about Patrick simple follow the link below

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=728700723#!/profile.php?id=100001564085588&ref=ts

And if your already sold on Patrick and want him to get your vote simply text 'Bachelor 121' to 53306. Get voting people!!   Best of luck Patrick, as we have prob mentioned ..you have our votes :0)               

Shouting at Planes

                                                                                         we chatted to one of these strapping lads all about their new single Hospice! keep an eye on these boys, they've already rocked Glastonbury so the only way is up! check out all their tunes and info at http://shoutingatplanes.com/

After speaking to the lovely Jenny Conlon a few weeks back about moving abroad we thought it was best for us to get a professional on to the show to explain the best ways to go about leaving the nest and moving away. Jenny herself moved to London which luckily we do not need a visa for. However there are many young people now who are moving a bit further a field for work to the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Girls Talk Back was joined by Alan Gallagher who works for visa first. Visa first is a company who assist people in getting visas to any of the above countries. Whether it is a working holiday visa, a skilled worker visa or any of the other many visas’s offered to Irish people for these countries. Not only do they assist you with your visa they also do starter packs for these countries which include sim cards, tax file numbers, bank accounts and you can also get insurance. Visa first also offers advice on other countries and doing volunteer work abroad. For more information on all of the visas and packages offered you can contact Visa First on 01-8783329.

Just incase you’re all feeling a little down in the dumps, girls talk back are here to help! We tracked down Psychologist Shane Martin to cheer us all up!! Shane runs moodwatchers. He runs courses for in which he concentrates on the psychology of happiness, strength and resilience. Moodwatchers says, that it is important to ask yourself questions like “do I believe I have the power to make positive change in my life?”

Basically we all go through trauma and crises, but why to some people fall apart and some get on with it? It’s all about the way we think; we all think very differently and make very different sense out of situations. Things that worry some people have zero effect on others because of the way we think. Negative unhelpful thoughts can be a big part of our daily private thoughts, things like “I’m goin to fail” “things never work out for me” and “I bet she hates me now” . definitely not helpful! If you find yourself thinking these kinds of thoughts, ask yourself three questions, is it helpful? Is it fair? and is it true? Are bets is the answer to all three is no. These stressful thoughts cause..You’ve guessed it STRESS! We could all do without any avoidable stress; it effects us enormously, both physically and mentally. So keep the blood pressure down and actively do something about the two things everyone wants but do very little to get them... Health and Happiness.

Shane is running is course in Dublin for the first time and we at girls talk back wish him the best of luck. For more info check out www.moodwatchers.com




SHOWBIZ NEWS

Louis Walsh


Ireland’s favourite judge Louis Walsh has a new reality show which is to air next week folks. Lois is teaming up with Westlifes Kian Egan for what is to be a two part series which see’s the pair launch new girlband ‘Wonderland’ – Kian’s wife also happens to be in the band (talk about putting you relationship under pressure!!!)
Louis was quoted as saying on iol.ie that ‘Wonderland will definitely be the biggest girl band in the world come the end of next year’
The show which is called ‘The Management’ will air on ITV2 in October!!

Big Brother

It is essentially the end of an era – Love it or hate it at one point in your life you definitely watched it!!!
The ultimate big brother is over- The reality show that changed so many people’s lives has come to an end after 10 years of ups & downs!!!
The show definitely ended on an unexpected high - people were fed up of the show and it was getting old but the love of Josie and John James got people watching and then the genius idea of inviting the best contestants back got everyone’s attention even though’s who tried to ignore it couldn’t!!!
Now all people want to know is if Preston and Chantelle will get back together!! I’m sure we will be told all in an OK magazine interview very soon!!!

Our very own Brian Dowling the Iirsh sweetheart won Ultimate big brother – he definitely has the luck of the Irish winning twice and being the only housemate ever not to get voted!!! That is some achievement!! Congrats to Brian!!!

Amy Huberman –Back to Work

So after the most high profile wedding of the year – it looks like the fun is over and it is back to work for the lovely Amy Huberman. It is believed that Amy is starring in a new TV project penned by Cecelia Ahern!!

The cast and crew were seen filming at a hotel in Dublin’s South city but know one actually knows that much about project. I can tell you that the project is believed to be titled ‘Three Wise Women’ and is rumoured to be a medical drama – So keep an eye out for this people – u heard it here!!

Imelda May

GirlsTalkBack wants to say a huge congrats to the amazingly talented Imelda May whose new album ‘Mayhem’ hit the number one spot.
Her appearance on the late late show, and her performance at electric picnic where she played at the main stage was unreal has resulted in her 2nd album outselling all her rivals.
She was seen last week back at her home in the Liberties with all her friends and family celebrating the great news. Her parents Tony and Madge Clabby have been Imelda’s biggest support travelling with her since she launched her new album –how sweet is that!! Congrats on the number 1 Imelda!!!

Talk Soon, Loves GTB xoxo