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scar time is here again, and the Hollywood machine is all after a piece of me. After 60 odd years I'm still the most coveted thing on anyone's mantle piece and the most desirable thing on a plinth. This year I'm bound to be snatched up by a whole host of British talent • that is if the Academy can bear to pass over their home-grown stock. I'm just hanging about at the moment, for the next few weeks, in between last week's nominations and the awards next month. This, of course, gives me plenty of time to take a look at Concrete and the juicy filling known as The Event. You don't get anything like this in the City of Angels. Obviously, I turned to the movie section first, which has a rather fine spread all about me. There's also a feature on Blaxploitation movies • which reminds me, look out for Jackie Brown in the coming months, brought to you by Mr Tarantino, who is still bitter about not winning more of me for Pulp Fiction. There's reviews and previews, so find out if Flubber really is any good. The centre spread gives the newest, trendiest, and richest poet, Murray Lachlan Young, a grilling in an exclusive interview. All manner of musical tastes are featured as The Event talks to those controversial, anarchistic, water-throwing tubthumpers, Chumbawamba, and the slightly less troublesome Asian Dub Foundation. After the success of Boogle Nights, porn is on everyone's minds (if it wasn't already). Anyone interested should have a look at lnter@ctive in the first of a two part feature on adult entertainment. Cool off with the latest book and theatre reviews on the arts pages - there's also a piece on Clare Tomalin, the latest literary heavyweight to visit NoiWich. All this and more --=~.. packed into 20 pages of thrilling entertainment! lt's only a matter of time before we'll be looking at The Event, the movie. Look out for me next month as hundreds of ego heavyweights grapple for me, Oscar - the ultimate paperweight.
pecsavers Opticians, the UK's leading optical retailer, have teamed up with Contiki holidays to offer two lucky students the chance to go skiing and snowboarding in Austria! If that wasn't enough, Specsavers are also offering one person a pair of the latest colour contact lenses and free fitting . Yes, you too can have a great new look that's bound to turn heads. To win one of these fantastic prizes all you have to do is answer th is question:Where is the exact location of this year's Winter Olympics? Put your answers on a postcard along with your name. school , year and contact phone number and pop 'em in the competitions box in Union House. Good Luck. The terms and conditions for the competition
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are as follows: The holiday prize must be taken before the end of season . The prize consists of a seven day ski holiday for two people in Hopfgarten , Austria , including return transport from London and multi-share accommodation on a B&B basis. Ski hire, lift passes, ski lessons and insurance are the responsibility of th e prize wi nner. The tour is non-refundable , non-transferable and has no cash value. The winner will be chosen by FFI Beatwax and mformed by phone. The winner of the contact lenses and flttmg session Will be chosen by the editor of The Event.
THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
Editor-In-chief: Jane Kirby Editor: Catherine Jones Huslc Editor: Paul Stokes Assistant Huslc Editor: James Tapsfield Design and Screen Editor: John Spacey Assistant Screen Editor: Diana Goodman TV&Radio Editor: Amy Pierce lntel"@ctlve Editor: Stuart Dredge Arts Editor: James Graham Copy Editor: James Goffin Advertising Manager: Amy Kingswell Contributing Writers: Daniel Bardsley, Katie Westgate, Lucas Psillakis, Emily Hunka, lmogen Rose-Smith, Debbie Kavanagh, Catriona MacLean, Emma Newbery, Jack Hanauer, Max Dunbar, Natasha Whiteman , Chris Hodgen, Jack Hanover, Anita Miah, Kelly Moran, Luke Miles, Nichola Browne, Debbie Marco, Hannah Cox, Eve Foulger, Neill Johnstone, a Spragg
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Asian Dub Found~tion are a band ·with a mission and an opinion on everything. Stuart Dredge got with the programme f you thought that political music means insipid Billy Bragg-a-likes strumming dire socialist anthems, then think again. Asian Dub Foundation combine fiercely intelligent political polemic with cutting edge music. Guitarist Stave Chandra Savale explains how: "If you're gonna have a radical message, you've got to have radical music - the two are fused. Take Public Enemy, for example. They were the most suocessful 'political' band ever. They turned millions of people onto a radical black perspective, because their music was so hardl lt was commanding and Innovative - you just couldn't ignore ltl" There's mOre than a hint of Chuck 0 In ADF's genre-trashlng noise. Hip-hop gets spliced with drum 'n' bass, punk and dub, to create a fusion of styles thafs all their own. Not only is it truly original but Its lyrical content Is actually saying something worthwhile. "Ifs not even about
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being political. Ifs about talking about things that matter. I mean, what do Oasis say? They say alii They say nothing!" So while Noel and chums' Idea of politics consists of going round to Tony's for Champagne and vol-au-vents, ADF have had the nation chanting along to their current single, Free Satpal Ram, a song about a man who has been In prison since 1986, after being attacked In a restaurant. He allegedly accidentally killing one of his assailants In self-defence. ADF rejoice In the Idea of getting Issues such as this Into the minds of the general public. But mlghtn't this lead to accusations of selling out? "No way. If you've got something to say, you shouldn't just want to say it to people who agree with you. Whafs the point In that? The trick Is to be radical and innovative In your sound, but also accessible. We haven't ever been accused of selling out, because nothing we've done has ever diluted our music."
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Uke many, Steve is particularly pre-occupied with the perfonnance of the new Labour government. Or should that be lack of perfonnance? ... "I think · that a lot of people thought things would be much better, but the actual attitudes and policies that have been coming out have been much worse. Welfare for the disabled, single mothers, the elderly... Even you students are getting absolutely shat on, and you're gonna keep getting shat on until you do something about it.• According to Stave, the next decade is going to see "some radical upheavals" In the British political landscape, with political apathy turning to anger amongst young people worldwide. He hastens to add, though, that ADF aren't just a bunch of pofaced soapbox politicians. "When it comes down to it, we're as much a pop band as we are a political band. If we weren't, lfd be boring." Noone would accuse them of that.
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• They wowed us all with their bar order, but as }ames Tapslield found out, anarchism and putting the world to rights are more important to Chumbawamba than the cost of a round ohn Prescott doesn't like them. Richard Branson, we can safely assume , isn't too enamoured with them either. And Leah Setts' father ce rta inly has no time for them. They are, of course, Chumbawamba, the water-throwing self-confessed anarchists who allegedly claimed that youths should steal their records from Virgin and ran the controversial Sorted and Distorted advertising campaign following Leah Setts' death from taking ecstasy. In the flesh and despite the bleached blonde hair, Paul, vocalist and guitarist, doesn't seem an obvious an archist. He is, in fact, a friendly, fai rly softly spoken man in his mid thirties. He munches noisily on a biscuit as I ask my fi rst question, and there are a few moments of confusion as he attempts to indicate thro ugh a series of grunts that he can't answer my question becau se his mouth is fu ll. Finally the blockage is clea red and the interview gets underway. Chumbawamba were formed in Leeds 16 years ago by eight friends who discovered they had similar political attitudes and taste in music. Favouring groups like The Fall and Wire because they had "a social context to their music" - the band appears to have been bu ilt fi rmly on th e punk eth ic of enthusiastic amateurism: "it was always based on the idea that anyone could get up and do it. We were just a group of mates." Through the years Chumbawamba have been through almost as many musical styles as hair cuts. "Our records have always reflected the things we've been into at the time. We were angry about things and we translated it into our music. At first we thought that the type of music you have to play to express that is loud and angry. Then we realised that you didn't have to make music like that to get your message across, and made a really folky album." In fact , Chumbawamba seem to view the political message their music is intended to convey as far more important than the music itself: "Over the years we've had loads of different musical styles, but we've always had a political message in it. That's been the constant thread through it all." The presence of a political agenda can rarely be said to have inhibited the progress of a band. However, in the case of Chumbawamba it appears that this is exactly what has happened. Though at various points through their career they have been on the verge of breaking through, until the advent of Tub thumping mainstream success had eluded them : 'We've had a history of shooting ourselves in the foot . Th ere was a point a few years ago when we were on tour with the Levellers and we should have had a hit album but we insisted on putting a baby being born on the front of th e Anarchy album . What's happened now has happened by accident. We had an idea what kind of album we wanted to do with the Tubthumper
decisions as a group - along anarchist principles. We did a lot of gigs for the miner's groups in 1984 to 95, raising money. Whol e villages were organising themselves with no support from local or national government. But that sort of system isn't going to come out of Tony Stair's middle classes because everything's going their way as it is." As a politics student, I can't res ist suggesting that maybe this kind of system could only work on a very small scale and for a very short period of time. I am rewarded with the admission that it is difficult to envisage how it would work. "I haven't got a blueprint, but I only know that I would like society to be an equal one where we all have a say." Amen , even if it is a little unrealistic. Much has been made of Chumbawamba's reported recent comments that peopl e should steal their records if they can't afford them. While Paul claims that they have been quoted out of context, he is unwilling to say that it wou ld be wrong for people to do so: "We don't mind if they steal our record s - that's how we feel. I'm not saying whether it's morally right for people to steal or not because that's up to the individual. it's more pointing out the inequalities in society. For some people stealing is a necessity.There are things they can't afford to get and it's the only way they can su rvive. Stealing is a political crime. These shops are selling this stuff that people can't affo rd. Loads of people who have loads of money have committed far more crime than people with none: rich people rip off millions from countries and use bad labour practices, whereas poor people steal something wo rth ÂŁ1.50."
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e finally move off politics and on to something a little less involved. What do Chumbawamba th ink of the Spice Girls? "Well, I tried really hard. I tried to have a favourite Spice Girl and all that, but I just couldn 't. Not after they said Thatcher was the fi rst Spice Girl , and then they started endorsing absolutely everything ... I don't think they're very good pop icons, if they are that. They're too vacuous. They've said 'Girl Power' so many times, but I don't think anybody knows what it actually means. Is girl power exploiting yourself to get rich? If they are giving young girls attitude so that young girls aren't taking any s..t from young boys, then that's fine , but I just don't think that's what it's all about." I glance up at the clock. I glance down at my list. We're halfway through th e ro ugh list of topics I have to ask about, and somehow forty minutes has gone past an d it's time for Paul to go . Whatever criticisms you may have of Chumbawamba's beliefs, they ce rtainly seem genuinely passionate about what they say. Now they have broken into the mainstream they wi ll doubtless be pouring water over politicians for some time to come.
