Don't Kill Bill

What exactly does a working socialite do? Well in Bill Uko's life that involves working as a communications consultant, running his own company as well as attending New York University. This is all juggled while dividing his time between Nigeria, Ohio and New York - oh and of course there is his blog, Hanging Out With Bill. Bill started blogging in 2009 as a way to share his thoughts and ideas on his passions which include pop culture, fashion, events and life in general. I caught up with him to find out a bit more about what it is like to be a working socialite.

What made you start blogging? 
I started blogging because I wanted an outlet to share my thoughts, views, opinions and run commentary on the things that interest me without any censorship stricter than self-censorship.

Describe the concept behind Billuko? 
My blog description encapsulates the concept of my blog…“a working socialite's commentary on life, pop culture, fashion, events and everything that interests him” that’s basically the concept behind my blog. It’s a platform where I can comment on things that catch and hold my interest.

Over the last year bloggers have really made their mark in society, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years? 
Self publishing is one of the most powerful aspects on the Internet. Good bloggers who provide good journals will continue to rise to the top because blogging is basically a niche market and as long as people continue to prefer the opinions and views of 'real people' as opposed to company generated 'copy', blogs and their authors will continue to flourish. Some will be absorbed by mainstream media, but there will always be a slice that flies in the face of norms in that exciting way that brought bloggers to prominence in the first place.

Where do you get ideas for your blog? 
Hmm…my ideas come from events around me, my love of fashion, people, the media and sometimes the random thoughts and issues that I find myself grappling with in my alone time.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog? 
I work as a communications consultant and I also run a company called Fab Inc Universal we manage talent (models specifically). We also handle productions (media and events) and our flagship media production is called Grow Up, a show that I host on radio.

Describe a typical day in your life. 
The best thing about my life in my opinion is the fact that there is no ‘typical day’. My activities vary greatly from day to day depending on what project I’m handling at the time and that’s how I like to keep it.

What are your favorite glossy magazines? 
Vogue, GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair and lately I’ve been buying and enjoying Mode Magazine (a Nigerian Men’s lifestyle and fashion magazine)

Name five blogs that you read religiously. 
My love of entertainment news leads me time and time again to Crazy Days and Nights and Rhymes with Snitch. And the fashion bug keeps me reverted to The Musings of Ondo Lady, Manolo - The Shoe Blogger and Bryan Boy. These are probably the five blogs I visit most often.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years? 
Doing this interview with you has changed my views on blogging considerably. Over the next two years I will streamline my blog in a way that enables me to provide quality content that has relevance to my readers whilst remaining true to myself, and I’d like to be able to update in a constant and efficient form.

You can read Bill's blog here.

You can follow him on Twitter.

Black Swan

Remember back in the 60s when little girls wanted to be ballerinas? Then in the 70s it was actresses, 80s pop stars, models in the 90s and now sadly they all want to be Wags. Well the movie, Black Swan might bring ballerinas into fashion judging by the response it has received at various film festivals. Nina played by Natalie Portman is a repressed ballet dancer who has spent the last good few years in the shadows of Beth played by Winona Ryder at one of New York's prestigious ballet companies. Mollycoddled by her mother played by Barbara Hershey (who is a former ballet dancer) she finds it hard to let go and express herself on and off the stage. Ballet director, Thomas played by Vincent Cassell decides her time has come and gives Nina the lead role in Swan Lake much to Nina's delight. She begins to celebrate with her mother as she feels that she has finally arrived, sadly there are two things standing in Nina's way. Lily played by Mila Kunis whose feisty personality and dazzling dance skills proves to be more than a match for Nina and the second issue is Nina herself. As talented and committed as she is Nina seems unable to cope with pressure and succumbs to self harming and bulimia when things get rocky. Matters take a turn for the worse when Nina let's her neurosis get the better of her and finds herself not just struggling to hold onto her coveted role as Swan Lake but to her sanity as well.

The last time I saw Natalie Portman in a film was in her debut role in Leon and she blew me away. Well she is just as wonderful in this film, Natalie is simply compelling to watch as the fragile Nina. Newcomer, Mila Kunis is also great as well but this is really Natalie's film. She plays the lead with just  enough gusto and really nails the vulnerability and dark side of the character. Winona is great as the fallen ballerina but the character of Beth did seem rather similar to her own life story. I saw a preview of this film at the London Film Festival and it immediately went on my 'to watch list' and I am glad to say that it did not disappoint. No surprise that it has received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Some of the scenes are a bit murky and if you are squeamish like I am you might want to cover your eyes during parts of it. At last we have a realistic portrayal about what it is really like to be a ballet dancer. It is not all sweetness and light and ballet dancers are under extreme pressure to maintain their stick like figure, they have to be under a certain height and they have awful feet from spending all their time walking on their toes. Now all I want to see is one about ice skaters and that will make me really happy.

