West Yorkshire-born singer–songwriter Ed Sheeran, 23, is the next celebrity to appear on BBC2’s Top Gear.
   Sheeran will be the long-running show’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car in the next episode to air in the UK on Sunday, January 25.
   Sheeran, who does not have a driving licence, piloted the Vauxhall Astra automatic around Dunsfold Park in Surrey for the episode earlier this week.
   He had claimed earlier that he had put off taking his licence due to his fear of fast cars.
   The BBC has just released a photograph of Sheeran with the show’s ‘tamed racing driver’, the Stig.
   The time to beat on the Top Gear celebrity leaderboard with the Astra is 1 minute, 44·7 seconds, recorded by American actor Aaron Paul, who drove a manual version of the car. Jack Whitehall, who like Sheeran drove the automatic, recorded 1 minute, 54·5 seconds.

Scott Barbour

TAG Heuer hosted a summer party at the MS Collins nightclub in Melbourne on Tuesday with tennis star Maria Sharapova as its best known VIP while she was in town for the Australian Open.
   Australian DJ duo Nervo, made up of twin sisters Miriam Nervo and Olivia Nervo, performed at the event, which also served as their official welcome to the TAG Heuer family of brand ambassadors.
   Nervo, based in Ibiza and Las Vegas, performs at festivals around the world, signed their first publishing deal at 18, produced the Grammy Award-winning hit ‘When Love Takes Over’ for David Guetta and Kelly Rowland, and will launch its first album, Collateral, in the spring. TAG Heuer identified the duo’s nonconformist approach and their desire to push themselves, which it saw in line with its own brand.
   Nervo gave Sharapova some DJing lessons while there, and enjoyed clubbing at the venue. Model and MTV host Kate Peck, Olympic skier Lydia Lassila and her husband Lauri Lassila, a champion skier in his own right, and twins Vikki and Helena Moursellas (My Kitchen Rules) were among the VIPs. Some 250 attended the event, many having won their guest passes through an earlier online competition. Sharapova modelled the new, and exclusive, TAG Heuer Aquaracer Lady 300 m in Daring Red, while Nervo wore the TAG Heuer Formula One Lady Steel and Ceramic.

Scott Barbour

Alexandra Wyman

Even in pouring rain, the Colgate Optic White Beauty Bar Golden Globe Experience gave fashion media, starlets and celebrities much to smile about on January 9 and 10 in Hollywood. Luminaries included Dancing with the Stars’ Cheryl Burke, Karina Smirnoff and Chelsea Kane, Christina Milian, Jennie Garth, Ross Matthews, Audrina Patridge, Jax Taylor, Gilles Marini, Aviva Drescher, Roxy Sowlaty and Adrienne Bailion. The setting itself—the Selma House at the Chateau Marmont—was very sunny and cheerful, which made sense given that Colgate’s Optic White line is supposed to empower everybody to reveal their sunny dispositions.
   To further enhance smiles, guests made appointments for hair touch-ups with Rowenta dryers and styling instruments, make-up touch-ups and polish changes from Priv (an on-demand salon services’ company), and nourishment with gourmet sandwiches, Naturade shakes, tea in Rove diffuser bottles and thermoses, and mouth-watering Chloë fruit-juice popsicles. If you got there early enough, you could also add bling to your look with modern costume jewellery from Tuleste.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Alexandra Wyman

Courtesy Giambattista Valli

Courtesy Lanvin

Lucire fashion editor Sopheak Seng had two very clear picks at the 2015 Golden Globes: Lupita Nyong’o in Giambattista Valli haute couture embroidered silk gown, and Emma Stone (nominated for Birdman) in a custom Lanvin beaded jumpsuit with a taffeta bow (left).
   There was also Keira Knightley, nominated for The Imitation Game, in a sequinned Chanel green muslin dress with feather embroidery, based on look 50 of the Paris–Salzburg 2014–15 collection. Chanel says 31 of its staff, the plumassier Lemarié and the embroiderer Lesage worked on making her dress.
   Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) wore a Chanel haute couture embroidered long bustier dress from the autumn–winter 2014–15 collection, complemented by the Chanel Muse ring in 18 ct white gold, diamonds and cultured pearls.
   Diane Krüger wore a shimmery Emilia Wickstead gown accessorized with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Art Deco watch.
   Our videos feature Eddie Redmayne, winning best actor for The Theory of Everything, confessing to cutting his honeymoon short to be at the Golden Globes 2015; and Chris Pratt and Anna Faris on the red carpet being dubbed the Globes’ ‘cutest couple’.

