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JASMINE WITH THE LEGENDS BILLY OCEAN AND RADIO1XTRA DJ MISTAJAM!
A fortnight ago I laid the first series of my ITV music show ONE NIGHT STAND to rest (its on air from this month!), and legged it down to bond street to the D&G store to get fitted for a fabulous frock for the MOBO Awards. Ruth in the D&G celeb styling team ushered me into the inner sanctum of the VVIP closet where Angela – fitter to all the stars including kylie and Madonna- pinned me into a beautiful, structured black frock. Usually I wear something sassy and sexy to the MOBO Awards as I usually attend as a red carpet presenter or a guest. However this year I was on team Mobo booking celeb presenters so I decided I should be more formal and elegant. I figured there would be enough skimpy nakedness going on without me adding to the mutton lamb mixture.
I had also decided to treat myself to a couple of classic shoes from designer Christian Louboutin. I often get fancy frocks sent to me by designers to wear to public functions and a couple of shoes that would go with all were much needed.
My designer mate Anneliese- born and bred in new York, now a Londoner, wont let anything beneath a Stella McCartney shoe touch her hallowed foot took me to the Mayfair Chrissy Lou store where a lovely guy called Claude helped us with our purchase of 2 pairs of décolleté classic 4 inch stilettos. I bought one black pair and one nude pair and even though I gulped hard as I handed over my credit card I reassured myself the shoes would be worn for years to come and therefore a good purchase.
The next morning the D&G courier dropped off my form-fitting frock, I threw a few garments into a case and off I went to jump on the Virgin Mobo train to Liverpool with the rest of the team. Scripts and running orders continued to change on the hour as artists were booked, unbooked, and so on all the way to the Mersey!.
The next day was full of rehearsals where 100 camera crew and riggers ran around laying down cables and setting up their shots, lighting was being fixed in place with stage hands running up and down the rope ladders hundreds of feet into the sky, microphones were being tested, event organisers ensuring the table cloths are the correct colour and size, stage hands were hastily building the stage, backstage dressing rooms were being labelled with artist names, the kitchens began grinding out menus and recipes and talent began arriving and rehearsing their sets. Mobo hosts Alesha Dixon and Reg Yates were working on their scripts with myself and producer Shurwin throwing in the odd unhelpful cheeky comment here and there.
I actually find the preparation for celeb functions more entertaining than the show itself. There are always so many issues that the general public never hear about. Certain acts have hissy fits about getting on the train which is a 2-hour easy journey and insist on a private car which is a horrible 4-5 hour traffic nightmare. Talent insist they bring not a couple of guests but try to force 10 extra people upon the organisers. Imagine if we said yes to every star requesting 10 guests? There would be no tables for the public to buy!. Artists argue over who has the flashest transport arrival on the red carpet, artists calling me every hour to ask which table they’re on, whether it’s a good table and who they’re sitting with, Issues between presenters who didn’t want to go on with who they were partnered up with, who has the biggest dressing room, they insist they have a car to drive them 50 meters to the after-party even though the walk would take half the time over a private path that only they would have use of. Oh the dramas, they’re fascinating!.
The great observations are witnessing acts like Roll Deep just being so happy and proud to be performing at the show, Alesha and Reg having so much fun rehearsing, the screamers who are hired to scream up the red carpet arrive looking so excited-the best thing Mobo ever did was to take the show out of London. The regions are just so much more welcoming, happy and have a positive attitude to the event.
The rehearsals went on all day the day before the show and the whole morning of the day of the show. Mark Ronson’s a nice early riser so was first onsite to run through with Wiley. Lets just say with Wiley being the temperamental genius that he is, that Mark had to change songs and ideas a few times before all was agreed upon. Next up was mister professional Tinie Tempah followed by hostess Alesha. Roll Deep came thereafter and ensured to practise their giant swing entrance properly , next it was sweetie Tinchy Stryder with his featured acts Professor Green, Giggs, Devlin and Tinie Tempah.(this was my favourite perfoamnce of the night, not to everyone’s taste but as a pure hip-hop fan I appreciated the rawness of a group of talented MC’s and their onstage dynamic) Heartthrob Nelly came next and finally it was the mischievous ones N Dubz. On show day dancers Peridot were up first followed by JLS and their surprise collaborator Travis followed by now international superstar Jay Sean.
After all the guest presenters had arrived and settled in for their dress rehearsal I managed to slip into the make up room to have my hair and make up done by the lovely Abbey Rose who turned me around in 45 minutes flat from bedraggled to elegant. Next to me in the make up chair was former Eastenders actress and singer Preeya Kalidas who had 2 ladies working her hair, make up and sequinned henna tattoo look. We discussed dresses and exchanged gossip before being joined by DJ Max from Radio1Xtra. With an hour to go before show start we all grabbed a plate of whatever food was left over and legged it to our positions.