Another theme that has come out of this riveting film is the fashion, I could not help but admire the cool assemble that the women wore during training such as lycra cardigans, over the knee leg warmers, sophisticated leotards along with the accustomed hair pulled back in a top knot. The costumes the dancers wore on stage were simply stunning; tutus are in right now, Carrie wore a few in Sex and the City and Nicole Richie wore a huge one for her wedding dress. The meshing of feathers and beads spells absolute glamour and Natalie and Esq looked amazing on screen in their outfits. Check out this blog post that the lovely Reena from Fashion Daydreams wrote about the inspiration of ballet on fashion. It is a corker.

Black Swan is out now in the US and is released on 21 January in the UK.

My Space - Lisa Bent from Deeper Than Twitter

Lisa Bent is a lady who has very many opinions and is not scared to share them. Her blog, Deeper Than Twitter covers topics from the sexualisation of the music industry, the representation of Black people in the media, the complex issue of euthanasia, homelessness and many others. She started her blog in 2009 as an outlet to share her views. When she is not blogging, Lisa is pursing her her career as a TV presenter and that as a counseller. She took time out to tell me where she blogs.

Describe the concept of your blog.
As a person who has an opinion on just about everything, I cannot and do not want to limit my expressions to 140 characters.  Whilst I acknowledge Twitter represents the new wave of social media, I want to bring back thought and depth before it disappears under the flow of constant tweets. As a qualified Counsellor with a passion for media, I use my psychology knowledge and interest in Existentialism and social trends to investigate possibilities, cultivate curiosity and go beyond the known and familiar to provide an alternative commentary to the raised issue. I am not and do not consider myself to be an expert. My blogs are my individual views based upon my life experiences, reality and ideas. My blog is a space to express my thoughts and views, while opening the avenues for further discussion.

Where do you scribe?
I mainly scribe at home in my dining room, in my bed, or on the train journey home.

Why that place?
I find that my concentration levels are much better when working in the dining room. In bed, I am comfy and able to relax and bulletpoint ideas, whilst working on the train allows me to be proactive when delayed.

What is on your dining room table?
At the moment laptop, pen, paper, Blackberry and flowers.

What form of inspiration do you have on the wall?
I have a picture that I painted as part of my Art G.C.S.E. As it is behind me it holds no form of inspiration…that I know of.

Do you keep a tidy office or are you a messy worker?
I cannot think in a messy space, I absolutely hate clutter. I am a tidy worker.

You can read Lisa's blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter.

Reality Heaven

She may have made some enemies on The City and earned herself a reputation as a snooty cow but there is no doubting Olivia Palermo's star quality. Her distinctive style has made her the toast of New York and glossy magazines galore and her feisty attitude appealed to many including me. So no surprise to hear that Madame Palermo has landed herself her own reality series which will show her life as a socialite fashionista about town and follows her launching her own fashion label. The show is in the very early stages so has not been picked up by a TV network. The gig is very similar to the one that Lauren Conrad has; the former start from The Hills is set to appear in a one-off reality show that features the launch of her fashion label called Paper Crown. The programme will be in the same mode of The September Issue and will be aired on MTV. The details of Olivia's own show are yet to be released and she only dropped the news last week during an interview in Vogue Espana and not surprisingly blogsphere and the rest of the media went into overdrive.

I am kind of over celebs launching fashion lines so the fashion projects by Palermo and Conrad do not really interest me but what I am into it is the reality shows themselves that depict the glam lives of these IT girls who appear to have it all. Looks, wonderful careers, great wardrobes and apartments and lots of fabulous friends. I mean who wouldn't want to live that sumptuous life? I loved watching Whitney in The City and other shows such as The Rachel Zoe Project and Kell on Earth are my 'not' guilty pleasures. So I cannot wait to see both Palermo and Conrad juggle working on a fashion line along with their personal lives in New York and LA respectively.

While I was researching the projects by Olivia and Lauren I came across this fantastic illustration in Bloomberg Business Week that looks at the pivotal points in Lauren's career. The model is created by Frazer Harrison and you can have a proper look at it here.