Chanel

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

When Gavin Keilly calls a party, A-list celebrities and press show up, rain or shine, especially when the food is delicious, the goodies are stylish and functional, and the charities are truly doing some worthwhile things to make the world a better place. Once again, GBK’s Golden Globes’ suite took place in the ballrooms of the W Hotel Hollywood with an international array of covetable goodies and worthy causes.
   World Vision is best known for their infomercials and work to benefit children in developing countries through fundraisers and holistic community development programmes. At this event, they went above and beyond timely to present a programme that provides unusual way for groups to give back: a group- or team-building activity involving the assemblage of ebola kits for workers in stricken areas. They also offered hand-crafted tote bags from Thailand whose manufacture benefits rural communities.
   Lambda Legal continued their work advancing civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy advocacy. Yes! Beat Liver Tumors continued to get their message out about providing information, resources and support for people affected by cancer in its advanced stages. Citizen E-Cig, meanwhile, was on hand to help with the cause of encouraging people to quit smoking for the sake of the environment at large and their own personal health with their classy line of e-cigs.
   You could say the fashion offerings were quite “crafty” this go around, and not only because Artisan Group was back with some beautiful one-off pieces on display. The ladies of Samiah Fine Clothing encouraged guests to express their inner rock star through trying on their bespoke jackets and coats, and sending them on their way with hand-made brocade shoulder bags. Sledge USA was all about team spirit with its forthcoming Major League Baseball collection (I was partial to the Chicago-related gear), stunning contemporary silver and brass pieces from Westland Jewelry, a gift card from Canada-based Beyond the Rack (which allows us to select something we really want or need-genius!), empowerment-themed jewels from BraveChick.com and some Canadian-made, chic-yet-homespun hats from Canada Bliss.
   Smart items for the avid traveller included elegantly crafted totes, laptop bags and tablet cases from Solo from their upcoming spring collection, a three-night stay at Puerto Vallarta Beach Club in a private, spacious three-bedroom villa, feather-light headphones in jazzy colours from LG Electronics and the new H2V Eye-tox 3 serum from Burke Williams and a Burke Williams Advanced Eye Lift enhancement (much welcome after 18 hour-flights from abroad and red-eye flights from New York). In at-home pampering, VIPs received home spa products and soaps from Beauty Kitchen by Heather Marianna and a full set of Sheex bedding fashioned from performance fabrics.
   At this suite, nobody went home hungry, with the presence of GBK regulars Barrys Gourmet Brownies and Sabra savouries. Newcomers included Cupcake Fusion LA, a bakery known for delightful and whimsical combinations of sweet and savoury cupcakes, which was on site providing gift cards and cupcakes; kosher sweets from My Candy Basket; and Corazons Custom Catering, a family-owned Filipino business catering yummy Filipino–French snacks and gifting certificates for complimentary food tasting parties. You could wash all this good stuff down with cocktails made with Bare Organic Mixers, which are organic, low-calorie, gluten-free delights made with juice, water, and agave syrup as well as portable and potable Nuvino Wines from South Africa, Argentina, Chile and Australia.
   Pilot Pen not only offered fashionable and exceptional writing instruments, but also a chic Japanese ambiance that covered much of the GBK space, inspired by the centuries-old Japanese art of maki-e. VIPs received the Vanishing Point Fountain Pen, while all guests received FriXion Clicker Erasable Gel Ink Pen 8 Pack Pouch, an entirely new kind of erasable pen that is retractable, has striking good looks and ink that is formulated to write smooth and erase cleanly.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Above Two series indelibly tied to Brian Clemens: The Avengers, for which he wrote and produced, and The Professionals, which he created, regularly wrote and executive produced.

British screenwriter Brian Clemens, OBE, passed away on Saturday, sources say.
   Clemens was the creator of the cult 1970s LWT show The Professionals, with a string of credits to his writing career including The Avengers, The Persuaders, The Protectors, Bergerac, Diagnosis: Murder and Bugs. He also created the German show Blaues Blut (Blue Blood) in the 1980s.
   Brian Horace Clemens was born in Croydon in 1931, and was a weapons’ training instructor during his National Service. He wanted to be a journalist but began his career at J. Walter Thompson as a messenger, before becoming a copywriter. During this time a screenplay of his that he had sent to the BBC, Valid for Single Journey Only, had been accepted and produced in 1955 and starred Ernest Clark and George Colouris.
   Clemens wrote for B-movies and half-hour serials made by the Danziger brothers in the mid- to late 1950s, including Mark Saber, White Hunter, The Man from Interpol and Richard the Lionheart. The Vise and Dial 999 were also from this period, with Clemens using the pseudonym Tony O’Grady around this time.
   In the 1960s, Clemens’ scripts were made by various ITC shows, including The Invisible Man, Man of the World, The Sentimental Agent and The Champions, and he wrote the pilot for Danger Man. He also wrote the pilot for The Avengers, where he was script editor and associate producer, and he was responsible for casting Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. He wrote for The Baron, and he penned the pilot for The Persuaders. Some of the last ITC action series such as The Protectors and The Adventurer also saw Clemens scripts.
   In the 1970s, Clemens created a sitcom, My Wife Next Door, and wrote a US TV movie, The Woman Hunter. He also wrote the anthology series Thriller for ITV, Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, a 1971 Hammer horror, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in 1973, and wrote and directed Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter in 1974.
   The Avengers was revived in 1976 was The New Avengers, earning Clemens a new generation of fans. As executive producer, he had cast Joanna Lumley as Purdey. In response to Thames’s The Sweeney, Clemens created and produced The Professionals for LWT, which proved to be the series he is most associated with. A TV movie, Escapade, was made in 1978, and meant to have been a pilot for a US version of The Avengers.
   In the 1980s, Clemens wrote for Remington Steele, Bergerac, Worlds Beyond, The Father Dowling Mysteries (where he served as executive story editor), and Perry Mason. In the 1990s, Clemens wrote for Diagnosis: Murder, Bugs, The Highlander TV series (he had also co-written Highlander II: the Quickening), and a revival of The Professionals, entitled CI5: the New Professionals. Attempts to revive The Professionals as a feature film were not realized, although The Avengers was shot as a Hollywood movie in 1996, starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman and Sean Connery.
   Clemens also wrote numerous plays, beginning with a stage adaptation of The Avengers in 1971, and continued until 2012 with Murder Weapon.
   Clemens and his wife, Brenda, divorced in 1966. He was with the actress Diane Enright till she committed suicide in 1976. He married his second wife Janet in 1979, and they had two children. He was awarded the OBE in 2010.
   Brian Clemens was related to Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain.

