Metro Herald, December 18, 2013 by Metro Herald

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The gifts that ruined Christmas

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Plus: Win Biffy Clyro/Coronas gig tickets

Peru Two ‘let off’ with 7yrs by AidAn rAdnedge

THE Peru Two were yesterday handed the lightest possible jail sentence after admitting trying to smuggle €1.8million of cocaine into Peru. Michaella McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid were told they would face six years and eight months in prison. The pair, both 20, agreed to plead guilty to escape a possible 15 years behind bars. They could be freed after two years and three months, with time off for good behaviour. Justice officials in Lima said it was not yet decided if they would be able to serve part of their time in Britain. Connolly, from Dungannon in Co Tyrone, and Glaswegian Reid were arrested in August after landing in Lima following a flight from Spain. They were found to be carrying 24lb of cocaine hidden in parcels of food. Initially, they told investigators they were kidnapped by Colombian gangsters while working in Ibiza and forced to transport the drugs to Majorca and on to South America. But they pleaded guilty in September and were braced to serve 15 years, with Reid writing in her diary: ‘I have prepared myself for the worst.’ Instead, they received less than half that term when they were sentenced in a closed court in Lima’s Sarita Colonia prison. Their lawyer last night described the jail term as the minimum they could have received. It contrasts with the death penalty imposed on 57-year-old British woman Lindsay Sandiford earlier this year for smuggling €1.9million of cocaine into the Indonesian resort of Bali. Facing justice: McCollum and Reid arrive at court in handcuffs to hear their fate yesterday PICTURES: AP

Get cracking. Last posting date to Ireland.

Keep Dublin tidy – Please recycle this Metro Herald when you are finished with it

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Eye approve: Retinal cells regrown?

Cure for the blind within sight thanks to fine print

A POTENTIAL cure for blindness looks promising after researchers managed to print eye cells. They used an inkjet to print two types of central nervous system cells from the retinas of rats and found the cells could be kept healthy and could grow normally. The study – published in the journal Biofabrication – revealed that 3D printing makes it possible to arrange cells into highly defined patterns and structures that can be used in regenerative medicine. Co-authors Prof Keith Martin and Dr Barbara Lorber, from the University of Cambridge, said: ‘The loss of nerve cells in the retina is a feature of many blinding eye diseases. ‘Although our results are preliminary, the aim is to develop this technology for use in retinal repair in the future.’ Researchers used a printer to eject the cells through a nozzle when an electrical pulse was applied. They also used video technology to take high resolution footage of the process. It is the first time the technology has allowed scientists to print mature central nervous system cells.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

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20 The number of

minutes it took for pop star Beyoncé to sell out three summer shows in the O2 yesterday morning. A fourth date has since been added. Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling is now up to 79%. Keep reading, keep recycling – thank you.

Today is...

International Migrants Day A day observed around the world to mark the 2000 adoption by the UN of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families.

From the archives (2007): €3bn wiped off Irish shares

Some €3billion was wiped off the value of Irish shares while the ISEQ index fell by three per cent, as fears mounted the US economy was heading into recession. Stocks in EU countries also fell as losses in the Asian and US markets were felt globally.

Today’s birthdays

Keith Richards, Rolling Stone, 70; Steven Spielberg, director, 67; Ray Liotta, actor, 59; Brad Pitt, actor, 50; David O’Doherty, comic, 38; Katie Holmes (pictured), actress, 35.

CLOCkwORD

The solutions from 1 to 12 are all six-letter words ending with the letter S in the centre. Moving clockwise from 1, the letters in the outer circle will spell out the name of an Irish TV presenter.

8. Commands 9. Cleans with water 10. Hawks’ claws 11. To Infatuate 12. Female relatives

1. 2. 3. 4.

Eats a lot Paths Permits Racing animals 5. Puts at rest 6. Large fruits 7. Irish pop sisters

Yesterday’s solution: David Trimble

Weather Today

Max: 11°c

Mainly dry with some sunny spells. Rain along with strong gale strength winds will move in from the west later on. Temperatures between 9° to 11°C.

Derry

9�C

Donegal

10�C

11�C

Athlone

Dublin

11�C Tipperary

Waterford

Tralee

Cork

Tonight

11�C

Min: 2°c

Windy with scattered showers. Sleet and snow expected on higher ground areas of the northwest. Temperatures between 2° to 5°C.

Sunrise: 8.36am Sunset: 4.07pm

EUROPE today

Tomorrow Cold and windy in most areas. Eastern areas will have good spells of sunshine. Scattered heavy showers over the rest of the country. C Temperatures between 4° and 7°C.

4�C 3�C

4�

5�C

6�C

Belfast

Cavan

Galway

11�C

9�C

5�C

5�C 5�C

Athens

10 °c

Barcelona

16 °c

Berlin

6 °c 12 °c

Brussels London Geneva Madrid Paris

Max: 7°c

Rome

9 °c 2 °c 12 °c 15 °c 12 °c

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

More selfies taken at Thai shopping centre than at world’s sights

Taj Mahal gets a mall-ing The most Instagrammed locations of 2013 1

Siam Paragon shopping mall, Bangkok, Thailand

Times Square, New York

Bellagio Fountains, Las Vegas

Smar bra Smart warns when you’ve had enough

Walt Disney World, Florida

Disneyland, California

Staples Center, Los Angeles

Central Park, New York

Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles

The High Line, New York

THE breathtaking beauty of the Grand Canyon and the majestic splendour of the Taj Mahal are sights worth recording for posterity. But the most shared location in the world last year was... a shopping centre in Thailand. The Siam Paragon shunted New York’s bustling Times Square to No.2 in the global Instagram chart, as Asian teenagers embrace the global obsession with posting selfies. And it was those banal pictures of people showing off their meals – derided by sceptics as the height of social media drivel – that helped claim the crown for the Bangkok venue. ‘I take photos of food here almost every day,’ admitted Thai student

by DANIEL BINNS Jirathip Khajonkulvanich, 18. ‘When you take photos of food, people press “like” more than with other pictures.’ While it lacks the appeal of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome or the Eiffel Tower, the Siam Paragon draws 100,000 visitors a day and boasts a cinema, aquarium and bowling alley. It had an added advantage in the race for the Instagram crown because Thailand is one of the world’s biggest users of social media. ‘All the celebrities come here and post photos of themselves,’ said Sayamon Srichai, a 33-year-old Bangkok office worker. ‘Regular people like me want to walk in their footsteps.’

THIS bra could boost its TH wea wearer’s health by prev preventing overeating. The ‘smart’ ‘ underwear has sensor sensors that detect the user user’s mood by monitoring hear heart and skin activity, Results ar are then analysed by an app app, which warns the user about ‘emotional ‘ eating’ and off offers advice such as breathing br exercises to lo lower stress. ‘Emotional state states and habitual prac practices, like snacking in fron front of the television or grabbing a cookie c when stress stressed, often go undet undetected by us,’ said Prof Monic Monica Schraefel. ‘That’s na the nature of habits but ha real effects on they have w our well-being.’ The bra was dev developed by Southampton Univ University in the UK, Micr Microsoft and Rochester Univ University in the US.

Gar Garment guard: The underwear monitors skin under and he heart activity Picture: PA

Get your skates on. Last posting g date to Great G Britain & Europe.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

Botch-job bomber flees engulfed in flames Soldier of the dawn: Hector

Hector’s off the menu at breakfast SOME radio listeners may be crying into their cereal this morning at the news that RTÉ have decided to dump Hector Ó hEochagáin’s breakfast show. The State broadcaster said Hector will return to RTÉ screens in the spring in the second of the series Hector Goes and will also pursue other development projects with RTÉ television in 2014. Head of 2fm Dan Healy praised the presenter who ‘has played a significant role’ in developing breakfast radio with his show. ‘“Keep her lit” helped take the country through the past three years of the recession with outside broadcasts from Friday factory floor fillers to second chance debs.’ Responding to the statement in a tweet last night @hectoron2fm wrote: To All The Soldiers Of The Dawn [listeners].... Exciting times ahead but (Statement to follow).’

A FIRe bomb attack on a Belfast city centre store represents a serious upsurge by dissident republicans, in Northern police have warned. The assailant, who almost certainly suffered burns to his face, neck and hands after the device exploded as he was about to plant it in a sports shop, fled through crowded streets trying to beat out the flames after it went off early underneath his jacket.

Up to 15 people were inside the pop-up golf store at the time. No one was hurt, but the bomber – a man in his mid-40s wearing a beanie hat – was engulfed in flames and almost certainly badly injured, police said yesterday. Terry Spence of the federation that represents rank and file PSNI officers said: ‘It is deeply worrying and it is a very serious upsurge in

dissident republican terrorism.’ Dissident republicans are believed to have been involved in the failed attack, the latest in a series in Belfast in the run-up to Christmas. On Friday night a bomb was abandoned in a holdall in the Cathedral Quarter, forcing up to 1,000 people to be evacuated from pubs, clubs and restaurants, but only the bomb detonators went off.

We lag in public transport use but bus journeys grow by jOAnnE AHERn

Shot is fired in garda stand-off ARMED gardaí fired a shot during a stand-off with a man with a replica gun. The incident happened in the early hours of yesterday morning on Greencastle Road, Coolock. Gardaí said the man in his 20s threatened officers and members of the public. An armed response team was drafted in and one shot was discharged by a Garda. The suspect was being detained at Coolock Garda Station. An investigation by An Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is ongoing.

Greyhound hit with €10k fine TWO directors of Greyhound Recycling and Recovery have avoided criminal convictions for failing to prevent emissions from their main Dublin facility. The Environmental Protection Agency detected a serious smell after inspecting their site in Clondalkin. The company, which took over Dublin City Council’s bin service in 2012, was prosecuted for breaking regulations. Brian Buckley and his brother Michael contested the charges but were found guilty by Judge John O’Neill at Dublin District Court and ordered to pay fines of €10,000.

