Dead Man Walking

I wonder if any parliamentarian mutters the words “Dead Man Walking” every time they see Gordon Brown walking down the halls of Westminster! I’m guessing it was said many times yesterday as he walked in to the House of Commons ahead of Alistair Darlings very disappointing budget speech that cost everyone even more money.

The Bookies had put odds of 250/1 on the budget that Gordon Brown would kiss Darling after he had completed his Budget Speech – they were right – no kiss was witnessed, but then again I can’t really imagine Brown to be the kissing type. However, if I was a Bookie I would be able to offer odds of 250/1 that Brown would be Prime minister come the next parliament – the man thankfully is now officially Dead Man Walking! The only unfortunate thing about this – his execution probably won’t come until May 2010 – so we are stuck with this sour miscible old man who lies through his teeth again and again and keeps himself surrounded by politicians that President Mugabe could easily relate to if he were in UK politics (Jacqui Smith).

David Cameron once again looked like the leader in waiting when he gave his summary of Darlings Budget and Browns failed Government. If you didn’t catch it – watch it here:



Darling announced an abysmal excuse for a Green Policy in yesterday’s budget that you could scrap your car if it was 10years old or older and get £2000 contribution towards a new car. How can Labour claim to have any green credentials when it’s endorsing a throw away society once again? Cars need not be scrapped once they are 10 years old! With proper maintenance and care a car can last many decades – but Labour is so concerned about saving a French/German/Japanese car industry that it believes it is better to scrap old cars and get new cars back on the road massaging stimulus into the suffering foreign car industry! A shocking Brown/Darling initiative that couldn’t be further away from a Green Environmental move. Where was the spending on Green Initiatives – anything mentioned was feeble and pathetic!

Thank you Brown, you have flushed our Economy down the toilet. Dead Man Walking!

McCruelty

There's a Global Recession taking place and many companies are suffering with reduced profits. However, because the world is populated by idiots there is one company that is bucking the trend and its cheap and so called cheerful food is selling like Hot Cakes (well in their case French Fries & Hamburgers)!

McDonalds continues to make abnormal profits in every region of the world!

All because people are either getting dumber or they feel they must downgrade their eating out experience in a recession and eat Happy Meals every time they go out! Why?

McDonalds is everything that is wrong about this world and here is today's Video of the Day illustrating just how Crap McDonalds is.



You have a Choice - Don't Eat there!



Let's Say no to Dumb Fat Fast Food & Hello to a No Cruelty World and a tanking share price!

Religion can take a walk

I’ve often said the world would be a better place without Religion. And I still believe this. There would be no global fight against Terror as people would have no God to fight for. If they want to fight for land and women so be it – but at least they wouldn’t be fighting in the name of some Ideal that no one can prove exists.

The Frail and the Old are often comforted by the Idea of God, as God allows us the ability to believe there is an after life and that ones miserable existence in the hot barren desert is just preparation before being in Heaven surrounded by Virgin after Virgin. If there is such a place – I feel sorry for all those Virgins that have to commit themselves to some dodgy smelly sand dwelling Bearded Terrorist that probably has the Sexual Know How of a Blind Impotent Repressed School Boy. Could God really be so kind to the “Allah” shouting fools and so unkind to the ‘Virgins’? Will St Peter really greet us at the Pearly White Gates and refuse entry to us because we don’t tick the right box on the religion we followed! Face it – its Bull shit! I could write a thesis on this and many that know me will know that I sometimes go on for hours about all the evidence suggesting The Jew, The Muslim, The Christian, The Mormon and so on are talking out of their arses if they think they are right. All I know is you don’t know because I don’t know and this thing you call Faith is just you betting on the right path just in case something awaits you when the lights go out.


Religion Sucks & those that want to see an end to Terror need to realise this. A Great Doc/Film I saw recently made by Bill Maher called “Religous” (that’s how its spelt) – illustrates through Comedy and his fantastic style of reporting once again just how ridiculous religion is. Watch it if your Religious and watch it if your only a little religious and watch it if you can’t stand religion as it might make you realise your no longer in the minority any more.



