Filed under: on the mannequin, on the screen, on the streets | Tags: British, Channel 4, Cooper, Factories, James Eden, Lancashire, Made In England, Satnam Authi, Stockport, Stollbrand, Tradition
second of all, i wanted to bring this to light. a programme called Made In England which airs on Channel 4 tonight at 7.30…i recommend you give it a viewing! (unless you’re at a certain ball in Aberdeen)
this documentary from Satnam Authi looks at the manufacturers Cooper & Stollbrand, one of the last British clothing factories and situated in Salford…not too many miles from home.
Authi discovers how James Eden left his job in the City to buy a stake in the business three years ago and since doing so, has dragged the factory out of the doldrums and into the 21st Century, developing a business that produces garments for high street retailers and premium designer labels. Moreover, he looks at how the factory copes in the busiest time of year…the run up to Christmas. By following around the charming and highly entertaining workers, this documentary shows the necessity for strong relationships between employer and employee as well as the significance of Cooper & Stollbrand as one of the few remaining British representatives of the garments manufacturing industry.
a documentary such as this is highly important, as we now live in a time where more and more people are beginning to reassert a desire to know where their clothes came from and how they were made. To this day, Cooper & Stollbrand cut all their patterns by hand and still use the same exact techniques that were used in the mid- 20th Century, to sculpt, make and finish all of their designs. Keeping traditional values as well providing a purely British product has become more and more important to our nation’s top fashion followers.
what i find most intriguing however, (and probably more so as it’s a truly North-Western business), is the study of the ever decreasing industry itself, particularly up North. Lancashire used to be at the very heart of the clothing manufacturing world, providing outerwear for people all over the globe. unused factories still stand lonely yet beautiful across the landscape of my hometown Stockport, for example, and many other neighbouring towns. although it is fair to say that this industry was never going to last in Britain while China and Thailand for example drill our garments in battery-like workhouses, it is extremely satisfying to see the likes of Cooper & Stollbrand continuing to stand tall.
with their 100-strong workforce of craftsmen and designers, using traditional methods that have been put into affect for it’s seventy years, one can only hope that despite the current financial climate and decreasing British clothing industry, they continue to be an in demand, high quality provider of British attire.
x
Filed under: on the mind, on the screen, on the stage, on the turntable | Tags: 2011, Brit Awards, God Help Us, James Corden, Mercury Prize, PJ And Duncan, The National
i have to say this…thank fuck for the Mercury Prize Award…because if the Brits was the only major award ceremony that celebrated British music then i would want to scratch my eyes out to be honested…
let’s have a looksie at tonight’s nominees for Best British Single for example shall we…
Alexandra Burke ft Pitbull – ‘All Night Long’
Cheryl Cole – ‘Parachute’
Florence & The Machine – ‘You’ve Got The Love’
Matt Cardle – ‘When We Collide’
Olly Murs – ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’
Plan B – ‘She Said’
Scouting for Girls – ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’
Taio Cruz – ‘Dynamite’
Tinie Tempah – ‘Pass Out’
The Wanted – ‘All Time Low’
God fucking help us…it’s basically a list of X Factor dunderheads who haven’t even written their own songs (Florence included) and the victor will be the one who has the most inane, screaming, eight year-old girls as fans. the only reason why i’d listen to 90% of these songs is if i was being tortured by some very nasty folk and they wanted information…quick! especially if they put on Scouting For Girls…i’d be freed by the time the intro had ended…mind you, i’d love to torture them…
secondly i just wanted to point out (because i’m riled!) that two of the British Album Of The Year nominations were actually released around a year and a half ago…well before 2010, never mind last year’s award ceremony…PJ And Duncan’s 1995 effort ‘Top Katz’ might as well be there…dicks!
and thirdly…the thing that got me all angry and flustered in the first place…i’d like to question the stupidity of the Brits Nominations Deciding Panel or whatever the wang it’s called. because they must be both braindead and/or have no idea about music outside the never altering ‘rnb hip-hop dance pop’ nonsense, for putting The National into the category, ‘International Breakthrough Act’. they released their debut album in 2001…TEN FUCKING YEARS AGO! not only that, but they’re in a category which also includes Justin Bieber and the cast of, (God forgive me for uttering this word), Glee. if i was Matt Berninger, i would be weeping hard…or on the other hand, not giving a fuck because i know that the Brits is a pile of crap anyway…either or, either or.
