Saturday 27 June 2009

Michael Jackson Death - The Latest

The telly and everyone else is still at it with the Michael Jackson patter. Here's a few of the best things I've found online.

Charlie Brooker on Twitter: "All 24-hr news channels should be forced to cover NOTHING but MJ 'latest' for the next 7 years. Anchors hanging themselves on air by 2011."

Video of Flavor Flav turning up to see 'Mother Jackson' and being told to turn about and get tae. Although, he promises he'll be back later on.

No Rock and Roll Fun looks at The Sun telling their readers it's their 'job' to buy Michael Jackson records. As if anyone who gave a stuff wasn't doing that already.

They've also been running a feature they call 'It's not eulogy, it's me'. "When the famous talk of the recently dead, it's normally not about the corpse, but all about them. Madonna's claims this morning that she "can't stop crying" is designed to say nothing about Jackson's life, or his death, and everything about how empathetic Madonna would like us to think that she is."

Fred Durst pays tribute to MJ by dressing up like him.

The BBC have a video of a fan who "Lives Michael Jackson literally every day."

Ken Levine has a post on Michael Jackson - Wall to off the wall coverage. In it he includes such gems as this: 'Fans flocked to the Michael Jackson star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame. But it was talkshow host’s star, not Jacko’s. His star was covered by a red carpet laid down for the premiere of BRUNO. But here’s the great part: The fans were informed this was the wrong Michael Jackson but they remained and set up their shrine anyway.'

This is an article on how the internet handled the Michael Jackson search requests.

Reuters reports of Jackson's death sparking a bus brawl in Florida. Funnily enough the bus driver was at the centre of it.

This is an article on Michael Jackson's Moonwalker video game from joystiq.com.

"Besides the musical, dance and technical genius of the man, and the influence he's had on four decades of artists, Michael loved Zombies." -Anthrax's Scott Ian (via)

Richard Herring has a bit on his blog with his thoughts on the news coverage. "...But it was also entertaining to see the news channels managing to stretch this one story, which has already happened and which there were unlikely to be many significant developments into hour after hour of news."

This is an interesting article on Jackson's manager Frank Dileo from Nashville Scene.

Here's an interesting story about Michael Jackson from Drew McWeeny at HitFix.com. He tells of his days working at a video store where Michael Jackson would be a regular after hours customer.

Back to No Rock and Roll Fun who look at the towns and cities attempting to turn his death into a money spinning tourist attraction.

An 'It's not eulogy, it's me' moment that NRARF missed comes from Twitter where the musician, actor and producer Wyclef remarked, “I will not be going on TV talking about this, but my memory of Michael was when he came and saw me in the studio, I LOVE MICHAEL.” Do you think he's great? Yeah, well he thought I was great.

Friday 26 June 2009

Scott McCloud on Comics

Scott McCloud talking about comics. It runs for about 17 minutes.

Save the Ramshorn Theatre

Ramshorn Theatre

The Ramshorn Theatre is facing closure. The building where Fraser and I had our rehearsed reading of 'Odds and Sods', where we've performed as You Owe Me Glue, where we've both done stand-up and where I've performed in several plays is set for the bin under the new principal of Strathclyde University's new agenda.

The Director of Estates Management has announced that the building, built in 1824, will be 'Disposed of'.

Susan and Sylvia of Strathclyde Theatre Group are actively fighting the decision. There is an EGM for members of STG this coming Wednesday night at 6.30. I'm sure from this will come a plan of action that will involve as many folk as want to help out.

In the meantime there is a Facebook group you can join.

You can find out more about the history of the building here.

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

So yesterday I went down to Balloch for the day, then into town to the cinema, purely to stay away from the computer for one day. Then when I finally switch the thing on, around half ten at night, I discover the internet has gone mental.

Musicians at Glastonbury are falling over themselves to sing snatches of his songs, while comedians and anyone else online can't get the jokes out fast enough.

Uri Geller appears to see it as a resurrection of his own career, whatever the fuck it was he did that made him famous. He twice avoided the question, "When did you last speak to Michael Jackson?" on the news last night. Presumably because the answer, "About 6 or 7 years ago," would make him less relevant to TV producers wanting soundbites. He also put the phone down on the BBC saying he was too upset to talk, only to turn up on Sky News ten minutes later with his good jumper on, a camera crew firmly set up in his front room.

It's a wonder Frank Carson hasn't been on anywhere, mourning the loss and then launching into a chunk of his act.

My pal Natalie will be on Sky News at about 7 o'clock, representing Muso's Guide. She certainly can't do any worse than prize plum Craig David. The 28-year old apparently said that he never thought he'd "See Michael Jackson die in my lifetime."

For the people saying that he was killed by over rehearsing for his 50 dates in London, it should perhaps be noted that he was being trained by The Hulk.

Comic Book dot Com has 'The Top 8 Strangest Comic Book Stories About Michael Jackson'.

I had Thriller on cassette when I was about 12. There's no denying he wrote some cracking songs and will be remembered as one of music's true greats. But then he went nuts...

This is a round-up of how my favourite music blog No Rock and Roll Fun covered the story.

Tuesday 23 June 2009

Fringe Sell Out for Kevin

Following on from last week's post of Kevin Bridges and his storming appearance on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, it's been announced that he's sold out all his shows at the Edinburgh Festival. Making him, I believe, the first act this year to do so. He's therefore had to add four more shows at bigger venues.

If you've not got a ticket to see him yet then I guess now is the best time to do so. In the meantime away and watch two minutes of him on Paramount Comedy's The World Stands Up. Oh aye, and he's now on Twitter as well. Follow him on www.twitter.com/kbridges1986.

Incidentially, I think perhaps I've lost any knack I may once have had for coming up with headlines on these posts. That's what posting instead on Twitter and Facebook does for you.

Monday 22 June 2009

Wie Open Spaces

The new film from Father Ted co-writer Arthur Mathews, here's a look at The Famine Ship Restaurant.

Jelly Parties

From the brilliant Psychoville here's Mr. Jelly's promotional video for Mr Jelly and his box of a hundred hands.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Kevin Bridges on the Roadshow

In case you missed him when it was on the telly Saturday week there here's our comedy mucker Kevin Bridges storming it in front of 3,000 people at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow.

Wednesday 10 June 2009

Limmy's Show

As you may have already read in the papers today Limmy's Show has been commissioned for a full series by BBC Scotland. It probably won't reach your screens until early next year, but at least we all know it's coming. Down below are three sketches from the pilot, including one of some guy being chased through a park.

Tuesday 9 June 2009

The Voluntary Butler Scheme

I interviewed Rob Jones, who is The Voluntary Butler Scheme, for Muso's Guide a couple of weeks ago. You can read my interview here. The video for his single 'Trading Things In' is down below.

Twat Egged

Here's some not very good footage of Nick Griffin being egged by people who appear to be following him around like the protesters who never left Homer's side in the Homer Bad Man episode of the Simpsons. Hopefully, as the weeks progress, better footage of Nick Griffin being egged will emerge.

Monday 1 June 2009

Hitting 50

About a year ago I came up with the mildly daft idea of going to 50 football matches over the course of the 2008/09 season. Yesterday I finally did it when I attended the Junior Cup final featuring Clydebank and Auchinleck Talbot.

It's been an entertaining season and I've had fun going to the games. It was intended just to be a one season thing, but I plan to carry on with it next season and hopefully get to a wider variety of matches.

My report on game fifty is here.