Time for a change.

I've been thinking long and hard. Usually only odd whimsical thoughts come out of such lengthy periods of procastination. As a result of thought and consideration, this will no longer be a blog aimed purely at my opinions and so on an so forth on film and music. I have plenty of other topics I'd like to cover and it would be nice to have a place to do this.
Worry not (I'm sure not many people are worrying at this moment in time if I'm honest) as I will carry on blabbering about films and music. I have no choice. The passion is too strong to hold back! That and the fact I go to the cinema once/watch about 3 films at home on an average week. I also have emerged myself so deep in Spotify that were the music liquid i would drown!

Before I start to trek around in territories new, I will give you a snappy run through of films I have seen at the cinema since my last blog.

The Final Destination (3D) - Poor and VERY predictable. The fact I saw it in 3D was probably a good thing. Had the deaths not seemed like they were happening millimetres from my face, I wouldn't have jumped, recoiled in disgust or stayed awake.

Zombieland - OK, so there was no real point to the story BUT it was funny; Bill Murry made an appearance; the plot line is, at times, one of those that makes you scream "IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THERE'S SOMETHING BAD THERE!'" (inside your head obviously; we don't want you getting thrown out the cinema) but in this case it adds to the humour and I personally found the 32 rules of survival very hand, you know, incase we ever become subject to an influx of zombies. It's going to become a favourite of teenage boys that's or sure. It's got the gore, the humour and the gorgeous Emma Stone as the leading lady.

Saw VI - When I first saw Saw I was so scared I had to turn it off and get my sister to turn all the lights on so I could go to bed. After a while I grew some proverbials and settled down to watch I through to V in the space of a couple of days; I was hooked! So when I heard they doing VI I noted it was a must see. It didn't fail to impress! Blood, guts, gore, shock, terror and life (or not) lessons being taught int he most back handed ways...it needed it, it had it, it worked!

Jennifer's Body - I'm a fan of Megan Fox but not even her looks could save this film. I don't have much mro to say on it. It didn't make me tense but it did introduce me and other to the term 'wettie'...enough said on that. After 'Juno' I expected something different from Diablo Cody. As Fox's character Jennifer says "I am scrumptious!"- Yes you are but this film just isn't!

Pounded...plus 20p.

The recession has hit people hard. It's even hitting us students and to be fair, we don't really complain. We get 10% off in most shops and we LOVE own-brand food from the supermarkets; We do complain quite a lot when our student union bumps up the prices of drinks on a club night...POUNDED as the name would suggest is £1 entry and £1 drinks...WRONG. Due to these tough financial times its still £1 entry but £1.20 drinks, which might I add are a single measure of your chosen spirit and a dribble of mixer. I quite like to be able to enjoy my drink, rather than squinting ater because the JD is warm and too strong. That might explain why last night it was fairly empty. There was no queue and easier than normal to get a drink. West St would have been a better option but we opted for the cheap night out due to the aftermath of freshers. I've only been to pounded twice...I think it will have to remain that way.

"In for £1, drinks for £1! Does exactly what it says on the tin."
I think the union need to update thier website...

Pounded plus 20 pennies - I'm not impressed.

The teacher has been taught a lesson...

I heard Alexandra Burke's single in the car on the way to Alton Towers about a month ago; I didn't realise that her X-factor mentor, Cheryl Cole was releasing a single just a week after in October.
Now I'm going to put this out there before I start, I don't like either. It's not my type of music and I don't watch reality TV like the X-factor but I will say after listening to both songs, I definitely have a preference.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that it is a no-brainer that Cheryl Cole, one fifth of Girls Aloud who have become one of the biggest selling female groups of all time, would release the better of the two singles; that is not the case. Alexandra Burke (with a bit of help from Flo-Rida) has topped C.C's efforts. Maybe Cheryl should take some of her own advise.

Read more and watch the videos.

HP or Twilight?

There was a full party discussion about this the other night which became rather heated and there were almost (hypothetical) fangs and wands at the ready.

