The Event - Issue 134 - 30 January 2002

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the Wednesday, January 30, 2002

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Plus: Pen & Inc Interviewed Cooper Temple Clause Interviewed Van { 77a Sky Rev i ewe d

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Fed up with having to trek to Sainsburys or Tesco Metro, and then lug all your groceries back to campus by bus? Well, you need never do it again! We have scoured websites, compiled shopping lists and compared prices, to help you make life t hat

l ittle bit easier.

Also in this issue, Julia Bell discusses what the future holds for the UEA based publishing company she eofounded and Raging Speedhorn talk about the usual sex, drugs and rock 'n'roll.

In i de:

Reviews:

03

Round Up

14 Alb ums Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Lo-F1delity Allstars; Haven; 1 G1ant Leap

Th1s issue: Pop Idol

04

Kno wl ed ge Pen & In c

The Doors

15 Sing les Hives; Cooper Temple Clause; Staind; Spritualized; Sahara Hot n1ghts

Film 05 Inquisito r 18 Video 06 Celebrity Biographies 19 TV I Interactive EA S tutor and author, Julia Bell, talks about the UEA based publishing company

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Vanilla Sky; From Hell; Shallow Ha/

Biffy Clyro

Battle Royale; Planet Of The Apes

The Event looks at t he phenomenon of celeb rity biographies and asks the question, why bother?

Cooper Temple Clause 08 Movie Rumours 07

Pop Idol; Eden ; Mary Anne's Bikes; Meet The Livewi re DJ; Essential Soaps

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The rockers from Reading talk about being big in Japan.

The Event's own Stateside cntic. Jim Whalley, tells it like 1t is in Hollywood at the moment.

09 Bearsuit The Event chats t o the Norwic h ba sed, ramshack le popst ers about John Peel, drunken Czechs and hold1ng up post -offices.

10 Hollywood Heifers W1th the Imminent release of Shallow Hat. st arri ng Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black, m mind, we discuss Holl ywood's recent obsession with obesit y.

11 Raging Speedhorn Ever wondered what had happened to the rock and roll clic hes of ol d? You know, chucking obJects out of hotel wmdows and stuff ... Well, don't worry, Raging Speed horn are keeping the dream well and t ru ly alive.

Cinefile 12 Internet Shopping Tremors

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HVB 3.:1\fO

No trolleys, no buses, no hassle.

Arts A Doll's House; Nightmare Cafe; Book Preview; Best of t he rest

Listings: 22

Listings The best guide to wh at's on m Norwich. Ever.

Editor-in-Chief · Adam Chapman • Editor · Markland Starkle • Arts Editor · Charlotte Ronalds • Film Editor · Merek Cooper • Assistant Film Editor · Phll Colvln • Music Editor · Anthony lovell • Assistant Music Editor · Kleren McSweeney • TV/ Radio Editor · llz Hutchlnson • Assistant TV/ Radio Editor · Gemma O'Donnell Picture Editor · Ed Webb-lngall Text · Catherlne Bowe · James Brown · Clalre Burwell · Cat Clark · Ruth Charnock · Andle Francls · Kate Herrlngton · Toby lewls · Tessa North · Mlscha Pearlman · Katherlne Potts · Ed Purklss · Bethany Scott-Boatfleld · Helen Sharpe · Joel Turner · Jlm Whalley · Luke Wright

The Event is published fortnig ht ly by Co ncrete: Post: PO Box 410, Nor wic h . NR4 7TB Te l : 01603 2505 58 Fax: 01603 506822 E-mai l : su.concrete@uea. ac.uk Pr inted by: Eastern Counties Newspapers. St Andrew's Business Park . Norwi eh

Bits and Pieces 03

Round Weeks, nay, months we have been avidly watching whining, tone-deaf slappers flinging their cleavages around the set and wetting the shoulders of a somewhat bemused Ant or Dec; or pouting, theatrical luvvies try ing best to control their tears whilst hitting back at the mean old judge who simply calls a spade a spade, not a 'won.derfully vivacious and bubbly digging implement who should concentrate on getting their personality across more to the audience because they are such a lovely, lovely spade.'

None of us really believe our televisions any more: when some bul imic youth TV presenter te lls us they have ·a real musical talent on today ' we have learnt to take it with a pinch of salt . But , when Pop Idol first started the judges' opinions were so refreshing . At long last , when a demented tart with the vocal capacity of a nuclear warning alarm presented herself on TV someone other than the millions watching it - someone actually on the TV - said "you 're really, really bad. " But instead of embracing such an up front atti tude the nation has gone into uproar. After the first few submissive, tearful cases one of the aspiring Pop ldolers hit back, then the burly self-proclaimed fathers of the ousted competi tors started pointing their fingers in Judges' Question Time . And then the tabloids, not wanting to miss a trick, got involved too: 'how can the judges be so mean?' 'Are they deaf?' ' Don 't they know a decent tune when they hear it ,' or, say, how Darius put it to the Devil Himself (aka Simon Cowell) last Saturday ,

• up • Pop

Idol

"Your waistband 's so high it might be restricting the blood flow to your head .'' Yeah, funny .

And whilst all this bickering was going on the ITV bosses simply put the kettle on and waited for the money to roll in (I mean, how long has this series gone on?). Furthermore, now all the judges, aside from Simon Cowell , have gone soft (admittedly Pete Waterman 's being threatened might have had something to (Jo with it).

But, then , aren't we missing the point just a little? The aim of this awful television program is to find the next self-deprecating mindless pop star. We are going to send this poor idiot into one of the most brutal and corrupt industries this world has ever seen and yet we are taking objection to one of its most powerful and nastiest men because he's told"a few prancing, warbling prats that they can 't tucking sing. Wake up. The w inner of the competition is to win a record deal with Cowell 's company, RCA . Do you think that a sympathy vote is going to mean tuck all to him? Like nine out of ten young people who get involved in the record industry , he/ she is going to be used to produce as much cash as possible for people like Waterman and Cowell and then thrown to the side and flushed down 'the toilet like an unwanted reptile . Just ask Sonia, Jason Orange, Jason Donovan (anyone see him at UEA? Talk about finished ). and countless other pop stars that have fallen by the wayside after three month long careers. So, get over it. This is a nasty business, whether we like to admit it or not, Si mon Cowell is just being cruel to be kind .

Luke Wrlght

Competition •• NME/Carl i ng Tou r tickets and goodies Carling, the UK's favourite pint, have teamed up with legendary music bible NM E for t he fourth year running , to bring you the NME Carling Tour, hitting Norwich on February 6 .

Ahead of the NME Carling Awards on February 6, this country-wide tour profiles four up and coming new artists. This year's line-up features US rocker, Andrew WK ; Welsh Metallers, the Lostprophets; Swedish indie popsters Soundtrack Of Our Lives and Liverpool 's own indie newcomers, The Coral. Previous year's artists have included Starsailor, Coldplay, Travis and Stereophonics - once again proving that the NME Carling Tour provides the ultimate opportunity to see the next big th ing now.

Carling continue to support music at grassroots level by championing the Carl ing Best New Artist as well as the Carling Best Album category at the NME Carling Awards in February . NME Carling Awards winners are voted by real music fans ; readers of NME and www .nmecarl ingawards.com - resulting ·i n the World's biggest awards poll.

Your sound check for the future hits Norwich on February 6 , and to celebrate the tour 's arrival, The Event has joined forces with NME and Carling to offer readers the chance to win a top notch prize that 's sure to beat those January blues. We 're giving away : 1st Prize - 1 pair of t ickets to the gig and an NME Carllng Tour goody bag 2nd Prize - 1 pair of tickets to t he gig and a case of Carllng 3rd Prize - 1 pair of tickets and an exclusive tour t-shlrt

Resident Tutorships 2002/2003 Applications for Resident Tutorships for the academic year 2002/2003 are now invited from suitably experienced students and members of staff. Students who will be abroad during 2002/03 should also apply now for appointment in September 2003.

If you don 't win the prize, don 't worry - t ickets priced £10.50 are on sale from the 24 hour NME 24-hour Ticket Line - 08701 663 663 or go on line at www .nmetickets.com Calls are charged at the national standard rate . But hurry, tickets are nearly sold out!

To enter the competition simply answer the follow ing question and email it to su.concrete@uea.ac.uk with your name and phone number. Entrants must be 18 years old or over. Terms and conditions below apply .

Q. Name one of the four NME Carl/ng Tour bands playing this year's tour?

Resident Tutors are crucial to the welfare and good order of students in University residences. Living in residences demands that students take a good deal of responsibility for their lives on a day-to-day basis, but Resident Tutors help maintain a balance between the rights and interests of individuals and the community of which they are a part.

Further particulars are available from the Dean of Students Reception Extension 2761 Closing date for entries: Monday 11 February 2002

Enter as soon as possibl e because prizes will be announced beginning of week commencing February 4.

Terms and Conditions:

1 . Entrant s must be 18 years old or over 2. Management reserve the right to refuse entry 3. Prizes are not ex changeable or refundable 4. Only 1 entry per applicant 5. Ent ries defaced or damaged will not be considered

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Knowledge:

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The Doors

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Ever since it began in 1998. UEA based publishing company, Pen & -Inc, has gone from strength to strength, producing some of the most exciting writing 1n the country. eo - founder, Julia Bell talks about its success and ambiti~1~ ~~ r t he Tex t : Luke Wr i ght future.

When and how did it all happen?

In 1965, four UCLA film students decided to form a band, and signed a year later with Elektra Records. They pl ayed to an audience of three in their set ar London Fog , one of their first gigs. On their self-titled 1967 debut album, Morrison announced the goal to 路 Break on Through t o the Other Side" . Obviously, with breezy pop combos dominating the charts at the ti me, such as t he Beatl es and I Wanna Hold your Hand, The Doors were considered quite risque. Los Angeles' famous Whi skey a-Go-Go was so displ eased th at they banned the group from pl ayi ng their erotic and dark music at their night club. Despi te thei r initial shock-fac t or,

by April 1971, The Doors had recorded si x st udio LP s, and a two-record set of li ve perform ances with two different producers. They had top 20 songs such as Lig ht My Fire, and People are St range.

Where'd the name come from?

Jim Morrison liked readi ng poetry, and found this quote from Will iam Bl ake: "When t he doors of percept ion are cleansed, things will appear to man as they truly are: infinite. " He presented the name to the rest of the group, and they ca lled themsel ves "The Doors'.

What was the music all about?

Hoping to avoid all of the peac e and love music being produced at the t ime, t he guys pu shed the envelope usi ng poetry, improv isat ion, spi rituality, and sexual explorat ion to create a psychedelic new rock and roll. Fusing all of these elements toget her emphasized their concept of the 路universal mind', attempting to con nect and inspire all people with a creati ve energy t hat all owed fo r 'i ntern al freedom.'

Who was in the band?

John Densmore, a jau dru mmer, Ray Manzarek , a classically trained pianist, Robby Krieger on any guit ar invented, and yes, Ji m Morri son an ec lect ic poet.

Did Jim Morrlson really just move to India or Africa?

Many Doors fans reall y bel ieved this after his deat h in 1971, but the truth was that he mixed a cocktail containing alcohol and heroin, drank it in the bathtub, and died from the lethal co mbinat ion. He is now buried, and still highly visited, at Pere Lachaise cemetery in France. Jim"s dying wish was to be remembered as a poet.

Was that lt for The Doors?

After Jim's death, the remaining tr io recorded two more albums before breaking up in 1973. They became arguably more popular after Morrison's death, with Sugarman's 1980 biography of t he band, No One Gets Out Alive, Franc is Ford Coppola's The End, and The Doors' Greatest Hits Album that sold two million copies. In the early '80s they were selling over 750,000 albums a yea r, while the Rolling Stone put Morrison on the cover with the quote, " He's hot , he's sexy, and he路s dead ."

In Retrospect: Come on baby light my fire.

And/e Francls

event Wednesday,

January 30. 2002

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• • n October 2001, UEA based publishers Pen & lnc were awarded a £75,000 grant from the Regional Arts Lottery Program (RALP) . The money will be received over the next three years and is to go towards developing their company.

'But who are Pen & lnc?' I hear you cry, and more importantly, who cares?

Pen & lnc was started as a project in 1998 by EAS tutor and author, Julia Bell, and designer Julian Jackson, who runs the UEA publishing office. However, the project soon grew into a full publishing company and Pen & lnc now has five permanent members of staff. Originally the aim was to produce a series of student based <texts>. They made 13 of these, ranging from first collections to the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll trilogy that finished the series with a certain hedonistic finesse. The final publication, rock<text>, contained work from John Cooper Clarke, Big Issue Editor Tina Jack son, and book er prize nominee Ali Smith .

Whilst this series was having its final debauched swansong, Pen & lnc was moving on and up with the production of two larger, 'proper' publications (you know, ones with bar codes that get sol d in bookshops all over the country). Pretext is a natural follow up to the <texts>. A twice-yearly publication consisting of poetry, prose, literary journalism and criticism, Pretext began in 1999 with an article by Nell Dunn, fiction from Ali Smith and an excellent piece on Shirley Bassey by Paul Magrs. Company director, Julia Bell, feels that Pretext is providiQg a vitally needed outlet for new fiction and can see it fulfilling a role previously tackled by highly successful magazines such as Granta, which also began life in a university background.

"I k1nd of feel that their content has got quite stale. At the moment they seem to be publishing high quality journalism, which is fine, but it doesn't really account for new fiction, which IS what it used to do, and I feel there's no place in the country at the moment for people who are wnting short stones to publish their fiction . it's really important for that to exist."

