Whenever an African American wins an award it is viewed by the African American community as historic, and that is fair enough; the Oscar is routinely mistaken for cinema's highest honour. The academy, like the Hollywood system, is deeply discouraging to black American talent, and to a disturbing extent. The awards are few; decades pass between them. Hattie McDaniel won for her portrayal of a maid. Whoopi Goldberg for her portrayal of a con woman.
He died last week and it's more heart-breaking than anything I've felt before. I feel like my insides have been gouged out and nothings left. He formed me and saved me. I know that by now I'd be either institutionalised, heavily medicated or dead. I have to thank him and can't.
The international response to what took place and what continues to take place is both a travesty and injustice. Hundreds of thousands of Innocent men, women and children fled to neighbouring countries such as Chad and Cameroon but more than 600,000 people remain displaced inside the country with many trapped inside enclaves they cannot escape.
Labour needs a clear vision, communicated through a well-orchestrated media strategy, offering up policies that seem relevant now and in four years' time.... All of this might be achievable if Labour wasn't wracked by deep, emotional divisions that started back well before Corbyn became leader...
Categorising us as a specialist brand whilst under the guise of advocating body positivity is not the way to go about supporting the imminent collapse of body shaming, rather integrating us into existing institutions or rather, treating us like everyone else, would be the more favourable option - trust me.
Twenty-five years ago I began watching Formula One and 2016 also marks the 20th anniversary of my childhood hero Damon Hill winning the world title. I will always be a fan of F1 but even though my current favourite driver, Lewis Hamilton, is dominating the sport I find myself waning in interest of the only sport I truly follow with a passion...
We made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw her life support. It was the kind thing to do. She had fought such a brave fight but now her little heart couldn't cope. Our little girl died because her heart was too big. At least we were able to have one cuddle without wires and machines as she died. She died in the arms of parents who loved her so much. I hope she felt that love.
This week LSE will be deciding whether or not to approve the increase to halls. If it is to be genuinely committed to supporting students at university, they should reject this and implement a freeze as a minimum starting point. Because LSE, the rent is just too damn high.
These pumpkin gnocchi are so moreish and simple to make. They start off a little tedious but once you get the hang of them, they really are quick to have ready. I've been making this at least once a week since I started having it...
Edhi not only epitomises the very creation of the Nobel Peace Prize based upon Sir Alfred Nobel's principles of social activism through peaceful means, he is a shining example of how sheer fortitude can create a legacy of real change. I hope his story is heard loudly when the nominations for the 2016 peace prize draw to a close in the coming weeks.
Renewing Trident will not de facto keep us safe. Conversely, it risks sacrificing the naval power that tomorrow's security risks demand. True patriotism involves engaging with the way the world is, not playing old war games with taxpayers' billions.
I don't want to give away any more storylines but it's all go for Mercedes; she certainly comes with a huge amount of drama in tow! I'm still filming now and will be sad to leave her when the time comes, as it has been such a great job and lovely team to be involved with.
I agree with Mark Goldring of Oxfam GB that a crackdown on global tax havens is a necessary step towards ending this rampant global inequality. Indeed, it is also a necessary step towards international development more broadly... A Labour Government will genuinely tackle tax avoidance and work for ambitious global agreements on international development that seek to tackle inequality and its drivers.
Let's see if I've got this right. Muslim women who are immigrants - which nearly half of them are not, having been born in the UK - are at risk of deportation unless they learn English. French Jews who have settled in London, on the other hand, get a French rabbi, because, presumably, they find it difficult to follow services in English. But no one says anything about deporting them unless they learn to speak English. I find this - what's the polite word? - puzzling.
I've spent the past year or so watching episodes from 1988 onwards on YouTube, having currently reached mid-1990. It's been such a delight to watch, with some incredible storylines such as the death of Brian Tilsley, Rita's domestic abuse at the hands of Alan Bradley and Ken's affair with Wendy Crozier.
Most importantly, LOVE what you do. Setting up your own business involves a lot of hard work, sweat, blood and tears. It isn't easy and in order to have the dedication and passion to see it through, you have to really love what you're doing.
The more noise we make, the more the government is going to take notice, so it's important to fight that fight. However we must not forget that 25% of us are already fighting with our minds and so even the smallest act of kindness and understanding is important, and doesn't require a penny of funding.
Here we go again. Amidst the gloom of a drop in temperature, dark mornings and evenings, we are being pedalled false promises on the back of yet more 'wonder diets' that will magically transform us all from sofa-bound blubbers to lean muscular nymphs. Why are we still falling for this nonsense?
Bali is an Indonesian island located only a couple of hours from Australia known for it's beautiful beaches, rice paddies, and beautiful landscape. As well as being visually pleasing and having lot of sunshine, there's so many different places and things to see and do.
There are a multitude of reasons why older men and women who have been victims of sexual assault might be reluctant to talk about the experience, but surely progressive school Sex and Relationships Education is now helping to diminish the stigma attached to reporting these crimes?
Forget night feeds, tantrums and potty training - my number one parenting struggle is trying to navigate the constantly conflicting emotions that any mum or dad faces every single day. This is the side of parenting that nobody warns you about, presumably because it is almost impossible to explain to non-parents.
Being in a band means there isn't always much we can do to help causes through our work. So if we're asked, we try to take the opportunities. What's going on in Syria at the moment is so obviously pertinent, so present. The politics are enormously complicated and we don't profess to know half enough about it. But at its core is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our lifetime, and human beings who simply want to survive, who want their children to be safe. So, we and some other great musicians are doing a little gig this Friday 22nd to help raise money for Syria (we're DJing).