Jennifer Lopez's Britain's Got Talent performance hits a bum note with viewers who complained it was too revealing
The singer performed on the show to promote her new single but some viewers were unimpressed her behind was on show
J Lo performs on BGT
ITV
This raunchy routine by Jennifer Lopez hit a bit of a bum note with Britain’s Got Talent viewers who have reacted with fury at the star.
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom was yesterday inundated with complaints following J-Lo’s bottom-revealing performance on the ITV show.
Tuesday night’s live semi-finals reached fever pitch when the 43-year-old superstar took to the stage in boots, a skimpy rubber suit and furs.
As she writhed around to her new tune, Live It Up, viewers were shocked at some of her more risque dance moves, one of which involved an explicit thrust at the front of the stage.
Despite being aired after the watershed, fans of the family show reacted in anger. An Ofcom spokesman confirmed: “We received complaints which we are assessing but not investigating.”
Asked if there had been any surprises on the night, BGT judge Amanda Holden, 42, said: “Well, J-Lo’s a**e. I just wanted to bite it.”
Charles Shaker: British millionaire spends £330,000 on ONE round of champagne at Monaco club
In front of delighted VIPs, 12 waiters suddenly carried nine different sized champagne bottles aloft into the party
Midas touch: Charles, centre, with Brett Berish and Flavio Briatore
Barcroft
BRIT Charles Shaker made a corker of an impression by splashing £330,000 on one round of champagne.
The fizz-kid businessman forked out the fortune in an exclusive bash at the Monaco Grand Prix.
In front of delighted VIPs, including Formula One boss Flavio Briatore, 12 waiters suddenly carried nine different sized champagne bottles aloft into the party.
Star of the Armand de Brignac Brut Gold Dynastie collection was a colossal 30L Midas – which weighs over 100lb and equals 40 standard bottles.
Three litres of cola per day kills man, 30, after lungs swell to four times normal weight
He was suffering from a massive pulmonary oedema which meant the large amount of fluid in his lungs restricted his breathing
A man who guzzled up to three litres of cola every day, drank himself to death.
An inquest heard how 30-year-old Paul Inman, who had Asperger’s syndrome, would walk to the shops more than once a day to buy his fizzy drinks.
The huge quantities of cola, other pop and water caused his lungs to swell to four times their normal weight.
He died in his sleep at a care home in Haworth, West Yorkshire.
Pathologist Dr Deirdre McKenna put his death down to his excessive drinking, which began when he was 10-years-old.
He was suffering from a massive pulmonary oedema which meant the large amount of fluid in his lungs restricted his breathing.
This was caused by Mr Inman’s non-medical condition of polydipsia, which is Greek for “much thirst”, which in turn was a result of his Asperger’s.
His mum Alison told the coroner yesterday: “I’m not a pathologist but I made that decision two hours after he died.
"I’ve said the cause of it was he drank excessively. He had done since he was 10. We used to say he had a self-destruct button.”
The inquest also heard how Mr Inman never stayed still – he could wear out two pairs of trainers in a week.
Care staff had to keep his cigarettes so he would not smoke 20 in one hour.
When he was 17 Mr Inman was diagnosed with schizophrenia – but when his case was reviewed in 2008 doctors diagnosed that he suffered from Asperger’s, a form of autism.
Bradford coroner Dr Dominic Bell, recorded a verdict that Mr Inman died of natural causes.
Dignitas suicide: British man ends his life at Swiss clinic as he could not face dementia
He chose to travel to the controversial Dignitas clinic because he could not face the agony of the incurable disease
Dignitas room: A bed in the controversial clinic
Rex
A British man has become the first dementia sufferer to die at a controversial suicide clinic.
The 83-year-old man ended his life at Dignitas in Switzerland because he could not face the agony of the progressive, incurable disease.
He also wanted to spare those closest to him from any burden and strain his illness might put on them.
The unnamed man, said to be from a wealthy professional background, was in the early stages of dementia.
He is believed to be the first to use the clinic’s services solely because of dementia.
