tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27295567866379664592024-03-12T17:42:20.951-07:00Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-68236296527359058132018-11-13T11:53:00.002-08:002019-04-02T09:33:16.838-07:00Stan Lee (1922 - 2018)<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ad-preview="message" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_17" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 6px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XJVZ9BOb2M4/W-sLE94qb5I/AAAAAAAAQjY/jqzW5-PHqYsMzex8iETeCtnSh2X2FtDBwCLcBGAs/s1600/Stan%2BLee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XJVZ9BOb2M4/W-sLE94qb5I/AAAAAAAAQjY/jqzW5-PHqYsMzex8iETeCtnSh2X2FtDBwCLcBGAs/s640/Stan%2BLee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a kid, I adored Spider-Man.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I first came across him through <i>Spider-Man: The Animated Series</i> on Fox Kids, produced and written by the brilliant John Semper. To my mind, it is and remains the definitive Spider-Man cartoon. It introduced me to the Marvel Universe, and it is in large part because of this series that I got interested in comics. To this day, whenever I read a Spider-Man comic, I can hardly help but read Spidey's lines with the voice of Christopher Daniel Barnes (the voice of the character in this series) in my head.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.freelogovectors.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Spider-man-logo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="800" height="321" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.freelogovectors.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Spider-man-logo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I heard there was going to be a big blockbuster film, starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, then to my 6 year-old self, it was the most exciting thing that had <i>ever</i> happened, ever. I remember the crushing disappointment when I found out it was to be rated 12, and the excitement that built up again when Dad told me that it had been reclassified as a PG in some areas (or a 12A, allowing me to see it as long as I was with a parent).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img05.deviantart.net/f00b/i/2014/269/a/d/spider_man_poster__2002__by_predatorx20-d80mdqw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://img05.deviantart.net/f00b/i/2014/269/a/d/spider_man_poster__2002__by_predatorx20-d80mdqw.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It was around the time that the new Spider-Man film was being heavily promoted on Fox Kids that I found out who Stan Lee was.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here was an old guy with dark sunglasses and a distinct New Yorker accent, and he was explaining how he CREATED Spider-Man!</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As far as I was concerned, this guy was the new Walt Disney! He created Spider-Man, AND all the other superheroes I was watching on television then, like The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four? This guy with two first names (I remember thinking that was cool, but also weird) was an absolute legend!</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember watching interviews with him from then on. When I got my first ever Spider-Man DVDs - some of the films, some of the animated series, there would be Stan Lee interviews, and I would consume them religiously, and play them over and over again. One in particular sticks out in my mind to this day, where I realised how underrated and underappreciated he must've been.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Lee spoke about how rare it was for him to be recognised, and how he couldn't understand some of his more famous friends who would sometimes tell him of how they hated being asked for an autograph. For Lee, he said that whenever someone came up to him and said, 'Hey, aren't you Stan Lee?', followed by 'the guy who created...' (whoever their favourite superhero was - invariably Spider-Man) and then 'Can I have your autograph?', he would smile that great big smile of his, thank them, and sign something for them. In Lee's words, being recognised and appreciated as the creator and writer of their favourite character was 'To me...the most flattering thing in the world.'</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember how I used to ask friends about Stan Lee - friends who were fellow fans of Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men etc., and they'd often look at me blankly. Maybe it was because I was a weird 6-7 year-old child who was interested in who created my favourite fictional characters.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="color: #1d2129;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #1d2129;">But that all changed with the Marvel movies. After a few years of Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and many others transitioning to the big screen, (but before the Marvel Cinematic Universe even <i>existed</i>), Stan Lee became a regular fixture of Marvel films, making guest appearances and cameos wherever possible. In some cases, he even cameo-ed as himself, including in the final episode of my favourite Spider-Man TV series!</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By the time the MCU was in full swing, it felt like virtually everyone was in on the joke, and it became part of the regular ritual of going to see any Marvel movie, to wait and pick out the tiniest blink-and-you'll-miss-him moment of the God of Marvel making his regular, inevitable appearance.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HnByuUqMeko?start=35" width="650"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, Stan Lee is recognised the world over. His cameos are some of the most anticipated moments of one of the biggest film franchises on the planet, and any panel appearance by him at a science-fiction or comic book convention is one of the most exciting parts of those events.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But what was it that made Stan Lee, and his characters, so different? So unique? So loved? So cherished? It's not like he was the first person to create comic book superheroes. Superman, Batman, Captain America and others - they were around long before Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think the answer is this.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The key emphasis, with virtually any of the Marvel Superheroes, is that underneath the mask or costume, the characters are honestly, brilliantly, and irretrievably, human.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I loved the Superman Christopher Reeve films as a kid too, but it was always the Clark Kent scenes that interested me the most.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.redd.it/egi3jek9xt6z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="800" height="410" src="https://i.redd.it/egi3jek9xt6z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because the thing about Superman is that he is so overpowered, and meant to be such an idealised symbol of 'truth, justice, and the American way', and is himself not human - that he is difficult to relate to. Superman always gets the girl, because he can save her life and easily sweep her off her feet. He is adored by every section of his fictional city of Metropolis - even the tabloid newspapers!</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Marvel heroes are different. Marvel heroes are human.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The thing about Peter Parker - aka The Amazing Spider-Man - is that when he first started, in the earliest comics, written by Stan Lee himself, he was nothing more than a teenager. And not only that, he was a geek. A nerd.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vaLRqxfw2Po?start=36" width="650"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He wasn't cool, he wasn't handsome, he wasn't collected. He wasn't sporty, he wasn't lucky. He was, in fact, one of the unluckiest teenagers you could ever meet - even <i>after</i> he got bitten by a radioactive spider.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Everything conceivable that could go wrong for a teenage boy happened to Peter Parker. He had acne, he would get colds, he had trouble talking to girls, he was the unpopular kid, he was bullied, he struggled to get dates...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When he was a little older, he struggled to balance work, home and University life. He struggled to keep time. He struggled to pay the rent. People would think he was lazy. You name a problem, Peter Parker had it. He was an outcast - like so many of the kids and teenagers reading about him.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NC49LFyYXgA?start=36" width="650"></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And then, when he put on the mask, and became Spider-Man, he became something different. Something more.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MGeOjK0I7JY?start=36" width="650"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As Stan Lee said, one of the brilliant accidents of his and Steve Ditko's costume design for Spider-Man was that it covered his whole body. There was no visible skin, no holes for a mouth or eyes. From head to toe he was a hero in black, white, red and blue. And so, under that costume, theoretically, Spider-Man could be <i>anybody</i>. He could be black, he could be white, he could be Asian. Hell, Spider-Man could even be female! You never know, under that mask!</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For generations, comic book, cartoon, TV series, film, and general superhero fans, have looked at the incredible roster of superheroes and supervillains, created by Stan Lee and beyond, and projected *themselves* onto them. As Lee often put it, the inherent appeal of Marvel characters was that readers could look at the ordinary lives of the extraordinary people on the page, and go 'Hey, that could be me!'</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Stan Lee never talked down to his audience. From the oldest fanboy to the youngest child, he'd treat all of his fans the same - with credit for their intelligence, and respect. He never patronised his younger audiences. They felt as welcome a part of the Marvel family as any other fan. With his charm, and his wit, and his modesty, his New York twang and his winning smile, Stan Lee was a true, real-life hero to the young, and the forever young at heart. He touched so many lives, and so many people, and despite never having had the opportunity to see him at a convention, let alone meet the great man, I and so many others, felt like we knew him. It is to my everlasting regret that future generations may not know Stan Lee the way we all did.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because you see, Stan Lee wasn't just some Walt Disney of the comic book world, or our creative idol.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Stan Lee was our friend.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/stan-lee.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="358" src="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/stan-lee.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He encouraged us to face front, true believers! He taught us that anyone could be a hero, and that with great power, must also come great responsibility.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At 95, he lived a long, successful, and happy life, and generation after generation of fans will be forever grateful that such a giant, such an inspiration, and such an ordinary, brilliant man, shared his time on this earth, his boundless creativity, and his big, open-hearted values, with us.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Rest in Peace, and in Power, Stan.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Forever.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Excelsior!</b></i></span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/with-great-power-doc-05142012.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="602" height="398" src="https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/with-great-power-doc-05142012.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2018-11/12/15/asset/buzzfeed-prod-web-01/sub-buzz-17644-1542053458-1.jpg?downsize=800:*&output-format=auto&output-quality=auto" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="399" src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2018-11/12/15/asset/buzzfeed-prod-web-01/sub-buzz-17644-1542053458-1.jpg?downsize=800:*&output-format=auto&output-quality=auto" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-10088376919614663782018-11-13T09:18:00.002-08:002018-11-13T09:18:26.369-08:00Remembrance Day, Respect, and The Three Poppies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--H8sw4240nY/Un-JMYA8NKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/IZWvxmtgsAM/s1600/poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="778" height="436" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--H8sw4240nY/Un-JMYA8NKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/IZWvxmtgsAM/s1600/poppies.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Some unreconstructed thoughts on Remembrance Day:<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- Poppies are great, and a really nice way of showing your respect. But only if you're actually bothering to donate to the Royal British Legion (or other relevant veterans charity) which is kind of the point. There are stories of TV news studios providing poppies for guests before interviews, and unless that guest has already donated to the RBL or intends to, it's kind of missing the point.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//player.ooyala.com/static/v4/stable/4.28.22/skin-plugin/iframe.html?ec=A4cWdpZzE6FY_RkCNQdFs_2lvwq8pn__&pbid=3c42758a1392415089daa0d272925bcf&pcode=lybG4xOtZ5VVs97XtFOmFWfHkY5g" width="640"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />
- People fought in WWI and WWII for people to have the rights that we enjoy today, and that includes freedom of expression. Someone may well choose not to wear a poppy. It doesn't make them a bad person, and for all you know they may have already donated to the Royal British Legion. Or they might be a war veteran themselves, who has chosen not to wear it for their own personal reasons (like WWII veteran Harry Leslie Smith). It doesn't mean they're not patriotic or respectful of war vets that have died.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgxZ-KPbwN0/W-sDg3cBYlI/AAAAAAAAQjE/cePlXz9OTm44sGiFagndyeKPuu7frgYqACLcBGAs/s1600/Harry%2BLeslie%2BSmith%2BPoppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="668" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgxZ-KPbwN0/W-sDg3cBYlI/AAAAAAAAQjE/cePlXz9OTm44sGiFagndyeKPuu7frgYqACLcBGAs/s640/Harry%2BLeslie%2BSmith%2BPoppy.jpg" width="443" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br />
- Other races and religions are not offended by the red poppy. No, they're really not. There were Indian and African soldiers that fought on the allied side in the world wars, and the British Army today is highly multicultural and multi-racial. They are not offended by poppies. That's a lie, originally cooked up by the far right to get you to try to hate Muslims and others.<br />
I passed by plenty of people with Poppy stalls on the way into the Underground this week. Most of those people weren't white.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9gxhvZZUmWU/W-sEM018ESI/AAAAAAAAQjM/ZoRgmwgI9XUUtZ6_gvQVpjrrUEUlU15jgCLcBGAs/s1600/Multicultural%2BPoppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9gxhvZZUmWU/W-sEM018ESI/AAAAAAAAQjM/ZoRgmwgI9XUUtZ6_gvQVpjrrUEUlU15jgCLcBGAs/s640/Multicultural%2BPoppy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- Putting poppies on food packaging, or having people dress up in giant poppy costumes, is spectacularly missing the point. I happened to catch a clip or two of X Factor's Halloween week the other day, and they were all wearing poppies over the top of their Halloween costumes, and I have to say, it not only looked weird, but I would argue it was a bit disrespectful, to be honest. Halloween and Remembrance Day are tonally very different, wearing a poppy over your Mummy costume while you murder a Michael Jackson classic isn't the height of respect for the war dead.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/POPPYPIZZA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="336" src="https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/POPPYPIZZA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- The size of your Poppy *really* doesn't matter. The Royal British Legion sell poppies in <a href="https://www.poppyshop.org.uk/">all shapes and sizes</a>, from the traditional paper ones, to the larger silk versions, and to smaller pin badges. Jeremy Corbyn chose to wear a pin badge poppy today, on top of his raincoat and suit (yes, he wore a raincoat, given that it's London, in the middle of November). At his first ever cenotaph memorial as Labour leader, he also stuck around and chatted to the veterans, while the rest of Britain's current and former Prime Ministers (many of whom have continued to send off British troops into pointless wars) went off to a lavish state banquet. And Corbyn actually wants to increase *government* funding for homeless veterans, as opposed to just paying lip service to respect for soldiers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/sei_39473811-1563.jpg?quality=90&strip=all" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/sei_39473811-1563.jpg?quality=90&strip=all" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- Plenty of people also choose to wear the white poppy, either instead of or alongside the red poppy. White poppies are not disrespectful, and they are not some new fad. They have been around since 1933, and were first distributed by the Co-operative Women's Guild. Many women wore them in honour of the husbands, brothers and sons they lost in the First World War. And in the run-up to WWII, many women wore them in protest against the march to war when politicians had promised them the previous war would've been the 'War To End All Wars'.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/5001/production/_104018402_gettyimages-496249300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="356" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/5001/production/_104018402_gettyimages-496249300.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We can argue about the wisdom of that at the time, given that attempts to find a peaceful solution to Hitler's imperial tendencies demonstrably didn't work, but the point is, the white poppy is to symbolise a commitment to peace. <a href="https://ppu.org.uk/remembrance/white-poppies-frequently-asked-questions">The Peace Pledge Union</a> distribute them today, and the aim is to remember victims (both servicemen and women) and civilians of war, and to continue to work towards peace. You can wear a white poppy or red poppy, or both, as many do, and you are not necessarily depriving money that would otherwise go to veterans. You can wear a white poppy *and* donate to the Royal British Legion or other veterans' charities.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- Having said that, the Peace Pledge Union also believe that really, <a href="https://ppu.org.uk/remembrance/white-poppies-frequently-asked-questions">war veterans should not have to rely on charity</a>, and that the government should be the ones providing healthcare, medical care, therapy, a safe home etc., to veterans. There are thousands of homeless war veterans, and it shouldn't just be the job of the Royal British Legion to help them in their hour of need. Our government ought to be the main ones looking after them, given that they are the ones who sent them off to war in the first place.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/912/cpsprodpb/11DB6/production/_104024137_purplepoppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/912/cpsprodpb/11DB6/production/_104024137_purplepoppy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