Despite its emphasis on publishing new writers, Pretext boasts a collection of contributors that includes Martin Amis, Toby Litt, Jackie Gay and W .G. Sebald. An impressive list, but one that ' s already being rivalled by its sister publication, Reactions. Edited

by Esther Morgan and specialismg in poetry, Reactions began in 2000 and is launched annually on National Poetry Day (October 4). Like Pretext, Reactions is picking up subscribers, but, as Julia Bell asserts, this is not surprising. "We're building up an audience, you just have to look at the content to see why. All the writers have been really keen and people haven't asked for money. Writers always want new avenues opening up for their work to be published."

Inquisitor: on the up,

in the c hair

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en & lnc is not simply concerned with publishing the big names, however. Julia is keen. to keep. in the tradition of independent and DIY publishing. The latest project to come out of the Pen & lnc thmk-tank IS a series called Pen & /ne Slims. These slim-line volumes, designed with cigarette packaging in mind, are gomg to be produced in short print runs only and sold fairly locally .

"We're starting with a collection of Ramona Herman's poetry , I'm really proud to be publishing her, because everybody who knows her and who hears her read thinks she's amazing. She simply deserves the exposure," M s Bell muses. "it's very satisfying doing smaller, independent things. You can publish more experimental texts, you don 't have to publish just short stories or novels. You can do novellas, or poems, or short story poems, or all sorts of hybrid texts, which is quite exciting. You also feel like you're doing something for the local community, and for the local writers."

P

Hailing from Glasgow, and with their debut album corning out soon, Biffy Clyro are one of Scotland's most exciting bands. James, Ben and Simon tell The Event all about themselves.

First things first; 'Biffy Clyro' Is a very unusual name. Where did 1t come from and what does lt mean? lt doesn't really mean much. lt was a Norwegian Warrior from the 17th century, and we thought it didn't sound like anything else, so we just kind of stuck with it .

around at the moment . UEA creative writing graduate, Gary Seal, and Julian Jackson are working on a project called Kiosk, which is going to be a CD magazme for performance poets.

There's aisle16, TVP, the Fringe Festival, and Jazz Cafe of course . it 's great. Pen & Ine should exist really to represent that community of writers."

Although, for the time be1ng it's down to business. Workmg 1n partnership with the school of English and American Studies, Pen & lnc are aiming to increase subscriptions to Pretext and Reactions whilst building up their bookshop presence and providing a l1vely calendar of events. They have a successful website (www .penandinc .co.uk) and now as recession looms and distributors are makiJ)g 1t harder for independent publishers Pen & lnc feel that they can successfully consolidate their position in the field by their own competent marketing techniques. So, where does Julia Bell see them five years from now? " Ideally, I'd like to think that Pretext would be brea~ing even , 1n terms of subscription fees, 1t would have a large subscriber list, as would Reactions. And that we were energising and being able to publish offshoot projects, maybe some anthologies with the British Centre for Literary Translation, and producing some more Pen & /ne Slims. We could apply for extra money to oneoff projects and I really want to anthologise the <text> series."

And in ten years time? "Don't even go there! " But for now Pen & lnc are keeping their feet firmly on the concrete flooring , plann1ng to stay based at UEA for the next three years at least, and are currently looking ahead to the release of

.. We're building up an audience, you just have to look at the content to see why. Writers always want new avenues opening up for their work to be published." - Julia Bell Working the local community is something that Pen & lnc places high on its agenda. UEA has long been seen as centre for high quality writing, yet Norwich itself has not always achieved a comparable reputation . Pen & lnc are hoping to bridge that gap between university and town. · we want to create a scene of some kind , where there are groups of individuals domg the1r own projects, but also an umbrella organisation for everybody to work under. There are several important groups

Pretext, Volume Five. Guest ed ited by Ali Smith, the anthology 1s to Include a new poem by Margaret Atwood, a piece by Stella Duffy , and one of the last recorded mterviews with Cathy Acker .

Julia Bell is clearly very exc 1ted by 1t. " I thmk 1t's our best yet.

The poem by Margaret Atwood IS my favounte from anythmg we 've ever published , it rea lly is truly stunning , one of those moments where the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I feel really privileged to publish it ."

What's also unusual Is that all three of you sing lead vocals. How did that start? And do the vocals come first or last?

We don 't know why, but we all just ended up singing . Simon sings most of the songs, and then we just decide which points someone else will sing or if all of us will join in. lt JUSt kind of happens. Music first , though . We 'll start jammmg ti ll it 's tight enough to sing over it, and then we 'll start singing.

You 've cited Weezer, Nirvana and Fugazl as being Influences. Are all your Influences American?

Pretty much . We were always mto heavier music, and American music always seemed a lot more exciting than British bands, which was all Oasis and stuff like that, which we didn't really click with. We were lucky that people knew what we liked and could introduce us to the right areas, things that we could love straight away .

So would you like to tour America at some point? lt 'd be great. But it's such an enormous place you can't really do it in half measures. And we haven 't done anything out there yet, so it ' ll be very hard to go out there and tour without any publicity . You really need a video or something to break it over there, but we 're willing to give it a go. And we love playing live. There's no feeling like it, it 's amazing.

What's the most Important thing about music for you?

Being passionate and not selling out. lt would be quite easy to become Link in Park or Sum 41 . They 're not in it for the music , they don 't feel the way they say during the songs.

Your debut album, Blackened Sky, Is released on March ll..

Excited?

Can 't wait. We 're ecstatic . Especially because we don 't c are much for smgles. We try to make sure that ours are like snippets of an album anyway , rather than a single . Our b-sides aren 't on anything else, and we're going to continue to do that so the fans get their money 's worth .

So where next?

Literally, Aberdeen. But the tour continues until March 17, so we 'll basically just be touring for a while, and whenever there 's a break we'll start recording our next album .

Any last words?

Death to false metal. And Linkin Park .

Wednesday , January 30, 2002

M/scha Pear/man

e-vent

06

'Those who can do and those who can't talk about it. • • '

The biography has had a long tradition for documenting the lives of those among us who are actually interesting enough to deserve documentation. Recently, how ever. the genre has been taken over by an increasing obsession with vapid celebrity lives. The Event takes a look at the dross. Text: Liz Hutchinson

VOICE OF AN ANGEL MY 111-t:

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HARLOTTE CHURC

NELSON MANDELA ur family Christmas was spent in great company.

Posh Spice perched precari ously on the arm of th e sofa, Des o·connor warped under the weight of Grandma 's left buttock, Robbi e Williams was used as a litter tray by my cat and Geri became the proud owner of a biro moustache courtesy of a small cousin . And that's not the end of it . Late r that week, after the sales had been and gone, Eva Cassidy lay on the coffee table for several weeks, whilst David Beckham was used as a rather unusual coaste r on said table, eventually ending up with a fetch ing tea ring on his forehead.

As much as I'd like to pretend t hat my Christmas real ly was as celebrity-filled as a copy of a particularly good issue of Heat. 1 feel I have failed to point out the reason for my star studded Yu letide. And that reason, courtesy of WH Smith, Waterstones and the like , was the unexplained phenomenon that is the celebrity auto-biography.

I remember my first time. He wooed me with his black hair and his slightly crossed eyes ... Ryan Giggs, My Story was my first foray into the ce lebrity auto-biography and it has had a profound effect on my life ever since: the close up of his werewolf hairy feet in the centre pages gave me a male feet phobia for several years later. Since then, I have ploughed through my fair share of celebrity life stories and I have to admit that I did actually read an unprecedented amount of these books during the Christmas break, despite Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf eyeing me disapprovingly from my pile of course books. And, contrary to popular bel ief, these auto-biographies actually got me thinking, not about what I was going to have for tea, as is the common thought when reading a pile of tripe, but about the whole concept of the autobiography and whether the rise of the celebrity has changed the genre it self?

Auto-biographies, traditiona lly reserved for stalwarts: famous politicians, members of the royal family , prolific sportsman, all with two things in common: old age and a long, prosperous career, hence the oft used title - 'my life story'. Not anymore it seems. Apparently. j ust a few years of fame and achievement can warrant an autobi ography. This coul d ind icate two things; that these two minute wonders real ise that the ir lycra-clad dance act may not see them performing way into their 60s, or

0

that the potential money to be made from my life story part two's proves way t oo tempting for them to wait unt il t hey act ually have a life to write abou t . it seems somewhat wrong to me that the autobiography of someone like Posh Spice, whose ca reer spans all of, ooh five minutes, shou ld be shelved next to the respected likes of Bett y Boothroyd or Mo Mowlam for example.

The most audacious attempt so far is by that mutant Welsh wailer, Charlotte Church with her biography, Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far). What next? The autobiography of Hayley Joel Osment: 'My Life, The Pre-pubsescent Years'? Despite a few highs of meeting the Pope and Richard and Judy , I 'm sure that

only with lots of amusing celebrity anecdotes? And with that in mind , I don't think I real ly want to know what the title Bananas Can't Fly relates to. o why are these book steadily overtaking fiction to take the top seller title week after week? Why has the world, and me incl uded, gone batty (and not in the Ali G sense of the word) about celebrity auto-biographies? Well. as a nation, we are definitely obsessed with the idea of ce lebrity, with racks of magazines devoted to gossip and photos of this species. I'd like to hazard a guess that there are a fair share of celebrity stalkers in the UEA community too , with rathe r more than half

S

r r, LP r h wi t h h r r b i o rJt' d p h y Pr the many other teenage lows such as spots and boy trouble would not make for the most interesting read. To be fair, at least she acknow ledged the absurd ity of writing a biography at her tender age in the brackets. Hmm. I've always had my suspicions about the true age of t hat girl though. Look at the signs: those Dot Cottonesque floral numbers. a vo ice like Lesley Garret, a penchant for Pie Jesu and the false-teethish grin that wouldn't look out of place in a advert for polygrip. Doesn't exactly smack of 13 year-old girl now does it?

We do get a few old wri nkly biographies though, take Des O'Connor for example. That well -known wholesome entertainer who has hit the bottle a few too many times - the fake tan bottle that is. But age does not necessarily indicate achievemen t now does it? And this, I think , is a prime example. Okay, so he has been on t he television for quite some t ime, but the only show that springs to mind is Des O'Connor Tonight and he 's hardly Parkinson is he? The synopsis of his l:)iography boasts that 'during hi s caree r, O'Connor has interviewed all the major personalities of the day, from rock and pop stars, actors and TV celebrities to pol it icians and members of the Royal Family.· So he's met lots of celebrit ies, big deal. What about hi s impact on family entertainment and the te levision medium? Does his celebrities-1-have-met list really warrant an autobiography, filled

the ir floor space of Kylie posters on their walls. Another obsession of the great British public is spying; we are lapping up the su rvei ll ance shows com ing out of the box in their hundreds. So what better than to combine the two? WH Smith even markets the auto-biographies as if they were observati on tools to ex amine the celebs. "We have the most int imate biographies. studying celebrities li ke Billy Connolly , Robbie Wil liams and An ne Robinson. These engaging tales of li fe in and out of the spotlight will make engrossing reads for everyone ." I have to admit that , despite my rant ings, I myself have become ashamedly hooked . Who wou ld have thought that the monotony of ce lebrity life would make a page turning book and that I rushed home from work wondering what happened after Posh and Beckham had a huge row about his Th omas Pink shirts? Shouldn't we be reading about the life of those who have really made a difference, and a long lasting one at that , like Lorna Sage's Bad Blood for example or Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom?

But increasingly deserving autobiographies such as these are being pushed out by such gems as If Only by Geri Hal liwell. 'If Only' she hadn't felt the need to punish us with her wh ining writing as wel l as singi ng more like . In the case of 'entertainers' like Geri and eo. the words of Murray Walker springs to mind, "Those who can do and those who can't talk about it ."

Wednesday , Ja nuary 30 , 2002

event

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Teeth and clause

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The Event

talks to psychedelic noise experi mentalists, The Cooper Temple Clause, about being hated in their home town and loved everywhere else.

Text : To by Lew is e lo~k forward to you commg to Japan because we still haven't been milked yeti " The Cooper Temple Clause are BIG in Japan, despite their "notoriety in England being little to none."

Whilst at the moment they are huge from Nagasaki to Norwich, their live presence surely means that they can walk the grand stage of Rock and Roll with effortless composure.

The same must briefly be said for their incredible support act Lapsus Linguae whose insanity and humour upstaged their amazing but more obvious counterparts. The "clicM that everyone is big in Japan" holds true if Didz, The Cooper Temple Clause's bassist is to be bel ieved . He would wander down the street and be mobbed with people screaming, "You are Didz. Cooper! Cooper! Where are the rest of the band?" The feisty heifers being referred to recognised them in Camden, of all places.

These clued up Japanese groupies certainly get about .

Lets Kill Music, their recent single has been "misunderstood. " it's not so much " antimusic. Yeah! Yeah!" and also not "empty slcr ganeering", but a call for those post-modernists out there to •start again . • Consistently "frustrated with the music scene and soulless music played on Radio One", they made a conscious effort to strike out against the conservative nature of their hometown, Reading . Their dynamic and confrontational style stems from the day in day out "apathy " thrust down their necks. This is encapsulated in their witty packaging for their singles, which combine pithy comments with interesting images, singling out the emptiness in some people's day to day existence.

Their anger is a ripe field for budding Freudians. This is fully embodied in Film Maker. This, "boy meets girl, boy's friends with girl, boy falls in love with girl , girl doesn't want to know boy, boy becomes obsessed with girl, revenge scenario," displays their "teen angst , jealousy, rage and frustration. • lt Is also damn enjoyable in the dark, twisted way that people love in rock music .