Wheely easy: Junior transport minister Alan Kelly and friends launch a new cycle planner iPhone app from Transport For Ireland

Nidge gives us a nudge Love/Hate actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, a regular volunteer at Barnardos project centres, sat in with Mark Brennan, Barnardos project leader, to urge people to support the children’s charity this Christmas by making a donation. Visit www.barnardos.ie/donate Picture: Patrick Bolger

Kenny: 2014 will be year for jobs The Government has predicted a return to the Celtic Tiger years with a huge influx of new jobs by the end of the decade. Taoiseach enda Kenny said he hoped to see a return to full employment by 2020, which could see the country’s crippling jobless rate of 12.5 per cent more than halved to below six per cent. ‘By 2020, we aim to replace all

of the 330,000 jobs that were lost during the economic crisis between 2008 and 2011 with new jobs, and in doing so, more than halve the rate of unemployment,’ Mr Kenny said. ‘We will also ensure the mistakes of the past are never repeated.’ Launching the first post-bailout economic plan, the Taoiseach dubbed 2014 ‘the year for jobs’.

he pledged a strong push to make the economy more competitive, to boost investment and help Irish businesses grow. Mr Kenny described the economic strategy as a roadmap that will provide certainty to Irish people and investors. The Government also expects to drive down debt levels over six years to 93 per cent of GDP.

IReLAND has the second lowest daily public transport use in the eU – second only to Cyprus, new research has found. Just eight per cent of Irish respondents to the eurobarometer Urban Mobility survey said they used public transport every day, tying Ireland with Slovenia and the Netherlands. Cyprus topped this category, with only three per cent using public transport daily. The eU average is 16 per cent. Following recent increases, some 50 per cent of Irish respondents said lower prices for public transport would improve travel within cities, with 54 per cent believing better public transport would help this. Meanwhile, the report found Ireland has the second highest daily car usage in the eU, again second only to Cyprus. Some 68 per cent of Irish respondents said they use their car every day – the eU28 average is 50 per cent. Separately, Dublin Bus announced yesterday that it has had to deploy extra peak time buses to meet increased passenger demand and is hiring for the first time in five years. experiencing ‘a significant growth’ between October and November, the bus company said it expects to have carried an additional 400,000 over that period, bringing the total number of journeys to 115million by the end of the year. The company also plans to hire 70 new drivers over the next three months. extra buses are now operating on the Stillorgan, Malahide, Blanchardstown, Lucan and Rathmines corridors. A Dublin Bus spokeswoman put the surge in demand down to a general sign of the economy improving, as well as a mild winter. She added, however, that the three-day driver’s strike in August affected passenger numbers. Sinn Féin transport spokesman Dessie ellis said he was delighted to hear about the turn in the fortunes of Dublin Bus. however, he added he hopes recent fare increases don’t affect this.

New Millennium author THe Swedish publisher of the bestselling The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books – known as the Millennium series – has hired an author to write a sequel to the trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson. Norstedts said it has signed a contract with I Am Zlatan author David Lagercrantz for a new book featuring the journalist Mikael Blomqvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander. It is scheduled to be published in August 2015.

METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Mega Millions nears $1bn as uS goes lottery crazy

LOTTERY fever is sweeping the US as the Mega Millions jackpot edges towards $1billion (€727million) for the first time ever. After 21 consecutive rollovers, ticket sales have soared 20 per cent and the estimated top prize for last night’s draw was an estimated $567million (€412million). If there is no winner once again, organisers say that could almost double

by TARIq TAHIR by Christmas Eve – beating the record jackpot prize of $656million (€477million) set in March last year. Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery and lead director for Mega Millions, said: ‘We’ll be very close to the record, and maybe even surpass it. ‘The challenging part in predicting

is that so many of the sales happen on the day of the draw,’ she added. ‘But lotto players are procrastinators. They tend to buy on the day of the draw.’ As of Friday, players had bought enough tickets to cover roughly half of the 259million possible number combinations, Ms Otto said. The very slim chance of winning the ballooning jackpot was enough to convince lawyer Drew Gentsch, of

Iowa, to buy his first Mega Millions ticket in years yesterday. ‘I think it’s ridiculous but you have to dream big,’ he said. ‘The odds of winning are so low, there’s no real reason to play. But it’s fun to do so once in a while.’ The size of the prize has been inflated since an overhaul in October of Mega Millions lowered the odds of winning the jackpot.

World LUNAR LIGHT : A photograph of China’s Chang’e 3 probe, taken by the country’s first lunar rover, Yutu is shown on a giant screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre. China aims to launch its next unmanned lunar probe in 2017, after its first probe landed on the Moon at the weekend

€1.2m clothes spend by Congo’s president

fRANCE: The president of the poverty-ravaged Republic of Congo spent more than €1.2million on clothes he wore only once, it has emerged. Denis Sassou Nguesso shopped at Paris boutiques, paying with money transferred from Swiss bank accounts. A former aide claimed Mr Nguesso changed shirts ‘four times a day and used them as Kleenex tissues’. A French judicial inquiry heard his family owned 20 properties in Paris.

Merkel makes deals to clinch her third term ANGELA MERKEL was yesterday sworn in for a third term as leader of Germany. Ms Merkel (left) spent three months putting together a coalition to allow her to take up the chancellorship once more. Newspapers said they were now likely to be her fiercest opposition in the light of the fractured parliament.

digest Rare tiger mauls his zoo-keeper to death

CHINA: A keeper was mauled to death by a rare South China tiger after entering its enclosure to clean it. Colleagues at Shanghai zoo said the keeper – identified only as a 56-year-old man called Zhou – went in and ‘did not come out again’. A statement from the zoo said the nine-year-old male big cat had no history of aggressive behaviour toward humans. The South China tiger is considered effectively extinct in the wild.

Picture: reuters

Outrage at ‘strip search’ of diplomat

Snowden offers to help Brazil on NSA spying

THE arrest and alleged strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York City has escalated into a major international incident as a senior Indian politician said the woman’s treatment was ‘despicable and barbaric’. Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, has denied charges of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for her housekeeper. She was handcuffed on Thursday as she dropped off her daughter at school, and kept in a cell with drug addicts before posting $250,000 (€182,000) bail. India is threatening to downgrade privileges for US diplomats and has removed traffic barricades near the US Embassy in New Delhi erected as a safety measure in retaliation at Ms Khobragade’s treatment.

US National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has said he would be willing to help Brazil’s government investigate American spying on its soil – but only if he is granted political asylum. Mr Snowden said in a letter to a newspaper he has been impressed by the Brazilian government’s criticism of the NSA programme targeting internet and telecommunications worldwide, including the mobile phone of Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff. The Snowden letter was published one day after a US district judge ruled the NSA’s collection of millions of Americans’ phone records probably violates the US constitution’s ban on unreasonable search. The case is likely to go to the US Supreme Court.

‘Boris bike’ ridden to French mountain top for charity THREE friends have stretched the boundaries of London’s equivalent of dublinbikes – by taking one to the top of a mountain in France. Matthew Winstone, Ian Laurie and Robert Holden returned the

‘Boris Bike’ – named after London mayor Boris Johnson – with 22 seconds to spare before the daily £2 hire charge expired. They picked up the bike at 3.58am and took it by van from Southwark, through the

Eurotunnel before driving to southern France where Mr Holden pedalled the three-speed 23kg bike to the 1,912m summit of Mont Ventoux in two hours, raising more than €4,300 for a cancer charity.

RuSSIA: President Vladimir Putin signs a deal with Ukraine leader Viktor Yanukovych, slashing the price his country will charge for gas. It comes as protesters call for Ukraine to join the EU Picture: AP

Mother has C-section Third of fathers raise but there is no baby someone else’s child

bRAzIL: Doctors performed an emergency C-section on a ‘heavily pregnant’ woman – only to find that her womb was empty. They operated on the 37-year-old after failing to detect a heartbeat from her ‘baby’. The woman was thought to be 41 weeks pregnant when she was rushed to hospital in Cabo Frio, south-east Brazil, for the Caesarian. She had proof of her pre-natal care. The case was registered as a phantom pregnancy.

SERbIA: One in three fathers who orders a paternity test has found out out he is raising a child that is not his own. Some fathers requesting the increasingly popular paternity tests have been shocked by the results, according to Oliver Stojkovic, of the Institute for Court Medicine in Belgrade. ‘One man realised with our test he was not a father but a brother to his son because the grandfather was actually the father,’ he said.

and finally... SPAIN: A nightclub is offering an ‘erotic disco’ with a Christmas meal served by topless waitresses. The venue in Madrid admits mainly men have signed up for the festive menu, which involves a ‘flash’ from staff.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

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Perry: I’ve given Niall my undie-cover tips... KATY PERRY says she gives One Direction’s Niall Horan secrets about ladies’ knickers. She reckons her bedroom tips are part of her babysitting service after she was spotted on a date with the doeeyed 20-year-old in New York. ‘I could babysit him,’ chuckled Perry (pictured), 29. ‘I keep telling him, don’t get interested in girls that wear Spanx. Yet. Later...’ The California Girl also insists the heartthrob owes all his success to her. ‘I love Niall. I think people forget that I chose him! ‘He owes me. I was a judge on The X Factor and it was up to my vote to see if he could go through.’ ‘I was sceptical but then he made this cute little face – that doesn’t look like that cute little face any more. It’s more a grown-up face, she said. Dismissing that anything romantic could ever happen between herself and the Irishman, Perry – who is loved up with crooner John Mayer – joked to Nick Grimshaw: ‘I’m pregnant with his children right now.

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‘Children! I’m going to be like the new Kate Gosselin,’ she added in a nod to the US reality star famous for having eight children. Horan was last seen necking 20-yearold Hungarian model Barbara Palvin at The X Factor final on Sunday.

Beyoncé has put Kim Kardashian firmly back in her place after showing the reality TV star how a music video with your beau should be done. The singer, 32, is seen frolicking on a beach with hubby Jay Z in the black-and-white video for her latest track Drunk In Love. The steamy six-minute clip opens with Beyoncé seductively gliding along a beach carrying a beauty pageant trophy while wearing a tiny black bikini. As the song kicks in, she dances suggestively and

crawls along the sand before splashing about in the sea while gazing into the camera. As well as being in the video, Jay Z, 44, also lends his rap talent to the song. The couple put Kim and Kanye’s efforts to shame. In his Bound 2 video, West rides his motorbike while a topless Kardashian sits astride gyrating to the music. Bey surprised fans this week with the release of her new album, Beyoncé, which has gone straight in at No.1 in 104 countries.

