‘Scream and Shout’ Video – Will.i.am ft Britney Spears

It’s finally here. The long awaited duet between the Black Eyed Peas frontman and Miss Britney Spears has appeared online but does it live up to the hype?

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Jamelia

Remember when ‘Scandalous’ ruled the UK charts and Ms Dynamite was a new exciting artist? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on Cassie, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Brandy, Monica, TLC, Mya, John Legend and Amerie. Today, it’s the Brits turn!

Hey Jamelia!

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is one of the most celebrated Japanese writers of all time, and upon the publication of his acclaimed novel ‘Norwegian Wood’, Murakami became a worldwide success. In this collection of short stories, Murakami pushes the boundaries of normality with every tale, exploring his usual issues of fate, coincidence and solitude through first person narrators who are often disconnected from the real world. Somehow though, the tone is never depressing and despite the often detached narration, each story fascinates in its own way. Saying that though, not every section in this anthology works, as is often the case with short story collections, so I’ve broken this review down story by story to better represent my view of ‘The Elephant Vanishes’ as a whole.
 

30 Rock: I Will Miss You.

We've laughed, giggled, snorted and even caught ourselves lizzing a little bit. But like all good things, it must come to an end as the much loved and critically acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock is coming to an end. So it's a final goodbye to the mentor and mentie relationship of Liz and Jake, the crazy antics of Jenna, Tracy's inappropriate comments and the sweet but creepy Kenneth. I shall miss it greatly as will a few other people I'm sure. But before I do say goodbye, I'm taking a trip down memory lane to remember the good times and see why I love this show so bloody much.

Op, Op, Op...What's Next For Gangnam Style?

 

'Gangnam Style'. It's already the most liked video in Youtube history and is set to overtake Justin Bieber's 'Baby' as the most viewed video of all time. With the lead single from his sixth album, Psy has crafted the most popular K-pop song the world has ever seen and since August, the crazed horse dance moves have been performed everywhere, from the 2012 EMAS to Saturday Night Live.
 

 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is widely regarded as one of the most successful authors of all time and while some consider her books a little out dated and cliched, what you need to understand is that this woman was the first to do it, she made those cliches, writing such classics as 'Murder On The Orient Express' 'The Body In The library' and the best selling mystery novel of all time 'And Then There Were None'

I Love The 90s: Absolutely Fabulous

Sweetie darling, pour yourself some bolly, whack on some Christian La croix,  insert a cigarette because it's time to get Absolutely Fabulous. Those 90s icons, Eddie and Patsy, have been making us laugh with their morally corrupt antics of over-indulgence and debaucherous behaviour for over 20 years now and they're still as popular today as ever. Ab Fab is so of the time, so unmistakeably 90s, with their awful fashion, the massive hair and of course living live to excess, all under the disapproving eyes of Eddies straight laced daughter, Saffie. Ab Fab is one of the best sitcoms to ever come out of England and is hands down one of my favourite shows ever, I love it.

 

 

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Amerie

Remember when Tweet was an RnB singer and not a form of social networking? And remember when ‘Pony’ ruled the charts? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on Cassie, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Brandy, Monica, TLC, Mya and John Legend. Today I wanted to take a look at the career of Amerie, one of the most underrated RnB artists to emerge in the last ten years.

Hey Amerie!

World War Z by Max Brooks

 

Zombies seem to be the 'in thing' right now. With the ever popular cult TV series 'The Walking Dead' now in it's 3rd season and countless 'Resident Evil' films and games being churned out every other year, it's pretty safe to say that the zombie genre has life in it yet. Even classic literature has jumped on the bandwagon, with Seth Graham-Smith's reimagining of classic Jane Austin with  'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'. And now 'World War Z' is being given the Hollywood treatment. I picked up a copy of the book to find out what got Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in a bidding war for the rights.

 

Top 20 Films in Gay Cinema: #10-1

So welcome to the second half of the countdown for my top 20 films in gay cinema. For #20-11, I chose a range of films, including British classic 'Beautiful Thing' and recent indie hits 'Keep The Lights On' and 'The Kids Are All Right'. For my top ten, the choices become even more diverse, with a mixture of British lesbians, vibrating eggs and cowboy lovers vying for the top spot. Let's see which film made it to the number ten.

From #10-1;

Tomb Raider 1996 Retrospective

 

With a new 'Tomb Raider' game on the horizon, imaginatively called 'Tomb Raider' in a bid to relaunch the series, I have taken it upon myself to revisit the original, also named 'Tomb Raider', which came  out all the way back in 1996. So I whacked out my old PlayStation One copy, which took forever to find, set up the PS2, which has been collecting dust for the last few years and began a nostalgic journey back to my teens. But how has this game held up against the test of time? Well... Let's find out shall we?  

 

 

The original cover showing Lara Croft's unrealistic body shape.  Didn't every woman look like this in the 90s?

Bioshock Infinite: Trailer

It's been almost two years of waiting and I don't know about you but I'm getting a little bit excited about the upcoming release of the brand new 'Bioshock Infinite', due February 2013. I recently went back and replayed the original 'Bioshock' and within seconds, I was instantly submerged into the dark and decaying world of Rapture, now one of the most iconic locations in gaming history, along with its rabbit mask wearing inhabitants and those creepy little sisters with their protector the Big Daddies. But can the new floating city of Columbia live up to it's underwater cousin?

 

 

It looks pretty nice there don't you think? Let's take a look at the trailer. Shall we see what we're letting ourselves in for?  