Their new single, Been Training Dogs, stems from the atmosphere of Reading, where, "if you look different to the norm or act differently , you find yourself victimised horrifically.· An area of, · mainstream, blinkered and cnannelled people, who put up barriers around themselves to stop veering away from the conventional." So when they were 15 to 16

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and had "just started going out in flowery shirts and flares, which would certainly liven up going to a pub." Cries of "You tucking Gaylord! Cut your hair, love! " would resound.

So, standing outside a pub with a girl , they'd find themselves •getting harsh remarks from the guy that didn't get the girl. 'He's tucking gay, love. You want to put him down.' " Reading sure does sound like a fun place to hang out. With their impending success they should be ripping these leeches from their skin as their energetic and raging music displays sheer distaste for this narrow-minded yob culture.

"Their new single, Been Training Dogs, stems from the atmosphere of Reading, where , ' if you look different to the norm or act differently, you find yo urself vic t i mis ed horrifically .• »

hey are "extremely proud of the new album," and amidst some of the immense walls of sound in the concert, it's not surprising. Their rock ing and psychedelic sound sent much of the crowd into a frenzy of excitement . This ability to amuse sees them supporting the Charlatans in London at the end of their tour, sadly, ·sacrificing the last gig in Cardiff, leading to one unhappy Welsh girlfriend. But it's wonderful to play with people, who five or six years .ago we were paying to go and see." Hanging out with the Charlatans on their previous gig with them , "they were relaxed and chilled, whilst Tim Burgess was particularly tucked." When asked on what , "Everything" was the inevitable reply .

Despite being self-confessed indie kids, their record collections are all encompassing. They keenly listen to, " lots of different music , including sleazy kinds of lounge music, post rock, electronica, Aphex Twin, Mogwai, and jazz, particularly Coltrane" and much more.

You can hear these disparate influences resonating in their work, with quirky psychedelic parts mingled with thumping guitar attacks.

The band has no consensus on any particular music that they dislike but all have "th ings that we hate in each others collections."

That's taste, I guess.

The Cooper Temple Clause's international appeal has meant they have also developed an obscure fan base in Ecuador who speak proudly of their admiration on the band's web site. However Didz did not know of this, but said " a few members of the band went there while we were still in school and maybe cultivated their fame then." Despite the growing fanbase, there are no forthcoming Cooper Temple Clause tours in South America, as they seem to be greater fans of the Asian Babes.

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Wednesday, Janua ry 30, 20 02

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Movie Rumours ••

looks set to be remebered as the year of the man in Movieland assesses the runners and riders.

2002

on't you just hate it when you go to the cinema and have to watch a film with original ideas? Isn 't it annoying, hav1ng to learn about new characters and concentrate on the plot so that you miss some of the really cool special effects? No? Well that ·s what Hollywood seems to bel1eve people think, and to prove 1t they've filled the release schedule from now until forever w1th sequels. This year alone we can look forward to Blade 2, Friday

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13th 10 (call ed Jason X), Men in Black 11, Spy Kids 2, Stuart Little 2, Star Wars: Episode 2, Austin Powers Ill, James Bond 20, Star Trek 10, Harry Potter 2 and Analyze This 2 (Analyze That) .

And the fun doesn't stop there as news of sequels and followups for 2003 and beyond becomes Increasingly frequent.

Leading the way are Warner Brothers, who not only have another five Harry Potter films in the works, but also Exorcrst IV, Terminator 3 ( Th e Rise of the Machines) and the second and third installments of The Matrix. Both the new Exorcist and the

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F1ona returning from their honeymoon and discovering a dinner invitation from Fion a's parents. The hilarious twist is that her parents don 't know that she's now an ogre . Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy are all expected to return . nd finally, it looks like a fourth Indiana Jones film may be on the way. Stories of another installment in the legendary series have been knocking around ever since the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. At one point, for example, Kevin Costner was supposed to be playing Jones' evil

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Text: Jim Whalley

second Matrix (The Matrix: Reloaded) are rumored to be prequels, giving new information regarding the events in the earlier movies. For The Exorcist. Liam Neeson has signed to play a younger vers1on of Father Merrin (Max von Sydow in the original) dealing with his first exorc ism . Ryan Phillipe is in talks to play a younger priest who comes along to assist. Both Matrix films (part three will be called The Matrix: Revolutions) have retained the original's cast w1th the addition of Jada Pinkett -Smith and the exception of Olivia Foster (who played The Oracle}, who died before all her scenes were shot. Aalliyah's role has also, obviously, had to be recast. Nothing much is known about the next Terminator, beyond Arnie returning for a record fee, Edward - I do more drugs than the rest of Los Angeles combined - Furlong losing the part of John Conner and the appearance of a new female terminator, possibly to be played by Famke Janssen.

Jonathan Mostow has been chosen by James Cameron to direct.

Slightly more solid information is available regarding the inevitable sequel to Shrek, so far known only as Shrek 2.

According to Dreamworks boss Jeffrey Katzenberg the second movie will begin exactly where the first left off- with Shrek and

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brother. Now, though. confirmation has arrived from the people who should actually know. While at a Golden Globes after-show party, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw (Spielberg's wife and the love interest in Temple of Doom) were spotted sitt ing together. An enterprising journalist enquired if a whip-wielding archeologist figured in their futures, and elicited the following response from Spielberg: "Yes, we have a title, but we're not ready to announce it. I will give you one clue though- Kate is in it ... The director also confirmed that a project he had hoped to make for some time. an adaptation of the book Memoirs of Geisha, was not going to happen, leaving his schedule free once he finishes work on Minority Report w1th Tom Cruise. Don 't get too excited just yet , bu.t with the main players' commitments as they currently stand, the man w1th the hat could be back as soon as 2004.

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Last year, Norwich-based lofi popsters. Bearsuit, wowed Radio 1 listeners so much with their debut single, Hey Charlie Hey Chuck that they were voted into the top five of John P e, ·- ce i 1 '"0 ?nOl The Event talked to them about what they pla-n to do this year Text: Markland Starkie

Picture (from left to right) : Cerian, Lisa, lain, Matthew. Matt , Jan

magine the scene. You have been practising a few songs with some friends for less than a year and done a couple of gigs in front of other friends , but nothing serious. Then , within six months, you are suddenly signed to an independent record label, have acquired a manager (who just happens to run the label) , have released a si ngle and have been asked by radio legend, John Peel himself, to record a coveted Peel Session for his show. Six months later you have re leased another single, played another Peel Session (this time live) and have beaten Radiohead, P J Harvey, Super Furry Animals and The Strokes in the Radio One Festive 50 2001 by coming in at number four. Sounds like fun? Well it cou ld happen to you , because it's happened before; it happened to Bearsuit. " I stopped listening to the Festive 50 at about number 48. I just thought if we hadn't been in there by then we weren't going to be in there; it was just gonna be the White stripes and the Strokes filling up the top 20. " lain Ross, lead singer, guitarist and lyricist in Bearsuit betrays a refreshing modesty when recalling the countdown. "lt was bizarre."

Matt (drummer): Our manager said before it happened that he · had a feeling we would be in the top three, coz we had already been told that they would be repeating the Peel Session we did

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Cerlan: He 's probably shoved it behind a pipe or something now.

Matt: I heard he actually wears it every Wednesday for his show .

Cerlan: Didn 't he say when we gave it to him that he was going to wear it to hold up his local post office? lain: Oh yeah. I don't think he did it though. We probably would have heard about it by now . But at least we know now if someone does hold up a post office wearing a bear head who it is: a slightly rotund man, desperate for money .. . t this point in the interview several words spring to mind, mostly revolving around 'excitable', 'children · and 'excitable' . And then I realise that I'm not actually interviewing the band at all. I've just stumbled into an ongoing conversation between the Bears and the odd question that I throw at them is immediately consumed and forgotten about as they move on to discuss things more exciting to them. But it doesn't matter because actually , listening to them chatter amongst themselves is far more interesting than anything I could generate .

I coax them towards discussing their new single ...

Llsa (singer, keyboards) : Yeah, it 's called Orinkink and it comes

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last summer and so that must mean that we were high up.

Either that or there was some bribery involved . e move on to discuss how they arrived at their collective appeltation. After all , 'Bearsuit ' isn't exactly the kind of name you find by flipping open a dictionary a picking a word at random. lain: Me and Matthew Moss (bassist) were drunk in a kitchen and we wrote down about a hundred different band names and .. .

I think ... no , now I'm telling this story it 's all wrong ... oh the original desire of the band was that we could play some music and make about £100 and that would be about how much a bearsuit would cost to make, coz I really wanted a bearsuit, um , to wear. No, I st ill haven't real ised it. We 've got bear-heads though, haven't we?

Cerlan (multi-Instrumentalist): I made lain a bear head but he gave it to John Peellain: -ooh , sorry .

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out on February 18.

Cerlan: But it'll probably be delayed. lt keeps getting delayedlain: -by the Czechs. They 're drunk all the time and they, um, they press it up and then they just get pissed up. it's the only European company that can handle the heaviosity of drinking and still keep the work going, apparently .

Cerlan: Is 'heaviosity' a word?

Llsa: Basically what happens is that they get a master copy of the record and they 're meant to copy it all from that. But instead they get drunk and fall on it, before it 's dry , and it's all smeared on their faces . And then the single comes out , and every single one's got t heir stubble on it and it just cocks everything up. lain: You 'll be able to buy it from all good shops.

Llsa: And you can buy it in Japan . 10% of Hey Charlie Hey Chuck was sold in Japan .

Cerlan: I didn 't know that.

Llsa: Well , you do now .

heir gabbling comes to a standstill when I ask to summarise their sound in five words. Somehow I don't think they are stuck for appropriate epithets so much as finding difficulty in focusing themselves to something so concise. After a few minutes and a lot of disagreement, the final description is announced : "shambolic, poodle, brazen, catchy , ramshackle .

Can we have ramshackle and shambolic?" Well, sounding ramshackle and shambol ic may be, for most bands, a dismissive criticism . But , for example, with the understated charm of Hey Charlie Hey Chuck, or the bouncy, shouty , discordant pop of their next single Orinkink, to be described as 'shambolic ' just adds to their appeal. This isn 't polished indie-pop; it 's raw and messy and above all, it's fun . it 's the kind of music that makes you th ink 'I wanna do that ' and, to be honest, you probably could. But it's not to their discredit. For, as I leave them to their ramblings ("One time after a gig some boys came up to us girls and asked to lick our front-bottoms. We squealed and ran away. " Lisa recalls one of the band's rock and roll moments) I realise that it's not just the music that make Bearsuit so appealing; it's their attitude to their music and the fact that they still seem so happy to be doing what they are doing.

Maybe one day lain might even get his bearsuit. I certainly hope so.

• For more Information go to www.bearsult.co.uk

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• Wish yo u we r e he r e? The Even t meet s J ohn fro m Rag ing Speed horn to discuss drug-induced erections and Spanish holi day resorts.

Text · Ki eren Me Sweeney

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've known cunts and I've known loveable guys but until I met you I've never known a bunch of loveable cunts." Says John Loughl1n (vocals), recalling the words of the Raging Speedhorn's old bus driver. Love them or hate them, you've got to res pec t Raging Speedhorn. The band play i'eavy mu sic and they don't give a fuck. an altitude Immediately obvious in their name. ··You take too much speed and you get the l1orn. You can't get rid of it." Over the last two years , Raging Speedhorn have played the Oz- fP.st, Tattoo the Planet as well as receiving tllrce Kerrang! nominations. Currently on tour m the UK, Speedhorn are just finishing work on We Wt/1 Be Dead Tomorrow, an album that looks set to bury the succ ess of their 2000

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Casey goes. 'We'll have to do some shows together next time we come over.· I thought.

'Yeah, we'll do this but it won't happen.' They rang us up and sure enough, 'We're coming over. do you want to support us?' We were like, 'Definitely, cool as fuck!'" Havoc ensued, with the band having to spend the night in a Spanish prison and pay £1000 bail. '" They've got these thmgs called TVRs (tequila. vodka Red Bull}, but in Spain they don 't have measurements they just tucking throw it in. So we started drinking them at half ten in the morning and carried on till three in the morning. At about 11pm, Larkin (Amen ' s drummer} comes in and starts buying rounds of whisky . So we start knocking them back. About 15 trays later we thought we'd chillout a bit at the hotel. it ended up in fucking mayhem from

Lr:Jke t')O rPuc 11 speed and _you ~~r·t aet rid of it."

qet thf.:> l:or-n.

John Loughlin on the band's name

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eponymous debut. "The only real difference on this album 1s that it's a lot heavier and a lot better produced. The first album sounded like someone just threw a mike in the room. it didn' t sound like a proper album so this time we got Bill y and Danny from Biohazard to produce 1t and it's come out sound1ng fucking amaz111gl" Although, with t -shirts advertising 'Sniff g lue ·. 'worsh ip Satan· and song t1tles like Necrophiliac G/uesniffer the band are unlikely to be appearing on TOTP. ·1 th mk people realise that we're not really into sni ffing glue and worshipping Satan. We JUSt thought it was a funny thing to have on the bac k of a t-shirt. Look at our song titles.

We're not into tucking dead people and sniffIng glue! it 's like The Gush. People ask what t hat song·s about. it's a fake disease that ·nale porn stars get from fucking too hard.