And last night it was claimed his family, including his widow, backed his decision “100 per cent”.
The man took with him a report from a psychiatrist stating he was mentally competent to choose to kill himself.
And last night one campaigner told how the pensioner was “so grateful at the end.”
Retired GP Michael Irwin, 81, had arranged for him to see a psychiatrist to produce a report saying he was mentally competent.
He revealed that the man’s wife had made the travel arrangements for the trip to Zurich.
Mr Irwin, who did not travel with the couple, said yesterday: “His family were 100% behind him.
"I have spoken to his widow since and she felt that it was handled in a very dignified and proper manner.”
“She is extremely happy about how everything was arranged.”
He added: “I have been four times with people to Switzerland.
"Two were terminally ill, one was very disabled and one was in her mid 80s so I have seen how it is handled by the Swiss. It is a very dignified procedure.
“You have got to be a very determined person to be able or willing to make that kind of journey.
“He knew of how things would deteriorate and took what I think is a sensible decision… both for himself and his family.”
Campaigner: Dr Michael Irwin
PA
But news of the assisted suicide will cause outrage among right-to-life and healthcare campaigners.
Critics claim it carries the implication that those with dementia should consider killing themselves.
Experts point out that sufferers can live for years with the condition.
It is also likely to widen the debate over the circumstances in which assisted suicide should be permitted.
The vast majority people who have chosen to die at Dignitas are those with terminal illnesses such as cancer or severe physical disabilities.
Campaign group Care Not Killing described the development as “alarming”.
Mr Irwin – nicknamed Dr Death - claims to have helped at least 25 people to die at the clinic. In the past he has been interviewed by police, but never arrested.
Although legal in Switzerland, assisted suicide is a criminal offence in the UK and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
More than 800,000 people in Britan suffer from dementia – around one in ten of all those between 80 and 84.
Mr Irwin defended the pensioner’s right to take his life before his condition deteriorated.
He said: “It takes three or four months on average from the day you make an application until the actual day you die in Zurich.
"So when people have a chronic problem or a slow-developing condition such as motor neurone disease, dementia or are severely disabled you have a crucial time factor.
“It’s important to stress that with early dementia, you are still then mentally competent for quite some time to make a decision about going to Dignitas.
"It’s important that diagnosis is made at an early time to give an individual that choice.”
Lord Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, launched a private member’s bill in the Lords earlier this month to make assisted dying legal for the terminally ill.
The clinic: Dignitas in Pfaeffikon near Zurich
Getty
Novelist Sir Terry Pratchett, 65, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008, is also a supporter and has become a flagbearer in the campaign to change the law.
Mr Irwin, co-ordinator of the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide, says the legal right should be extended to elderly people suffering from medical conditions and those who are severely disabled or enduring unbearable suffering.
He added: “This topic of old-age rational suicide should now be openly discussed. Lord Falconer’s bill will be focusing only on the terminally ill.
"The other two categories, the severely disabled and the elderly with medical problems, should be equally well discussed nowadays, especially with an ageing population.”
The number of dementia victims in the UK is set to rise to more than a million by 2021 – and 1.7 million by 2050.
Mr Irwin argues that elderly sufferers may prefer thousands of pounds that would be spent on their care to go to their grandchildren.
He said: “The desire to ‘stop being a burden’ on one’s family, and to avoid squandering financial resources perhaps better spent on grandchildren’s further education, could become the final altruistic gesture, especially when combined with a wish to stop prolonging a life that is both futile and very unpleasant.”
He claimed: “Part of what makes a patient’s suffering intolerable could be the realisation that it is ruining other people’s lives.
"Then, a doctor assisted suicide could be a rational moral act.”
But critics fear that if euthanasia was legalised there would be pressure to widen the category of people to be included.
A spokesman for Care Not Killing said: “It’s hugely alarming and shows the real agenda of those seeking a change in the law.
"What they are looking for is assisted suicide or euthanasia almost on demand.
