WOW

Big Brother

2007-07-10T09:01:22Z

Just a litle word, but now the fake Chiggy relationship is over, how long before Ziggy (the control freak) latches onto 'Pauline' or Charley? And speaking of Charley, please can someone tell me HOW, HOW, HOW that girl escapes nomination?

Taking Liberties

2007-07-10T08:56:13Z

Stick one into the establishment and if you can find it at a local cinema or arthouse, SEE Taking Liberties. This fantastic documentary looks at the way the Blair government slowly and surely destroyed all our basic civil liberties in the so called War Against Terror: http://www.noliberties.com/ Belper Ritz Cinema 01773 822 224 17th July Birmingham MAC 0121 440 3838 2nd July The Electric 0121 643 7879 20th July Coventry Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524 4th July Nottingham Broadway 0115 9526611 20th July Stamford Arts Centre 01780 763203 17th July Stratford Upon Avon Picturehouse 08707 55 12 29 Now Playing

Fantastic Four -time to retire

2007-06-19T10:06:20Z

I am such a geek, I love comics and I am passionate about film makers keeping to the storyline's and time honoured myths and backstory that have developed over the years, so it annoys me a great deal when people make a comic into a movie and destroy years of back story - can we say X Men III and the wet blanket they made of the Phoenix (and the hash up of the story). So what does this have to do with the new F4 movie? Well, to go back in time the first one was rubbish - it lacked something, like credible passionate characters - in fact the pages of the script probably were les wooden. APPARENTLY they had learnt for the second one in the frnachise, after the very disappointing 2005 box office draw. In some respects it may be better, but I have my doubts. I realise that a comic book adaptation must not alienate a new audience that know nothing about the comic itself, but please in doing so, do not alienate the fans that do. I mean, Galactus A CLOUD! And how wooden were the acting - time for a new Sue Storm maybe. And Von Doom, no bite this time. oh and last but not least - Stan Lee guesting in every adaptation of his comics is getting BORING now.

Interesting pages

2007-06-11T15:46:42Z

Just been trawling on my space - like you do - and found some interesting gig sites for music in Birmingham. Thought I would kind - cos I rarely am - and inpart these on you: http://www.myspace.com/birminghamnightlife http://www.myspace.com/birminghamrocks Now these are a starter - the rest you can do for yourself! Roll on Tuesday! ;)

The Apprentice pwned???

2007-06-08T11:00:01Z

So that dispicable Katie finally showed her game plan this week. After being invited into the final 2 by Sir Alan, Katie declined the offer saying she wasn't willing to uproot her family. But Katie, who has been a 'star' on the show for her uncaged venomous attacks on fellow 'Apprentice Wannabe's', has revealed her gameplan was merely to win the show. The highlight was seeing the incredulous looks on the faces of Simon and Kristina, as they both realised just what lengths Katie would go to in order to rob someone else of the reward of a final place. I for one will be glad to see the back of her. Her 'bitchy' comments has been, although entertaining in car crash TV, dispicable and should have earned her being kicked off a long time ago.

Keep up with Big Brother with our Blog

2007-06-08T10:50:20Z

http://birminghammail.midlandsblogs.co.uk/news/big_brother/">Read our Big Brother Blog

Best of Brum

2007-06-01T12:30:27Z

I love finding new things. A little pocast radio station that plays the best of local Birmingham groups: http://www.myspace.com/brumcastbirmingham

Funny You Tube

2007-05-23T11:54:00Z

I love cats and I love You Tube: (We did not make this video and merely found it on YT. If it breaches copyright, please contact You Tube to have it removed. We just found the funny and cute!)

Into the digital age

2007-05-23T10:43:02Z

So I read today that ASDA are the latest store to discontinue the sale of singles due to the increasing popularity in downloads - in fact this week, Rhiana is at No.1 with her song Umbrella based purely on download sales. I'm in two minds about this. Of course I am all for the moving on of technology, especially if it gives us the consumer the chance to get better quality merchandise for our hard earned money. However I feel sad because I am someone who loves to have something tangible in my hands - I still collect LP versions of my favourite albums and I love my CD collection, but I also download - it's great to find those one songs that you grew up with, or heard so little on commercial radio. But except for holding your iPOD, Creative or whatever other digital music player you have, downloading music will bring an end to the geeks of music, who love linear notes, artwork and buying 30 different versions of the single to get all the remixes and b-sides. I like to hold something in my hand, I like to see something in my collection. Sometimes going forward is too sad.

Surrendering the summer

2007-05-22T10:29:12Z

Saw my first advert for it last night: Nine days to go!!!!! And it dawned on me, another summer ready to be surrendered to Big Brother. Over the past couple of years I have really tried to stay away - really have tried but without fail I find myself tuning in to what has become car crash television. BB has gone down hill rapidly and has bred insipid quasi celebs (uhum) and has stooped lower into the quagmire - Celeb BB 2007 sums it up nicely, but here I am knowing I will be addicted and loosing my summer to those shows and to the annoying wannabes. We are no longer watching a social experiment as was BB1, but Jade Goody types who want that cheap stairway to fame - BB is part of our "want it NOW" generation. So, I'm ready to curse and flap and hate people I do not know and wonder why oh why I keep watching! Now I know why I don't get a suntan any more!