Somet1mes they shoot their load and can't stop cumm ing. Instead of cumming sperm t11ey start to cum blood, then it turns into thiS I.Jiock sl1it and all the1r bodily flu1ds JUSt drain out of thP.I r cock. We thought i', was a really funny 'll ing to have as a song title ."

Last year . Raging Speedhorn supported Amen, on their sell -out tour of Europe, John tells us more. "/ met Casey at the Kerrang! awards the year before. I got chatting to them and

then on. All of a sudden Frank (vocals} disappeared. and he was out throwing chairs off the balcony that , like, eight floors up. We got him back in, checked out of the hotel and ran before they could realise it was us." But it didn't end there. "Frank and Tony (guitar) thought it would be a good idea to smash up a load of cars on the way back to the tour bus. So, they 're running through this street. full of cars all the way down it. Tony's kicking wing mirrors off cars and Frank 's running on top of them smashing windscreens. Then he gets on this one car that's got a roof rack, trips over and lands, face first, on top of the car. This guy, standing at his gate, starts screaming at Frank in Spanish. Frank just turns around and goes, 'What the fuck? Fuck you!' Tony runs passed, kicks the wing mirror and the two of them run off ...

Rock and roll excess aside, how does John feel about the band's progress? "We've done a lot and that makes me proud. it makes me proud to say that we've come up to Bristol tonight to play a sold out show and that we're going to Col chester to play another sold out show. Its cool to be able to say that and it makes me happy. Being in a band is something I love and something I've always wanted to do. "

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The Body

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Tremors

Beautiful?

As the release of Shallow Hal brings us Gwyneth Paltrow looking as you·ve never seen her before. The Event 1ooks at the impact of the Hollywood·s newest phenomena: the fat suit Text: Phil Co 1vi n

his month's release Shallow Ha/ marks another appearence for what has become a Hollywood trend.

No, not a desperately miscast Gwyneth Paltrow trying vainly to play comedy (well, not entirely) but a film in which the leading lady plays an overweight version of herself by donning a fat suit. From Julia Roberts in America's SWeethearts to Eddie Murphy in both Nutty Professor films, it seems the latest way to prove your acting credentials in the movies is to perform whilst manoeuvring inside of a large piece of foam rubber. In a film culture so dominated by body image, it's difficult to determine exactly what this phenomena of bogus obesity by its leading lights is achieving. Is the fat suit to be applauded for its attempts to bring some reality to Hollywood's portrayal of the human figure, or is dressing pretty people up in latex simply the latest cynical way of generating interest in our favourite stars?

The talent involved obviously believe it's the former. The , writer/director Farrelly brothers, not known for their subtlety in Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary have been quick to defend their latest comedy's subject matter.

"We have nothing to hide," said Peter Farrelly. "This movie's heart is in the right place." And Paltrow has spoken on the enlightenment she gained whilst preparing for her role by wandering around various public locations in her fat suit: "No one would even look at me. If I was walking by a table, you know how naturally you just glance up. But people would see that I was heavy in their peripheral vision and not look, because I think they assume that's the polite thing to do. lt was lncredl· bly Isolating and really lonely and sad." But for all the empathy Paltrow may feel, her role in Shallow Ha/, like Roberts' in American Sweethearts requires only a small handful of scenes in her enlarged state. For the majority of the movie, and for all

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the publicity, Paltrow appears in her usual size as a purposely 'idolised' version of herself. And, indeed, much of the work for scenes not involving Paltrow's face in the fat suit was done by a full size body double, Ivy Snitzer, who is ignored in the films' credits.

Fat suits, it has been argued, also have the effect of trivialising issues of obesity by failing to point out related medical problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Film makers, though, argue that the fat suit does serve a legitimate purpose in films like America's SWeethearts and Shallow Ha/ where the scenes with 'large' Paltrow and Roberts form only a small part of the

"No one woul d even l ook at me . . It was incred ·i bly isolati ng a.nd really lone l y and sad . " Gwyneth on her pub lic outings in a fat suit . film. As Paltrow explained: "You know, it wasn't really practi· cal to· gain 250 pounds for ten days of shooting." Indeed, it would be extraordinarily difficult · not to mention unhealthy · to gain such a large amount of body fat in a short period of time.

However, this simply raises the question on why Hollywood casts the way it does. After all, surely in a logical world it would be an idea to simply select an appropriately sized actress to play a 'large' character? The mechanics of the boxoffice, though, mean t hese instances of falsely fat, big-name celebrities. become an inevitability. nintentionally, perhaps, films like Shallow Ha/ are simply confirmation of Hollywood's obsession with perfection; of a world in which a normal sized woman will be considered heavy. Much fuss was made when Renee Zellweger . gained 20 pounds to star in Bridget Jones's Diary. In reality, though, the actress was at her heaviest just 130 pounds. And despite many complimentary reviews of her appearance, Zellweger immediately set about losing the weight straight after the movie was completed, vowing not to agree to a sequel if any weight gain was involved. Shallow Ha! may make pains to enforce the idea that physical appearence should not be of the slightest importance to a relationship, but it is a point hard to swallow when Paltrow's exs include the likes of Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck.

In the end, though, Hollywood cannot really be blamed for simply being in the business of.giving the audience what it wants.

As the casting director at MGM remarked upon Shallow Ha/'s release in the US: "I think that glamour and beauty and a certain visual representation are what people pay to see in movies and in television ... The audience likes what it likes." When an actress like Julia Roberts or Gwyenth Paltrow wears a fat suit: it's not as if we don't know fully well who they are underneath the makeup. And whilst audiences are willing to pay to see beautiful people tall in love with other beautiful people, prosthetics or otherwise, there is no reason to assume Hollywood will ever change its ways.

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Sounds like a documentary about the characteristics of seismic vlbratlons .. . how Int eresting...

These are not just any old vibrations. The Tremors are actu-

ally huge man-eating monsters, which travel under the desert town of Perfection (asking for trouble with a name like that). The worms listen to the footsteps above them before dragging the inhabitants beneath the dust with their . multiple tongues that also happen to be huge snakes.

This Isn't your typical Western-type town then?

There's a saloon, gun fights, drinking, galloping horses and lassoing but where this differs from your usual Henry Fonda vehicle is that this movie is jam-packed full of one-liners and hugely incompetent and entertaining characters, all trying to save themselves from the "mother-humpers" .

So what happens then?

Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon play Earl and Valentine, two handymen trying to break the monotony of their lives in Perfection. Before they can make it out of the desert however, the population starts to miraculously disappear, courtesy of the four huge worm-like creatures that would make Jlm Henson proud. Team this with a sassy graduate student studying the seismic activity in the valley and a husband and wife team who could take on all the armies of Mordor with their arsenal of weaponry and you have yourself a good old fashioned eighties teen-thriller.

And how are the monsters defeated?

Actually, most of the worms are destroyed through their own stupidity, which is partly what makes this film so good. We feel a sense of self-satisfaction that put in the same situation, we could defeat them too. The monsters knock themselves out, throw themselves off cliffs and burrow into the basement of Burt and Heather who spend five minutes pumping lead until finally using an elephant gun to blow the worm to pieces, accompanied by much dripping orange goo and bits of skin.

Is lt all guns and gore then?

The most charming element of this film is the humorous . bickering between the two male leads. Even though the student Rhonda is supposed to be the love interest here, the real relationship is between Earl and Val who fight as though they have been married for twenty years. This is The Odd Couple turned hill·billy.

Worth watching?

Absolutely. Put all the elements together with a fantastic turn from country and western star Reba Me Entire and an early outing for Ariana Richards before she became the blond girl in Jurassic Park and you have an absolute gem of a film.

Cat Clsrk

Wednesday, January 30, 2001

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As the campus steadily turns into a haven for crime, are YOU scared to leave your room? Have you been stocking up on dried food stuffs in case of all out war breaking out in the square?

Fear no more, a 11 neccessities are now just a click away.

How annoying is food shopping, wandering round playing trolley wars with fellow Tesco go~rs and fighting over the latest special offers?

We looked at a selection of internet -bought groceries from different supermarkets and compared the prices

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back a further eight pounds.

And then, like a bolt out of • the blue the solut ion hit me; The Internet. 20 minutes and one visit to Tesco.com later

lazy "" ':!9' '\ and I had purstudent ~~ ·· " ~ chased the very lifestyles \J · \.

• ; ; same coveted ensure that ~ ~ ~ ·" " ' " ~ \\ . book and only 0 we spend as ~· ~ ~ ~ \\~ · .~?;. o · patd £6.50. little time on the banal il (9lt-' of}.~ ~ ~' And aspects of everyday life (such • •~ ~ ' '>\~ ~ because .Ja ~ YJ.J ~ ~~ . ..u_S, \.,_ . it was as paying bills) as we can, and as much time as possible on "' ~ '11 ~ ),.¥" ' . , so • ~ ~~ ~ ~\.do . _.-. _../' enjoying ourselves. Shopping can be fun, but it can also be extremely ~. ~ ~ boring and sometimes costly. How -lt ~ l~ -~ cheap ~ ~~ I treated many of us have gone to Morrisons with £20 in our pockets and left with an r\~ myself to a ~ ~~g. copy of Choco/at. empty purse and a £30 switch biO? This is not shopping folks, this is torture. Money ~ ~ . .~ -.

You see when you save that could be well spent on a new pair of ~ ~ money and spend money they / ~ ~~ •~ cancel each other out leaving you jeans or boots is wasted on microwave kormas ~ and luxury ice cream. So how, 1 hear you ask, i' \1 .::.~ ,.,y· free to spend without a guilty concan we make shopping easier and more fun?

0 9' ,...) science. Okay, maybe I still have a bit of a Well, for starters budgeting is extremely important, • .~ shopping problem but you can't argue with as a 'reformed shopper' I know of its perils. it's it0 . those prices. lt seems you can buy anything over the harmless enough to treat yourself to a CD, but when Internet provided you have a debit card and available you return home with a CD, a DVD and a new pair of credit in your account from Scoobydoo flasks to bottles of ridiculously high stiletto boots you have a problem. I had rum. a problem very much like this, until a visit to the ViceAnd it doesn't just stop there, oh no, after ordering from the Chancellor brought me to my senses. lt 's difficult to break safety and comfort of your own home (or the computer centre your shopping habits, but the bargains are out there, we just in our case) yo1:1 simply have to sit and wait for the goods to

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"W hat wa s ha rml ess browsi ng coul d become • an Imel da Ma rc o-es que spe nd i ng s pree" have to go and look for them. lt is possible to live. like a lord on a limited budget. lucky for us then, that the 21st Century has bought us an answer to all of our shopping prayers: The Internet. I'd never been a fan of the Internet, it's provided me with a lot of incorrect study materials in its time, not to mention all the junk emails I receive on a daily basis inviting me to participate in psychological studies. But it was with despera. t ion and only seven pounds in my bank account that I dlscov· ered the joys it could bring. After a dreary afternoons shopping in my hometown I was disappointed to discover that the Lord Of The Rings trilogy I'd promised myself as a gift would set me

arrive at your front door. Tim Dallman (810 3) certainly didn't have to wait long for his parcel to arrive, "I ordered a Wumpscut CD from musicnon~top.co.uk, it' s an import that I couldn't get hod of in the shops. I ordered it at midday and it arrived first thing in the morning the next day.n Unfortunately this process can also take anything up to two months as Anna Savage (EAS 3) learned when ordering t-shirts from America a week before the anthrax scare erupted, "I ordered a rare Thundercats t-shirt and a Jay and Silent Bob t-shirt frorr. Wickedcoolstuff.com They told me they'd be there within a week, when in fact it took nine weeks for them to

arrive. I enquired several·times as to their whereabouts and was told they were in the mail. The first five times I tried to order them they were out of stock or in limited sizes, it took a number of attempts to get my order right."

Finding a reliable vendor Is important, there' s nothing more disappointing than running downstairs in your pj 's each morning to find your threshold bare. · it's also a little scary to think of your credit card or debit details fly ing off into cyberspace unprotected, but as the larger sites have precautions firmly in place try not to panic too much. The odds on your card being abused are only about as high as the odds on your bag being snatched a~ you leave a store. And in a city like Norwich they're probably even lower than that.

There's nothing more enjoyable than an afternoon at the shops, a sentiment the Internet unfortunately cannot recreate, but it's definitely worth taking an hour out of your hectic student schedules to check out the bargains on line. Just remember to adhere to these guidelines:

Rule s for internet shopping: 1) Have a pen and paper at the ready. Record what you have ordered and who from. Most sites will send email confirmation, but it Is worth taking a note of your reference number should something go wrong. And if you need to make enquiries you will almost certainly be asked for this number.

2) DO NOT buy anything from a site unless it states t hat your details are protected, it's probably just a cowboy operation in someone's front room, and you might find yourself having to explain the inexplicable amount of porn mysteriously charged to your account.

3) Never use someone else's details ever, ever, unless you have permission. This is fraud and the police frown upon fraudsters and thieves.

4) Check your order carefully before you enter your credit card details, are there hidden charges e.g. delivery? Make sure your address is correct (especially your postcode) or someone else could get an unexpected present.

5) Remember this is REAL MONEY you're dealing with.

This is not monopoly, what was harmless browsing to try and save a few pennies could become an lmelda Marcosesque spending spree. Just because the cash does not physically leave your hand doesn't mean it won't leave your account. limit yourself, try and think of this limit before you go online and stick to it.

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www.tesco.com Tesco Value Thick sliced white bread Baby New Potatoes 750g Tesco Value Onions 1.5kg Tesco Value Eggs 6 Tesco Value Pasta Bows 500g Tesco Sauce for Pasta.