David M. Benett/Getty Images

Above Candice Swanepoel was the most-searched professional model in Lucire’s online news pages this year, coming in sixth.

In 2012, Keira Knightley was the most searched-for celebrity in the news section of the Lucire website. In 2013, that honour went to HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden, followed by Knightley and Penélope Cruz. They are, largely, what you would expect from a fashion magazine.
   The 2014 rankings were a surprise when we began crunching the data before Christmas. In first place, talk show host and selfie queen (or was it talk show queen and selfie host?) Ellen DeGeneres: this year, everything from the Oscars to a homeware line meant she was on the consciousness of readers the most.
   Showing you can’t keep a Doctor down, Matt Smith surprisingly leapt into second place, after showing up at Cannes post-Doctor Who. Smith has plenty of fans out there, and Whovians apparently form a good part of the internet, getting the Eleventh Doctor this unexpected honour.
   Camille Cerf, the new Miss France, found herself in third place, which is not a huge surprise given that our article on the subject is the first one online. Our former cover girl, and the new Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot came in fourth, while HRH Princess Madeleine, still getting plenty of press attention, was fifth.
   Candice Swanepoel, was the most searched-for professional model, finding herself in the second half of the top 10. Clémence Poésy came seventh, showing that France remains firmly on the radar when it comes to fashionistas. Rio de Janeiro-born model Camila Alves found herself in eighth place.
   Honor Dillon, now Honor Carter, has plenty of admirers, and might net herself a few more with the signing of her husband Dan to a rugby club in France. The sole Kiwi in the top ten found herself in ninth spot this year. Rounding off the top ten was Mădălina Ghenea, the Romanian-born, Milano-based actress and model.
   Our biggest surprise was that Lupita Nyong’o did not appear—we even called her our ‘Woman of the Year’ on our Tumblog.
   Pageant news was top, since we were the first to announce both Miss France and Miss Universe New Zealand—Camille Cerf and Rachel Millns—while the Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art Awards was the third-most-read news article of 2014 here (another news outlet beat us to it, thanks to a WordPress glitch). An advertorial for the Sports Illustrated Air New Zealand safety video was fourth, which perhaps is no surprise given that the cover announcement, historically, is well read. A “proper” fashion article, on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York’s fall–winter 2014–15 collections, came fifth. Matt Smith, along with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Gemma Arterton, helped get an article from the Festival de Cannes into sixth place.
   Overall, traffic for the top 10 was down due to regular Wordpress glitches that prevented some articles from being picked up properly—highlighting how online publishers can now find themselves at the mercy of software.
   Hard data aside, pop over to the main part of the site where we name our news-makers of 2014—Ellen DeGeneres is in there, but there are some surprises, too.

Taylor Swift headed out on Monday in Tribeca, New York, with her mother, father and younger brother, wearing a fashionable ensemble of a Ralph Lauren navy roll-neck sweater and coat, over a tartan skirt and woollen tights, topped with a green woollen hat.
   The singer, who recently turned 25, and who remains one of the most talked-about musicians in the occident, looked fashionable in navy and magenta. She wore a bright red lipstick and thick eyeliner.
   The family enjoyed brunch at Locanda Verde on Greenwich Street.
   Green, rather than navy, was the choice of Lauren Silverman, wearing a Melissa Odabash bikini with a straw hat and netted top while on holiday in Barbados with Simon Cowell and their son, Eric.
   Our last video is a summary of One Direction’s best moments of 2014. Still riding high, the former X Factor stars have scooped many awards, and as a group, earned $75 million in 2014.