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album, but it wasn't that we thought 'we want to have a hit record now'. We didn't even know that Tubthumping was going to be the single." The phenomenal success of Tubthumping, which will undoubtedly be heard at football matches for years to come, has thrust Chumbawamba into the media limelight like never before, but they are fairly relaxed about their shelf life: "I think the record companies feel the pressure , because they've got a career mapped out for us whereas we don't usually know what'll be happening in a couple of months time. This is our fifteen minutes at the moment and we're going to make the most of it. Lu ckily fo r us it's happened all across the world." Making the most of their fame , for Chumbawamba, means spreading their political message: "We're obsessed with propaganda and trying to subvert things, and now we can get things on television and issue press releases and
THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
media will actually pick up on it. We 've got the opportunity to say what we want to say." Judging by Danbert's actions at the Brit Awards last week they have now decided that actions speak louder than words. Pouring water over John Prescott was apparently meant to represent "the underdog p'' sing on the steps of Downing Street." o what exactly are Chumbawamba trying to say? Well , it seems slightly anarchist, slightly more communist and very much to do with free choice: "We try and live our lives along anarchist principles. The band live together and have equal res ponsibility. There's no one person who controls it - we try to reach a co mpromise. I wouldn't like to be in control of the system ; I'd like a system where we were all in contro l. I'd like to share power between as many people in th e country as possible so that it's not just the vested interests who have all the power. People like strikers take
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The friend of a million insomniacs, veteran Radio DJ and all-round music journalist Annie Nightingale tells Hannah Cox about DJing, acid house, and global trip of dance music
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he queen of new music cuts a striking who haven't put a foot wrong. published in 1981, but the new one has taken four figure. Complete with bleached rockUnfortunately all the big record labels have been years to write so far. She talks earnestly and seriously about the amount of work she is putting signing their acts, like Bentley Rhythm Ace. But as chick hair and psychedelic shirt, Annie Nightingale rocks to the rhythm of her she puts it "You can't fight the big boys on your in to it. "This is not a kiss and tell book. I hope it's own." She sees the commercialisation of new a piece of serious writing. it's hard work, but I funky beats. She spins big-beat tunes for the clubbers up and down the country via the wonders music as a real irony, "The moment something don't want some ghost writer doing it for me. I'm not going to stay up night after night struggling to of the radio. A few nod their heads in appreciation new is out, that's it. Boom! Everyone's on the here and there, but many will be unaware of band wagon. lt doesn't have time to develop." get it right, for everyone else then to think The development of music is another area that Annie's amazing CV. someone else wrote it!" fascinates Annie. She has always wanted to do a Annie Nightingale was the UK's first female DJ, Annie is a women with many on going projects. joining Radio One in 1970. Though she started documentary on musical influences throughout She confesses to having about eight new ideas a her career as a journalist writing rock America by tracing the columns for Cosmopolitan, " " " ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -......._ settlers. "The French kind Annie has worked with The of come down the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi middle, English Hendrix, and virtually every major and Scottish on the act from the mid 60s to the present south coast, and the day. She also branched out into Less hassle than moving to Jersey Latin on the west," she explains. Annie television, hosting the BBC's Old Grey Whistle recently went to Cuba (the country this time) on Test between 1978-82. day. another musical project, as the recent Latin Despite her obvious credentials, it took several She still wants to record the ambient sounds of influence in dance is something she loves. After the Antarctic, go to Tibet, and write a film about years for Annie to break into the all-male enclave dance music's temporary residence in the east, it of Radio One. However, once there she made her acid house. seems that it is now currently residing in South "I think there's a fantastic story to be told. In the presence felt. Annie has always championed new America. Of course it that soon change soon, but music. You name it, she played it. grip of horrible Thatcherite Britain, for young we're seeing an exciting influence on music at the The Sex Pistols, U2, The Orb and some guy people there was nothing. So they thought right, moment, though Annie does see a down side to 'take a pill, dance in a field and drink lots of water. called Cuba whom she keeps mentioning throughout the interview, have all graced Annie's And the Government can't tax it!' People were turntables. In the search for new vibes and using the technology for themselves, driving round the M25 to raves." she enthuses "They were experiences, Annie has travelled pretty much everywhere, and even managed to convince a buying vinyl when they were meant to buy COs. lt was a fabulous underground success story." lt BBC team to climb 15,000 feet in the Chilean Andes to record a solar eclipse and an may sound like that if you weren't there first time, international rave. A genuine love of experimental then you've missed the biggest underground seen music has lead to her cult status. Her current ever. Radio One show, The Chill Out Zone is at the post club time of four till six on Sunday mornings, and owever Annie has complete faith in a it's all done live! This means she has no playlist renewing DIY culture."lt's a 10 year cycle." She explains "it's 10 years since restrictions and the result is a fantastically electric show, perfect for coming down to (or if you're acid house, and 10 years before it was punk. unlucky, getting up to). So how does Annie do it? Everyone's holding their breath to see what "it's very difficult managing time," she admits "I happens next." She cites French funk, Norwegian big-beat, and speed garage, which she was have to get through so much vinyl a week. All you can do is try to keep up with it. it's a wonderful playing over a year ago, as styles to watch. Her passion for music leaps out when the job, spending hours at a time listening to records. question of a top tune of the moment crops up. After a while your judgement starts going, and all you can do is go to the offy or stick The Clash on She stops to think and then screams ou1 "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Cuba, Total Muzza. it's put out by just to clear your brain." She goes into Radio One Astroworks on a compilation called something like almost every day, which for a two hour show she 8th Dimension. I'm just mad about it and I've been believes to be "ridiculous really." However when you hear the results, you can see why she does it. caning it for the last two months." Cuba came over here with the Skint lot in Currently Annie is trying to finish her second November. For Annie, Skint is an awesome label, autobiography. Her first, Chase the Fad, was
all this wandering, "All we do is plunder it and nick it." Despite this aspect, she seems pretty happy that the past, present and future has been "cracked" in one fell swoop by this travelling idea. She even mentioned the "geographical thing" on the Chill Out Zone the next night. Her enthusiasm is infectious, she has the ability to renew the energy in any disillusioned music journalist. But all things start small, so Annie Nightingale's message to you is to get out there and DIY.
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FANTAZIA British Anthems This double CD was mixed by DJs Jeremy Healy and Allister Whitehead, and contains 33 dance, house, jungle and underground garage mixes from Britain 's dancefloors. Whitehead's disc starts off promisingly, with some seamless mixes of classic club tunes from 1997. it features classic tracks from Sybil (Why) Byron Stingly (Let the Beat Hit Them) and Ce Ce Peniston (Finally). Healy's disc is a foot stomping, big bass, feel good CD with relentless beats. He takes a more vocal approach, and the tracks have a mix of massive baselines and huge building breaks. it also includes a good number of club favourites with tracks from the Funk Junkees (Got Funk) , The Mighty Dub Katz (Ghetto Gir~ and the Course (Ready or No~ . British Anthems is !;,OOd ir, places and some sumptuous mixes, but it doesn't really stand out. it has all been done before on Ministry and Cream compilation albums. If you went to any of the Fantazia gigs then give it a go, but otherwise put
ANI DIFRANCO Little Plastic Castle You can be forg iven if the name Ani DiFranco means about as much to you as the notes you took from your last lecture, even though this week sees the release of her much anticipated tenth solo album. However, lack of familiarity with the previous work of this American singer/songwrite路 will not be taken as an excuse for failing to check out her latest offering , Little Plastic Castle. DiFranco proves that 'alternative rock' means more than hairy guys with loud guitars, and at the same time kicks the current school of 'girl rock' back into their day jobs before they've even had a chance to re-apply their lipstick. DiFranco blends enchanting vocals (including spoken poetry) with music styles varying from credibl e 'grrrl' rock to the finest blues and coffee house folk, telling the most wonderful stories on the way. If you've become disillusioned with the girl power ethics of the Spice Girls, Ani Di Franco definitely has some wise words to put you back on your feet, as well as a great album th at will take up residence in your CD player. Well , at least until the end of term anyway.... Nichola Browne
CHUMBAWAMBA UEA LCR
Saturday, January 3 I Having escaped the gyrating singer of the support band, a quick dash was required to get back to the front in time for Chumbawamba's set starter, Give The Anarchist A Cigarette. it wasn't until a couple of songs in that the younger end of the audience started to get interested , as they blasted out their current single, Amnesia. lt's curious stuff, this anarchy lark. Chumbawamba are signed to EMI , selling millions of Tubthumpers and are still recording 'anarchist' songs, apparently. So what point is Tubthumping making exactly? I drink a whisky drink - and? Where's the anti-New Labour in Amnesia? After a gig like th is, quite frankly, who cares? These songs are top pop tunes, and Chumbawamba are a great live act. They sing, they dance (in rather a
M GREEN & PWHITAKER Erotica ltalia
strange manner), they play songs you jump about to and sing alo to (simultaneously) and they dress up in daft outfits. And, even more commendably, they've been doing it for years. Remember Enough is Enough or Timebomb, anybody? This gig was a great opportunity to get knocked down, several times, and even kicked in the head by a stage-diver, if you had the inclination, but then you got right back up again. Vodka drink anyone? Kay Spragg
I can't believe that the producers of this album actually expect people to pay money for it. Erotica ltalia is a compilati on of soundtracks from Italian erotic movies of th e 60s and 70s- bu t none of which any self respecti ng person would claim to have heard . it is described as an adult orientated soundtrack: the "Kama Sutra of erotic music" but before any sex starved saddos begin to get excited , the nearest it gets to erotica is something that sounds like a woman's heavy breath ing for three and a half minutes. One of the tracks, Ho Messo Gli Occhi Su Di Te, did sound like it could easily slip into the Austin Powers soundtrack but this alone is not enough to give it credibility. I'm sure that some people would like this easy listening, barely erotic, slightly Italian compilation . I however, turned it up, turned it down and then turned it off ! Apart from fans of Italian Erotica , don't buy this album unless there is nothing else left to buy in the record store. Debbi Marco
y High hopes for Finlay Quaye's new single will go unfulfilled by this offering. The initially upbeat guitar accompaniment combined with quirky fairground-style sounds. quickly loses its appeal, and the song fai ls to progress any further. Quaye 's distinctive tones remain praiseworthy but are unable to disguise the limited nature of the Anita Miah lyri cs. A definite disappointment.