The result: The party was split virtually down the middle, with a few who couldn't decide just teetering on the magical fence. I personally read about 8 pages of a the twilight series and put it down. Now, I like my magical, mystical reads so that was quite odd. Harry Potter just wins for me everytime. Maybe it's because I grew up with Harry and it helped me to stay interested, I don't know, but I won't turn my nose too far up at the Twilight series until I manage to sit throught the whold film without finding what is going on outside my window more interesting...

What is your favourite film?

It’s a question that is guaranteed to cause disagreement; there is no set answer and what one person loves another might hate. Amongst my group of friends alone, if we were to compile a collaborative favourite films list, the range would be huge; From Schindler's List to P.S. I Love You. So if I were to ask you what your favourite film was, what would you say? I know I would struggle to name one specific film because there is an abundance of top films out there. I could probably whittle it down to my top 10 but then there is always that situation of ‘Oh my god, that’s a brilliant film; I completely forgot that one!’ and then my top ten could rapidly expanded quite uncontrollably.

I like to frequent IMBD (It’s probably one of the most visited website of mine) for the low-down on the latest films; for actor bios and to see what people have said about older films that have been suggested to me. So, to prove just how vast and varied the answer to this question can be I have had a look at the top 250 films on the site as chosen by voters. I don’t want to swamp you with 250 but I will give you the top one hundred:

     Rank     Rating    Title

• 1.      9.1       The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (See picture below)

             Courtesy: IMDB.com

• 2.      9.1       The Godfather (1972)
• 3.      9.0       The Godfather: Part II (1974)
• 4.      8.9       Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)
• 5.      8.9       Pulp Fiction (1994)
• 6.      8.9       Schindler's List (1993)
• 7.      8.8       12 Angry Men (1957)
• 8.      8.8       One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
• 9.      8.8       The Dark Knight (2008)
• 10.    8.8       Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• 11.    8.8       Casablanca (1942)
• 12.    8.8       Star Wars (1977)
• 13.    8.8       The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• 14.    8.8       Shichinin no samurai (1954)
• 15.    8.7       Goodfellas (1990)
• 16.    8.7       Rear Window (1954)
• 17.    8.7       Cidade de Deus (2002)
• 18.    8.7       Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (See picture below)
  
             Courtesy: IMDB.com
  
• 19.    8.7       Fight Club (1999)
• 20.    8.7       The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• 21.    8.7       C'era una volta il West (1968)
• 22.    8.7       The Usual Suspects (1995)
• 23.    8.7       Psycho (1960)
• 24.    8.6       The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• 25.    8.6       Sunset Blvd. (1950)
• 26.    8.6       The Matrix (1999)
• 27.    8.6       Memento (2000)
• 28.    8.6       Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
• 29.    8.6       North by Northwest (1959)
• 30.    8.6       It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
• 31.    8.6       Se7en (1995)
• 32.    8.6       The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• 33.    8.6       Citizen Kane (1941)
• 34.    8.6       Léon (1994)
• 35.    8.6       Apocalypse Now (1979)
• 36.    8.6       American Beauty (1999)
• 37.    8.5       Taxi Driver (1976)
• 38.    8.5       American History X (1998) (See picture below)
  
            Courtesy: IMDB.com
  
• 39.    8.5       Up (2009)
• 40.    8.5       Vertigo (1958)
• 41.    8.5       Forrest Gump (1994)
• 42.    8.5       Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
• 43.    8.5       Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• 44.    8.5       WALL•E (2008)
• 45.    8.5       Paths of Glory (1957)
• 46.    8.5       Double Indemnity (1944)
• 47.    8.5       Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
• 48.    8.5       M (1931)
• 49.    8.5       Alien (1979)
• 50.    8.5       To Kill a Mockingbird (1962 

It’s a list full of classics and something for everyone. It’s definitely given me a few ideas. So, with that little bit of inspiration from IMDB, what is my favourite films list? I’ll include the stats from IMDB too.