9/10 - will make you laugh and laugh

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness – Soho Theatre

This Review was published on Totally Theatre's Website 2 weeks ago - here it is for reference as play has now left London.


Gather round Ladies and Gentlemen and behold one of the strangest but at the same time compelling shows to hit London Theatre Land since Queen Victoria ruled the old Empire.

Written by Anthony Neilson the Scottish playwright who in recent years has been commonly associated with the "in-yer-face theatre" theatrical movement. Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness is no exception to the rule – set in 1881 the play reconstructs Edward Gant’s traveling show for the final time to the unsuspecting Soho Audience.

Striding forth and presenting what hides behind the red curtain is “Edward Gant”, a Opium fuelled adventurer, explorer, fighter and collector of stories who aims to bring us a freak show spectacular from the realms of the 19th Century about the “Amazing Feats of Loneliness” with his troupe of 3 actors who travel the country and quite possibly the world as they explore Gants worldly mystical stories through freaky sometimes grotesque re-enactment in comical circus fuelled fashion to such a degree that it has a Muppet Show quality. Just wait for the pimples to make an appearance on stage (don’t ask – you simply have to see this to believe it).

Without interval and at about 1hour 25mins the play bravely switches from circus freak show that isn’t scared of using innuendo to something just as surreal but more serious when the actors encounter the “Phantom of the Dry” whom appears only when an actor forgets ones lines (all part of the play of course). Speaking to a friend after the play it could be said that this part of the story though vivid, could potentially come across as confusing. But if you can get past the confusion of the surreal Teddy Bears who want an imaginary cup of tea its hard not to sit up and mentally engage in this production as the actors themselves appear to also engage with the audience on their new journey of loneliness far more effectively than the previous two staged stories about a girl with pearl pimples and a man, heart broken, through losing his love after she is stung by a wasp.

Edward Gant played by Simon Kunz is everything you would imagine a Victorian travelling showman looking the part in Top Hat and Tails rounded off the perfect look with slick Phileas Fogg Moustache, the mystical mans performance comes across as engaging and polished and should be commended, however the hardest work comes together by Sam Cox who plays the old army boy Jack Dearlove while at the same time pulling off a truly comedic performance as an Italian Cassanova “Salvatore Avaricci” who is drawn to the art of acquiring as much as possible while seeking mysterious love. The rest of the cast consisting of Paul Barnhill and Emma Handy round off the rest of the case with flare and likability enabling the audience to care for their plights no matter how strange.

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness will be enjoyed if you can catch it in its brief run at the Soho theatre, as long as your not offended by 19th century humour, exploding pimples and bloody brain surgery all of which wouldn’t seem out of place on an episode of Little Britain – but unlike Little Britain this is actually good with solid acting performances, a script that will make you sit up and think and a set design thanks to Tom Scutt that takes you back to 19th century weirdness with school boy day dream intrigue. A fine piece of theatre that experiments and does things differently from the rest, just don’t take anyone who might be squeamish.


Actors’ performance 4 stars
Script 4 stars
Set/stage design 4 stars

4 stars


By Alexander van Terheyden

Generation Kill

Thought I should just alert you to a TV Mini Series of high standard. I tend to only watch Film and generally stay well clear of what's on TV although I do have my weakness for Neighbours (a sad addiction I've had most of my life). However, in Early 2009 I discovered Generation Kill. Its just a 8 part mini series but of a serious high grade standard in terms of TV entertainment. If only every show was like this - you would never leave the house (just as well there's a lot of crap on TV then).

FX-TV is showing repeats if you missed it first time round or you can buy the Generation Kill DVD or you can just illegally download it. Whatever you do - I urge you to watch it. Apologies this tip is so late in the day - should of brought it to your attention months ago!