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Chris Brown will spend Christmas in rehab after being ordered to continue his anger management therapy. The star, 24, yesterday escaped a jail term after breaching his probation when he was arrested for an alleged assault. But a judge in a Los Angeles court heard that Rihanna’s old flame is ‘responding well’ to treatment after being told to curb his marijuana habit.

The claws were out in the great diva battles of 2013 I

t’s been one rowdy year for our cantankerous celebrities with demand for nail files going through the roof during twerking spats, boyband battles and utterly disdainful diva wars. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj reportedly came to blows at the start of the year when they were pitted against each other on American Idol. In the end, filming had to be halted after 31-year-old Minaj allegedly threatened Mimi, 43, if she said ‘one more disrespectful thing’ to her. the Fantasy singer later described being on the panel as like ‘going to work in hell every day, with satan’. One Direction’s feud with the Wanted raged with the boybands exchanging insults non-stop. the slurs have gone from Zayn Malik, 20, calling Max George ‘chlamydia boy’ to the groups offering to fight each other. the latest instalment came from

was fending off the jibes from all angles. First, she and former BFF Perez Hilton came to blows in August after the gossip blogger criticised her comeback single Applause, leading Gagaa to accuse Hilton of harassment. Next saw Kelly Osbourne dub the 27-year-old a ‘hypocrite’, prompting Gaga’s fans to send the 29-year-old rock offspring death threats. Osbourne’s mum sharon, 61, waded in to defend her girl in October, slamming Gaga as ‘nothing more than a publicity seeking hypocrite’. And in November, Gaga finally let rip at her 55-year-old rival Madonna, claiming she didn’tt care if she was liked by the Queen of ep her Pop and that she could keep ‘f***ing throne’.

In the latest part of our review of the celebrity year, JENNI MCKNIGHT looks at the ugliest and, of course, most attention-grabbing star feuds Louis tomlinson, 21, who last month joked he was secretly in love with George, 25, and his bandmate tom Parker, also 25, after George accused Louis of being secretly gay. Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus was taken on by Irish crooner sinead O’Connor following her saucy twerking at the MtV VMAs in August. the Nothing Compares 2 U singer, 47, accused the 21-year-old of allowing herself to be ‘pimped’ out by the music industry. she didn’t stop there as she went on to pen four open letters to the pop star after Miley appeared to mock O’Connor’s mental health battles. However, it was Lady Gaga who

The fur flies: Miley Cyrus in Washington. Sinead O’Connor said the singer was ‘pimped’ out by the pop industry PICTURE: AP

Leo: I was big, bad wolf in sex scenes Leonardo DiCaprio may be pushing 40 but he’s insists he doesn’t need to use a body double, even during sex scenes with a dominatrix. The 39-year-old shows off a lot of skin in new movie The Wolf Of Wall Street and revealed all the naked flesh was his own. ‘All the flopping around, it was all me,’ he said. ‘Look, when you do a character like this, you have to go all out. You can’t pull any punches. You have to swing for the fences. Hopefully, people enjoy it.’ Speaking about his role as the fraudulent stockbroker Jordan Belfort in the Martin Scorsese movie, DiCaprio told Extra: ‘When you take on a character like this, you want to accurately reflect the nature of who these people are. You just gotta do it. You can’t think about yourself because it’s not me. It’s a depiction of somebody else.’

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10 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

12 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

SMARTEST CHOICE, ADVICE & PRICE

12 DEALS OF CHRISTMAS

Parrot Minikit Smart Hands-Free Kit

€59.99

Been pulled over AGAIN for driving while on your mobile? You should probably get something like this. The Parrot MINIKIT Smart is a hands-free Bluetooth cradle compatible with most smartphones that lets you accept calls and use GPS with one press of a button, which doubles as a twisty volume control and menu scroller. Just sucker it onto your dash or windscreen, pair it with your phone wirelessly and plug it in with the provided cigarette lighter charging cable. You’ll get ten hours out of it

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Twerk and Miley top Google list by jOAnnE AHERn

fully charged while talking, or a week on standby. It will enhance your ability to tell your phone what to do by voice alone, tapping into your phone’s voice recognition to let you easily make calls to particular contacts and talk to your GPS. The MINIKIT Smart also ampliﬁes your phone’s volume with its 2Watt speaker, while there’s also an external mic on a reel that can be clipped to your sun visor for particularly noisy journeys. The cradle itself has extendable arms that allow it hold almost all phones and the device is compatible with the majority of Bluetooth enabled handsets and easily set up using a security pin found in the user manual. But of course CPW staff can advise on set up or actually set the device up at time of purchase! And then it’s no more penalty points for you!

WHAT exactly is twerking? That seems to be the term that confounded Irish people the most in 2013, if Google’s Zeitgeist results are anything to go by. The dance move brought to notoriety by Miley Cyrus was the top trending ‘What is’ term on Google Ireland this year, with Cyrus herself the top trending artist. Recently deceased Fast And Furious star Paul Walker topped both Ireland’s top searches and people list for 2013. Mixed martial artist Conor McGregor topped the sports personality category, with Environment Minister Phil Hogan the top trending Irish politician. Top trending words included mobile picture app Snapchat; catfish, which describes someone who uses social media

to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances; Grumpy cat; Squinch, a modelling technique where you make a squeeze and Top search: Walker pinch movement with your eyes to make you look more attractive (no, we don’t get it either); and Whovians – or Dr Who fans in plain English. Breaking Bad was the top trending TV show for 2013 in Ireland, Oxegen was the top trending event, with Les Mis the top trending movie. Moscow was the top trending city and the PS4 was the top trending gadget in Ireland.

Google me this… Top Trending Searches – Ireland

Top trending global searches

1. Paul Walker 2. Ryanair.ie 3. Cory Monteith (pictured) 4. Trivago 5. Property Tax 6. Royal Baby 7. Oscar Pistorius 8. Eurovision 2013 9. Nelson Mandela 10. Oxegen 2013

1. Nelson Mandela (pictured) 2. Paul Walker 3. iPhone 5s 4. Cory Monteith 5. Harlem Shake 6. Boston Marathon 7. Royal Baby 8. Samsung Galaxy 4s 9. PlayStation 4 10. North Korea

Top Trending TV shows

Top Trending Artists

1. Breaking Bad (pictured) 2. Game of Thrones 3. Eurovision 2013 4. Big Brother 2013 5. X Factor 2013 6. Operation Transformation 7. Rose of Tralee 8. Love/Hate 9. Britain’s Got Talent 10. I’m A Celebrity…

1. Miley Cyrus 2. One Direction 3. Macklemore (pictured) 4. Kodaline 5. Robin Thicke 6. Taylor Swift 7. Lorde 8. Bonnie Tyler 9. Cher 10. Katy Perry

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

14 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

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mail@metroherald.ie Text: @metrohnews and Facebook: #metromailbox

‘Mail’ to 53131* Facebook.com/ metroherald

Sobriety and having craic not mutually exclusive...

ear Dolly, I read your recent column about a girl who doesn’t drink and am quite annoyed at how that fella of hers has said the girl is perfect ‘except she is tee-total’. Why should it matter if she drinks or not? as a girl who doesn’t drink and never has, it means nothing if a person drinks or not because if she is bubbly and outgoing enough (like me) then she will enjoy herself no matter what. I amn’t going to say I am perfect (quite close, though) but I am first up on the dancefloor and first to a karaoke mic so being sober has never stopped me having fun. I would actually hate to think of the fellas I would choose if I was drunk! If his friends are so judgmental then he should get new ones or, bet-

Quick pic

ALL-TERRAIN TERRIER: Proud owner Siobhán Walsh positively gushed about her little guy Monroe, here seen ‘toughing out the gales on the Wicklow mountains’. We hope you at least treated him to a pint in Johnnie Fox’s on the way back...

ter yet, dump him for associating with them. Ms Clued In ■ re the thug who got six years for attacking two US tourists (Metro Herald, Tue), what’s scarier is he had 55 previous convictions. Crime is getting a free for all in society. Thugs and petty thieves are committing offences that are affecting those making an effort to survive. Their excuse if apprehended by the law is drink, drugs or a dysfunctional society. In Ireland, it seems you commit a crime and are given the freedom to go back out and do it again. Society is losing its values. If you commit a crime, you should get a sentence and be put in jail regardless. and if that means all thugs are in jail for their lives, that’s the choice they’ve made. It’s about time Ireland got tough on criminals regardless of

Send your photos to pictures@ metroherald.ie with ‘Quick pic’ as the subject and we will print the best each day in the paper

what crime they commit so society can enjoy life without fear. JH ■ anyone noticed the tin Christmas tree that used to stand majestically in O’Connell Street by the Spire this time of the year now stands unceremoniously and unlit by Phoenix House in Smithfield? Molemisi Kono ■ True Meaning, as far as history is concerned, Christmas was originally a pagan holiday that was hijacked by Christianity. How could mass have anything to do with the real holiday? Christmas is really

gOOD On yA

yEH big RiDE

● To the person who handed in the Debenhams bag that I dropped on Henry Street on Monday – thank you so much for being an honest human being and doing such a thing. I got it back. I hope your kindness is returned to you tenfold. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

● To the gorgeous elf girl wearing the jingly elf hat on the Luas on Monday evening. Would you like company for your selfie? Mr Frost J

Laura

● During a night out in Dublin city on Friday, my jacket and money was stolen. I was in the taxi queue in Dame St and a gentleman asked if anyone was going to Tallaght. We shared a taxi, and then when I went to run in to get money he refused point blank to accept it. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity after a really bad Friday the 13th.

Louise, Tallaght.

● To the kind gentleman who helped me find a taxi home on Saturday night on Wexford Street – you have no idea how much that gesture meant to me.

