Fan those flames

So word on the street (see: street = net) is that HBO are going to turn George R. R. Martins series of novels "A Song of Fire and Ice" into a fully fledged tv show!!! I adore these books, they are so well written, earthy, exciting and emotional. If the show is even half as good as the novels they are based on, we are gonna be in for a real treat. And given how HBO rarely do things by halves, I think we can expect it to look incredible as well :D

And sci-fi nuts should check out the trailer to Danny Bolyes new flick "Sunshine" over at VMX.com, set to be released here in April. Looks like its gonna be ten different KINDS of cool.

Would you carry your life in your pocket?

On Tuesday Steve Jobs finally unveiled his long rumoured iPod/mobile phone device, cunningly named the “iPhone”, to room full of hungry Mac enthusiasts. If we were to take Jobs at his word, Apple have gone and “revolutionised the phone”. Well thank the good lord that this humble man is never prone to over-exaggeration :P Ya gotta love him though. He has the uncanny ability to take an item (or a piece of software) and speak of it with such genuine enthusiasm, that he’d have you believing it has the power to change your life in a very dramatic way (and with the iPhone, he might not be far off!)

In all seriousness though, its an amazing little piece of tech. Like all Apple devices, the design is sleek and simplistic. The iPhone is essentially a large touch sensitive screen, shaped like a rectangle. Fingers, as opposed to a stylus are used for navigating the interface. There is one solitary button (a home key) on its front. It accepts regular headphone jacks and has a built in mic. Its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled. It has three types of sensors built into it. One can tell when the phone is near your face and turns off the touch sensitive function, so you don’t accidentally press anything with your ear. The other sensor can tell whether you are holding the device vertically or horizontally and will adjust the orientation of the screen to match (great if you are viewing pics or vids). The third measures the level of ambient light and adjusts the brightness of the screen, a nifty power-saving feature.

The unit also runs a full version of the latest Mac OS (as opposed to a light version of Windows that runs on most other handheld devices). Apples own browser “Safari” is integrated into the unit and displays web pages in full colour, with pictures and text. Any part of the page can be zoomed in on and you can have multiple pages open at the same time. There is collaboration with Yahoo to give users Yahoo PUSH mail accounts, so whenever you receive a mail, you’ll immediately be notified of it. For texting or emailing, a full QWERTY keyboard appears (only when needed) at the bottom half of the screen. Google map service was also displayed quite effectively on the device.

It has all the functionality of the regular video iPod, except that this one has the rather cool sliding album art feature (previously only available if iTunes was running on a PC). Gone is the circular scroll wheel and instead users now touch and flick the screen up or down to scroll the list of albums/artists. The interface was very smooth and really has to be seen to be believed (a flash demonstration can be found on Apple.com).

The 2 megapixel camera was mentioned, but never actually displayed during the presentation. The picture viewer was clean and simple and had a novel way of zooming in or out of photos. By touching the screen with two fingers and literally pinching the picture, it will get small. Moving your fingers apart and the picture will enlarge, as if you were actually stretching it!

The unit will come in two memory sizes, 4 and 8 gigs (though I imagine this will increase as 2nd and 3rd generations of the device appear down the line). Battery life is rated at 5 hours for vids and talktime and 16 hours for music listening. It will be available in the US in June (and in the last quarter of 07 here) and will retail at $499 and $599, depending on memory size. The only hitch (as far as the States is concerned at least) is that its only available on a two year contract from one (and ONLY one) particular mobile network service provider.

Because of Apples insistence on the sole use of its proprietary formats on the device (except for mp3s), I’m still discouraged from ever getting one one, but I think that where Apple goes, others manufacturers will follow. The iPhone offers a tantalising glimpse of what we can expect from multipurpose products in the future. Being the uber-nerd I am, seeing the device called to mind the little handheld devices people would always use on Star Trek, (and no, I’m not talking tri-corders!) and it scares me to think just how close to that kinda technology we are :D

Top 5 of 2006 - Singles

1) Easy – Sugababes
Its double entendres a go-go in this fab 80s electro-funk-pop fusion.

2) Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
An amazing run of singles from Eyes Open so far, but this one shines just that lil bit brighter.

3) Flame - Bell X1
The one song this year that refused to grow stale, even after countless listens.

4) Grace Kelly – Mika
Musical genius or complete and utter loon? Either way its one DAMN catchy tune.

