Don't Look Now (1973)

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The film which is set in Venice, Italy is about a couple who recently lost their daughter who tragically drown. It is in Venice that John and Laura Baxter begin to experience mysterious occurrences whilst John is working for commission on a Church in the city. The film adds to the stereotypical viewing of Venice as a dark and disengaged place, the couple who are mourning their daughter meet a ‘psychic’ women in a restaurant that claims to be able to communicate with their daughter.The couple are then submit to various unexplainable events such as visions of their daughter, this leads them to stay in contact with the psychic and try and keep in contact their lost child. 


The psychic warns John to leave Venice as he is in danger, and it is at this point when Laura leaves the city to visit their son who has fallen ill in England that John begins to experience strange visions and premonitions. John searches Venice for his wife believing that he has witnessed her and that she has been kidnapped or hurt by the ‘psychic’. 


It is in this point that John is put into danger, and is ultimately killed by a crazy dwarf like character who is running around the streets of Venice one late night, after pursuing the character who appears much like John’s daughter in an iconic red coat, the character turns around and cuts John’s throat. The final scene of the film is John’s funeral with Laura and the psychic lady on board and it is this image that John had ‘seen’ in his ‘premonition’ causing his initial distress about his wives where abouts but ironically he should have been more concerned for his own. 


The film carries many of the stereotypical values that are often attached to Venice in media representations, portraying Venice as a dark and sinister city, although depicting a strong bond of love in the relationship between the characters of John and Laura which again reinforces the notion of Venice being a city of Love. 


The people that John and Laura meet are all quite strange and this creates a sense of being alone and isolated. The way in which the city is captured on film is quite one dimensional in the sense that it is mostly filmed during the night so the city streets appear daunting and scary, the Church that John is working on has much connotative values and the imagery of the stain glass windows is used through the film, captured from an angle which make the building appear threatening. 


Though out the film their are clear connotations to the Church and the death of  the daughter the link is established in the montage of shots whilst the daughter is dying to the images that John is processing of the Church in Venice and it is almost a warning not to go buythis is only apparent to the viewers. Although their is a link between the Church and the Death it is not clear or extensive.

Costa Book Awards' shortlists announced

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Hilary Mantel,James Meek, Stephen May and Joff Winterhart have been shortlisted for bestnovel for the Costa Book Awards.
The awards showcase published works from the lastyear.
Winners for first novel, novel, biography, poetry andchildren's book will each win £5,000 and will be announced on 2 January 2013.
The overall winner, who gets £30,000 for book of theyear, will be revealed at a ceremony on 29 January.
Nominees have to be based in the UK or Ireland.
Since the overall prize was introduced in 1985, ithas been won predominantly by novelists and poets, with Andrew Miller scoopingit last year for his fictional story Pure, about an engineer namedJean-Baptiste Baratte working in a Parisian cemetery in the run-up to theFrench Revolution.
The winner of the inaugural Costa short story award,which is voted for by the public, will also be announced at the ceremony.
Voted for by the public, six stories will be unveiledon the Costa BookAwards official site two days before the ceremony, on 27 January.
Newaddition
Graphic works have been included in the shortlistsfor the first time this year.
Joff Winterhart's Days of the Bagnold Summer ismentioned in the novel category while graphic memoir Dotter of her Father'sEyes by Mary and Bryan Talbot in the biography list.
Winterhart is up against the 2012 Man Booker Prizewinner Hilary Mantel for her book Bring Up The Bodies and they face competitionfrom Stephen May for Life! Death! Prizes! and James Meek for The Heart BrokeIn.
In the poetry category, newcomer Sean Borodale hasbeen nominated for his debut full-length collection Bee Journal. He is pittedagainst award-winning poets Julia Copus, Selima Hill and Kathleen Jamie.
JW Ironmonger, the author of The Good Zoo Guide, hasbeen voted in the first novel category for The Notable Brain of MaximilianPonder, alongside a former singer-songwriter Jess Richards for Snakes Ropes,Francesca Segal for The Innocents and Benjamin Wood for The BellwetherRevivals.
The children's book nominees are debut writer andillustrator Dave Shelton, Diana Hendry, who won the Whitbread children's novelaward in 1991, former set and costume designer Sally Gardner and teen fictionwriter Hayley Long.
Costa took over sponsorship of the book awards in2006, 33 years after it was established by Whitbread Plc.
To be eligible, books have to have been firstpublished in the UK or Ireland between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012.
Three judges per category are in place to choose thewinners out of a total of 550 entries.
They include author and comedian Mark Watson, writersWendy Holden, Marcus Sedgwick and Matt Whyman, actress and broadcaster JanetEllis, novelist and Editor-in-Chief of Red Magazine, Sam Baker, poet DaljitNagra and novelist and biographer, DJ Taylor.
Source: BBC
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Review: Felecia and the Dinosaur – In The Key Of Victory

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Feleciaand the Dinosaur – In The Key Of Victory (Independent)“In The Key Of Victory” is Felecia and the Dinosaur’sthird album, and it was made possible by fan funding via Kickstarter. WheneverI hear stories of fans getting together to finance a release, I always assumethe results are worth hearing. The artist must feel some kind of pressure tofulfill expectations and the fans must have seen and heard something to maketheir participation worthwhile. Well, Felecia and the Dinosaur haven’t letanyone down on “In The Key Of Victory”; it’s an album of rattling good tunesand politicised folk rock songs.
There’s a name for what Felecia and her band do, andit’s “Feminasty Folkabilly”. It’s how they describe themselves, and frankly, witha moniker like that, we’re not brave enough to argue. The Portland, Oregongroup (which quintessentially comprises of Felecia Campbell with her friends)play with plenty of punky attitude and aren’t afraid of treading on a few toesor, indeed, an eye-catching song title. They begin with “Americaw!”, a paean to thedowntrodden masses, played at a mix of tempos, with piano and guitar taking themusical strain – it’s a great start. On “Murder of Crows” a Polly Jean Harvey influence risesto the surface, which is always a good thing, and “Fu Tang Finds a Cure” brings out a slightly gentlerside, and is a perfect diversion, until the equally pristine title track turnsup with a string section, and between them, blow away all our predeterminednotions…www.feleciaandthedinosaur.comwww.facebook.com/feleciaandthedinosaur4everwww.feleciaandthedinosaur.bandcamp.comTony S.