Thank you, the sobbing girl

RAnDOM AcTS Of kinDnESS

*Please include a name and location. Texts cost €0.30 per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay, D2. Customer service number 0818286606

● To the bootylicious Russian Beyoncé trying on dresses in Ted Baker on Monday. You caught me checking you out and didn’t seem to mind me looking at you judging by your smile. Get in touch. I’ve never seen a dress look happier... ;) Cray-Z

yOuR RuSH-HOuR cRuSH

in yOuR fAcE It will p**s us off but they will just laugh as we can’t do anything about it. Hopefully the new Bebo makes a comeback... Abe Tarrush I use Adblock and haven’t seen ads on Facebook in many years. Stephen Rouine Just set your plug ins to only show what you want. It works just as well with every other site that decided to bring in these sorts of advertisements. Paul Nolan

about family and sharing. Please, leave your proselytising at home. Colin ■ Dismayed Girl, I read your letter yesterday and I’m so sorry to hear what happened to you. If I was there, I would’ve kicked junkie Superwoman butt for you! ■ In a desperate attempt to get home due to an emergency last Thursday, I borrowed a bike from Nassau Street. Now I can’t return it as my arse is too itchy to sit on the saddle and my arms are too short to reach the handlebars... Marc

TREnDing #Beyoncé ● Got tickets for Beyoncé b/c I’m becoming the female equivalent of middle-aged men who go to Bruce Springsteen every time he’s in Dublin.

@amyohconnor

● I can’t stand Beyoncé but selling out the O2 for three nights in 20mins and then adding a fourth date is great for her Irish fans. @AndrewTLowry

A Christmas love greeting

■ To my beautiful family, my princess Amy, my soldier Ryan and my darling Abbie. Most of all, my beautiful wife Liz. Thank you for everything and hope we all have a Happy Christmas and welcome our sixth member of our family in the New Year. Love you all so, so much. Daddy Andy

● Flights to Dublin booked. Beyoncé, here I come... #organised @michelle_coul

Today we asked our Facebook followers:

● Can’t believe we actually got tickets to see @Beyoncé again in Dublin! Partying with B on your 21st birthday – what else could you ask for? @ToriCaskeyy

Facebook is launching auto-play video advertising this week. Will this impact on its relationship with its users? Depends. If I’m on my phone and suddenly Facebook starts blaring ads, I’ll have to stop using it. Adblock on my computer browser will take care of the web version. John McLoughlin Since when does Facebook care about what its users think? Trevor O’Donnell

● All three Beyoncé shows in Dublin sold out within 20mins. THANK GOD a fourth date was added! @lateygodga ● Beyoncé is after adding a fourth Dublin date? Like, go home to your child! @ChloBear96 @metrohnews #metromailbox

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

The crimes of Christmas

Gifts that ruin Christmas. By Jarlath Regan, Nicole Scherzinger, Jerry Fish, Patricia Cornwell and more

he Christmas shopping season is in full swing, which means disappointment is on the cards for many of us come December 25. Yes, by the time we’re out of our teenage years, the thrill of opening our gifts on Christmas morning is replaced by wondering how quickly we can take our haul of illconsidered, slapdash, stocking-filler rubbish to the charity shop. But it’s the thought that counts and ingratitude is an ugly thing. Still, you can always follow the example of this crew and moan about your worst gift ever to other people later.

Comedian Jarlath Regan (right) I grew up in a house where the phrase ‘You never know what you might get for Christmas’ was brutally true. You really didn’t know what you were going to get because it certainly wasn’t what you feckin’ asked for. In fairness, when I look back at some of the things I asked

for it was understandable. I mean a fire engine is not a substitute for the ‘Michael-Jacksonstyle rhinestone encrusted glove’ I wanted but you can see why my parents made that decision. Clothes are the worst thing to get wrong as a Christmas gift. For the most part we are all grateful to get anything but there is something painful about

having to immediately live inside the terrible gift you have just been given. Literally wearing the evidence of someone else’s crap taste. Sends a shiver up the spine if it’s you and a chuckle up the sleeve when it’s your brother. Jarlath Regan brings his Christmas Comedy Cracker to The Mill Theatre on Sunday, 8pm, €12 to €15. www.milltheatre.ie

Chef Jamie Oliver

A knitted festive tank top from an uncle. I was 13. My sister got a matching one. It had the full monty – a big stick-out Christmas pudding, snowflakes and reindeers. We wore them and everyone wet themselves laughing all day, so it was worth it in the end, but I never wore it again. When you’re 13 and trying to pretend you’re trendy and carving out your own style, you don’t want a Christmas pudding tank top.

Comedian Micky Flanagan

A long-lost auntie got me a bar of Fry’s chocolate one year. She must have thought Fry’s was a sufficiently high-end chocolate bar to justify it as a Christmas present. It’s a bit odd that she thought: ‘They’re a child, I’ll get them a bar of Fry’s.’ It was disappointing for a kid, like when you get something wrapped up that’s book-shaped.

Crime author Patricia Cornwell

Dolls. I hated dolls – especially the ones where you pull a string and they talk. I thought: ‘Seriously? how come my brother got a tool box and I didn’t?’ I hid my disappointment well – I was always a polite kid, I’d just go to my room and throw them in a corner. My mother tried to make me into a proper little girl – another gift was sewing lessons and a Singer sewing machine, which was a disaster, followed by ballet lessons. I just wanted a new baseball glove.

16 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

cover story

X Factor judge Nicole ➔ The Scherzinger (right) One of my aunts gave me a broken Christmas ornament. My mom told me off for complaining about it. She said: ‘Nicole, that’s not very nice, it’s the thought that counts.’ It was a sled that was supposed to have a Santa Claus on it but he was missing. It wasn’t cool. What sort of kid wants a Christmas ornament as a present anyway?

“When trying to treat young teens, cash is king” Musician Matthew Nolan of 3epkano

Christmas in my home was rendered fairly straightforward for my parents. My brother and I always knew what we wanted. He wanted the latest Star Wars paraphernalia and all I wanted was LEGO. However, one

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

Christmas was a little bit different. It was weird, my dad started making suggestions for presents early in the autumn and as we entered winter I found myself regularly visiting model train shops – there used to be quite a few in Dublin. When the big day rolled around my brother and I crept downstairs to check out our pressies and to my surprise my dad was already there playing with a train set, ‘my’ train set. I realised fairly quickly that it wasn’t really for ‘me’. I discovered it recently during a clear out of the family home and took great pleasure in depositing it in the charity shop.

gig TiESTO & CALViN HARRiS: gREATHER THAN TOUR Everything about Calvin Harris and Tiesto’s Greater Than tour glaringly highlights its grand scale and bombast: the title, the venues, the commercial dance behemoth headliners and the uplifting, trance-edged and diva-fuelled electronic anthems they’ll be blasting out. Greater Than stems from the duo’s residency on rotation at the swanky Hakkasan nightclub in Las Vegas, and the tour isn’t so much a traditional nightlife soundclash as a mighty collusion. Dutch hitmaker Tiesto (above left) arguably spearheaded the modern surge of stylised superstar DJ/producers, and has long specialised in mega-capacity events. Harris’s trajectory has been more inriguing; the Scottish artist’s early

HOT TiCkETS BIFFY CLYRO/THE CORONAS On this year’s double album, Opposites, Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro ably secured their status as stellar stadium headliners, offering up insistent angular riffs, sleek orchestration and epic imagery in their most ambitious work to date. Little wonder then they’ve been signed up for a special concert in Kilmainham on Jun 28. The day before, it’s the turn of local-lads-done-good The Coronas who remain kings of the Irish live circuit Jun 27 & Jun 28, Royal Hospital Kilaminham D8, €39 (Coronas) and €44.50 (Biffy Clyro). Tel: 0818 719 300. www.mcd.ie

electronic pop tracks were awkward yet catchy and sung by himself before he underwent a West Coast makeover and enlisted the likes of Rihanna. There’s still a bittersweet pathos underpinning his strongest hits, though latest charttopper Under Control settles for being hugely stomping. Such tunes will give Greater Than at The O2 the feel of an epic Christmas party. It’s less about the original intimacy of club culture, more about dance music as a super-slick global brand. Arwa Haider Tomorrow, The 02, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 6.30pm, from €39.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.calvinharris.co.uk

✹

Metro Life is offering one lucky reader a pair of tickets to see Biffy Clyro on Jun 28 and The Coronas on Jun 27 with preconcert dinner on both dates at Ukiyo Restaurant & Bar For your chance to win, just answer the question below and text LIFE followed by your full answer, e-mail address and name to 53133 (texts cost €0.60 + standard network charge). Q Coronas frontman Danny O’Reilly is the son of which singer? A Mary Black B Christy Moore

win

Terms & Conditions: The competition closes at noon today. The winner(s) will be chosen at random from the entries received and notified by e-mail. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. Usual Metro Herald rules apply. The editor’s decision is final. By entering this competition you agree to sign up to the Metro Herald promotions list – to opt out text NOMETRO to 51155. SP. Oxygen8, 4th Floor, Malt House North, Grand Canal Quay D2. Customer service number: 0818 286 606.

The 1920s silent melodrama Pandora’s Box will be screened at The Button Factory on Dec 27, with live accompaniment from 3epkano, 7.30pm, €10. www.buttonfactory.ie

Musician Jerry Fish (above)

With the dreaded age of adolescence and the onset of puberty, I was no longer the cute little boy with the unshakable faith in Santa. I had spots and had obviously, unbeknownst to me, I hasten to add, begun to smell. Instead of the usual gifts of toys, games and more toys, I was presented with aftershaves, talcum powders, deodorants, jumpers, pants and socks. The most memorable of these nightmarish gifts was an aftershave called Brut endorsed by the man who put Muhammed Ali on his backside, British heavyweight champion boxer Henry Cooper. Splash it all over was the catchphrase. What was the worst Christmas pressie I ever received? It was a red bar of soap in the shape of a boxing glove; Soap On A Rope. I probably remember it so well because it lasted so long. I think I hung it in my wardrobe as a useless closet air freshener until I left home. These days it’s a lot easier to buy for teens, with technology and mobile phones, but let this tale be a lesson to all you mums, dads, aunts and uncles out there – when trying to treat young teens and adolescents, cash is king. The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow featuring Rarely Seen Above Ground play two special Christmas shows at Whelan’s of Wexford St Dec 22 and 23

Singer Leona Lewis

I get random stuff from my aunties, who still think I’m a teenage girl. They’ll give me books aimed at teenagers or random make-up that’s totally not my colour. It’s a bit bizarre as they obviously still see me as a 13year-old. I got those Point Horror books last year. I always pretend I love them, which gets me in trouble. Maybe I need to start saying: ‘It’s time to stop sending me the Twilight books and time to start getting me better reading material.’

