Jay-Z and Ashley Cole to open sports bar

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Jay-Z and Ashley Cole to open sports bar Jay-Z and Ashley Cole will be teaming up to open in Pall Mall an upscale sports bar that will be staffed by people currently unemployed and set up as a WAG wannabe hangout. Cole said it was great to work with someone that is a star like Jay-Z. Also the fact that this will help people that are unemployed by training and putting them to work at a great place makes it all the more worthwhile.

The same as Jay-Z’s four places in the US, this club will be named 40/40 a term used in baseball which is quite rare when a player hits 40 home runs and steals 40 bases in the same season. That is similar to being one of the best left-backs in the world and winning your ex-X Factor wife back all in the same year.

Co-owner with Jay-Z in the clubs in the US, Juan Perez said the marketing behind the 40/40 is to create an atmosphere favorable for men as well as women with it being a combination of an upscale hip lounge and sports bar.

Without coming out and saying it, it is a call out to all those that want to be WAGS. Membership at the club in New York is £1,000. But with that you get access only to the second level private VIP room.

To get to the top you need the Purple Membership which will set you back about £1,700. Along with the usual comfortable arm chairs where you can catch some live sport members and their guests will hope to get a glimpse of a celebrity that is drawn in with the Jay-Z cachet.

Leeds United stage play set for nationwide tour

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Leeds United fan stage-play
– tour dates announced

A 15-date theatre tour including two nights at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds was announced for the stage play focused on one fan’s dedication to Leeds United. Paint It White is the life-story of Gary Edwards told in a hilarious play.

Edwards a decorator and painter by trade supported Elland Road through both thick and thin having missing only one game since 1968. From the 13th October until November 9th the production will travel across the country.

The play is adapted from Edwards’ book and ran successfully in Leeds in 2010 for three weeks and is based on the superfan from Kippax’s experiences. He has been able to juggle his everyday life, around his passion from the club, including a week’s long marriage and arriving via hearse to a match. The comedy follows the ups and downs of his life as well as the teams.

Gary Edwards said: “I am delighted Paint It White is returning for a tour of the country and bringing my adventures to a nationwide audience. I have got to know many fans from around the country and know it will go down well. Visiting all these theatres will be like going to Wembley every night.”

The play is also a sock-tab on the shin of Leeds-born producer and writer. For the ex-BBC journalist, it is his first play. Les Rowley said: “ In its first run on the fringes of the main theatre circuit, audiences laughed and cried in all the right places and with Leeds United there was more crying than laughing.

“The play however is about the unbelievable life of a normal bloke, and it is heartwarming to see such a character loved and admired by almost everyone he comes into contact with. You don’t even need to like football to enjoy this play.”

“It’s been a long road but the production has passed the theatrical litmus test and taking it to the Playhouse in Leeds is another step up the ladder for something that started with my first Leeds United game in the ‘70s.”

Four actors including Leeds-born actors Gary Dunnington, Johnny Dixon (Coronation Street) and Cathy Breeze (Les Miserables) all take on roles to tell the story of Edwards. The play is directed by Rayner Bourton (Rocky Horror Show) and Alun Lewis (Emmerdale).

Tour dates: 13th October Phoenix Theatre Castleford; 14th October Eden Theatre, Bishop Auckland; 16th October, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York; 17th October, Blackfriars Arts Centre, Boston; 19th October, Catrin Finch Theatre, Wrexham; 20th October, Nottingham Arts Centre; 21st October, Ilkley Playhouse, 22nd October, Muni Theatre, Colne; 25th & 26th October, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds; 27th October, The Spa Theatre, Scarborough; 28th October, Balne Lane WMC, Wakefield; 30th October, Caxton Theatre, Cleethorpes; 2nd November, The Milton Rooms, Malton; 9th November, Square Chapel Theatre, Halifax.

Tickets now on sale at venue or through paintitwhite.co.uk

Gabby Logan and Robbie Savage back SELLEBRITY AUCTION fundraising initiative to support The Prince’s Trust

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The Prince’s Trust youth charity is backing the most famous of its ambassadors in a brand new fundraising initiative. This will give ordinary members of the general public the opportunity to own a piece of their favourite celebrity, be it a part of their lifestyle or something personal from inside their wardrobes.

The online auction site SELLEBRITY is the brains behind this great initiative, run by Prince’s Trust Ambassador and ex Norwich City footballer Darren Eadie. He has been joined in the launch of this charity venture by Gabby Logan the sports presenter and premier league footballer Robbie Savage. The London offices of the Prince’s Trust are the location for the launch.

Darren Eadie has explained the inspiration behind him setting up the SELLEBRITY auction site. He said that many famous people who have a large disposable income accumulate furniture, clothes and other possessions over time that end up in cupboards, lofts or garages. SELLEBRITY encourages them to have a spring clean in the name of charity.