Tesco Value Baked Beans 4 tins Pot Noodle, 4 packs Tesco Cornflakes 500g Tesco four cheese pizza Tesco value lager 4x440ml Smirnoff Red label Vodka 70cl Tesco Value Toilet Tissue Tesco Chicken Tlkka ad Rice 350g Tesco Value Mild White Cheese Tesco Premium 40 tea-bags Tesco Straight Cut Oven Chips Tesco Value Orange Juice 11itre

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www.sainsburys . co . uk £0.19 £0.99 £0.89 £0.38 £0.38 £0.84 £0.69 £2.59 £0.78 £1.59 £0.89 £10.99 £0.58 £1.49 £0.83 £0.58 £0.98' £0.37

Sainsbury's Economy Sliced bread Sainsbury's new potatoes 500g Sainsbury's onions 1kg Sainsbury's Fresh Eggs 6 Sainsbury's Organic Whole Milk 1pt Sainsbury's Pasta Bows 500g Sainsbury's baked Beans 4 tins Pot Noodle, 4 packs Sainsbury's Cornflakes 500g Sainsbury's cheese and tomato pizza Fosters 4x400ml Smirnoff Red label Vodka 70cl Sainsbury's toilet tissue Sainsbury's Chicken Tikka Masala Sainsbury's Eco Cheddar Sainsbury's Eco Teabags Sainsbury's Oven Chips 1.81kg Sainsbury's Eco Orange Juice 1 litre

www . waitrose . com £0.19 £0.99 £0.59 £0.78 £0.41 £0.45 £0.83 £3.00 £0.79 £0.99 £3.49 £9.99 £1".75 £3.49 £1.93 £0.83 £1.15 £0.37

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£26.03 + Delivery:£5.00 £31.03

Waitrose medium sliced white bread Waitrose baby new potatoes 500g Waltrose Onions 1kg Wait rose free range eggs 6 Waitrose Semi Skimmed Milk 1pt Waitrose Farfalle Pasta 500g Waitrose Baked Beans 4 t ins Pot Noodle, 4 packs Waitrose Cornflakes 750g Waitrose Mozarella and Tomato pizza Waitrose Lager 4x400ml Smirnoff Red label Vodka 70cl Waitrose Toilet Tissue Waitrose Chicken Tikka Masala with Rice Waitrose Cheddar English Mild 1kg Waitrose Gold Tea Bags Waitrose frying chips 1.81 kg Waitrose Smooth Orange Juice 11itre

£31.19 + Delivery: £5.00 £36.19

£0.39 £1.29 £0.99 £1.45 £0.54 £0.45 £0.77 £2.76 £1.07 £2.29 £2.75 £10.89 £1.63 £2.29 £3.94 £1.99 £1.49 £1.09 £38.07 +Delivery: £5.00 £43.07

Please Note: Sainsbury's did not offer a very wide rang~ of economy goods to buy on the Internet, so we went for the sainsbury's own brand. Sainsbury's also did not offer a own brand lager hence the Fosters. That' s right, Sainsbury's, Tesco is the cheapest supermarket, so there. ;

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14 Albums

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:

BRMC

it's as if Britpop never happened. Where the mid to late '90s were bombarded by a series of increasingly mediocre British indie crooners all taking their cues from the 'greats' of a decade before- Stone Roses, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Ride • the new millennium has seen an invasion from across the waters, from SCandinavia (The Hives) to America (Strokes, White Stripes), similarly influenced by past legends.

Now it's the San Fransisco based Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's turn for a spot in the limelight, and although they may also relying heavily on the sounds of the above named British bands of the late '80s and early '90s, they are doing it far better than Cast, Shed Seven or the Bluetones ever could.

Named after Marlon Brando's biker gang in The Wild Ones, BRMC have, in the last couple of months, been nominated for the Outstanding Modern/ Alternative Album at the 25th California Music Awards, been splashed across the cover of the NME, been asked to play the NME/Carling Tour, and have pulled out of one of the NME shows (namely the UEA date, annoyingly) to fulfil Noel Gallagher's request that they open for Oasis at the Albert Hall on February 6. Which is all fine, but does the album justify the hype? The first track, Love Burns, builds from a simple acoustic chiming to a groove-based rocking chorus that could have easily appeared on Definitely Maybe. No wonder Noel Gallagher recently proclaimed them his favourite band. The first single from the album, Whatever Happened To My Rock 'N' Roll, shifts the pace up several gears with an army of driving guitars (making me wonder how the t rio recreate such a full texture of sound live) and a catchy chorus. In fact it would easily comprise all the ingredients a two-minute-punkrock classic needs were it not nearly five minutes long. lt must be said that this is not a 'fun' album. Doubtless comparisons between BRMC and fellow American imports The Strokes have been thrown around due to the bands' supposed cool images and attitudes, but BRMC are musically quite different, and those expecting a raw, shouty record you can jump around to will be disappointed. This record is much darker than that and, though I cringe to say it, more serious too. And for the most part it is excellently carried out, creating a number of great rock songs. But there is a fine line between ·serious' and 'serf-indulgent', and BRMC do occasionally stray on the wrong side. ·For example, As Sure As The Sun centres itself around an apparent rock interpretation of Richard Strauss' Thus Spoke Zarathustra (the main theme in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey) before frontman, Pete Hayes, launches into his best Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode's lead singer) impersonation, creating a sprawling song that doesn't go anywhere. Furthermore, the plodding, one-chord, closing track, Salvation, sounds like a reject from the Mission Praise book of Modern Day Hymns.

Overall, BRMC's sleazy, brooding brand of rock 'n' roll really hitsThe spot. Let's just hope that next time they remember to have some fun once in a while.

Markland Starkle

7/10

La-Fidelity Allstars: Haven:

1 Giant Leap:

Don ' t Be Afraid Of Love

Between The Senses

1 Giant Leap

What promise the La-Fidelity Allstars held in 1998. House looked on its last legs; Big Beat dance music had exploded; and a whole host of exciting new acts such as Midfield General and Space Raiders looked set to revolutionise the music we all danced to in CllJbS. Fatboy Slim had released the genre's high point, You've Come A Long Way Baby, and was signing the best of the best to his Skint labeL The La-Fidelity All stars were, no question, one of his top names. A fabulous remix of Pigeonhed cemented their reputation. Cue the inevitable failings out within the band, line-up changes, and the 'return in triumph' - it's the kind of story that adorns a 1000 press releases. I often feel sorry for the people who are paid to write promotional material for rubbish music, and my sympathies go out to the La-Fidelity Allstars' people.

Actually, that's a bit unfair. This record isn't rubbish; it's just desperately patchy. A strong start to any record is essential , and Don't Be Afraid of Love misfires with opener What You Want Exemplifying the variable qualities of the album, it takes ages to get going, and then sounds far too understated. The explosion of anticipated energy simply fails to materialise.

Fortunately, things improve with Deep Ellum... Hold On, and LoFi's in Ibiza, which are both full of funk and life. But it's an up and down ride from then on. The main problem is that the LaFidelity Allstars have started to take themselves seriously, and abandoned for the most part the aura of sheer humour that surrounded them at the outset of their career. The title track sounds very out of place, as do On the Pier and closer Dark is Easy, _all misguided attempts at chill-out. In between there are some joyous efforts, such as Feel What I Feel, but this record does not show the Lo-Fi's doing what they do best: making consistently fun music . They may have com<: a long way, but they've arrived at the wrong destination.

Anthony Love/1

Take Travis, feed them happy pills, remove the Scottish accents and you'll get an idea of what Haven's debut album sounds like. Several tracks on this album sound like Travis on a particularly good day; just as dreary but more upbeat. I would like to say that Haven are an innovative and different band but they're not. There is really nothing special or new about this album. Although it is easy to detect influences such as The Verve and Starsailor in their music, you get the feeling that you've heard it all before.

However, there are some tracks on the album that show the band has talent. Slower songs such as Is this Bliss?, and Keep on Giving In show off singer Gary Briggs' vocal range and technique, sounding lik e an appealing cross between Richard Ashcroft and James Walsh. The opening track, Beautiful Thing, begins promisingly with energetic drutns and guitar riffs, but like others on the album is spoilt by Haven's tendency to run out of ideas to keep the songs moving so that they become too long and repetitive. Tracks such as Where is the Love? are intensely forgettable and dreary, but if you like Travis you'll probably love them. Say SOmething, t he band's debut single, is one of the more memorable tracks on the album thanks to Briggs' sensitive vocals, but it still has a slight feeling of a Travis tribute.

There is, however, a definite musicality to this band; you can tell they love and enjoy their music as it is played with conviction but the band's individual tale_n t is not enough to make up for their lack of originality. _ There is nothing wrong with Haven; they're a band that can play their instruments well but are lacking in tracks that make you listen. This album failed to hold my attention but Haven do have a real feel for their music. it's just a shame about the songs.

·we travelled around the world collaborating with the most happening musicians, authors, scientists and thinkers we could find to explore t he unity in the diversity." Deep stuff, huh?

Make no mistake about it, 1 Giant Leap, Jamie Catto (Faithless) and Dunc;:an Bridgeman, are the answer to every DEV student's wet dream. But what do they hold for the rest of us? The truth is that there is something here for everyone, ranging from the soft, acoustic hip-hop of Braided Hair to the melodic , multicultural vocals and dance backdrop of The Way You Dream.

The mixture of artists, ranging from Michael Stipe (REM) to West African spiritual pop singer, Baaba Maal, may seem daunting at first, but 1GL's seamless arrangement and contemporary structure brings a unity to the music that allows you to relax and take in the sounds. Probably the biggest surprise on the album is the appearance of Robbie Williams next to Faithless' MC Maxi Jazz on My Culture, a song that explores the roots and progression of UK music. Here, Robbie discards his mainstream, pop-star ego to explore his full potential by providing a mature and beautiful harmony to complement the distinct rhythm of Maxi's voice. The real achievement here has to be Racing Away featuring the voice of Horace Andy. The song begins as a breath-taking fusion of jazz and reggae before breaking down into a chilled percussion arrangement accented by the ghostly whisper of "This is not reaL" Even Dennis Hopper makes an appearance on 1GL, and approporia~ely so. Like Easy Rider, 1GL seems to be a journey of self-discovery, merging different cultures and music forms in an attempt to understand the present. Unlike Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, Jamie and Duncan live to achieve their goal, uniting world music in an opus that is neither too intense nor disjointed. BeautifuL

Helen Sharpe

Kleren McSweeney

4/10

6/10

9/10

event Wednesday,

January 30, 2002

Singles 15

The Hives

â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Hate To Say I Told You So Back in the '90s, when other euroboys and girls were prancing about to UEA 's fave (aka Whigfield), five Swedes did something constructive and formed a band called The Hives. Now, long after the release of their two critically acclaimed albums, Barely Legal and Veni Vidi Vicious, they've finally started to conquer the commercial world (and LCR), armed with their energetic punk-rock-hardcore-garage.

Their latest single Hate To Say I Told You So is the second song released from their recent album, Your New Favourite Band. The track's heavy yet simple and catchy riffs are perfectly complimented by the uninhibited vocals of frontman Howlin ' Pelle Almqvist. The overall input of the band is well balanced and leaves the listener feeling charged with satisfaction.

However, HTSITYS seems reasonably placid alongside the powerful and fiery b-sides: Uptempo Venomous Poison and Gnirom Ytic Kcorknup. To hype-up the single's release, the Hives invade Britain in early February with a must-see tour, which is, alas, sold out at venues within a 100-mile radius of Norwich.

My piece of advice? Don't buy this single- you'll only find yourself forking out more of your loan for an album or two anyway.

And a white tie.

Clalre Burwell

Sahara Hotni ghts:

on Top Of Yr world

.-

Stai nd:

For You

Aaaagghhl! More Swedish popsters!? Fear not, for this is not your usual Abba influenced Barbie pop, but just as uninspiring in terms of originality. The four Swedish girls formed to relieve the boredom of living in a dead-end town where there's more life in the roadkill than in the music scene. They're influenced

by Nirvana. (didn't anyone tell them Kurt died eight years ago!?) but lack the Seattle trio's intensity and conviction. Sounding a lot like Cay, Republica and Hole, the Hot nights tread on familiar ground, so familiar in fact that it has become sludge. The saving grace is Maria Anderssen's sexy and brash voice. She cries, "You got a problem with me, I got a problem with you! " Although the energy and spunk is there, it soon gets tiresome without a melody . Even though they're named after a raceEd Purldss horse, no amount of flogging will make them rise.

Those looking for an obvious follow up to their previous two singles it's Been Awhile and Outside may be disappointed by this release. Taken from the multi-platinum selling album Break the Cycle, it offers a more uncompromising, edgy sound, The immediacy of the heavy guitar riff creates a harsher backdrop for Aaron Lewis' haunting records.

You shouldn't be put off by the different sound, which is stripped down rock (no samplers or turntab les a la Linkin Park), it simply underlines Staind's potential to write good songs, or as front man Lewis puts it, "I just try to be true to myself, And if everybody else gets it, God bless 'em " . lt sounds cheesy but you get the feeling they believe it . Hopefully they'll lose Fred Durst and DJ Lethal as their A&R men , removing any temptation to call them just another nu-metal act .

