August 5, 2009

YOUR LOLA LIFELINE!


THE COLUMN THAT GIVES YOU, DEAR READERS, LOLA POWER!
Well, dear readers, it’s the first Wednesday of the month and that can only mean one thing: YOUR LOLA LIFELINE! And my postbag is full to bursting with queries and dilemmas from so many of you! And, as usual, I’ve picked out the most urgent and pressing in order to pass on my profound thoughts!

First up, a query from my puppy-nephew, Alfie (below).


1. And so back to Alfie whom my dear regular readers will recognize from my earlier post of JUNE 16 when I had a long chat with him about his future.

Alfie’s ambition, you will recall, is to leave an indelible mark on society, something that will go down in history. He wants to grow up to become a crook. But not a minor league crook, you understand. But rather a real HOODLUM! He turned down all my earlier career suggestions (mugger of old people, bag snatcher, cowboy roof builder, hedge fund trainee, call centre robot, working for a Chinese Triad) before jumping at the final one. To become a Member of Parliament, The British Parliament (below).

Now, however, having had some time to reflect on his decision, he’s concerned he won’t be able to achieve his ambition of attaining rock star, iconic status as a crook because of the damage to their reputation wrought by British MPs over their expenses scandals. In other words, Alfie is concerned he’ll just be ignored ("dissed" in Alfie’s words - he watches too much television) and all the new, ingenious crimes and scams he’s planning will simply go unrecognized, underestimated and undervalued by a disgusted and indifferent public.

Dear Alfie,
You really have NOTHING to fear since, to make a really noticeable and lasting impact on society (which is your stated aim), you only need to convince a relatively small number of people of your criminal talent as a conman. After all, it was former President, George W Bush (above) who merrily quipped "You can fool some of the people all the time and THOSE are precisely the ones you need to concentrate on!" And George Orwell (below) who said "Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable."

OK! Just checking you’re all still here and paying attention at the back of the class ...*wink*
So there, Alfie! Good luck and every success in your chosen career! You should go far, very far, young man!!


Dear readers, that’s my advice to Alfie. Do you agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for him?


And now another question from Sir Fred Goodwhine, Scotland (above):

2. Dear Lola,
I’ve read about so many celebrities jetting off this summer to some luxury resort in the South Pacific or the Maldives! And I’m SO envious! Because of the credit crunch I’ve lost my job and so, for the first time ever, won’t be going away this year. Am I wrong to be envious? Please advise.

Dear Sir Fred,
You should not feel in the least bit envious! There’s a myth that we’re somehow better off because of all the choice and luxury available now. But you don’t need all that! Why pay shedloads of cash just to sit on a bare floor in a barely furnished villa on some exclusive, lonely, faraway island? Where there’s no internet connection, no books, no communication, no blogpals, nada. All those posh resorts are doing is SIMULATING NATURE when, for a lot less, you can go out and get it for REAL! There’s nothing more beautiful than walking down an empty beach at sunset. And, in your straightened circumstances, Sir Fred, you’d be advised to choose that over 5-star luxury every time! (Incidentally, summer is the worst time to visit the Maldives - it’s the wet season!)

Dear readers, that’s my advice to Sir Fred. Do you agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for him?

And lastly, my dear readers, a letter from Suha who lives in Tower Hamlets, London.

3. Dear Lola,
I’ve just moved to the UK and would like my daughter to go to a particular, high-achieving faith school since she needs extra scholastic help and all our local schools are failing. However, we can’t afford to move into its catchment area nor can we pretend we live there at an accommodation address like the mother recently arrested for falsifying her daughter’s application. The school operates an entrance bursary but my daughter isn’t clever enough to win one. Is she doomed to the local sink school? What do you advise?


Dear Suha,
Yes, I see your dilemma. You can’t move nor can you use an accommodation address. Your only solution is for your daughter to gain access to the school through its bursary system. But she’ll fail, I hear you cry! Well, I’ve had a close look at the photo you enclosed of your daughter and yourself and two ‘sisters’ of such similar ages have I rarely seen! So off you go, take the entrance exam and good luck to your daughter at her new school!

And welcome, Suha, to modern Britain! A place where MPs and Peers of the Realm rob the public blind and walk away scot-free but where mothers who falsify a school application for the sake of their children’s education and future could face a year in prison. The public must envy ALI BABA, who had only 40 thieves! Perhaps Spielberg could even turn the whole sorry saga into a film SWINDLERS LIST?

Dear readers, that’s my advice to Suha. Do you agree/disagree? Any other suggestions for her?


Well, mes chers lecteurs, sadly that’s all we have time for today! But remember, if you have any problems or queries you’d like me to respond to (dealt with anonymously if preferred), don’t hesitate to let me know (or my useless PA, Nora) in the COMMENTS BOX BELOW! However weird, outlandish, insoluble it may seem, I’ll have an answer to that Desperate Dilemma of yours! So why hesitate any longer? Go on! Write to me, Agony Aunt to the Stars, in the comments box NOW! And remember, YOUR LOLA LIFELINE! - your lifeline to a saner, more harmonious, beauteous world. Just like mine in fact!