- People also wear Purple Poppies, to commemorate the animals who have been used and fought with in war. That's perfectly legitimate and respectful too. Again, just because someone might wear a purple poppy instead of a red one, doesn't mean that they haven't donated to the Royal British Legion in private - again, the donation to the RBL (or other veterans charity) is the point.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- We shouldn't glorify war. The whole point of the poppy - the original point of Remembrance Day - was to not only remember those we have lost, but to resolve to avoid conflict and war in future. Almost every war and conflict starts with the failure of dialogue and descent into violence, and ends in a political agreement. It would be great if we could cut out the middle part, of so much death and destruction, and tried, wherever possible, to find a peaceful solution. War should be a last resort, not a first response.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
- WWII in particular largely began with fear and loathing of the unlike, and the different. It came with not only providing simple solutions to complex problems, but with the simple solution often being to blame the other. The immigrant, the Jew, the gypsy, the disabled. Leaders also targeted people for their political beliefs - socialists, social democrats, communists. They would demonise the free press, and call them 'enemies of the people'.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Make sure that we don't let the same thing happen today, and that we don't let it happen in Britain. Don't blame Muslims, don't blame Jews, don't indulge in conspiracy theories or stereotypes about either, because they are dangerous. Be a citizen of the world as well as a citizen of this country. Look after and respect minorities, and champion liberty, and freedoms. That is and will be the most fitting tribute to those who fought and died to protect those rights.</div>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-43215888001575733562018-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:002018-10-12T05:40:23.568-07:00The Influence of Popular Performers on The Political Sphere<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="873" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Maq2786_7V0/W7-ldGSU7iI/AAAAAAAAQbY/zftHH364HLwz0IcH1nruCX_47j37lDFewCLcBGAs/s640/40515564_10214650974361644_4099953124809113600_o.jpg" width="348" /></div>
Over the last year, since the autumn of 2017, I have been studying for a further year at the University of Kent, in Canterbury. Having completed my undergraduate degree in Drama and Theatre, with Upper Second Class Honours, I decided to stay on and do an MA in Theatre Making.<br />
<br />
Towards the end of this MA, I wrote my first ever dissertation (having opted not to write one during my undergraduate degree). This was months of particularly gruelling work, with heavy research and reading into a variety of topics and subjects, albeit ones that I loved.<br />
<br />
I decided to write this dissertation on "The Influence of Popular Performers On The Political Sphere." I have long been fascinated with the world of politics, and in recent years I have been fascinated by the potential effect of comedians, musicians, and other types of 'popular performers' have on the world of politics. Hence, I decided to write about that as my topic.<br />
<br />
On the 31st August 2018, I submitted the longest single piece of work I've ever written. Despite the stress of it, and not knowing what my lecturers would think, I was immensely proud of it. After blood, sweat, tears and a few all-nighters, I had finally completed my dissertation, and with it, my MA degree. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This week, I received my marks back for my Dissertation. The feedback from my lecturers who marked it was overwhelmingly positive, and I was delighted.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I got a mark of 72 - a First! It's one of the highest mark of my entire MA, and meant that I got a first overall for my Dissertation module, averaging at a 70.<br />
<br />
As a result, I will be officially graduating next month, for the second time, on Friday 23rd November, 2018. I will be leaving the University of Kent, where I achieved an undergraduate and Master's degree, with a 2:1 overall in both, and a string of individual Firsts for modules and assignments along the way.<br />
<br />
Anyway, particularly with the vindication of the marks and feedback, I'd now love to share this Dissertation with you. As I say, it's the longest single piece of work I've ever written, at around 13,500 words. There are 3 chapters, an introduction, and a conclusion. But it's up here now, for anyone that wants to read it. For anyone interested in politics (stand-up comedy, grime music or any and all of the above, then you're (hopefully) in for a treat.<br />
<br />
(P. S. - In the dissertation, I try to explain Antonio Gramsci's ideas as simply as I can. But if you're having trouble with getting your head around them, then I'd really recommend this article by Georege Eaton: <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/02/why-antonio-gramsci-marxist-thinker-our-times">https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2018/02/why-antonio-gramsci-marxist-thinker-our-times</a>. It places the ideas in a modern context and explains them nice and simply, so might be of particular use in Chapter 2.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, enjoy!<br />
<br />
H<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe height="900" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kPEejxsOHiCnX2KkpxkSIcl2vCwk47gG/preview" width="640"></iframe>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-76608170416660721772017-04-03T12:56:00.003-07:002019-04-01T18:48:59.791-07:00Everbody's Talking About Jamie - Review<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2b5564f6-354c-a08b-6beb-4ce2bcde7cae" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline;">A New Musical by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>14th February 2017, The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hiWyYkEvYqU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hiWyYkEvYqU?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3f5739ed-354e-0517-5144-6ee1dcccf7af" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3f5739ed-354e-0517-5144-6ee1dcccf7af" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Jamie</b> <b>New is sixteen. He’s from She</b></span><b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>ffield.</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>And he has a secret;</b> <b>he wants to be a drag queen. Such is the setting for this most unusual of musicals...</b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><br /></b></span></b></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://cdn.thestage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/13143512/1.-John-McCrea-and-the-cast-of-Everybodys-Talking-About-Jamie-700x455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://cdn.thestage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/13143512/1.-John-McCrea-and-the-cast-of-Everybodys-Talking-About-Jamie-700x455.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The opening number, ‘Don’t Even Know It’, appears to owe something to Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Matilda</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: school kids in blazer and tie, dancing on old-fashioned desks as we briefly leave the mundanity of the classroom for the fantasy world of the children. Except these aren’t naughty young urchins; they’re Year 11s, about to take their GCSEs, being advised on a future career path. This isn’t so much Roald Dahl, as Russell T Davies - appropriate, given writer Tom MacRae’s history of writing for the Davies-era of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Doctor Who</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Jamie (John McCrea) is an out and proud sixteen year old, and, as with Davies’s dramas, it’s refreshing to see a gay character so comfortable in his own skin. Jamie is largely accepted and embraced by his multi-ethnic cohort, and in a day and age where </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">RuPaul’s Drag Race</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is one of the top shows on Netflix, this musical feels firmly placed in the 21st Century. </span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Like the Minchin musical that seemingly inspired some of the staging, the composer's voice shines through in every song; fans of Gillespie Sells’s band The Feeling</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">will recognise his ear for a catchy pop tune, and just as easily imagine him singing each song as ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ztIpA2gQMo">Fill My Little World</a>’ or ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1peC9_QOiE">Sewn</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. But even for those who don’t follow Gillespie Sells’s career religiously, the score is enjoyable and tugs at the heartstrings at the right moments.</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9mUvHf14ZE/WOKkJk9B3-I/AAAAAAAAMKw/TLMrZ53FkLQnaSsHY54tM2Uxce6PM2-sQCEw/s1600/Everybody%2527s%2BTalking%2BAbout%2BJamie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9mUvHf14ZE/WOKkJk9B3-I/AAAAAAAAMKw/TLMrZ53FkLQnaSsHY54tM2Uxce6PM2-sQCEw/s400/Everybody%2527s%2BTalking%2BAbout%2BJamie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Talented
newcomer McCrea plays the titular Jamie with an irresistible charm
worthy of the boy himself (the musical is based on the story of Jamie
Campbell, featured in the BBC documentary </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012p4kc">Drag Queen at 16</a>.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">)
Jamie’s loving mother Margaret (Josie Walker), tries desperately to
juggle being a single mother, enthusiastically encouraging and carefully
raising her boy, while trying to maintain the charade that his erstwhile
father (Spencer Stafford) still loves and cares for him. Margaret
covers for his absence from events in Jamie’s life; after all, no-one
wants to grow up resenting their parents. The picture she paints of the
distant but ultimately caring father is so tragic that we wish it were true, despite seeing with our own eyes that it isn’t.</span></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDc5NWIyZGItZDhkZS00OTg3LWE5MDUtZjg5NDBlZjRhOWU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5MTQ1MTU@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="746" height="476" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDc5NWIyZGItZDhkZS00OTg3LWE5MDUtZjg5NDBlZjRhOWU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5MTQ1MTU@._V1_.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jamie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is about more than that. As Director Jonathan Butterell said at the Q&A afterwards, the show is not actually a niche musical about a 16 year old wannabe-drag queen; but a universal story about a boy and his Mum. There are many ‘Jamies’ out there, he said, and in the current political climate, a story like this encourages those Jamies to be open, proud, and say ‘we’re here, we’re real, and we’re not going away’. In an age of a more socially conservative backlash, exemplified by Brexit and Trump, to, what was, arguably, a growing liberal order, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jamie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a loud proclamation that we should be who we want to be; and, like all good drag queens, it does it in six-inch heels.</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>_________________________________________________________________</i></span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><br /></i></span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>This article was originally written as part of a university assignment. It has been published here, in full. </i>Everybody's Talking About Jamie<i> has since transferred to the Apollo Theatre in the West End, and now stars Layton Williams in the title role. Tickets available <a href="https://www.everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk/book-tickets">here</a>.</i></span></span></b></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-55149340162108723572016-08-30T11:05:00.000-07:002019-04-02T09:22:22.472-07:00Gene Wilder<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dekw5cWCBw4/V8XFjiGT2AI/AAAAAAAAJnA/KkRKDGqP3EoB-p3bT-QO0nQUJDWAws-aQCLcB/s1600/Willy%2BWonka%2B%2526%2BThe%2BOompa%2BLoompas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dekw5cWCBw4/V8XFjiGT2AI/AAAAAAAAJnA/KkRKDGqP3EoB-p3bT-QO0nQUJDWAws-aQCLcB/s640/Willy%2BWonka%2B%2526%2BThe%2BOompa%2BLoompas.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Excuse the inaccurate trousers and trainers, but given the comparison I'll make between Wilder's Wonka and a certain other character, then perhaps, some red converse trainers were rather appropriate....</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Wow....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">R.I.P, Gene Wilder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Blimey. Quite a thing, to
think that he's gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Willy Wonka. Always the best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Johnny Depp film
may have stuck slightly closer to the original book, but nothing
compares to this wonderful man's interpretation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember reading an article, several years ago, in an issue of Doctor
Who Magazine, which described, in descending order, a dozen or so
instances of actors in films or TV shows, who, while not *actually*
playing the Doctor, might as well have been, for their interpretation of
the given character. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka topped that list.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://66.media.tumblr.com/c770b73b265c676cef9d3fcb2eaa31d3/tumblr_n2fj4vnRRV1qk3l1so1_1280.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://66.media.tumblr.com/c770b73b265c676cef9d3fcb2eaa31d3/tumblr_n2fj4vnRRV1qk3l1so1_1280.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Not only was it his wonderful eccentricity, unpredictability and
general sense of other-wordly-ness, but his costume, with the bow tie
and velvet jacket, is vaguely reminiscent of the Doctor of the time, Jon
Pertwee, and his costume in general is very Doctor-ish. Plus, as the
article pointed out, all that that scene in the tunnel needed, where
he's reciting creepy rhymes, and lights are going off all over the place
and with the tension and music building, is that familiar Doctor Who
theme sting that came with the cliffhanger at the end of an episode.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="365" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bCv5o7n_mtk" width="650"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was lucky enough to be able to play a version of Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka at an event
in Newham earlier this year, supervising a game where visiting children
would look for and find a Golden Ticket. As well as the odd look of
wonder and amazement from some kids, I was approached for a few photos
and selfies. Much like has often been said about the Doctor, it wasn't
so much me they wanted a photo with or had such excitement for, but the
affection they had for the *character*, which they would project onto me
in portraying it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It was an immense pleasure sort-of playing a
part that really, I feel I could have made more effort to fill the shoes
of. I hope that I get the opportunity to do so again at some point, so
that I can put even more effort into channeling the indomitable Gene
Wilder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What a thrill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sad to see him pass, although he will always live on, for many of us, '...in a world of <i>Pure Imagination</i>...'</span></div>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-79590852306822837952016-01-31T10:45:00.005-08:002019-04-02T09:12:36.466-07:00Sir Terry Wogan...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xEX-SnzYE7w/Vq5BzJJ4obI/AAAAAAAAImw/XVP8HwQqR-k/s1600/Terry%2BWogan%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xEX-SnzYE7w/Vq5BzJJ4obI/AAAAAAAAImw/XVP8HwQqR-k/s1600/Terry%2BWogan%2B2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-e5f15a90-98b1-873b-2989-fb14e79dc07d" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodnight, Terry.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm afraid, while I could sympathise with and feel the collective sense of loss that people felt when it came to David Bowie and Alan Rickman, neither of them had an especially deep, personal connection to my own life. Although they were always sort of there, and I was aware of them, and enjoyed their music (in Bowie's case) or performances (with both of them), I didn't exactly grow up with them.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sir Terry Wogan was different.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I think of Terry Wogan, I'm back in my Mum and Dad's old kitchen at home. I'm ten years old, sat at the kitchen table, eating my cereal, in my Sellincourt Primary School uniform, getting ready for the day ahead. I'm listening to this gentle Irishman's voice. Warm, good-humoured, witty, helping us all (all 8 million of his listeners) to wake up in the morning.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm hearing him read Janet and John, and while not really understanding why him, everyone else in the studio, and Mum and Dad, are laughing so much, being amused and bemused by their enjoyment and laughter.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5tKnsZCELD4" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm sat watching the Eurovision song contest as he gently pokes fun at all of the acts on show.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm watching him host the Children In Need telethon, having a laugh and a joke, struggling to cope with and understand some of the newer elements such as texting, tweeting, using Facebook, etc., but carrying on like a trooper.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm sitting at the computer, watching old clips of him hosting Children In Need in his heyday, or doing his chat show - his segments interviewing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb7iGHWSuck">the stars of Doctor Who</a>, past and present (as well as that one brilliant clip of him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GXeP6LpNU">interviewing Baldrick</a> while Blackadder supervises).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don't think that it would be unfair to say that Terry Wogan was a bit past his prime by the end. While there was something so lovely about his commitment to Children In Need, which I think said a lot about him, in the last few years I could see him struggling a bit with the trials and tribulations of such live broadcasting, and I didn't consider it to be a great loss last year when he had to give it a miss on that occasion because of ill health (though naturally I didn't wish him to be in ill health). I remember thinking that, despite being a few years his junior, Terry seemed a fair bit more frail and less able to cope with presenting demands towards the end than his peer, Sir Bruce Forsyth, is currently.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YijmNVYYkN0" width="640"></iframe>
