All Hail Failsafe!

After touring around the UK, their music acclaim has been saluted everywhere. Preston-born band Failsafe came back to their hometown and poured all of their
being, literally, in to their performance.

The gig took place at the Mad Ferret opposite 53 Degrees. Their live performance had a storming presence which graced Prestonians and fellow folk with an unforgotten and truly missed Preston band.

"Have you seen the state of us? It’s like a blood bath…but of sweat" Jim Norris, lead vocals, said as he pointed out to the small puddles of sweat dotted all over the stage floor from their constant head jerking. Jim also didn’t mind getting up close and personal to the fans at the front line and blessed the random lucky fans with his own brand of holy water by jolting around the stage.

Over the last few years their musical talent has long stretched past the boundaries of Preston; and it may not be too long until they break out of the country completely.

There is no doubt that this band demands a lot of physical as well as mental strength to carry out their relentless and amazing performances that never disappoints.

They have shared the limelight with other bands such as Paramore, Gallows, Beat Union and many others. If you haven’t seen them or even heard of them, you must see them; they won’t be too hard to find as they are constantly headlining shows around the UK. Just be prepared for an attack of tinnitus on those of you who stand too close to the speakers.

Twilight Book Review

Twilight is the must-see film and indeed the must-read book.

Stephenie Meyer delivers a thrilling romance, which embraces the concept of enduring love between a teenager and a vampire. The story engages elements of old myths and tales about vampires and brings unlikely stories that have surfaced to exist in the modern day world.

These two young beautiful souls, which on both sides were somewhat bored in their very real but dull world, become a drug to each other. Edward Cullen is a blood-drinking vampire, but that holds no obstruction to how Bella Swan feels. Blood-thirsty or not, she is completely and utterly in love with this not so ordinary vampire; and Edward, mystified by this particular human, feels the same. Their literal thirst for each other becomes stronger. It’s too late to stop falling in love, but this unconventional love story must remain a secret if they are to stay together. It seems that even someone as strong as a vampire can’t separate himself from a strong human emotion such as love.

Edward’s family history extends in to an intense account of how his family survive without a single drop of human blood, bringing a whole new level to mental strength and physical concentration in the lives of vampires.

The romance tests all boundaries of teenage love and a vampire’s control. But how long can their romance last if physical attraction becomes too much, and how will other vampires resist an easy temptation? A love such as this must live forever, right?

Meyer’s prose incorporates consistent intensity, depth and complexity that link these two unlikely characters together in a modern day world. An exciting and inspirational tale which grips you with every line; and every page lingers with more intensity. Readers will undoubtedly want to be catapulted in to the bodies of the main characters in this very contemplative and dream-like story.

This is definately a book you will want to read over and over again...well, maybe not until you have at least read the next three incredible installments of Meyer's novels: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

Slideshow

This is a slideshow for multi-media in-class assessment. I have taken an audio recording of Preston FM Project Manager, Richard Lace and a picture of him, along with pictures I have taken myself of the studio, and put it together on Windows Movie Maker to create this slideshow.

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All the placemarks show where a news story has occured - taken from the Lancashire Evening Post newspaper

Multi-media

This is a video clip with David Thomas of David Thomas Hair Salon in Preston, which I recorded and edited on Windows Movie Maker.

David Thomas recently took part in a charity event at Preston Guildhall, called Dancing Fever, which is Preston's very own version of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programme. The event was organised by Fever Dance Company in Preston and was in aid of The Legacy Rainbow House charity.

In this short clip, David talks about his dancing experience in front of an audience of 800 people.

30 Days of Night Film Review

30 Days of Night puts the word 'horror' back in to horror films. The film industry has failed to bring us a fresh and unique twist in vampire films lately, but director, David Slade, manages to deliver the goods with this one. In store is a fine gimmick. Taking place in an isolated Alaskan town, its small population has to endure 30 days of winter in absolute darkness - but they are not the only ones.

As soon as the sun retires, the village is sabotaged; power and communication systems such as phones and Internet are corrupted. Vampires are lurking ready to kill with full force. But before the town's sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) can work it out, their defence system comes to no avail, and soon enough the white snow turns in to a blood-spatting killing ground.

The village loses all sense of order and succumbs to utter chaos, as attempts against attacking the vampires prove useless. With only torchlights to resurrect a means of light, Sheriff Oleson tries to contain the few survivors hidden in an attic, praying that they can survive unnoticed until the sun's return.

Instructing the assembly of vicious vampires in a strange ancient dialect is the leader, Marlow (Danny Huston), who orders them to seek and kill any remaining humans who may still be hiding.

Close-up shots of assassination are intense and gruesome, and as the camera sweeps over the village in an aerial shot, the gory carnage can only make you anticipate what is going to happen next.

If you want to sink your teeth in to a brutal, intense, modern horror film that doesn't entail cheap scares and predictable storylines then you'll love this film. If you don't like scary films, watch this one with the lights on.

Neighbours drop to Channel 5...

As most of us should know by now, our favourite lunch time programme, Neighbours, has changed from trustworthy BBC 1 to can-never-get-a-signal-in-my-house cruddy Channel 5.

