What has been nice about the recent Japanese horror wave is that it has generally resisted excessive exposition. Whilst the body of the film of The Ring was trying to find out why people were dying after watching the video, this took a resolute back […]

Here’s an idea – Pop Swap! Two people swap record collections (OK, not the whole record collection, say 20-30 CDs each or digital equiv.) for a week AND provide ‘rules’ regarding their typical use of the music – when the[…]

OWEN BRADLEY – “Big Guitar”
I downloaded this minor 1958 hit while browsing on a whim my old USENET stamping grounds – the 60s-and-earlier MP3 groups turn out to still be well worth a look if you’re interested in older s[…]

There is a new ad campaign for Smirnoff Black Ice currently bedecking London Buses. The concept is that the formular of the flatter of the two Ice’s has changed. It is now less sweet, and has more “bite”.
How have Smirnoff decided t[…]

An old story but more proof. Drink red wine!
You may have to read through some gene-y (as opposed to genie) crap to get to the point.[…]

Vodou Nation is essentially an allegorical rock opera about Haiti’s troubled past, from the slave rebellion and the founding of the first independent black state, to the continuing struggle against leaders corrupted by money, alcohol and sex. H[…]

Club Freaky Trigger is back – and, by popular demand, it’s going to be on a Thursday. Two Thursdays, in fact.
29th July and 26th August.
Both at The Chapel Bar, Islington, from 7 until closing time, playing the usual mixture of big pop tu[…]

OH. MY. GOD. CSI totally proves my Grand Theory of Media (which is viz = that if you omit engagement with [whatever] from the appropriate forum, then it simply re-merges, return-of-the-repressed styleee, elsewhere, in some unpoliced or disconsidered[…]

Further to Matt’s tale of wine temperature
I found this on the usually excellent egullet, it seems that the ideal room temperature is a little chillier than the average UK or US house (which is about 22C iirc).[…]

FT Top 100 Films
64: MY FAIR LADY
Mo’ puns. Very few people get the “My Fair Lady” / “Mayfair Lady” joke implied by the title as Eliza Doolittle would pronounce it. Perhaps they shouldn’t, since the adaptation from[…]