“We’ve been warning about an incremental approach, as once you change the law you get more and more cases like this, which is why we are so worried.
“We know that people who are vulnerable, disabled and terminally ill will be most under pressure.”
Music: CDs to choose from in Dignitas clinic
Rex
More than 200 Brits have died at Dignitas since it first opened in 1998.
Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg has previously said he plans to kill himself if he begins to suffer from dementia.
The arts presenter, 73, whose mother had Alzheimer’s disease until her death last year aged 95, said: “Legal or illegal, I will do it.”
He added: “We can’t keep sending people to Switzerland. We should say, given certain conditions, it’s fine.”
£5k and all over in 30 minutes
The price of a suicide at Dignitas is believed to be around £5,000.
But the full service, including funerals, medical costs and official fees, can be as high as £7,000.
Clients must register as a member and send copies of their medical records with a letter explaining why things have become intolerable.
A doctor then assesses them. If he gives the “green light”, administrative staff will schedule a date and offer advice on hotels.
Finally the client is filmed drinking the lethal solution of barbiturates in water to prove they took it themselves.
Those who cannot lift a glass press a button so a machine administers it.
Most people take between 30 minutes and an hour to die.
Brits who've died at Dignitas
MORE than 200 Brits have died at Dignitas in the past decade.
One of the most controversial deaths was in 2006 when terminally ill Craig Ewert, 59, was filmed dying at the clinic for a television documentary.
The programme, which sparked fury from anti-euthanasia groups, was the first time a suicide had been shown on British TV.
Retired university professor Craig had motor neurone disease.
In February 2009, millionaire husband and wife Peter Duff, 80, and Penelope, 70, who both had terminal cancer, were the first British couple to die together at the centre.
Top orchestral conductor Sir Edward Downes, 85, and his 74-year-old wife Joan died at the clinic five months later.
Lady Downes had terminal cancer while her husband was nearly blind and becoming increasingly deaf.
Daniel James, 23, who was paralysed in a rugby accident, was the youngest Briton to die at the clinic.
His parents Julie and Mark James, of Sinton Green, Worcester, took him to there in 2010.
They said the ex-England under-16 rugby player had repeatedly said he wanted to die.
The CPS said it was not in the public interest to prosecute his parents.
No one who has helped any of the Brits to die at Dignitas has been prosecuted.
Suicide is not a crime but it is illegal to encourage or assist suicide while in England or Wales, regardless of where the suicide takes place.
The majority of clients at Dignitas take between 30 minutes and one hour to die.
Voice of the Mirror: Dignity is a right too
Assisted suicide is a deeply emotional and ethical issue which understandably creates strong feelings.
Our report on an 83-year-old with dementia who ended his life at the Swiss Dignitas clinic adds another dimension to the debate.
This paper believes both sides of the argument should be heard and respected.
Some campaigners will fear this case could lead to a relaxation of the rules and place pressure on the vulnerable who feel they are a burden on their family and loved ones.
Others will argue the laws should be changed so those who are dying and feel they have no quality of life do not have to travel to Switzerland to end their life in dignity.
Nor will they think it is right that those who assist in such deaths, out of compassion, should be liable to prosecution.
Lord Falconer, a former lord chancellor, is seeking to change the law to make assisted dying legal for the terminally ill.
Any such legislation must be sensitively crafted and we should consider carefully before extending such rights to people with long-term conditions such as dementia.
There is much debate to be had but it would be wrong to ignore the wishes of those who, in very rare cases, want to kill themselves.
ABUJA
– AS impeachment threat dangles before the embattled Rivers State
Governor Hon. Chibuike Amaechi , posters bearing his photograph and
Governor Sule Lamido for the 2015 presidential election now litters some
parts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
But the Governor has denied having any ambition to contest the 2015
election against President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it might be
the handiwork of his political detractors’ flooding some parts of FCT
with his posters.
Governor Amaechi’s poster with the Peoples Democrtic Party, PDP,
logo, pested along the highway and some bus stop especially, the Federal
Housing Estate Kubwa, Dutse bus stop and some other bus stops were
struggling spaces with Church Crusade posters and were posted early
morning of the Democracy Day.