And now I’m going to creep back to my basket for my beauty sleep (yawn), but do help yourselves, my dear readers, to coffee and macaroons on your way out! Oh, and do please close that door quietly... still recovering from last weekend’s party hangover! Nora, where’s that double expresso I asked for hours ago? (snore)

XX LOL LOLA:)

August 1, 2009

AND THE WINNER OF THE FIRST-EVER LOLA AWARDS IS ... !!






AND THE WINNER OF THE FIRST-EVER LOLA AWARDS FOR SERVICES TO BLOGGING IS ... !!

Well, my dear readers, the time has come to announce the winner of our true/false statement mini-meme! A moment I know you’ve all been waiting for since last Saturday’s July in Christmas Blog Party! I’ve allowed a whole week for comments 'cos at this time of year so many of my dear and loyal readers are to- and fro-ing on vacation and I wouldn’t want them to be disappointed and left out. Indeed, as it transpires, one dear reader left a lovely comment just the other day - while she was still doing the rounds of the Christmas Party Guest List!

But before we come to the ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY itself, let’s take a quick look at those statements and find out which one’s TRUE! Some 3 of you believe Nora’s related to Boris! Well, that’s quite understandable given all the waffle and drivel in the posts I allow her to publish and her general, bumbling ineptitude (always trying to sneak in one of her own hunky pics! Never again, mind you!). And 6 of you think she did a trainee stint at a tabloid:
Again, quite understandable given her atrocious overuse of exclamation marks and dreadful, bombastic exaggeration! But the rest of you believe she met and chatted with Paul Newman. And ,YOU, dear readers, are CORRECT and eligible for the random draw - as the SEPTEMBER 28 2008 tag (now artfully reinstated!) proves. Congratulations! Incidentally, if any dear reader survived the trek all the way back through the unkempt undergrowth of overblown writing to that post (hopefully fortified by numerous St Bernards and assorted hipflasks), he/she deserves a separate LOLA!

So, dear readers, we have the vast majority of you as potential winners! But before we come to the announcement of THE WINNER (who, you recall, should: 1. Accept the LOLA Award. 2. Post it on their blog together with my name and blog link. 3. Pass it on plus mini- meme), let’s set the scene and put ourselves in party mood, celebratory mood by attending an Awards Ceremony together! So, dear readers, settle back and relax as I take you on a little journey...

Firstly, welcome to the Auditorium and that Red Carpet...

Let’s walk up the famous staircase together...

Of course, in our finest couture AND jewelry (lent by Tiffany of Rodeo Drive)

Oh, look! Beautiful People are posing just for US...! There’s Helen Mirren and friend over there in red, Penelope Cruz in black
and Bjorn in, well, something white!

In fact, white seems to be everywhere...

Jennifer in Valentino, Penelope now in vintage Balmain (quick change of outfit!) and Anne Hathaway in Armani...

and Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab, Jessica Biel in Prada and another look at Penelope plus Sarah Jessica Parker. And how about a close up of Sarah Jessica in that Dior creation - our Best Supporting Dress nomination!

And sooo many designer outfits! Help! Hope nobody’s in the same outfit as ours, are they?!

Meryl in Alberta Ferretti, Tilda in Lanvin,

Keira in Vera Wang, Miley Cyrus in Zuhair Murad (a mermaid in, er, sequins?!!)...
Then there are all these couples dying to share Hollywood gossip with us:

Plus some gorgeous men too:

Daniel and Jack - after all, it wouldn’t be a party without Jack, would it?!...
Not to mention our Gorgeous George!

But, quick, let’s take our reserved seats 'cos the ceremony’s about to begin. Look, here’s Jon, our MC, welcoming us:

followed by lots of lovely film clips and announcements!

And now all these winners thanking US for their Awards!

Nicole in Galliano, Angelina in Elie Saab,

Julia in Valentino, Kate in YSL,

Gywneth in Ralph Lauren (ugh! Not so sure!), Cate in Armani (sooo elegant!)
But before we move on to the delicious meal specially prepared for us by Wolfgang Puck

in the Post-Awards Party Marquee,

let’s return to OUR second, bigger and, more importantly, EXCLUSIVE CEREMONY OF THE DAY!! - THE LOLA AWARD - and the moment you’ve all been waiting for. THE GRAND RANDOM DRAW BY P. Look, there’s his hairy, masculine hand just pulling the winning slip out of the champagne bucket at midnight, July 31st! And, dear readers, the winner of THE LOLA AWARD FOR SERVICES TO BLOGGING

is (deafening drumroll) ...

DUSTJACKET ATTIC!

Congratulations, DustJacket! Pop over to pick up your prize!
And now back to that party and champagne all round!!!

"No! No! No! I said CHAMPAGNE ALL ROUND! NOT CLIVE ...!
Are you deaf?! You’re the most useless PA ever...Grrh! Grrh!"
VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE!
xxxLOL LOLA:)