Marketing Angle: Irish People Like To Drink!

It may not be the most original angle, but it is the angle that Wetherspoons are going with for their bar in London Heathrow Terminal One! It is also the last bar before New York and Edinburgh and Warsaw (ignoring those 'toy' bars during the flight) but clearly the believe this fear marketing will only work on the Irish! But it did work on me... :)

Who Is The Talented Arty-One In My Family?

As a kid (yes, I am now a goat), my brother and I used to love watching "scary" movies although they were usually cheap tacky nonsense.  We did like the original Fright Night (the sequel was hopeless) and in fact used the closing line and theme in a "video" that some of my school friends would be shocked to know still exists!  Anyway, it seems Fright Night is being "re-envisioned" or "re-imagined" or whatever term is the most popular for "we can't be bothered taking chances any more so we'll just re-make old films".  And the news that came out yesterday, is that they now have a director attached, a certain Craig Gillespie!  WTF?!  At least I can take solace in the fact that when you Google me the first couple of pages are all me baby!  [And yes, I sometimes Google myself when I'm feeling lonely, doesn't everyone..?]

Wow! Wonderus Alice Already Usurps Avatar

At the very end of 2009 a massive deal was made about the first full-3D live-action movie, Avatar.  It's a decent romp but the 3D and graphical effects contribute a lot to making it enjoyable.  Now barely 3 months later, the genius of Tim Burton brings a full 3D film to life with much better effects and imagination (think seriously heavy trip), plus previously absent things like a script and reasonable acting.  To quote Stephen Colbert (talking 'Empire State of Mind' as the new king compared to the previous top dog 'New York, New York'), "you can take that thing [Avatar] and throw it in the trash".  Avatar is not a great movie by any means.  It is entertaining primarily due to its stunning visuals and unique technology.  It has been truly bested on all levels by Alice In Wonderland.  The only tiny issue is a personal one, as near the beginning of the film other characters question 'who is Alice?' and I kept having a non-PG lyric running through my head...  Anyway, it is stunning and why Disney would want this be released on DVD in 12 weeks and so prevent it being on the big screen (and not in Odeons!) for less than the normal 17 week run is baffling, it would not be as much of a must-see in normal 2D (although still probably a little bit better than 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus').

Sky 3D Football Is Better Than Being There!

What was I thinking?  At the end of January I read a leak of the 9 pubs across the UK that were going to show the Man Utd - Arsenal game on Sunday afternoon in 3D, complete with polarising glasses.  I did have an appointment I had to keep and, guessing that it could be duff information, I opted not to go.  Damn.  It turns out it was Belushi's on Market Street that showed the game, apparently on one 42" LG 3D TV.  Anyway, that was then and it completely went out of my mind, even despite recent talk that Sky are launching their 3D channel this Autumn (yep, I know it says April there but the advert I'm getting on to said Autumn).  So, whilst waiting for Alice In Wonderland to start, Sky run (what I believe to be their first 3D adverts) showing Everton in 3D and OMG!  It was incredible!  Better than being in the stands (not that I've ever been to Goodison) as you are so close to the action and as the ball was lofted into the penalty area you became so much more aware of the opportunity as if you had crossed it yourself!  Forget sports in HD, 3D is the only way to go!  Now the only question is can I justify £6,000 for a 42" TV...? :(

Baileys Gold Is New Cream Of Cream Liqueurs

Last night I got to try the "new" Baileys Gold version of the classic Irish Cream.  It was exclusively sold in airports for a trial period last year and I have to say it is actually quite nice and an improvement on the original.  Each of the different 'premium' flavours in it stand out and it has a far more complex taste that the 'classic' edition.  This could signify Diaego concentrating on the classic elements of Baileys, rather than experimenting with awful variations that just don't work, such as with Mint Chocolate and Crème Caramel.
Let's hope this doesn't become another Malibu Lime (where it tests really well and is a great product but gets discontinued!).  On that subject ... Bring Back Malibu Lime!

Helloes Ladies (once) of SNIPEF!

Lock up your daughters (and lock down your IT Systems)... The boys are back in town!  Sadly, the SNIPEF 2010 reunion has a lower turn out than expected!

If Only We Had A Word For 'One In Ten'...

Sadly The Metro has had to go with a wordy headline today, 'Tenth of council jobs on the line'. I guess they needed a word that everyone knew that meant 'one in ten lost' or axed (or killed!). As I've heard it and read it many times, I always thought everyone recognised the word 'decimate'... Hmm, maybe I'm literally a million miles away from the answer!

¡Estoy Muy Impresionado Con O2!