Joel Tumer

Spi ri tua 1i zed:

TCTC:

Do It A11 Over Again

The third single from Spiritualized's acclaimed third album Let lt Come Down sounds like nothing so much as a Stone Roses Christmas single. Sure, I know it's the New Year now, and that kind of thing should be in the bargain bin, and I know if you're going to be technical then this isn't remotely about fat men in red suits, but there, I can 't help it if Jason Pierce is in a tricksy mood . And it's okay, because this is one of those rare good festive-esque songs, like the mighty Fairytale of New York, all indie Wall of Sound and a proper tune complete with horn section, actual hooks and even positive lyrics....steady on! Buy it and save it for 11 months. It ' ll all make better sense then, and you'll have yourself a merry little early Christmas present.

Tessa North

Film Maker/Been Training Dogs

The Cooper Temple Clause cannot be faulted for their sheer rock ethos. Their music bursts with attitude and the love of a guitar riff. This means that although their songs are a little repetitive, they carry you away with a dark twisted enthusiasm .

The lyrics for Film Maker have haunting references to stalking and the power of the camera, whilst Been Training Dogs makes speakers spontaneously combust with its vicious wall of sound .

For fans of A mores Perros ' slightly unsavoury scenes, it appears to be about dog fighting; a topic that they imbue with their macabre humour.

A recommended purchase, if only because they seem to have a semblance of wit, something deficient in most bands of their ilk.

Toby Lewls

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Pictures (clockwise from top) : 1. The Hives; 2. Staind; 3. Cooper Temple Clause ; 4. Sahara

Hotnights; 5 . Spirituallzed

Wedn es day, Ja nu ar y 30, 2002

event

16 Film

Vanilla Sky â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Directed by Cameron Crowe Starring: Tom Cruise. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz

Two Cruise/Cruz missiles collide head-on in Cameron Crowe~s confusing remake of Alejandro Amenabar's 1997 Spanish box office smash.

Perhaps , in some far-off fantastical land , Penelope Cruz is a capab le actress. For sure . in recent years. Hollywood has attempted to market her as such. Stolen from a very successful and lucrative career in her native Spain, Cruz vaulted immediately to the forefront of A-list ce lebrity with turns in the passably decent Woman on Top, the achingly dull A// the Pretty Horses and the languid ly sappy Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

However, lt was with her turn in Ted Demme's Blow that she finall y found what Hollywood had been promising her for so long: her face plastered on every available magazine cover in the land.

In a strange way . Cruz 's story mirrors that of Cameron Crowe's newest film, Vanilla Sky. Crowe appropriated HIS Spaniard (AieJandro Amenabar's Abre Ios Ojos). made it look all fancy and sparkly with Hollywood effects , and prompt ly t ore the soul out of the film. All that was left was, like the Hollywood Cruz: a pret ty face w ithout anything solid behind it.

The plot of Vanilla Sky, once it has been deciphered, begins w1th an energ etically smil ing Tom Cruise as David Aames, an orphaned son of a business tycoon. With too much money to know what to do with. and cha rm oozing out of every pore.

Aames wanders throug11 life in a constant daydream. He's sleeping with a model, Julie Gianni (Cameron Diaz), with complete abandon and what he think s is complete freedom.

Unfortunately. he meets his best friend's (Jason Lee) new girlfriend. Sofia (Cruz) , at a party, spends one incredible night with

even t. Wednesday. the

her. and falls desperately in love. Gianni gets jealous and, as all jealous lovers are wont to do, drives Aames over a bridge, critically injuring him and killing herself.

Or is she dead? And did Aames really get hurt? And what ' s t he deal with that freaky mask he wears? To detail tile rest of tile plot wou ld be to give most of it away, but suffice it to say that all may not be exactly as it seems. Aames finds himself in a rapidly disintegrating situation where people may or may not exist and li ves may or may not have changed. All the while, he struggles to determine his true real ity while trying to win back Cruz' s heart.

Vanilla Sky, as Crowe has remarked, is like a "new band's cover of a great song". Anyone remember Britney Spears' I Can't Get No Satisfaction? it' s not that Crowe can't handl e the material. or that th e material isn 't very good. He just fumb les a little bit.

The movie has some exciting moments. and some excellent performances (Lee and Diaz are both terrifiC), but by the end of the film, we're just bewildered. The movie is too smart for its own good: it thinks it's being c lever. but really it ' s just self-consciously confusing. And Cruz's acting only adds to the confusion. You know. maybe there is a magical land where she is a great act ress. whe re she is allowed to develop characters that are more than skin-deep caricatures . Maybe that land is called Paul Booth Spain.

January 30, 2002

5/10

Film 17

From Hell

Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes Starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm

• •

Johnny Depp searches the re - created streets of Victorian London for Jack the Ripper, uncovering some bizarre plotting and several criminal accents along the - way.

From Hell tells the story of history's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. So far so good. Nothing could go wrong with that now, could it? You have a story about a world-class murderer. You have a cinematographer's wet dream in the seedy Victorian cityscape as well as the inclusion of one of Hollywood's more deft character actors, Johnny Depp as a drug addict psychic policeman. Add disembowelled prostitutes to the equation and what more could you posr:;ibly ask for if you were trying to create a disturbing arthouse film set in the industrial squalor of London? Well, a lot more now that you come to mention it.

Arthouse is replaced by an obvious drive for a mass-market appeal. Indeed, From Hell smacks of studio interference. How else could you explain the inclusion of Heather Graham as the cleanest looking Victorian hooker ever to have walked the grimy streets of Whitechapel? And if we're going for C!Uthentlcity here let's not even talk about her accent . The appeal of the focus group also offers a very good explanation as to why Depp ends up falling in love with Graham's Mary Kelly In a frankly ludicrous plot development. Depp, on the other hand, is as dependable as ever, although his character (bizarrely similar to the one he played in Sleepy Hollow) is rather too morose to actually hold your interest. He plays Inspector Fred Abbe~line, an opium addict whose wife died giving birth to his stillborn child . Leading the investigation in to a series of brutally murdered prostitutes, Abberline sees visions of the murders through an opium induced haze.

Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, From Hell manages to be a visually arresting film, despite its flaws. However, it is so far away from the s~ark linear design and careful research of the original that what we are left with is, instead, a lurid whodunit. lt would be quite easy to get sucked in to the red skied London scenes created by David Lynch collaborator Peter Deming (although they look decidedly similar to a waxwork scene at Madame Tussauds.) To do this, though, would be to ignore the gaping hole at the centre of the film. The Hughes Brothers (Menace 2 Society) have turned a

Shallow Hal

• •

notoriously unsolved historical event in to a murder mystery with little mystery . This would seem to suggest that they came to the conclusion that their audience was just too stupid to accept an unresolved film , which is, perhaps, key to the enduring fascination with Jack the Ripper. So what we are left with is a final third of the film in wh ich the conspiracy theory that has been built up is left to unravel itself through a series of clumsily constructed monologues.

The ripper famously wrote that: "One day, men will look back and say I gave birth to the twentieth century." If From Hell is anything to go by then the 20th Century was to consist of overacting, poorly established characters, ludicrous love interests and an unhealthy interest in focus groups.

Adam Chapman

5/10

Directed by The Farrelly Brothers Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jason Alexander

Intent on leaving no taboo unturned, masters of the gross-out comedy The Farrelly Brothers return. This time Jack Black is the hapless loser and Gwyneth the object of his affect i ons If you've seen the advertising campaign for Shallow Hat you'd be forgiven for thinking that the movie gets rpost of its laughs at the expense of the clinically obese. Yet, as the title suggests, there is another disability that comes under much more consistent attack than simply being overweight; shallow, smallminded people unable to see past a person's appearance or financial status are the film's primary target, and they get hit by a constant barrage of the Farrelly Brothers' patented brand of · revolting humour.

..,

After a series of scene-stealing supporting roles (High Fidelity, Mars Attacks! etc .) Jack Black lands his first major lead as Hal Larson, an essentially nice guy with a major personality flaw: he'll only date women who conform to his idea of physical perfection . Together with his fantastically sleazy friend Mauricio (Jason Alexander). Hal regularly patrols bars and clubs searching for an ideal date. Watching the two short, tubby, balding men of limited charm attempting to pull super-models is one of the movie's chief pleasures.

Then, one day , Hal gets trapped in a lift with a self-help guru, who (and this is where the film requires a little leap of faith) hypnotizes him to only see people's inner beauty. Suddenly, Hat's success rate rises exponentially- gorgeous women actually appear grateful when he asks them to dance. Meanwhile, Mauricio looks on in despair as his friend gets off with the spotty, the fat and the unfortunately permed. lt is in this state of blissful delusion that Hal meets Rosemary, his boss' 300-pound daughter who, because of her voluntary work and sweet nature, Ha I sees as Gwyneth Paltrow. At first Rosemary assumes her new suitor's advances are a cruel joke, but Hal persists and love soon blossoms. Of course, it is only a matter of time before the guru 's hypnosis is broken .. .

Much of Shallow Ha/'s appeal relies on the strength of the central performances, and all three actors deliver exactly what their roles require. Black m!'lnages to keep the audience on his side with the help of a hilarious pre-credits sequence, which explains that Hat's shortcomings stem from a childhood trauma.

Alexander offers an even more pathetic version of his George Costanza character from Seinfeld. Paltrow, in her first predominantly com ic performance, plays both the fat and thin versions of Rosemary, moving and talking awkwardly as if subdued by a lifeti{lle of taunts and stares. For most of the film we see her through Hat 's eyes; like the shark in Jaws, her obese incarnation isn't fully revealed until the conclusion, probably because the 'fat-suit ' used isn't particularly convincing.

Not everything in the film works. There is a repeated joke involving Mauricio ,trying to dump an otherwise perfect girl because her second toe is longer than her first, that is too unlikely to be funny. Also, on a technical level Shallow Ha/ verges on the amateurish, with terrible lighting (it actually changes in the middle of scenes) and dull camerawork. However, there are more than enough laugh-out-loud moments to render these points unimportant. Ultimately Shallow Ha/ is a vastly entertaining, surprisingly romantic comedy with enough variety to please almost anyone unless you like fat jokes, in which case you're probably better off renting a Roy 'Chubby' Brown video.

Jlm Whalley

8/10 •• s . . . ~

•••

1 I

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

@vent

18 Video/DVD

Battle Royal e

• •

Directed by Ki nj i Fukasaku Starring· Beat Takeshi and Ak i Maeda

Lord of the Flies extre me, The Running Man with school children. Describe it how you will. Battle Royale's cartoon violence 1s j ust for laughs.

Battle Royale is a film critic 's wet dream. Hell , the review practical ly writes itse lf. Whereas normally much time is spent concocting the perfect prose to woo the fickle reading public"s eye, merely describi ng the bloody plot line of Battle Royale guarantees you the reader's complete and undivided attent ion. So hear goes .. . I hope you've got a few spare minutes.

Take 42 Japanese school children , their disaf· fected teacher and one distopian future.

Transport these chil dren, against their will, to a deserted islan d, give t hem al l a wea pon and tell them that they have just three days to kill each other. Only one can remain alive after the blood-fest or t hey wi ll all die - cou rt esy of the indest ructible exploding col lars with which they are all fitted. Battle Royale exists in a cinemat ic fut ure that we will all recog ni se from such films as A Clockwork Orange and 1984 and even such sci-fi clunkers as Escape from New York and The Running M an: crime is on the rise, populat ion is thro ugh the roof and moral principles have dived south. At least at the start Battle Royale sets out a reasonably coherent premise as to why t hese chi ldren must participate in this state-endorsed game show - apparently youth crime is tearing societ y apart and t hese lit t le blight ers need to be taught a lesson, a jolly stern one it seems. But as the bullets fly and the children are picked off in inc reasing ly tast eless ways, t he message is lost in the black est of c omedy.

That is if Battle Royale ever intended t o send out a message in t he fi rst pl ace. lt seems t o t his humble rev iewer th at Bat t le Royale never set out to be anything other that what it is: 90

minutes of non-stop cartoon violence for the teen generation. Which is why it consta ntly astounds me when I read yet another review which cla ims, in a rather high minded fashion , that Battle Royale says this about society or that Battle Royale says that about society. The only thing it says about society is that Japanese teens like violence more than they

really should.

In fact in its nat ive Japan, Battle Royale was a smash that claimed 25 million dollars and spawned a rash of Internet fan sites and bizarre merchandising of Star Wars proportions.

In England however, most critics laboured under the misconception that Battle Royale was an art film simply because it was foreign .

While it may be true that Battle Royale lurches out of left field, it stil l lunges for the commercial throat with all rest of its slasher movie contemporaries. it 's enjoyable, yes , but do not expect more. lt"s not nearly as clever as we think it is.

Merek Cooper

7/10

Planet of the Apes: Direc t ed by Tim Bur t on Sta rr i ng: Mar k ~~al h berg, Tim Ro th, He le na Bonham Carter and Estella War ren

Ma rky Mark ha s a l i ttl e t ro ubl e sp anki ng his monk ey in t hi s need less re ma ke

Music by: RICHARD RODGERS Lyrics by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN 11 Director & Choreographer: RAY JEFFERY Musical Director. GEOFF DAVIDSON OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN 11 & JOSHUA LOGAN from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize Winning ' Tales of the South Pacific' by ldnd pennlsolon of Jose! Welnberger Ud. on b<lhalf of Rodge,. & Hammerstein ThBStle Ubrary

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Wednesday. January 30, 200 .l

it was inevitable that Tim Burton, the dark kitsch-meister himself, would trip up one day.

After producing an unfeasible number of modern classics - Edward Scissorhands, the first two Batman films. Sleepy Hollow. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mars Attacks!- all firm ly stamped with the Burton hallmark of dark humour and ret ro charm, t he whiz k id sold out.

