Big Brother 6 - Saskia Howard-Clarke

Saskia Howard-Clarke is a "promotions girl" from London. She was the fifth evictee from the Big Brother house on July 1 2005 when she participated in the sixth series of the popular television programme.

In the first couple of weeks, Saskia proved to be popular with housemates and viewers alike. This was evident in week two when all of the housemates were put up for eviction via a public vote due to rule breaking because when Saskia's name was announced, the live studio audience cheered her.

However, events took a turn for the worse things took a wrong turn when a divide in the house occurred and two members of her group, Anthony and Maxwell were banned from nominations - leaving Saskia in the vulnerable position of being nominated by the other group who sided with Makosi Musambasi after a heated confrontation between the pair.

Some of the comments Saskia made in her argument with Makosi sparked a debate about racism being a factor in the house and both Maxwell and Saskia were put up for the public vote. Saskia was evicted by a majority 71% of the vote and greeted the crowd to a mixed reception on Day 36. She received the highest percentage of any eviction vote during the whole series.

In her post-eviction interview, she later denied the matter by stating she was a quarter-Sri Lankan, a statement that did not justify or alter the opinions of many viewers.

This was Saskia's nomination history during her stay in the Big Brother house:

1st (Day 5) - Saskia was nominated by Derek and Mary.

2nd (Day 11) - Saskia was nominated by Craig, Derek, Lesley and Vanessa.

3rd (Day 18) - Saskia was nominated by Science only.

4th (Day 25) - Saskia received no nominations.

5th (Day 32) – Saskia was nominated by Derek, Kemal, Makosi and Vanessa and was evicted via the public vote.

During her time in the Big Brother house Saskia coined phrases such as "end of" and "it's dog eat dog" although she didn't last too long and was evicted fifth when she and the oafish Maxwell were both nominated.

Even before her stint on Big Brother, Saskia enjoyed dating "famous" people and past boyfriends have included an Olympic swimmer, a Premiership footballer and she also dropped down a few divisions to hook up with Nottingham Forest striker Adam Nowland.

Saskia claims to go to the gym five times a week, she gets her nails done every month and is obsessed by fake tans.

Since leaving the house Saskia has been busy touring grotty nightclubs in a double act with Maxwell while also posing for glamour shots in lads mags to ensure she remains in the public eye.

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Cashing the Czech

Whether Robert Maxwell committed suicide or was murdered may never be known to the public ...

Suffice it to say the disgraced publishing magnate cheated so many people and financial institutions to such an extent that there wouldn't be a paucity of suspects if it was the latter. Born in Slatinske Dòly to poor parents as Jan Ludvick Hoch and Anglicizing his name when he migrated to Great Britain during World War II, Maxwell used the fog of combat to his advantage, picking off a scientific journal distributorship at a bargain rate. He soon parlayed that into more literary acquisitions and doing so with such aplomb, he even gained election to Parliament.

However, a trail of deceit began soon thereafter, which led to a High Court censorship, then to possible war crime allegations and, ultimately, to an amazing web of falsified balance sheets and deceptive bank loan collateral which masked Maxwell's mass looting of his own publishing empire's coffers. When all was about to come crashing down upon him, Maxwell was reported to have fallen overboard while yachting along the Canary Islands. His extensive double-dealing earned him the posthumous title of The Bouncing Czech.

Maxwell's bombastic ego, though, was authentic. He ached to be larger than life and to outdo any perceived rival, such as Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, whose own publishing empire spans the globe. Ironically, Maxwell tried to seize any opportunity to portray Murdoch as a low-life, casting himself as a higher-minded alternative to the conscientious consumer. Thus, to counter Murdoch's titillation-themed, Tory-leaning tabloid, the Sun, Maxwell ran his Daily Mirror as a seemingly kinder, gentler, Labour-oriented purveyor of similar stories.

Maxwell always ran a distant second in the United Kingdom's tabloid wars, so he was constantly looking for an edge with which to tweak Murdoch's operations and further convey the image --- however cynical --- of his holding the higher social and ethical ground. I can attest that, at least once, a blend of this obsession and his blowhard personality got the better of him.