small as it is, there is a possibility that tonight’s awards could secretly pleasantly surprise me…however, given it’s history, it won’t…it really won’t. i could go as shallow to call it the SHIT Awards…but i’m not going to…actually yes i am…
ENJOY THE *SHIT* AWARDS PEOPLE…HOSTED BY THE FAT GIGGLING PLANK THAT IS JAMES CORDEN…WHO AT TIMES I SECRETLY FIND QUITE AMUSING…BUT ONLY BECAUSE HIS BELLY WOBBLES LIKE JELLY AND GAVIN AND STACEY WAS QUITE GOOD…OK!
ahem…sorry for the rant :)
x
Filed under: on the projector, on the screen, on the stage | Tags: 127 Hours, BAFTA, Blue Valentine, Howl, Never Let Me Go, Please Give, The Fighter, The King's Speech, The Way Back, True Grit
so tonight’s the night of the British Academy Film Awards…but who really needs that, when you have another set of The Checkered Mind’s quick one (ish) line reviews of recently watched films!?
kicking things off…
Blue Valentine – magnificent acting from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams giving light to the toughest part of a relationship and one that is rarely portrayed on the screen….the breakdown of marriage and the slow pain of falling out of love…brilliant, but really not something to watch at the beginning of a day like i did, otherwise you’ll feel slightly depressed!
Never Let Me Go – equally as depressing! but in a different way…Carey Mulligan is the stand out act in this heartbreaking film of inevitable loss, but admiration also has to go to the child actors and actresses who were suprisingly fantastic in their roles. slightly slow at times, but covering many angles of love, jealousy, hope, courage, pain and acceptance, extremely well
True Grit – marvellous film from some of the finest directors of our time. Jeff Bridges is as expected, sensational, however Hailee Steinfield steals the show completely. It is unlikely, (as she faces the likes of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore), but i would love to see her take tonight’s Leading Actress award. A fine, fine western, also portraying the best bear balancing on a horse act i’ve seen for a long time ;)
Howl – a cheeky little number starring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg, telling the story of his bloody brilliant poem Howl and how it caused a stir in court due to it’s obscene language, etc, for the time. Howl also helps to portray Ginsberg’s rise to stardom and his early attempts to become the great artist that he inevitably did. Good, but at times slightly questionable, particularly the animated sections
The Way Back – highly average ‘epic’ survival film. certainly a fantastic story (based on real events and taken from the memoirs of a Siberian POW Camp escapee), however very slow at times and an ending that leaves you asking, so what happened to that guy? and, so when is this bit happening? i personally expected better from director Peter Weir
Black Swan – wonderfully odd, powerful, poetic and haunting. Natalie Portman is beautifully awesome, Vincent Cassel is enthralling and Mila Kunis does a pretty decent job too! huge respect for Darren Aronofsky, as this is, as many have said, a glorious piece of film…expect it to snatch up several awards later
Please Give – slow, dull and doesn’t really go anywhere. But, if it has Catherine Keener in it i have to watch! not recommended though
The Fighter – i usually question how exhilarating and essentially different a boxing film can be as there’s been too many dull and average ones in the past. however, this really is pretty good. this is chiefly thanks to the (surprisingly) decent acting of Mark Whalberg and at least in this case, the remarkable Christian Bale. kudos to the usually irritating Amy Adams as well! The Fighter also stands out due to concentrating on life outside of the ring, adding a great deal of realism to the challenges presented to a professional sportsman. it’s a shame the Supporting Actor award won’t fling towards Bale tonight, as Geoffrey Rush has (in my opinion) to take it!
127 Hours – James Franco again, but probably in a much more challenging role. he plays his character superbly well, from the innocently arrogant to the authentically gritty and desperate. Danny Boyle’s survival movie has excellent cinematography and excellent dialogue, packing an exhaustingly large amount into just 90-ish minutes. probably not a film you’d go out of your way to watch a second time, (essentially for the fear of becoming bored and starting to dislike it), however this adventure is certainly worth a view…plus Clemence Poesy is in it :P
The King’s Speech – there’s little to say really. extremely good stuff, particularly from Geoffrey Rush, although i’m sure Colin Firth will steal the show again! (not that he doesn’t deserve the acclaim…he plays George VI fantastically). a big award winner im guessing!