Comedian Frank Skinner

A can-crusher from a friend. The idea is that a crushed can gives you more room in the bin than the uncrushed variety. That wasn’t a big issue that was really affecting my life.

Singer/songwriter Fiach Moriarty (below)

When I started secondary school my Ma would give me and a few friends a lift to school every morning from Chapelizod Hill to Clondalkin. Then when Junior Cert year began the lifts ended and it was time to travel by Dublin Bus. Which meant getting a bus at 7.40am to arrive at 8am and hang around for half an hour before assembly. Because I was never great at getting up in the morning this meant I often missed the 7.40am bus and arrived late to school, resulting in many letters of complaint from teachers. That Christmas I unwrapped my only present under the tree to reveal... an alarm clock. Fiachs play The Belvedere Hotel this Friday, www. belevedere hotel.com

home cinema

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

Aniston rules this strip joint

Five films to see at the cinema

2 3 4 5

Nebraska Five Golden Globe nominations including Best Comedy, Director and Actor go to this beautifully observed comedy from the creator of Sideways and The Descendants.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug After an iffy start, Peter Jackson is back on Lord Of The Rings form with the second installment of Tolkein’s fantasy adventure.

We’re The MiLLers (15A) HHHH✩

kick-ass 2 (15A) HH✩✩✩ DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

Jennifer Aniston takes a trip to the gross-out side in a comedy that puts the F-word into Family Values. She is the nextdoor neighbour of a small-time drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis) who finds himself, for various far-fetched reasons, forced to smuggle several tonnes of marijuana across the Mexican border into the US by a sharkowning drug lord (Ed Helms, The Hangover). His bright idea is that he and Jen pose as a live-action version of the wholesome, Godfearin’ Flanders family from The Simpsons, complete with two teenage kids (Julia Roberts’s niece Emma and an irresistibly sweet Will Poulter) and a luxury motorhome, stuffed with enough dope to give the whole of Canada the munchies. Though oddly cast as a jaded stripper, Aniston is key to making this weird ensemble work; mainly by grounding a crazy, bucking bronco of a script from six writers. Think an old Chevy Chase family comedy sprayed with anal sex gags. It ain’t highbrow but it sure is consistently LOL funny. Siobhán Murphy

Taking place three years after the original, we find Dave Lizewski’s Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) teaming up with Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz). When she decides to try being a ‘normal’ teenager, Dave joins forces with a group of costumed vigilantes, resulting in a showdown with former pal Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his gang of super-villains. The first Kick-Ass film managed to have its cape and eat it by finding a way to celebrate superheroes while also taking the mickey out of them. But Kick-Ass 2 is disappointingly flat, lacking the energy, edge and flashes of inspiration that made the original so enjoyable. Stephen Carty

The croods (U) HHHH✩ DVD, Blu-ray, VoD

The Flintstones gets a smart-mouthed 21stcentury reboot in a cartoon that has grossed

more than €420million worldwide. ‘Never not be afraid,’ is the mantra of Mr Crood (voiced by Nicolas Cage), whose boneheaded hyper-vigilance and insistence on hiding in caves has kept his Neanderthal family safe – much to the boredom of his teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone). In contrast to the lushly detailed CGI, the characters are broadly sketched but at least this very mainstream product boasts a strong, thunder-thighed young heroine. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

2 guns (15A) HH✩✩✩

DVD, Blu-ray, VoD Clearly intended as a homage to the 1980s buddy action flick, 2 Guns casts Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington as its bantering duo and trundles us all off into über-clichéd Tex-Mex territory, with a large wink and a sizeable budget for blowing things up. Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur may be steeped in the genre but he hasn’t worked out how to put any heart into his project, which leaves Washington and Wahlberg flailing in a sterile plot about dirty money and corrupt US institutions. SM

AbOuT TOwn

It’s A Wonderful Life It wouldn’t be Christmas without Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece twinkling in the cinemas. Showing exclusively at the IFI. Frozen Disney’s Christmas present for all folk big and small: a magical musical that feels like a snowy Beauty And The Beast. Cinema Paradiso Fall in love with the movies all over again with this fully restored, 25th anniversary reissue of the gloriously nostalgic Italian multi-award winner.

Looking ahead 47 RONIN Keanu Reeves is back in action mode as one of the legendary 47 samurai who set out to avenge the murder of their master in 18thcentury Japan. Out Dec 26.

12 Crown Alley St. 13 St. Andrews St. 14 St. Leinster St.

Traditional style Christmas gifts for everyone

MarkeT Designer Dublin Thursday 19th December 2013

10am - 5pm FREE ENTRY!

Traditional Gifts Fans of fashion, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, crafts and artisan food products will be pleased to hear that the Designer Dublin Christmas Market is back in town. For one day only, College Green on Dame Street will be home to the ‘Designer Dublin’ Christmas Market, where up to 30 designers and craftspeople based in the capital will be showcasing their work.

This year’s line-up includes: Gráinne Lyons (furniture and lighting design, pictured), Clarke’s of Dublin (handmade soap), Stencilize (stencil artwork), Christina Keogh (jewellery) and Terracoa (handmade chocolate). Designer Dublin Christmas Market, Bank of Ireland College Green, Thursday, 10am to 5pm, free entry. See www.dceb.ie or search for #DesignerDublin on social media.

Old World New Gift Shops welcomes you to The Aladdin’s Cave of Gifts newly open downstairs OPEN 9 AM - 10 PM

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18 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Life television film of the day ghoStS oF gIRlFRIendS pASt, RtÉ1, 9.35pm

ireland’s christmas wishes tv3, 9pm

Matthew McConaughey keeps his pecs under wraps (phew!) in this jolly romcom rethink of A Christmas Carol. It takes all his Southern charm to prevent you loathing Connor Mead, a celebrity photographer who swims ‘every night in a lake of sex’ thanks to a strict hump ‘n’ dump policy. Until the eve of his brother’s wedding, when he’s visited by the ghosts of girlfriends past. A wellobserved relationship comedy that could come straight from the 1980s, it’s not exactly laugh a second, but the cracking plot and casting chemistry means you’re rarely bored. Jennifer Garner (above with McConaughey) is great as Connor’s one true love (if he’ll only admit it). The fairy on the tree is Michael Douglas, a cackling lothario version of Marley’s ghost whose closest brush with love is ‘70 Lufthansa stewardesses and a pile of blow the size of a toaster’.

It’s that time of year where magic can happen and Martin King and Karen Koster team up with the Make A Wish Foundation to make some dreams come true for some very special children. On tonight’s episode they meet 14-year-old Chloe, who dreams of transforming her bedroom, Mark, age six, who gets his wish of riding along with the search and rescue team and Conor (pictured) from Dublin, who gets to play against All-Ireland footballers, including Eoghan O’Gara and Bernard Brogan, in Croke Park.

keane and vieira: best of enemies RtÉ2, 9.55pm they were sworn enemies on and off the pitch, but now almost nine years after their infamous tunnel bust-up, the former captains of rival clubs manchester United and Arsenal, Roy Keane and patrick vieira are back in opposition. In this documentary the two football legends explain why they once hated each other and what they really thought of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. And Roy reveals what he wishes he’d said to mick mcCarthy in Saipan before that World Cup walkout.

doctors on call RtÉ1, 8.30pm

the great train robbery bbC1, 8pm

With Christmas almost upon us, Dr Ciara will be talking about booze control and giving us her guide to the essentials for the medicine cabinet. Dr Terry will be tackling his last of the big 6, diabetes Type 2. On this week’s community challenge Dr Johnny Walker will be seeing if a modified DASH diet reduces the blood pressure of a group of Donegal fishermen. Plus with the party season in full swing, Dr Johnny puts the best sleep gadgets and apps to the test, including the chillow – a pillow that keeps you cooler for a better sleep.

With Chris Chibnall (the man behind Broadchurch) on the writing credits, there’s a touch of quality about this latest trip back down the tracks to August 8, 1963. Subsequent events turned Ronnie Biggs into a household name but he’s just one of the ensemble characters here as Chibnall places ringleader Bruce Reynolds centre stage. Luke Evans impresses as the scheming Reynolds and the strong cast features Martin Compston and Jack Roth. The tale is tautly told and the period detail is impressive but the whole enterprise can’t escape a sense of déjà vu.

my top five films Comic book writer and Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar superman

Richard Donner’s flick set the template for modern Hollywood. It was the first time comic-book characters had been treated with reverence and when I watched it, aged eight, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. That wasn’t being a writer; I’m talking about being a superhero, which seems a genuine career option when you’re eight.

flash gordon

I organised a screening of this a couple of years back and it was one of the most amazing cinematic experiences of my life: 400 people mouthing every line. The love for this movie is enormous, from the Lorenzo Semple Jr script to the Queen soundtrack. They say Raging Bull had to be shot in black-and-white because Flash Gordon used up all the colour in 1980.

the spy who loved me

This was the first Bond movie I saw in a cinema and thus my favourite: it’s the reason I wrote the Secret Service comic. It’s a hymn to that Roger Moore James

Bond: jokes and gadgets and elaborate mountain headquarters. If the Yes campaign wants to stop Scottish independence, they should screen this patriotic triumph every single day.

star wars

In terms of trauma, the Star Wars prequels were the Kennedy assassination for my generation. I love the original trilogy ilogy so much that I quote or refer to them at least once a day. I had lunch with Mark Hamill last year to talk about him appearing in a movie:

I managed 55 minutes without mentioning Star Wars but once I did, the floodgates were opened…

the incredibles

There have been some great superhero movies in the past decade but nothing comes close to The Incredibles: the most beautifully constructed plot, with immensely warm, likeable characters. Writer/director Brad Bird is the most consistently brilliant mind in the industry right now. If I don’t achieve my ambition of being Stan Lee when I grow up, I would happily settle on being him. Anthony Gibson Kick-Ass 2 is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Singer KiAN EGAN, 33, was a member of Westlife for 14 years. He recently won I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! on which he had to eat a live cockroach Were you surprised you won I’m A Celebrity? For sure – I never

went in there expecting to go so far, so it was a complete shock.