PRIMAL SCREAM 11 They Move, Kill ,Em Remixes are, in my opinion, never as good as the original versions and this song is yet another example. The track starts very slowly, and is too long although as it progresses a jazzy, jungle beat develops, creating a defInite foot tapping vibe. Unfortunately there are no lyrics, which would have undoubtedly lent the track a new dimension. The B-sides also lack quality, and all in all even if this 25 minute epic had been allowed in the charts it wouldn't deserve to do well. Eve Foulger
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SPACE The Ballad of Tom ]ones Space, with some help from Catatonia's Cerys, are sticking with what they know best, with another helping of goofy Scouse wit and eerie backing. Not an unqualified success, though certainly stronger than some of the schlock fro m Spiders, this song is a must for all collectors of What's New, Pussycat tributes. lt IS also, probably, the only song with the chorus. "I've never thrown my knickers at you/And I don't come from Wales." Neill Johnstone
CARRIE Holly
OPEN SUNDAYS 10.30AM-4.30PM At Gentleman's Walk, opposite the market THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
Carrie might as well be waving a huge banner with "male 1nsecurity crises" on it. Molly, about a girl who "makes love like a boy", attempts to make up with lyrical ingenuity what it lacks in musical substance. The result sounds like a less amusing Cake song, and is about as subtle as driving a truck through Tesco. Any doubts over how bad Carrie really are should be put to rest with a quick. but painful listen to the b-side, Pillow Talk, which shrieks hysterically "I'm well endowed, so well endowed. so well endowed" - really? All of which would be humorous, if it didn't lead to a terrible fear that America is being overrun by neurotic guy indie bands, who secretly wish they were Alanis Morrisette. Help! lmogen Rose-Smith
Amistad Opening Feb 27 Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, Oscar nominee Anthony Hopkins, and standout newcomer Djimon Hounsuo star in the true story of a rebellion onboard a slave ship
The Edge Now Showing Anthony Hopkins (again) and Alec Baldwin square-off against the wilderness and each other after their plane crashes. Screenplay by playwright David Mamet . his is a very odd film. A remake of The Absent Minded Professor (1961), Flubberinvokes cinematic memories from childhood whilst being unsettllngly trendy. The film follows the madcap adventures of Professor Bralnard (Robin Williams) as he fights to save his college from various groups of corporate baddies and to win back the heart of his true love. The key to his success? The invention of Flubber, a highly mobile rubber power source Oust take my word for it). The familiar elements include a 'mad professor' workshop, an American Dream sequence In which a 'loser' basketball team is flubberised to victory and a Busby Berkeley/Las Vegas showpiece which enables the filmmakers to show off their special effects. Times are, however, clearly changing and numerous references to information-age technology impede upon the traditional David vs. Goliath narrative.
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Flubber is not a complete disaster. The film is heavy with slapstick, but it is mildly less sadistic than that of the Home Alone series and maintains a carnival-esque appeal. The first half hour is weak and Williams' acting style of overblown gyrations takes a while to get used to. The goons are funny as they seem to have stepped out of a Scorsese film and watching them get hit by flying bowling balls offers childish amusement. A refreshingly nasty running gag about a boy who will never again believe his father after he views a host of improbable events ultimately neutralises the Disney sentimentality and helps save the film. The original film was about the effects of machines on society. lt seems as if the filmmakers now have decided to throw their lot in with the Hollywood era of computer-literate kids. lt doesn't quite work. Nstssha Whltemsn
Breakdown Now Showing Kurt Russell's wife mysteriously disappears after her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Kurt gets upset. Kurt realises a conspiracy. Kurt fights back.
The Blackout Now Showing Matthew Modine, Dennis Hopper and Claudia Schiffer take drinks and drugs and go mad in Hollywood. it's nothing like reality. Allegedly
The Rainmaker Now Showing Young attorney, Matt Damon , fights a big scary medical insurance company in yet another courtroom drama by John Grisham. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Fairy Tale: A True Story Now Showing From the same story behind Photographing Fairies. Young girls are mystified by fairies. Includes Harvey Keitel, who will probably be un-scary and keep all his clothes on . We hope.
The Crucible Union Film - February 23 !7th century nutters, Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder, get all concerned about witches in the town of Salem. Winona Ryder makes a rare appearance in a decent film .
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movies with brand new 6feforms WEIRD SCIENCE Homy teenagers create a living, breathing Kelly LeBrock. She walks around in her smalls a lot. FRANKENSTEIN Kenneth Branagh shoves together bits of cadavers, runs some electricity through them, and ends up with Robert DeNiro. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Hal 2000 kills the crew on the way to Jupiter. Why? "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Dave." TRON Computer games boffin Jeff Bridges is plunged inside a computer to do battle on one of those light cycles. Lucky man. WARGAMES Military supercomputer plays out nuclear war so many times it starts playing for real. TERMINATOR Arnold Schwarzenegger appears as a robot with a covering of human flesh . Not in any way real. D.A.R.Y.L. Little kid is found wandering in the woods and ends up flying fighter planes. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE NASA's Voyager probe gets a mind of its own . And the first human it meets is Captain Kirk. SHORT CIRCUIT State of the art killer robot enjoys watching sparrows in flight rather than destroying Ruskies. MAKING MR RIGHT John Malkovich plays scientist and gawky new robot in a saccharine love story.
OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK • 20 Snooker tables • 4 pool tables •satellite TV • Video Games • £250 jackpot machines • Hot and cold food available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week • Licensed bar at low prices 1Oam-11 pm, 12·1 0.30pm Sun
ISTUDENT MEMBERSHIP £1 I St Mary's Plain, Norwich Tel: 627478 Only 5 minutes from Norwich market THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRHARY-.18, 1998
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The m o st anticipated event on the Hollywood calendar is fast approaching the nominations are out and the bets are being placed Chris H o dgson took a look at the award's history onday, March 23 will see Billy Crystal as host yet again at the 70th Academy Awards. The Oscars have become a sparkling showcase for fame and fashion and one of America's major TV events, but looking below the surface glitter, the awards' history can reveal a great deal about Hollywood's ideals and concerns. At the time of the first ceremony in 1929, Hollywood , already dominating world cinema, was in a state of uncertainty. There was anxiety about where the new sound technology would take the medium. The first Best Picture award winner, Wings, is the only silent film to win the prize. Apart from that, the history of the Oscars is the history of sound cinema persevering through the emergence of television and the modern multi-media culture. Obviously, the Oscars have recognised films now established as classics, such as Gone With the Wind (1939) , Casablanca (1943), and The Godfather (1972) , but perhaps the more interesting stories are of the films which are passed over. The judges overlooked films now thought crucial to the history of the medium, including Citizen Kane (lost to How Green was My Valley, 1941), Psycho (lost to The Apartment, 1960), and Raging Bull (lost to Ordinary People, 1980). Innovators such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Howard Hawks and Martin Scorsese have never been judged Best Director, while part-timer Mel Gibson has. The perceived distance between critical opinion and the Academy's choices has led to accusations that the awards have an agenda apart from celebrating film-making excellence. In recent years, the Oscars have rewarded films concerning serious issues such as Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, and Schindler's List which involved autism, racism and the holocaust respectively , despite criticism that such films merely condemn something obviously evil. The awards have always celebrated the "respectable" side of Hollywood film-making while shunning those films which cost and make the most money. Since the mid-70s, Hollywood has concentrated on the youth market and invested greatly in action-packed blockbusters of the Star Wars mould. Such films have only tended to win the low-profile technical awards, suggesting the Academy voters value art and quality over cash, despite 364 days a year of seeming otherwise. This year however, the most expensive film of all time, Titanic, has dominated the nominations with a record- equalling 14. Despite reservations about endorsing the film's massive expenditure, the Academy obviously sees it as one of the more
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respectable blockbusters because of the film's historical interest and determination to actually tell a story. Titanic could be considered as more of an oldstyle epic in the vein of Ben Hur (1959) , the biggest winner to date with eleven awards. lt is thought that director James Cameron is to be rewarded as much for his ability to avert financial disaster as the quality of his filmmaking skills. If the film had flopped , many Academy members might not have been able to afford their limo to the ceremony! With so much hype surrounding it, Titanic is likely to win Best Picture, although it will face competition from the excellent LA Confidential, a film which harks back to Hollywood's past glories, recreating the atmosphere and labyrinthine plot structure of the film noir genre of the 40s and 50s. The film's 90s edge comes in its explicitly violent sequences. This element may hamper the film's chances of winning the big prize - the judges chose Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction in 1994. LA Confidential, like Pulp Fiction, Leaving Las Vegas, and Fargo in the last three years, has more critical awards and acclaim than Titanic but is likely to be trampled by a Titanic bandwagon. Titanic is clearly the people's choice and is currently the fourth highest grossing film of all time. lt is likely to climb even higher following the extra publicity involved with the Oscars. he ou tsiders in the Best Picture category are As Good As it Gets, Good Will Hunting and The Full Monty. Everyone's heard of that particular troupe of steelworkers, but the other two haven't made it across the Atlantic yet. As Good As it Gets is a romantic _,.""'"'"'rl" with a dark edge, starring Jack Nicholson as a grumpy misanthrope who changes his ways when he falls in love with a waitress, while Good Will Hunting is a feel-good story about a genius janitor, starring rising star Matt Damon. In a Rocky-esque coup, Damon and his friend, Ben Affleck, refused to let their script be filmed unless they starred in it. Since Good Will Hunting, Matt has gone on to make John Grisham's The Rainmaker and also star alongside Tom Hanks in Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. The Full Monty is unlikely to win Best Picture but has four nominations in total. Monty's chances are slim, but if the votes split and it does win an Oscar, it would be a huge triumph for the British film industry - it would also highlight the irony that despite the notable success of on-screen talent in the English Patient and Chariots of Fire, most of the money made from these films will end up going back across the Atlantic. British success is more likely in the Best Actress category, with a remarkable four nominees out of five . Helena Bonham-Carter (Wings Of A Dove), Julie Christie (Afterglow) , Judi Dench (Mrs Brown) and Kale Winslet (Titanic) take on American Helen Hunt (the waitress in As Good As it Gets) .
