Female First Blog » Ruth’s Ramblings

Behind The Scenes With Limahal

Ruth — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:57:31 +0000

I always love chatting to failed pop-stars, simply because they are always so bubbly and eager to please, Limahal – who is as camp as Christmas – was certainly another one of these!

After leaving his Eighties outfits in the past and getting his wonderful voice on the soundtrack to the new Never Ending Story film, I knew he was about to be hot property once again.

Never before have I laughed so much in an interview as I did chatting to this feisty character; he was so witty and hilarious that I just wanted him to come and live in my spare room and sing me songs and come shopping with me!

http://www.kissmusica.com/Imagenes_Cantantes/limahl.jpg

I completely loved the way he dramatically ripped into Boy George for being fat, but I could tell her was secretly harbouring some sexual desires towards the hat-wearing little fox… although I’m not so sure how he’d feel now Georgey boy has been handcuffing folk to radiators and sexing them up… it’s not really my cup of tea anyway!

Overall, he’s everything you would expect from a gay eighties popstar… and possibly the most down to earth famous person I’ve ever met. I actually love him. And so does my mum!

Check out the interview here;

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicinterview/Limahl-55253.htmlRuth xx

Behind The Scenes With The Days

Ruth — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:11:31 +0000

The Days’ gig in Blackpool was the first face-to-face interview I’d done since starting at FemaleFirst, so needless to say I was totally bricking it; I even took sticks of rock in the hope it would make them be nice to me! Classic.

Anyway, my worries were (sort of) completely unfounded as the guys were the nicest bunch of lads I’ve ever met – and drummer Harry Meads is possibly the fittest man I’ve ever met – however their fans… well they were a bit intense.

Watching the boys before out interview was absolutely terrifying as hoards of teenage girls ran around dressed in tutus and waving all manner of neon paraphernalia.. Oh how I don’t miss being too young to drink!

Anyway, the gig was great and Elliot Minor (the main act) then took to the stage so off I went to find pretty boy Luke Simpkins and friends for a good old-fashioned grilling – aided by a bottle of Becks and my friend Jess. Brilliant!

After the initial pleasantries and me feeling like I was going to melt into a puddle of nervousness we finally got the interview going and it was just great fun. To say I was horrified at the thought of actually having to meet someone moderately ‘famous’ is an understatement, but I think if it wasn’t for this interview I would never have been confident enough to chat to some of the people I have done.

Despite the fact that we got trapped backstage and then waved at Elliot Minor from the side of the stage when they were in fact waving to someone behind us, I’d say it was a pretty successful evening… if you fancy having a glance over, check out the interview here;

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicinterview/The+Days-54976.html

Ruth xx

Behind The Scenes With Eternal Lord

Ruth — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:11:28 +0000

One of the first really ‘alternative’ bands I was able to interview whilst at FemaleFirst was (to quote Wikipedia) and “

English deathcore band” and so clearly I was expecting four blokes with long hair, band tee’s and beer in hand.Oh why oh why do I always get it wrong?

Despite the fact that at many shows you see arrogant front men who think the world revolves around them and their giant egos (Oli Sykes Anyone?) So it’s really bloody refreshing when someone is famous in their field, and still manages to keep two feet on the ground. Even to the point where they sell their own Merch.

The guys were the nicest (and some night say prettiest) band I’ve ever met, they were so nice to me in my pink polka dot dress as I wandered around, climbing over amps, guitars and various other musical instruments backstage.

In what could have been their final interview, we talked about everything from hair-do’s to ice cream, and it was nice to meet a band who didn’t bleat on about how amazing they were or take life altogether too seriously. Aah.

Just a shame really that after talking about their plans for the future and their latest album, that a few weeks later singer Ed Butcher left the group; ultimately leading to their disbandment – I just wish I had gotten to know them sooner.

One thing’s for sure, after Ed protected me from the life-threatening pit that erupted during Shaped By Fate’s set, he’ll be a friend for life.

Read the full interview here; http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/eternal+lord-56896.html

Ruth xx

Behind The Scenes With Konnie Huq

Ruth — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:33:20 +0000

When I was a child, Konnie Huq was part of my Monday-Friday evening routine. I just couldn’t get enough of Blue Peter; from the ‘here’s one I made earlier’ creations to the exciting challenges they tackled on a daily basis.