5) Maneater – Nelly Furtado
Shes nelly, shes nelly, shes nelly, shes nelly


Runners up:

(in no particular order)

Aint No Other Man – Christina Aguilara
I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
I Love My Baby – Busta Rhymes ft Kelis
Is It Any Wonder – Keane
Promiscuous – Nelly Furtado
Never Be Lonely - The Feeling
No Tomorrow – Orson
Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Rock Steady - All Saints
Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake
Touch The Sky - Kanye West
Who Knew – Pink
You Are All That I Have - Snow Patrol
You Give Me Something - James Morrison

Special mention should also go to the Pussycat Dolls, who have made a stunning achievement by releasing almost every track off their debut. Somehow their album seems to consist of one hit single after the other……….

It might look like a long list, but it was considerably longer to start with! 2006 was a very good year for singles :D

Top 5 of 2006 - TV Shows

1) Avatar: The Last Airbender (S2)
Compelling storyline with continuing story arc, endearing characters and the slickest animation to ever grace television. Head and shoulders above everything else.

2) Veronica Mars (S1)
I’ll admit it; I arrived a lil late to the Mars party. I’m half way through the first season, but its one of the most wildly enjoyable shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.

3) Battlestar Galactaca (S2)
A bit of a step down from season 1, but as far as current sci-fi goes, its still on top.

4) Boston Legal (S1)
Sharp scripts, both witty and thoughtful, backed up by fine performances all round. Shatner and Spader run away with the show though.

5) The Shield (S4)
Two words: Glenn Close. That’s all I really need to say :D

Top 5 of 2006 - Books

(read, as opposed to released)

1) A Clash of Kings - George RR Martin
As epic as the first, with characters that live and breathe.

2) Dr. Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
With the utmost of ease, Clarke draws you into her mysterious, beautifully realised world. Magic in every sense of the word.

3) Liquor - Poppy Z Brite
Her characters practically leap off the page, and the food will have your mouth watering.

4) Deception Point - Dan Brown
A guilty little pleasure, trashy pulp at its best.

5) The Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erickson
Damn tough to get into, but ultimately very rewarding.

Top 5 of 2006 - Movies

1) Mission Impossible III
Just pure unadulterated fun.

2) Children of Men
Subtle performances make for a striking film.

3) Pans Labyrinth
An astonishingly imaginative movie, with some gorgeous imagery. The mix of brutal reality and unsettling fantasy is handled with aplomb.

4) The Departed
A uniformly excellent cast, but Jack Nickleson still steals the show, and looks like he had the time of his life doing it.

5) Thank You For Smoking
Witty and thought provoking, Aaron Ekhart somehow has you believing that smoking is OK.

Runners up:

Little Miss Sunshine

Top 5 of 2006 - Albums

1) Right Where You Want Me - Jesse McCartney
I could listen to this album until the cows come home. Irresistibly perfect pop.

2) Once Again - John Legend
Timeless songs and a voice to die for. This album is in a completely different league to his debut.

3) Back To Basics - Christina Aguilera
This could have topped my list, but the weaker first disc brought it down a few notches. The second cd however, is pure bliss.

4) Undiscovered – James Morrison
A new voice for 2006. You couldn’t squeeze more emotion out of his mouth, even if you used both hands.

5) Walk With Me - Jamelia
This lovely lady surpassed all my expectations. She has brought us pop for the 21st century.

Runners up:

(in no particular order)

FutureSex / LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
Loose - Nelly Furtado
Mr. A-Z - Jason Mraz
On The Jungle Floor - Van Hunt
State of Mind - Raul Midon
The Evolution of Robin Thicke - Robin Thicke

Shirley Walker 1945 - 2006 RIP

:(

From "www.musicfromthemovies.com":

"Another star has gone out in Hollywood this week as it has been announced that composer Shirley Walker has died at the age of 61; she suffered a brain aneurism and did not regain consciousness. The composer was something of a trailblazer for women film composers, scoring an array of projects from the early 1980s including Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Willard and the Final Destination trilogy. Walker worked largely in a comfortable niche of dark movie material and a host of animated incarnations of favourite comic books, including Superman, Batman and Spawn, though she was more than able in other genres, as scores like Willard showed. The talented composer also served regularly as an orchestrator, arranger and conductor, most notably perhaps for Danny Elfman, with whom she worked on Batman and Edward Scissorhands amongst others. Her final score, Black Christmas, can be heard in cinemas this holiday season…

It’s another sad loss for the film music world and so soon after the death of Basil Poledouris, who was also 61."

