January 6th

A very happy new year and Feliz día de los Reyes Magos to you all!
A couple of conundrums to start my first scribes of 2018. At what point do you stop saying happy new year to people? Is it when you see them next? As there maybe people I might not see until next Christmas! As an Englishman living in Spain should we be celebrating Reyes too? I’m all for involving myself with the locals although I still can’t vote but more presents? After Christmas and one of my boys birthdays on the 30th of December the idea of more gifts is too much to bear. Mind you the idea of another day off never puts off most people, shame it falls on a Weekend!
I can also get out of Reyes as we’re away on holiday, I’m writing this as I lay by the pool on the beautiful island of Mauritius. Well that’s what I’d like you to think but actually it’s raining today! I’ve become one of those Mallorca holiday makers saying it’s not what they promised in the brochure, asking the receptionist what to do on a rainy day and what will the weather be like tomorrow? To be truthful I’m glad of the break whatever the weather to recharge the batteries and look forward to a new year. It’s a totally new experience for us as we’ve never travelled to this side of the World before and it’s been great fun so far.
On holiday is the only time of year that I read books, I keep saying to myself I must do it more often but never do! I only like reading autobiographies and I’m currently reading Richard Branson’s “Finding My Virginity”. Following on from his previous book “Losing My Virginity” it details how the Virgin founder reinvented himself and his brand for the 21st century. It’s a really good read and if like me you only read 1 book a year then this is a recommendation. It also made me think that since I’ve been off I’ve visited the cinema twice which is another thing I don’t do often enough. I saw Star Wars The Last Jedi and loved it. Don’t listen to the doom & gloom merchants who say it’s not in the tradition of Star Wars movies go and decide for yourself. We also saw Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle, another one I’d recommend and as good as the previous one starring the late great Robin Williams.
Barack Obama has continued his annual tradition of naming his favourite songs of 2017, “During my presidency, I started a tradition of sharing my playlists,” Obama wrote on his Facebook page Sunday. “It was a nice way to reflect on the music that resonated with me and lift up artists from around the world. With some extra time on my hands this year to catch up, I wanted to share the music that I enjoyed most.”
* Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy William
* Havana by Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug)
* Blessed by Daniel Caesar
* The Joke by Brandi Carlile
* First World Problems by Chance The Rapper (feat. Daniel Caesar)
* Rise Up by Andra Day
* Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled (feat. Rihanna and Bryson Tiller)
* Family Feud by Jay-Z (feat. Beyoncé)
* Humble by Kendrick Lamar
* La Dame et Ses Valises by Les Amazones d’Afrique (feat. Nneka)
* Unforgettable by French Montana (feat. Swae Lee)
* The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National
* Chanel by Frank Ocean
* Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man
* Butterfly Effect by Travis Scott
* Matter of Time by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
* Little Bit by Mavis Staples
* Millionaire by Chris Stapleton
* Sign of the Times by Harry Styles
* Broken Clocks by SZA
* Ordinary Love (Extraordinary Mix) by U2
* *Bonus: Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen (not out yet, but the blues 
version in his Broadway show is the best!)

Certainly a diverse taste in music from the former President of the United States. Might be interesting to hear what Donald Trumps might be! During our Christmas Day show Ayesha and I picked our favourite 2017 songs. Ayesha picked Shawn Mendes “Nothing Holding Me Back” not quite sure if it was the song she liked most or Shawn himself but a good pick nonetheless. I picked Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill” as the lyrics remind me of my younger years. I’ve been lucky enough to get 2 tickets to see him at Wembley in June. After being disappointed not to be able to see him in either Barcelona or Madrid. I saw him really early in his career at Mallorca Rocks in 2012 and you can’t deny he’s a great singer and songwriter.
It was the surprise hit of the summer, filmed in Mallorca and winning celebrity fans including Liam Gallagher and Stormzy and turning the lucky couples who found romance into instant stars.
A new wave of singletons are battling to find romance on Love Island as 60,000 people have applied for the new series in just 12 hours.
Scores of romantics have signed up to the ITV2 show in a bid to become the next Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood, Jamie Jewitt and Camilla Thurlow or villa king and queen Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies (who have since split up)
And the hopefuls, who must be over 18, have had to get grafting from the get-go to ensure their place on the show, by submitting a home-made video explaining why they would make the ideal villa mate.
The show’s success last year was unprecedented. Bosses are already working hard to ensure the next series lives up to expectations. They will do their best to sign up ideal islanders from the tens of thousands of wannabes apparently. I’m not a fan but the last series attracted a peak of 2.9 million viewers, with 1.7 million watching on average across the seven weeks. So although the show being a mega hit for ITV2, the budget hasn’t been upped to send the likes of Chris and Kem to the Caribbean. Instead, it looks like the show could well be returning to us, where the past three series have been filmed.
Also, despite Love Island sometimes outperforming ITV in the 9pm slot, the show will be remaining on ITV2 and won’t be switching to the main channel when it comes back in 2018. Like it or loathe it you can’t deny it brings a lot of publicity to the island and the crew spent lots of money in San Llorenc des Cardassar last year.
Real Mallorca return to action tomorrow after the winter break. They have a home game against Peralada Girona kick-off at 12 noon at the Iberostar. You can buy half season tickets from the club now and this weekend tickets for kids 5-14 years are just 2€! You can book online at http://www.rcdmallorca.es or go to the club ticket office. After an unbeaten first half of the season albeit drawing their last 4 games it’s important they get back to winning ways and to keep the run going. A couple of injuries to key players mean they are now looking to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window with someone who can put the ball in the onion bag a little more frequently a priority.
Enjoy your Weekend.
I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at http://www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance!
Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com