COMING SOON

There will be new posts on cities Bristol, London and Glasgow coming very soon as well as posts on films such as Salt, The Expendables and The Last Airbender. 

Keep checking for regular updates on the latest films and music.

Also coming soon. 

Breaking news on a new coffee concept that will soon sweep the nation. 

Where Has John Goodman Gone?

Check out the new leaner, meaner John Goodman! John has lost about 200 pounds by stopping drinking, hiring a personal trainer and exercising six days a week. He has also removed sugar from his diet. His transformation started after he played Santa Claus in a US TV movie and didn't like what he saw. John said "For years, at Christmas-time I'd get fed up and make a resolution, and I'd lose 60 pounds, 65 pounds," he said. "And then I was off to the races again in the summer. I'd just eat whatever I want, and the big key was drinking. I'm an alcoholic."

Goodman told People Magazine, "I'm breaking a sweat but I'm not going nuts." Those workouts, he told Men's Health, include cardio on the elliptical machine and recumbent bike, strength training with resistance bands, and boxing twice a week. 

John Goodman who was 58 in June and was pushing 400lbs has appeared in many films such as The Flintstones, The Big Lebowski and was the voice of "Sulley" in 2001's Monsters Inc but is best known for his role opposite Roseanne Barr in Roseanne. 

And about the clothes? Some "nice slacks" he just ordered finally came, he told People Magazine, and they're already too big!!

 

Pictures courtesy of PR Photos

The Wonderful Paloma Faith

No words - just enjoy!

"New York"

"Stone Cold Sober"

"Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful"

Paloma Faith's Official Site

Music Discovery - The Wellingtons

The Wellingtons are a five piece from Melbourne, Australia and will most definitely perk up your day. Zac, Kate, Koji, Tosh and Gustav have a power pop sound that's very much in the Lemonheads and Weezer category that will take you back to the nineties in no time. But The Wellingtons are not copies by a long shot, they are a summer band very welcome in any season and with influences like Supergrass, The Wannadies and even R.E.M. you cant fail to enjoy this music. The Wellingtons latest album "Heading North For The Winter" is the bands third album and will be released in Australia on November 14th and if you're in and around the Northcote Social Club then why not crash the launch party! They're latest single is "Come Undone" so check them out and see what you think.

"Come Undone"

"Song For Kim"

The Cinematics

Check out a great band called The Cinematics by clicking on the

Music Discovery - Featured Artist page. 

Music Discovery - Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf is the vehicle for Alex Church’s songs - who is not only Sea Wolf’s songwriter and singer but also the band’s only invariable member. Born in the small gold rush town of Columbia, California, Church’s musical memories were shaped by ad hoc bluegrass outfits playing for tourists on sidewalks of his hometown coupled with the Beatles and Willie Nelson records on his mom’s turntable. Church wandered from California twice – once as a boy, when he and his mother spent a year living in a tent in the French countryside, and once for college at NYU's film school He wrote his first song the week he graduated from college and returned to California, where he later became the founding bass player of Los Angeles outfit Irving “Even though I’ve always returned here, I don’t feel like the music has much of a connection to one particular place,” Church explains. “In a way, it’s not rooted in any place.” That sound Church sought and achieved is a combination of delicate, arching melodies and foggy, elegiac narratives. Over the spare instrumentation, his voice can be weary or buoyant, but it’s always capable of leaving an indelible impression.

Sea Wolf - Winter Windows

Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood

Captain AmericaComes To Marvelous Manchester

Comic book giant Marvel Productions is to turn Manchester's Northern Quarter into 1940's New York for a dramatic car chase scene for Captain America: The First Avenger which starts filming next month for two weeks. Following the filming of "Alfie" starring Jude Law and "Sherlock Holmes" starring Robert Downey Jr Manchester has become somewhat of a magnet for movie location scouts who see Manchester as a versatile and cheaper place to film than London or even the real New York City with the Northern Quarter being the apparent hub of activity due to the Victorian buildings and an ability to easily section of parts of the city.

Marvel Production's Film Officer, Susan Williams, said: "The Northern Quarter is one of our most popular filming locations due to it's versatility". 

The movie, based on the Captain America comic books is set to be released in July of next year and will star Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Evans. 

Hungarian Grand Prix 2010 - Hungaroring

Well, so much for a boring race round the Hungaroring!! The 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix however will be remembered for a move that 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher put on former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello. The incident occurred when the pair were battling for 10th place and one world championship point when Schumacher ran wide coming into the pit straight. Rubens Barrichello, following several attempts to pass, moved to the inside but Schumacher moved across forcing the Brazilian very close to the pit wall. The moved was made all the more horrifying by the onboard shot in Barrichellos car as he was forced within inches of the pit-lane wall and by a camera angle that showed Schumacher clearly looking for the Brazilian in his right wing mirror. After the race Schumacher said "Certain drivers have certain views and then there's Rubens". A clearly amazed Barrichello watched on the BBC feed and smiled at the audacity of Schumacher's arrogance saying "It always my fault". Relations between the two have been fraught since their Ferrari days when in 2002 Barrichello was told to let Schumacher through at the Australian Grand Prix and when Schumacher said that that the often emotional Barrichello "cries alot". A similar controversy has only recently dogged the Scuderia at Hockenheim as when Felipe Massa was "asked" to let Fernando Alonso through for the win in Germany.
Schumacher has since been given a 10 place penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix on August 29th and on his web-site has said "sorry if Barrichello felt that I had put him in any danger".
Michael Schumacher has never been far from controversy and is struggling with the Mercedes car with former team boss Ross Brawn.
In the Grand Prix Mark Webber romped home in first place in the Red Bull with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso second and a very miffed Sebastian Vettel in third in the second Red Bull car following a drive through penalty for not observing the safety car distance rule of ten car lengths. This leaves just a twenty point gap between the new championship leader Mark Webber and fifth place Fernando Alonso after scooping up 45 points in two races. Lewis Hamilton failed to finish in the McLaren and team-mate Jenson Button finished eighth.