Just because an innovative sub-company of a British institution gets spun off into its own company and then sold to a Spanish giant, doesn't automatically mean things are going to go downhill...  I've been relatively intrepid about likely changes to my mobile coverage and costs since Telefonica took over O2, however none have been revealed (so far).  So last year why Sky started playing silly buggers with their Talk and Broadband packages (basically taking them off the BT newtork to their own new network, so if you ever wanted to leave you would lose service for several days) with the mis-leading promise of faster speeds (but some customers, including me, would actually get a slower speed) but a 75% reduction in download allowance - and of course increased costs(!) I decided to look around for a new provider and O2 won my business (for my 10th year of having ADSL!).  So, after the long-winded preamble how have they impressed me?  This is the email I got a few weeks ago:

We’re sorry but your O2 Home Broadband will be slower than normal between this Saturday 08:00am and Sunday 08:00am. A transport company is doing some major track side maintenance work where we have some cables, which will affect the speed of your broadband service.  Even though this is beyond our control, we’re sorry.

Wow!  Pre-emptively warning me about possible interference in my internet access and it's not even their guys doing the interfering!  ¡Muy impresionado!

Wishing You A Merry Valentine's Day & A Happy New March!

The end of the anti-penultimate day in February and there is a blizzard of snow in the centre of Edinburgh. It's like the good ol' days, at least according to one source who had thick snow some 20+ years ago in the beginning of April!  Chances of that this year...?  Oh yes, taxi!

Almost Got My Ducks In A Row...

Contrary to the ridiculous business expression, ducks don't like lining up in straight rows and they also have a tendancy to move about the place. Maybe it's the snow that has forced them to queue up just for this shot...


Extra prize for anyone who can identify the 'ducks' for me!

Although, now that I think of it, this post could easily be an analogy for my life right now (except for not remembering the names of birds... ;-) !

Mum's The Word For Pre-School Ed-you-kay-shun...

This isn't a top secret revelation, although I do firmly believe the authors would prefer this be kept quiet, but I do have to give credit to my Mother of all people for this posting.  Quite simply Sefton Council (as in Merseyside) have a new leaflet out to tell new parents what grants are available to help their babies get the best head-start in their life-long learning journey.  I think any parent would be happy if their child could read (or spell)...

What Is Real? It Seems Everything On TV Is Fake!

There are many things in life that make me question my beliefs and assumptions about the world.  In the realms of TV, I believed very little of what I saw.  In fact, I should have believed even less as the few things I knew were real ... have turned out to be fake!  The world is not as my TV tells me, locations aren't as they appear and, not in an environmentalist way, the world is green!  Am I just babbling nonsense?  Probably, so watch this video from Stargate Studios and be prepared to never again look at a TV show the same...  Credit to TV Squad for posting this first and me for having the ability to read that post!

Scousers Here, Scousers There, Scousers ... erm Not In Parliament?

Do Labour really not want any MPs in the next parliamentary session? In a relatively safe Labour seat with the main opposition being the Lib Dems, we have a sitting MP who is standing down. This seat is last year's Capital of Culture, and my home town, Liverpool. So which incredible talent do the reach out to as the next candidate? Paul McCartney? Cilla Black? Daniel Craig? Craig Charles??? No. Apparently the Liverpudlian candidate was not good enough for the Labour Party and they went with Luciana Berger. No, not the daughter of Patrick Berger, former Czech Republic and Liverpool FC star, but instead the one from nearby LONDON!
This has caused an outrage! She foolishly agreed to be quizzed by the Liverpool Echo on Liverpool's history and from what I can tell she only managed to name one of The Beatles and has no idea who Bill Shankly was or who performed Ferry Across The Mersey! Aside from countless questions being raised within the Labour Party, they now face a huge threat to their vote share with Comic Actor and famous Socialist Labour Party supporter, Ricky Tomlinson (from nearby Blackpool), trying to stand against her! So come May we can expect Labour to lose, maybe the Socialist Labour Party or Lib Dems to win, but the biggest winner will be David Cameron with a majority one greater than it would have been if sense had of prevailed.

Why Is Michael McIntyre Starring As The Wolfman?

Just back from watching The Wolfman and there are several things that have surprised me about this film.  I believe it has been delayed by many months which it spent in post-production and I'm pleased that this hasn't made it into a long and drawn out film.  Yes, it is a little bit schizophrenic at times, but the acting, the direction, the sets, the special effects and the make up are all very professional.  In fact on the, I'm stunned how they managed to take 21st Century comedy maestro Michael McIntyre and age him slightly to be the lead actor:

The film is quite enjoyable, doesn't bore you at any point and has a nice sprinkling of loud noises / jump out scenes as well as some hardcore gore (similar to Daybreakers in not pulling any punches).  From the opening titles, you realise that this is a remake of a classic Hammer horror film about "The Wolfman".  It's not a serious thriller about werewolves nor a teen flick about love between monsters.  All it tries to do is tell the story of this one Wolfman and it does that pretty well.  That said, there are times especially in the first half hour were the direction and acting comes across as a serious drama or suspense thriller which at the time does confuse you.  When you leave and you recall the opening titles, the main sequence in the middle and the closing scene, you know that it is very good and modern Hammer horror film which does entertain.

Finally ... A Social Network For Bees!

I'm really happy that the human-centric web has finally reached out to our cousins, the delicate bees, and created them their own social network called Buzz (unconnected to the directory service from AT&T).  It seems it's all part of Google's "do no evil" strategy and has nothing to do with facebook or twitter and the on-going battle for the future of mankind (aka the internet).  I went to see what the, erm, hub-bub was all about and low and behold, Google think I'm so important they have created a profile of me (very flattering, much better than being profiled in a serial killer kind of way!).