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THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
lt is a special achievement for Dench because Mrs Brown was her first leading role in a film despite a long career in stage and television. Dench and Bonham-Carter are the favourites , so it seems only the equivalent of an England batting collapse could prevent a UK success. There are no British contenders for Best Actor, which will be fought out between newcomer Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), who is also nominated for eo-writing the film, and old-timers Dustin Hoffman (Wag the Dog) , Peter Fonda (U/ee's Gold), Robert Duvall (The Apostle) and Jack Nicholson (As Good As it Gets) . Nicholson has now had a record eleven career nominations and is widely tipped to win his third award, following One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Terms of Endearment. lndie fave Peter Fonda has been favoured to win for the last six months, though his chances may have been dashed by Nicholson and power-house Duvall, who makes his writing, directing, and producing debut in The Apostle. Anthony Hopkins is Britain's only contender for Best Supporting Actor, nominated for his role in Steven Spielberg's Amistad. Hopkins' main rival will be Burt Reynolds, who made an impressive comeback in Boogie Nights. There is, however, a good chance for Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), who has been nominated in the past for Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poet's Society, and The Fisher King. Other contenders are Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and former chat show host Greg Kinnear (As Good as it Gets). Best Supporting Actress is likely to be rewarding Kim Basinger for returning to the screen (why, we'l l never know) in LA Confidential, with tough com petition from drugged-up porn star Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) , 84 year old Gloria Stuart playing the 101 year old Rose in Titanic, and the more comedic turns of Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Joan Cusack (In & OuQ . The winner of Best Picture is typically the winner of Best Director as well, meaning James Cameron and Curtis Hanson (Titanic and LA Confidential respectively) should be glaring at each other for much of the night, with Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) looking around , wondering if everyone has forgiven him for Even Cowgirfs Get the Blues. Dark horse candidates are Peter Cattaneo for The Full Monty and Atom Egoyan for The Sweet Hereafter. lll:..lL.I;..ii:....J Although most of the media treat the awards as glossy entertainment, they still have great importance within Hollywood . An Oscar nomination is a great career boost for any actor or director and the rewarded films tend to set trends for the future . Tom Hanks babbling that he was "walking on magic feet in a special effect I never thought possible," after winning Best Actor for Forrest Gump makes more sense when we remember that behind the glitz lies hard ambition .
itanic, Schmanic. The American publicity machine picks up a couple of films to stick on the publicity juggernaut, the Academy gives some nominations to some crumblies who haven't had recognition for decades, and the people who really deserve it don't win. The Event proposes to remedy this situation by championing those films that really deserve to live in our memories as the best films of 1997, and then condemns the very worst. Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery Where's the nomination for costume? Or soundtrack? Of course, the 60s are passe in early '98, now it's all porn and 70s disco if it's retro you're after. The Game Michael Douglas in his first decent role since The War of the Roses, in a labyrinthine tale directed by the megaphone shouter behind Se7en. Completely ignored. There is no justice. Grosse Pointe Blank John Cusack, Minnie Driver, and a fantastic script. Plus Dan Ackroyd back from the dead. Marvellous. Con Air Nick Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich , Steve Buscemi. What more can you ask for? Just the best action film of the year. Kicks Face/Off's sorry butt and then blasts it into oblivion.
Worst Films Batman and Robin A film which even failed to entertain five year olds, and is an embarrassment for all involved, particularly those of us who paid to see it. We hang our heads in shame. Jurassic Park: The Lost World Jurassic Park, but with the words 'The Lost World' added to the title. Spielberg's way of fulfilling his contract to Universal before sailing off to his own studio, Dreamworks. You saw it? Shame on you . The Saint Okay, here's the pitch路 Val Kilmer, but in a series of ridiculous wigs, beards and false teeth which merely serve to highlight the fact that, whichever saint's name he adopts, it's Val Kilmer. Add love interest. Drown in mediocrity. Speed 2: Cruise Control Speed. On water. But rubbish .
...and bow to win areal one...
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esperate to have that little gold statuette on the mantelpiece? Think that even though yours might not be the best performance of the year, but still want to win? Include any of the following character bits to tug on the Academy's heartstrings ... 1 . Be self destructive Nicholas Cage, Best Actor, Leaving Las Vegas, 1995 Christopher Walken, Best Supporting Actor, The Deer Hunter, 1978 2. Be plain bonkers Anthony Hopkins, Best Actor, Silence of the Lambs, 1991 Kathy Bates, Best Actress, Misery, 1990 Kevin Kline, Best Supporting Actor, A Fish Called Wanda, 1988 Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actor, Goodfellas, 1990 3. Be old, really cool and previously overlooked Paul Newman , Best Actor, The Colour of Money, 1986 Sean Connery, Best Supporting Actor, The Untouchables, 1987 Tommy Lee Jones, Best Supporting Actor, The Fugitive, 1993 4. Be really old and possibly about to die in real life Henry Fonda, Best Actor, On Golden Pond, 1982 John Wayne, Best Actor, True Grit, 1969 or anyone who's ever got a lifetime achievement award 5. Be intellectually challenged Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, 1994 Dustin Hoffman , Rainman, 1988
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ollowing the Hollywood m~ntra, "what works once will work a hundred times over,• the next few years are looking to be dominated by sequels, sequels, sequels. With principal photography PERHAPS done after 14 months with wife Nicole Kidman on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Tom Cruise has signed up to return as Ethan Hunt in the follow-up to Mission: Impossible. The imaginatively titled Mission: Impossible 2 is expected to be released sometime in 1999. Barry Sonnenfield is set to direct Will Smith (the highest paid black actor ever) in MIB 2; the third Predator film has just been green-lighted, although probably to be denied the veritable acting prowess of good ol' Arnie; and Blues Brothers 2000 has just been released in the States. The film includes cameos from some of the legends of the music industry, including Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, James Brown and Taj Mahal (spot the odd one out), and stars Dan Ackroyd, who is also set to star in a third Ghostbusters instalment in the not too distant future. We are even doomed to yet film the adventures of
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the hippest bunch of slimy green numchuka-wielding amphibians of all time. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: New Generation will grace our cinema screens later in the year. There's also a fourth Lethal Weapon instalment currently in production.
been planned three years ago, but unfortunately the producers were outbid and the script became Die Hard 3. The upcoming LW4, though, will see the American debut of top Asian action star, Jet Li, a kung tu master seen by some as the next Jackie Chan. Li's character will square up to that played by Gibson, who is himself set to play Colonel Hannibal Smith in the big screen version of the cult 80s TV series, The A Team, next year. But perhaps the most noteworthy of the glut of sequels is Chucky's Bride, the follow-up to Child's Play 3, the film that was cited in connection with the Jamie Bulger murder case. lt is expected to be greeted with outrage and incredulity by a large portion of the British public.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly us (1966) Dlr: Sergio Leone Cinema City - Sunday, February 21
ver wondered just why we associate Clint Eastwood with cigar-smoking, gun-crazy cowboys, despite his endless attempts at cynical cops? No, I suppose you didn't, because Clint's career is so incredibly dominated by Westerns, from the highly stylised, lowbudget Italian produced Spaghetti Westerns with which he launched his movie career to the Oscar laden Unforgiven in 1992. Starting with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, director Sergio Leone almost single-handedly saved Eastwood from a career of small parts in B-pictures - Clint probably never mentions the talking mule 'epic' Francis in the Navy, very much these days. The best of Eastwood's films with Leone is definitely his last one: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Set during the American Civil War, the film concentrates on three characters: a mysterious nomad, Joe (Eastwood); the sadistic criminal Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef); and a Mexican gunman, Tuco (Eii Wallach) collectively the trio represent, of course, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, although at
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times it is difficult to distinguish quite who is which, but then such ambiguity is what sets European Westerns so far apart from their Hollywood cousins. Joe and Tuco are partners in a cunning money-making scheme. However, after hearing about a hidden stash of gold, the partnership suddenly ends as they both begin the hunt, alongside the ruthless Angel Eyes, for the treasure. Much of the film covers the search for the mysterious cemetery, where the gold is hidden, with the three men having to battle through scorching deserts and do thier best to avoid the hostilities of the on-going Civil War. The whole irony of their search, which Leone masterfully plays on, is that although all three are selfish, ruthless individuals, they need to work with each other to get what they want. Such irony climaxes with an incredibly tense, suspense-ridden finale which can honestly be described as one of the greatest movie endings of all time. At nearly three hours long, and with some very noticeable dubbing the film, for some, may not be appreciated. However, with its haunting music, its dark mysterious characters and its sweltering imagery, it is undoubtedly a classic western. But perhaps more importantly, it's also responsible for launching Clint Eastwood to international stardom.
This is a basic batter recipe which can be used for sweet or savoury panacakes or even Yorkshire Pud. You will have enough pancakes for 3 or 4 people with these quantities but, if you're on your own, it will keep for at least 24 hours in a fridge.
Sift the flour. Add the egg and salt, a little mllk, and beat until smooth. Add the rest of the mllk gradually. Heat enough fat in a frying pan so that the bottom is coated but there isn't a puddle when you tip the pan. When a faint blue haze is visible over the fat, pour in just enough batter to cover the bottom - you'll need to tilt and turn the pan to do this. When it has stopped running and the edges are crisp, coax the whole thing loose with a palette knife or plastic spatula. Now, slip unnoticed from the kitchen still clutching the pan and freely-sliding pancake. Go somewhere with no obstacles, a high ceiling, a clean floor and definitely no witnesses and toss the pancake. This is not the frivolous activity which it might seem to be - it really is the only, way to turn the stupid things over. The trick is to shuffle the pancake down so the edge peeks over the lip of the pan and then flick the wrist. But don't rush- remember you are not trying to put the wretched thing into orbit - it should only just clear the pan. For savoury pancakes, spread them with fried mushrooms or bacon bits. For sweet pancakes, cover in golden syrup,
THE EVENTJ .WEDIESDAY, FEBRUARY 18,_1998
bLt when I see someone being extremely poncey wd pretentious I usually can just put my finger ink) it.
I elso dig at myself though; the only reason I can Sllf the things I Wf Is because I do them. I think salire Is a necessary part of life thafs been around 8lllce the dawn ~ time. Ifs kind of magical, it can pBdlct, You can 8t!Ji something and almost ga.arantee 1t will come true afterwards.." !early Murray is still coming to terms with his largely unique position. He reveals that he almost
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up last year. "I just kind of melted down at the Edinburgh Festival, I nearly had a nervous breakdown. lt was the height of everything; I was getting people coming up to me and calling me a c**t, in bars and stuff." But he's determined to continue, "I didn't go down, that's the thing really. Between September and October I was very close to jacking the whole thing in and saying f*•k it I can't be bothered. But I thought: why did I start the whole thing? I started this because I wanted to write, and I wanted to perform." This year will see Murray not only working with his poetry but moving into film and other creative outlets. He appears as the Gallows Poet in the forthcoming Plunket & MacLean which stars Robert Carlyle (Murray wrote a poem for the part), and he will also appear in a Virgin Atlantic commercial from March, something he considers to be •a real post-modernist statement for a poet:' There is also talk of collaborating with Wallace & Grommit creator Nick Parks, though there are no details yet, and he will be appearing at several summer festivals. Murray Lachlan Young is nicely positioned at the start of 1998 to do great things, though he is neither complacent nor even sure of his status, "I don't know what I am, I don't know what I am to anyone else. I don't know. To some extent I'm very lucky so I'm just going to work at what I'm doing, letting people know by hopefully getting them to read my stuff, and getting them to come along and see me perform." If this year sees Murray's creative ambitions fully flower, then it will be because the seeds were planted amongst all the hype last year. "The classic thing I think that sums up what's
happened to me over the last year was on University Challenge,• he explains. "Apparently they showed a student a picture of me and said Which poet is this?' and he said 'Urn, um, I don't know, but I know he's werth a million pounds.' That was the quote for me. lt's a platform, so now I have to work."
THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
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How about living the American dream, by working in the USA and having "TheBestSummerofYourLife"? Camp Counselors USA are looking for out-going, enthusiastic, friendly people to work at American summer camps teaching and leading sports, arts and crafts, horseriding, waterfr~nt,_ and outdoor pursuits ... Work Experience USA are looking for people to work in resorts, restaurants, theme parks, ranches and National Parks etc.. . We even need a hand-gliding instructor!