</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But I, as I'm sure so many others will, remember Sir Terry Wogan in his prime. Whenever they consider that to be, and in whatever medium. Blankety Blank, The Wogan talk show, Children In Need, Eurovision, Radio 2. Everyone has their own special little memories of Terry Wogan.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I woke up this morning and saw people paying tributes to Wogan, I couldn't believe it. I was in shock. Terry Wogan, gone?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I remember distinctly listening to the last breakfast show link, as it went out. Of course, Wogan would go on to host a live show on Sunday mornings a few months later, but it was never quite as good, or had the same charm, of Wake Up To Wogan. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the time, watching interviews with people as they heaped praise on Wogan as his time on the breakfast show was coming to an end, and listening to the final show, I got a sense of the enormous love and affection for this man, and I knew I was going to miss his morning show, but I couldn't fully grasp it all, even knowing that he'd been such a big figure in broadcasting for so many decades before. And I wasn't that worried, as I knew I'd still see him on Children In Need.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But now, looking back, thinking about him today, I get it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I sat and listened to this last breakfast show link again, I felt this great sense of nostalgia, and loss, knowing that Terry Wogan has passed away, and I burst into tears. I find if difficult to stop crying for very long even now.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Every time I listen to the clip, I well up.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you can bear to, I recommend you listen to this. Over half a decade later, it now feels like an even more fitting goodbye from the man himself, who we all felt we knew in some way, all considered like a friend, an uncle or Granddad, even if we'd never met him face-to-face.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The moment that really gets to me is when Terry says "you, my listener". Doesn't that just sum him up? This man had over 40 years of experience, he had an audience on Wake Up To Wogan of over 8 million people...and yet his last, parting remark, as his show always was, was not to address it as if he was talking to millions, not as if he was in front of some huge crowd...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But to one person. An intimate style of speaking just to one person - and yet, he spoke to everyone. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Farewell Terry. Goodnight, Mr Wogan.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wzcSvhj53c8" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
“Hang on: there’s 60 million people in the country – what are the other
52 million listening to?” – <i>Terry Wogan, on hearing his radio show audience had passed 8 million....</i>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-53273523782992831402016-01-10T16:30:00.001-08:002016-01-10T16:36:53.837-08:00Snoopy & Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie<a href="http://img.hypesphere.com/2015-09-23-171433-69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.hypesphere.com/2015-09-23-171433-69.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a> <br />
On the 9th January, 2016, 3 generations of Mendozas saw The Peanuts Movie - based on the popular comic strips and cartoons by Charles M Schulz.<br />
<br />
Dad had always been a huge fan of Snoopy as a child, and this had carried through into adulthood. To this day, we still have the odd Snoopy visible around the house from his extensive collection, and there's at least a few at my paternal Granny's house, too.<br />
<br />
Through Dad's love of Snoopy/Peanuts as a child, his parents ended up loving it, and through my awareness of this, I took an interest too. I remember we had a video copy of Snoopy, "Flash Beagle" that I watched a lot as a kid, and at my grandparents house we had a copy of the film "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown." I also watched many of the other films and Christmas Specials over the years, with either Granny and Grandpa or Dad.<br />
<br />
When we first heard that Blue Sky Studios were making a feature-length film, we were apprehensive, to say the least. Would it do the original series/films justice? Or would they go too far in trying to modernise it for a Hollywood audience? It could very easily be another <i>Magic Roundabout</i> - which, while I enjoy immensely as a good film in its own right, Dad is right that CGI animated film didn't retain nearly the same level of charm as the original series.<br />
<br />
<br />
And then, we saw this trailer:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/N1FNL_iIp5c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="522" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1FNL_iIp5c?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br />
Suddenly, we were at ease. The opening moments, using the 2001: Space Odyssey music, lead you down one line of thinking, especially as the earth morphs into Charlie Brown's CGI head, but then....<br />
<br />
That moment where that music stops, Snoopy appears, and the original <i>Peanuts </i>music begins, all worries are dispelled. As Dad said, it was as if those producing the film were quietly saying to the fans, "Don't worry - this is safe in our hands." Even in what is just a 60-second teaser, you can feel the charm and sense of humour that was so present in the original cartoons. Even the style of 3D animation was great - you weren't being given a full 360-degree view of the environment and characters, so it still had a two-dimensional feel to it.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, the use of pop music in some subsequent trailers had made me, at least, a bit more nervous - love pop music though I do, mainstream sounding pop music was never a staple of the <i>Peanuts </i>cartoons and it wouldn't have been great if the film was just filled with an entirely pop-based soundtrack.<br />
<br />
So, while quietly confident that I wouldn't be disappointed, I sat down in the cinema with Mum, Dad, my younger brother George, and younger sister Ruby, to see the film. After a few too many trailers, and an <i>Ice Age </i>short featuring 'Scrat' which, while enjoyable, made me feel the <i>Ice Age </i>shark had most certainly been <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark">jumped</a>, the film began.<br />
<br />
The film was absolutely <i>beautifully </i>done. A true labour of love.<br />
<br />
The music, the mood, the sense of humour, all of it felt so faithful to the original cartoon. (Warning: some slight spoilers ahead in the rest of the paragraph): There was no massive, overarching one-off storyline that took the characters to a different place, no grand, Hollywood-style adventure, it felt very much like a compiled mini-series of stories that would be right at home in the original cartoons (albeit with an overrarching narrative running through). Even scenes of Snoopy flying his kennel like a proper plane, seen in the original series but could never have been achieved on the same scale in hand-drawn animation, felt totally faithful to the humour, heart and mood of the cartoons.<br />
<br />
Without saying exactly why, I wept at the end. It was the one thing that I felt deviated ever so slightly from lots of the tropes of the old comics and books, but it did so with such class, feeling and narrative reasoning that it felt completely right and justified.<br />
<br />
While I'm not sure it would have nearly the same resonance for those who didn't watch Snoopy cartoons or read the Peanuts strips as a child, I do think the film is good enough in its own right to enjoy as a family whether you're familiar with the characters or not.<br />
<br />
But if you <i>are</i>, then <i>Snoopy and Charlie Brown</i> will feel extra special. In many ways, it feels like a love letter to the fans, and all those that used to watch it, with lovely easter eggs scattered throughout, lots of laughs, and a good story.<br />
<br />
Especially if you have ever enjoyed watching or reading Snoopy/Charlie Brown/Peanuts, <i>go and see this film</i>.<br />
<br />
I think I can say, with reasonable certainty - it doesn't disappoint ;)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-35384312750146803922015-08-26T18:35:00.002-07:002020-09-16T09:13:03.735-07:00My Blogger Went To Uni, and All I Got Was One Lousy Blog Post...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/InQuire-Logo-for-Website.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/InQuire-Logo-for-Website.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
Being at uni for a full year, you'd think that a budding writer like me would be using such an exciting new experience to write about it.<br />
<br />
Yeah....about that.....<br />
<br />
See, not long after I actually arrived at The University of Kent, I got involved with InQuire - the student newspaper. Mum had encouraged me to try to do this as soon as was practical, to further develop my writing skills, practice writing short form pieces to a deadline, all that kind of thi ng.<br />
<br />
So, over the course of the year, I've written various articles for InQuire.<br />
<br />
The trouble is, given that this blog only really sees sporadic activity at the best of times anyway, then between writing the odd column for InQuire, and working on various essays, then I've not really spent much time blogging about my actual experience of uni. Only one blog post in the last year or so has been specifically focused on uni life, and the rest mostly just reference it in passing.<br />
<br />
So, what I thought I'd do, is share some of my articles on here, and you can see what I've been up to in the last year, writing-wise. You can also see how well (or not!) my writing has progressed in that time.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy!<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/features/article-8361/the-male-feminist/">The Male Feminist</a> - </b><i>On being a feminist, and a profound (and slightly scary) experience I had, not long after arriving at uni. </i><b>Published Oct 17th, 2014. </b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150707204417/http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/comment/article-8453/i-think-its-time-to-face-the-music/">"I think it's time to face the music."</a></b> - <i>On </i>The X Factor, <i>and why I now have very little time for it... </i><b>Published Oct 20th, 2014. </b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150813224230/http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/entertainment/article-9602/the-best-tv-of-2014-inquires-picks/">The Best TV Of 2014</a></b> - <i>My pick of some great TV that was broadcast last year. </i><b>Published Jan 12th, 2015. </b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/comment/article-9821/oh-i-dont-vote-its-not-like-itll-make-a-difference/">"Oh, I don't vote. It's not like it'll make a difference."</a> - </b><i>On the importance of voting in elections. </i><b>Published Jan 27th, 2015. </b><i> </i><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://issuu.com/inquiremediagroup/docs/complete_10.9_take_4/16?e=5048215%2F11226057">Is Canterbury making busking bust?</a> - </b><i>On the restrictions introduced to busking in Canterbury, and my own experience of buskers, with reference to </i><b><a href="http://www.charlottecampbell.co.uk/">Charlotte Campbell</a>.</b> <b>Published Jan 30th, 2015. </b><b> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="entry-title">
<b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151220172211/http://www.inquirelive.co.uk/comment/article-11154/cameron-refusing-to-take-part-in-the-tv-debates-is-not-only-an-insult-to-young-people-but-shows-the-electorate-as-a-whole-utter-contempt/">Cameron: Refusing to take part in the TV debates, is not only an insult to young people, but shows utter contempt for the electorate as a whole</a> - </b><i>On David Cameron's refusal to take part in the General Election TV Debates. </i><b>Published Mar 17th, 2015. </b></div>
<br />
<b> </b><b> </b></div>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-19092824670312339232015-06-18T14:35:00.003-07:002015-10-06T16:17:11.216-07:00E1S4 - Eliot CollegeA little prior to starting life at the University of Kent, I discovered this <a href="http://theonlydeadheadinthehameau.com/2014/06/04/forever-in-fun/">blog post</a>, by one of my predecessors. He had lived in the exact same room that I was going to be living in, from 1970-71. It was a weird thing to read about: the experience of someone that had lived in that exact same accomodation - that exact same room.<br />
<br />
When I first started at Kent, I had intended to do a little video tour of my room - for those who might not get a chance to see it while I lived there. I was going to do it during fresher's week, but I hadn't really done much to make the room my own. I thought I'd wait til I had some posters up, then do it.<br />
<br />
Then, like any student, I was a bit lax when it came to keeping it tidy. I resolved to do it when I had actually cleared up my room.<br />
<br />
I then cleaned my room, but kept forgetting about it.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, what do you know, 9 months go by, and I was moving out. All I have are these photos of how the room was when it was empty:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l7c-5xHt8PA/VYMm1RsLFXI/AAAAAAAAGjY/A7JIr6rrRW0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l7c-5xHt8PA/VYMm1RsLFXI/AAAAAAAAGjY/A7JIr6rrRW0/s640/1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-olEbl2Cwn74/VYMnj-LnV8I/AAAAAAAAGkM/Ia1iVlyQhNk/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-olEbl2Cwn74/VYMnj-LnV8I/AAAAAAAAGkM/Ia1iVlyQhNk/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiipjKRugHk/VYMnjhA8rNI/AAAAAAAAGkI/EuSkgmIKjnc/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiipjKRugHk/VYMnjhA8rNI/AAAAAAAAGkI/EuSkgmIKjnc/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFbdefVTUJ0/VYMm9O-fe1I/AAAAAAAAGjg/6A-tP6siMQI/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dFbdefVTUJ0/VYMm9O-fe1I/AAAAAAAAGjg/6A-tP6siMQI/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-srPZSUFzen0/VYMnDmrQIjI/AAAAAAAAGjo/v1u_4j7OLfc/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-srPZSUFzen0/VYMnDmrQIjI/AAAAAAAAGjo/v1u_4j7OLfc/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DSwdMOLm8m0/VYMnJk3f04I/AAAAAAAAGjw/GEUNSWthC88/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DSwdMOLm8m0/VYMnJk3f04I/AAAAAAAAGjw/GEUNSWthC88/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URFOevlx8ts/VYMnPDOGsfI/AAAAAAAAGj4/TVDZ91Sd6fE/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-URFOevlx8ts/VYMnPDOGsfI/AAAAAAAAGj4/TVDZ91Sd6fE/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8BgA0MHZuI/VYMnYcG_JVI/AAAAAAAAGkA/ZijSXWbFgbw/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M8BgA0MHZuI/VYMnYcG_JVI/AAAAAAAAGkA/ZijSXWbFgbw/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This is how I left the room, as its inhabitant in the University's 50th year, ready for a fresher to arrive in September, and start their own journey.<br />
<br />
I don't really have any photos of the room as it was with all my things in it, but like the blog post linked above, I can describe it.<br />
<br />
The back wall above the bed had two posters: one large Doctor Who one featuring the TARDIS on Gallifrey... <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gavinrymill.co.uk/gallery/GallifreyDWMFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gavinrymill.co.uk/gallery/GallifreyDWMFinal.png" height="410" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The other, a little more sentimental: this poster, which I designed, from 'A Penny For Your Thoughts' - the Year 13 BTEC Drama production I did at Ashcroft:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGveohI4lmU/VYMqiyRielI/AAAAAAAAGkc/t8qhGd0U6HA/s1600/Real%2Bposter%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGveohI4lmU/VYMqiyRielI/AAAAAAAAGkc/t8qhGd0U6HA/s640/Real%2Bposter%2Bcopy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And finally, on the wall opposite the bed was a poster prominently featuring Peter Capaldi as The Doctor, with smaller pictures of each of his 12 predecessors:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.doctorwhomagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/DWM477-Poster-Side-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.doctorwhomagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/DWM477-Poster-Side-1.jpg" height="640" width="416" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The chair below this poster was covered with a lovely fluffy blanket that
was given to me by Janice, Paul, Marteli and Eliza the previous
Christmas. On the back of the chair was often Matt The Wab:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekd2V_1UHXY/VYMvfWt9UlI/AAAAAAAAGks/Mg0N1pzmFqE/s1600/Matt%2BThe%2BWab%2Bwith%2BBow%2BTie%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekd2V_1UHXY/VYMvfWt9UlI/AAAAAAAAGks/Mg0N1pzmFqE/s640/Matt%2BThe%2BWab%2Bwith%2BBow%2BTie%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The notice board had a certificate for Matt, and a letter from my Great Uncle Tony - praising my own letter-writing ability. A source of great pride for me!<br />