It was a summer day in the mid-80s, and the prospects of secondary smoke being a health issue in the workplace were beginning to be accepted as fact. It was surely noble for Cap'n Bob --- as Maxwell was derisively known --- to be among the first to attempt an office-wide smoking ban. The Mirror's headquarters was no doubt better served, but it was clear his motives were for self-promotion rather than a genuine concern for his employees' welfare.

The first clue that this was the case was the boisterous manner by which Maxwell arbitrarily enforced the policy. Specifically, he loved to make a scene if it showed him in an authoritarian and positive light. Thus, when Cap'n Bob proclaimed a ban, he did it for maximum effect. In this instance, he decreed that anyone caught smoking in his building would be fired on the spot.

On this day, Maxwell was holding court for visitors of some dignified nature. He was guiding them through the Mirror facilities when a man hunched over a nearby photocopy machine caught his attention. The man had a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Cap'n Bob summoned his guests to follow him over there. Puffing his chest as he approached the man puffing away, Maxwell began his diatribe within steps of his quarry and gained decibels with each successive step.

"Sir!" he exclaimed, "How much do you make a month?"

The target of his wrath was caught off-guard. It took him a moment to confirm that Maxwell was speaking to him; actually, 'at him' would be more accurate.

"I asked you a question," Maxwell pressed, making sure that his guests totally understood who was in charge of the moment, "And I expect a prompt answer. How much do you make a month!"

"2000 quid," was the nervous response. "Why do you ask?"

"You're smoking!" was the roared retort. Cap'n Bob then reached into his pocket in preparation for the coup de grace. He pulled out a wad of bills, quickly sifted through £2000 and jammed it into the surprised man's shirt pocket.

"There's a month's wage! You're fired! Now, get out!"

Maxwell then stormed away, his cotillion of impressed guests following dutifully behind. A strong boss had surely made a firm point.

Left in the wake, the stunned man retrieved the stash of cash from his pocket, looked at it and then shook his head in amazement.

"I was just called here to repair the copier," he shrugged. He put the money in his pants pocket, flicked a few ashes to the ground, headed toward the front door and proceeded to his van. Perhaps he had more calls to make that day, but he probably opted to cancel them and make his way to a pub, instead.

The incident capsulized Cap'n Bob's act in a nutshell. He was all show, with little attention to detail. It was a harbinger that whenever someone paid close heed to his affairs, he'd be sunk.

I just didn't think it would happen so literally.

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Wedding Movie Madness

I love nothing more than to spend an afternoon or evening watching my favorite wedding movies. It may not be my fiancées favorite pastime, but he is generally a good sport about it. He may not admit it, but he can recite certain scenes from My Best Friend's Wedding off the top of his head. Quite a few excellent wedding movies have been released in the last couple years, and these are some of my favorites.

Meet the Parents has become one of my all-time faves. It was released back in 2000, and stars the ever-so-funny Ben Stiller. The premise is typical of many wedding movies; a nervous young man is introduced to his future in-laws. What makes this movie so excitingly funny is the role of prospective Father-in-Law, played by Robert DeNiro. The dynamic that plays out between Stiller and DeNiro is unforgettable. Oh, the hilarity of it all!

Meet the Fockers is a sequel to the above mentioned, and was released in 2004. This time around we have the pleasure of meeting the parents of Ben Stiller's character, Greg Focker. His parents are played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand, both of whom deliver unforgettable roles. They stand in stark contrast to the bride's parents from the previous film. While the bride's parents are somewhat conservative and stuffy, the parents of the groom are new-age leftists. These two films have become my all-time favorite wedding movies. Sooo funny!

The Corpse Bride is another highly entertaining movie with a wedding theme. This animated masterpiece was released to critical acclaim in 2005. It is quirky in the way that all Tim Burton films are, and it has some of my favorite stars doing voice-over work. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter play the lead roles. The premise goes something like this; a young man is having difficulty with his lines during his wedding rehearsal. He strays off into the forest to practice alone. He nails his lines perfectly, and places the ring on a fallen tree branch…or so he thinks. It turns out that the fallen tree branch was actually the decrepit finger of the Corpse Bride, who has risen from the dead and claims to be his legal bride. Even your boyfriend will love it!

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