Commenting on the appearance of his posters in Abuja, Governor
Amaechi who spoke through his Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim
Semenitari said that he neither has no political ambition for the 2015
presidential election nor printed posters.
Pets ... some of the 46 snakes found in the apartment
Central European News
Published: 1 hr ago
COPS looking for a missing man were shocked to find him dead in his home — surrounded by over FORTY giant snakes.
Many of the reptiles, including a 30ft anaconda and four 35ft pythons, were slithering free around the decomposing body when police entered snake fan Heiko Rieder's apartment in Straubing, Germany.
A fire service spokesman said: "At least one was as thick as a human thigh."
On the loose ... reptiles
Central European News
Worried colleagues alerted police after the 40-year-old caretaker failed to turn up to work for a week.
It is thought he died from a heart attack while feeding his pets.
Experts believe he was only saved from being eaten as he was too WIDE to be swallowed whole.
Reptile centre boss Markus Baur, now caring for the snakes, said: "They probably didn't eat him for two reasons. One, they prefer their prey alive to start with.
"And two, they like to eat their prey whole and the average European adult is just too long and wide for that."
In total, 46 snakes, some in tanks, were recovered from the property.
A police spokesman said: "His body decomposed rapidly because of the heat coming from the snakes' terrariums. There don't appear to be any suspicious circumstances.
AT the end of another long day and with the kids in bed, mum Nicola Merriman wanted nothing more than an early night.
But as husband Mark snuggled beside her under the duvet, it was clear he had other ideas.
Nicola, 27, rolled over, ignoring his advances — and an argument erupted.
She had satisfied Mark’s demands FIVE TIMES that day and was miffed about being pestered yet again.
Mark’s insatiable sexual appetite was in fact a full-blown sex addiction and it almost wrecked their marriage.
Nicola even went as far as breaking up with him having grown tired of his endless demands for nookie.
If Mark, 36, didn’t get enough sex, he would throw a strop — and he even CHEATED on Nicola in order to get his fix.
The pair, who have since managed to patch things up, have decided to share their experience of what it is like to live with sex addiction to raise awareness of the condition.
Role play ... sex games were order of the day in Merriman household
Nicola said: “At times, I felt like a piece of meat. Our relationship was all about the sex. I didn’t feel the need for it constantly. I liked a bit of time out every now and again.
“It got to the point where there was no emotion in our love-making. It was just like a porn movie.
“Mark wanted to watch porn every day, too, but it became too much.
“In the end I just had enough — I couldn’t take it any more.
“It’s like eating your favourite food every day. After a point, it stops being your favourite food — a bit of variety is always nice.”
Locksmith Mark became obsessed with porn and adult magazines when he was a teenager. He would spend every night locked in his bedroom watching XXX movies.
Mark recalled: “It was naughty and I got a thrill out of it. I was intrigued. I went from doing what kids do — like playing football — to constantly thinking about women.
“I stopped hanging around with my friends because I was more interested in watching and learning about sex through porn.
“It was every night. I was also having sex with loads of different girls.”
A study by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, led by Middlesex University, last week revealed online porn is driving children to have riskier and more extreme forms of sex from an earlier age.
Kids as young as ten were found to have viewed pornography, with the number increasing steadily up to the age of 18.
What Nicola had to cope with
- Sex 5 times a day
- Sex toys role play
- Different positions
- Porn DVDs
- His affairs
Mark — who has two boys, Marley, nine, and Rhys, five, with Nicola — admits his own sexual activity was heavily influenced by internet porn He said: “The internet has made things bad. Back in the Eighties, porn was about but it wasn’t as widespread. Now someone can put a video on the internet and it goes all around the world.
“It worries me how easy it is to watch porn these days. I have two young boys and Marley is already aware of sex.
“Children see this stuff on the internet and want to experiment.
“Kids are getting pregnant at 12 because they are seeing bits of porn and they are copying it without knowing the consequences.”
