Cover stars Mel C, David Walliams and Sarah Harding are game for a laugh as they introduce our Sport Relief special.

here are scans by laurenwhitnall


Credits : laurenwhitnall
Source : Mirror's We Love Telly Blog

When it is suggested to Mel Chisholm that she has done pretty well to be nominated for a Laurence Olivier award, only months into her first ever professional acting role – as Mrs Johnstone in the West End's long-running Blood Brothers, a production she joined last October – the pop star drops her chin and adopts the drawl of a career luvvie. "I think you'll find, darling, that my first professional role was in Spice Girls, the mov ie." Back then (Spice World came out in 1997; it won no industry awards) Chisholm was at the peak of her fame as Sporty Spice, the one in the globally renowned pop quintet who had to wear football shirts but got to sing all the good bits. After the group's split, she enjoyed arguably the most successful solo career of the gang, a double- and a triple-platinum-selling album among four released between 1999 and 2007. Recent years have been quieter. The Spice Girls are cosily reunited, surfacing for occasional gigs, and Chisholm has become a mother, giving birth to daughter Scarlet in February 2009. "I wasn't sure I'd want to work again," she says. "But Blood Brothers gives me time to be home during the day." It is the most difficult job she has ever had – "terrifying, frustrating, a huge gamble". But Chisholm has proved a smash, wowing critics (one described the unprecedented sight of an entire row of hardened reviewers giving a standing ovation) and reinvigorating a show that has run since 1988. She is the frontrunner to win best actress in a musical at the Oliviers. The shift to musical theatre completes a satisfying circle, begun when Chisholm was a drama graduate who auditioned for a part in Cats. It was her favourite show, and she earned a recall – but at exactly the same time, "I auditioned to be in a girl band…" Cats never saw her again. Blood Brothers, too, will bid Chisholm goodbye when her run ends in April. All of the Spice Girls have been in to see it – to support and, perhaps, to research. A Spice Girls musical is imminent. "We're involved," she says, "giving the writers anecdotes and stuff." The hottest act in the West End, however, has no plans to audition for a role.

source: www.guardian.co.uk

Melanie's official website www.melaniec.net has been relaunched today.
Take a look at all the new things!

Yesterday Melanie attended the Laurence Olivier Awards Luncheon Party at the Haymarket Hotel in London. you can see some pics at our gallery: 

Melanie C at Laurence Olivier Awards Lucneon Party

There are also new pictures of Melanie leaving the theater. You can check them here:

Melanie was at "Elaine Paige On Sunday "on BBC Radio 2 today to talk about Blood Brothers.
Download the file here. Thanks to Eric "Masterpiece".

Melanie C's offical site and forum are currently getting an update and will be back in early March. There will be a few surprises. You can check it out here

Yesterday night the Spice Girls have won the Brit for "Most memorable performance at the Brits" for their iconic 1997 Wannabe/Who Do You Think You Are performance. Geri and Mel B picked up the award and totally forgot to thank the other band members, but they eventually apologized in later interviews and presentations. Just see the videos below:

My week: Mel C An Olivier nomination has finally let the singer shake off her frothy pop image

SQUEALS ALL ROUND

I squealed a lot last week. The biggest squeal was when I heard I had been nominated for a Laurence Olivier award for my performance in Blood Brothers.

Bill Kenwright, the producer, called me and I couldn’t believe it. He said: “Don’t tell anyone, you can tell your mum but that’s it.” My mum was actually in my house with my stepdad and my one-year-old daughter Scarlet. I came in to them with the news and everyone squealed this time, not just me.

I feel that being nominated for the award is an acceptance into the theatre world after years of being, well, Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls. It was so unexpected I’m on cloud nine.
I play Mrs Johnson: she has seven children and she met her husband in the late 1950s and started popping children out. She was a good Catholic woman and that happened a lot — big families and no contraception. Blood Brothers is the story of her family.

The play is very much about class. Somebody recently said to me that Britain now is a classless society and I just don’t think that’s true. My dad was a coach driver and I come from a working-class background and it’s something I’ve always been very aware of. When you come from that background you have a lot to prove.

SPICE GIRLS THE MUSICAL
Read on...

Elaine Paige On Sunday - Sunday 28 February 1.00-3.00pm BBC RADIO 2
Elaine Paige is joined in the studio by Melanie Chisholm, aka Mel C, who talks about her starring role in Blood Brothers and will hopefully reveal further details on the planned Spice Girls musical, Viva Forever. Plus, there are listeners' break-a-leg messages and a Big One from Malcolm, which this week is taken from Kander and Ebb's Young Frankenstein. Presenter/Elaine Paige, Producer/Malcolm Prince

Source

Congratulations to Melanie! She has been nominated in the category Best Actress in a Musical or Entertainment at this year's Laurence Olivier Awards for her role in Blood Brothers.
"Nominees attend a luncheon at the Haymarket Hotel, London, on March 2 and the winners are revealed at the 34th Laurence Olivier Awards, often called The Larrys, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on March 21."
Source

Here's a new interview with Melanie:

Melanie C has been nominated for a "Whatsonstage.com Award" in the category "The MILK TWO SUGARS Best Takeover in a Role". You can vote for her, so please support her!

VOTE HERE

Sport Relief have posted this video with Melanie C:
"As everyone knows, Melanie C loves sport… or does she?"

Melanie C was on the TV-show special "BRITs Hits 30", commenting the Spice Girls' iconic performance from the 1997 ceremony. By the way: the show was presented by Mel B.