that is all

I learnt today that there is a person that goes by the name of Chord Overstreet. Next week I will undoubtedly learn of his brother Suspended and sister Diminished.

Dave - I love ya baby, but you're way off the mark with drubbing the glorious The King's Speech. I've seen it twice in packed cinemas, and both times the film was spontaneously applauded. I've not witnessed that in a cinema since watching a reissue of Touch Of Evil over ten years ago - and I certainly didn't see it watching The Social Network - a clever but empty and soulless film

I think any movie that's already been seen by millions and that's recieved countless plaudits and awards before you get to see it for yourself is always going to suffer - I recently showed a much younger friend both Spinal Tap and The Wicker Man for their 1st time and they were sadly less than impressed, mainly due to hearing endless people telling them how they had to see these classic films

another great podcast, something this entertaining shouldn't be for free, although I'm glad it is.

White acts can be nominated for a Mobo Award, and in fact if I'm not mistaken Justin Timbalake, Amy Winehouse and the Careless Whisper Hitmaker himself have all been nominated in the past.

I haven't listened to the podcast yet but look forward to it when it finally downloads (44 minutes and counting - what is it with this podcast that makes it so slow?).

I think my problem with M&S is that my first exposure to them was a TV advert for the album in which they were wandering down a country lane wearing grandad shirts and tweed waistcoats while singing and playing acoustic instruments, looking very serious all the while. I couldn't decide if they were meant to be a parody or not.

I have since had the album wash over me leaving no memorable trace and have decided that they are just very dull. I love their sort of music but just don't think they do it at all well.

...

...I listen to the Word podcast but no longer bother with a certain film review podcast.

Anyone else check to see if there was a band called that? There is..and a few more hits on their myspace will get 'em scratching their heads tomorrow. Personally, I think they're only in it for the lute and they probably play headless guitars.

I can see exactly why The King's Speech is garnering so much praise.

It's incredibly well acted by the 3 main protagonists and it's also beautifully filmed with what I imagine to be great accuracy. Everything you could want from a film, in fact (save for action scenes and lots of things exploding expensively).

I understand why DH compared it to a stage play, but one could level the same criticism at many other fine movies - virtually all the Mike Leigh films, for example.

The Social Network on the other hand I didn't like at all. Sorry if this appears xenophobic, but to me there's something really alien and unattractive about American university life that I simply can't relate to.

Virtually all the characters seemed like such over-privileged, over-confident, well-scrubbed nerds that I found the movie virtually unwatchable.

There's a good reason why The King's Speech seems like a three-person stage play; namely, because it was adapted for screen from a three-person stage play.

but... a bit odd for two good music journalists, who’ve had good careers out of some (though not all) people taking their interest in music further than just, ‘that’s a good tune’, reducing film criticism to ‘is the story any good’. If nobody looked for more from their music criticism than that, then Word wouldn’t exist. Admittedly, in film whether or not a story is any good is fairly fundamental – but there is much more to be got out of cinema than that – the fact that a third act falls flat and why, who directs, its route to the screen, even who produced it can be bloody fascinating, can add endless layers of enjoyment/interest to the watching of a film, to following a career – if you’re that way inclined...

To pick up on a comment by Gatz above: why is the podcast taking so long to download?

55 mins last night, longer than the actual listening time.

Support acts often don't tell you who they are. I was at a small gig at the Lexington in London a couple of weeks ago, when the support acts could reasonably have expected that the majority of the audience wouldn't know who they were: the first support only said who they were when someone in the audience shouted them to do so, and the second support never said who they were (though they did mention the headliners twice).

Don't care where they went to school, but I just found them a trifle earnest. If they and Dylan had plugged in at the Grammys and done the electric Maggie's Farm, then...

Mark I feel I must pick you up on one statement the XTC album with Todd Skylarking is in my opinion is rather good. I know they didn't get on but what a record.

Sorry to disagree do keep up the good work.

I found the discussion about the release window very informative. I also thought I'd give the new Paul Simon album a blast after the rave review. According to his website it's 'Coming Spring 2011'

Something else I discovered during my research... www.paulsimon.co.uk have a blue cross sale right across their store. Handy if you're after a beddingy curtainsy blindsy sofas type bargain.

Antipathy among the Massive towards this band can be explained by the subject matter of their popular album which was actually a homage to Simon Cowell following his lamented departure from American Idol- 'Si, No More'.

I really enjoyed the Reggae Britannia documentary on Channel 4 but one thing bugged me a little bit, and that was the complete lack of any mention of Eddy Grant. Surely he deserved better?

is a thing of beauty.