Of all the channels we can get in this advanced generation , where we can have up to 1,000 channels on our TV, and even watch them on new, state-of-the-art sheen black flat screen TV's for many, we have Neighbours on Channel 5... I may only be speaking for a small group of people here, but channel 5 in my house is about as good as trying to get my arse to smile...

What the hell is going on? I love Neighbours but having to watch it in prickly black and white spots with a crappy picture and sound really gets on my nerves and makes me wonder whether i'll ever get to watch it again without any distracting distortions.

Not only does the channel swap annoy me... but the advertisement for the switch is just cringe-worthy. I can't believe the cast of Neighbours actually thought it would be appealing to run around in their little cul-de-sac shouting, "Have you heard? We're switching to channel 5!" like it's the best thing since hair waxing.

TV bosses can put repeat after repeat of our usual favourite Friends, Frasier, Scrubs and so on and even have them on more than one channel. But when it comes to Neighbours...Channel 5 is their latest effort.

I hope BBC1 TV rates decrease so that they realise how important Neighbours is to the BBC...and to their viewers! Know your audience BBC1! Bring Neighbours BACK!!

Or...Fremantle company who sells Neighbours to us....Drop your prices you crazy people!

Leona Lewis Profile

Described by Simon Cowell as "one of the best female singers to ever come out of the country", Leona's powerful singing voice and "terrific" looks has fascinated and gripped the music industry since winning ITV talent show 'The X-Factor' in 2006. The 22-year-old has had us waiting around for her next stunning vocal range and incredible performance for almost a year, but after watching the video for her new single 'Bleeding Love' on the box, taken from her new highly-anticipated album 'Spirit', she has proven her dream career is set for ultimate domination with full force.

Having been repeatedly told she is hailed as singing sensations of all time such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera - a comparison Leona says is "an amazing compliment". There is no doubt this green-eyed curly-haired songstress with a fresh R'n'B/Pop sound combined with her new-fangled glamorous makeover image, will allow her to achieve more than what she could have possibly dreamed of. Judge Simon Cowell, whom is now Leona's manager, has seemingly fallen head over heels for 22-year-old Londoner. He never doubted her "international" talent.

Leona Louise Lewis, born on April 3, 1985 grew up in the Islington area of London, and is the middle child of three. Her dad Joe is Afro-Caribbean and works as a youth offending officer. Her mum, Marie, is a social worker. Leona went to Ambler Primary School in Finsbury Park, but had always wanted to get in to music and so was sent to the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the tender age of five. She wrote her first song when she was just 12 and won the Lady D under-18 talent show at the Hackney Empire the following year. She also attended the Italia Conti performing arts academy and the Brits Academy. After leaving school, Leona earned her money to pay for studio time by working as a receptionist and as a waitress in Pizza Hut to record her own demo album called 'Twilight', but was never released.

It was the work of Leona's current boyfriend, childhood sweetheart, Lou-Al-Chamaa who made all of this possible for Leona, who had no idea Lou had sent off an X-Factor application form for her. The couple have known each other since they were nine and grew up on the same street.

Leona Lewis is nothing like the pop divas we have today; she is shy and emits a natural glow of unforced beauty. She managed to escape the snooping eyes of the media and record her LP in Los Angeles. She didn't follow the footsteps of other past X-Factor winners who rushed to record their album and then who embarrassingly crumbled in the sales chart. She wisely took her time in LA on producing her album 'Spirit', which is to be released on November 5.

Her career highlight was when her debut single, a cover song from Kelly Clarkson, 'A Moment Like This' became last year's Christmas No 1 and the biggest downloaded single of 2006.

Her career, which has sky-rocketed within literally a click of the remote control, can only get better. 2008 will no doubt bring out even more of her beautiful voice.

Cloverfield Film Review

If only the makers of Godzilla had thought of this first – they must be kicking themselves right now…

Cloverfield has put the essence back in to a mon-tastic horror film, with gripping scenes at almost every single moment. Taken on a completely new edge of film production – sensational raw footage of carnage, recorded using a single home video camera. Once again, another film that has catapulted a cast of unknown actors in to the swelling world that is the film industry.

It is evident that Lost producer, J.J.Abrams, hasn’t lost his touch with this magnified film, which sees a group of characters who find themselves stuck in the middle of a war between a rat-like/gremlin looking monster and the US army – we are completely engaged in the fact that their positions are continuously threatened.

You are taken in by not only the visual effects and the fantastic film-making strategies and techniques, but the real felt emotions between the close-knit friends, particularly between main characters Beth (Odette Yustman) and Rob (played by Michael Stahl-David – like butter wouldn’t melt…).

I’m surprised the characters didn’t need some sort of a tranquilizer after the face to face encounters with flesh-eating parasites in the train tunnels, deafening sounds of firearms being blasted at the monster and then risking a fatal fall jumping building to building from the 49th floor.

Although the party scene at the beginning dragged on a bit, from the moment the chaos literally ripped through Manhattan, the only time I took my eyes off the big screen was when I needed a momentary break from the continuous shaking of the camera.

Purposely mimicking the 9/11 fiasco, this film can either be insulting or taken with a pinch of salt: it is probably left up to a matter of taste.

Only the relevant action is seen and that’s what we want in an 84 minute film.

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