Well I never. Here I am in sunny San Diego, and my first ever visit to ComicCon. It's like some kind of Geek Sundance, and everyone who is anyone in the entire worlds of cult film, TV, books, games and, ahem, comics is here, either showcasing or just showing off.
Already we've seen Ghostbusters, Stormtroopers, Batman and Robin, and that was just people dressed-up in the lobby.
In a second I'm off to (surprise surprise) the Doctor Who panel, with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and most excitingly of all, Steven Moffatt talking for the first time in public about taking over the series.
But probably a bigger deal in the States is the Torchwood panel right after - Torchwood being BBC America's biggest show ever. Barrowman, and the actors who play Tosh and Ianto will be there, and so will I. Oh yes.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I Got Six Correct!
The Mercury nominations came out today. Of the 12 (well, 13), I predicted yesterday, six of them were in there. Have to say I was delighted to be wrong about Elbow, not so delighted to be wrong about Adele, but extremely delighted to be right about Neon Neon.
Here is the full list, with correct predictions in BOLD!
Adele - '19'
British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?'
Burial - 'Untrue'
Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
Estelle - 'Shine'
The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
Neon Neon - 'Stainless Style'
Portico Quartet - 'Knee-Deep In The North Sea'
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss – 'Raising Sand'
Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
Rachel Unthank And The Winterset – 'The Bairns'
Here is the full list, with correct predictions in BOLD!
Adele - '19'
British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?'
Burial - 'Untrue'
Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
Estelle - 'Shine'
The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of The Understatement'
Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
Neon Neon - 'Stainless Style'
Portico Quartet - 'Knee-Deep In The North Sea'
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss – 'Raising Sand'
Radiohead - 'In Rainbows'
Rachel Unthank And The Winterset – 'The Bairns'
Monday, July 21, 2008
Mercury Predictions: And a few that won't
These albums will be hot on everyone's tip list, but something just tells me that they won't be. We shall find out tomorrow!
The Pigeon Detectives: Emergency
Okay, so they sell heaps, but surely even the Mercury panel wouldn't be this cynical… would they ?
Adele: 19
Being slightly apparently cooler than Duffy, this might just have edged her if it wasn't for the made-up Brit Award leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth. So the panel will stay well away.
Mystery Jets: 21
To my mind the best indie record of the year so far, but it doesn’t seem to have really crept up to many other people’s radars.
Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
This might've been a shoo-in if it wasn't for the gloom-rock ticket being taken by Radiohead and Portishead for sure.
Lightspeed Champion: Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Six months ago, for sure – but since the Lightspeed thing proved it really didn't have legs, I wouldn't be so sure anymore.
The Enemy: We’ll Live and Die In These Towns
Deserving as it is, The Enemy are a band of the people, which mean most people on the panel will probably reckon them common and not criric-worthy. Shame.
Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Sure this might be their best album ever, but something in my waters says that Coldplay are one of those bands destined never to win it/ The same boat as Elbow really.
The Pigeon Detectives: Emergency
Okay, so they sell heaps, but surely even the Mercury panel wouldn't be this cynical… would they ?
Adele: 19
Being slightly apparently cooler than Duffy, this might just have edged her if it wasn't for the made-up Brit Award leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth. So the panel will stay well away.
Mystery Jets: 21
To my mind the best indie record of the year so far, but it doesn’t seem to have really crept up to many other people’s radars.
Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
This might've been a shoo-in if it wasn't for the gloom-rock ticket being taken by Radiohead and Portishead for sure.
Lightspeed Champion: Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Six months ago, for sure – but since the Lightspeed thing proved it really didn't have legs, I wouldn't be so sure anymore.
The Enemy: We’ll Live and Die In These Towns
Deserving as it is, The Enemy are a band of the people, which mean most people on the panel will probably reckon them common and not criric-worthy. Shame.
Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Sure this might be their best album ever, but something in my waters says that Coldplay are one of those bands destined never to win it/ The same boat as Elbow really.
Mercury Predictions: The 12 That Will
Tomorrow is the most exciting / most boring day in the music industry calendar! It's the announcement of the Mercury Music Prize nominations, supposedly the long list of the 12 albums of the year.
Being painfully predictable, I used technology and science to try and predict who'll make the list. This is what I concluded, plus one for luck. (Well, a boy needs a margin of error from time to time)
Burial: Untrue
Ticks all the boxes: cool enough and they tend to go for innovation. Pretty much a dead cert to win from where I'm standing.
Duffy: Rockferry
Of the two white soul ladies who've been owning the chart this year, I'd say Duffy will wing it, because Adele pissed everyone off with that made-up-Brit-Award debacle.
The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age Of The Understatement
Maybe too obvious to win (this isn't the Turner Prize, after all), but this is exactly the sort of thing Mercury people like.
The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing
Nobody's pretending this is a brilliant album except, probably, the people voting here. It's a teensy cool and it's selling bucketloads.
Portishead: Third
Both brilliant and critically acclaimed. Probably won’t win though, having been there before.
MIA: Kala
Is this eligible? I think probably so. I also think it should probably win.
Estelle: Shine
Despite the embarrassment to the industry of Britain not being able to break her, they’ll still claim it as their own.
Neon Neon: Stainless Style
A curveball perhaps, but as it’s probably my favourite album of 2008 so far, I’m sticking it in.