Why do you think people voted for you? I have no idea – I haven’t

watched any of it. I don’t know what was aired so it’s strange.

Do you want to watch it? I’m intrigued to see why people voted for me but I just tried to be myself, so watching it back might have an effect on that. I’ll just watch the trials and the bits where my wife Jodi came to see me. What was the worst bit? The

hardest thing was being away from my family. The worst trial was chewing on a cockroach that was still alive.

Why did everyone seem to hate Amy Willerton? I got on very well

with her but there seemed to be a lot of issues with her. There was this idea she had make-up in her bag and was

asked to give it in and didn’t. It didn’t have any effect on the rest of us. I know two of the girls spoke with her about not being fans of the modelling industry but I really have no idea.

Does your future lie more in TV or music? I’m not sure. I’ve really

enjoyed the TV work I’ve done so far. I’d love to do more but also music has been a massive part of my life. I went into this show with an open mind so I’m not sure what the future holds.

Was there any truth in the story you were going to replace Louis Walsh as an X Factor judge?

There’s no truth to it at all but it would be an amazing job. I love doing The Voice Of Ireland and I’ve been around X Factor a lot over the years. I’d love to be an X Factor judge but I’d hate the idea of replacing Louis – he managed Westlife and is a very good friend. Stepping into his shoes would be the last thing I’d want.

Do you tell contestants on The Voice about the pitfalls of the

“

I’d love to be an X Factor judge but I’d hate the idea of replacing Louis... he is a very good friend

music industry? Not really, they’re

entering a singing contest and love the idea of making a career of singing. I tell them not to expect too much – even if they win it’s no guarantee they’ll have an amazing career. It’s a very cut-throat industry. You can be on top of the world but then your record sales drop, the label drops you and you’re back to square one.

You don’t want to put them off, then? Not at all. The music industry

has been very good to me. I managed a girl band called Wonderland for a few years – they got to No.8 in the UK with their debut album and a month later the label dropped them – so I know the other side of it.

That was your wife’s group – that must have been difficult.

We put our heart and soul into Wonderland. We did everything we could to get it off the ground and things were going very well. The album was one of the highest-charting girl-group albums for a long time. They weren’t getting the massive airplay you need

’m 19 years old and sitting in RTÉ’s in the Two Towers is indeed at the battle of Helm’s Deep, so I was kinda right. studios in Donnybrook. I’ve already Anyway, it matters not. Dolly Parton gets knocked the Ben Affleck fan out; her next two wrong, and I’m off to New truth be known I knew more about Zealand to track down the Kiwi director her chosen idol than she did. At one which will be filmed for the following stage I felt compelled to whisper her answers to her, but that would have been a show. Or so I thought. If I’m being brutally honest, although I pretty stupid thing to do in the middle of a am a huge admirer of his, the main reason game show. It’s the final round of The I picked Peter Jackson is I quite Fame Game, between the Dolly fancied bagging myself a free Parton fan and I. my chosen trip to middle Earth on idol is Lord Of The Rings Earth. Of course, scroundirector Peter Jackson. I’ve gey RTÉ only ended up meticulously researched Seeing an elf fancy a sending me as far as everything there is to Italy to the Venice Film know about him. I’ve dwarf borders on Festival where they gotten every single blasphemy... they ‘heard’ Jackson was question right thus far going to be (and where Caroline morahan looks didn’t factor in that they ‘knew’ they were up from her card. ‘Where sexy Irish brogue going to get great footage does Peter Jackson cameo of lots of celebs). in Lord Of The Rings?’ To be fair, I did have a great Shit. I know he cameos in all weekend, I did get to meet his films… but where? Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson (I always ‘Uh, Helm’s Deep?’ was more of a Star Wars man, as I fondly ‘Outside the Inn of the Prancing Pony,’ remember signing off to camera), but I she says regretfully. ‘Idiot! The battle of Helms Deep doesn’t never did get to meet Peter Jackson. Until today. Skip to 11 years later and even happen until the second film which there he is, standing in front of me, on the isn’t out until Christmas,’ I scream inside Forest River page of the world’s largest my head. As it happens, Jackson’s cameo pop-up book. Alas, our fated meeting wasn’t to take place in the real New Zealand, but we are as close as you can get in Los Angeles – Tourism New Zealand has erected a ‘pop-up book’ the size of two tennis courts at the Beverly Hilton Hotel depicting four locations from The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. many of the cast are there too, including Clondalkin’s own Aidan Turner, who plays the hot young dwarf Kili, nephew to Thorin Oakenshield, and stubbly corner to the At long last: film’s elf-heavy love Ross with Peter triangle. Jackson He and British actor

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

to sell hundreds of thousands of albums and it fell away. It was heartbreaking for all of us but made me realise how lucky I was with Westlife for so long.

Do you miss being in Westlife? I miss perform-

ing and being on stage with the boys but we made the right decision – we’d done 14 years and things were getting harder and more stressful. The fun started to disappear in the last year and the last thing we wanted was for it to turn negative, so we finished things off on a high.

Was it strange to have time on your hands after the split? We’d

taken six months off at a time before but we knew we’d be back recording or on tour the following year – so not having that security was a strange feeling. It spurred me on to do things like I’m A Celebrity and go off on my own road.

MAtrIxpICtureS

60 seconds

Andrew Williams

“

ROSS MCDONAGH finally gets to meet one of Hollywood’s greats martin Freeman, who plays eponymous hobbit Bilbo Baggins, have obviously shared a laugh about their status as auld enemies. When questioned about how he found New Zealand, Freeman joked they had ‘left it a little worse off, but a little better off’. ‘As is our wont in Britain… Just ask Aidan.’ He said before throwing Turner a playful scowl. ‘What? We left you roads!’ As I made my way out of the hotel, I found myself falling into stride beside Evangeline Lilly, she of Lost fame who plays elf Tauriel, and I introduce myself. ‘You’re Irish?’ she asks. ‘Same as Aidan,’ I reply. ‘You know what?‘ she drops into a whisper. ‘I think it’s the sexiest accent in the world. ‘Remember when he asked Peter if any of his scenes had been cut?’ I nod. ‘I’m pretty sure the only reason he asked that was so he could say the word “cut”,’ she says in a pretty impressive heavy Dublin accent. For Tolkien purists, seeing an elf fancy a dwarf borders on blasphemy. I guess they didn’t factor in that sexy Irish brogue…

Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, D2 http://dublin.cervantes.es Tel: (01) 631 15 00

20 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

body matters

features@metroherald.ie to advertise, call 01 7055010

How shops buy into our brains

LEwis’s Tips TO BEAT THE RETAiL RusE ● Make a list and stick to it. A list provides focus and keeps you alert. ● Avoid shopping for food when you’re hungry. In one of my studies, I found hungry shoppers not only bought significantly more food, they bought more high-fat and high-sugar foods. ● Use ‘clicks and bricks’. Compare prices and offers online first. Do the initial window shopping in the calm and familiar surroundings of home before checking out the stores. ● Before closing a deal on a high-ticket item, walk away and consider it again in a new and different location. The words every salesperson dreads are: ‘I’ll think about it.’ They know that when customers do think about a deal, they often walk away from it. ● Retailers have a variety of proven techniques for creating an emotional desire to buy. Bear in mind a modern shopping mall or supermarket is actually a giant machine designed to sell things.

Do you often find an unexpected item in your shopping basket? Vicki-Marie Cossar investigates how retailers manipulate us

ands up who’s gone into a store to buy milk and come out with everything but the kitchen sink? Well you’re not alone – and it’s not your fault. This weekend will be a shopping frenzy as we count down to Christmas. and as the busiest time of year for retailers – Irish consumers will spend an average of €590 over Christmas compared to €527 in 2012, according to a credit union report – they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure we leave with everything but our hard-earned cash. ‘shopping malls are not buildings,’ says neuropsychologist dr david Lewis. ‘They are machines specifically designed to sell to you. nowadays, shoppers are up against the collective skills and knowledge of psychologists and neurologists, as well as retail geographers, lighting, sound and aroma experts.’ Gone are the days where market research involved people with clipboards asking questions. Lewis says that over the past ten years there’s been a huge investment into looking at how the brain responds to different retail situations and the triggers that persuade us to spend more. ‘In the UK and Usa alone, it’s estimated around $313billion [€227billion] has been spent on measuring our reactions to things like the colour of a child’s toy, the smell of a store’s interior and the font on a can of soup,’ he says. The word neuromarketing was coined in 2002 and refers to research into consumers’ cognitive responses to marketing. Lewis has been called ‘the father of neuromarketing’ because of his pioneering research in the 1980s. In his new book, The Brain sell (€18, nicholas Brealey Publishing), Lewis details how the retail industry manipulates us. It all starts with a simple advert. But advertising is no longer one-size-fits-all. ‘In Japan there are billboards being trialled which are fitted with cameras that read the gender and age group of the person looking at it to tailor their commercial messages.’

In the sci-fi film Minority Report, set in 2054, shoppers were targeted by talking computerised billboards that used facial recognition technology that assessed people’s state of mind. Lewis predicts we will see similar billboard advertising in about five years’ time. Of course, the biggest seller is sex and if you look close enough you might be shocked at what you see. ‘There have been studies to show when men feel aroused they take more risks,’ adds Lewis. ‘and, although advertising agencies would deny they ever do it, sexual imagery can be concealed in print adverts to target our subconscious minds.’