At least it wasnt "Pheasant Plucking"

Bet you didn’t know that an Irishman (and one from Cavan at that!) holds the world record for fastest turkey plucking. Well.........now ya do :P

Royale Flush

CASINO ROYALE

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Bond series, so it was highly unlikely that this one was going to win me over. This, the 21st Bond movie is being marketed as a restart of the series. In the wake of the recent Mission Impossible and Borne franchises, Bond has toughened up. Gone are the gadgets and the quippy one-liners. Instead we are graced with a whole new Bond (played by Daniel Craig), with a grittier attitude. He’s certainly more aggressive than previous Bonds (the fight scenes are a lot more brutal this time round), but he’s not as suave with the ladies.

Craig gives a decent performance though, and is certainly capable of the hefty action that’s demanded of him. The Bond Girl “du jour”, played by Eva Green is a total bore and there’s absolutely no chemistry between her and Craig. The villain of the piece Mads Mikkelsen is decidedly more understated than previous outings, but also comes across as a bit of a wimp.

The action set pieces possess an energy that’s been sorely lacking from the series. The added touch of realism only serves to accentuate the danger and most of the sequences are quite thrilling :D The music, almost like a Bond character in itself, is as glorious as ever. Even the title track was a noticeable improvement over the past few movies.

Like most Bond movies though, the plot is all over the place and is best ignored. I continually found myself wondering how he figured out where to go next as he made seemingly giant leaps of logic from the smallest and most obscure of clues. The film also runs for FAR too long, with a serious dip in action during the poker game (supposedly the centre-piece of the movie).

Bond traditionalist might have a hard time accepting some of the changes, but I’m sure few can criticise Craig. It’s a foregone conclusion that the series will continue, but sadly this movie did nothing to spark my interest in any future entries.

The Good:

Daniel Craig: A new Bond for a new Millennium, he really made the role his own.
The music: David Arnold continues to safeguard one of the franchises most cherished legacies.
Judi Dench: This woman can do no wrong.

The Bad:

Eva Green: Slightly dowdy and wetter than a used bath towel.
The plot: Messy, uneven and there’s some DEPLORABLE dialogue thrown in.
The product placement: Sony, you should be ashamed of yourselves :P

Oh and while on the subject of Bond, I’m loving the new Bond-themed video from the Scissor Sisters! Much better than the sequence used in Casino Royale! :D

And for my next trick

THE PRESTIGE

( WARNING : SPOILERS )

This is a movie solely driven by the bitter animosity between two men, played by Bale and Jackson. If you take that away, there’s nothing left. Having their rivalry escalate throughout the movie made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. For me, that’s not what I’d call an enjoyable cinema experience.

The plot (which jumps between time periods all through the movie) considers itself far cleverer than it actually is. The twist at the end is quite obvious long before it’s actually revealed, mostly because of the heavy-handed hints given to us along the way. And the final scene, which was meant to have some shock value to it, ends up being more like “well yeah, we guessed that already”.

Still, it is a movie that tries its best to keep you on your toes and some of the more confusing plot points would no doubt be cleared up by a repeat viewing. A fine cast and exceptional production make the movie watchable at the very least.

The Good

Christian Bale: as ever, he devotes himself entirely to the role and pulls off another amazing performance.
The production: London of old lives and breathes in this movie. Absolutely exquisite to behold.

The Bad

The plot: The disjointed timeline of the movie seems a bit old hat after having carried off a similar device in Memento. And the whole movie is just a glut of negative emotions.

Again, and again and again and again and again

ONCE AGAIN ~ John Legend

“Get Lifted” was such an incredible album to launch with. A popular and critical success, it ticked all the right boxes and had Kanye Wests rubber stamp of approval on it. By anyone’s standards, it would be a hard act to follow.

But where his first was a hotchpotch of sounds, old and new, his latest album “Once Again” is much more focused and has a definite retro vibe to it. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine this album as a crackling LP spinning on an old-time record player. Everything from the instrumentation to the production is a throwback to golden age of Motown (with one or two exceptions). This overarching style certainly wont be everyone’s cup of tea, but that era is a particular favourite of mine.