One of the busiest rooms backstage was the gifting suite where artists could go and grab an abundance of freebie goodies including DJ Hero games and Money clothing. There was also a talent retreat where acts could get massages, facials and mani-pedis except most were so busy getting their show look together that I didn’t see anyone taking advantage of it all day.
The show went without a hitch- only Peter Andre was unable to attend due to illness and Nelly’s dancers should’ve been naked and painted gold but BBC banned it so had to wear black leotards instead.
The only things I can reveal that you might not have seen on TV are…and you need to guess here,….which act sent the runners out 4 times to get the “right brand of orange juice, I only drink oringina NOT tropicana!!!”. Which acts have the worst rep in the industry for being the biggest freebie liggers and exit every event with armfuls of bags and did the same here?. Which male artist had on loads of make up on and kept going back to the makeup room for more powder?. Which artist threw a hissy fit cos they didn’t have their own dressing room and made MOBO pay for a hotel room next door? Which artist refused to walk 50 yards to the official party and had to be driven there?. Which artists didn’t want their dancers looking better than them and so instructed their make up be changed?. Which act onstage kissed at least 200 ladies during the show?-that award goes to mister Billy Ocean. Which artist’s secret wife was with him backstage looking stunningly gorgeous? I wasn’t impressed by the N Dubz security issues at the Mobo table with a guy called UK Warrior or something who was after Tulisa or some nonsense. Apparently he’s been sending her inappropriate images and messages recently and kept trying to get near the bands table leading to a band affiliate allegedly whacking him over the head with a bottle, leading to 2 of them getting thrown out of the building etc etc. Mad beef. Kiddie time. It was interesting to note that whilst once upon a time the arena would’ve gone nuts for American rapstar Nelly, in this show he seemed like an understatement where the audience took the opportunity to visit the toilet!. Remember years ago the MOBO Awards were accused of being too Americanised with not enough attention on the British acts? Well that’s a total 360 turnaround in 2010 . Its what we wanted 15 years ago and we were ecstatic with the representation. Now we just need to get our talent to use their time onstage to say something rock n roll and worthy so their 15 minutes of fame is remembered.
Post show we all went across to the PanAm building for the official MOBO party where Mobo hosts and acts mingled as Steve Sutherland played a great mixture of 90’s classics. I danced with Billy Ocean and ate enough of the free nibbles and drinks going past on silver trays including butternut squash risotto, fish ‘n’ chips, ceaser salad, fruit kebabs and chocolate covered strawberries. After dancing up a storm with Preeya, Alesha, Reg and Kojo we went to check out Reg Yates TRADING PLACES party at the Blue Bar which wasn’t as plush a venue but was heaving with artists and music industry. We had a good catch-up with everyone here and then Trevor Nelson suggested we check out the Hilton hotel party. So across the road we went to see loads of people standing outside the Hilton Hotel alongside a lot of police. My mate being cheeky and noting they weren’t allowing anyone else in told the police we were staying there and that they better let us in immediately. We were let inside where a huge party was just apparently coming to an end. It wasn’t a cool industry crowd, more wannabees wags and wannabee balers. We were ready to get out. Music manager to the stars Kwame Kwaten said ‘’lets get out of here, my instinct tells me something’s about to kick off’’. Instead of trying to escape down the now overcrowded stairs we tried the lift. Just as we were about to enter the lift a group of Caucasian guys ran in pushing one of their gang into the lift chased closely followed by a group of black youths aiming bottles at their heads. As we rushed in the opposite direction I said to my mate ‘’hold on, I can’t run all the way out in 4 inch Chrissy Lou shoes-let me slip into my ballet pumps’’. Flat shoes on and Chrissie Lou’s in my handbag we ran out, along to the taxi rank, jumped in a cab and got safely back to our Hope Street boutique Hotel. As we shook our heads at young boys drunken foolishness and I unpacked my handbag the colour drained from my face as I noted that I only had 1 shoe in my bag. The other must’ve dropped out mid escape!
I was gutted. 1 pair of Christian Louboutin shoes bought 24 hours earlier, worn once for 5 hours and gone. What a night. Cinderella’s spirit lived with me as all around me started mocking me calling me ‘’Jaserella’’. Clearly God didn’t want me to have them. I can always save for another. If anyone finds a black patent size 3 decollette shoe though I’ll reward them well for its safe return!.