enjoy the show tonight…it’s clearly been a sensational year for film :)
x
Filed under: on the muddy fields, on the screen, on the stage, on the turntable, on the waves | Tags: 2011, Glastonbury, Pulp, Radiohead
it gets me very, very excited that both these acts are flying high in the rumour mill for glastonbury 2011…
sit down, have no distractions and take in the beauty of both these sets
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00wyn9g/Glastonbury_Radiohead_at_Glastonbury_1997/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00wv3j8/Glastonbury_Pulp_at_Glastonbury_1995/
x
Filed under: on the bookshelf, on the film reel, on the mind, on the muddy fields, on the parchment, on the plate, on the projector, on the screen, on the stage, on the streets, on the travels, on the turntable, on the waves
it’s almost the end of another year…so let’s review it!
these are all my personal opinions, so please feel free to agree or agressively criticise, sup to you :)
Best Moments Of The Year
- That first look at Mt. Everest
- Faithless followed by Stevie Wonder at Glastonbury 2010
- Going to the Taj Mahal
- Having an elephant back bath
- White water rafting in Nepal
Biggest Mares Of The Year
- Being told I had to turn back with Everest Basecamp just ahead (but at least im still alive!)
- The Tory Government coming to power
- The World Cup…both the event itself and our bid going to pot
- That bungee jump lol
- Come Around Sundown…get it together KOL!
Best Book I’ve Read This Year
- Lustrum – Robert Harris
Best 25 Albums Of The Year
- Warpaint – The Fool
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
- Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill
- Foals – Total Life Forever
- Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws
- Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
- Beach House – Teen Dreams
- The National – High Violet
- Lonelady – Nerve Up
- Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
- Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
- GAYNGS – Relayted
- Deerhunter – Halycon Digest
- Broken Bells – Broken Bells
- Delta Spirit – History From Below
- Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
- Anais Mitchell – Hadestown
- Perfume Genius – Learning
- Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy
- Midlake – Courage Of Others
- Band Of Horses – Infinite Arms
- Interpol – Interpol
- Best Coast – Crazy For You
- Robert Plant – Band Of Joy
Best Embarrassing Album Of The Year!
- Ellie Goulding – Lights
Best 25 Singles Of The Year (From What I Know Were Released As Singles…)
- Foals – Spanish Sahara
- Laura Marling – Rambling Man
- Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know
- Warpaint – Undertow
- Aracade Fire – Ready To Start
- Stornoway – Zorbing
- Foals – This Orient
- Mumford & Sons – The Cave
- Ray Lamontagne And The Pariah Dogs – Old Before Your Time
- Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
- Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
- Bombay Bicycle Club – Ivy And Gold
- Gorillaz Ft. Little Dragon – Empire Ants (not a single, but such a fucking ace song!)
- Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait
- Kelis – Acapella
- Black Keys – Tighten Up
- Interpol – Barricade
- Delta Spirit – Bushwick Blues
- Dum Dum Girls – Stiff Little Fingers
- LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls
- Lonelady – Intuition
- Beach House – Zebra
- The Morning Benders – Excuses
- Caribou – Odessa
- The Coral – 1000 Years
Best Embarrassing Single Of The Year!
- Katy Perry – Fireworks
Best Band/Artist Of The Year
- Justin Vernon – the dude is just everywhere, again, making sensational music! he features chiefly on Relayted by GAYNGS (a supergroup including the likes of Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce from Bon Iver, Ivan Howard from The Rosebuds, Joe Westurland and the Cook brothers from Megafaun and Jake Luck and Nick Ryan from the Leisure Birds). Vernon also features on many of the songs from Anais Mitchell’s brilliant folk opera Hadestown, based on a modern story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Finally, he even makes a couple of appearances on Kanye West’s knew record!
Best Gig Of The Year
- Interpol (Edinburgh Corn Exchange)
Best Festival Of The Year
- Glastonbury 2010
Best 30 Movies Of The Year (Released In The UK Since Jan 1st)
- Inception
- Un Prophete
- Shutter Island
- Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
- The Social Network
- Toy Story 3
- Exit Through The Gift Shop
- Crazy Heart
- The Secret In Their Eyes
- Gainsbourg
- Le Concert
- Winter’s Bone
- Another Year
- The Kids Are Alright
- Please Give (not released in uk, but seen and liked!)