Batty Baftas

2007-05-22T09:49:49Z

So we had the BAFTA's on sunday night. For some a celebration of the work of our tv output over the past year, for others just another opporttunity for the luvvies to slap each others backs. Right from the nominations I knew something would be wrong - again the usual suspects. Ricky Gervais - for some a comedy genius, for others (including me) a man who can only act one annoying, irritating character show after show after - and he isn't funny and extras was rubbish - and ..... oooops I believe I am ranting! The Ant and Dec - for some the Morecombe and Wise of this generation - for me I will never forget my childhood being scarred by 'Let's Get Ready To Rumble'. Sure I think they are good at what they do and they have a chemistry that is very hard to find nowadays, but I think it's boredom for me - seen that done that kind of thing. Life on Mars - okay I admit, I never watched it. I rarely watch anything that has been hyped up so much. I'm often worried that hyping a show means it will disappoint me. And yet I have read in the papers since that the show was robbed. Better get the old bill in then. Maybe people were remembering the last episode which from what I have read was a huge disappointment. So my moans for those that missed out - Green Wing - one of the best comedy pieces to hit our screens in years. Some of the best characters, and yet lost. And.....well to be honest that's my gripe. Save for it being the worst two hours I have spent watching telly recently. Green Wing - how can this show be consistently missed for an award? And yet anything Ricky Gervais does is applauded no matter what. Oh and Graham Norton and Joan Rivers - spared me from a catatonic state!

Ozzy on the Walk of Fame

2007-05-22T09:22:34Z

I read with interest last week that Ozzy Osbourne is to recieve a star in Brum's new walk of fame - similar to the one in Hollywood . Fair do's to him I say. A normal working class boy who had a less than happy childhood and despite a checkered past, has grown to be one of the most loved exports from our fair city. A few years ago, all Ozzy was known for was urinating against the Alamo and more infamously for biting the head off a bird. His career had floundered from the minds of so many and although Black Sabbath were still known, Ozzy was fading into obscurity. And then came along the TV show, which I admit I was a big fan of. Ozzy and his family so dysfunctional and warts and all, yet vulnerable, and despite all the swearing, dog do-do's and problems they were a normal loving family who held together where most wouldn't. Ozzy touched the heart of the nation and the world again and through the show and his Ozzfest Tour's has become a much loved son again. So from me to Ozzy, congrats!

Social whirl

2006-12-07T15:13:04Z

Life on What's On can be, as one of my friends puts it, 'a social whirl'... Proof was in the pudding this week, with more lunches and launches than 12 months at NASA. The highlight was definitely the launch of Fort Dunlop on December 1. Everyone - that was about 2,000 people judging from the lines and lines of people outside - had been given a wristband featuring food and drinks tokens (including one marked 'posh drink' - oooh!). Coaches had been laid on from Colmore Row, as well as Liverpool, Bradford, Bristol and Manchester - where developer Urban Splash http://www.urbansplash.co.ukhas offices.]]> Ben Hur - we finally got inside, where there was one bar, cloakroom and lots of lift doors. The party itself was up on the 6th floor, and for some reason security wouldn't let anyone use the stairs, so it was a slow painful process as we went up six at a time. Once there it was great, if a little bizarre, like an indoor festival or legal rave. The floor was finished if uncarpeted etc... the room decorated with a stage (for the bands, beatboxers, Barbara Nice, DJs and Angie Brown), bar, portaloos and not much else. The queue for food looked like it should have been outside a Soviet bread shop - a mile long - while Rob Andrew might have picked up a few pointers from the scrum at the cocktail bar. Top mojitos, mind... Let's hope as many people turn up to book office space at Fort Dunlop.

Big Nothing is big AND clever...

2006-12-07T11:41:15Z

I am fairly well known by my friends for having a taste in actor-y type lust objects that is, well, slightly quirky to say the least. You can keep Brad Pitt. Clooney's ok, but really I'm not bothered enough to fight the 20 deep crowd of women that surrounds him. But Simon Pegg. Then I'd think twice. Now there is a man who is utterly lovely. Intelligent, funny, creative (he did write Spaced and Shaun of the Dead you know) and attractive in a very unconventional way. Suffice to say, if Simon Pegg is in something I'll make an effort to go and see it. I even saw MI:3 and I have a pathological dislike of gurning midget Tom Cruise that means prior to that I'd refused seeing anything he was in since Interview with the Vampire. Hence I found myself at the Cineworld in Broad Street this week to see SP's new film, Big Nothing, before it got swallowed by all the big Christmas kid-friendly releases. ]]> here (and yes, I shamelessly nicked his pun for my headline, it was good!) or view the trailer here just beware rude words ;)