The ridiculous amount of hype and overblown secrecy surrounding the filming, the humourless ac ti on-mov ie t railers, and the casting of a model t o play the love interest, all pointed to one thing: Burton Goes Hollywood . it was an even g reater pity , therefore, that he chose to go Hol lywood with th is of all films, a cu lt c lassic, considered to be way ahead of its time and regu larly voted as best fi lm in opinion polls.

Don't mess with The Planet , Burt on .

As messing goes, at least the plot holds up for most of the film. Mark Wahlberg is the unlucky human who c rashes on a st range pl anet after he enters some vortex in space when he goes to rescue his monkey. After running into a tribe of hunt ed humans, he get s captu red and im prisoned by the rulers of the planet, who happen to be monkeys. (Apes? Baboons? Whatever .)

Wahlberg forms a friendship with human sympath iser monkey Helena Bonl1am Carter. Not that you'd know it was Miss Merchant Ivory , under three inches of ape prosthetics. Fri endly ape helps humans escape, lots of fig ht ing between outlawed humans and mean monkeys ( lead by an unrecogn isable Tim Roth ) commenc es.

After setti ng up a plot so vitally and intriguingly different from the original Planet of the Apes, it

is a huge disappointment when you realise, half way t hrough t he fi lm, that Burton has sett led for a big dumb action movie , with a clever but dull fina l explanation of how apes took over from hum ans on thi s planet. Even more unsett ling is the casting of Mark Wahlberg as the human hero, whose mission is to free the humans fro m the apes, for his resemblance to a mon key is unnervi ng . Was Burton tryi ng to make some sort of cunning reference to Wahlberg as the M issing Link? Equal ly upsett ing is the presence of la Bonham Carter as nice humanitarian simian. Still trying to shake that Vic t orian heroine-in-corset s image , Helena?

First j unk ie bit c h in Fig ht Club, now rubberfaced martyr of a different species. In fac t , it's a shame the make-up department were so good, as the lat ex faces were so co nvincing, it seemed that Tim Roth and co. were faintly humorous monkey-people instead of actors (apart from t he fat pu rple baboon, who j ust looked like a Muppet). The black plastic Woolworths-style monkey masks of the original fi lm were far more chil li ng . it is a sorry sight indeed when the animal members of the cast have more screen presence than the human love interest. The charming PGTips-esque monkey had fa r more charisma t han Estella Warren , although she did have slightly more attractive lips. If you 're going to keep anything from t he orig inal, don 't make it the random girl.

Astrid Goldsmith

5/10

Arts 19 Theatre Review:

A Do 11 's House Henrik Ibsen Maddermarket Theatre

The Maddermarket played host to lbsen's arguably most famous work, A Doll 's House, last week. First shown in Britain in the years after it was written, the play concerns itself with a plethora of controversy surrounding the protagonist's plight and is a progressive exposure of a woman 's need to define her role in 19th century society . The characters and plot are loosely based on events that occurred in lbsen's life, the role of Nora evolved from a writer named Laura Peterson who was welcomed into the lbsen household and encouraged in her art. Later when she married and her husband fell ill, she was forced to borrow money to fund his recovery in foreign cl imes. When her husband discovered the debt he demanded a divorce and Laura was committed to an asylum.

However lbsen's version of events (writtel\ in 1879) concerning the Helmer family and their close friends and enemies ends entirely differently. Nora seems happy in her role of playful housewife, and the ambiguous ending sees her freedom from the constraints of married life and society .

The Maddermarket Theatre Company's production uses Frank McGuinness's version of the play, which takes place entirely in the confines of the Helmers' apartment, in this case a bleak, white impersonal set that furthers the image of the family as dolls with its quaint furnishings and minimal decoration. Instead of staying true to the script and beginning the play with a door opening, and ending it with a door closing, director Margaret Steward chose the more 'metaphorical ' approach with a young girl dressed as Nora literally breaking out of a scaled down version of the set. I use 'metaphorical' in inverted commas because they are supposedly subliminal and these were glaringly obvious.

Nola Merckel's performance as Nora Helmer was willing and energetic, but unfortunately she was never truly convincing in her role as the suppressed wife; her emergence as a feminist icon at the end of the play, therefore, came as little surprise.

Perhaps t he most rewarding performance of the night came from John Vesty 's Dr Rank, the syphilis-ridden medic whose true feelings towards Nora are revealed as his death grows ever clos-

Theatre Review .:

er. The intimacy between the doctor and the housewife was perhaps the most touching hig~light of the play , a stark contrast to the melodramatic characters of Krogstad and Torvald Helmer whose personas could almost have been pantomime baddies.

The Maddermarket Theatre Company 's interpretation of A Doll 's

House was ambitious and timeless, the costumes and set ensured that it belonged to no particular period in history, however it's ambitions were let down on occasion by a hesitant cast and it never really lived up to it 's own expectations.

Gemma O'Donnell

Nightmare Cafe UEA Drama Studio Book Previews·

Bubble 'n' Squeak, with their production of Nightmare Cafe, reaffirms the more positive aspects of creativity that is continually exhibited by members of this universityJ One is almost forced to treat both the alumni and the rep tation of the Creative Writing courses as a cliche, and hence gloss over the talent that becomes ever more tangible with each production that has recently been staged at the Drama Studio . The piece, Nightmare Cafe, is a renewal of a Drama assessment by graduates, and principal actors, Lucy Enskat and Daniel Gilmore; their return is being used as a springboard for festival events in the coming year. The story , or as Yeats would comment 'the blood and guts', is a modern take upon the problem of human frailty wh ich stretches back through the work of both Marlowe and Dante, t hat of avarice. lt is an intriguing comic broadside

against the bespoke narcissism of contemporary society set in an 'Edwardian eatery ' , but perhaps it is too self-conscious to be labelled as 'surreal ' . As the play opens one is immediately impressed by the use of space, the set being minimal but well exploited to enhance the visual experience of this 'fable ' .

Enskat and Gilmore employ a variety of techniques to produce a highly polished and professional performance in this character driven piece; the incorporation of song and dance , much neglected in modern drama, is reminiscent of the style pursued

by KAOS in their reworking of Johnson 's Volpone.

In short, the Nightmare Cafe is a holistic piece of high quality in which all the constituent parts compliment each other admirably to culminate in a 40-minute revision of Feuerbach's lames Brown dictum: 'Man is what he eats' .

Best Of The Rest: Emotion: The Science of Sentiment Dylan Evans

February 5-6 The company returns to the Theatre Royal, brining with it more innovative and entertaining contemporary dance. New pieces for this season includes Strange Company and Water Music and the revival of Soda Lake.

£7 .99 Was love invented by drippy poets or is it part of human nature? Does m"oney breed happiness or misery? Questions like these and more are addressed in this guide-book to human feelings. it 's also supposed to take the reader on a "fascinating journey into the human heart.· lt may prove to be of use, then, to those hoping to score a date come Valentine's. Hmmm , or maybe not.

Notes From a Small Island Norwich Playhouse

Madness: A Brief History Roy Porter

February 8 Adapted from Bill Bryson's best-selling book , and starring Steve Steen (Whose Line is it Anyway?) th is one-man condensed theatre tells of Bryson 's last tour around Britain before he moved back to America. Having lived in Britain for 20 years, Bryson's work ponders such things as cricket, fish and chips, warm beer and all Britons' unusual obsession with the weather. The cheek of it!

£11.99 This book essentially discusses madness a·nd its diverse forms of treatment, from electric -shock therapy to lobotomies, and types of 'madness' , from the sexual deviancy of maniacs (your guess is· as good as mine) to the 'humour' of witchcraft. This is not for the lighthearted or light-stomached though, as it comes with illustrations. Joy.

Richard Alston Dance Company Theatre Royal

Eastenders Party Norwich Playhouse Bar

February 2 The Playhouse is holding an Eastenders themed party to raise money for Aids charity work in Africa, cleverly linking to the plight of resident Mark Fowler. Guests are encouraged to dress up as their favou rite cockney, w hich also allows free admission .

For those who don 't want to don the delights of Dot or get into Jim's longjohns, admission is £2.50. The party carries on to The Loft, which for one night only becomes E20 and offers a treat for those in costume . Oh and the bouncers for the night are Phi I and Grant Mitchell, so no funny business, awright?

Selected Stories Katherlne Mansfleld and Angela Smith (Ed)

George and the Dragon Norwich Puppet Theatre

February 9 To save a maid St George a dragon slew, a pretty tale if all that 's told be true .. .

Garlic Theatre Company presents this famous legend using rod, glove and mask puppetry. But what will happen if they stray from the plot?

Complied by Charlotte Ronalds

£4.99 This selection covers the fu ll range of Manfield 's fiction, from her early satirical stories to the subtly nuanced comedy of 'The Daughters Of The Late Colonel.' Disruption is a constant theme, whether the narrative be comic, tragic or nostalgic. This new edition incorporates an additional six stories, printed in the order they were written .

Complied by Charlotte Ronalds

Wednesd ay, Janu a ry 30 ,

2ooz. event

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TV/Radio 20

Essential Soaps路 There are some th ings in life that just aren't meant to be together: gherkins and 1ce cream, Christina Agu ilera and styl1sh clobber, and El ton John and ladies to name but a few. So when we hear the words 路peggy M1tchell' and 'Spain' slapped together in the same sentence it's no wonder our palms start to get sweaty. Yep, this week the 'Enders (well alright, just Peggy) are off to Costa Del Wherever-it-is-th is-t ime-round. which can only mean one thing : it 's likely there'll be more calamity capers than castanets and kahlua. lt all starts quite innocent ly, when Peggy jets off for Frank's funeral, which would. under the usual circumstances mean that he's dead. Except, surprise. surprise he isn't. Just when we thoug l1t t l1e BBC bosses had fina lly managed to pull the plug on Walford's very own Butcher bulldog , up he pops again, only this time with a poor excuse of a tan and answering to the name of Neville (Nevi lle?). To complete the oh-so believable transformation , he 's also bagged himself a new partner in crime, a flame-ha 1red minx ca lled Krystal t o aid him with his penchant for wheelin ' and deal in ' . Now if I didn 't know any better, I'd say this week's ep1sodes are about to turn into a bit of a cheesy whodunit plot minus the murder, with lots of 'mysterious men' lurking in Spanish shrubbery and the like.

Then there's the predictable hunt for the long lost Sam going on in the background, which is where things don't just begin to go pear-shaped , they get plain confusing. For starters, there are handbags at dawn galore between Kryst al and Peggy, who discovers that Krystal's not as 'new ' to the sheet shuffling Frank after all, and then when Peggy does stumble across her beloved Sam, she's only without the expected mono-nostril, looking nothing like her original daughter and st raddling some geezer in a lap-dancing bar. There 's barely time for Peggy to snarl and get her c laws out before the poor woman gets slung in a swag bag and kidnapped . Blink and you'd probably miss it. Which is why, quite frankly, there's not much to say about the action going dow n in Neighbours. There isn 't any. The on ly th ing that comes close is when poor Susan finds Karl in a closer than comfort clinch with his new receptionist, but I'm sure all he has to is pul l out t he 'I was only examining her' doctor trick before it all blows over and everything goes back to boring normality. lt seems as if Hol/yoaks is the only thing that might give Eastenders a run for its money, wit11 Beth testifying in court that Scott raped her. Also , Mandy gets banned from driving because Penel ope Pit Stop she obviously ain't, and Alex and Anna get joint c ustody of Charlie . And th 1s'll make you titt er Chloe's applies for a job at The Dog..

Kate Herrington

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Wednesday, January 30,

TV/Radio 21 Essential TV 01:

Pop _ Idol ITV Saturdays 6.10pm Pick me, William! Six o'clock on a Saturday evening has found me, recently, apoplectic with tension on my sofa. As soon as I hear those cute little Vizzavi birds chirp "Woohoo! ", my blood pressure skyrockets. This is especially the case now as we near, yes you've guessed it, the Pop Idols final.

The show, which has gripped Simon Cow ell fetishists everywhere, will soon reach its explosive climax. I am buckl ing under the pressure, but will attempt to calm myself for long enough to bring you my expert predictions. Sadly, I cannot also recreate a faux argument with Pete Waterman - my talents only extend so far.

Now that big-wigged Zoe is out of the runnings, we are left with Darius (scary- with or without Britney). Gareth (teeny-bopper's favourite) and William (singing god with lisp) . Incidentally, I love William. Love him .

Darius put in a surprisingly smooth performance last week and I found myself being drawn to him and his cane. Yet you can only have so much love in one studio and he believe he may trip over his own cheese strings and leave next week . Gareth, awwww. He hails from my native Bradford, and the rumour ooop North is that his stutter is faked for sympathy. Controversial , I know, but it doesn't seem to have damaged his popularity. Yet for all his cute appeal, he can't compete with the sheer musical genius that is William. There aren't enough superlatives ... ! fear William may be fighting it out with Zoe for the spot against Gareth in the final. Zoe has a fantastic voice but is in serious danger of being engulfed by her barnet. But who will win, find massive popularity, then drop into C-list obscurity? All bets are on Gareth. I also predict a three-way celebrity death match between Foxy, Pete and Cowell. We can only hope. As two once apparent C-listers sang, "Let's Get Ready to Rumble."

Ruth Chamock

Meet the Livewire DJ's: p i d Ch ~ Stra

:A Saturdays 3-5pm

Why Is your show called the Groove Bus? We went to a pub quiz and our team was called 路on the Buses', so we kept the buses bit and added the groove.

Does 'Groove' refer to the music you play?