      Rank    Rating    Title

• 1.       8.6       American Beauty (1999) (see pic below)
  
         Courtesy: IMDB.com
  
• 2.       8.2       The Big Lebowski (1998)
• 3.       7.4       American Psycho (2000)
• 4.       7.3       Beetle Juice (1988)
• 5.       7.9       Being John Malkovich (1999) (See picture below)
  
                 Courtesy: IMDB.com
  
• 6.       8.0       The Truman Show (1998)
• 7.       7.0       Anchorman (2004)
• 8.       7.8       The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
• 9.       7.3       Burn After Reading (2008)
• 10.     8.2       Scarface (1983)

I personally love nothing better than a film and good company (simultaneously) so I’m always open to suggestions of films to watch. I often find that I end up buying the suggested film too which is always nice; it adds a bit of personality to the collection I am building; so recommend away!

Currently in my DVD player: The Weather Man – IMDB rating = 6.9/10 - My rating = 7

2009 is being powered by one woman and a machine.

Image courtesy of florenceandthemachine.net

If you have never heard of Florence + the Machine, where have you been?! They’ve taken the musical industry by storm over the past year. They have been thrust into the limelight with songs such as ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ and ‘Drumming Song’ and with a fan base that is ever growing, they look set to remain there for some time to come.

With comparisons being draw to such artists as Kate Bush, Nick Cave and a little bit of Björk, F+TM are not simply a band for the younger music lovers but also for those who tend not to relate to chart music of today. Described as indie-pop, alternative-rock soul there is something for everyone. The wide appeal of their music is partly down to the mix of harps, piano, drums and choirs compared to the ultra modern digital sound we’ve all become so accustomed to hearing now. The music surrounds you and you become complete immersed in the beauty of what is flowing into your ears. On the bands bio Welch is quoted as saying:
“I want my music to sound like throwing yourself out of a tree or off a tall building, or as if you’re being sucked down into the ocean and you can’t breathe.”

There truly is an element of being overwhelmed by the music, a feeling reflected by Welch who describes her music as “something all-encompassing”. Welch will openly admit that she writes her best material when she is drunk or hung over as this is when the free and feral music flows easiest creating itself from memories and fragments in notebooks.“You’re lucid” Welch explains, “but not really there. You’re floating through you own thoughts. I feel like life’s a constant acid trip, those times when things keep coming back.”

The 2009 Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Lungs’ is an emotionally raw fairytale journey catapulting you through love and all the pains attached. Playing host to songs such as ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’, ‘Kiss With A Fist’ and ‘You Got The Love’, ‘Lungs’ has helped secure F+TM’s huge fan base.

And it’s not just her own Welch is capable of performing with such spellbinding talent, with covers such as ‘Hospital Beds’ by Cold War Kids, ‘You Got The Love’ by The Source and Candi Staton and ‘Halo’ by Beyonce. The latter, which F+TM performed in the BBC Live Lounge, was described by host Jo Whiley as one of the best covers they had ever had in the Live Lounge, proving the capability of the band to deliver even when performing live. On stage no two performers are alike often gathering clothes from second-hand shops on the day and Welch goes at it like a woman possessed.

Often overlooked is the seven-piece band of long term collaborators that collective form ‘The Machine’:

• Rob Ackroyd – Guitar
• Chris Hayden – Drums
• Isabella Summers – Keyboard
• Tom Monger – Harp

So what is ‘Lungs’ all about? What inspires such emotionally raw songs? What is it that helped them cinch the 2009 Critics Choice Award at The Brits?

“Everything is about boys! The whole album is about love – and pain.”

Florence +the Machine: Heart-warmingly honest and fully deserving of their rise to fame.

'Lungs' - 8.7/10 - I'm loving Cosmic Love!

And the Moon Man goes to...

Image courtesy of MTV.co.uk

Monday night saw the 2009 MTV VMA awards ceremonybecome possibly the most cal yet, but aside from THAT outburst who were the other winners and losers of the night?

