It’s the modern pop culture equivalent of the gathering up of the dead during the Black Death in the Middle Ages. Once a year all the major US TV networks gather in New York for what is called “upfront season” to announce which shows have survived the brutal contest for Continue Reading
ABBA: So that’s a “NO!” to reforming is it Bjorn?
So it’s official then. In this short five second sound clip from Bjorn, who was interviewed on Swedish radio mere days ago on 11 May, he makes it very clear that the band will never, ever reform. You can’t get much more definitive than he does, either in the choice Continue Reading
Pop culture overload
I saw this tweet the other day in my never ending onrushing stream that is my Twitter feed – blink and you will miss things! Hence my eyes are always open now… yes I need a constant supply of eye drops – and it resonated with me instantly. It’s exactly Continue Reading
Sonic Bliss #8: My favourite songs of the week
I am awash in an overflow of wonderful exuberant beautiful music. It’s been a few weeks since the last update and pop music waits for no one, releasing song after stellar song till my iPod threatened to crack open with the virtual strain (it is so melodramatic at times). So Continue Reading
Review: “Strangeland” – Keane
When Keane burst forth on to the music scene with Hopes and Fears in 2004, they met with almost instant success. Their brand of melodic piano-drive pop found a ready audience with people drawn to beautiful emotionally-rich pop. Tom Chaplin’s voice captured anguish and heartache so perfectly you imagined he Continue Reading
Perhaps you can judge a book by its cover after all
The wisdom of that age-old adage remains as true today as the day it leapt into popular use sometime in the early Twentieth Century. We all readily acknowledge that making a judgement on the worth of anything by external appearances only means that we could well miss out on something Continue Reading
Let the pixels rejoice! “Community” and “Cougartown” both renewed
One of the fun games my house mate and I love to play at this time of year – the preceding phrase is laced with so much sarcasm that small puppies and kittens may die if they come too close to it – is whether our favourite US TV shows Continue Reading
Review: “Zombies Hate Stuff” by Greg Stones
Frankly I am not sure why everyone is worried about this Mayan calendar end of the world thing this year. I think we have far more to fear from the impending zombie apocalypse. Or do we? Thanks to Greg Stone, the inspired, uber-talented man behind this amusing book, which also Continue Reading
Road to Eurovision 2012: Week 6
Welcome to another week of barely-controlled Eurovision madness! The clock is loudly ticking down to Eurovision (with an occasional unexpected key change and the odd pyrotechnic burst from the clock face… oh and is that a Ukrainian grandmother popping out of the time keeping piece on the hour every hour, Continue Reading
Review: “The Five Year Engagement”
This is a romantic comedy that desperately wants you to love it wholeheartedly. From the quirkiness of the Meet Cute (where boy meets girl) where Violet (Emily Blunt) dressed as Princess Diana at a costumed New Year’s Eve party locks eyes across the room with a pink bunny costume-clad Tom Continue Reading