<br />
My desk had my laptop, and a small digital photo frame which I occasionally switched on when I missed home. Lots of photos from my days at Ashcroft and hanging out at home, many of which can be seen elsewhere on this blog.<br />
The rest of the desk was largely cluttered with various bits and pieces - papers, folders, a fruit bowl that I frequently filled (yes, really!)<br />
<br />
My shelves above my desk had various books. Some relating to my course: <i>The Empty Space</i> by Peter Brook. <i>Getting The Joke </i>and <i>Britain Had Talent</i> by Oliver Double (one of the lecturers here at Kent.) Lots of non-curriculum books that I've still not got around to reading properly - Caitlin Moran's <i>Moranthology</i>,<i> </i>Charlie Higson's <i>The Fallen</i>, plenty of Doctor Who books, fictional and factual. At the start of the year I had a jar of peanut-flavoured pretzel nuggets (look them up) and later on in the year I had this prize for one of the articles I wrote for InQuire, the student newspaper:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B94Tw6TIMAAa-ZT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B94Tw6TIMAAa-ZT.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
<br />
The shelf below: I'd keep a cereal box or porridge, along with a box of teabags, and then on the other side, various DVDs. Lots of Doctor Who again, but also a few favourite films of mine: Chaplin's <i>The Great Dictator</i>, Peter Morgan's <i>The Deal, The Queen, </i>and <i>The Special Relationship</i>. <br />
<i>Tony Benn: Will and Testament</i>. <i>The Elephant Man, Richard Pryor Live....</i>all sorts.<br />
<br />
<br />
The very top shelf had two more Doctor Who things, but with some sentimental value attached: models of the TARDIS and a Dalek respectively, originally given to me (on a cake!) by Luciano and his family for my 17th birthday (pictured here):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FD4tB3NVjXM/VYMyuOQPG1I/AAAAAAAAGk4/mPRsw_FfUHA/s1600/DSCN0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FD4tB3NVjXM/VYMyuOQPG1I/AAAAAAAAGk4/mPRsw_FfUHA/s640/DSCN0020.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But really, there's more to the room than those personal touches from the past.<br />
<br />
There's the memories made while there too.<br />
<br />
Just tiny little things.<br />
<br />
Sitting there chatting to Stu on the first day. Talking to Navreet on the first night of fresher's because we both lived in Eliot and didn't fancy queuing for ages to get into Venue having already done the campus bar crawl.<br />
Sitting in there chatting to Gemma and Stu. Having Ciaran over each week to watch Doctor Who in the autumn.<br />
<br />
Skype calling Uncle Gordon in Australia. Video calls with Becky, Mÿca & Nicole or Kai, Yasmin, Luciano, Mum & Dad and whoever might be visiting who I otherwise wouldn't be able to see because of being away. <br />
<br />
Hannah, Rosie and the rest of the #MakeItMcintosh campaign team coming round, and housing the props for the video in my room so that they didn't have to lug them around campus.<br />
<br />
Recording a 'Happy Birthday' video for my friend Charlotte Campbell. <br />
<br />
Dave, Beth, Stu, Gemma and co. hanging around before and after Monkeyshine on a Thursday.<br />
<br />
Philippa and Edward joining us to watch silly videos on YouTube til the small hours of the morning.<br />
<br />
Watching the Tony Benn film with Rob and laughing at the great man's one-liners. <br />
<br />
Watching Wallace & Gromit's <i>The Wrong Trousers </i>for the first time in years with Edward and Ciaran, and getting teary eyed out of nostalgia and realising quite how sad the moments with Gromit in the kennel were.<br />
<br />
So many of these are just tiny things. Little moments. But many of them are small, intimate moments of friendship and enjoyment that I will cherish as highlights of my first year.<br />
<br />
There are obviously many, many others from my first year at Kent, but they could've happened regardless of where I was living. But these moments were specific to that room.<br />
<br />
Eliot may not be much - in fact my friend Alex has some <a href="http://kent.tab.co.uk/2015/03/20/eliot-prison-love-hate/">less than generous things</a> to say about the building itself - but for me personally, it was enough.<br />
<br />
I've made some truly great friends thanks to being in Eliot. Made some truly great memories.<br />
<br />
And despite having a nice, more communal student house (with a proper kitchen!) to live in next year, then I'll miss it.<br />
<br />
So long, Eliot College. You were a maze (literally), but for 9 months, <i>you were my home</i>. Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-48966606778221755322015-05-01T13:08:00.003-07:002015-05-01T13:08:54.968-07:00How Tinie Tempah disappointed me...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.clubchemistry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/PHCC026_Tinie_Tempah_FB_Banner_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.clubchemistry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/PHCC026_Tinie_Tempah_FB_Banner_11.jpg" height="235" width="640" /></a></div>
A few weeks ago, I found out from a friend that one of my favourite artists, Tinie Tempah, was going to be playing an intimate gig in Canterbury - at Club Chemistry.<br />
<br />
Despite having been here at the University of Kent half a year, I had not yet been to Chemistry. But the opportunity to see Tinie, for £35 (significantly cheaper than usual) and in a club (significantly smaller than the sorts of venues he normally plays now) seemed too good to pass up.<br />
<br />
I had been looking forward to it ever since.<br />
<br />
I first saw Tinie live in 2010, at KOKO in London. His first album had just come out and he was fast becoming a bigger star than Dizzee Rascal. Since then, I have seen him a total of five times (excluding the other night) at gigs and festivals.<br />
<br />
I was managing my expectations a little more with this. Having been disappointed when Wiley played a set at The Venue (on campus) earlier in the year, and he had come on pretty late - certainly a lot later than I was used to for a gig - then I was prepared for Tinie not being onstage until at least midnight. I was fast discovering that gigs in clubs by big artists tend to be shorter, and start later anyway.<br />
<br />
But I knew I wasn't going to feel that same sense of disappointment that I'd felt with Wiley. Where the main issue with him was his performance was unremarkable, then my previous experience of Tinie told me that even if he only played 5 or 6 songs, he'd make them count.<br />
<br />
I checked Twitter earlier in the day, and discovered Tinie was due in Canterbury for 2.30am.<br />
<br />
Pretty late, especially given that the doors for the event opened at 10.00, and there'd be no admittance after 11.00, but I thought, 'That's fine. It's a long time to wait, but it will definitely be worth it.'<br />
<br />
I arrived at around 10.45. On top of the £35 ticket fee, I had discovered it was possible to purchase a meet-and-greet with the man himself for another £30. It was a little steep, but I'd been wanting to meet Tinie face-to-face for 5 years - who knows when another opportunity like that might come up? I bought it and got a different coloured wristband that would allow me to meet him and have a photo op.<br />
<br />
So I waited. There aren't really many of my friends here at Kent who like Tinie - certainly not to the same degree that I do - so I was on my own. I saw my friend Verity there, from my course, and chatted to her and her mates a bit, but essentially, I was stuck twiddling my thumbs for 4 and a half hours, while we waited for Tinie and DJ Charlesy to arrive.<br />
<br />
I was bored. I'm not going to lie to you, I really was. Even for the other people that enjoy clubbing much more than I do anyway (really not my thing unless I have a lot of mates with me), then I could hear people moaning that Tinie wasn't due to arrive until 2.30.<br />
<br />
2.30am finally arrived....and no Tinie. There had been some movement from security guards, who'd gone towards the emergency exit, but it would be another ten minutes before him and Charlesy appeared.<br />
<br />
When they did, Charlesy went straight for the turntables. 'Here we go...', I thought. Things were about to get started - they were about to get interesting. As we all looked on, Tinie himself was being ushered through the front of the crowd, to the VIP area. There was some champagne on the table, which Tinie started pouring himself some of as he got set up, and Charlesy was doing a good job of getting the crowd going.<br />
<br />
But to be fair to Charlesy, as much as I like him, and think he's a great DJ, then having had four and a half hours of DJ music being pumped out the speakers, I was ready for Tinie.<br />
<br />
The rest of the audience seemed to be too - all eyes were on him as he set up, said hello to a couple of the VIPs and progressively drank more champagne.<br />
<br />
By this point it was nearing 3.00am. Tinie had tested the mic out a couple of times about 5-10 minutes before, but he seemed to be taking an awfully long time. He kept checking his phone and chatting to one of the guys he had there with him.<br />
<br />
He then started pouring champagne into cups, and passing it around to nearby members of the audience - both those that were and weren't in the VIP area. Very exciting for everyone. A gig with Tinie Tempah passing around free drinks before going onstage? People were hardly going to complain.<br />
<br />
I was then beckoned over by one of the security guards - they were apparently doing the meet-and-greet right there and then. 'Okay,', I thought. Do it now so that he can come on and do his set, and then slip away quickly afterwards - fair enough.<br />
<br />
I went up into the VIP area, and waited. I was stood very near to Tinie, and after a few minutes, the guy Tinie had been talking to turned round to me, said hi, and introduced me. I smiled, shook Tinie's hand, and told him what a big fan of his I was. I told him how I'd been to see him at KOKO in 2010, and how Dad had taken me because I was too young at that point to go by myself. Tinie thanked me and seemed true to the idea of him I had built up over the years - friendly and gracious.<br />
<br />
I did wonder when the photo op would arise though. Another guy stood near me asked for a selfie and seemed to be actively discouraged by the guy Tinie had with him.<br />
<br />
After a few minutes of Tinie <i>still </i>standing there, not having performed yet, Louise (who I had bought my meet-and-greet through) came over. She gave us some rather unsettling news, just out of Tinie's earshot.<br />
<br />
<br />
Apparently Tinie wasn't going to play. It sounded as if, when he first came in, he wasn't even that enthralled by the idea of the meet-and greet.<br />
<br />
We couldn't believe what we were hearing. There must have been some kind of misunderstanding, I thought. He wouldn't do that - not Tinie. This is a guy who has practically built up his reputation over the years as being friendly and gracious to his fans, and for giving everything 100%.<br />
<i> </i><br />
After a little longer (bearing in mind this is probably at least 3.30am now), Tinie started making his way back through the crowd.<br />
<br />
Ah, <i>here we go</i>. Better late than never. He'd do his set and it'd all be worth it. Obviously there had been a misunderstanding after all. No matter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/12/17/277E1B0200000578-3035815-Row_Tinie_Tempah_pictured_performing_at_an_intimate_gig_in_Cante-a-16_1428855282201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/04/12/17/277E1B0200000578-3035815-Row_Tinie_Tempah_pictured_performing_at_an_intimate_gig_in_Cante-a-16_1428855282201.jpg" height="640" width="365" /></a></div>
"Alright, since I've come all the way to Canterbury, I might as well do one song for you guys..."<br />
<br />
Oh...<br />
<br />
It seemed as if Louise hadn't been wrong after all. Either Tinie had changed his mind, or had been persuaded.<br />
<br />
He performed <i>Pass Out</i>, which naturally went down well, but him starting with that wasn't filling me with much confidence that I might have heard him wrong. <i>Pass Out </i>is traditionally the song Tinie <i>ends </i>his set with, it being one of his biggest ever hits to this day.<br />
<br />
He finished <i>Pass Out</i>, and then said he would do one more 'before he went'. He did <i>Tsunami (Jump)</i>, and then said "Canterbury, you've been great, I'll see you on tour!", before putting down the mic and heading for the door.<br />
<br />
And that was it.<br />
<br />
Charlesy played one more song from the tables, and then packed up his things and followed.<br />
<br />
We were all pretty confused. And to be honest, some people were livid.<br />
<br />
There were certain people who, combined with their ticket price, and whatever it had cost them and/or their friends to be VIPs, spent over £100.<br />
<br />
And as far as we were concerned, Tinie had arrived late, kept everyone waiting, and then played 2 songs.<br />
<br />
Now look - I'd be lying to you if I said the performance he put in wasn't a good one. It's Tinie - of course it was good.<br />
<br />
But it wasn't massively special. It didn't make me feel terribly excited to have him there, like so many of his previous gigs had done.<br />
<br />
It had been a long night. Over the course of the 5 hours (at least) waiting for his arrival, I had gotten drunk, but had sobered up again. <br />I had paid £30 extra for a meet-and-greet with one of my heroes, and while the brief conversation I had had with him was nice, it barely lasted 30 seconds (if that), and there were some people who had paid for that same privilige who didn't even get up there to talk to him. In that sense, I was lucky.<br />
<br />
I didn't really know what to do. I didn't feel angry as such, in the way that a lot of other people seemed to be, but I was bitterly, bitterly disappointed.<br />
<br />
This man, who I had admired since I was 14/15...who I had considered a role model to me in many ways...had let me down. And he'd let his fans down.<br />
<br />
He had turned up to a gig he had been booked for, and it sounded as if he had essentially got there and gone 'Nah, I don't really feel like it now', and only done a couple of songs because he was persauded, or felt a sense of obligation.<br />
<br />
If what we heard about his reaction to the idea of meet-and-greets (which will have been agreed prior to his arrival) is true, one could be forgiven for thinking that those he spoke to, like me, he spoke to not because he wanted to talk to his fans and make them feel special (as I would have expected) but because he felt obligated.<br />
<br />
I spoke to Louise briefly on my way out. It was very uncomfortable - she'd been so nice, and friendly and accomodating, with regard to organising it for me to meet my hero, that I felt guilty to be asking...<br />
<br />
But the night had left me at least £60 out-of-pocket, for what was really a shorter gig than the last one I'd seen Tinie at (at the O2, last year) for two thirds of the money.<br />
<br />
I said to Louise straight off that I appreciated and understood it wasn't her or Chemistry's fault. But bless her, she immediately understood and asked for me to be given back the £30 that I had paid for the meet-and-greet.<br />
There was talk of full refunds for tickets, which those who asked for have all since received. Chemistry had tried to get in touch with Tinie's management to ask them to pick up the fee, but since they wouldn't pick up the phone, Chemistry generously <a href="http://www.clubchemistry.co.uk/tinie-tempah-update-120415/">refunded us all themselves</a>.<br />
<br />
I trudged back to the bus stop, waited ages for my Nite Bus, and came back to campus.<br />
<br />
Let me be clear: Had I known what I was getting into, I would not have been disappointed. Had we been told from the off that Tinie would only be playing a couple of songs and passing around drinks, I would have probably been okay with that. It wouldn't have been what I'd have hoped for, but I wouldn't have felt cheated, and I suspect most other people wouldn't have either..<br />
<br />
Naturally though, there is no way even Chemistry could have known that that was how things would pan out.<br />
<br />
My perception of Tinie for the last 4-5 years has been as a humble, dedicated and caring artist, who really respected his fans and loves what he does. He turns up, he gives each performance 100%, and he gets the job done.<br />
<br />
But now, for the first time ever, I am seriously questioning that perception of him.<br />
<br />
Judging by the angry reactions I saw both while I was there and on twitter, so are a lot of people.<br />
<br />
For some people that will have been the first time they saw Tinie live. What does that say to them, about what kind of artist he is?<br />
<br />
I don't know the context. Perhaps there is a deeper reason as to why Tinie only did two songs and no photo-ops. Perhaps there's a rational explanation.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I really damn well hope there is. Because I want so badly to let it go. To forgive what has happened.<br />
<br />
It will be interesting to see if there is an explanation given. <br />
<br />
But regardless of whether there is or not, then I think a lot of people are owed an apology for the events of that night.<br />
<br />
This man was my hero. This was the guy that really got me into rap music. He makes great music, he's got a great sense of humour, he seems nice and polite and humble - everything I've ever heard about him suggests he's one of the nicest and most respected guys in the industry, and that he works <i>incredibly</i> hard, for himself and for his fans. And that he treats them all with the utmost respect.<br />
<br />
But, despite the amiable brief conversation I had with him that night, then his actions...that wasn't the Tinie Tempah that I feel I know and love.<br />
<br />
And for those who have not followed his career as closely as I have in recent years, then they may never know or be convinced of any different.<br />
<br />
And that breaks my heart. Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-90579054396838022112014-08-21T14:24:00.002-07:002014-10-26T17:05:56.236-07:00Deep Breath...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_xPb9wzjQZ4/U_ZdFmyaIFI/AAAAAAAADbQ/YXYI4xJoAW4/s1600/TWELVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_xPb9wzjQZ4/U_ZdFmyaIFI/AAAAAAAADbQ/YXYI4xJoAW4/s1600/TWELVE.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Hello, I'm a Whovian. If you don't mind, and you're not too busy, do you have a few minutes to discuss the (Time) Lord...known as The Doctor?<br />
<br />
