This year’s ceremony was a night of celebration for the likes of Adele, Bruno Mars, and Blur. The BRIT Awards 2012 took place on Tuesday, February 21, at London’s O2 Arena, with James Corden returning to host the music ceremony for the second year in a row.

Going into the evening, Blur and Emeli Sandé had the most reason to celebrate since they had already been confirmed as the recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Music and the Critics’ Choice awards, respectively. Blur followed in the footsteps of such honorees as Freddie Mercury, Sting, and U2, while Sandé’s joined the ranks of Adele, Florence + the Machine, Jessie J, and Ellie Goulding, all of whom began their career with the Critics’ Choice acknowledgement.

Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, and Olly Murs were the night’s early performers, while the ceremony was interspersed with slightly more sombre moments as video tributes were paid to BRIT winners, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston, who both passed away in recent months. Ed Sheeran took home the award for Best British Male Solo Artist, and special note was paid to his social media following (including 1.4 million Twitter followers) who were cited as being instrumental in his breakout industry success.

Winner of the Best British Group award was Coldpay, who had previously won the title in 2001 and 2003. In total, the band has taken home seven BRIT Awards during their 16-year career. In their acceptance speech, the band members thanked the “discerning, handsome, intelligent Radio 2 voters” who were responsible for deciding who would win the award.

Adele, meanwhile, was the recipient of the evening’s first award – Best British Female Solo Artist – before a surprise loss to One Direction for Best British Single, a category she had been expected to win with her smash-hit song ‘Someone Like You’. However, the 23-year-old artist took to the stage and wowed the crowd with a performance of ‘Rolling in the Deep’ which cemented her return to the music scene after spending the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 away from the spotlight as she recovered from throat surgery.

Foo Fighters took home the award for Best International Group, but were not present at the ceremony, instead sending a pre-taped video message. Their absence was hardly felt, though, as Ed Sheeran was there to accept his win for Best British Breakthrough Act – beating the likes of Emeli Sandé and Jessie J – and Bruno Mars performed a Rat Pack-esque version of ‘Just the Way You Are’.

New York-based Lana Del Rey, who calls herself “the gangsta Nancy Sinatra”, won Best International Breakthrough Act and thanked the UK for embracing her music this year. Her solemn, teary-eyed acceptance was immediately forgotten as Rhianna provided the night’s most energetic performance, thanks to dozens of dancers who entertained with ‘We Found Love’, Rhianna’s chart-topping collaboration with Calvin Harris.

An interesting feature of the BRITs this year was an individual breakdown of each of the Best British Album nominees, where the likes of Adele and Florence Welch were able to explain the personal significance of their records in pre-taped segments.

Adele returned to the stage one final time to accept the night’s biggest award – Best British Album – but her speech was cut short by host James Corden in order to make time for Blur’s final performance.

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Hitting the treadmill to work off the festive pounds traditionally tops the New Year resolutions list, but according to research by moneysupermarket.com, Brits are shunning the gym this year.

Research by Britain’s number one comparison site found over two thirds of consumers (68%) won’t be joining or renewing their membership as they believe the gym is an unnecessary cost, and they keep fit and healthy in other ways. This is compared to 46% of respondents in 2009.

One in ten Brits (12%) are concerned about the cost implications with 5% not planning to renew their membership as they rarely used it this year and need to cut costs. A further 6% are unsure about signing up due to the current economic climate and needing to rethink their spending.

The research also found the younger generation favour the gym with almost one in five (18%) of 18-34 year olds stating they already regularly exercise and plan to renew their membership in the new year compared to just 6% of those aged over 55. Instead an overwhelming 81% of this age group stated the gym is a waste of money and find alternative ways to keep fit and healthy rather than signing up to a fitness club.

James Clarke, Head of Protection at MoneySupermarket.com said: “Despite the indulgence of Christmas it seems gym membership is not high on the priority list for a New Year health kick as Brits look to cut costs. Joining a gym can be a huge financial commitment, and with many gym-goers admitting to rarely using their membership, it’s important to consider whether their hard-earned cash can be used more effectively.”

Quitting smoking is also another resolution many vow to take as part of leading a healthier lifestyle. A recent poll run of MoneySupermarket site users found over 13% of respondents successfully quit last year, and a further 5% have vowed to kick the habit in 2012.

James Clarke continued: “For those exercise fanatics who commit to the gym and work out on a regular basis it is worth knowing there are life insurance and critical illness policies that reward a healthy lifestyle. The same also applies for smokers who quit the habit, as there is a huge price difference between policies for smokers and non-smokers. Brits could see average savings of GBP4,347 over the term of the policy – a significant sum of money!”

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