Kate Nash: Made Of Bricks
I know, I know, but it’s just painfully obvious this one.
Radiohead: In Rainbows
Most likely there'll be a stand-off between the tastemaker types who want to reward the honesty box thing, and the industry folk who will want to do the exact opposite. Less cynically, it should just make it cos it's simply the best they've done in years.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
Obvious token folkie nomination with the added bonus of being one everyone else has heard of. But does it count as British?
Kathryn Williams: Two
Barely know a thing about her, other than it’s another obvious one for the grown-up ticket.
Foals: Antidoes
Perfect for the hipster ticket, but probably won’t win. Well, it’s just not as good as everyone thinks, is it?
Being painfully predictable, I used technology and science to try and predict who'll make the list. This is what I concluded, plus one for luck. (Well, a boy needs a margin of error from time to time)
Burial: Untrue
Ticks all the boxes: cool enough and they tend to go for innovation. Pretty much a dead cert to win from where I'm standing.
Duffy: Rockferry
Of the two white soul ladies who've been owning the chart this year, I'd say Duffy will wing it, because Adele pissed everyone off with that made-up-Brit-Award debacle.
The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age Of The Understatement
Maybe too obvious to win (this isn't the Turner Prize, after all), but this is exactly the sort of thing Mercury people like.
The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing
Nobody's pretending this is a brilliant album except, probably, the people voting here. It's a teensy cool and it's selling bucketloads.
Portishead: Third
Both brilliant and critically acclaimed. Probably won’t win though, having been there before.
MIA: Kala
Is this eligible? I think probably so. I also think it should probably win.
Estelle: Shine
Despite the embarrassment to the industry of Britain not being able to break her, they’ll still claim it as their own.
Neon Neon: Stainless Style
A curveball perhaps, but as it’s probably my favourite album of 2008 so far, I’m sticking it in.
Kate Nash: Made Of Bricks
I know, I know, but it’s just painfully obvious this one.
Radiohead: In Rainbows
Most likely there'll be a stand-off between the tastemaker types who want to reward the honesty box thing, and the industry folk who will want to do the exact opposite. Less cynically, it should just make it cos it's simply the best they've done in years.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
Obvious token folkie nomination with the added bonus of being one everyone else has heard of. But does it count as British?
Kathryn Williams: Two
Barely know a thing about her, other than it’s another obvious one for the grown-up ticket.
Foals: Antidoes
Perfect for the hipster ticket, but probably won’t win. Well, it’s just not as good as everyone thinks, is it?
What's this a picture of?
Surely not the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters? Pixellated? Why yes! The reason? September will see the return of Ghostbusters Mania, which I think we all agree, the world needs. Yes, it's Ghostbuster The Video Game, which is the closest we're going to get to Ghostbusters 3. Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis have written the script, and the original cast are all back to do the voices. That's just one of the things I'll be going to preview. Hurrah! There's a sexy preview here.
On Wednesday I have the privilege of going to ComicCon in San Diego - basically the Gell South By Southwest, where everything in the worlds of cult movies, telly, books and, yes comics, will be showcase.
Check the blogs here!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Biffy... Seconds To Mars?
Good old Biffy Clyro aren't resting on any laurels since their breakthrough success with the 'Puzzle' album. New single 'Mountains' was recorded in Los Angeles with Gggarth, and it's released on August 25.
I wrote what I'm pretty sure was the first review at the Download Festival.
All set to be the biggest hit to date then - well, somebody certainly thinks so judging on the audacious video. Chessboard metaphors! Evil Simon's goth head-dress! Good Simon's anguished expressions! It's all a bit Jared Leto. Except, of course, with decent tunes, like
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Rise against... Racism?
Just got back from Rise at Finsbury Park. This, remember was the free anti-racist festival that Boris wouldn't allow to be anti-racist anymore. Thankfully I didn't witness any incidents of racism, but if I had, would they have been reprimanded? I'm not sure.
CSS were pretty sexy, and thankfully they didn't go into any more of the financial dirty-laundering rants they seem to have taken to lately. Also, Lovefoxxx wore a very cool yellow and black stripey catsuit.
But the day belonged to Jimmy Cliff. Okay, so it wasn't quite as brilliantly life affirming as Eddy Grant at Glastonbury, but still pretty wonderful world, beautiful people sorta 'vibe'. And the true presence of a legend that, somehow, felt more exciting than it woulda been to watch REM at T.
Although they probably didn't get the sound cut mid-song because the program was running late. We can only imagine he was going to finish with 'The Harder They Come' if he'd got the chance, so here it is.
Or 'I Can See Clearly Now', tho he might have played that. I can't remember.
CSS were pretty sexy, and thankfully they didn't go into any more of the financial dirty-laundering rants they seem to have taken to lately. Also, Lovefoxxx wore a very cool yellow and black stripey catsuit.
But the day belonged to Jimmy Cliff. Okay, so it wasn't quite as brilliantly life affirming as Eddy Grant at Glastonbury, but still pretty wonderful world, beautiful people sorta 'vibe'. And the true presence of a legend that, somehow, felt more exciting than it woulda been to watch REM at T.
Although they probably didn't get the sound cut mid-song because the program was running late. We can only imagine he was going to finish with 'The Harder They Come' if he'd got the chance, so here it is.
Or 'I Can See Clearly Now', tho he might have played that. I can't remember.
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