Michael Palin Discusses His Travels

In this interview Michael Palin briefly discusses the legendary Monty Python and his not so new role as the nations traveller with CNN's Anjali Rao. Michael talks as candidly as ever as he reveals that he was actually the fifth person to be asked to present the first of his many travels, "Around The World In Eighty Days" and talks of what a frightening adventure it would turn out to be. The experience obviously didn't put him off as "Pole To Pole", "Full Circle" and Sahara were to follow among others.
On the Python years Michael talks about his fellow Pythons, the nuances of  its global domination and some tricks of the trade but family life in Sheffield, movies and the future are also brought up which includes a new series covering Brazil.

Sir Alex Backs The Glazers...Again!!

So what does the fact that Sir Alex has again publicly backed the Glazer family and their ownership of Manchester United really mean? Well I don't think it means anything to be honest. Love them or hate them the Glazers own Manchester United and Sir Alex is their employee. No ordinary employee admittedly but do you really expect to hear any negative comments? Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful Manchester United manager in history, he is simply towing the corporate line and in my opinion, if he is happy, I am happy. I like many sincerely hope that Sir Alex is at the helm of Manchester United for many years to come and I am also hopeful that the Glazers do sell up to The Red Knights consortium but don't think for a second that that will be the end of any controversy at the worlds most premier club. OK for sure it would definitely bring some harmony to the club and would mean that the club would be run like Barcelona, by fans, but something will inevitably go wrong at some point. A key signing wont happen or the ticket prices will go up and then it will be back to normal. Maybe the biggest problem with the Glazer family is the obscene amount of debt that they have placed our beloved club into but that's the way business works. If it all went pear-shaped tomorrow there would be a plethora of ably financed suiters ready to take the controls of Manchester United so wave your yellow & gold as I do and wish for a better ran Manchester United but lets remember what Sir Alex has done for this club and how high he regards it current and future success and lets not worry!! If, as its been well predicted, Sir Alex leaves the club within the next year or two and no change of ownership occurs then I'll be worried.

Disney Sells Miramax

Miramax film studios, responsible for great films such as Pulp Fiction, No Country For Old Men and The Queen to name just a few, is to be sold by it's owners, The Disney Corp, in a deal thought to be worth $660m (£422m) to Filmyard Holdings which is a private equity firm. 
Mirimax was originally set up in 1979 by the Weinstein Brothers who named the company after their parents, Miriam and Max, had tried to buy back the company after selling in 1993 but they were beaten by the PE firm after the Weinstein Brothers' financial partner and supermarket magnate Ron Markle refused to back a bid over $600m.  
Disney's Chief Executive said "Although we are very proud of Miramax's many accomplishments, our current strategy for Walt Disney Studios is to focus on the development of great motion pictures under the Disney, Pixar and Marvel brands". This of course comes following a fraught relationship between the Weinsteins and Disney that came to a head when the then Disney chief Michael Eisner would not back the distribution of Michael Moores Fahrenheit 9/11.
The deal will also include Miramax's back catalogue of over 700 films that you can see by clicking the link Miramax Films.

"The Tides" Are Turning!!

The video below is "Routine Life" by a band called The Tides who are a Manchester band with awesome talent and potential. Recently signed to Soviet Union Records I saw these guys a few years ago as an unsigned band and was completely blown away by them. You can catch them in and around Manchester and I would strongly recommend that you do. Check out The Tides official YouTube page and have a listen to tracks such as "Fall", "Friendly Fire" and the haunting "Lights". Lead singer Liam Penningtons vocals are a revelation and has been regularly compared with the likes of Thom Yorke and Placebo's Brian Molko when it comes to his voice but please have a listen and make youre own mind up. Catch them here and catch them first at Automatic Fables. 

ROUTINE LIFE

35th Toronto International Film Festival

As usual its thought that the Toronto International Film Festival will not disappoint this year. With Oscar winners and nominees galore we can expect the usual high standard that we have become to take for granted from a festival that many consider to be second on to Cannes although some may argue that Sundance is up there too. Some great films are set to be showcased in Canada's second capital such as "Another Year" from Mike Leigh, Kevin Spacey's political drama "Casino Jack" and Robert Redford's eagerly anticipated "The Conspirator" about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. 

One Of The Funniest Scenes Ever!!

This scene from "Plans, Trains And Automobiles" is arguably one of the funniest scenes in film history!! The scene stars Steve Martin as the business executive just trying to get home and Edie McClurg, the Marathon Car Rental agent.

Espresso Solutions

This is a coffee house managment and consultancy company that can help with any or all aspects of setting up or managing a coffee house. Please have a look and if you need any assistance at all contact Derrick through Espresso Solutions.