Win a Signed Copy of Wedding Babylon

Imogen Edwards-Jones - author of Hotel Babylon, Pop Babylon and Fashion Babylon which has been made into a TV series (read here) is at it again. She has released a book that spills the beans about the UK wedding industry. She takes us behind the scenes of the excesses of the industry and focuses on the real life bridezillas. To celebrate the release of Wedding Babylon we have 30 signed copies to giveaway. All you have to do is tell me who starred in the hit film Four Weddings and a Funeral and email the answer to ondolady@googlemail.com by 4th July.

The potential for things to go horribly, horribly wrong is never higher than at a wedding. Wedding Babylon reveals all.... the scams which inflate the prices of everything from flowers to cakes to marquee hire, stories of high jinxes at the alter and disastrous low comedy in the speeches!! Everyone loves a good wedding.

Wedding Babylon is available to buy for £14.99 from Amazon here.

Join the Wedding Babylon Facebook fan page here.

Material Girl

Last year I blogged about the Babylon series which is written by Imogen Edwards- Jones. Her delicious books include Hotel Babylon, Fashion Babylon, Beach Babylon, Air Babylon, Pop Babylon and the soon to be released, Wedding Babylon. Each book goes behind the scenes of each industry and offers revelation and revelation about the inside goings on. Following the success of Hotel Babylon into a TV series, Fashion Babylon (my favourite title) has been made into a six part romantic comedy. The series is called Material Girl and is about Ali Redcliffe, a young fashion designer who is leading a cool and glamorous life with her uber stylish friends, Alex, Mimi and Lydia. Alex is Ali's best friend from college and also a fashion designer at Ali's rival Davina Bailey, Mimi is an aspiring stylist at a high profile magazine and Lydia is a model.

We see Ali come head to head with her evil ex-boss, battle with her sexy but devilish business partner and deal with snooty fashionistas to get her break in work and love. Our protagonist is played by Lenora Crichlow - who is pictured above - you know the feisty one in Sugar Rush and Being Human. She is joined by Dervla Kirwan who plays hotter than hot designer, Davina Bailey who is hell bent on hanging onto her crown. Michael Landes plays Ai's brilliant business partner, Marco who is determined to make her a star. Material Girl is set in the bustling and creative area of Brick Lane, East London and features witty and colourful characters of the fashion world alongside the passions of tight knit friendships. It has been described as a fun saga of a girl trying to make it in a competitive professional and personal world, with all the zest of a romantic Hollywood comedy. It sounds just like my cup of tea and I cannot wait till it airs on the BBC later this year.

Pictures from Contact Music

Babylon Mania

Oh happy days, I have heard some news that has turned my gloomy week into a great one. The lovely Rachel Zoe will be coming back to our screens after her docu show, The Rachel Zoe Project has been commissioned for a second series. However, the cherry on the top of the cake is news that Hotel Babylon, the TV series that exposes the seedy goings on in the hotel industry is to have a baby sister. BBC TV producers are bringing Fashion Babylon to the small screen in time for next spring. The book which is penned by Imogen Edwards-Jones gives us a huge insight into the perils of the high end fashion industry and exposes the world of haute couture seen through the eyes of an anonymous fashion designer. As well as Hotel Babylon, the Babylon franchise consists of Air Babylon, Pop Babylon and Beach Babylon. A new title, Wedding Babylon will be released next year. The show will be produced by Carnival, an independent production company that also makes Hotel Babylon. They have also optioned Air Babylon as well so it looks like it will soon by Babylon mania.

Pop Babylon

Not very long ago I used to look at famous pop stars on TV and be envious of how rich they were what with their multi million album deals and super glam lifestyles. Little did I realise that things were not as perfect as they seemed. Musicians and singers were nothing more than commodities and the music industry is very little about talent and more about unit sales. Once the poor artists has signed on the dotted line they were fleeced by their managers and label mercifully. Hence the dynamic initiative by Hamfatter, a rock band who appeared on this week's business reality show, Dragon's Den pitching for investment. When asked why they did not go down the conventional route of record labels, they put it simply, "when you sign with a record label you are given an advance as you would have when buying a house, at the end when you have paid back that advance you own your home, however in the music industry, the record company would still own your material." A no brainer. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg of the debauchery that goes on in the music business which is captured perfectly by Imogen Edwards-Jones in her new book, Pop Babylon. The 'Babylon' books go behind the scenes of a glamorous industry and exposes all the scandals and lies. Pop Babylon is no different and shows us exactly what it takes to create a top selling boy band and the huge engine that ticks behind them. Lots of juicy secrets are revealed and mark my words you close the book feeling very sorry for those pop tartlets.

Imogen Edwards-Jones's bestselling series, Hotel Babylon is now a popular TV series which she followed up with Air Babylon, Fashion Babylon and Beach Babylon. She works in conjunction with anonymous insiders to get these sensational stories which really bear their fruit in the scintillating Fashion Babylon. This is one of my favourite books of all time, it is told through the eyes of an established up and coming designer and teaches you all the tricks of the trade. Such as how many designers pay a visit to a certain vintage store in Notting Hill to get ideas, how they buy a white shirt from a high store, replace the label with theirs and send it down the runway and slap huge mark ups on their pieces. It is all here and if you love your fashion, you will adore this book.

Pop Babylon is out now!