Okay, okay, before you give me a polite 'no' or shut the front door in my face, or invite me in for a cup of tea and say 'Well?' hoping I respond with 'I never thought I'd get this far...' (Spoiler Alert: I won't), just hear me out.<br />
<br />
For anyone who's known me for much time at all, or has seen me on social media, you'll know I'm a pretty big <i>Doctor Who</i> fan. We're talking queue-up-early-in-the-morning-to-get-tickets-to-an-exclusive-screening big. I love this show, and I could write countless blog posts in a futile attempt to explain why.<br />
<br />
For those who really know very little (or maybe nothing, though I'd find that hard to believe), I'll give you a quick video, from a YouTuber you may be aware of, explaining his love of the show, who gives a very quick and simple summary of the premise. If you <i>are</i> aware of the basic concepts of Doctor Who, you needn't feel obliged to watch this - I just thought this video was quite simple, to the point, non-intimidating, yada yada yada...:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jf6H4gkErt4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
There we are - now those who have no idea what I'm even on about should be vaguely up to speed.<br />
<br />
But what I'm really attempting with this blog - which I try not to do too often - is to persuade you why you should watch the show - when it returns this Saturday, on the 23rd August (I am so excited I'm finding it difficult to contain myself gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh.....)<br />
<br />
This Saturday is the start of Series 8 (the eighth series since it was revived in 2005). The first episode is called <i>Deep Breath</i> and stars a new actor, Peter Capaldi, in the title role. If ever there was a time to come aboard the Time-Ship, it's this week.<br />
<br />
So, here are some selling points for 5 types of prospective viewers for Saturday's episode. If you don't think a particular bold heading remotely applies to you, feel free to scroll down until you find one that does. But if you're at all out-of-the-loop on where the story of <i>Doctor Who </i>currently is, it might be worth having a quick read of the 'All you might want to know for <i>Deep Breath</i>' section, along with the relative newcomers:<br />
<br />
<b>The casual viewer/the one that's not really watched much <i>Doctor Who </i>before: </b><br />
The whole point of a regeneration story (in this case I mean the first episode that properly stars the new actor) is that the story is meant to be a jumping-on-point. So if you've caught bits and pieces of <i>Doctor Who </i>in the past, but weren't sure about getting into it because it's been running so long (51 years - on-and-off - this November) - <i>it doesn't matter.</i> The opening story for a new Doctor is meant to show you what the show's about, to introduce you to what it is. Because The Doctor has just changed, there'll be some references that'll go over your head, but you should be alright.<br />
<br />
<i>If </i>you'd like a little context though, you can find it below - it may just be helpful so that you aren't left wondering what the hell's going on. (Although to be fair, sometimes even us fans are left wondering that... :P )<br />
<br />
<b>All you might want to know for </b><i><b>Deep Breath</b> </i>is the following: When we last saw The Doctor, he was with his companion, Clara, and had just regenerated from Matt Smith's Doctor:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://soipondered.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/wpid-3edd4325_doctorwhoclara.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://soipondered.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/wpid-3edd4325_doctorwhoclara.jpeg" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) pictured here with companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Into Peter Capaldi's Doctor:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131225212955/tardis/images/c/cb/TwelfthDoctorTTOTD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131225212955/tardis/images/c/cb/TwelfthDoctorTTOTD.jpg" height="396" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"KIDNEYS! I've got new kidneys...I don't like the colour!"</i> (Yes, that was genuinely his first line)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The TARDIS was last seen crashing, and The Doctor seemed to have, in his post-regenerative confused state, temporarily forgotten how to fly it.<br />
<br />
<i>Deep Breath </i>takes place in Victorian London, home of The Doctor's friends, 'The Paternoster Gang':<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lkj2Xub4RN4/U_ZoniFN0VI/AAAAAAAADbs/zPUCREuJhw0/s1600/The%2BPaternoster%2BGang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lkj2Xub4RN4/U_ZoniFN0VI/AAAAAAAADbs/zPUCREuJhw0/s1600/The%2BPaternoster%2BGang.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34800000/The-Paternoster-Gang-labyrinth75-34868352-480-480.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
This consists of Vastra, a Silurian (a lizard-woman from the dawn of time), Jenny, her wife <i>(inter-species same-sex marriage for the win!) </i>and Strax, a Sontaran (Son-TAR-an. Alien clone species bred for war. Yes they all look like potato-heads. Strax has been reduced to being Vastra & Jenny's butler and nurse. Long story.)<br />
<br />
That ought to bring you up to speed. Any other long-term references you don't get, it's probably in there for long-term fans, but if you're particularly curious, you're welcome to ask me ;).<br />
<br />
Please - give it a go. It's completely mad, but it's great fun, and quality drama. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be hooked and intrigued enough to watch the rest of the series... <br />
<br />
You may want to scroll to the end now, if you fit into the above category.<br />
<br />
However, for the other prospective viewers:<br />
<br />
<b>The Children of The '70s:</b><br />
Did you watch <i>Doctor Who </i>as a child, but maybe haven't watched it since it came back? Perhaps you've decided that the most recent band of young, attractive-looking and flirty Doctors wasn't for you? Or maybe you just believe that the show just isn't what it was since Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker left.<br />
<b></b><br />
<i>Have they got a treat for you.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/files/2014/01/doctor_who_peter_capaldi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/files/2014/01/doctor_who_peter_capaldi.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></i></div>
<br />
<i>Deep Breath </i>is a return to basics. There's no flirting going on between The Doctor and his companion - not anymore. This is The Doctor who is much more mercurial and alien again - stern like Pertwee. Mad and unpredictable like Baker. And yet very much a new man and new portrayal - Peter Capaldi.<br />
Get ready. <i>Doctor Who </i>may have come back in 2005. But this Saturday: 23rd August 2014 - this is when <i>your Doctor Who </i>comes back!<br />
<br />
<b>The Matt Smith haters:</b><br />
Bit of a strong term this one. Okay, so first off:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9I59Rrl77A/U_ZP8_hmm_I/AAAAAAAADa4/4fBDgUZd3GY/s1600/Not%2Bjudging%2Byou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L9I59Rrl77A/U_ZP8_hmm_I/AAAAAAAADa4/4fBDgUZd3GY/s1600/Not%2Bjudging%2Byou.jpg" height="278" width="640" /></a></div>
Maybe you didn't hate Matt Smith as The Doctor. Then again, maybe you did. All I know is that his Doctor, and the brand of humour associated with him, was not to everyone's taste, and that's fine. Rest assured, though, Peter has brought back the intensity and darkness that was more present in Tennant and Eccleston's eras, and indeed some of the more alien qualities of earlier years of the show.<br />
Either way, I think you'll like him. If the episode seems a little too silly at first, give it a break - Smith's fans need easing through the transition, so there are some hangover elements. They won't last too long and they certainly won't overshadow Peter's fantastic performance.<br />
<br />
Which brings me on to...<br />
<br />
<b>The Matt Smith die-hards:</b><br />
Did you join the show with Matt Smith? Are you still reeling from the departure of your Raggedy-Man? Will you be crying into your Fish Fingers and Custard this Saturday, still wondering why he had to say goodbye?<br />
Don't worry - you're in safe hands. The show's not completely departed from Smith's era yet - Clara, Vastra, Jenny, Strax - they're all still there. Strax is still as hilarious as ever, and yes, The Doctor is still silly. There might be some times where you feel alienated - don't worry. Clara's going on this journey too, and you'll experience it with her. There are even some lines which you might feel are personal attacks on what you loved about Smith or Tennant - the notion of The Doctor looking young and handsome, for example, is perhaps not addressed in the kindest of ways - just stay with it. If you love <i>Doctor Who, </i>you'll still grow to love this version of it. Matt Smith may always be your Doctor, and there's nothing wrong with that - but you'll get used to Peter. Clara's still there - and despite what <i>Deep Breath </i>may suggest to you, romance has <i>not </i>been written out of the show - don't worry. <br />
<br />
And if you're really good and make it through the whole episode, there's a little treat for you at the end... ;)<br />
<br />
<b>The Peter Capaldi fans:</b><br />
Let's get one thing clear straight away: <br />
I love Malcolm Tucker as much as you do, but The Doctor does not, nor will he, say "F***ity bye" at any point during the show.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etz9fEKL9No/U_ZhqAFSrDI/AAAAAAAADbc/pg-H7gqN-lg/s1600/Malcolm%2BTucker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etz9fEKL9No/U_ZhqAFSrDI/AAAAAAAADbc/pg-H7gqN-lg/s1600/Malcolm%2BTucker.jpg" height="483" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
(Well, it <i>is</i> Saturday-night family viewing. What did you expect?)<br />
<br />
<br />
But Capaldi is intense. Think Malcolm toned down significantly, slightly disorientated and without the swearing, and you're close-ish to Peter's interpretation of The Doctor. You don't necessarily feel completely safe with him. He is going to save people, but there are plenty of moments when you're still not quite as certain...<br />
This Doctor is much more unpredictable and less human than his immediate predecessors. And if you're remotely a fan of anything Peter Capaldi has done previously - <i>The Thick Of It </i>or anything else - you'll like what he's done here.<br />
<br />
_________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
There you have it. I'm not going to spend time explaining why those who've been watching the series in the long-term, or devoted fans like myself, should watch it - I'd have thought that the fact that they <i>will </i>watch it goes without saying.<br />
<br />
But what I hope I've done, is persuade some of you who were maybe on the fence, or weren't even considering watching Doctor Who this weekend, to give it a crack.<br />
<br />
Because it's a launch of a new Doctor, because it's Peter Capaldi, because it's the first episode of <i>Doctor Who</i>'s 51st year - who knows - they've made this first episode a bumper 75-minutes. Little bit longer than your average drama, shorter than your average film. After that, the next 11 weeks of the show's run will only be 45 minutes, as per usual.<br />
<br />
Whether you watch it as it goes out - whether you want to make a trip of seeing Episode 1 in the cinema on Saturday - whether you Sky+ it or catch it on iPlayer, I hope you give this new series of <i>Doctor Who </i>a try - if nothing else just to try and work out what the hell I seem to like about it so much.<br />
<br />
Any day now, he's-a-comin....<br />
<br />
7.50pm.<br />
<br />
Saturday, 23rd August, 2014. <br />
<br />
Take a <i>Deep Breath</i>, world.<br />
<br />
The Doctor is in.<br />
<br />
<i>The clock is striking Twelve...</i> Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-91665843512202020192014-06-15T10:12:00.001-07:002019-04-02T09:07:16.624-07:00Group 64...<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5e0500c0-9c97-d6e3-a78c-fffa3c352130" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sj_oOYBfmGg/U53E0-KI-cI/AAAAAAAACos/Gwf1eaKmP_M/s1600/Young+Company+last+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sj_oOYBfmGg/U53E0-KI-cI/AAAAAAAACos/Gwf1eaKmP_M/s1600/Young+Company+last+show.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Does it feel very sad that it's over?"</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"It hasn't quite sunk in yet."</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That was an exchange I had with my Granny, earlier yesterday evening. I had just finished my last show at Group 64.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It would be mere hours before that fact would properly register for me.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I've been quite good at compartmentalising things as of late. I'm at a stage of my life when a lot of things are ending - where I'm having a lot of lasts. Last Religious Studies lesson, last exam, last BTEC Drama performance, last day of school...</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But yesterday was my last day at Group 64.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Eleven years</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eleven years I've been there. I've been going there over a decade. I'm an adult (well, legally speaking) now, and I've been going to this place since I was <i>seven</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I first started at Group 64, I was very different. I don't know if I'd say I was shy, but I wasn't as outgoing, that's for sure. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Group 64 brought me out of my shell. It was a place where I got to go, every Saturday, and I loved it. It started out as just a bit of fun, and then I started doing the odd show with them. Not big parts, mostly just being a little bit part in scripted shows or part of the ensemble in an end of term performance.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After a while, I started getting a bit lively and mad. Not in a troublesome way, just very energetic. Mum once said to one of the tutors, Ned Glasier, "He used to be so quiet..."<br /> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ned's response? He laughed and said, "Henry? <i>Quiet?</i>"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eventually, due to this increasing level of childlike madness, I was cast as Professor Plumpton - a part especially written for me by the youth director at the time, Kirsten.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eREWPbiS-lg/U53IRK-ZA3I/AAAAAAAACo4/l36_tujmEeQ/s1600/Planet+Phoneix+Cast+in+costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eREWPbiS-lg/U53IRK-ZA3I/AAAAAAAACo4/l36_tujmEeQ/s1600/Planet+Phoneix+Cast+in+costume.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Going to secondary school was a massive change in my life. I had spent my entire childhood in the same school and was very attached to it. What really helped ease the transition was having this one constant - you've guessed it - Group 64.</span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I started to get parts - very good parts - in more and more shows. Marley in <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, Jake in <i>Sparkleshark</i>, the King Of Mirrors in <i>Beauty & The Beast</i>, Specs in <i>A Handbag</i>, Lord Boreal in <i>His Dark Materials</i>...</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I made more and more friends who would frequently be in classes and shows with me. I could write an entire blog post entirely dedicated to the friends I'd made over the years at Group 64, and I still probably wouldn't cover all of them, or feel I'd fully expressed how much they mean to me. I could write a book about all the wonderful times I've had at this place.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Group 64's been a comfort blanket, through the tough or the sad times, and a place where I've had some of the maddest, happiest, most brilliant times of my life. It's been the grounding at Group 64 that I've had in Drama that's lead to doing so well in it at school, getting in to the National Youth Theatre (with three other Group 64 friends that year, and many more have joined since!), getting to perform onstage at the National Theatre, and being part of the first season of the National's Young Studio initiative.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gAXUmADK9S0/U53I90zobII/AAAAAAAACpA/x3zyoZJvhxY/s1600/100_0908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gAXUmADK9S0/U53I90zobII/AAAAAAAACpA/x3zyoZJvhxY/s1600/100_0908.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Katy Morrish, an old friend from Group 64 at the end of our National Youth Theatre summer course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n-L02X3Q6Fs/U53KtoTJ1zI/AAAAAAAACpM/Y17FysY_IVE/s1600/National.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n-L02X3Q6Fs/U53KtoTJ1zI/AAAAAAAACpM/Y17FysY_IVE/s1600/National.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performing onstage at the National Theatre, in Andres Lustgarten's <i>Socialism is Great</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_eHwXmJ68/Uq95v9pdA3I/AAAAAAAAB_s/XLzFPXBNAFw/s1600/Young+Studio+meets+Concrete+Disco%2521.jpg+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6v_eHwXmJ68/Uq95v9pdA3I/AAAAAAAAB_s/XLzFPXBNAFw/s1600/Young+Studio+meets+Concrete+Disco%2521.jpg+large.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Concrete Disco and other members of the first season of the NT Young Studio group</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I would not be the person I am today if not for Group 64. I would not have some of the truly loveliest friends I've made in my life. I would not have had such an amazing wealth of experience, I would not have learned so much about theatre, and drama, and people, and myself, if not for the influence this magical place has had on me.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The place may be 50 years old, but the impact it has on people's lives is immeasurable. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The moment it sunk in that it was all coming to an end was later last night, when Nicola, the youth director, presented us all with these wonderful posters of ourselves in productions from over the years, and a special message from her to each of us. At that moment, both me and Stanley (one of my oldest friends at Group 64) broke down into tears. Group 64 really does mean so much to us, and although a part of us will never truly leave, we are at a point of big change in our lives - last night, performing in the Young Company Sketch Show, really was the End Of An Era.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can't quite believe that I'm not going to be attending there week in, week out any more.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I owe my Granny so much for taking me to see one of their shows, and asking me if I wanted to be a member, all those years ago. Without my Granny, this huge part of my life that I am so grateful for would never have happened. She even got a little mention at the end of the show, which she was over the moon about!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's difficult to truly express how I feel about this magical place, especially if you haven't been to see me in a show there before. I feel like our Young Company Sketch Show did quite a good job of capturing some of the essence of Group 64, and since it was filmed, perhaps soon I can show you a little bit of it to give you an idea. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Until then, I'll leave you with a video, made by my good friend, Kate Mason. She made it late last year, but at this point, for me at least, it feels even more poignant, so I'll share it again. It's the end of an era, but it's the end of one of the happiest eras of my life.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">x</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='640' height='360' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vVb2OaNRiSw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>"The people here are just brilliant, and the friends you can make are just legendary..."</i> - Stanley Miles</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-5678909732292800092014-02-22T15:23:00.003-08:002014-02-22T15:23:38.686-08:00Rediscovering InspirationI rediscovered this recently: It was a post that I wrote back in late June of last year. It was shortly after attending an Open Day at the University Of Leeds, looking at Theatre &amp; Performance. I can't think why I didn't properly finish it and publish it at the time, but here it is: <br />
