Will tops the bill at festival

SINGER Will Young will be returning to his roots when he opens this year’s Henley Festival. He will perform a selection of his best-loved songs and showcase his latest album. Young, 31, who is related to the Brakspear brewing family, rocketed to fame after winning the inaugural ITV show Pop Idol in 2002, beating front-runner Gareth Gates. His debut single, Evergreen, was released shortly afterwards and became the UK’s fastest-selling debut single of all time, selling more than 400,000 copies on its first day. Will Young, who revealed he is gay in the same year, has had other hits, including Light My Fire (2002) and Leave Right Now (2003). He was born in Wokingham with a fraternal twin, Rupert, and an elder sister. He was educated at Horris Hill preparatory school near Newbury and Wellington College. He went on to read politics at the University of Exeter and graduated with a 2:2 honours degree.

Celebrates Evergreen to Will Young

Will Young has said it was an "instant decision" to include his No 1 single Evergreen on his new greatest hits album.
The star stunned 30 year old everyone in 2002 when he beat Gareth Gates to the title of Pop Idol, and he went on to release the single written for the winner.
And Will insisted it was easy to put it on his The Hits album, saying: "Oh yeah, an instant decision to put Evergreen on there - you know that's still the biggest selling song of the decade."
He added: "Which is weird because that's another thing that I forget as well - the show was so big and that song was so big and I think people, even if they weren't fans of the show, still know that song, it was so pervasive.
"No definitely, no that's No 1 on the list. Yeah and I'm doing it live on the tour as well and I can't wait because I haven't done it for three or four years."
The Leave Right Now singer insists he has never tried to shed his Pop Idol tag.
Will said: "I've always been proud of it. But as I've got older I think I've become more and more proud of what I did on that show. I mean it was terrifying, I don't think I could do it now, I actually don't know how I managed to do it then.
"But it was because I loved singing so much and wanted to do this and be where I am now. And that kind of desire can't be underestimated in anyone I don't think, in any career."
:: Will Young The Hits will be released on November 16.

Will Young saw therapist

Will Young had admitted he had a course of therapy to boost his confidence after winning Pop Idol in 2002. "I had thought I was coping well with my job and being famous but I became scared of going out and meeting people. I was going into loony, reclusive pop star mode, which is very easy to do because you're always busy and people tend to do what you want," Will told the Independent. "I went on the course and stood up and said, 'Hi, I'm Will, I'm a pop star and I'm not very confident.' It was like being in a Richard Curtis comedy. But it was extremely valuable. I'm going on another one soon. I'm looking forward to it."

Will Young: Visits Crawley library

WILL Young and Sophie Dahl visited people at Crawley Library this week as part of the national Headspace project.
Sophie, grand daughter of the acclaimed children's writer Roald, is a patron of the Roald Dahl Museum and the Story Centre which help fund headspace. She has initiated a scheme with role models from sport, music and television offering an hour to Headspace members to discuss their favourite books. Will, one of these role models, shared extracts with the group in Crawley, from Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So Stories', which his father read to him as a child. Will said: "I found it extremely interesting to be around teenagers who were engaging, challenging, interested, and with greatful senses of humour. It reminded me of why reading is so important." Headspace is an area within libraries that is designed by young people. They choose everything including how the area looks, which books are stocked and the activities which are arranged. It is hoped that offering children involvement in how and what they read may re-kindle a love for books which is all but lost to generation X-box. Cllr Henry Smith said: "Reading can often be knocked off the agenda for young people. The Headspace project aims to tackle this issue, and make books fun and accessible."

Bullitt young professionals group

Young Professionals the newly formed of Bullitt County will hold its first event Monday.
The networking event will meet at 6 p.m. at the El Nopal Mexican restaurant, on U.S. 31 East near Ky. 44 in Mount Washington.
Professionals ages 21 to 40 who live or work in Bullitt County are invited to attend, said Joey Herm, arranger of the pair.
The pair, which is a branch of the Bullitt County Chamber of Commerce, will promote leadership and community work, he said. The steering committee has been arrangeing the pair for just over a month.

Obama touts efforts to boost economy, In hurting upstate New York

TROY, N.Y. Touting resilience in hurting upstate New York, President Barack Obama said Monday that better economic days are coming thanks to innovation and some help from the government.
"As we emerge from this current economic crisis, our great challenge will be to ensure that we do not just drift into the future," Obama said at Hudson Valley Community College. "Instead, we must choose to do what past generations have done: shape a brighter future through hard work and innovation."
Obama's delivered of a mix of an economic pep talk and a plug for his plan for economy recovery: a sustained investment in education, technology, health care and research. He told his audience that Washington has for years not lived it up to its responsibilities to help.
"If government does its modest part, there is no stopping the most powerful and generative economic force the world has ever known: the American people," Obama said.
The president's pitch came in a region where the economic mood has long been gloomy. Nationwide, unemployment is at 9.7 percent, the highest level since 1983.

Will Young Adults Afford Insurance, How?

There's been some grumbling that young people haven't mobilized for health reform as strongly as they did for Obama during election season. Katha Pollitt expressed the opinion in a column last month:
We want you to stand on street corners handing out fliers that explain what healthcare reform is really all about and how people can make sure it doesn't get swallowed whole by the drug and insurance companies. Surely you're not too young and strong and healthy and vegan to care about boring parent stuff like health insurance?
This is unfair for a few reasons. First of all, progressives of all ages have been outmaneuvered during this debate. As Robert Reich wrote here at TAPPED, even middle-age lefties haven't been able to get their act together in terms of organizing a health reform march on the Washington Mall. And while there are some great benefits for young adults in the various health reform proposals primarily the right to stay on a parent's health plan until age 26, and an end to "gender rating," in which young women are charged more than young men because they use more health care there are also pitfalls. As the Washington Post reports, a "cheap" health plan after reform may still cost as much as $100 monthly. Facing an individual authorisation to buy coverage, that is a significant burden for low-wage and even middle-income young adults.
That's one reason supporters of reform should pressure the White House and Congress to expand subsidies, regardless of what happens to the public option. The House plan to offer subsidies to individuals making as much as $43,000 annually is much more generous than the Senate Finance plan, which cuts that number down to $32,490.
The administration's white paper on reform, released to coincide with the president's speech last week, avoided the issue of subsidies altogether. But as Obama and advocates pitch health reform directly to young people this week, beginning tomorrow with an event at the University of Maryland, affordability will be a major concern. Young people deserve to hear specifics on how government will help them pay for coverage.
While we wait for specifics though, we can enjoy this ridiculous Rock the Vote health reform ad featuring the annoying stars of "Scrubs."