Video of the Year

Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Eminem, "We Made You"
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
Britney Spears, "Womanizer"
...and the winner is - Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

Best New Artist
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Drake, "Best I Ever Had"
3OH!3, "Don't Trust Me"
Kid Cudi, "Day 'N' Nite"
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
...and the winner is - Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"

Best Male Video
Eminem, "We Made You"
Ne-Yo, "Miss Independent"
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
T.I., "Live Your Life"
Jay-Z, "D.O.A."
...and the winner is - T.I., "Live Your Life"

Best Female Video
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold"
Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You"
Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me"
Pink, "So What"
...and the winner is - Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me"

Best Hip-Hop Video
Eminem, "We Made You"
Flo Rida, "Right Round"
Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
Asher Roth, "I Love College"
Jay-Z, "D.O.A."
...and the winner is - Eminem, "We Made You"

Best Pop Video
Britney Spears, "Womanizer"
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
Wisin y Yandel, "Abusadora"
Cobra Starship (featuring Leighton Meester), "Good Girls Go Bad"
...and the winner is - Britney Spears, "Womanizer"

Best Rock Video
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
Paramore, "Decode"
Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
Green Day, "21 Guns"
Fall Out Boy, "I Don't Care"
...and the winner is - Green Day, "21 Guns"

Breakthrough Video
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Heads Will Roll"
Matt and Kim, "Lessons Learned"
Passion Pit, "The Reeling"
Bat for Lashes, "Daniel"
Anjulie, "Boom"
Cold War Kids, "I've Seen Enough"
Death Cab for Cutie, "Grapevine Fires"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Chairlift, "Evident Utensil"
Major Lazer, "Hold the Line"
...and the winner is - Matt and Kim, "Lessons Learned"

Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman)
David Lee Roth, "California Girls"
Foo Fighters, "Everlong"
U2, "Streets Have No Name"
George Michael, "Freedom"
OK Go, "Here It Goes Again"
Tom Petty, "Into the Great Wide Open"
Dr. Dre (featuring Snoop Dogg), "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang"
Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Björk, "Human Behavior"
Radiohead, "Karma Police"
...and the winner is - Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"

Best Choreography
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Kristinia DeBarge, "Goodbye"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Ciara (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Love Sex Magic"
A. R. Rahman and Pussycat Dolls (featuring Nicole Scherzinger), "Jai Ho!"
...and the winner is - Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

Best Direction
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Cobra Starship (featuring Leighton Meester), "Good Girls Go Bad"
Green Day, "21 Guns"
...and the winner is - Green Day, "21 Guns"

Best Editing
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Miley Cyrus, "7 Things"
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
...and the winner is - Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

Best Special Effects
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Eminem, "We Made You"
Kanye West (featuring Mr. Hudson), "Paranoid"
...and the winner is - Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"

Best Cinematography
Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Green Day, "21 Guns"
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
...and the winner is - Green Day, "21 Guns"

Art Direction
Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Britney Spears, "Circus"
Gnarls Barkley, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"
...and the winner is - Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"

For more information on this years VMAs visit the MTV website.

Dear Kanye. You’re a jackass. Love the rest of the music industry.

With a face like an angel and a voice that has won over millions, it’s hard to imagine how someone like Taylor Swift can get someone’s back up quite so badly because Kanye West does not seem happy!

Without a doubt the 2009 MTV VMAs will go down as one of the most memorable yet. One man, yes you Kanye, mangaed to upstage theLady Gaga, Madonna, Jay- Z, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys. He even managed to steal the limelight from the extended trailer of “New Moon”.

Country music was given a revamp whenTaylor Swift errupted onto the internation music scene, making country music accessible to a younger audience. Combine that with her angelic looks and her fashionable eye, which is quickly earning her some serious fashion stripes, and Swift is a role model for millions. The sheer amount of celebs expressing outrage over West’s outburt at the VMAs is testament to this.

Shocked and infinitely grateful, Swift walked on stage, looking fantastic, to collect the award for “Best Female Music Video”. Mere seconds into her acceptance speech, which was simply praise for her fans and not a drop egocentrical, she was shot down by West who jumped on stage and completely upstaged the young musician by spouting :
"I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."
And it’s this lack of professionalism that left hundreds at the award ceremony open-mouthed and has has seen many angry and abusive tweets coming from celebrities.