<br />
<br />
Something happened to me this week that hasn't happened in a little while.<br />
<br />
I was <i>inspired.</i><br />
<br />
Much to my terror, I am fast-approaching the age where I shall be off to university. Although I have arguably been an old man in a boy's body since a young age (in terms of my maturity), the actual prospect of growing up is very scary, not least because prospect of fending for myself for three years isn't particularly appealing (I'm not exactly the world's greatest cook, for starters...)<br />
<br />
My mum and I are currently looking around various universities, at what they have to offer in the way of Drama degrees. So far we've looked at Exeter, Birmingham, and Leeds.<br />
(EDIT: Since then, I have also looked at, and had offers from, Kent and Royal Holloway.)<br />
<br />
While I was at Leeds, I was struck by this inspiration. We had a couple of 'taster lectures' while we were there, to get an idea of some of the areas of study. There was looking at how YouTube relates to the teaching of Russian acting techniques, and a little session on theatre in a less traditional sense - applied theatre.<br />
The subject of Invisible Theatre came up. No-one else in the room seemed to have a clue what it was except me (I had a particularly good group of GCSE Drama teachers... <b>;)</b> ).<br />
I put my hand up. I said what it was (theatre where the audience don't realise it's a performance.) The lecturer, Dr. Kiszley liked this. He also liked it that I was able to point out that a potential risk of it would be that you could get arrested.<br />
<br />
He also played a little bit with the idea of proxemics. He got us thinking about what effect it had on us, as an audience, if he delivered his lecture from at the front, on the stage in front of us, or somewhere up in the seating. Or what it's like for the rest of the audience if he suddenly sits next to and addresses the lecture to one person.<br />
<br />
These aren't exactly completely new ideas to me, thinking back now. But I'll tell you what this did do for me: it re-ignited my passion for Drama. It was a thrill to be learning it again.<br />
<br />
When I chatted a bit to the Dr. Kiszley afterwards, what I'd got up to before in terms of Drama, and what sort of a student I was, he did say to me, "you're for us." That brought me no end of pleasure. To be told by a lecturer who also happens to be the admissions tutor for Drama at Leeds University that I'm the sort of person they're looking for gave me a little thrill in itself.<br />
<br />
<i>Original post ends.</i><br />
<br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
Well - little update. I went back to Leeds recently. I had been invited for an interview/group workshop with them, which would decide whether or not they wanted me. And, to cut a long-story short (especially if you've seen this bit before):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6DNtZUSFyE0/UwkpmuB9jCI/AAAAAACC8/tZBpEBe36Vk/s1600/Leeds+Offer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6DNtZUSFyE0/UwkpmuB9jCI/AAAAAAAACC8/tZBpEBe36Vk/s1600/Leeds+Offer.jpg" title="" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I got an offer!<br />
<br />
There we are. Some of you had seen that I had an offer already, but what I thought was interesting was looking back on my account of the day that I'd forgotten about until now. Had I remembered what I'd written here, perhaps I'd have gone into the interview with a tad more confidence!<br />
<br />
...............................................................................................................................................<br />
<br />
Then again, perhaps I'd have been even more nervous....<br />
<br />
<br />Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-56250529526710476422013-07-22T17:57:00.002-07:002013-07-23T14:35:22.232-07:00Cory Monteith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5173015711_ffb2df7984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5173015711_ffb2df7984.jpg" height="371" title="" width="591" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Cory Monteith, known to most as Finn Hudson of the hit television series, <i>Glee</i>, died just over a week ago, on 13th July 2013. He was 31.<br />
<br />
I can't deny it. When I first heard this news, I was genuinely shocked. More than that - I was gobsmacked. It was Finn! It was one of the main stars of <i>Glee! </i>He was so young...<i>he couldn't have died?</i><br />
<br />
I'm not going to bother denying it - I've been a fan of <i>Glee - </i>a self-confessed 'gleek' - since the show first graced our screens in 2009. One of the things that really drew me to the show<i> (</i>beyond it being a musical with pop songs to musical numbers <i>every week</i>) was the story of the central characters. You can argue that <i>Glee </i>is very much about an ensemble cast, but let's face it - the real stars of that show are Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Mr Schue, Sue Sylvester, and Emma Pilsbury. The other characters, however much we might love them, simply aren't as big a part of the ongoing story as the rest. They come and go.<br />
<br />
Those few are the ones that the story follows most. You always tune in because you want to know what's happening next in <i>their </i>lives, because theirs are the constant, ongoing storylines.<br />
<br />
There was also something in particular that drew me to Finn. I don't know why - I'm <i>really </i>not the sporty type - <i>at all.</i><br />
Maybe it was the fact that he was always trying to get it right. He didn't always - and when he got it wrong he would often get it <i>very </i>wrong.<br />
There'd be occasions where he'd really flip out. But he'd pick himself back up and learn from that. He'd inspire other people, and at times where he'd messed up, he'd do his very best to fix it. And he'd do it well. The guy knew how to makes amends, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
I don't know if that's me finding elements of Finn inspiring, or seeing elements of myself in him, or what, but there's certainly a degree of identification - maybe not in social status or general outlook, but with certain things, I really felt I could identify with Finn.<br />
<br />
A lot of that, of course, was down to Monteith's performance. It's one thing to write a character audiences identify and sympathise with (kudos, Ryan Murphy). It's another to embody that character and make it believable. Monteith really achieved that.<br />
<br />
As with most gleeks, I should think, one of the moments we'll always remember is the beautiful closing moments of that first ever episode, with Monteith, and his future girlfriend (and <span style="font-weight: normal;">fiancé) Lea Michelle as Rachel:</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5WxPyUzWSPA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yes, it's bloody cheesy, but it's <i>great</i>. In fact, comparing it to the times that they've redone the song since, this is actually wonderfully understated. Monteith really shines here, as does Michelle. They're both amazing across the series as a whole, but this truly is a great moment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Glee </i>was never really 'cool' as such. In the UK, it's probably not even really considered 'popular' anymore - not by the standards it once was, at least. When it first arrived, it was massive, but particularly after it was moved from Channel 4/E4 to Sky One, it's popularity, and indeed audience, dwindled a bit, I think.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I stayed with the series a lot longer than some other people probably did, and continued to love it. <i>Glee </i>remained a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Except, sod it - it's not actually that guilty. I call it a 'guilty pleasure' because it's not perceived as being popular or cool at all, but at the end of the day, I love it, and it's as simple as that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's always emotional when a fictional character dies within the confines of a show.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But when the actor dies, it's very different - <i>especially </i>if they're still technically in the show when they do pass on.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I feel a bit of an emotional attachment to Cory Monteith, because I love his character, and I'm now never going to see him playing that character - or any character, in any show, for that matter - ever again. That's dreadfully sad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, though, from what I can gather from interviews etc., then he just seemed like a genuinely nice guy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wasn't aware of his drug problems. I suppose when you live in the UK and the show is nowhere near as big as it was, it's not unreasonable that you'd be a bit out of the loop when it comes to gossip regarding the stars...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But I do think it's tragic what happened to him, not least because it sounded like he was on the road - and had a genuine desire - to get better. He had an addiction, and was aware of it. He spoke very openly about it all, apparently, and did seem to have a genuine desire to sort himself out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But just think - if we're (I mean, me and my fellow gleeks) mourning the fact that we won't see Finn again, just think what his poor castmates - especially Lea Michelle - are feeling.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Those two were a couple in real life. They were meant to be getting <i>married </i>in about a weeks' time. I'm not sure I can even imagine what that would be like - planning your wedding with your partner one minute, then planning their funeral the next...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It must be <i>awful. </i>The poor, poor girl.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My heart goes out to Lea Michelle, and to Cory Monteith's family and friends, who must be going through such a tough time of it right now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thank you, Cory Monteith - you gave us an amazing, important character that was part of what held together this show that we love so much, and you were absolutely brilliant. Never forgotten.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Goodbye, Finn Hudson. Rest In Peace, Cory Monteith. </div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-64985842815320107352013-07-15T14:21:00.002-07:002014-08-10T10:27:19.671-07:00Doctor Who: 50 Years of Humanism<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChUHt4nvIfY/UeRoLwcZSTI/AAAAAAAABz4/bA_pzgefAFE/s1600/Time%27s+Champion+(11+Doctors+widescreen+wallpaper).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChUHt4nvIfY/UeRoLwcZSTI/AAAAAAAABz4/bA_pzgefAFE/s1600/Time's+Champion+(11+Doctors+widescreen+wallpaper).jpg" height="250" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by Andy Lambert. All credit for this picture goes to him :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I thought I'd do a little update of the blog just to share this video: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/uz6MFZxeW_Y/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/uz6MFZxeW_Y&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/uz6MFZxeW_Y&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Now, just a little comment with regard to the video - <span class="userContent">I'm not a 100% humanist. I consider myself more of an agnostic, for reasons that actually one could argue via some of the quotes used in this video - you just don't know. There is no 100% certainty. Plus, doing A Level Religious Studies has opened my mind to all sorts of philosophies and religious belief systems beyond the basic label of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, you name it. (But that's another story.)<br /> But regardless of my actual beliefs, this video is truly beautiful, and uses my favourite show to show off the best of humanity. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">I don't know if I would consider myself a fully-blown humanist because I wouldn't say categorically that I don't believe there's a God. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">However, what I do most definitely believe in, which is I think rather a large part of humanism, is the brilliance, in all of our intricacies and curiosities and kindness and imperfections, that there is in humanity.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">And that, dear reader, is what I feel is brilliantly represented by this video. It shows off how good <i>Doctor Who </i>as a programme is at representing it, too. </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">Hope you enjoy/have enjoyed the video. Look out for some more posts soon! :)</span>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-87031397832473095832013-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:002013-07-23T14:20:48.363-07:00Back to the start...I am quite a nostalgic person.<br />
<br />
Where other people may choose not to look back, because it's painful, or because they don't like to think about the fact that it's over.<br />
<br />
I'm not like that. I'm a great believer in not just being sad because it's over, (which you are perfectly entitled to be) but also happy that it happened.<br />
<br />
Last night, on the 14th June, 2013, I went back to a place where it had all started for me - Sellincourt Primary School.<br />
<br />
I attach a lot of sentimentality to Sellincourt. It was where I spent 8 years of my life. It was my second home. It was my second family. I can most definitely say that it was rare, if ever, that I felt going to school was a chore.<br />
<br />
I clung on to those memories so fiercely. I didn't want to let go. My life was Sellincourt in many, many ways. When I was leaving, in the summer of 2007, I was tearful and upset, not wanting to say goodbye to all the amazing friends I'd made over the years - not wanting to say goodbye to this school that had taught me so much, and not just in lessons.<br />
I even came back - as often as I could - in my first couple of years of Secondary School. I visited often, having a look at how things were.<br />
<br />
But as you get older, and you grow attached to other things, your old attachments begin to take a back seat. Especially as some of the old teachers who I loved so dearly from my time at that school left, and with my exams beginning to get in the way, my motivation to go back to the school for grew less and less. <br />
<br />
Looking back is one thing. But it's hard to take a literal trip down memory lane if many of the remnants of those memories are no longer tangible.<br />
<br />
Last night, though, was a special night. It was the retirement party of Florence, a teacher who had looked after me and many other children in Reception, who was there before I even began at the school, and was there until long after I'd gone.<br />
<br />
I'd always got along very well with Florence. Like many of the people - children and teachers alike - who came into contact with her, I felt I had a very special friendship with her. She was always very warm and welcoming, and everyone adored her.<br />
<br />
My mum had suggested I go along to this retirement do with her, especially as Florence would probably really appreciate seeing another old friendly face. I happily obliged.<br />
<br />
But, as is inevitable with a woman as loved as Florence, I was not the only old face to be there last night.<br />
Many of the teachers who had long left, or had just been gone a short time, were there, as well as the few from my time at Sellincourt who are still there now. I saw Mrs Harding (the former Deputy Head), Mr Daley (the former Headteacher), Mrs Singh (my Year 1 teacher) Mrs Johnson (my Year 2 teacher) Mrs Murrel (my Year 4 teacher), as well as Ophelia, Ms Allen, Mrs Barrett, Anne, Mrs Black, Debbie...so many teachers and staff who had been a huge part of my life for so long, and it was an absolute pleasure.<br />
<br />
Without having originally planned to, when the floor was left open for such purposes, I got up and made a speech about Florence and my memories of her. Her kind nature, her amusement at the fact that I was always last in the lunch queue, her little song, <i>"Hard work is good for you, la-la-la..." </i>(which she still sings to this day - as testified by the current students!). I got a round of applause for singing that song, in the middle of my speech - something I certainly wasn't expecting(!)<br />
<br />
For that brief, shining moment though, not only was I sharing in everyone else's love of a very special lady...<br />
I was back on stage in that school hall. In assembly, in the Christmas show, in the Leavers Play, whatever - being stood on that stage and being applauded for a little performance. It took me back to some of the very happy memories that I had at that school, and to one of the reasons why I love performing so much. This notion of entertaining and being appreciated of course, but also the fact that I had put a smile on people's faces.<br />
<br />
And for those couple of hours, not only was I 17 year-old Henry Mendoza who's just finished his first year of A Levels...<br />