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uentin Tarantino, getting past the honours, the awards and the oceans of blather the press generates about him, is, at heart, a video junkie. He is very public about his two great loves: women in prison films and blaxploitation. This helps explain why he took Elmore Leonard's novel, Rum Punch, and turned it into Jackie Brown, featuring an almost all路 black cast and starring the queen of blaxploitation herself, Pam Grier. The film is getting a great deal of acclaim in the States before it makes its way across the Atlantic on March 20. lt has also buoyed l'arantino's career, which you could be forgiven for thinking was dead and buried after a string of self-indulgent scripts and 'acting' jobs. But Tarantino's own love of blaxploitation doesn't do anything to explain why it seems to be becoming popular again. The Union Film Society is offering three blaxploitation classics this semester: Cleopatra Jones on February 17, and a double bill of Shaft in Africa and Superfly on February 24. Why on earth would university kids stranded in the middle of Norfolk want to watch a blaxploitation film? Is it part of 70s retro, a la Boogie Nights and The Ice Storm? Put simply, blaxploitation is a sub-genre of the standard exploitation film - low budget, low quality, rapidly produced films for a very specific audience. Whether they were drive-in B路movies in the 50s or saccharine beach blanket flicks from the 60s, exploitation is cheap, easy, and fun, and also helped give birth to the modern independent film world. In 1971 , Melvin Van Peebles wrote, directed, produced, edited, and starred in Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, the story of a ~ bleck man who is on the run from corrupt white
more adventure?!?
Who's that funky private dlck that's a sex machine with all the chickst Stuck for an answert Well, it certainly isn't anyone from Between the Lines or The Bill. Dlana Goodman offers some low budget enlightenment ...
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cops. The film tapped into the emerging black power movement in America, depicting an organised, cruel, white upper-class and a beleaguered black
lower class, and was hugely popular with an almost exclusively black audience. Realising there was pots of money to be made out of the anger of blacks in American society, other projects were quickly rushed into production by filmmakers. Many of these turned out to be "black versions" of
THEEVENT,W拢DNESDAY; FEBRUARY18,1997
other popular films. Some border on self-parody, such as Blacula(1972), Blackenstein(1973), Black Shampoo(1976), and the Wonderfully titled Avenging Discc Godfathe1(1979), patterned after The Godfather. The more popular blaxploitation films, and the
films considered to define the genre, are the streetwise crime-fighting films, wherein a cool, tough brother or sister seeks revenge or fights the greedy money men who are responsible for urban problems like corruption, drug use, and violence. Drugs feature as a major theme in these films, either focusing on an independent government agent battling a drug ring (Cleopatra Jones), avenging the death of such a government agent (Foxy Brown), or the story of a drug dealer who is trying to cash out of the business (Superf/YJ. The series that stands head and shoulders above the rest is the Shaft Trilogy: Shaft(1971 ); Shaft's Big Score(1972); and Shaft in A/rica(1973). Richard Roundtree plays John Shaft, a rock hard private investigator who succeeds by being funkier than the bad guys, and if that doesn't work, he beats them up. Shaft was originally devised as a sort of alternative James Bond, and the similarities are obvious. But instead of Martinis and tuxedos, Shaft has shady bars and groovy flares. And both men have fantastic signature music; from Bond's luscious theme to lsaac Hayes' funk-fortified discussion of Shaft's attributes - "Who's that black private dick who's a sex machine with all the chicks? Shaft! You' re damn right". In many ways, the films are patronising and stereotypical in their depiction of AfricanAmericans, which, one could argue, has nothing to do with black empowerment and everything to do with white condescension. But at the same time, the films have, by and large , a positive message to be found - they all boil down to assertiveness and self-confidence as the only real weapons against the ever-present adversary, The Man, and feminists (and lusty men types) are likely to embrace booty-kickin' demi-icons like Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, CoffYJ. But perhaps the message is irrelevant, maybe ifs just the baadasssss beat (Damn right, Brol).
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On The
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ach issue this column aims to bring you the best of the fortnight's television. We look at quality, diversity, popularity and how cute the main stars are in order to try and provide a definitive list of student-friendly viewing. Sadly, there is often a lack of notable programmes, or at least anything that hasn't been mentioned a hundred times before, but, just for you, The Event will endeavour to brighten up your viewing days. lt must be noted that America has a distinct advantage over the Brits in terms of the gene pool size from which they can draw their stars.
The Event looks at the jewels in the crown of weekend telly from science fiction to house parties ••• aturday nights for most students mean getting made up (and beered up) ready for whatever party, club or licensed establishment they're headed for this week. However, there is that long period of preparation that needs to be filled, so on goes the TV to help get you in the mood. Weekend TV is something that has consistently improved, from being a steady stream of re-runs, 'classics' and fillers, the line-up is now much more orientated towards family entertainment and yoof programming. Stations have realised that there's an untapped audience in the form of those getting ready and trying to kill time before the 8/9 pm start to our weekend celebrations. So what does a sample of Saturday night reveal? Firstly, that Jim Davidson has managed to go from being a late-night censored joker to a pillar of family acceptability. Having taken over from Bruce Forsyth, he has refined what is in essence a remarkably formulaic idea (ordinary people making asses of themselves in order to win prizes) into a extravaganza where ordinary people making HUGE asses of themselves and Davidson adds to their general humiliation. Leaving the viewer hoping (sometimes beyond hope) that contestants can redeem themselves and secure a luxury holiday. A rival approach is the extravagant Ice Warriors, a 'futuristic' competition, that basically involves the amateur trying to out do the professional, the good guys against the big bad warriors, the underdogs vs the invincible showbiz creations. lt L-......;.......,__._ _._ _ _ __. is perhaps easy to overlook the sheer genius of
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this idea, particularly since this version isn't a patch on the original candy covered version, Gladiators. But the British can empathise with a heroic contestant and a gallant loser, so whatever the outcome of the competitions people cheer and the companies count the merchandising profits. We should avoid being too cynical, as ultimately this is only entertainment and escapism, two categories that Blind Date fill better than any other show on TV. Who wouldn't like to live a Cinderella fantasy? This is the modern version of it, beautiful princesses, dashing knights in shinning armour, and a raucous audience to help each contestant to make the right decision . Blind Date contains its elements of voyeurism, but it also provides us with that elusive 'warm fuzzy feeling'. Seeing successful matches restores our faith in it one day happening to 'us. Though a note for those who don't wish just to sit on the sofa and dream, Blind Date is running open auditions at The Maids Head Hotel on March 2 between 12.30pm and 7pm. So instead of spending Saturdays on the couch watching others have a chance at the fantasy, take a shot at it yourselves? Of course if all else fails you could head out for some wholesome entertainment and drunken conquests. Amy
There is also something that is just inherently more sexy about New York than Manchester or Chicago instead of Newcastle. 1t is perhaps fitting to begin with two of the most gorgeous men on the face of the earth (not that I'm at all biased), George Clooney and Anthony Edwaros, alias Doug Ross and Mark Greene in ER (Wed, Feb 18, C4, 9·10pm). This week sees a homage to the American road movie as our two heroes set of across America on a voyage of self-discovery and the manly bonding involved as they deal with family traumas. Touching. More desirable stars in the form of those ever thwarted lovebirds Mutder & Scully, The X-FIIes (Wed, Feb 18, BBC1, 1010.45pm) has improved throughout this series and take it from someone who knows that it is fast building towards a dramatic conclusion that involves even larger amounts of darkness, death and corruption than normal. Apparently, another slightly more unlikely sexsymbol is Ainsley Harriot. The manic chef has let loose with his own Alnsley's Meals In Minutes (Mon. Feb 25, BBC2 8.30pm) in order to ~ickle our tastebuds' on primetime television. Still on the subject of food, yet another docu-soap beckons to be added to the ever growing list. Superstore (Thurs. Feb 19, BBC2, 9·9.30) goe!' behind the scenes of the fascinating and dramatic world ofTesco's .... On a darker note here's a look at the cheery subject of war. Predator 2 (Thurs. Feb 19, ITV, 10.50-12.40pm) is the grossly inferior (but watchable) sequel to the classic Amie led original. Only slightly more scary than having to watch that, is the thought that these could be the new faces of warfare; The War Machine (Mon, Feb 23, C4, 9-10pm) investigates the attempts of military depts to create their own super soldiers.
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he Prisoner was first screened in 1967. The brainchild of its star and executive producer Patrick McGoohan, the intention was to produce a fast-moving adventure series that also tackled issues of imprisonment and dehumanisation. McGoohan's character resigns from an important job and is then abducted and taken to The Village where he has his identity taken from him. He is known only as Number Six both to other characters and the audience. He spends the series battling to keep his identity, to conceal why he resigned and to find out who Number One is. There was originally only seven episodes. A further ten episodes were asked for by Lew
Grade, who financed the programme. but are generally seen as fillers with no specific meaning to the continuing storyline. The conclusion to these is both surprising and confusing. The series has attracted millions of fans, many of who spend their lives debating what it was all about. Which of course is the big question. I, personally, don't really care. All I know is that it is a brilliant TV series which should be watched by everyone! The rumours about a movie adaption continue, for years it has been said that it is due to start shooting, but as yet nothing has happened. If it ever gets made, latest suggestions are Ralph Fiennes as Number Six and Alan Rickman as Number Two. All I have left to say is, I'm not a number I'm a free Katle Westgate man....
LIVE SOUNDS!