Pink: “Kanye west is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me.”
“My heart goes out to taylor swift. She is a sweet and talented girl and deserved her moment. She should know we all love her.”
“Beyonce is a classy lady.I feel for her, too.Its not her fault at all, and her and taylor did their thing. And douche bag got kicked out. HA"

Katy Perry: "F*** you Kanye. It's like [you] stepped on a kitten."
“Vma's we're amaze sack but why every1 gotta go ruin the top & bottom of it all, Kan** 2 Lil M*** get OFF DA STAGE IT AIN'T YO TIME 2 SHINE!”

Joel Madden: "WOW Taylor Swift's first VMA and she didn't even get to ENJOY it. Kanye You were just a bully on that one man."

Hayley Williams: "Taylor swift, y'all. #teamTaylor."

Lauren Conrad: "i heart Taylor Swift! Congrats! Well deserved."

This sheer lack of professionalism will surely be fuel for critics of West and will have turned a few fans off. Its essential that you respect people in an industry that’s so volatile. Behavious like that shown a tthe VMAs can seriously hamper your career. I doubt Kanye West will be on many guest lists for a while...

What do you say Obama?...

Things sound grand down in Mexico

Many films have an exceptional soundtrack. Some songs just communicate with you and stick with you for a long time after the film credits have finished running.

There is usually one song that hits you hardest though; It's the one that makes you cry or sometimes it's the one that hypes you up. Occasionally, it's the song that makes you want to get up and shake your body like there is nobody watching...

After watching Quentin Tarantino's 'Death Proof' last year, I decided the soundtrack was up there amongst my all timers. However, it wasn't until a friend made a mix CD for my car and on comes the slick sound of saxophones and piano that I remembered the higlight of the film musically... 'Down In Mexico' by The Coasters.

For me, it's the musical peak of the film, amplified by the erotic lapdance scenewhich sees Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) showing Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) her best girations as the result of a bet.
Make your own mind up...




Tarantino is a master of film, I dare say one of a small elite of exceptional film makers working on the Hollywood scene at present. Death Proof is just another film to add to the ever growing list of iconic films. 7.5/10

Breath-takingly intimate

There's a lovely chandelier over head, a waiter in tails serving drinks to the relaxed clientele who are dressed as though they have been plucked from a still life of 1920s Hollywood. On the stage stands a mystifyingly beautiful blonde woman whose voice is seductive and strong.

Actually, there's nothing of the sort but that is the beauty of it. All there is surrounding me is stacks of clutter and my laptop, which is mesmerising me with the sounds of Diana Krall.

The 43 year old, Canadian born award winning pianist and singer has always been musical, her father was an avid record collector and a stride-pianist, so attending music college and embarking on a journey whihc would see Krall carve out a stellar career path was inevitable.

Her new album, also her twelfth album, 'Quiet Nights' is completely soul stilling.

“It’s not coy. It’s not ‘peel me a grape,’ little girl stuff. I feel this album’s very womanly – like you’re lying next to your lover in bed whispering this in their ear.” Krall is not suggesting nights out but nights in.

The breathy vocals, stunning sensuality and breath-taking intimacy of all ten tracks is astounding. There is not one song that fails to impress. The beautiful renditions of 'You're my thrill', 'Walk on by' and 'Boy from Ipanema' are sure to continue to satisfy my musical needs for a long time yet.

“It’s a sensual, downright erotic record and it’s intended to be that way.”

And with that I close my eyes once more...

Waiting for the Ad break...

I just turned on the TV in the living room and the first thing I hear is an annoyingly catchy song that i know will be in my head for the foreseeable future. "Sweet." I think. Whats this? It was an advert. So i promptly turned the TV back off and came online to do some YouTube surfing. Just to see what other little gems I could uncover...

I found so many good adverts. Not your bloody bog standard bingo or insurance advert but some really clever ones, mainly ones advertising cars or mobile networks. Where the hell do these people get these ideas? And the music on these adverts is top notch. I won't deny I have googled many an advert to find out what the song is just because I just cannot get it out of my head!