Horse groom Nicola met Mark in February 2002 and it was not long before he let her in on his sleazy porn habit.
The couple would have sex at least once a day and Mark would encourage Nicola to join him in watching the X-rated material.
Nicola said: “We were just having sex non-stop. At first I didn’t mind the porn because I thought it was fun to try something a bit different.
“But Mark wanted to introduce it all the time. After a while I was like, ‘Why do you need that?’ But he would constantly want to watch it while we had sex. At the time I didn’t realise he was an addict — I just thought it was a bit OTT.”
The couple married in 2005 but after the birth of their sons, Nicola found the demands of being a busy mum took its toll on her sex drive.
She said: “At night I just couldn’t be bothered. I was tired and didn’t want it all the time. That’s when it started to become an issue.
“Mark would badger me until I gave in. If I didn’t, it would cause an argument and he would storm out of the house to stop his sexual urges.
“But then he started going elsewhere to get it.
“I knew he was cheating on me and eventually he confessed. It put a massive strain on our relationship.” Mark added: “When I wasn’t having sex, I used to get depressed because nothing was stimulating me. I would get really anxious.
“My sex drive was really high and Nicola couldn’t cope with it so I ended up going elsewhere to fulfil it.
“It’s not that I wanted to. It’s like having a drug fix — you have to go and fulfil that addiction.”
The couple agreed to work at their relationship and tried different things to satisfy Mark’s sexual desires.
They experimented with sex toys, carried out role play and tried different positions.
Tough times ... Mark and Nicola Merriman are now back together after he sought help for problem
Mark said: “I had a huge collection of about 200 porn DVDs. Some of the movies were funny and we could have a laugh about them. To me, the sex in porn movies was normal — it’s what you’re ‘supposed’ to do.
“One thing I couldn’t understand, though, was how you’d watch a porn film and they’d be going at it for a couple of hours.
“So we tried everything to make us last longer. There are plenty of lotions and potions out there.
“I tried pushing the boundaries but because we were just copying what was in the movies, there was no emotion. It was just about sex.”
Nicola added: “I could have a giggle about some of the movies but then others were a bit extreme and it became too much.
“At times I didn’t really want sex but I’d just think, ‘Come on, let’s get it over and done with then’.
“At least then I knew Mark wasn’t going to find it elsewhere.” But Mark’s constant need for sex drove a wedge between the couple and major problems started to develop.
Nicola said: “There was no connection between us at all. We weren’t a couple — we were just two people together. So I ended it with him.”
The break-up in February 2011 made Mark realise his sex addiction was destroying everything he loved so he decided to seek help.
He started counselling with Steve Pope Associates, who provide therapy for addicts, and discovered how to control his desires.
Mark said: “When we split up, I realised I couldn’t carry on living like I was. There was more to life than sex. I was losing my family so I had to do something about it.
“The therapist told me not to have sex for four or five weeks and then I had to try normal love-making. It was really difficult.
“It’s like a kid enjoying sweets and then saying to them, ‘You’re not having any’. They will go frantic.
“But it made me realise my sex addiction wasn’t healthy. I had to reprogram my brain so that my life didn’t revolve around sex.
“After six months, I finally saw the light and realised it was my family that would make me truly happy. I needed Nicola and my boys back.”
Mark told Nicola he was getting help for his addiction and in February last year she agreed to give him another chance.
The couple had counselling and have learned to have a healthy sex life without porn. Nicola said: “I could see a big change in Mark. Everything fell back into place.
“He got rid of his porn DVDs and made a real effort.
“Now there’s a lot more feeling and emotion in our love-making. Sometimes he will wine and dine me and treat me to a massage first.
“We still like to experiment. I don’t get a bunch of flowers on Valentine’s Day. This year Mark spent more than £600 on presents from a sex shop.
“But we have a much healthier relationship now.
“We can have a few days’ break without it being an issue. It makes us want each other more.
“It’s become more than just sex. Now we make love.”