<br />
I was also little 11 year-old Henry Mendoza. Full of hopes and dreams, and love for his fellow classmates - and teachers. <br />
<br />
x<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 368px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 585px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DpIANRD8vYo/Ubx3LeYBcUI/AAAAAAAABx4/hyE7Y5nlxn4/s1600/Florence+and+her+%27children%27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DpIANRD8vYo/Ubx3LeYBcUI/AAAAAAAABx4/hyE7Y5nlxn4/s1600/Florence+and+her+'children'.jpg" height="326" width="581" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florence and some of her 'children' - former students. <br />
Florence is stood on the right :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-81095541124234557932013-04-21T03:44:00.000-07:002014-08-22T03:44:26.648-07:00Charlotte Campbell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqiRIz5hOqQ/UXOs-lpn6CI/AAAAAAAABuE/pzJhW0qvT-c/s1600/Artwork+(Small+iTunes).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqiRIz5hOqQ/UXOs-lpn6CI/AAAAAAAABuE/pzJhW0qvT-c/s320/Artwork+(Small+iTunes).jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
It's finally here!<br />
<br />
I've been following Charlotte Campbell for a while now. I met her last summer when she was taking part in the Mayor Of London Gigs competition, and since then she seems to have gone from strength to strength. After winning <span class="userContent">a scholarship at the institute of contemporary music through the competition, she released her brilliant EP, <i>Stay, </i>on iTunes, and performed at various different events, from Busking Before The BRITS at the O2 to the recent St George's Day weekend celebrations.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Charlotte's style is essentially a beautiful folk/pop/acoustic sound that's very pleasing on the ear. It's always wonderful to watch her perform, as it's plain to see just how much she enjoys it; as a fellow performer, this is something I can very much identify with. Rather than just attempt to describe her to you though, I think it's best I show you - here's the video for Charlotte's song "<i>Quiet Nights</i>". </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ztDOq-MUt5w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span class="userContent"><br />She's even in the running to support Gabrielle Aplin on the London date of her tour! </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">A few months back, Charlotte decided to make her debut album, completely independently. As you can imagine, she's built up quite a dedicated fanbase by now, and it was this fanbase that has helped make this album, <i>Blue Eyed Soul</i>, a reality. She set up a Pledge campaign with PledgeMusic, a site that helps artists make and release their material, with help from their fans. So for example, in Charlotte's case, you could pre-order the album through the site, either as a download, or a hard copy, and the money from that would help fund what was needed for the release.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">Obviously, pre-orders alone are unlikely to fund all the equipment required to properly record an album, even doing so at home, so she also offered various different extra things that you could get if you pledged a bit more money towards the release - from behind the scenes extras, hard copies of <i>Stay</i>, hard copies of the album itself, signed copies, t-shirts, house shows, songwriting sessions - the the list goes on...!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">And this is all before the album actually gets released on iTunes! All these exclusives - just for pledgers!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Charlotte's pledge campaign took off in a way she never could have expected. In the run up to the album's release through PledgeMusic, she received 127 various different pledges, and reached 772</span><span class="userContent">% of her original target, in terms of how much she'd need to make the album. This has meant she's been able to afford to not only complete the album to an even better standard, but also offer some of the other extras through her pledge campaign, and who knows what else? A little tour, perhaps? ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Charlotte's story so far is a brilliant one, and hopefully we'll hear even more from her as time goes on.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">I highly recommend you check her out on the various sites available (which I have listed below), and if you ever happen to pass by her on the Southbank, say hello - I'm sure she'll appreciate it :) </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"> ________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Here are some relevant links to do with Charlotte:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">"Like" her on facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/charlottecampbellmusic">https://www.facebook.com/charlottecampbellmusic</a></span><br />
<br />
Follow Charlotte on twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Ccampbellmusic">https://twitter.com/Ccampbellmusic</a><br />
<br />
Her website: <a href="http://www.charlottecampbell.co.uk/" target="_blank">charlottecampbell.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Check out Charlotte's YouTube channel: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CCampbellMusic">http://www.youtube.com/user/CCampbellMusic</a><br />
<br />
Buy her EP, <i>Stay</i>, on iTunes: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/stay-ep/id567557677">https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/stay-ep/id567557677</a><br />
Or bandcamp: <a href="http://charlottecampbell.bandcamp.com/">http://charlottecampbell.bandcamp.com/ </a><br />
<br />
Vote for Charlotte to support Gabrielle Aplin on the London date of her tour!:<br />
<a href="http://t.co/O5VGwfAnxB">http://t.co/O5VGwfAnxB</a><br />
<br />
^ NOTE: When clicking this link it will take you to the site and a video of Charlotte's will open. All you'd need do is click "Like" and that counts as one vote. If you click "tweet" as well, I believe this also counts as a vote.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"> </span>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-49875208639407628742013-01-26T15:39:00.002-08:002013-07-23T14:24:11.284-07:00Christmas and New YearLordy!<br />
<br />
I've not done a blog post since last year! (Okay, in just over a month really, but the year separation is a bit more dramatic).<br />
<br />
I've had a blog post like this in my head for a little while now, and didn't actually get around to starting it earlier in the year, so while it feels a little bit overdue, then it being my first blog post of the year I'm gonna indulge a bit ;)<br />
<br />
Christmas. A time for presents, gifts, late night, last minute shopping, the playing of Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" aggressively in every bloody shop and on every bloody radio station up and down the country...of Christmas films on telly and in cinemas, Christmas Specials, and more...<br />
<br />
Christmas sort of snuck up on us this time around, didn't it? I thought it was just me (I'd been away in Kenya during October/November and had consequently missed Halloween, which I suppose is the holiday in between that takes you through to Christmas), but it didn't really <i>feel </i>like Christmas as early as normal.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq8LNuiHzrQ/UQRdjJmA4ZI/AAAAAAAABgc/MPSobHHZMjs/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq8LNuiHzrQ/UQRdjJmA4ZI/AAAAAAAABgc/MPSobHHZMjs/s400/14.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a little picture I took on the Southbank back in December :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I dislike the idea that gets batted around this time of year that Christmas has 'lost it's meaning'. That we've become too obsessed with presents and gifts and all that stuff that we don't think with regard to what Christmas is all about (whether religious or not).<br />
My personal belief is that at it's core, Christmas is about spending time with the people you love and cherish, and beyond that the decorations, the trees, the music, the shopping, the snow (if we're bloody lucky), and actually, though people complain about the whole thing being commercialised, I think that it does become part of the charm.<br />
<br />
What worried me though, regardless of the fact that most people seemed to be feeling the same, was that this lack of anticipation and excitement as the day drew ever closer was that I had become disillusioned with Christmas - not through any particular reasoning, but I just wasn't feeling it the way I normally do.<br />
<br />
But as a matter of fact, in the end, this Christmas just gone was in some ways one of the most Christmassy of Christmasses I've ever experienced. (You can tell it was from the amount of times and variations of the word 'Christmas' I used in that last sentence...)<br />
<br />
I had an absolutely amazing birthday (8 days before Christmas), culminating in a meal with some of my best-loved school mates:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-izRiRP4LVRM/UQRiayu1emI/AAAAAAAABgs/CMcgWscnqf4/s1600/Whole+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-izRiRP4LVRM/UQRiayu1emI/AAAAAAAABgs/CMcgWscnqf4/s640/Whole+group.jpg" height="430" title="" width="574" /></a></div>
<br />
For a birthday, a day spent like that is ideal. For a time so close to Christmas, it fits perfectly :')<br />
<br />
On the family front, we spent Christmas Eve together with my Granny, Christmas Day having a lovely lunch in West Sussex with all manner of relatives, later that week we had drinks with the cousins, and finally spent New Year's Eve with my Aunt, Uncle, and other Grannie :)<br />
<br />
I also experienced something on Christmas Day that I hadn't really before. On Christmas Eve, Example tweeted something about receiving hundreds of texts from people who don't otherwise text you on Christmas Day. Sure enough, on Christmas Day, I had dozens of texts and messages from people who I hadn't heard from in a while, or don't hear from very often, wishing me a Merry Christmas. I too, decided to get in on doing the same. It's a bit of a generational thing I guess, but it gave a great feeling of togetherness and being around people you love in spirit, even if you're not with them on the day.<br />
<br />
Finally though, I did something a bit new on New Year's Day.<br />
In the very early hours of the morning, I began sending messages out to people to wish them a Happy New Year - I've occasionally done this if I'm already in online conversation with someone as the clock strikes twelve, but just before going to bed, with some people who I saw in the little side bar on facebook, I decided to wish them a Happy New Year, and to thank them for the year I'd had.<br />
<br />
2012 was a pretty great year for me. It was a time of a fair few things coming to an end, of course - a lot of 'end of an era' sort of stuff to do with school, but it was also the beginning of new things. I forged new friendships, and strengthened existing ones that had been there for years, or simply a short time.<br />
<br />
So, at about 2:00 in the morning, I thanked some of these friends for all they do and have done for me. It just felt <i>good.</i><br />
I'm a sentimental and loving person in general, and so I like an excuse to express how I feel about people, but conflicting with that is a feeling of needing an occasion so that it's not just out of the blue, and I have to say, if you want to be thankful to people, Christmas and New Year is as good a time as any.<br />
<br />
Really, it's a lovely thing to do at any time, but my advice to you would be this: when New Year comes around again, let some people know how much you appreciate them. Tell them how much you care and love them.<br />
<br />
Despite the fact that some people say 'humbug' to Christmas being centered around presents in some peoples eyes, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing.<br />
<br />
Because the pleasure I have felt from giving out presents this year - physical, or just in my thanks, is all worth it just for the reaction and the smiles on peoples faces, that make you feel amazing.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year <br />
<br />
x<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-7439599299076183882012-12-02T04:26:00.002-08:002013-07-23T14:22:20.584-07:00Concrete Disco!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 493px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; width: 593px;"><tbody>
<tr align="center"><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8aWSLIo_m90/ULqVy8L5adI/AAAAAAAABgA/-5PAEFO9g_0/s1600/Young+Studio+meets+Concrete+Disco!.jpg+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8aWSLIo_m90/ULqVy8L5adI/AAAAAAAABgA/-5PAEFO9g_0/s1600/Young+Studio+meets+Concrete+Disco!.jpg+large.jpg" height="434" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Young Studio meets Concrete Disco! :)<br />
From left-right: Huw, Me (Henry), Johnny & Don (Concrete Disco), Nassy, Joe (Concrete Disco), and Hanaa, Chloe & Elle. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For those who aren't aware, since September, I have been working with a new initiative set up by Rob Watt of the National Theatre, called the 'Young Studio'. The aim of this was to get various different people from different areas within the arts to come together, essentially to create 'theatre' (I put the word theatre in inverted commas, as it's using it in a much broader sense than simply creating something to go on stage and be put in front of a seated audience in a designated building.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The main stimulus, if you like, of this first season of the Young Studio, is 'Can we create theatre without words?'. That concept has evolved and been adjusted over the many weeks we've been working on it, but fundamentally, each week we've been working and experimenting with that idea, with the help of any external directors, sound designers, and anyone else related to the arts that's come in and ran an assignment.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A couple of weeks ago, with The Young Studio, we did a workshop-type thing with a band called "Concrete Disco" - they're sort of a weird electronic band that combines some of the best bits of DJ sets and live band music performances. (They were on Sky One's <i>Must Be The Music </i>a couple of years ago under the name "Toxic Funk Berry", but apparently later changed the name as it often wouldn't sink in on first hearing it). As I put it myself, "Concrete Disco" is more...well, "Concrete" :P</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We began with a slightly awkward ten minute gig type thing from them, not quite knowing what to do - as the numbers for Young Studio have varied over the last few weeks due to availability (people being caught up at work, etc.), there were only about 10 of us or so on that particular day, and so we didn't really know what to do - personally, I'm usually quite energetic at gigs, but unfortunately while people certainly had energy, I just didn't feel the same sort of comfort that I feel at a gig of letting loose and and jumping around, as you can do at a packed small gig or at a relatively full large one. I suppose it's a feeling of 'safety in numbers', so to speak.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, after that, we spent some time going through the band's set up with them, and what they actually do, and how they go about making their music. All of which was very interesting, especially for someone like me, who is so interested in music and music production in itself, but particularly in the production of dance music like theirs. Joe was mostly the DJ/producer type guy, who had various pre-recorded loops, but the software he had set up allowed him to control when to play those loops through, so it wasn't just like some ordinary backing track. Joe also had a little mini keyboard too, which I think he mainly used for editing synths and samples stuff as they went out.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then there was Joe's older brother, Don, who was the drummer. He had an electronic drum kit, and his was the most obvious and prominent live instrument. Along with his drums and cymbals though, he also had a little pad where you could have up to six pre-recorded sounds/sound effects on at any one time, which are played by him hitting/tapping the pad and that makes the sound play through. This also provides the opportunity to play through some sounds which any ordinary drum kit couldn't normally make.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally, there was Johnny, who again, was working with a laptop. The same software as Joe, but he had a keyboard which he was using much more, playing through synth sounds, and he also had a pedal at his feet to change the samples/synths he was working with - a lot easier than suddenly having to reach over and click with a computer mouse!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, after that, we started experimenting with what would happen if we started doing the viewpoints exercise with the music. Wandering around the space at different paces - stopping, starting, changing direction, hopping, skipping, jumping.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We started playing around with it, how the music affected what we did, how we affected what the band did with the music, and points where us and the music just sort of became in sync.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We then started pairing up and experimenting with this concept further, but experimenting with how us having sort-of 'objectives' affected it. To begin with, people were bordering just acting with music being there, but after realising this and trying the exercise again, it really started to work well. We really got into the music and the rhythm of it, and the band started experimenting further, too. On the last attempt, then rather than seamlessly changing songs at any given point (which they'd done throughout the evening when playing their music), they played one particular song, but started elongating the faster and slower parts of it. They said afterwards that that was particularly interesting for them, as through vigorous rehearsal of it and knowing the song so well, they end play it quite military-like, in terms of how precise and structured it is. Adjusting it to what we were doing and trying to sync up with our actions "onstage" meant that they experimented a lot more, and ran free and improvised with what was ordinarily just a regular 3 and a half minute song.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In mine and Tosin (my partner)'s pieces, I did a lot of jumping around and sidestepping and stuff to the music, which I really enjoyed (my first objective was to attempt to get
past her, the second being even more loose, "dominating the space".)