So here are a selection of adverts that I thought were pretty impressive...























So there's a small selection.

But, I think it's only fair that Sony get a mention with the collection they've made. The advert witht he bouncing balls that made 'Heartbeats' by Jose Gonzales a hit, remember that one?

Pirates on a sinking ship.

The four founders of popular file-sharing website Pirate Bay, Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde, have been sentenced to a year in jail after being found guilty of copyright offences.

Pirate Bay is a site that offers files for download to thousands of users, from the new albums or films to a collection of games for a games console.

On top of the prison sentence, they have been ordered to pay fines to the overall sum of $4.5m (£3m) to a number of record companies including EMI and Sony Music Entertainment. However, the damages they w ordered to pay fell short $17.4m of what the record companies were asking for.

The group were found to have assisted copyright violations by allowing thousands of users to download and share copyrighted files.
Whilst record companies have welcomed the action taken by a court in Sweden, the group have described the verdict as "bizarre" and Sunde said he would refuse to pay the fine.

Speaking to the BBC, the chairman of industry body the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) John Kennedy said the verdict sent out a clear message."The Pirate Bay did immense harm and the damages awarded don’t even come close to compensation, but we never claimed it did. There has been a perception that piracy is OK and that the music industry should just have to accept it. This verdict will change that."

In my eyes, while this case is getting so much media coverage, file-sharing sites are going to be overwhelmed with people searching for TPB and finding out how easy it is to download what they want without the ski-high price tag that comes with buying it on the high street or online.

I doubt that there will be a high level on consistency so there will still be P2P sites out there and it seems a general opinion that the Pirate Bayers will be rearing their heads again soon...

VM vs WWW

Van Morrison - Rock legend, the undisputed grumpy man of rock and now VM is tackling online piracy head on.

VM employed anti-piracy firm Web Sheriff to target YouTube videos and fansites that he hadn't endorsed. Even YouTube videos of VM covers posted by fans must now credit VM's record company.

Franz Ferninand have also recently used Web Sheriff to scour the internet to deal with leaks of their latest album.

Web Sheriff's clients include record labels, music publishers, pop stars, film companies, film stars, celebrities, sports personalities to name just a few from a long list.

Former music industry lawyer, John Giacobbi, who runs Web Sheriff, told Q magazine:
"With genuine fansites, we'll offer them one or two tracks to post in exchange for removing an album. We don't want to alienate enthusiasts."

VM, however, staying true to character, was much more thorough, leaving only one fansite and the official VM site in tack.

Sheffield's climate is changing...

Sheffield’s climate is changing, wetter winters and summers and higher temperatures all year round.What are you doing to help save the planet?

Sheffield felt the effects of climate change first hand in the summer of 2007 when there were terrible floods.

pic: BBC


pic: Safecoast

The world’s climate has become huge in the media world; an abundance of advice, proposals from the government and, most of all, warnings. But are we listening to these warnings? Are we changing our ways to help try and combat climate change and to save the planet and, more importantly, are we working on a local scale to help the bigger picture?

Elspeth, Kitchen Supervisor, 41 from Sheffield, said: “At work, the environment is high on our agenda. As I work in a school we are always working with the local authorities to help encourage the children to recycle. I try to do as much as I can at home too. We’ve just switched to energy saving light bulbs throughout the house and we have a ‘no standby’ rule too.”

Rodney, Retired, 75 from Sheffield, said: “I am a keen gardener so I always try and put as much on my garden as I can and my wife always separates our rubbish. I remember when we had proper seasons, that were distinctly different from each other but now we really can’t tell. We get snow in the spring/summer seasons! The effects of climate change are becoming very apparent.

Lauren, Student, 18 from Hull, said: “When I used to live at home I didn’t really take much notice of leaving things on standby but now I turn everything off. The effects of climate change are evident worldwide and are really hard hitting. I have completely changed my attitude over the past few months.”

