February 2010 still better than 2009

Half Term is over having played its normal havoc with work.  My worry this year is whether the jobs – including the flicker of corporate work that has amazingly crept back during January, be smothered by all the incessant reporting about the fragility of our emergence from recession and a possible imminent return not helped by the higher than expected inflation figures.  Not reassuring.  As soon as the economic doom and gloom hits the papers, the phone stops ringing.  For now things are holding their own – just.

Suzie Kennedy did her Stella Artois commercial in the South of France – staying in The Carlton no less.  There have been a couple of what were normal corporate jobs – Gill Penny as Posh being a mystery shopper in Swindon and Brad and Angelina – Sam Brown and Lina Sands – presiding over an awards ceremony for British Gas in Manchester.  Sky used three sports stars for a new quiz show using, after much deliberation, Arsene Wenger (Marcus St. Claire he is quite the flavour of the year so far) Freddie Flintoff (Jon Burton) and Michael Schumacher (Karl Lasnier) back into the limelight.  Plus holding until 3p.m. on the filming day in Pinewood – Johnnie Wilkinson Mathew Donnachie – whom they did not use but paid (or should I say) will pay a holding fee.  I think they did that in case one of the 3 didn’t make it there or maybe in case they didn’t like the look of one of them.  The show is presented by James Corden and all was fine and fun.

This week we have our first Lady Gaga lookalike booking for Ami James on Thursday – popularity of celebrities takes a long time to filter down and become a booking.  I think to date we have 19 prospective Lady G’s and we know of 3 tributes – who do seem to be busy.

We have a job today for a new Lookalike couple Kate as Katy Perry and Chris as Russell Brand being used as a publicity stunt for Harvey Nicholls in Edinburgh – she will be wearing the sushi dress which the client is organising, thank goodness.  Hopefully they may take the pressure off Brad and Angelina Lookalikes mainly because there is really only one Brad in the country that people want to book – Sam Brown – and he is racing from Liverpool to Vietnam to Quatar to London – and that was all last week.  Sam has been on our books for years but the action has really hotted up during the past year recession or no recession.  Good for him, tricky for his agents.  Brad and Angelina  have really stepped into Posh and Beckhams shoes recently.  We also had hopes for Cheryl and Ashley Cole – but there you go not looking too hopeful as of today.  Then there was Katie Price and Peter Andre.  Have now got a great Peter and now we need Alex Reid – must be lots of those about – where are you.  Email us your picture please.

February 2010 is OK so far

So we are out of recession – its official – and yes we have seen a slight improvement with a few ‘back to the old days’ corporate jobs.

Yes we have actually gone the distance on some jobs while others – as is the way of the Lookeylikey world – hit the dust.  The historical characters at the Natural History Museum for VW was done on Saturday.  Hopefully (haven’t heard as yet) Tina Rath as Queen Victoria, Alan Flyng as Henry VIII, Bryan Richards as Shakespeare, Gary Barber as Einstein, Ian Beyts as Churchill and…. lucky guests the wonderful Steve Nallon very kindly filling in for Caroline Bernstein who was double booked as Lady Thatcher.  We are on track for a good chunk of our Royal Family opening a new TK Maxx in Windsor tomorrow – more about that next week when it is safely under our belt. 

The Katie Prices did not happen – postponed is the word so we are hopeful.  The two Nike commercials were finally done – not without a struggle.  Arsene Wenger – Marcus St. Clair ended up in Crystal Palace Sports Centre rather than The Emirates Stadium, Arsenal training ground in Hertfordshire or Old Trafford.  They not only used Marcus as a ‘double’ for Arsene they then hired his suit for the man himself to wear when they shot him.  Jeannette Charles finally did her part knighting a very famous Manchester United footballer in Manchester but the man himself turned out to be a lookalike only and not provided by us.  Funny world.  Will it ever be shown?  We are still not sure if it is just for the European market and not the UK – Jeannette didn’t manage to find out despite spending nearly 3 days in the North.  We don’t think that Jeannette has ever done a commercial for this country – loads for elsewhere in the world – so this could be a first.

We had a very last minute and tricky shoot for the Daily Mail following on the heels of the Jules Coll Irish SuBo sensation whose story was snapped up by The Mirror and then the whole world – amazing really exciting.  The Mail wanted as many reality TV Lookalikes as we could find then and there.  Tricky for us because the majority don’t get used very often even at the height of their fame and then disappear from us.  In the end they shot another SuBo Julia Hutchinson as Jules Coll was still held under a Closer Magazine exclusivity clause, Mylene Klass – Clariza, Kirby as Alexandra Burke, Halima Moin as Cheryl Cole, Chris Ealdon as Joe McElderry and Sasha Gordon as Leona Lewis.  We were still struggling with Gareth Gates and Nasty Nick.  Whew – glad they went with 6 people – still has not appeared but we all keep looking.  Watch out.

In the end John Brolly could not fit in with any re-enactment of the Chilcot Enquiry being a drama teacher in Cornwall is a commitment he takes seriously and his time off did not fit in with theirs, which was sad because John is a real enthusiast and more than ready to work although the opportunities for Blair at the moment as rather few and far between.  On the whole its been a good start to the year – can’t believe I am saying that.(fingers crossed).