On’T assume the sales pitch ends with the advert. Marketers use subliminal messages to embed what Lewis calls ‘earworms’ into our brains. ‘These are things that lodge in the brain and are triggered when you see a symbol or hear a jingle, such as the bong of your Mac when it starts up. These are called sonic signatures.’ Then, once you’re inside, a store wants to keep you in as long as possible. ‘This is why items such as milk and bread are always positioned at the back of the shop,’ he adds. and shops are designed to manipulate

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your senses. ‘straight after the entrance of a shopping mall is what we call the Gruen transfer. Essentially it’s a decompression zone. Here the store wants to do several things. Firstly, slow you down – that way you’ll see more. Then they want to acclimatise you. Your eyes will adjust to different lighting, the temperature and humidity are perfectly adjusted to keep you shopping and you’ll smell aromas that will make you want to buy more.’ Lewis says these things are called atmospherics. ‘a fast-food restaurant has very bright lighting with primary colours. The idea is to get you in and out as fast as possible and the colours convey a modest price range. Whereas a jewellery store will have subdued lighting and natural products to convey a mood of opulence and glamour.’ The smell of fresh bread or coffee in a supermarket isn’t uncommon – this whets your appetite, says Lewis – but aromas are not limited to food shops. ‘a travel agent might pump in the smell of coconut oil to make you think of suntan lotion on a beach, while a baby store will have a whiff of talc. a study in Belgium injected a faint smell of chocolate into a book store. The outcome was people stayed longer and bought more books.’ Once you’re in the store, the positioning of stock is no coincidence. ‘Most people are right-handed so they tend to shop to the right. and we look down slightly when shopping, so the shelves on the righthand side just below eye level are at the most cost to the manufacturer. That’s why you’ll see brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola positioned on attractive shelves – they have the most money to throw at it.’ so how are retailers managing to target us so specifically? We’re in the era of big data, with advertisers able to identify buying trends and preferences from social media sites. ‘The data harvested from sites such as Facebook, amazon and Tesco show details about a person’s personal life; their family members, their likes, their shopping habits, cell phone activity, loyalty cards. all this information can be used by companies to develop marketing strategies,’ adds Lewis. so next time you ‘like’ something on Facebook or purchase online, remember… they’re watching you.

puzzles

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD

METROSCOPE by Patrick Arundell Aries Mar 21 – Apr 20

The Moon goes face to face with Pluto today. This may increase intensity, or see you grappling with that classic life/work balance. With Uranus also prominent, a rebellious streak could come up, with a desire to go off and follow your muse. For your forecast, call 15609 114 70

Taurus Apr 21 – May 21

The Sun and Venus forge a helpful semi-sexile today. This may see you enjoying reading a gripping book, or doing some research on something with an exotic aspect, or touch of mystery. For your forecast, call 15609 114 71

METROKU Easy, Moderate and Challenging. For solutions, visit Metro.co.uk/metroku

Gemini May 22 – Jun 21

Even if you see yourself as a typical Air sign in the sense that you can be detached and practical in your approach, something or someone may captivate your senses much more richly today. This may leave you with a decision to make or even in a quandary. For your forecast, call 15609 114 72

Cancer Jun 22 – Jul 23

Today, you could make a happy alliance with someone who is both practical but also relates in the kind of way that you can respect. Unfortunately, you might also find yourself getting snagged up by another situation, where you find it much tougher to get along. For your forecast, call 15609 114 73

Leo Jul 24 – Aug 23

This can be a time of year to test our resources but can also bring out our creativity, and with the Sun and Venus twinkling sweetly together, your natural flair can certainly shine through. Yet, this can also be a day one obligation can close in.

PEARLs BEFORE swINE

For your forecast, call 15609 114 74

Virgo Aug 24 – Sep 23

Saturn has been providing some lessons around your personal communications in recent times. Today could throw up a situation where once more you can find yourself almost taking it personally if someone sees a situation differently. Try not to get sucked into this. For your forecast, call 15609 114 75

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23

DOWN 1 Dislike (8) 2 Free (6) 3 Daze (4) 4 Power (8) 5 Hinder (6) 6 Burden (4) 11 Self-government (8) 13 Swelling (8) 15 Shrewd (6) 17 Powerful (6) 19 Plunder (4) 21 Wicked (4)

Yesterday’s Solutions Across: 1 Trip; 8 Abominable; 9 Spirited; 10 Exit; 12 Scarce; 14 Exempt; 15 Linger; 17 Custom; 18 Tell; 19 Calendar; 21 Distribute; 22 Deep. Down: 2 Respective; 3 Pair; 4 Bottle; 5 Middle; 6 Careless; 7 Sent; 11 Improbable; 13 Regulate; 16 Recoil; 17 Colour; 18 Tidy; 20 Need.

If you’re still stuck to buy a gift for someone, a great link between the Sun and Venus can see you chatting to someone else who may just spark an idea. This could also be a day when someone warmly compliments you.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 77

sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21

One adjective that sums up your sign is enterprising, and whether you are thinking of being the host of a party, the life and soul of a gathering, or something more business orientated, you can dazzle with your brightmindedness. For your forecast, call 15609 114 78

Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20

You can be quite cautious about relationships, even if people can form the impression you’re quite gregarious. Yet, there could be a situation where you’re drawing attention but it may not be obvious attention.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 79

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19

Sincerity is such an important thing for you and even if people are different to you, as long as you believe who they are, you can accept them. You may find yourself learning more about someone than you realised.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 80

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20

Your star is shining brightly as far as your personal standing is concerned, and if you need to tell it how it is, then do so. You may find adding a slice of wit will help sweeten your message.

For your forecast, call 15609 114 81

For a live one-to-one consultation with one of my gifted psychics, call 15809 113 68 or 1800 719 688 to book using credit card Astrology calls cost 1.27 euros per min from a BT landline. Live Services cost 2.40 euros per minute. Calls from mobiles/other networks may cost more. Callers must be 18 or over to use this service and have the bill payers permission. For entertainment purposes only. All calls are recorded. PhonePayPlus regulated(ComReg in ROI) UK SP: StreamLive Ltd, NR7 0HR, 08700 234 567. ROI SP:Moveda, 1 Courtyard Business Park, Orchard Lane, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 0818 241 398

QuIz

ACROSS 7 Exaggeration (13) 8 Sham (8) 9 Relieve (4) 10 Afternoon nap (6) 12 Avaricious (6) 14 Babe (6) 16 Modest (6) 18 Conspire (4) 20 Sail a ship (8) 22 Thought (13)

For your forecast, call 15609 114 76

scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22

ENIGMA A pitch shaped like a rugby ball, but that is not its sport at all. Surrey play their home games here. Kennington is pretty near. WHO AM I? An actor, I was born in Oklahoma in 1963. I have been Oscar-nominated for my roles in Twelve Monkeys, Moneyball and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I am currently engaged to

Angelina Jolie. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? WHO… directed the multiOscar-winning film Titanic? WHAT... are the two main constituents of the alloy pewter? WHERE... is the Ruahine mountain range? WHEN... did the Gunpowder Plot take place?

QUIZ ANSWERS: ENIGMA: The Oval. WHO AM I? Brad Pitt. WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN? James Cameron; Tin and lead; New Zealand; 1605.

Crossword No. 881 See next edition for solutions

While this can be a joyous time of the year, the festivities can also break up the emotions of any relationships which are not so harmonious. There is a chance to reach out and connect to someone in a more positive manner: this could be a family member.

SCRIBBLE BOX

NEMI by Lise

QUICK CROsswORd

22 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

spORT DigEsT

Swede dreams: Stenson had a magical year

Stenson is golfer of the year after ‘stellar’ season

australia win back ashes after dominating series AUSTRALIA faltered for pretty much the first time in the series in trying to close the deal but rallied to blow away the last vestiges of English resistance and reclaim the Ashes with a third emphatic test victory yesterday. Just three months after England wrapped up a third successive Ashes series triumph by a similarly dominant 3-0 margin back home,

cricket Australia wrested back the urn they last held in August 2009 with two matches to spare. Ben Stokes had made them sweat through the first session by completing his maiden test hundred as the tourists chased their improbable target of 504.

rugby

gOLf Henrik Stenson capped a stunning season by being named the 2013 Race to Dubai European Tour golfer of the year yesterday. Stenson, 37, is the first player from Sweden to win the coveted award after creating history by winning the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same year, sealing the latter with a commanding victory in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. ‘It’s a big honour to be voted the European Tour Golfer of the Year,’ he said. ‘It reflects the stellar year I have had. You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want. It has been an unbelievable year and I am delighted to win this award, especially as I am the first Swede to do so.’

€30,000 Fine for

Olympiakos for racist abuse by fans in a game against Anderlecht. Their stadium will also be partially closed for the match against Manchester United on February 25

British rider denies doping charges cycLing Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has denied any wrongdoing after the International Cycling Union opened disciplinary proceedings over alleged doping by the British Team Sky rider (pictured). Discrepancies in the 28-year-old’s biological passport data demonstrated an anti-doping violation, according to the UCI. Sky say the period in question occurred prior to his employment with them and TiernanLocke will not take part in team duties until the disciplinary process is over. A statement said he ‘vehemently denies the charges brought against him and has informed the UCI that he fully intends to contest them’.

Transfer overhaul fOOTbALL The international footballers’ union wants to overhaul the transfer system, which it says ‘shackles’ players to clubs. FIFPro says it will launch a legal challenge that could make it easier for players to move to another team. The challenge is likely to be fiercely opposed by clubs, but FIFPro said it is ready to take the case to the European court for human rights.

Mile high: Leinster and Ireland star Jamie Heaslip and Dublin football legend Alan Brogan launched the 2013 Christmas GOAL Miles yesterday in Merrion Square. A record 120 GOAL Miles are taking place across seven countries this year, helping GOAL raise awareness and money for its work with the poor of the developing world picture: photocall

ODDbALLs

But once the lefthander was dismissed for 120 in the third over after lunch, Australia’s bowlers ran quickly through the England tail to claim a 150-run victory and an unassailable 3-0 series lead. ‘It’s a fantastic feeling,’ said captain Michael Clarke. ‘Playing against England and winning the Ashes, that’s always been the pinnacle for Australian cricketers.’