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JAM SESSION 'SOFA CLUB' (Ambient Music) WED: ~· . MELTIN' POT THUR: 'LAVA' Retro Funk FRI & SAT LIVE MUSI MON: TUES:
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lslslcl THE'EVENt, WEDNESDAY; fDURARY 18,'1998
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In the fi rst part of a special lnter@ctive investigation, Stuart Dredge examines the question of pornography on the Internet. This wee k : the arguments for tighter controls
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here's nothing morally wrong with videoing yourself having sex. Pl enty of people do it, for one reason or another, but usually it's fo r their own private viewing . Of course, if th e 'wrong' peopl e get hold of the video, you may well reg ret ever having made it. Such was the case with Baywatch star Pamela Anderson Lee, who made a se ries of steamy home-videos whilst on honeymoon with her husband Tommy. When they were stolen by burglars, it didn't take long till every dodgy bootl eg stall in the Western world was flogging copies. Shortly after that, clips began to appear on th e Internet, for th e viewing pleasure of anyone with a modem. Inadvertently, Ms Ande rson had become a mass-pornographer with a sizeable global distribution chain. The resulting media ('1.licry has brought the issue of Internet . pornography back into the limelight, with a variety of groups lobbying fo r tighter controls on the Net's conte nt. This has also been sparked by the increasing professionalism of the sex industry . The discerning porn-consumer can now watch live hardcore sex acts, and even email the paricipants while they're , er, on the job. And even if you don't wa nt porn , it certainly wants you, as yo u'll know if you 've managed to find you rself on th e wrong end of a junk e-mail adverti sing 'hot action '. So what gives? Is the Net in danger of being swamped by illegal and obsce ne pornography, as some people claim? And , if so, what should be done to prevent it? You can get porn in two ways on the Net: Usenet or Web sites . Usenet refers to the system of newsgroups, whi ch are commonly used as public message boards that anyone can contribute to. However, it's also possible to upload images, such as the ones found on newsgroups like alt.binaries.pictures.erotica, alt.b inaries. pictures. female, and even alt. binaries. pictu res. bestiality. There are also thousands of Web sites providing pornography, from professionally-run bu sinesses th at make you pay as they display, to the online equivalent of Readers' Wives .
what they choose , as long as it's not doing any harm to other people? This is where the hazy definition of 'obsce nity' comes in. Most of us would agree that porn that depicts violence against women is a bad th ing. But what about, say, water sports? And should there be tighter controls on soft core porn online , of the sort seen in top-shelf magazi nes? Shyla is in no doubt that "All pornography is harmful - both soft and hard co re and it's harms are felt by innocent individuals who have never used it." The argument runs something like this: many people , particularly women , who don't view pornography, are still affected by it. "lt treats women as nothing more than a means to sexual gratification , and must be recognised as the antithesis of what a civilized society stands fo r" Before the Net became so popular, acquiring porn was a seedy and embarrassing thing to do picture the stereotype of the dirty old man in an anorak! People like Shyla argue that the Internet allows more people to indu lge in their darkest fantasies, leading to .. . "How safe are women and children in a neighbourh ood where men are feeding off this sort of material? Who would know, wh en they buy a house in that quaint middle-class community, that their neighbour is going online to look at child pornography or women being gang-raped?" Such vi ews were only helped when Ted Bundy, a serial ki ller in America suspected of more than 30 murders , made th is statement shortly before being executed: "You are going to ki ll me, and that will protect society from me. But out there are many, many more people who are addicted to pornography, and you are doing nothing about that. "
to society. So why is on-line pornography seen as a threat by some people? To find out, we asked Shyla Welch , who works for Enough is Enough , an organisation dedicated to fighting illegal pornography. She believes that the re are two main dangers, with the first being the fact that chi ldren can easily get hold of hardcore pornograph y over the Net: "In the United States, it is illegal to sell or give pornography to chi ldren. Those laws do not apply to the Internet however, so pornographers or predators can knowingly give this material to children without fear of legal recourse ." Many sites have an 'age-test', to ensure that children aren 't able to access their material.
hard core pornography without much difficulty. Don't forget, either, that the Internet is the 90s equivalent of the video recorder: adults are bamboozled , but thei r kids are technologically sussed , making it easy for them to run ri ngs around the protective wishes of their parents.
he media fi rst got interested in online porn in 1995, when a study was published at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh . A team (headed by the unfortunately-named Marty hen asked what effect seeing Rimm ) spent 18 months finding out pornography may have on kids , Shyla how much porn is out there, who's immediately targets its infl uence on their using it, and what sort of activities it attitudes: depicts. Their findings were to ignite "The a bombshell. images For a start, the report portrayed Net child ren users as little more than sweatysee palmed dirty old men , by claiming shape that possibly ''the largest. .recreational their applications of users of computer thinking , networks was the distribution and and in consumption of sexually explicit the case of pornography, significantly influence the imagery." Much was made of the high amount of way they think about sex and sexuality." images that were either paedophilic (child lt is this belief that drives many anti-porn pornography) or paraphilic ('deviant' sexual campaigners, in all areas of life. Another practises such ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ organ~ationthat has rts own Internet as sadosite is Oklahomans for Children masochism, and Families (OCAF) . Here, as water well as claiming that more 12-17 sports , and year ol ds view porn than any other bestiality) . age group, they think that children Shyla Welch outlines her opposition to porn Many people, reading this, were are more vulnerable , because ''They do not have immediately convinced that the the experience to balance the untruth they see Internet was little more than a cesspool of filth , However, often , this takes the form of simply portrayed, and they are more likely to imitate the that could do harm to their kids and family. After behaviour they see. " asking the user whether they are over 18 or not. the report was summarised in an article in the So what if it were possible to prevent children from While some sites are adopting a tighter system of influential Time magazine, a variety of pressure virtual ID cards, it doesn't change the fact that, looking at porn on line? Okay, it's not likely , but groups were set up to combat this perceived threat given the right know ledge, any child can access don't consenting adults have the right to look at
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nother online group that's fighting porn is Morality in Media. Patrick McGrath , their Associate Director for Public Affairs , has these strong words to say on the subject: "Pornography, regardless of medium, is a threat to our society. Th e growth of the online porn racket we refu se to call it a business or industry since it's not legitimate - is sicken ing." Groups such as Morality in Media point to cli nical studies, such as the one on their Web site, which was carried out by a Dr Victor Cline, a cl in ical psychologist who's treated over 350 sex addicts in his time . Dr Cline put forward the idea that, once you get hooked on pornography, you may well end up acting out the th ings that you have seen. This argument has convinced groups like Enough is Enough and Morality in Media that the growth in Internet porn is dangerous to society, conjuring up as it does, hordes of sex-crazed Net addicts comm itting horrible sex-crimes. Could it really happen? They th ink so. Of course, there are also many people who believe that Internet users have the right to look at whatever they choose, and that censorship does more harm than good. We'll hear from them next week , but until then , this is Shyla's view: "No adult has the 'right' to hard core pornography, despite its existence and availability. Far too many people confuse 'I wan t to .. .' with actual rights ." Dr Cline 's report goes even further, into the realms of possible libel , when he asserts that many of those who campaign against restrictions may be ''themselves sex addicts with a hidden agenda behind their public posturing."
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CIBIOUT
No. 7
Tomato Soup The one thing to be found in everyone"s cupboard is soup. You"re always eating the stuff but which one carries the cant
If you've ever got fed up with a diet of safe British nosh and fancied something completely different, what about a nice slice of placenta pie or chicken's feet. Still hungryt Read on ••• ast week, a TV cookery program called TV Dmners showed a happy family serving uman placenta on a dinner plate. The programme led to a flood of complaints. The placenta is the surprisingly large cord connecting a pregnant mother's womb With the unborn baby, which the umbilical cord, extendtng from the belly-button, is part of. Placentae are used in classy face creams and anti-wnnkle preparations and are happily slapped on the faces of the rich and famous. One could argue that there is nothing wrong wtth eating humans, as long as you don't kill them for that specific purpose. Human meat is reputedly tasty and naturally salty, and like anything
remotely exotic itts said to taste a bit like chtcken or pork. lt also contains the perfect balance of amino acids. it could be said to be healthy, so long as it comes from a healthy human. as the Fore people of New Guinea found out (they got kuru, a brain disease, from eating human meat). Of course, most of us. unless we are mad or starving in the Andes, will never have the chance to taste the ultimate gross food. Thankfully, there are plenty of other depraved menu items to choose from. Scottish Haggis. for example - a mixture of heart, lungs, and other unsavoury animal organs with suet, boiled in a sheep's stomach - is possibly the very reason why 8ntish food has such a bad reputation. What Is strange, however, is how a nation that can stand eating haggis teases another for its passion for snails, no more than terrestrial whelks, and frogs' legs. Frogs' legs, however disgusting they may seem, are popular throughout much of Europe, including Italy and, of course, France. However, considering that they really taste no better than a well-cooked chicken, and they are small, and each frog only has a limited number of them, they are a waste of frogs. Frogs' legs are also popular in Louisiana, where the rivers and marshes etching through the Southern State provide a plentiful supply of seafood, as well as what passes for seafood, including alligator and turtle meat. Turtle soup is considered a great delicacy in Louisiana. where turtle meat and vegetables are simmered in stock
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" Placenta to go" to make a thick, nourishing dish. Americans aren't the only ones wtth a taste for exotic food though. South Africans enjoy eating springbok, a small cute species of antelope, and farm ostriches for meat export. Ostrich meat is noted for its beefy taste and its high protein and very low fat content. Many say that ostrich and kangaroo, from wtld 'pest' kangaroos and more popular with non-Australians, are the meats of the future. 11 was no coincidence that numerous UK supermarkets stocked this stuff on their aisles around the time of the beef crisis. But gourmands with a fondness for the exotic, or even the totally disgusting, are spoilt for choice. All they need to do is visit China. Guangzhou, or Canton. is the place to go for the grossest food. The Wild Animals Restaurant on Betjing Road specialises tn dogs, cats and snakes, whtlst other restaurants dish up monkey's brains, stewed turtle and shark's-fin soup. While a lot of these dishes are a complete delicacy, chtcken's feet are a readily available cheap treat, steamed or fried. Finally, if monkey's brains are a little too adventurous. or if China is a little too far away for the beginner, 8eyin Tavasi, or fried veal brains, are a Turkish spectality. The brains are sliced into small chunks, dipped in batter, and deep Lucas Psi/Jakls fried until golden brown.
Marks and Spencer Fresh Low Fat Tomato Soup This soup smelled strangely bitter, like tinned spaghetti, but managed to look appetising, with the herbs adding colour. Marks and Spencer failed hugely in the texture stakes as it was incredibly runny. The little bits of onion and vegetable - the hallmark of the classier soup - added to its taste. A stronger tomato flavour would make this better as it was too peppery. On the plus side it looked like real tomato with its dark colour and didn't taste like it was low fat.
Tesco's Fresh Tomato and Basil Tesco's own had a bright and 1 suspiciously synthetic orange colour. This tomato and basil had far too many herbs but wasn't as peppery as the Marks and Sparks offering. Like most of the soups in the running it suffered from over-sweetness. With its lumpy texture it was more like an especially bad homemade pub soup. Unfortunately it had an artificial aftertaste and was overly endowed with herbs. The tomato chunks helped to give it the right thickness. Helnz Cream of Tomato ~ Reliable old Heinz with its 57 varieties and its sentimental ads '1 with the African soundtrack was a lot thicker and not as sweet as the others. lt looked and tasted like actual tomatoes had been included in the recipe - always a plus. Smooth with a more subtle flavour and more filling than the other soups in our taste test. There was no bitter aftertaste. All it needed was a tad more pepper, ~ but you can always add to taste. Tesco's Cream of Tomato .This soup lives at the bottom end of .the food pile. Whilst having more flavour than Sainsbury's it was too sweet and disconcertingly watery despite appearing thicker than the other soups. This Tesco offering was more like a puree than a soup. Baxter's Cream of Tomato
With pills, potions and herbal remedies around for every ailment you can name, one of the simplest ways to improve your health is to make sure you get a balance of the right vitamins, be that by eating the right foods, or popping copius amounts of vitamin pills. Here's how... Found in egg yolks and cod liver oil, this is the vitamin that helps you see in the dark. Deficiencies are common in alcoholics, and can cause night blindness and retarded growth.
