This Week In Charlotte Church [2 March 2007 Edition]

On Wednesday, I posted a video of Charlotte Church and Alesha performing The Killers' "Somebody Told Me" from The Charlotte Church Show.

On Thursday, Charlotte Church announced via her website that she is pregnant:

" A message from Charlotte’s management:

" Charlotte has asked us to bring you the news exclusively today via CharlotteChurch.com that she is pregnant. For reasons of privacy, Charlotte has chosen not to comment on this matter, other than to confirm that she and her boyfriend, Gavin Henson, are delighted. In an ideal world, we would not have made this announcement so early in the pregnancy. However, due to recent speculation and persistent questions from the media about this most private of matters, Charlotte felt she had no choice other than to go public and she was keen to ensure that her fans had the opportunity to read the truth here first. "

[charlottechurch.com]

[coincidence??? hmmm....Ed.]

What's that about "recent speculation and persistent questions from the media"? The AP report sheds a little light on the matter:

" Speculation began about Church's pregnancy when she was seen avoiding alcohol at her 21st-birthday party. "

Charlotte Church Announces Pregnancy [AP, via washingtonpost.com]

So, why would the media be speculating about Charlotte's "pro-active" decision to "avoid" alcohol at her birthday party? I mean, it's not like EVERYBODY wants to get drunk at their 21st birthday party, right?

Well, if you've had a life over the last few years, you probably haven't had enough time to occasionally check in on the life of Charlotte as she grew from the sweet angelic teenager you may remember to the 21-year-old teevee star she is today. You see, Charlotte for a few years was roughly the Welsh equivalent of, oh, perhaps, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears. Wikipedia can help catch us all up:

" Church's personal life has often been portrayed in the sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK, rather more frequently than her career (inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album Tissues And Issues).

" Revisited with particular frequency is her love life. In 2002, aged 16, she moved out of the family home to live with her boyfriend, Steven Johnson (inspiring the song "Casualty of Love", also from Tissues And Issues); the couple later split at the end of 2003. The tabloid press documented her subsequent relationship with Kyle Johnson (no relation), which ended in February 2005. The couple stated at the time that they remained friends, though shortly afterwards Johnson revealed graphic details about the couple's sex life to the press, leading to a public punch from Church, which she later admitted. The press has recently devoted much attention to Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International Rugby player: at the end of 2005, they purchased a property in her native Llandaff, Cardiff for a reported £500,000; both celebrities have since mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows and in the press. They are expecting their first child in 2007.

" Other aspects of her personal life have been criticised in the press. In 2002, she was photographed smoking, and it gradually emerged that she had developed a smoking habit [mon dieu! -- Ed.] (another fact alluded to on her album Tissues And Issues, in the song "Confessional Song"). She has also been criticised for what the press have seen as excessive partying, with plenty of photos of the singer drunk or misbehaving adorning tabloid newspapers, including one in which she gave the photographer the finger. In more recent interviews, Church has stated that she has now stopped smoking and that her behaviour is now much more low-key.

...

" Liam Gallagher of the rock group Oasis is a big fan of Charlotte's, complimenting both her voice and hellraising activities. [Well, if LIAM GALLAGHER says she's cool...Ed.] "

[This is from Wikipedia, so you KNOW it must be true. YMMV -- Ed.]

There were also a bunch of topless photos -- including one found on an old boyfriend's phone -- and otherwise-racy photos that the British tabloids picked up, but you already figured that out, right? [If you care to find them, google is your friend -- Ed.]

But our prodigal daughter Charlotte has largely managed to repair her public image and is now a popular teevee star in the UK.

Congratulations and good luck, Charlotte! DHMBIB will keep watching -- at least until the Beeb C&D's YouTube.

*****

BONUS CHARLOTTE CHURCH VIDEO OF THE DAY

On Wednesday, I posted a video of Charlotte and Alesha. On Charlotte's show the following week [13 October 2006], Charlotte and guest Amy Winehouse performed Michael Jackson's "Beat It". This should have been a grand slam, as Amy is a scary-talented British new-soul singer [think Joss Stone with a hella-sharper edge]. But, alas, the famously-addicted Amy was clearly very "tired" -- in the Lindsay-Lohan-tired kind-of-way -- during the performance. The resulting performance is still "entertaining" -- and Charlotte FUCKING ROCKS!!! -- but not necessarily "entertaining" in the way that was intended. Enjoy!