Don attempted to drum to the beat of me jumping up and down towards the
end, and I think subconsciously, I was attempting to jump in sync with his drumming, so this worked quite well. :) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Overall, the whole experience was really exciting and fascinating. Music and Drama are absolutely some of my greatest loves, but being able to combine them in this way couldn't have been more exciting, and I was buzzing with excitement from when I left the studio, right until I got home!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is one of the great things about Young Studio - you work with people that you might not otherwise work directly with within the industry, and as a consequence you grow as a performer (and in this case, get a great new band to listen to!)</div>
Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-8151558320572399102012-09-29T16:38:00.002-07:002012-09-29T16:38:19.856-07:00A Pond Farewell - To Amy and Rory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abkV01KCb9c/UGdjtKjzSwI/AAAAAAAABek/BGOq843YHdw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abkV01KCb9c/UGdjtKjzSwI/AAAAAAAABek/BGOq843YHdw/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So that was it.<br /><br />We said goodbye to Amy Pond and Rory Williams last night.<br />
<br />
Just over 2 years ago, we all sat down to watch <i>The Eleventh Hour. </i>Of course, it was a new Doctor, but it was also a new companion. A fresh start.<br /><br />Of course, what we didn't realise, was that it wasn't just one companion that'd be joining the show that week. It was <i>2.</i><br />
<br />
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the new companion(s) when Series 5 started. To be honest, I'd spent more of the run up wondering what I'd think of the new Doctor.<br /><br />But also, I'd almost forgotten what it was <i>like </i>to have a constant companion traveling with The Doctor in the TARDIS. We'd had 5 specials (4 stories) worth of David Tennant finishing his tenure as The Doctor, and in pretty much each one, he had a different companion with him for that story. <br /><br />But the Ponds came along, and like the new Doctor, they were funny, and brilliant, and different, and just <i>amazing</i>. <br />Look at that picture above of the two of them - they're <i>beautiful. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
We completely have fallen in love with The Doctor, Amy and Rory, over the past couple of years, and them being the longest-serving companions since the series came back, then a part of me (and I'm sure a part of a lot of <i>Doctor Who</i> fans) subconsciously thought that they'd be there for many, many years to come.<br />
<br />
But, to quote one equally amazing companion, "Everything has it's time, and everything ends."<br />
<br />
I had the pleasure of meeting Karen Gillan last year. I was doing some volunteer work for The National Youth Theatre's <i>Our Days Of Rage</i>, and she came along to see this piece, taking place in the Old Vic Tunnels. Being the huge fans that we were, me and my friends, James & Beth, asked her quietly (so as not to draw too much attention to her presence) after the show if she wouldn't mind having a photo with us (no flash, due to being down in the tunnels, and again, not to draw too much attention). <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0htzmPF5rA/UGeFkN5eIBI/AAAAAAAABfE/v_SnQQsrKNY/s1600/Me+and+Karen+Gillan!!+V3+FINAL+-+by+Daddy+&+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B0htzmPF5rA/UGeFkN5eIBI/AAAAAAAABfE/v_SnQQsrKNY/s400/Me+and+Karen+Gillan!!+V3+FINAL+-+by+Daddy+&+me.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Done various edits to this since it was taken because of the lack of flash - this is the final one. <br />Came out pretty well in the end without flash, methinks ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
She was absolutely lovely, and everything you could hope her to be. She was kind enough to chat to us briefly when we first met her in the interval, and after the show when we got our photos with her.<br />
<br />
Quite honestly, before that day, then as a character, I had fallen in love with Amy Pond.<br /> <br />
After that day, I had fallen in love with<i> </i>Karen Gillan<i>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Of course, we've already fallen in love with Jenna-Louise Coleman, thanks to the genius of Mr Steven Moffat.<br />
<br />
But there's absolutely no denying how much the Ponds will be missed in <i>Doctor Who</i>. We bid a very Pond farewell to Amy and Rory this weekend.<br /><br />"It's the end...", The Doctor once said. "But the moment has been prepared for." <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Last Days Of The Ponds: </i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zU1UVES796A?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>............................................................................................</b></h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But <i>is it</i>, though?<br /><br />If there's one thing I've learned from watching <i>Doctor Who</i>, it's that, with this show, <i>Anything Is Possible</i>. <b>;)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br /><br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-57503984996829099422012-09-15T14:53:00.001-07:002012-09-15T14:55:21.234-07:00A Whovian's Complex...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KffS9WxpiB0/UFTsfajKIbI/AAAAAAAABds/qnepFfPxjL0/s1600/304568_525103587503673_1869685066_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KffS9WxpiB0/UFTsfajKIbI/AAAAAAAABds/qnepFfPxjL0/s400/304568_525103587503673_1869685066_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Anyone reading this who knows me will not find it surprising that one of my first proper blog posts is about <i>Doctor Who.</i> It being pretty much my favourite TV Show and all.<br />
<br />
The picture above is the main picture from tonight's episode, <i>A Town Called Mercy. </i>Doctor Who is now in it's 7th Series (since it's return in 2005), or it's 33rd Season (if you're a Whovian like me, who quite likes to know exactly how many full series/seasons of the show there've been.<br />
<br />
I love <i>Doctor Who.</i> I wasn't actually one of the many people of my generation to watch it exactly from 2005 onwards, I actually started a little later and subsequently went back (but that's another story in itself). But the one thing that you often have to come to term with as a Whovian (<i>Who</i> fan, for those who've been wondering if I was referring to some odd form of OCD), is that there are always going to be episodes which are...<i>not as good as others</i>, shall we say.<br />
<br />
Now, obviously, with any TV programme, there are bound to be some episodes that are not as good as the ones surrounding them. But the one thing that I can bring myself to critically say of my favourite show is that, quite often, it's at extremes. For the most part, when it's good, it's<i> really good,</i> when it's bad, it's <i>really bad</i>, and when it's average, it's...well, you get the picture.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, there aren't that many <i>bad </i>episodes of <i>Doctor Who</i>, and as Whovians we can often sit quite comfortably watching our favourite show without the fear that we'll need to be critical of it.<br />
<br />
But there's always the odd episode that just doesn't stand up to the regular standard of the rest of them, and so far, this series seems to have had it. (Last weeks <i>Dinosaurs On A Spaceship</i>).<br />
<br />
Now, it being <i>Doctor Who</i>, there are always things to enjoy about the bog-standard episodes. The Mitchell and Webb robots being one, for last week. I have to say, I enjoyed the series opener <i>Asylum Of The Daleks </i>immensely - it'll probably become a fan favourite, and it certainly deserves to be treated as quite historical in the ongoing saga of The Daleks.<br />
<br />
The thing <i>Doctor</i> <i>Who</i> (and <i>Sherlock</i>, come to that) struggle with a lot at the moment, it seems, is that there's always some sort of overall storyline that's weaved through each of the episodes. Don't get me wrong, as fans, we <i>love it</i>, but the sometimes damaging thing about it means it puts pressure on the episodes that are leading up to the bigger stories that affect the overall storyline of the show to make an impact. <br />
<br />
I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's just something about <i>Dinosaurs On A Spaceship</i> that doesn't feel up to scratch. This often happens with me - I will always enjoy an episode as it goes out, but the ones that I don't enjoy as much are not easy to pick out the specific flaws with until I have a bit of hindsight.<br />
<br />
This week, with <i>A Town Called Mercy</i>, the standard was raised back up again. Not as good as <i>Asylum Of The Daleks</i>, but that had the added weight of being a season-opener, so you'd struggle to actually top it as such.<br />
<br />
But I could very easily name episodes of <i>Doctor Who </i>from the past 6 series that really weren't on par with the others.<br />
<br />
Some people will stop watching if <i>Doctor Who</i> has a few bad episodes though. Okay, granted this will often be the people who will watch every week but not call themselves "fans", but I do find that sad. Doctor Who just sometimes needs a little patience. Even if it has 2 or 3 bog-standard episodes in a row, I don't think that's a legitimate reason to assume that "the shark has been jumped."<br />
<br />
But should I? Is it just because I have declared myself an out-and-out, unashamed Doctor Who fan, that I look past the less consistent episodes that, if it were any other show, might disuade me from watching?<br />
<br />
Or is it just the way that I as a person work? There have been a fair few TV Shows where my parents and friends have stopped watching but I've wanted to persist (<i>Glee</i> would be a prime example). Thinking about it, while I know really good quality telly when I see it, something often has to have really gone downhill to the point that it's quite bad for me to want to stop watching it altogether. (<i>The X Factor</i> took long enough...)<br />
<br />
Perhaps I should've called this post <i>A Henry's Complex</i> instead...<br />
<br />
But really, I do think that as a fan, you should be prepared to stick with a TV show through good times and bad. <i>Doctor Who</i> has the unspoken guarantee that even if you've had a bad episode or two, there's always one really <i>amazing </i>one round the corner, that old Steven Moffat or one of the show's other brilliant writers has penned.<br />
<br />
But some people just don't seem to get that.<br />
<br />
It's only a TV programme. It <i>shouldn't</i> bother me.<br />
<br />
But every time someone tells me that they've stopped watching <i>Doctor Who</i>, I do feel that little twinge of disappointment.<br />
<br />
P.S. I should clarify, the disappointment is mainly just from the point of view that I have one less person to discuss the show with in the world, I rarely think (that much) less of you as a person if you stop watching :P<br />
<br />Henry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2729556786637966459.post-75034565398337296612012-09-14T13:58:00.001-07:002012-09-14T13:58:53.640-07:00As first blogs go...So this is interesting.<br />
<br />
I've always liked writing. Dare I say it, I'm kind of good at it. Well, okay, for anyone who knows me, I perhaps write too much - at least for Facebook (in their opinion.) While I'm capable of keeping myself to 140 characters for Twitter, I still do use "TwitLonger" occasionally.<br />
<br />
I guess it should've occurred to me sooner to write a blog. The idea has sort of been floating around in my head for a little while, but for quite a while, I guess, I didn't really get them. I didn't read them particularly often, either. So I guess there was a little voice in the back of my mind stopping me, saying, "Why write something that you wouldn't read yourself?"<br />
<br />
Now, of course, I am a bit more accustomed to blogs. The only one that I'm a regular reader of is House Of Coxhead (which, if you don't know, is a very good, very successful music blog, rather than a blog that involves an awful lot of writing, but still), but I <i>get </i>blogs a lot more now, and I do read the odd blog post from various people.<br />
<br />
A little while ago, a few weeks back I think, it was my Mum who said to me that I should write a blog, to save people having to read some of my particularly long facebook statuses. At the time (and make no mistake, I still maintain this), I'd said something along the lines of "Well, they don't have to read it if they don't want to." I mean, seriously, just because it's there, it doesn't mean you <i>have </i>to read it. I don't exactly put up really long facebook statuses about what I ate for breakfeast or the fact that I just got out of the shower. When I do write statuses that long, they're often heartfelt or to do with something that I (and fairly often, others) feel strongly about. So, if you are reading this and you're one of my facebook friends, don't necessarily expect me to hold back in terms of facebook status lengths now, simply because of this blog :P<br />
<br />
But then, fairly recently, I put up a status about missing some of my friends and teachers who I was missing. I recently started Sixth Form at my school, and as is usual for a lot of schools when a year group finishes their GCSEs, not everyone stayed on. Some of my friends that I've made over the course of my first 5 years did indeed move on. As did some of the teachers, and rather unfortunately, a lot of these ones meant an awful lot to me and my peers.<br />
The flip side to this, mind you, is that now there's no rule against being friends with these teachers on facebook. So, one of these teachers who saw my status, commented and said that it would be great if I could write a blog to keep himself and the others who have left informed as to the happenings at Ashcroft (formerly ADT College, but that's a different story.)<br />
<br />
So that brought the idea back to the forefront of my mind again, and made me think, "Actually, maybe I <i>should </i>write a blog."<br />
<br />
One thing I want to make clear though - I do not intend to be simply blogging about school, or one particular thing. I've decided that I wanted to write a blog that reflected me, and my diverse personality, likes and dislikes. I've seen a lot of blogs and tumblrs which are all dedicated to one specific subject, (House Of Coxhead being one of them, though music is obviously quite a diverse subject in itself) but I don't want to write a blog like that. While I'm sure writing blogs like those is fun, then people aren't really like that. They have <i>more</i> than one interest, and that's what I wanted to get across, and show about me as a person through this blog.<br /><br />There will be days where I'll write big long blog posts like this. There will also be days where I'll just post a link to a new video or music track sharing a brief comment. That's just me. That might not be to everyone's taste. But the advantage of it means I will blog about a variety of different things, so for most people, it's bound to suit one of your interests, somewhere along the line. <br />
<br />
Some of you might want to follow my blog quite closely to see what I post. Some of you might get to a point where you'll just check up every now and then to see if I've posted anything of interest to you.<br />
<br />
Either way, I hope you enjoy this little blog of mine, and I apologise that, as first blog posts go, this one isn't massively coherent. I'll get better as I go along (hopefully :P ).<br />
<br />
Henry.<br />
<br />
P.S. Yes, I <i>do </i>have a big enough ego to believe people will actually want to read what I have to say :PHenry Mendoza (VortiGan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15679684744668866458noreply@blogger.com0