I used to think that John, as an artist, was something Kanye West gave birth to, but Kanyes influence on this album is minimal, and almost every track is co-penned by John himself.

By and large, the album is dominated by the theme of love. The melodies range from light and bouncy, to lush and romantic. There’s nothing too heavy going on here. Johns voice is as emotive as ever and just like Stevie Wonder, his songs contain notes that would sound completely off key if anyone else but him sang them.

John Legend is definitely back, not with a bang, but more of a sensual thrust :P

Standout Tracks

• Show Me
• Each Day Gets Better
• P.D.A (We Just Don’t Care)
• Again
• Where Did My Baby Go

The word of God

So after two years, I’ve finally made it through the entire run of PREACHER graphic novels! Penned by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon, this series was completely different from anything I had read previously. Never before had I read a comic that compelled me to devour issue after issue till the book was finished. Comprising nine volumes in all, there were some that I got through in less than a day!

What first struck me about Preacher was its prominent use of foul language. It was course and colourful and rarely let up. There was also more violence and gore than you could shake a Texas Chainsaw murderer at. Having been brought up on a staple diet of Spiderman and X-men comics, reading Preacher made me feel like a youngster who’d just snuck into an 18s movie :P

The characters felt real and nuanced and garnered genuine concern from me over the course of their many wild adventures. The art wasn’t much to speak of, but was perfectly suited to the raw and gritty dialogue. The over-arching story (the search for god) kept me interested, mainly because I was curious to see how a subject so far-reaching could ever be resolved. The smaller in-between character-building stories were much more interesting though. The conclusion felt a bit underwhelming, but it was one HELL of a ride getting there! So what are you doing still reading this when you could be out there reading Preacher right now? GO! GET! :D

Basil Poledouris 1945 - 2006 RIP

Fans of film music the world over have mourned the passing of Basil Poledouris, who died of cancer on the 8th of November.

While not as instantly recognisable as the Horners or the Williams of the movie scoring world, Poledouris has composed some of the biggest, most lyrically beautiful music to ever grace the big screen.
His highlights included: Conan The Barbarian (an absolute classic), Robocop, Lonesome Dove, The Hunt For Red October, Free Willy, The Jungle Book, Starship Troopers (one of my personal favourites) and Les Misérables. Even though he became less prolific in recent years, his legacy will never be forgotten. R.I.P.

Flavour of the week - Ryan Phillippe

In celebration of his new-found single status :D (and if you squint real hard, doesn't he remind you a lil of James Dean in the fifth pic?)

The ballad of Britters and Fed-Ex

Sings: “Tis the season for the breakups, fa la la la la, la la la la”.

First Whitney and Bobby call it a day (FINALLY, after a turbulent 14 years), then Ryan and Reece decide to end their vows (after a modest, but still respectable 7 years). Now Britney and K-Fed, after a hefty two years of wedded bliss, are seeking a divorce due to that old nugget “irreconcilable differences” (now who saw THAT one coming?! :P)

I find that that particular excuse is used a little too much by celeb couples these days. You ever wonder what exactly those irreconcilable differences could be?

Does he constantly sleep on HER preferred side of the bed? Does Britney repeatedly take Kevins bike out for a ride without permission? Is she a cat person and hes a dog person? Does Kevin leave the toilet seat up on purpose and flat out refuses to change his wild ways? For once, I’d really like to know! :D

The artist formally known as Thicke (aka: TAFKAT)

THE EVOLUTION OF ROBIN THICKE ~ Robin Thicke

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this album was a long time coming.

Robin Thickes debut album “A Beautiful World”, released in 2003, is one of my absolute all-time favourite albums. As such, my expectations for his follow-up “The Evolution of Robin Thicke” were sky high.

Admittedly, I’m not the most patient of men, so to see the albums release date pushed back month after month was maddening. Almost a full year had passed from the time the first single was released, to when the album finally hit the shelves. Though apparently Robin, a notorious perfectionist, imposed almost all the delays himself. Songs were repeatedly added and dropped from the tentative track listing. Even some of the songs used for promotional purposes didn’t end up on the final disc.

The choice of singles prior to the albums release was unforgivable. The first was a monotonous Neptunes produced number, “Wanna Love U Girl”. The second was “Shooter”, a mangled remix of a track from his first album. The third was an uninspired remix of the bland first single (supposed formula for success: alter the beat and add more rappers). It wasn’t until the release of the (frankly brilliant) fourth single “Lost Without U” that I felt a glimmer of hope for the rest of the album.

