Ginny Dougary :: Award-winning journalist and writer

Ginny Dougary :: Award-winning journalist and writer » Celebrity http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk Politics, celebrities, interviews, opinions, travel, and more... Tue, 18 May 2010 16:07:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Mitch Winehouse on the torment of Amy’s self-destruction http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/12/20/mitch-winehouse-on-the-torment-of-amys-self-destruction/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/12/20/mitch-winehouse-on-the-torment-of-amys-self-destruction/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:07:38 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=259 Photo - Phil Fisk

So, let’s get the great big elephant out of the room straightaway. Is there something a bit iffy about the way Mitch Winehouse appears to be making a career on the back of his daughter’s demons? What career, you might ask. Well, there are at least two documentaries in the pipeline in which he features large as day, as well as Mitch Winehouse’s Showbiz Rant, an online TV series that films him in his cab sounding off to various celebrity-lite passengers (David Hasselhoff; someone called Shaggy, who was told to take his feet off the seat) – “And don’t get me started on that Lady Gaga…” and so on – and now he’s even recording an album of his own, Rush of Love, due to be released in spring. Isn’t it a bit weird, I ask him, since he would never have got an album out if… “Never. Not in a million years,” he jumps in. “Course not. I mean, I’m not an idiot. I know that I got the album ’cos I’m Amy’s dad.” Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/12/20/mitch-winehouse-on-the-torment-of-amys-self-destruction/feed/ 0 Tracey Emin on a year of living dangerously http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/08/12/tracey-emin-on-a-year-of-living-dangerously/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/08/12/tracey-emin-on-a-year-of-living-dangerously/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:44:29 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=228 Tracey Emin is serene. That is not a sentence that comes naturally. She has emerged from her year of living dangerously — nothing to do with wild antics and everything to do with ill health — purged of both her demons and a giant, Gothic-sounding tapeworm. We meet in Spitalfields, East London, where Emin lives and works. She was a little bit late for our interview and so I had a chance to potter around her studio. This is where her embroidery and appliqué pieces are created and the room resembles a well-stocked children’s day centre. There is a row of orange washing baskets brimming with brightly coloured fabric and a wall of plastic boxes filled with all manner of things, neatly labelled: “Bits and bobs”, “Postcards and diaries” and “Voodoo dolls”. At the far end of the room is a trio of antique French chairs and a circular table, a glass top protecting an Emin oeuvre/tablecloth of appliquéd letters of the alphabet, and a ridiculously large bean bag on which Emin and her team of seamstresses sprawl, a (literally) laid-back sewing bee, to protect their spines and necks while they work. A glass door opens on to a small courtyard just large enough to contain a wrought-iron table and a couple of chairs. In the corner, next to several bicycles, is an impressively full rack of wine bottles which, on closer inspection, all bear the same label: Château de Tracy (sic). Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2009/08/12/tracey-emin-on-a-year-of-living-dangerously/feed/ 0 A close encounter with George Clooney http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2008/04/07/a-close-encounter-with-george-clooney/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2008/04/07/a-close-encounter-with-george-clooney/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:25:46 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=119

Robert Redford: An American idol

Dennis Hopper

All by herself

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2008/04/07/a-close-encounter-with-george-clooney/feed/ 0 Robert Redford: An American idol http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/11/03/robert-redford-an-american-idol/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/11/03/robert-redford-an-american-idol/#comments Sat, 03 Nov 2007 09:34:06 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/11/03/robert-redford-an-american-idol/

All by herself

A close encounter with George Clooney

Dennis Hopper

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/11/03/robert-redford-an-american-idol/feed/ 0 Rock’s Stepford wife http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/08/21/rock%e2%80%99s-stepford-wife/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/08/21/rock%e2%80%99s-stepford-wife/#comments Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:02:28 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/08/21/rock%e2%80%99s-stepford-wife/

Ginny meets Dolly

Elizabeth the first

Tracey Emin on a year of living dangerously

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/08/21/rock%e2%80%99s-stepford-wife/feed/ 0 Culture vulture http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/05/12/culture-vulture/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/05/12/culture-vulture/#comments Sat, 12 May 2007 14:17:29 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/05/12/culture-vulture/ Photo: Mark Harrison Australians, in my experience, however deeply transplanted, still crave the cerulean skies and bright light of their birthplace which is why it is unexpected to find Clive James, on the sunniest of English spring mornings, in a curtain-drawn lair of such impenetrable gloom that the atmosphere seems to fizz with electricity from all the wattage. Or, perhaps, that's just the effect of his personality. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/05/12/culture-vulture/feed/ 0 Educating Piers http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/04/07/educating-piers/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/04/07/educating-piers/#comments Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:48:20 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/04/07/educating-piers/ Photo: Mark Harrison The Penis on Legs – aka Piers Morgan – is resiliently handling my barrage of offensive, tabloid questions. It’s just as well that’s he’s so robust since two days after we meet he gets fired again; only this time it’s for charity, Comic Relief’s celebrity The Apprentice, where we see Morgan enjoyably insulted by the likes of Maureen Lipman (responsible for the aforementioned penis jibe), Alastair Campbell, and later, Graham Norton’s: “Piers Morgan – what an easy person to hate” is greeted by whooping cheers from the audience. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2007/04/07/educating-piers/feed/ 0 Hostess with the mostest http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2006/02/11/hostess-with-the-mostest/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2006/02/11/hostess-with-the-mostest/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:50:19 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2006/02/11/hostess-with-the-mostest/ Ginny Dougary Davina McCall may host shows at the tackier end of the television spectrum, but her appeal lies in a naughty, but oddly wholesome niceness. As she takes on BBC One’s primetime chat-show slot, Ginny Dougary meets a former wild child who has turned her bad times to spectacular good. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2006/02/11/hostess-with-the-mostest/feed/ 0 The essence of Elle La Belle http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/23/the-essence-of-elle-la-belle/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/23/the-essence-of-elle-la-belle/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2005 22:02:53 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=26 Ginny Dougary The Body has a mind all right, but it's hard to fathom. Wth rings on her thumbs and rings on her toes, Elle still turns heads wherever she goes. She is clearly a hippy chick at heart, particularly where accessories are concerned. The half-moons of her big toes are adorned with tiny crystals that twinkle as she wiggles them. Her bronzed forearm is covered in bits of string, ribbons and shells and each one has a story: “This one’s for breast cancer and Kylie. We’ve known each other for years. I haven’t spoken to her since she’s been ill and it’s on my mind. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/23/the-essence-of-elle-la-belle/feed/ 0 A suitable case for treatment http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/12/a-suitable-case-for-treatment/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/12/a-suitable-case-for-treatment/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2005 20:12:37 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=37 Ginny Dougary Few lives are as dramatic or traumatic or just plain strange as Kelsey Grammer's. From the violent murder of his father and his sister, to his own drug addiction and vicious physical and mental abuse at the hands of a string of ex-lovers, the star of Frasier could well do with some therapy from his alter ego. And yet there remains a childlike innocence and genuine kindness about Grammer. Ginny Dougary went snorkelling with him. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/12/a-suitable-case-for-treatment/feed/ 0 All by herself http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/06/11/all-by-herself/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/06/11/all-by-herself/#comments Sat, 11 Jun 2005 11:49:51 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/06/11/all-by-herself/ Ginny Dougary Despite her frail beauty, Naomi Watts has overcome the pain of her father’s untimely death – and the label ‘Nicole Kidman’s best friend’ – to become a star in her own right.