So when I interviewed her I was hoping to relive the glory days of the 1990’s and rediscover my lost youth. But I didn’t. Not only did she sound drunk on the phone, but her answers were bizarre and incomprehensible at times.

Talking about her new TV show, Zoo Days, Konnie was still faffing about with animals and cute things with the aim of making kids all over the UK smile (and beg their parents to take them to the local zoo!) How sweet.

Her attempts to make wildlife sound much more interesting that the failed ventures of David Attenborough – yes I know he’s an amazing animal man, but he really doesn’t breathe life into the world of animals – although I suppose Konnie’s reports on animals holed up behind bars is possibly not as close to the truth as you might want from something like this.

Sadly, my love for Konnie was ruined by this interview, I was sad at how ‘normal’ she was after being my childhood hero for such a long time; but my mum always did tell me… “Never meet your heros.” I guess you mother is always right.

Read the full interview here; http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/Konnie+Huq-54770.html

Behind The Scenes With Eileen Rose

Ruth — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:07:42 +0000

The interview with Eileen Rose was one which really moved me. I know I come across as quite jokey, and I think that’s a great asset of mine when it comes to interviews, but there are a few cases, where jokes need to be put aside whilst you just listen to a remarkable story.



Eileen Rose is a singer/songwriter, who I have to admit, I had never heard of prior to the interview. But afterwards she has a massive impact on my life.
Speaking about her latest album, At Our Tables, Eileen explained that a lot of the inspiration had been taken from death, 9/11 and a book called For One More Day, by Detroit author Mitch Albom. The book had the opening quote which read: “The Dead sit at our tables long after they have gone.”
When Eileen told me how much this line meant to her, it resonated so well with me as I tried to cope with the grief over the death of my grandfather and even inspired me to go out and buy the book in question.
Its really rare that someone touches you in the way Eileen did, and I left work that day feeling like I wasn’t the only person in the world who had lost someone, but knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for us all.
Without a doubt, this woman is one of my most enjoyable interviews to date.
Ruth xx

Behind The Scenes With Rickie Haywood Williams

Ruth — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:15:36 +0000

Rickie Haywood Williams AKA The Face of MTV news

Rickie Haywood Williams – otherwise known as the face of MTV news.

During the interview, it became clear that his job was one many journalist would kill for, befriending the best bands on the planet, hanging out with movie stars left, right and centre, and obviously, getting invites to the hottest celeb parties going.

What’s more, he let me into a super special little secret, which, obviously, being me, I had to share with the entire world…. What the lush

Pharell and the super famous Timbaland being the worst interviews he’s ever had.

What’s more, diva of the moment, Kanye West left him waiting in a hotel room for two and a half hours before turning up to the interview! I think the fact that Rickie waited for him deserves an electronic round of applause, I know I wouldn’t have stuck around.

His dream interview was pretty interesting; Oprah Winfrey – as “She would have a great story to tell” – well yeah, fair enough, but so would the survivor of a shark attack. Surely he could have picked someone more interesting…

Mine would obviously be my future husband (almost) Giovanni Ribisi; just so that I could meet him, and he’d fall in love with me and then we would get married and live happily ever after… *ahem*

And on that note… I had better go!

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/Rickie+Haywood+Williams-54057.html “target=’_blank’>Check out the full interview here

Behind The Scenes With Finley Quay

Ruth — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:48:04 +0000

I know you’ve all been waiting for me to talk about a horrible interviewee, and I’ve refrained for as long as I can, but now, you’re getting your money’s worth – or internet time as the case may be.

The first horrific interview I had was with Finley Quay, who I actually thought would be one of the nicer musicians on the scene. Eeek; how mistaken I was.

I don’t know whether he was stoned, drunk, hungover or just pissed off that I had asked him how he could possibly be releasing a greatest hits when he’s only had like, one song. But either way, he didn’t win me over.

