JANUARY FAVOURITES ❤

I've had a great start to 2016, I hope you all have too.

As usual, I'll be talking about what I've been loving this month.

Joy

As I've stated in previous blogposts, Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favourite actresses. She's starred as Katniss Everdeen in one of my favourite book-to-film adaptations, The Hunger Games and as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook. The latter role won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2013. She also has a really down to earth and funny personality, she's not afraid to be herself when it comes to interviews. When I found out that Jennifer was reuniting with Silver Linings Playbook director, David O. Russell, to make a film about a woman who goes from being poor and struggling for money to inventing a 'Miracle Mop' and becoming a successful business woman, I was really excited. The film was released earlier this month and I wasn't disappointed. Jennifer's performance as the title character is really inspiring and she portrays her in a positive light. The film shows both the highs and lows of Joy's career. If you'd like to read my full review on my other blog, click here.

The Ellen Degeneres Show

Despite the show running for 13 years, it was only earlier this month when the show premiered its fourteenth season on ITV2 in the UK. The only way British people could watch Ellen was by watching short clips on YouTube. Last year, when Ellen announced that her popular chat show was finally coming to the UK, everyone was so happy, including me. Whenever I watched one of Ellen's clips on YouTube, I would wish that it would be on UK TV. Fortunately, my wish (and a lot of others) came true. I think the reason why Ellen's chat show is so popular and successful is because of the host herself. She's always full of energy and her positivity radiates throughout the show. Not one episode is the same. Every day, there's a new celebrity interview and a new competition to win prizes for someone in the audience. I couldn't be more happier that Ellen's show is finally on UK TV. 

The Ellen Show is on ITV2 on weekdays at 1:45pm.

Celebrity Big Brother

I love reality TV, especially Big Brother. For years, the show has gained popularity due to the characters that appear on the show. The show is unpredictable and entertaining for its viewers. I don't really watch Big Brother but when I saw the line-up for the Celebrity version, I knew I had to watch. The line-up included: Gemma Collins (best known for being in The Only Way Is Essex, a reality show set in Essex); Angie Bowie (the late David Bowie's ex-wife); David Gest (was previously married to Liza Minnelli and friends with the late Michael Jackson); Stephanie Davis (was in Hollyoaks); John Partridge and Danniella Westbrooke (the pair were both in Eastenders). I wasn't sure if all of the housemates were going to get on or if there were going to be plenty of drama and arguments. Unfortunately, the latter was true. In the first week, whilst Angie Bowie was inside the house, her ex-husband, David Bowie, died of cancer at the age of 69. The CBB producers informed Angie of this tragic news off-camera but she remained inside the house. At first, she wasn't going to say anything, but her fellow housemate, Tiffany Pollard, could tell something was wrong with her. Angie reluctantly told her that 'David was dead' causing Tiffany to become hysterical, thinking it was David Gest who, coincidentally, had been ill that day. This was probably one of the most-watched episodes of the series, due to Tiffany's reaction. I watched this episode in shock and, to be honest, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I felt sympathy for Angie as she probably wanted some privacy to mourn her late ex-husband but then I also felt bad for Tiffany as it was a honest mistake. The celebrities had been in the house for a week so I'm not surprised that Tiffany thought that it was David Gest had died. Since then, Angie has left and so has David (both on medical grounds) and the final is this Friday (February 5th). I definitely think this has to be the best Celebrity Big Brother yet. There's been confrontations, arguments and drama which is what makes the show so entertaining. 

Celebrity Big Brother is shown everyday on Channel 5 at 9pm.

You Don't Own Me - Grace featuring G-Eazy

I first heard this song on an advert for House of Fraser, which is a department store in the UK. The lyrics were catchy ('Don't tell me what to do'/'Don't tell me what to say') and Grace's voice was amazing. The song is a modern take of Lesley Gore's song of the same name which was released in 1963. Gore's song was sung by Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton in the 1996 comedy, The First Wives Club. This is why I liked the song so much because I had watched the film and heard them sing it. However, I would never had guessed that as the two versions of the song sound completely different. It was only when I watched The First Wives Club a few weeks ago that I recognised the song. Both versions are great covers. 

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off

The Great British Bake Off has grown in popularity over the years. I think the reason why it's so popular is because of the bakers that appear on the show and the competitiveness between them to succeed and become Star Baker. Another reason why it's popular is because of what they bake on the show. It's also really entertaining, especially the celebrity version, which tries to help raise money for Sport Relief, a charity dedicated to helping the less fortunate in Africa. The first episode premiered on Wednesday 27th January and it showed the following celebrities, Samantha Cameron, Jason Manford, Maddy Hill and David James all competing to win Star Baker. It was amusing to see who was the best and worst at baking and the majority of the bakes were impressive, despite some of the celebrities saying that they'd never baked before. It was a great start to the series and I'm looking forward to the next which includes Kimberley Walsh, Chris Kamara, Victoria Coren Mitchell and Ed Balls. It's on Wednesday 3rd February, 8pm on BBC One.

Those were all of my January favourites!

I hope you had a great month and that February is even better.

Thank you for reading my blogposts, it really does mean a lot.

❤