When these stars denote their unwanted items for auction on the SELLEBRITY site, they give their fans the chance to bid on items belonging to their favourite celebrities, and raise much needed funds for charity at the same time. Darren Eadie is clearly very proud to be an Ambassador of the Prince’s Trust, the first charity to be officially named as a SELLEBRITY beneficiary.

Anne Lycett, the Head of Ambassadors, said that the new partnership with SELLEBRITY was highly significant and that all the funds raised through the auction site would allow the Prince’s Trust to change for the better even more young peoples lives in the UK. She added that the timing as perfect with youth unemployment being very high and the jobs market on the whole being very uncertain.

She added that the additional funding would help them to get more disadvantaged children into education, training and work. She also said that the Trust extended its heartfelt thanks to Darren Eadie and to all of their wonderful Ambassadors who have donated personal items to be auctioned for this extremely worthwhile cause.

Famous Ambassadors of the Prince’s Trust including Sir Richard Branson, Sharon Osbourne, Carol Vorderman, Jools Holland, Gary Lineker, Sir Ben Kingsley, Rob Brydon and Brenda Blethyn, along with many others, have joined Darren, Robbie and Gabby to support the SELLEBRITY partnership.

Gabby happily posed for pictures with her personal donation to the auction, a cream handbag by Mulberry, and joked that now she was looking at her Mulberry bag she didn’t think she could part with it! She added that she was delighted to donate the bag for such a good cause and that her husband Kenny has also donated a jacket. She also said that as an Ambassador of the Prince’s Trust it was great to support any initiative that was going to raise funds for the trust.

Soccer bad boy Robbie Savage also posed in his donation, a leather jacket by Dolce & Gabbana worth over  £3,500. This is just one of many designer items that the hard man with a soft heart has generously donated for the SELLEBRITY auction. He spoke of his great desire to support such worthwhile causes and how he hoped many people would register and subsequently bid for the favourite items he had donated.

By logging onto the official SELLEBRITY website at www.sellebrity.org.uk you can keep up to date with all the latest news and see which of your favourite stars have made a donation.

Hearts suspends Craig Thomson over indecent behavior claims

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Hearts suspends Craig Thomson over indecent behavior claims Hearts the Scottish Premier League side announced Tuesday the suspension with immediate effect of their defender Craig Thomson. This decision came just one day after the club from Edinburgh said they would stick by their player after he was convicted for libidinous, lewd and indecent behavior.

A pubic backlash was caused by their decision with even one of the sponsor’s of the club ready to withdraw their backing in protest. A short statement later appeared on the Heart’s official website saying Craig Thomson had been suspended with immediate effect.

The 20 year old fullback pleaded guilty earlier in the month, was fined and will appear in the sex offenders register with regard to his conduct towards two girls that were underage over the internet. MacB Water one of Hearts’ sponsors announced their decision to withdraw their sponsorship of £5,000. The company spokesperson said the company is a family business with strong values and have no choice other than end our relationships with Hearts.

Jim Jeffries the Hearts manager spoke on Monday before the change of policy by the club towards Thomson; There will some games in the future where this will cause us a situation. He also said the worry would be that if he ever made it back on the team, and there is much competition for that how will he react to what’s coming to him. Plus they need to be sure about it, since it will have an affect on the rest of the team.

South African Football Association prepares for FIFA investigation

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The South African Football Association (SAFA) said they would cooperate with FIFA if the world ruling body of football conducts an investigation into game fixing with regards to two of its warm up games before the World Cup.

SAFA said they hoped their games against Guatemala and Colombia were fair. SAFA condemned in their strongest ways the match-fixing allegation during the friendlies and pledged its support to FIFA to eliminate the scourge of fixing.

SAFA said in the statement that as things are they want to think the matches were played with fairplay and the outcome of an investigation will there were efforts put forward by both respective teams.

This statement followed a Sunday report that said both of South Africa’s friendlies were under suspicion as part of a bigger FIFA probe into world football match fixing. The world ruling body had no comment on the legitimacy of the South Africa 5-0 victory over Guatemala.

The game included three penalties for handballs. However FIFA also said they are investigating a friendly earlier this month between Argentina and Nigeria with Nigeria winning 4-1 which had very suspicious betting patterns.

SAFA denied they knew anything of the investigation by FIFA into the two friendlies but did promise stern action against anyone of their own officials if any were in fact involved.

Should any administrative members of their staff be found to have been involved with the friendlies the Association will without any hesitation take the appropriate measures against the culprits to protect its integrity and for the game’s good.

Both the Nigeria-Argentina and the South Africa-Guatemala games were handled by the same official, the Nigerian Ibrahim Chaibou. None of the players have been accused of any wrong doing.  The same official, Chaibou was also referee when Bahrain beat a fake Togo team 3-0 last September.