As you can see from his answers, getting a response from him was like trying to get blood out of a stone, but not just any stone, oh no, a stone that has been left in the desert, for a million years, in the baking hot sun, in an area when rain (or blood) has ever fallen. It made me want to cut my own ears off. Well almost.

Needless to say, his pointless answers didn’t sell him overly well, and as an interview is supposed to be a great way to plug your latest release; he didn’t seem to get that concept. At all.

I feel sad that there isn’t more I can say about this interviewee, but as he was about as deep as a puddle and as interesting as a white sheet of A4 paper, the only thing I can say is, my initial wonder or how this bloke managed to get a ;’greatest hits’ together, is nothing short of a bloody miracle.

If you need something to help you realise that there are people duller than yourself, check out the interview here; http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/Finley+Quay-53818.html

Ruth xx

Behind The Scenes With The Cheeky Girls

Ruth — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:48:36 +0000

I thought I’d finally gotten into the swing of interviewing celebs, that was until I got hit with The Cheeky Girls… I guess the best way to describe the fifteen minutes I spent with them would just be simply: OH.MY.GOD.

Not only did I have them both answering the questions at once (which made it impossible to decipher who was who when I was writing the article up) but to say they spoke in broken English would be an understatement – it was English that had been broken up with a sledgehammer before being reversed over by a 18-wheeler truck then thrown around buy some baby elephants AND they did it all in the fastest voices I have ever heard. Get the picture?

That said though, it is possibly one of my most enjoyable interviews to date, simply because the pair were so enthusiastic about everything and were willing to open up about their eating disorders where so many other stars flatly refuse to discuss anything which might portray them in a negative light.

Gabriela was open about her bizarre engagement to Lembit – which ended shortly afterwards! – and Monica was more than willing to tell us how it felt having her sister ‘taken off’ her by a man; she seemed to cope quite well sharing her beloved twin!

As the interview began to draw to a close I found myself really wanting to be a cheeky girl… no, not just so I could be a super skinny girl or have a *ahem* great singing voice, not even so that men would ‘Touch My Bum’, but because these sister seemed to have a connection and a lease for life that you don’t see very often.

But maybe that’s just the way they are in Transylvania?

Check out the interview here;

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/The+Cheeky+Girls-53640-page2.html

Ruth xxx

Behind the scenes with Richard Fleeshman

Ruth — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:47:02 +0000

To say I was a little bit too excited when I heard I would be getting my hands on him was a complete understatement… I’d started looking for wedding dresses and venues before I’d even spoken to him… I was totally convinced I could sweep him off his feet and down the aisle.

I was wrong.

As the latest soap-star turning pop-star he was brandishing himself out to all the media outlets; (FemaleFirst being his first choice – obviously.) and I wasn’t going to let this lad get past my Dictaphone and reporters notepad!

So I think he’s the deal; you work in a popular soap opera for a year or two and then suddenly you think you can sing… I mean what is that about? Acting and singing are two completely different things… so why does everyone try and fuse the two… or make one lead to the other?

This I had to find out!

However, finding out was a little trickier than I initially expected, first off, I must point out that despite the horrific attempts at a pop career by many ‘actors’, Richard Fleeshman is a bit of a bloody good singer; its a shame his looks went as his voice grew though – I liked his goth look in Corrie but now he’s got some crazy afro head, Indie boy look going on… not good.

When it came to chatting about moving from acting into singing I hit a total brick wall (he’d thoroughly prepared for this question) and it was like he was reading from a script and refused to elaborate on that. Great. Failed at the first hurdle.

And it didn’t get any better after that either; he was quite defensive and didn’t open up very much, not that I didn’t give him my best shot… I prised at him like a knife at a piece of toast jammed in the toaster, but he just wouldn’t budge, and I could feel and impending electric shock… or boredom induced sleep.

Towards the end I sort of worked my charms and got him to open up a little bit but the fact that he didn’t seem at all excited by the fact that he was on tour with Sir Elton John made me want to bash his head against a wall. Why he got that gig I’ll never know!

So what’s the result? Sorry Rich but I think I’ll find another man to marry…one who will actually have a great conversation with me… although I probably won’t print our pillow talk! ;]

Ruth xx

Check out the interview here;

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/Richard+Fleeshman-53133.html