Getting onto the album proper, it didn’t immediately grab me by the balls like his first one did. Very few of the tracks displayed the same kind of dynamic sound that made his debut so unique. But it became obvious early on in my listens that this release was going to be more of a slow burner. The first track on the album was an interesting choice. A duet with Faith Evans, she actually opened the track (and therefore the album), with Robin coming in as backing vocals after about 40 seconds. The rest of the disc is a mixture of mellow R&B cuts, piano-led ballads and a couple of interesting up-tempo numbers. The highlights of this album were the quiet lil ballads. Robins breathy, yet earnest vocals resonated with emotion and made the songs feel so intimate, like you were listening to something private and ever-so personal.

In the time honoured “Prince” tradition, he writes, produces and plays the instruments on almost every single track on the album. This is impressive in its own right, but at the same time exemplifies the kind of control freak he is. Taking a cue from the title, I think there has been a significant change in Robins output this time round. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it an “evolution”, but the sound here is considerably more mature, coherent and refined than it was in “A Beautiful World”. At any rate, this was a very personal album. Unlike the first album, none of the songs compel you to get up and dance, but quite a few will have you grinding the hips. That distinction is very telling. I found that this time round, I actually preferred the tracks that weren’t as heavily produced. I think it lends a more intimate feel to the songs, sounding as if they were recorded live, with a small accompanying band.

My main beef with the album would be its considerable length, clocking in at just over an hour and a quarter. A number of tracks could have been culled entirely to allow for a leaner listening experience. The only other fault with the album is that it panders to a hip-hop audience on a number of selected tracks. I think that flirting with this genre was a blatant attempt to come across as more credible artist. Sadly, those particular songs are terribly sub-par and totally indistinguishable from the plethora of other hip-hop songs currently heard on the airwaves.

After the dismal failure of his debut, I think Robin might have played things a little safe with this album, as its certainly more accessible than his first. But at the same time, it’s nowhere near as progressive or dynamic as I’d have hoped for. Still, if I were to disregard the handful of generic hip-hop songs, the album holds up very well. (Oh who am I kidding, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the album. Yes, the above review is a little harsh, but I just hold Robin to a slightly higher standard than most other artists. Its tough love people! But theres just no faulting his silky smooth voice :D)

Standout Tracks:

• Got 2 Be Down
• Complicated
• Lost Without U
• Everything I Cant Have
• Teach U A Lesson
• I Need Love
• Cocaine
• 2 The Sky
• Lonely World
• Angels

(Yes, that most of the album :P)

From Pleasantville to Splitsville

If you’ll allow me, I’m gonna take a break from my usual reviews and such and get all sentimental on your ass...

Last week it was announced that after seven years of wedded bliss, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe had decided to separate. Somehow this news flew totally under my radar for a few days, but when I did finally hear about it, I was completely taken aback. I know that its not exactly unheard of for Hollywood couples break up, but I always had this feeling that these two (knowing them as intimately as I do :P ) were matched for life. So it really did pain me to hear that Hollywood’s most perfect power couple had called it a day.

The pair met on the set of Cruel Intentions, where Ryan’s character was on a mission to woo the untouchable Reese. Perhaps he’s something of a method actor, cause a few months later the two were wed, and went on to have two children :D

I’m somewhat disappointed that the illusion of my fairytale couple has been shattered, but I still wish them both all the luck in the future!

Sweet love?

Has anyone else happened to notice the new ad campaign for "Chupa Chups"? And if so, is anyone else as shocked as I am at how brazenly sexual and filthy it is?

The poster (adorning many a bus shelter) has Polaroids of two young women with lollipops wedged in their mouths. Beneath the photos reads the line: "The Pleasure of Sucking".

I'll admit that my mind perpetually LIVES in the gutter, so the poster got a juvenile lil giggle from me. But since when has the sweet company targeted the older demographic? Considering that these sweets are traditionally sold to young children, I think that the subtext of the ad is a TAD too explicit in nature. Ah, maybe I'm just reading into a bit too much, but kudos to the marketing department that managed to get that past the advertising watchdogs :P

Flavour of the week - Chris Evans

Some totally random Chris Evans facts:

• Hes of Irish / Italian descent
• He doesnt smoke or drink
• Hes a vegetarian