- The Ghost Writer
- Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
- A Single Man
- Kick-Ass
- Megamind
- Greenburg
- The Town
- L’arnacoeur
- The Lovely Bones
- Certified Copy
- The Road
- The American
- The Arbor
- Robin Hood
- L’Illusioniste
Plus…The Way Back, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Tempest, Never Let Me Go and True Grit (not released yet…but i’m expecting them to be pretty darn good!)
Best Documentary Film
- When You’re Strange – A Film About The Doors
Best Embarrassing Movie!
- Easy A
Best Actor Of The Year
- Leonardo DiCaprio – as it has always been said…he doesn’t make a bad movie. And seeing how both the remarkable Shutter Island and the even greater Inception were released this year with DiCaprio playing the lead roles exceptionally, it couldn’t really go to anyone else!
Best Actress Of The Year
- Julianne Moore – i wasn’t sure who to pick to be completely honest, but Moore’s roles in both The Kids Are Alright and A Single Man were really very very good and im certain she’ll be up there with a fighting chance for an Oscar
Best 10 TV Programme’s Of The Year
- Accused
- This Is England 86
- Any Human Heart
- An Idiot Abroad
- IT Crowd
- Five Daughters
- I’m In A Rock N Roll Band
- I Am Slave
- Secret Britain
- Pillars Of The Earth
Best 5 Exhibitions Of The Year
- A World Observed – Dorothy Bohm – Manchester Art Gallery
- The Doors: When You’re Strange – Idea Generation Gallery
- Wolfgang Tillmans – The Serpentine Gallery
- Skin – The Wellcome Collection
- Exposed: Voyeurism, Suerveillance and the Camera – The Tate Modern
Best 5 Sporting Moments Of The Year
- The Ashes (not over yet, but we’re playing pretty damn well!)
- Rooney And Scholes’ last minute winning goals against Manchester City in January and April
- Amy Williams’ Winter Olympics gold medal
- England’s T20 World Cup Final victory over the Aussies
- Mark Cavendish kicking ass in the Tour De France
And Finally…Best Fish Of The Year!
- Barry…because the other one died…
:) x
just watched THIS on itv player…
and…it was ace!
all about the king himself and the excitement of derby day…most definitely worth a gander, particularly if you’re a united fan and admired the sensational skill of this bloke as much as myself :)
tonight marks the 250th episode of my favourite programme on tv
Later…with Jools Holland
i don’t think there is any other show like it in terms of introducing new, outstanding talent to the world…god knows i wouldn’t know half the bands, new and old, if it hadn’t been for Jools…so thanks mr!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ttbgs/Later…_with_Jools_Holland_Golden_Moments_249_Not_Out/
watch this to catch some of the hundreds of awesome moments from previous shows…Smokey Robinson, Mary J Blige, Melody Gardot, Amy Winehouse and Radiohead are particular stand-outs
x
land of the free, home of the brave….nation of some absolute mind-blowing idiocy!
last night we watched half an hour of both these shows…
i can’t help but giggle at the first one, mainly because it’s called MANswers and is just a barrel-load of bullshit…
however, Man Vs Food? it actually makes me feel physically sick that these fat, stupid, american pricks are doing this day in, day out, without a care in the world for themselves or others that have absolutely nothing…i mean, who needs a sandwich that fucking big!?
i would like to stress that i don’t dislike everything american, and the ones that i’ve met are all lovely and normal…nonetheless, these shows really haven’t helped my burning prejudice of that insane country
thank you for your time :P
x
i watched ‘Must Be The Music’ this week on Sky1…and i have to say, despite a few obvious similarities to the usual tv talent shows which seem to be taking over the world, this one isn’t half bad. it concentrates on just musical acts and the prize offered is £100,000 towards the winner’s musical future, instead of a piss-poor year long contract with a producer who can’t wait to be rid of them. moreover, the judges in this show are still regular chart toppers and, most importantly people can associate to them, unlike xfactor, britain’s got talent, etc. Jamie Cullum, Sharleen Spiteri and Dizzee Rascal also offer a lot of tips to the acts, unlike the boring nonsense that comes out of Louis Walsh for example…
anywhoo, the first episodes this week played host to some pretty good acts, so here, are my favourites!
26 year-old Emma from glasgow…awesome voice, very humble, extremely hot :P
two lasses from manchester who go by the name Pepper & Piano…really, really lovely voice and great, emotional tune
Daithi the irish fiddler dude…pretty cool basically!
x