Happy New Decade With A Grainy Picture!

What happened to January...?  Any way, here's how I welcomed in the new decade, kneeling in the middle of the frozen Union Canal with a glass of champagne in my hind.  Start as you mean to go on...

12 Million Reasons to Love my Satio

Hmm, the picture has been deleted.  Must investigate one day...

Exclusive: Toy Story 3's European Premiere Will Be At EIFF 2010!

That's right, and you really did read it here first!  The 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival host the European Première of Toy Story 3, most likely on the afternoon of Saturday 19th June, 2010.  Where did I get my red-hot exclusive from you ask?  My brain.  In 2008 the UK premiere of Wall.E was 24 hours after the American launch on a Saturday afternoon and about a month before the launch in the rest of the UK.  Taking a quick peek over at IMDB we see the global launch of Toy Story 3 is 16th - 18th June with the UK release set for five weeks later on 23rd July.  You don't have to be a genius, although I may very well be, it's just not required.  Now there is just the small matter of waiting 7 months until the EIFF box office opens.  Oh yeah, that and negotiating with Pixar / Disney to get the rights to scoop the rest of Europe (excluding Cannes) to make this happen (but this is really a small detail isn't it).  Remember you read it here first and remember that you've got a friend in me...

The Top Comedy Award - You Are Having A Laugh!

With baited breath, I waited well past 12pm for the first nominees under the new name, the Eddies (or Nica Burns presents the 29th Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2009).  What came through was comedy of such a level that I feel naughty for not buying a ticket to read it!  First off, Rhod Gilbert is not on the list and clearly is disqualified for being a star ("regularly selling out 500+ seat venue based on their name alone", i.e. three extra shows filled up the 700 seat Grand in less than a week).  So this should be a battle between the Pajama Men and Dan Antopolski, plus a few other interesting names...  But it's not.  First off, the lack of Pajama Men *and* Dan Antopolski is outrageous.  Yes they have both been around for a while but I am not aware of any regulations that would rule out either of them.  Dan has won Best One Liner of the Festival and Pajama Men scoped the top award in Melbourne for last year's show (Versus vs Versus) whilst this year's show is a lot better (and nearly perfect).  As I mention earlier, it seems like the panel just do not like agreeing in anyway with the Melbourne nominees (and I'm not counting Kristen Schaal last year as she co-won in Oz for her solo show and was nominated in Edinburgh for a double act play).  Needless to say Celia Pacquloa doesn't get a look in as a newcomer, although she was invited to play at Edinburgh so maybe that rules her out.

So who does make the list?  Tom Wrigglesworth (called it) and Jon Richardson (not a surprise but I though he might be eaked out) are both there plus four others (it's a six entry shortlist this year, making up for the shortened four entries last year).  With six spaces any sane person would imagine Andrew Lawrence and probably Wehn & Kuhnle being in with a good shout of being on the list.  Well you'd be a fool!  John Bishop and perennial nominee Russell Kane both get nods a while both did good shows they weren't brilliant.  Neither of these shows can hold a candle to any of the aforementioned acts and it is quite a shock for them to be on the list with the presence of such competition.  The final two are Idiots of Ants (a sketch group, I guessed Adam Riches's show Rogue Males instead but you would expect a show like this) and Tim Key (a deadpan poet).  The one positive is that everyone is a relative unknown so a star will be made (I was kind of hoping that Rhod would no longer be eligible as he is practically meteoric right now).  The smart money will be on the smart material, Jon Richardson to follow up his newcomer nomination from  two years ago to scoop the top award.  You read it here first!

The first Edinburgh Comedy Award (Eddies 2009) Nominees are out!

The first Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominees are out!  Okay, for first 25 years it was the Perrier Awards, followed by 3 years as the IF.com Eddy Awards, but now we are just going to refer to them as the Eddies.  My sure-fire shortlist is as follows: 
• Rhod Gilbert - And The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst (unless he is now deemed a Star by selling out the 700 seat Grand for three nights);
• Pajama Men - The Last Stand To Reason;
• Dan Antopolski - Silent But Deadly;
• Wehn & Kuhnle - German Humour Goes Global.

My list is lacking a fifth which could be either Tom Wrigglesworth or Adam Riches's Rogue Males, based on the reviews they have been getting.  Due to the dates I've booked for them I'll only find out what they are like after the actual winner has been announced - it could be quite interesting!  Andrew Lawrence is in with a shout but not Paul Sinha (not least of all because his show is not 80% new material).

The only newcomer I'm really aware of is Celia Pacquola and after going down a storm in Melbourne and winning The Age's Critics' Award she has to be a strong candidate (althought over the last few years both Sammy J & Heath McIvor and Lawrence Leung were over looked for the awards despite being brilliant and winning the aforementioned award).

How did I do?  I'll update this after lunch when the official nominees are out...