Naomi Almost-Mega Watts is quite right when she says that she’s not the sort of actress who lights up a room. Admittedly it would take a Day-Glo aura to penetrate the dungeonesque gloom of the Manhattan hotel foyer we meet in, but it does take a while to register that the childlike figure approaching me – fair hair scraped back in a stubby ponytail, pale face with no make-up, jeans, flat silver pumps, baggy bleached-blue cardigan, clutching a takeaway coffee – is a Hollywood star. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/06/11/all-by-herself/feed/ 0 Better by design: how I can improve your life http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/05/25/better-by-design-how-i-can-improve-your-life/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/05/25/better-by-design-how-i-can-improve-your-life/#comments Wed, 25 May 2005 14:33:38 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=35 Ginny Dougary Sir Terence Conran has designed a Peace Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Now he wants to do a Jamie Oliver on our "horrid" homes. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/05/25/better-by-design-how-i-can-improve-your-life/feed/ 0 Being Graham Norton http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/06/01/being-graham-norton/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/06/01/being-graham-norton/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2004 14:48:37 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=34 Ginny Dougary Britain's naughtiest chat-show host has played his camp, cheekie-chappie card to the max. But now he's showing worrying signs of growing up. Ginny Dougary watched him dip his toe into the US market - and asked a few rude questions of her own. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/06/01/being-graham-norton/feed/ 0 Dennis Hopper http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/03/12/dennis-hopper/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/03/12/dennis-hopper/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:58:51 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/03/12/dennis-hopper/

Felix Dennis: ex-addict, poet – and murderer?

Maxim publisher Felix Dennis: ‘I’ve killed a man’

Did maverick magazine mogul Felix Dennis murder a man 25 years ago?

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2004/03/12/dennis-hopper/feed/ 0 Ginny meets Dolly http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2002/11/02/ginny-meets-dolly/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2002/11/02/ginny-meets-dolly/#comments Sat, 02 Nov 2002 20:16:33 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=16 Ginny Dougary Dolly Parton's bosom goes before her. It is impossible to think of her voice and her songs without conjuring a mental picture of that famous cantilevered shelf which juts so implausibly over her minuscule waist. Her top-heavy form even enlivened debate in the House of Commons when some years ago Kenneth Clarke chastised Gordon Brown for relying on the "Dolly Parton school of economics — an unbelievable figure blown out of all proportion with no visible means of support." Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2002/11/02/ginny-meets-dolly/feed/ 0 In the orbit of a goddess http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/06/24/in-the-orbit-of-a-goddess/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/06/24/in-the-orbit-of-a-goddess/#comments Sat, 24 Jun 2000 09:25:32 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=32 Ginny Dougary When the writer Ginny Dougary was mistaken for the young Elizabeth Taylor, she was flattered. Inevitably, she began to feel an affinity with the movie star and took a special interest in her sometimes turbulent life. Then she came to realise that she was not alone - everyone feels they own a part of icons such as Taylor Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/06/24/in-the-orbit-of-a-goddess/feed/ 0 Of make-up, men and fantasies http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/02/17/of-make-up-men-and-fantasies/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/02/17/of-make-up-men-and-fantasies/#comments Thu, 17 Feb 2000 23:28:41 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=28 Ginny Dougary Eddie Izzard is as famous for being a transvestite as he is for being an outstanding comedian. Despite his penchant for high heels, lipstick and dresses, women not only love him, they find him sexy, too. Related posts:

]]> http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2000/02/17/of-make-up-men-and-fantasies/feed/ 0 Elizabeth the first http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/1999/10/10/elizabeth-the-first/ http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/1999/10/10/elizabeth-the-first/#comments Sun, 10 Oct 1999 19:50:16 +0000 Administrator http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/?p=10 Ginny Dougary There's never been a film star quite like Elizabeth Taylor: the eyes, the diamonds, the men, the myth. And at 67 she still reigns supreme in despite her self-imposed celluloid exile. Ginny Dougary of The Times (London) is granted a rare audience. Related posts:

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