I Love The 90s: French and Saunders

 

Watching 'The Comic Strip presents Five Go to Rehab' the other day got me all nostalgic for a bit of the classic female comedy double act French and Saunders. Although they started in the early 80s, it was in the 90s that I first found French and Saunders and feel they were at their best, not only when the duo were on top form together but also separately with 'The Vicar of Dibley' and 'Absolutely Fabusous', two of my favourite sitcoms ever. So now I'm taking a look back over the comedy pairs 90s escapades, care to join me?

Whatever Happened To RnB? - John Legend

Remember when ‘Like I Love You’ ruled the charts and Destiny's Child still had four members? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on Cassie, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Brandy, Monica, TLC and Mya. Now it's the mens turn so today, let's take a look at John Legend, one of my favourite male RnB singers.

Hey John!

Taylor Swift: Red - Track by Track Review

On October 22nd, 2012, Taylor Swift followed up the success of her 'Speak Now' album with her fourth studio release, 'Red'. This new collection of songs has been ridiculously successful on charts worldwide, becoming Swift's first chart-topper in the UK and the best-selling #1 debut in the US this decade. It's safe to say then, that 'Red' is a pretty popular album! 

Top 20 Films in Gay Cinema: #20-11

With the release of Ira Sach's 'Keep The Lights On' and Xavier Dolan's transgender drama 'Lawrence Anyways', queer cinema is as popular as ever. While some ignorant people may just perceive these films as an excuse to show gay sex on screen, the truth is that cinema has made leaps and bounds in the past two decades, depicting homosexual relationships and transgender issues more realistically than ever. The films on this list have surprisingly little in common, except that they all explore the importance of gender and sexuality and how the relationship between the two helps to define us as people. I love every single film in this top 20 but there are more again that I just couldn't squeeze onto this list, so sorry 'Milk' and my apologies 'XXY' but here is my definitive Top 20 Films In Gay Cinema.

Starting from #20-11.  

World War Z: Trailer

 

They're coming! Apparently. The first footage of the new post-apocalyptic horror film based on Max Brooks best selling novel 'World War Z' has appeared online, and it looks pretty good. The film began production last year and was primarily filmed in Glasgow, of all places. It's directed by Marc Foster, the man behind James Bond's last outing 'Quantum of Solace' and stars someone called Brad Pitt, whoever that is.

 

 

But enough random information, lets take a look a what everyones been talking about.

Tomb Raider 2013: Trailer

 

I'm a massive Tomb Raider fan and I have been since 1996, when I first laid eyes on Lara Croft. I love Tomb Raider and I'm very excited for the new game that's coming out early next year. It's already caused a lot controversy from the so called 'rape scene' where no one gets raped. It seems like we've been waiting forever to get our greedy little hands on a copy of a brand new Tomb raider, but like so many games before it, Lara's latest outing has been pushed back and pushed back, but it's not long now until it's released and I'm getting a little bit excited.

 

Is it just me or does she look a bit like Cheryl Cole these days?

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Mya

Remember when ‘Foolish’ ruled the charts and Mary J Blige still sang with some emotion? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on Cassie, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Brandy, Monica and TLC. Today, the focus is on Mya, one of my favourite and most underrated RnB singers.

 

Hey Mya!

Aiden Grimshaw; Misty Eye - Track by Track Review

Aiden Grimshaw was always one of the more interesting acts who tried and failed on the X Factor. After a surprisingly early exit from the show, nothing was heard from him for a couple of years but then this summer, Aiden returned with his spectacular debut album 'Misty Eye'. This is one of those albums that you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track, due to the atmosphere created by Aiden's unusual voice and the striking blend of dubstep combined with the piano. 'Misty Eye' hasn't performed as well as I would have expected commercially but then the style of the album isn't typical pop by any means and I think Aiden has deliberately tried to distance himself from the manfactured pop scene. His individual style is evident on every track here and so it should be, as Aiden co-wrote most of the album. Read on for a track by track analysis of 'Misty Eye', with the audio included for my favourite picks.

The Wicker Man - Five Reasons Why You Shouldn't Visit Summerisle!

For anyone whose seen the classic British horror 'The Wicker Man', its obvious that the island of Summerisle will not top any lists for 'Best Holiday Destinations' anytime soon. However, if you still fancy a day excursion to the island, or even if you just happen to be a policeman searching for a missing girl, then I would strongly advise against it and here's five reasons why;

I Want Left 4 Dead 3!

 

Last week I finally got around to getting back on Xbox Live and I am so happy that I did, finally online multiplayer options and new realms of possiblites. But the best thing for me; new 'Left 4 Dead'. Now I know that there has been new downloadable levels coming out over the last few years and I'm very late  on getting my hands on them, but the sheer joy/tense fear of playing new 'Left 4 Dead' was amazing. However, it made me realise something, I want more, I'm not talking another downloadable level (but I wouldn't say no) but a whole new game, something different, new exciting. I want 'Left 4 Dead 3', and I want it now!

 

 

Brandy; Two Eleven – Track by Track Review

Brandy made her long awaited comeback this year with her sixth studio album, ‘Two Eleven’. While the lead single ‘Put It Down’ was a cutting edge up-tempo number, this doesn’t reflect the sound of ‘Two Eleven’ as a whole, which leans more towards the smooth mid-tempo jams of Brandy’s third album, ‘Full Moon’. ‘Two Eleven’ isn’t packed with a host of commercial hits but this collection of songs works extremely well as a whole, with a consistent vibe that shows off the fantastic range of Brandy’s soft, husky voice. Let’s take a breakdown of the album, song by song, with some audio clips for my favourite tracks. And for an overview of Brandy's career to date, click here for her classic videos and her most underrated tracks so far.