Nelson's Column
Link To Us Bookmark
July
London - Celebrity Frat House 21st July 2006
Why our city attracts superstars looking to blow off steam, for all the right reasons
I was saddened to read yesterday about David Hasslehoff, the internet’s favourite son, being carried onto a flight after allegedly getting leathered in London. The erstwhile lifeguard was supposedly staggering around, telling passengers who asked if he was the Hoff that "you must be mistaken".

What is it about London that makes celebrities fly in from far and wide when they are planning to let their guard down and get royally plastered?

Paris Hilton was pictured this week glugging vodka straight from the bottle at her birthday party, while Mickey Rourke’s repellent tour of London’s clubland continues unabated.

At the opposite end of the gene pool, bona fide megastars like Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon have expressed a love for our capital’s nightlife and the ladies that inhabit it (although we’ve yet to meet, more’s the pity). Patrick Swayze is currently in the West End and confided in Jonathan Ross that he had been sent here to "relax".

Our own boys and girls fly the flag as well, with notable recent triumphs for Joe Cole (leaving a party via a bathroom window without trousers) and the Ashes winning cricket team (slaloming drunkenly around the lawns of 10 Downing Street).

But the real proof is in the pudding. Celebrity pudding, that is. Gwyneth Paltrow, in LA, flits between po-faced charity events and yoga sessions. In west London, though, she sits happily in a pub with her hubby Chris Martin buying everyone a round. There must be something in the air.

Last night, I convened a seminar of learned friends to try and get to the root of the matter. Several bottles of Pinot Grigio later, we were agreed. There are three reasons why London is the place to drink.

The first is history. From the days when condemned prisoners were offered pints on their way up Tyburn Road to meet their executioner, (giving rise to the expression "one for the road") London has been the spiritual home of pub drinking.

The second reason is nightlife. If you’re going to have a wild night, it helps to have the apparatus, and our fair city is a tolerant playground for drunken revellers.

And finally, the most important factor – Londoners. They are dryly witty, reserved, and given to taking the Mickey. You know you can make a fool of yourself in London – because even before you get started, your friends and fellow drinkers have cut you down to size.

There can be nothing more relaxing, for celebrities or regular Joes, than knowing that they are already a laughing stock before the first round.

And with that, I’m off to hang around the West End waiting for Christian Slater to stumble by. That boy needs looking after.
Ape Escape
An endangered Bolivian squirrel monkey, stolen from Chessington World of Adventures, has been found in Clapham. Two-year-old SpongeBob was discovered playing with children in the local park.
Escalating Public Nuisance
A man has been charged with being a public nuisance after scaling the 135-metre high London Eye wheel. The ever-popular, riverside attraction was closed to the public while police coaxed the man down from his 50-metre perch.
Patrick Gets Something off His Chest
Hollywood heartthrob, Patrick Swayze, will finally make his London stage debut in ‘Guys and Dolls’ on July 27th. The ‘Dirty Dancing’ dynamo has recovered from the chest infection that caused him to delay his take-up of the role of Nathan Detroit in the Frank Loesser classic musical currently performing at the Piccadilly Theatre.
October 2009
26th October
Posties Strike a Chord
26th October
Frieze Still Pleases
September 2009
26th September
A River Runs Through It
23rd September
Blogging is Best
August 2009
26th August
When Saturday comes
22nd August
Bring on the Bikes
July 2009
27th July
Against the Clock
20th July
View for a thrill
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
18th February
New Photography Laws
12th February
Glitz and the Pitts
January 2009
27th January
Setting the Standard
21st January
Too Much for Posh Nosh?
December 2008
23rd December
January is on the Horizon
20th December
Merry Christmas
November 2008
26th November
All The World's A Stage
20th November
Surviving the Crunch
October 2008
24th October
Boris v Jingjing
17th October
Soaps in Pole Position
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
23rd April
By George
11th April
Back to the 80s
March 2008
February 2008
20th February
Dark, Satanic Turnmills
6th February
A Diamond in the Drink
January 2008
21st January
People Wanted for Plinth
14th January
Boo! Hiss!
December 2007
28th December
Tate That - A Hirst for Art
20th December
Christmas Shopping
November 2007
27th November
Mind the Gap
26th November
London On A Tray
October 2007
26th October
Leaving the Station
14th October
The Sky's the Limit
September 2007
August 2007
24th August
Heathrow under Siege
17th August
Gormless
10th August
Losing Face
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
23rd March
So, Another Magazine
16th March
Avoiding iContact
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
26th May
Curvaceous Border
12th May
Vegging Out
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
20th January
February Sales
20th January
Moby Sick
13th January
Glass Half Full
3rd January
Three Cheers for the Tube Station Workers
December 2005
22nd December
January Bites
16th December
A Remarkable Year
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
29th July
Moving On From 7/7
22nd July
Get loaded in the park
15th July
Victoire!!
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
30th December
Party Pooper
23rd December
The Second Battle of Trafalgar
16th December
Sadie's Year
November 2004
28th November
Ripper-Watch
21st November
Kinky Boots
14th November
Smoked out
October 2004
22nd October
Yuppie Meal
15th October
Fines of Fury
8th October
No Twist in the Turner
September 2004
17th September
Battleships, bloodsports and Batman
10th September
Clique Week
3rd September
Return of the Bard
August 2004
July 2004
 
Link to London - Celebrity Frat House
To link to this page from your website use this code.
 
 
The link will appear on your page as:
 
Home | Contact us | Terms & Conditions | Link to us | Marketing | Partners | Subscriptions
Sponsor
Our favourite London hotels
May Fair Hotel
Luxury Hotels
 
In Trafalgar Square
20% off
 
At Liverpool Street
50% off
 
At Green Park
35% off
 
Near Covent Garden
30% off
 
Cavendish Hotel
Mid-range Hotels
 
Near Parliament
35% off
 
Near National Gallery
47% off
 
Near Tower Bridge
35% off
 
In Little Venice
40% off
 
Discounted theatre tickets
Chicago
57% off
 
29% off
 
42% off
 
56% off
 
47% off
 
38% off
 
Diner & Theatre Deals
Oliver
from £24.50
 
from £29.00
 
from £32.50
 
from £42.50
 
from £45.00
 
from £27.50
 
London Sightseeing
London Eye
10% off
 
10% off
 
10% off
 
from £8.50
 
from £25.00
 
10% off
 
LondonTown.com has special discounts every week. The amount of discount will vary depending on the dates you are coming and how far in advance you book. All discounts are subject to availability.
Recently viewed Favourites
Recently viewed