A bit! We're not into mainstream pi:Jp, especially boy bands.

Generally we 're split between Rock and retro, more of the latter if it's a retro night!

What's your show like? it 's a mixture of music and humour. We have a very specialised sense of humour, a bit like Smack the Pony and Trigger happy TV. We seek inspiration from the many embarrassing things that happen to us every week.

...

,

Where do you like going out?

Because we're house mates we tend to go to the same places.

We like the Waterfront, Poo Na Na on a Wednesday when it's Jazz, retro music at Liquid and of course the LCR. So what's your best and wotst record?

Alii: I love my Bob Dylan album and I've recently got into Groove Armada. I can't stand Atomic Kitten, well I can't stand most girl bands in general!

Chalk: I've just got into Badly Drawn Boy and Alisha Keys. I know everyone will slate me for this but I can 't stand YMCA, you know exactly what's going to happen until the song ends!

What are your plans for the show this semester?

We have loads of prizes to give away, if people phone in (01603 592512). We'd also like to feature some of the great bands at UEA. If you want to get in touch then email A.Hopkins@uea.ac.uk.

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Essential TV 02: Ede n Channel 4 Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 4.35pm Channel 4's latest offering to the reality TV show trend is a cross between Big Brother and Shipwrecked. Do we really need to watch more loveable losers bitching about being hungry and moaning about the cameras. being there all the time when they know fully well what they got themselves in to?

Eden throws the original six contestants into the Australian bush with only what" they can carry on their backs as they trek for one day and one night through the jungle to their camp.

Each week another person is added to the camp ard at any time someone can be evicted off the show. The deal is that the viewers "Play God", deciding just about everything from which hammock they sleep in to what topics they discuss over their meals. Yawn! The most promising character is Billy Bush Dog (?) the guy who 's going to teach them everything they need to know to survive. You should see the size of his eels!!!

Miss This

One of the dimwits' motto is ' Live by the sword, die by the sword' . Excuse me but wasn't that Nasty Nick's pathetic excuse when he was evicted from Big Brother? If you are going to make a prat of yourself, at least be original.

Channel 4 are still desperate for a live sex session on at least one of their shows after Paul and Helen's dismal performance and so the leader will get a cushy hut of his/her own and get to choose one person to sleep in there with him/her.

Channel 4 also reminds the contestants in their ' Laws of Eden' that they do provide condoms.

I guess the forbidden fruit isn't so forbidden after all. With 拢10 000 up for grabs is it really worth humiliating yourself and losing all traces of dignity?

Find out Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 6pm on Channel 4.

Bethany Scott-Boatfleld & Katherlne Potts

Mary Anne's Bikes

BBC Choice Tuesdays 11.30pm

For those of you fortunate (or unlucky, as the case may be) to have access to BBC choice, you may wish to subject yourself to the new series, Mary J\nne's Bikes, beginning Tuesday 5 February. That is, you may stumble home from the pub, plonk yourself in front of the T.V, and in your confused and intoxicated state decide that a programme about world-wide freaks obsessed with their bikes sounds riveting. Then there are those who may find the prospect of presenter, Mary Anne Hobbs, in her leathers, complete with husky voice, an appealing one . For everyone else, I would imagine that there are probably more interesting ways of passing half an hour. The words dry, watching, and paint spring to mind. On discovering that the fairly reputaqle Radio 1 DJ was to front the show, I wondered exactly what her qualifications were, and more to the point, why she would wish to degrade herself in this way. Apparently Mary Anne is a dedicated bike fanatic. Even so, did she not contemplate the fact that choosing to interview infamous, or should that be un-famous, bikers, such as Laura Ashley's son, may not do great things for her credibility?

Maybe there is something oddly rebellious in the offspring of the queen of paisley and floral print turning into a Hells Angel. lt is hard to brush off the sense that they are trying too hard to be hard though, and what remains is an array of obscure and <>adly unimpressive wannabes. Mary Anne 's enthusiasm about the series is clear. She even got a tattoo done especially for the programme. While I am not suggesting that it involves a big red heart, and reads 'Mum', there does seem something a tiny bit 80's biker throw-back about it all. From recent endeavours I think she may be wise to re-think the career move from popular national DJ to C list television personality. If you are a bike enthusiast with a thing for leather-clad has-beens then don't let me put you off. On the other hand, if you 're not, then please do.

You'll thank me later.

Catherlne Bowe

, .

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Wednesday, January 30. 2002

event

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lS Film:

Black Hawk Down UC I, Ster Century All Week

The Glass House UCI All Week

Cam pus

51st State Ster Century All Week

The Others UCI All Week

Harry Potter UCI , Ster Century All Week

Vanilla Sky UCI, Ster Century All Week

Iris UCI ·All Week

Enigma Wed Jan 30 at 2.30 and 8 .30 Thurs Jan 31 at 8.30 Cinema City

All films start at 8.30pm and are shown in LT1 American Pie 2 Thu rsday . Jan 31 Legally Blonde Friday, Feb 1 The Shawshank Redemption Tuesday , Feb 5 The Score Thursday. Feb 7

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Jeepers Creepers Friday. Feb 8 Save the Last Dance Tuesday, Feb 12

City Behind Enemy Lines UC I All Week

Last Orders UCI All Week Long Time Dead UCI All Week Lord Of The Rings UCI , Ster Century All Week Made UCI All Week Princess Diaries Ster Century , UCI All Week

Mullholland Drive Wed 30 at 5 .30 Thurs 31 at 2.30 and 5 .30 Cinema City The Pledge Fri Feb 1 at 8.15 Sat Feb 2 at 8 .15 Mon Feb 4 at 2.30 and 8 .15 Tues Feb 5 at 2.30 and 5.45 Weds Feb 6 at 5.45 Thurs Feb 7 at 5.45

1603 767854 .

Fridays Delirium The Concept House, garage and R n' B. Hy Times Hys Dance anthems £3

R n' B

DJ Jam Hys Charts and Dance £1

Parkslde Po Na Na House Free b4 9pm, £3 after.

WeRK M anhattans

Thu r s days 70s Night Hys Retro £2 (NUS)

Slinky Hys Club anthems Free with student ID. Life Time Commercial dance £1 (NUS)

Arts:

Elegance Bar Metro

Saturdays Pam·s House LCR February 2 Club Retro LCR February 9 £3.50

£41£3 Isotonic Kafe Da Progressive t rance and house Free

Satisfaction Hys House and Swing

Spank Time House £1 b4 11pm (NUS)

Status The Conc ept Chart and ret ro £3 b4 11pm , £3.50 after

Bassment Bar Metro R'n 'B and hip hop

Refresh Ik on £5 b4 11pm

Twisted Skunk 1 Bottom Heavy Po Na Na Discofide Breakbeat I funky breaks and beats and Lat in

Saturday Rewind Bar Metro Ch art. dance, garage

I

Theatre Menage A Trois!

Minotaur Productions UEA Drama Studio January 30 - New Drama january 31 - Cabaret 7.30pm Inertia, In Fashion Drama Society UEA Drama Studio February 2 7.30pm Free

Meltdown The Waterfront lndie

Butter Me Up

Play Po Na Na Disco , funk Free

Funk Friction Owens cafe Bar

Jitterbug I Jam Po Na Na Funky drum 'n'bass 1 house Free b4 10pm , £2 after

Flockln ' Sheep Ikon Charts and Cheese £2 b4 11pm

Flockin ' Sheep Ikon Charts and commercial dance £2 b4 11pm

Tue s da ys

Gorgeous Manhattans Hardhouse and Trance £5 b4 11pm

20% ~·

Mon days

Melt ln' Pot The Alibi Jazz, funk and soul

HAIR No 7 ST BENEDICTS ST

,

Clubs

DJs Bedfords Crypt Deep tech tribal house Free entry

Gi gs

DIVA

t .: / 1/ • ...

Pet Shop Boys LC R February 10 £12.50 (NUS)

Sunday Service Manhattans £2.50

Music:

Hyper Kinako Norwich Arts Centre

i_

Sundays

Charty Handbaggy The Loft Gay night

Marvel 1 Gas Station The Loft Hip hop, funk £3 b4 11pm, £4 after.

Fridays

.

Sure Shot Presents .. .

Norwich Arts Centre February 2 £5 adv

Sunda ys

Superfly Bar Metro Funk and hip-hop £3

Andrew WK. Lostprophets.

Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Coral LCR February 6 £10.50

~ I

Saturdays

Po Na Na Funky house 1 jazz beats £3 after 9prr,

The LCR disco LCR (duh) £3

Wed nesdays

Hyper Kinako Norw ich Arts Centre January 30

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Andrew WK, Lostprophets, Soundtrack of Our Lives. The Coral LCR February 6 £10.50

grooves.

Free b4 10pm, £2 after.

Hot Ikon Pop and commerical dance £4 b4 11pm

Wednesdays

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January 30

Underdog

Richard Alston Dance Company Theatre Royal February 5 - 6 Hamlet Drama Soc iety UEA Drama Studio February 6 - 9 7.30pm £3 .50 Notes From a Small Island Bill Bryson Norwich Playhouse February 8 George and the Dragon Norwich Puppet Theatre February 9

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Livewire Schedule:

The Directory:

Mondav: ABC Taxis All Star Taxis Beeline Taxis Bettacar Taxis Five Star Taxis Loyal Taxis

01603 01603 01603 016 03 01603 01603

666333 744444 767676 74 7~7 4 455555 619619

Canary Cue Club Cinema City Hy' s Ikon Liquid Maddermarket Theatre Mojo's Manhattans Norwich Arts Centre Norwich Playhouse Po Na Na's Ster Century Theatre Royal The Loft The Waterfront Tourist Information Time UEA Studio UCI UEA Union Ents

01603 627478 01603 622047 01603 621155 01603 621541 01603 611113 01603 620917 01603 622533 01603 629060 01603 660352 01603 598598 01603 619961 01603 221900 01603 630000 01603 62355 9 01603 632717 016 03 6660 71 0870 60784 63 016 03 59227 2 087 0 01 02 030 01603 5080 50

8·10am : TBA 10.11am: Da1ry Display 11am·12pm: Cheese with Mo 12·1pm : Kieran's Show 2·3pm : Frontier Psychiatry 4·5pm : At Large., .

5-6pm : Failed attemps at humour

8-10am : TBA 10.11am: The Narch Buffet 11am-12pm: Natter and lndie 12·1pm: Magical Mystery 1-2pm : Retro and comedy 2·3pm: Choose or die!

3-4pm : The people's choice 4-5pm : Back to basics

Wednesday: 8-9am : Funkadelic 9·10am: H1p hop and breaks 10.11am: Musical excursions 11am·12pm: Chat and choons 12·1pm: Milk and cookies 1·2pm: American lndie 2·3pm: Ben and Jenny 3-4pm: Afternoon frivolity 4·5pm : Illegal ly Blonde

Thursday: 8-9am: Far from home ...

S.10am: Music and comedy

10am-12pm: TBA 12·1pm: Eight foot pigeon 1·2pm : lndie and humour 2-3pm: Van ishing Point 3-4pm : lnd1ej Hip Hop/ R&B . 4-5pm: Mental Institute

I

• ...J-

I

8-9am: Far from home S.10am: Music and comedy 10·11am: The hangover cure 11am-12pm: Chilled out toons 12-1pm: The Love Boat 1·2pm : Non-stop cheese 2·3pm : The Untitled Show 3-4pm : Punk / Rock / Ska 4-5pm: Random wibble

S.11am: The Radio 11am-12pm: Dancing Round .. .

12·1pm: lndie/ Alternative 1·2pm: Right Hand of Jam 2·3pm: Ad Hoc Comedy 3-4pm: The Groove Bus 4-5pm : Disco and lndie

Sunday: 9·10am: Norfolk 'n' Good 10am·11am: Cunning musica l 11am-12pm: Good to you 12-1pm: 60s and 70s 1·2pm: Sunday Review 2·3pm : News and Current Affairs 3-4pm: Not Simon Mayo

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN SALES AND MARKETING Are you a competitive and highly self motivated team player, looking to progress as quickly as your talents and personality will let you?

If you answered Yes to this question, then a graduate career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car could be just what you are looking for. We are looking to recruit highly energetic, sales orientated individuals who are willing to work hard, and have the same commitment to customer service that Enterprise has established over the years. We are looking for the Managers of our future. We offer a fast track into Management working for a privately held, multi-billion pound corporation; our need is to find individuals capable of continuing our phenomenal growth in the UK, re'peating the ~uccess stories of North America and Canada. Your job will be to learn all aspects of our business from the ground floor up, dealing with all functions of running your own small business in the decentralised structure we operate. One of the great things about Enterprise is that its up to you how quickly you get to the top.

If you are a graduate, who thinks they can make the most of these opportunities, please send your CV with a covering letter to: Miss ]oss Rutherford, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, HR Dept U71, Beechwood House, Depot Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CBB OAL. Email jrutherford@erac.com

Recruiting for locations across the East England area. www.erac.com.

rent-a-car

We are an equal opportunity employer.

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

e t

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Out February 13 ·

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concrete HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND SAVE £1 SAT 16th

FEB 9.30- 1.30 £3.50 adv from N'Trance to Nirvana , the best music from your youth

your mobile phone FREE to be allocate number & start tex(messages charged at usual rate)

Get your Valentine Ball and ow 90s tickets for the combined price of only £7 . 50 adv when you exchange this coupon at the Box Office {a s~ving of

£1)

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Normal prices: Now 90s: £3.50 adv Valentine Ball: £5 adv

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