Vitamin B There are various forms of vitamin 8; such as 81, 82, 83, 86 and 812. All of them are vital to make some 60 enzymes in your body function properly. Without them you could end up irritable, weak and depressed. The best sources are meat, especially liver, otherwise soya products and spreads such as Marmite are all rich in Vitamin B.
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After the burnt orange colour of 1 the others this one was considerably paler, but it does look like real soup. This premise comes from the packaging, making you think this really was made by a wise old soup chef in a rustic country house'. • The stuff in the can didn't live up to the image though. 8axter's was dribbly and over-creamy, giving it a Carnation milk taste. I didn't know whether this was a soup or if I should be pouring it over an unfortunate trifle. Eating a whole bowl of this would not be a pleasant experience; this was more like a tomato syrup than a soup.
Salnsbury's Cream of Tomato
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The packaging on this Sainsbury's ~1 offering hardly whets your appetite. The soup looked like an exciting new paint colour: neon orange. lt tastes like one part Heinz soup, five parts dish water. The ingredients fail to explain the saccharine flavour that lingers at the back of your throat after swallowing a Katie Westgate disappointingly bland mouthful.
Vitamin C This is the Granddaddy of the vitamins, and was discovered in the late eighteenth century when they worked out that citrus fruits would help to fight scurvy on long trips. Vitamin C is important in the production of collagen which supports and protects most of your organs aod bones. Scurvy involves loose teeth, bleeding gums and other delights such as depression and anaemia.
Vitamin D This is the 'sunshine' vitamin; which you need to regulate absorption of calcium and phosphorous in your body. it's not the lack of vitamin D that poses a problem, but the calcium deficiency it causes. This leads to soft bones, fractures, and deformities. lt can also be found in oily fish such as kippers and mackerel.
Vitamin E Found in wholegrain cereals and eggs, this helps prevent heart disease and helps protect the immune system by maintaining white blood cell circulation. Emma Newbery
THE EVENT,
EDNESDAY, FfBRUARY 18, 1998
ers
lmogen Rose-Smith gave the eminent biographer Claire Tomalin a bell and discussed Austen, Art and Sunday afte rnoons 10.30am on Sunday morning. Three cups of tea, a Marlboro Light, and the effects of Saturday night are beginning to dissolve. I'm sitting on a bean bag in my deluxe student style front room, dialling through to Claire Tomalin, who spoke at the UEA Literary Festival this week, for a pre-arranged telephone interview. "Hello," her husband, the eminent pl aywright, Michael Frayn, answers. "Can I speak to Claire Tomalin please." "Yes, who's calling?" "it's lmogen." "Oh, lmogen Stubbs?" "um ... no ... Rose-Smith." Great.... Claire Tomalin, in my opinion , is nothing short of brilliant. A Cambridge scholar in the 1950s, she has published six works, mainly biographies. Her book on Nelly Ternan , Dickens' mistress, won the Pulitzer Prize and her recently published biography of Jane Austen has been highly acclaimed. I am absolutely petrified. My unease is not helped by the impression that Tomalin is far from a card-carrying member of the media fan club. She dismisses the suggestions of Jane Austen 's lesbianism which caused academics to jump up and down a few years ago as a blatant example of how journalists only seek 'scandal' in their assessments of biographies. Her own personal life has certainly had enough tragedy to keep the most callous journalist happy. Her first husband was killed whilst reporting on the Israeli conflicts in the 1970s, one of her four children has cerebral palsy, and another committed suicide. I sense this is a huge minefield of no-go areas and steer well clear. Yet when talking about literature and art, Claire Tomalin is incredibly forthcoming. She is passionately enthusiastic about the joy of Jane Austen 's prose. Tomalin believes that great writing
serves to liberate the imagination and thinks that the television adaptations of these works have failed dismally to do this. She also sees history in a very different light to, say, modern fashion , which just te nds to cannibalise the past as a means of providing anaesthetised nostalgia. For her, it is something which can be enlightening and complementary to the present, an idea which most of us seem to have lost somewhere in this pre-millennium dome of pop post-modernism. When I suggest that the problem with producing any biography is that you are placing a cohesive narrative over lives which are , by their nature, incoherent, she agrees, "If I had been able to choose the title of my book, it would have been: An Approach To Jane Austen ." But, strangely, if you imply that there have already been quite a few approaches, she disagrees. ''There has," she explains, "been a lot of academic criticism , but very few actual biographies." What is apparent is how much suffering the women Claire Tomalin writes about have been through. She argues that good art comes from pain and that you either make something of your misfortune or sink into it, like Jane Austen 's sister. For Tomalin , it seems to be pain that makes us interesting. She herself is a tribute to the way that personal tragedy can create inspirational work. Still, I decide not to pursue this line and instead ask her what she would normally be doing on a Sunday morning: "Going for a walk. " I think it best not to tell her I will be hoping the rest of my hangover wears off in time for a pub lunch . lmogen Stubbs would surely be planning a far more appropriate Sunday afternoon.
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ith the faintly annoying Stephen Ballykissange/Tompkinson taking the lead in the seventeenth century classic Tartuffe, the Theatre Royal was guaranteed to be packed to the rafters for this opening night. The anticipation in the auditorium could almost be smell as the eager theatregoers waited, desperate to catch their first glimpse of the 8-list star in the flesh . We all waited with baited breath until he finally made his appearance some fifteen minutes into the production. When he finally did make it onto the stage it was surprising how excellent Tompkinson actually was in Christopher Hampton's adaptation. Bal/ykissange/ could almost be forgotten as Tompkinson became Tartuffe, the sleazily pious limpet who worms his way into an unsuspecting noble household. Whilst Orgon, the father of the family, becomes enthralled with the faux-rellgious !etch, the family look on in growing despair. As they attempt to remove Tartuffe's influence Organ makes plans to sign his whole house over to the saintly stranger and, in a public advertisement of his idiocy, pledges his daughter's hand In marriage to the con-artist. With the future of the household looking Increasingly bleak, Orgon's wife, Elmire, hatches a plan to expose Tartuffe as the impostor he really is, and in a hilarious scene tempts the lecherous Tompkinson into trying to sleep with her whilst Organ hides under a table. With his comeuppance finally secured, Tartuffe falls further from grace following his arrest by the King's soldiers for a list of con tricks as big as his once pious ego. Tompkinson is excellent as the brown-nosing godbotherer whilst Slmon Williams puts on a fantastic John Cleese-esque performance as the short-sighted Orgon. With Its beautifully bright costumes and solid supporting cast, Tartuffe exceeded expectations by a huge margin. Forget Bal/ykissangel. As Tartuffe, Jsmes Grshsm Tompkinson is superb.
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ted hughes
BIRTHDAY LETTERS
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ew Plath enthusiasts care to remember that it was the reclusive Ted Hughes that placed Sylvia in their affections. On her suicide in 1963 her name was comparatively unknown, given her current literary stature, and certainly did not resonate with the brilliance, pain, and suffering that it does today. To a large extent Ted Hughes raised her name to the stature in which it is held today, despite the damaging implications of her writing towards to him. Written over 25 years, Birthday Letters is a response to his life with and without her. Open Birthday Letters- 80 poems all told- and you'll find n:> introduction, no explanation and no wordy dedication. A few pages in and you feel like a voyeur, privy to love letters and other intimate correspondence of equally compelling intensity. Weirder still is that you don't know where this intensity comes from - how much is Hughes', how . much is your own and how much is of the media's making. If the artist's task is to rise above the singular to the plural concern then maybe Hughes fails, but this remains accessible stuff - 'intimate and candid'. Most are very poignant (some of my favourites are Sam, A Short Film and Ouija) but all reverberate with a clarity of vision and such staggering control of language that they are rarely emotional. Hughes leaves the hysteria to the critics, whose frenzied enthusiasm and hype has reached unrivalled levels with the publication of this collection. Birthday Letters has been described as 'the greatest book by our greatest living writer' and
'instant greatness!'. Some will read these poems to bleed certain information from them. Others might ask whether they stand alone as works of poetry. But this is pointless given that the Hughes-Piath relationship is the literary world's answer to Charles and Di. Even if you don't consider yourself 'into poetry' make an exception for Birthday Letters. You've got to buy it!
Catrlona MacLesn
ain Sinclair starts his book by telling us his aim is to cut a "crude V into the sprawl of the city [of London]. .. recording messages on walls, lampposts, doorjambs, the spites and spasms of an increasingly deranged populace." The suggestion is that we are to be taken on a thought provoking journey of discovery; to a candid and original account of one of the most cities in the world. •HnwAv•~r this is not to be \he case. The frantic pace of Sinclalr's alongside his constantly wide-ranging and obscure rAfo>rA'n"""' to various figures and o:wents combine to produce a disap~>Oirlting, exclusive and inaccessible piece of work. This is because Sinclair is undoubtedly an exceedingly perceptive observer with a great deal to say. But ton,n<>•~"" to talk about his subjects as if we share his them is extremely frustrating and completely l"n•nrr:•n""ont to his assumed intention of informing the reader. his habit of haphazardly jumping from theme to theme to leave the reader in a state of confusion and invariably results in his points being lost somewhere along the way. Lights Out For The Territory is not an easy book, and I cannot say that I enjoyed it. However, if you relish a challenge, there are certainly some rewarding insights waiting to be discovered and retrieved from Jack Hanauer within the labyrinth of Sinclair's writing.