Janice, Cleaner, 55 from Sheffield, said: “I have to admit, I probably don’t do enough. We got some energy saving light bulbs just before Christmas but that’s about it. My kids always come back from school with stories about the effects of climate change. I think it’s good that they are aware of what’s going on and what we should be doing to help. Maybe I should listen to them more from now on.”

Jillian, Voluntary worker, 67 from Sheffield, said: “I have always recycled. Living on my own means that there aren’t many appliances on in my house, so I don’t have a problem with things being left on standby. The main thing I am guilty of is using my car to make journeys that I could probably make by foot or even by bus.”

Pradeep, Business Manager, 29 from Sheffield, said: “We have just had our company buildings fitted with motion sensors so the lights only come on for a certain amount of time after they have detected movement. We also try to use paper and other stationary from sustainable sources. We try to be as energy efficient as is possible but there are areas we could improve on and we are trying to find ways to sort this in the near future.”

Ways to combat climate change - Some useful websites:

• Britain Unplugged
• Climate change: A quick guide - Direct Gov
• Stop Climate Change - Greenpeace

While doing my vox pop I found it quite hard to get people to stop and talk to me. I think so many people are approached by people asking them to donate money or to sign up for things that this puts a lot of people off. After a while of being in my location I did manage to gather some good quotes. The general outcome of my vox pop pleased me although I did have problems with people allowing me to take their picture, so I resorted to not using pictures as I found this made people a lot more willing to talk to me.

"Good afternoon, good evening and good night" is the perfect cure...

'Recommend a movie for a friend stuck on the couch with a cold.'

Laughs, ups, downs, an intriguing twist and a loveable character.

An all round amazing film and I guarantee you will find yourself saying "Good afternoon, good evening and good night!" over and over after watching this film!

Campaign for a good campaign site

Fathers for Justice
· Bright and colourful homepages that is clear and easy to navigate.
· Catchy slogan - 'A father is for life, not just for conception'
· Numerous helpful links
· Homepage is slightly too 'wordy' after initial slogan and video.
· BEST FEAUTURE - Colour scheme and images
· WORST FEATURE - Too much text after video on homepage.

Greenpeace
· Clear links and simple colour scheme in the recognisable green that Greenpeace use.
· Visual links help elaborate causes
· States clearly what it wants from user.
· Not too overloaded with words. Start of an article which entices the user into clicking 'read more'.
· BEST FEATURE - Clearly states its intentions.
· WORST FEATURE - Layout of the homepage is crowded.

VH1 Save the Music
· Colourful, lively homepage.
· Clear links to other useful site to help spread awareness of campaign - The Save the Music facebook page, mailing list.
· Basic but effective format - 6 main links at the top of the page each with numerous other links when clicked on/hovered over.
· BEST FEATURE - Simplicity
· WORST FEATURE - I genuinely don’t feel that this site has any bad features.

Watch 'Watchmen'

I recommend that any comic/thriller/action fan go and watch 'Watchmen'.

Brilliant graphics.
Suspense.

Great cast.
Superb storyline.

The occasional gore scene (it adds to the overall effect of the film, it's needed).

Some racy scenes.

Plays with human emotions in unnatural settings giving the basis of a gripping story.

An thrilling remake of a classic DC comics publication - 8.5/10

My road-trip mix tape

'Name three songs you'd put on a road trip mix tape.'

Seventy Times 7 by Brand New

All These Thing That I've done by The Killers

Song For Whoever by Beautiful South

Have a favorite line from a movie?

'"Frankly, Rosebud, you can't handle the truth!" Have a favorite line from a movie?'

"You're a fucking ugly bitch. I want to stab you to death, and then play around with your blood."



Patrick Bateman has to be one of the greatest characters in film history. Its all in the sombre humour. If you can understand it, you'll enjoy it time and time again.

Can I change film please...

'What’s the most awkward movie you’ve watched with your family?'

Not technically with family but on a school trip to San Fransico they dicided to take us to see this film...not so good when you have to sit next to your teacher. Then to make it worst she asks at the end "Did you see that sex scene!?".
Yes I saw it...