Victorious: Clarke

Heaslip glad to step away from rugby’s rollercoaster LEINSTEr’S focus returns to the Pro12 this Friday, but for Jamie Heaslip, the coming weeks instead offer a chance to briefly step off the ‘rollercoaster ride’ that is the rugby calendar. With the autumn internationals and this past fortnight’s Heineken Cup double-header in the rear-view mirror, Heaslip and a number of other top Irish players will sit out this week’s trip to Edinburgh under the IrFU’s player management strategy, a welcome rest before business picks up again in the new year. ‘I welcome the break whenever it comes along,’ said Heaslip, who is also set to be rested for the postChristmas derby against Ulster. ‘They are few and far between. I’ll try and not eat too much turkey now over the next two weeks. ‘The season just goes way too quick, it’s already Christmas and next thing you know you’re into New Year’s and the next round of the Heineken Cup and then after that it’s Six Nations and then knockout stuff as you’re at the business end of the club season. ‘It just flies by. It’s kind of a roll-

@MetroHSport

MARIo Balotelli has made plenty of headlines during his colourful career and the mad-cap AC Milan striker has now decided to wear his favourite newspaper cuttings on the pitch as well. The controversial ex-Manchester City forward (right) modelled a new pair of natty boots in Milan’s Serie A clash with Roma on Monday – covered with the pick of his off-field escapades and on-pitch achievements. The boots clearly displayed

by gARETH MAkiM ercoaster, you just sit and enjoy the ride.’ Heaslip, who used his time off to help launch this Christmas’s GOAL Miles yesterday, has been able to skip much of the post mortem of Saturday’s defeat by Northampton, but the squad can turn that result into a positive as they head into the second half of the season. ‘We actually did a lot of good things in the game,’ he said. ‘They have a very good driving maul and they had five or six very good opportunities inside our 22 to drive us and they didn’t score off it. That’s one of the positives. You can’t just look at it doom and gloom. ‘You kind of have to look at it analytically, the positives and the negatives. ‘I know the lads are putting in the work because they are going away to Edinburgh, who are a pretty good side. Every game in the league is quite competitive and you need to stay in that top four when you turn the corner in the new year. You want to be in that leading pack.’

Even his boots make headlines the ‘Why Always Me?’ catchline, that Balotelli first revealed on a T-shirt after scoring in City’s 6-1 win at neighbours United in 2011, as well several mentions of ‘Super Mario’. Unfortunately, Balotelli’s fancy footwear failed to get the Italian hitman on the scoresheet in the 2-2 draw, but he did help set up Sulley Muntari’s 77th minute equaliser at the San Siro.

football

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 METRO HERALD 23

Tim’s spurred on by search for revenge TIM SHERWOOD hopes to have a swift impact on Tottenham and avenge the home loss to West Ham when the teams meet in tonight’s Capital One Cup quarter-final. Interim boss Sherwood takes charge for the first time since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas (pictured) and is eager for his side to show their quality against the Hammers, who beat Spurs 3-0 in October. ‘It’s a huge game, especially on the back of what they did to us at the Lane,’ he said. ‘We have to impose ourselves on them as soon as we can. We’ll just crack on with what else we’ve got. It ain’t a bad team.’

Taking charge: Interim manager Tim Sherwood with Tottenham players at training yesterday by nick METcALfE ANDRE Villas-Boas would have needed to be a ‘miracle worker’ to get the best out of all Tottenham’s new signings this season, reckons West Ham boss Sam Allardyce. Villas-Boas was sacked on Monday following the embarrassing 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool, with Tim Sherwood placed in interim charge at White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale’s departure to Real Madrid in the summer was a major blow for Spurs but Villas-Boas attempted to compensate for the

‘I have enough of my own problems’ loss by splashing the cash on seven new players over the summer. And Allardyce – who takes his West Ham side to Tottenham for tonight’s Capital One Cup quarterfinal – felt the 36-year-old needed more time to get things right. ‘When you are in a transition period of that nature and that size, with so many new faces, it is virtually impossible to get consistency and arrive at what the expectation is,’ Allardyce said. ‘Decisions made as quickly as that are a surprise because of the

picture: action images/reuters

AVB needed to work ‘miracles’, says Allardyce

situation Tottenham were in at the start of the season, bringing so many new players in. ‘To get the team playing together as a team and understanding each other in such a short period of time is nearly impossible. The fruition of the change around at Tottenham starts more next season. ‘You would have to be a miracle worker to get everyone functioning to the best of their ability when they have just arrived from a foreign country into a different culture that they have never played in before.’ Allardyce added that he is

Surprised: Allardyce

more worried with his own team than West Ham’s opponents. ‘I have enough of my own problems with injuries and suspensions to have too much concern about Tottenham other than what team I am going to play, how we are going to play and what we can do to combat them. ‘Whatever the situation at Spurs, from our point of view they have got an excellent squad. ‘So whatever team they turn out against us [tonight] is always going to be an exceptionally difficult game for us.’

Wilshere faces ban following gesture Jack Wilshere is set to miss arsenal’s crunch clash with chelsea after the english Fa charged him with making an abusive gesture towards Manchester city fans. The midfielder (pictured) was caught raising his middle finger to a section of city fans following the 6-3 demolition at the etihad stadium and is now likely to face a one-match ban, meaning he will miss the Blues’ visit on Monday if banned. an Fa statement read: ‘if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel will be asked by the Fa to review it and advise what, if any, action, they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time’ Wilshere has until 6pm today to respond.

Japan midfielder on trial at celtic Japan international hiroki Yamada is training with celtic this week. The 24-yearold midfielder plays for Jubilo iwata in his homeland and hoops boss neil lennon has previously spoken of his admiration for the player who has played twice for the Japanese national side this year.

TRAnSfER TALk

Gunners can pay kost ArSenAl look set to take on liverpool in the race for freescoring Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou. The 25-year-old Olympiakos forward (pictured) has already bagged an impressive 21 goals this season, including a Champions league hat-trick against Anderlecht. That form has reportedly caught the eye of Arsene Wenger as he looks to beef up his attacking options in January. However, it looks like he will face competition from Brendan rodgers’ reds for Mitroglou’s services.

u neWCASTle have made unsettled Borussia Monchengladbach striker luuk de Jong their no.1 transfer target in the January window. u Manchester United are closing in on a January move for young romanian talent Dorin rotariu. the 18-year-old Dinamo Bucharest winger has hit the net six times this season.

Jose’s ready to get fredy chelsea are closing in on a deal to bring Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin to the club in January. Despite Jose Mourinho’s insistence he will not make any signings, the Blues want Guarin (pictured).

SPORT

24 METRO HERALD Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Spurs expected miracles from AVB, claims Allardyce

«see page 23

Moyes: constant change not a winning formula by RicHARD HOOkHAM

MAnCHESTEr United manager David Moyes believes stability and longevity are the magic ingredient for the most successful clubs. Currently only 44 of England’s 92 professional clubs have a manager who have been in the hotseat for more than a year. Just eight have been in place more than three and Steve Clarke and Andre VillasBoas lost their jobs at West Brom and Tottenham respectively during the last week. It makes Moyes feel grateful in his previous jobs at Preston and Everton he was afforded the time to implement his own ideas, a situation that is expected to continue at United. ‘We are in a world where jobs change very quickly,’ he said. ‘I don’t think that is right. ‘The most successful clubs have had stability and longevity in their managers. That existed here with Sir Alex Ferguson and look what Arsene Wenger has done at Arsenal as well. ‘Folk might say they have not won as much as they would like but they have a stable football club that is going in the right direction. ‘The more you keep chopping and changing the more turmoil there is and the more money you waste.’ The long-term approach at United means Moyes has not come under additional pressure after a troubled start to his reign, during which he has suffered five Premier League defeats. However, United have just secured successive victories and if they beat Stoke at the Britannia Stadium tonight, they will book a place in next month’s Capital One Cup semi-final. ‘I am desperate to get to Wembley,’ added Moyes. ‘I want to be seen as someone who has been successful and won trophies. It is something that has has eluded me so far but I am trying to make it happen and believe I am at the best club to do so.’

PICTURE: REUTERs

Winner: Ki unlocks the Chelsea defence

bLAck cATs finD THE ki TO knOck OuT bLuEs Ki Sung-yueng was the hero as relegation-haunted Sunderland dumped Chelsea out of the Capital One Cup to book a place in the semi-finals last night. The South Korea international, on loan at the Stadium of Light from Swansea, struck in the final minute of extra time to complete a famous 2-1 win and end Jose Mourinho’s hopes of winning the trophy which gave him his first honour during his previous spell at Stamford Bridge.

cApiTAL OnE cup, quARTER finALs Lee Cattermole’s own goal looked to have sent Chelsea through until substitute Fabio Borini struck with just two minutes remaining to send the tie into extra time. elsewhere, edin Dzeko scored twice as Manchester City eased into the last four with a comfortable 3-1 win against

Championship high-flyers Leicester. Aleksandar Kolarov put City on their way with a 25-yard free before Dzeko headed a second before half-time and added a third after the interval. Leicester netted late on through Lloyd Dyer. There was bad news for City on the injury front, however, with boss Manuel Pellegrini conceding that top scorer Sergio Aguero’s calf injury could be worse than first feared and may sideline him for up to eight weeks.

ulster’s best man signs new two-year deal

Respect: Best Monthly Certified Distribution Oct 28 - Nov 24, 2013: 60,208

rOry BEST has signed a new two-year IrFU contract extension to remain with Ulster until 2016. The 31-year-old hooker is the latest Ireland star to extend his stay with his province, after Donnacha ryan and Conor Murray committed their futures to Munster. Best has played 143 times for Ulster and 70 times at international level following his Ireland debut in 2005. Best said the warmth and respect of

supporters and the Ireland and Ulster set-ups combined to convince him to stay at home. He initially missed out on selection for the British and Irish Lions’ summer tour to Australia, but was later called up as a replacement for England’s Dylan Hartley. And Best admitted the backing he received after his initial Lions disappointment left a lasting impression. He said: ‘It is a massive honour to play for Ireland and Ulster.

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‘The support I received when I missed out on the initial Lions squad was a massive factor in me making the decision to stay. ‘That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family. ‘I want to keep playing for Ireland for as long as I can and to try and win a few more things in the green jersey.’

Jamie’s rest – page 22

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