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EA's Minotaurs wowed audiences with last week's production of Ticklers - two short comedies by Alan Ayckboum and John Godber. Ten Times Table centred around a committee which has been set up to run a pageant for the Penden Village Folk Festival. They decide to reenact the "Luddite Riots" - a historic event that none of the villagers have actually heard of, in which the local, poverty stricken farmers try to stand up for their rights . Chaos ensues as the stereotypical village inhabitants descend into a full scale war - with the politics not totally unreminiscent of the uprising that took place centuries ago. Alan Ayckboum's comedy is done justice by the talented actors, most notably Phil Marshal! who plays Audrey; the delightful old lady in clashing clothes and knee length stockings, who injects the most ludicrous and irreverent asides into this farcical comedy. While many people will remember their school plays and frown at the over acting and forgotten lines, the 'schooly' setting for Teachers was by no means amateur. Nobody could have failed to laugh at the caricatures and the play must have taken every member of the audience back to the bravado of the classroom, the sneaky fag and the games lessons that had to be avoided at all costs. This three person play gave each of the actors a chance to shine as they played school leavers performing a drama about their last year. As they jumped from acting the part of pupils, to pupils acting as both teachers and other pupils they took the audience through the first year of their drama teacher. This apparently flippant look at these people was at the same time an interesting examination of education itself. And there was an Emma Newbery absolute lack of any pauses, skipped scenes or loudly whispered prompts!
budding journalists from of Tongues have certainly tried hard. We are given the truth about Paul McCartney (he can't write songs), an attack upon middle-class Socialists, and some pseudo-philosophy about Liberalism. Their desire to rebel may be just a touch derivative, but at least it offers a little food for thought. And if this doesn't tickle your fancy there is bound to be something that does appeal in the winter issue of this UEA stalwart. Comedy sketch writing rubs shoulders with a bumper crossword, some graffiti from the library, and a million adverts in second-hand land for those whose bank balance is in free fall. For the culture-vultures amongst us there are even some quite good poems. These are cannily tucked away at the back though so that the philistines won be put off whilst flicking through the black and white gloss in the newsagents. The most successful pieces in the magazine are the least self-conscious, such as the light-hearted but perceptive description of the nightmares of a brain-deadening job. The laid-back trashing of the Flat Earth Society (admittedly not a particularly difficult task to accomplish) is similarly effective. The design could do with a rethink though as all the photographs are either deliberately blurred, minuscule, or printed as negatives. All things considered though, this is a self-confident and Daniel Bardsley surprisingly satisfying magazine.
THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
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SPICEWORLD: THE MOVIE Something to pretend you weren't involved in.
HERCULES Wed, Feb 18 to Sat, Feb 21 at 2.30pm . Animated ancient Greek fun .
ABC TITANIC But this ship is unsinkable! SPICEWORLD: THE MOVIE The girls do England proud. BOOGIE NIGHTS Oh my God, it's big. THE FULL MONTY A deep and insightful film about modern masculinity. PAWS Billy Connolly as the voice to a dog. FAIRYTALE: A TRUE STORY Fairies. Photographs. A true story. Okay. IN AND OUT Is he gay? Is he straight? Do we care?
'" ODEON FLUBBER Green goo comes to life. MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION Plot? You want plot? Isn't violence enough? TITANIC No, really, this ship is unsinkable! UP & UNDER Men play rugby. Wackiness ensues.
UNDER THE SKIN Wed, Feb 18 at 5.45pm , and Thu , Feb 19 to Sat, Feb 21 at 8.15pm. Two sisters react to their mother's death. SMILLA'S FEELING FOR SNOW Wed, Feb 18 at 8.15pm, and Thu, Feb 19 to Sat, Feb 21 at 5.45pm. Intrigue and conspiracy in the Arctic Circle. MAN BITES DOG Fri, Feb 20 at 11 pm. Spoof documentary about a careless killer. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGL V Sun , Feb 22 at 2pm. Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Kleef have some Wild West fun. IS HQ Sun , Feb 22 at 5.15pm. Bollywood extravaganza! THE BRIDGE Sun, Feb 22 at 8.30pm . A fictional segment on the life of Philip Wilson Steer. WINGS OF THE DOVE Mon , Feb 23 to Wed, Feb 25 at 5.45pm. Thu, Feb 26 at 2.30pm. Thu, Feb 26 to Sat, Feb 28 at 8.15pm. Mon. Mar 2 to Tue, Mar 3 at 5.45pm . Tue, Mar 3 at 2.30pm. Helena Bonham-Carter in a period film . Shocker! LUCIE AUBRAC Mon. Feb 23 to Wed, Feb 25 at 8.15pm. Thu, Feb 26 to Sat, Feb 28 at 5.45pm. Mon. Mar 2 and Tue, Mar 3 at 8.15pm. French resistance fighters in World War Two.
HONEYMOON KILLERS Fri, Feb 27 at 11 pm. True tale of a gruesome murder spree. BLACK BEAUTY Sat, Feb 28 at 2.30pm. Another version of the classic tale. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS Sun, Mar 1 at 5pm. Romance. Screwball comedy. Classic. PARADISE ROAD Sun , Mar 1 at 7.30pm Japanese POW drama. But they're women .
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FILHS
THE GAME Thursday, February 19. Michael Douglas finds himself irritated by all sorts of little problems. NIL BY MOUTH Friday, February 20. Gary Oldman paints a jolly picture of south London life. THE CRUCIBLE Monday, February 23. Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder get all hot under the collar. SHAFT IN AFRICAJSUPERFL V Tuesday, February 24. Yo, homeboy! What's going down? A LIFE LESS ORDINARY Thursday, February 26. Ewan McGregor and some avenging angels. SHOOTING FISH Friday, February 27. Brought to you with National Lottery funds. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO Tuesday, March 3. Bisexuality and Henry IV Part I.
THEATRE ROYAL THE RELAPSE Wednesday, Feb 18- Sat, Feb 21 at 7.30pm Matinees: Wed and Sat at 2.30pm Sir John Vanbrugh's 17th century play is brought back to life with Greg Hicks starring as Lord Foppington. £3/£15 BABE THE SHEEP PIG Monday, Feb 23- Thursday, Feb 26 at ?pm Matinees: Tues - Sat at 2pm High adventure in the farmyard from this adaption of the Oscar winning Australian film. £31£10
LECTURE THEATRE ONE SEAMUS HEANEY Tuesday, Feb 17 at ?pm Seamus Heaney, world famous Nobel prize winning poet comes to UEA and we all say, 'we're not worthy.' £3.50/£2 ALAN HOLLINGHURST Tuesday, Feb 24 at ?pm Author of The Swimming Pool Library and The Folding Star talks about life, love and art. £3.50/£2
ICH CASTLE MUSEUM TWO BRITISH IMPRESSIONISTS Wednesday, Feb 18- Wednesday, March 4 The works of British Impressionists, Waiter Sickert and Philip Wilson Steer, are displayed together for the first time. Free admission
_ THE EVENT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1998
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19 HELL FOR LEATHER Wednesdays Goth, indie, metal, and alternative. 1Opm-2am £1 stud. before 11/ £ 2 after
ALAN JOHNSTON Thursday, Feb 26 - Wednesday, March 4 from 10am-5pm Alan Johnston, whose works apparently demonstrate an acute awareness of spatial relationships, will be showing his work and creating a drawing on a purpose-built wall just for our pleasure. Free admission
'
WRAITH Fridays The best in goth. Grrrl
CLUB RETRO Saturday, February 21 Is this UEA's favourite club night? Proving the old songs are the best ones. £3 adv. CLUB PITS Saturday, February 28 lndie night. £2.50 adv.
JUICE Saturdays Uplifting house & garage. 10pm-3am Girls £2.50 before 11/ £5 after Lads £3.50 before 11/ £5 after
PLEASURE Thursdays FREE with flyers before 11/£2 after DECADENCE Fridays Over 20s
MELTDOWN
IRIS DeMENT Tuesday, February 24 Folktress favourable compared with Joni Mitchell. £12 adv.
Saturdays Regular indie, Britpop, and alternative dance club, with a variety of musical styles in the Studio each week. 9.30pm-2am £3 uea £4/ £3.50 cone. SIGN 0' THE TIME Friday, February 20 80s nostalgia. £3 UEA adv.
DUBSTAR +WIRELESS Thursday, February 12 Sugar pop band finally get to Norwich, hopefully. £8 adv.
HURRICANE Monday, March 2 lndie past, present and future £2 before 11/ £3 after ESTEEM Tuesdays 9pm-2am £2
SANCTUARY Mondays Old favourite student night. 9pm-2am £1 stud. before 11/ £2 stud. after SUPER PUB Wednesdays A regular club night, with live bands and pub prices. Bpm-midnight FREE
HOOD+ FIEL GARVIE Monday, February 23 £3.50 adv. BENNET + JAGUAR Monday, March 2 £3.50 adv.
KLASS Saturdays Over 20s
MORE MEDICINE Mondays The Student Social. 1Opm-2am £1 stud. before 11/ £2 after
PURE SWING Wednesdays Uplifting swing for the people of Norwich. 9pm-2am FREE
CAMOUFLAGE Friday Feb 27 Drum n' Bass club. 9pm-4am £5 THE DANCE CLUB Saturdays House and garage 9pm-4am £5 SUNDA V SERVICE Sundays House night. 8pm-2am FREE
thewaterfront
139 King Street, Norwich 01603 632717
GIGS Th~ Sat 21
£3adv
Club RETRO
FILM UIZ CATHERINE WHEEL
£1.00dr
Tue
10
+ FELINE + RADIATOR
Tue 24
£12 adv IRIS DeMENT compared to the likes of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris promises to be one of America's finest female country song writers, a solo performance
Sat 28
£2.50adv
Club PITS ..• classic and current indie cuts
OYSTER BAND
+ FOLKLAW
RETRO ACTIVE feat. FAITH, a tribute to WHAM!
31 Mar
Sat 14
£5adv
£9
OUT TO LUNCH with Moneypenn_ys DJs Tony Clarke & Adrian LUVDUP Sun 15
SOLD OUT
BLUETONES Wed 18
+KING PRAWN .
£7.oo
FEEDER
~~ +EVERCLEAR +CARRIE
£7.5o
TURA SATANA
Sun 3
+SUPPORT
£6.50
SYMPOSIUM
Sun 24
+SUPPORT
£6.00
last few tickets £10
SPACE
Thur 23
£8.00
THERAPY?
Tue
Sun Sat7
£5.00
&IF>INI11
club MIXMAG Positive Education
tbc
CLUBS Fri
with Carl Cox's Ultimatum Records
EIGHTIES NIGHT
20 Upstairs FOOT
Feb alternative 80s 9.30-2
£4,.£3uea
MELTDOWN
Sat 16
£11 adv
Mon 18
£8.50adv
THUNDER(heavy rock)
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
(Q)<C1f(Q)IB3IEffi
Sun 18
MOTORHEAD
Sat INDIE & BRITPOP 21 Upstairs All OUR YESTERDAYS £ ~ Feb mod & sixties soul 9-2 4r'-"'uea
RU MBLE
fri JUNGLE ALLNIGHTER 21 DJs Brockie, Hype, Jo Jo Rock,
feb Scoo
+ more 10-6
£10.00
MELTDOWN
£11
Sat INDIE & BRITPOP 28 Upstairs IN THE BAG baggy & Feb Madchester sounds 9-2
£4,.£3uea
Tickets are available from:
Sat 14
JOOLS HO LAND Tickets from Union Finance Office, Weekdays, 11 am·3.30pm Prices quoted are the student advance prices
tbc
Union Finance OHice 11.oo-1s.ao Soundclash, Ticket Shop, HMV, Andy's & Our Price CREDIT CARD BOOKING 01603 764764 Clull prices: are door only unless otherwise noted Gig prices are advance only advance tickets mav be subiect to bookina fee