'Hollywood Holocaust' apology published by paper

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The son ofHollywood Reporter founder Billy Wilkerson has apologised for the trade paper'srole in the 1940s witch-hunts that saw many in the industry ostracised forhaving communist ties.
The actors, writers and directors on the so-calledblacklist suffered huge damage to their careers as a result.
Willie Wilkerson's apology for what he called"Hollywood's Holocaust" was published in TheHollywood Reporter.
He said his father had wanted to take revenge against"studio titans".
According to his son, Billy Wilkerson tried toestablish his own studio in the late 1920s before founding The HollywoodReporter in 1930.
"For whatever reason, the movie brass refusedhim entry into their 'club' and squashed his dream," Mr Wilkerson goes on."So he found another one: exacting revenge."
After World War II, Wilkerson Senior supported theblacklist by using his paper to publish a series of editorials that attackedcommunist sympathisers and their supposed influence in Hollywood.
"In his maniacal quest to annihilate the studioowners, he realised that the most effective retaliation was to destroy theirtalent," wrote Willie Wilkerson of his father.
"In the wake of this emerging hysteriasurrounding communism, the easiest way to crush the studio owners was to simplycall their actors, writers and directors communists.
"Unfortunately, they would become the collateraldamage of history."
The firstHollywood "blacklist" was published on 25 November 1947. Mr Wilkersonsaid he felt it was necessary to apologise "on the eve of this dark 65thanniversary".
Studios deniedwork to those named on the blacklist, forcing some writers to work under pseudonymsand others to work overseas.
Theinvestigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the1940s and 1950s prompted an anti-communist witch-hunt.
"Callingsomeone a communist today is almost laughable," wrote Willie Wilkerson, 61."But in 1950 it was a professional death sentence.
"Instantaneouslypeople lost their jobs, and future employment was, in too many cases, denied.
"Theblacklist silenced the careers of some of the studios' greatest talent andruined countless others merely standing on the sidelines," Wilkersonwrote.
"On behalfof my family, and particularly my late father, I wish to convey my sincerestapologies and deepest regrets to those who were victimised by this unfortunateincident."
Edward Dmytryk,Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr were among the members of the so-calledHollywood 10 who were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperatewith HUAC.
William RWilkerson died in 1962, two years after the blacklist was broken.
Source: BBC
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Without You writer Pete Ham of Badfinger's blue plaque

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Pete Ham who wrote Harry Nilsson's 1970s chart-topperWithout You is to be honoured with a blue plaque in his home city of Swansea.
Ham penned thelove song which has been covered by artists including Mariah Carey.
He was afounder of the band Badfinger and worked with Beatles star George Harrison.
The plaque isto be unveiled by his daughter, Petera, who was born a month after her fathertook his life in 1975.
The ceremony,in April 2013, is the city's tribute to the musician who died at the age of 27.
It is the firstplaque to be awarded since the scheme was launched in Swansea earlier this year.
In addition topenning Without You, Ham also wrote three of Badfinger's hits - No Matter What,Day After Day and Baby Blue.
The band'sfirst name was The Iveys, believed to refer to Ivey Place in Swansea, where itis thought they first held practices.
Badfingersigned to the Beatles' Apple label and enjoyed their biggest hit in 1970 with aPaul McCartney number, Come And Get It.
The blue plaquewill be unveiled near the entrance to Swansea's railway station on 27 April.
It will befollowed by a concert at Swansea's Grand Theatre featuring Bob Jackson fromBadfinger and Ron Griffiths and David Jenkins, two of The Iveys' originalline-up.
Petera Hamsaid: "I miss my father every day and I know that he will be there at theevent looking down on family and friends, as they sit in his beautiful Swanseaand listen to his music and honour his memory.
"I'mhonoured to represent my father at the event and I'd like to thank Swanseacouncil for the beautiful memorial plaque that they will install in honour ofhim."
Demo recordings
Nick Bradley,Swansea council cabinet member for regeneration, said: "Swansea isimmensely proud of Pete Ham and the blue plaque is a fitting tribute to one ofour finest musical talents.
"He was awonderfully gifted musician who wrote a series of hits and helped put Swanseaon the music map in the 1970s. His legacy lives on today through his worldwidehits and the fans who still revere The Iveys and Badfinger."
The Ham estateis to release some of his early demos recordings to raise money for Local AidChildren's Charity.
Badfingerbiographer and Ham estate representative Dan Matovina said: "Pete Ham wasnot just a wonderful musical talent, he was a wonderful, caring man.
"He lovedchildren and would visit orphanages and play with the children.
"He couldbe quite the jokester, and make them laugh or he'd play the mouth organ andjust entertain. He just wanted to brighten their day."
In 2004, aguitar given to Ham in 1969 by George Harrison fetched £294,000 ($570,000) atauction in New York.
Source: BBC
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Les Dawson Competition:

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LesDawson Competition:
We recently reviewed LesDawson's Joke Book by Tracy and Charlotte Dawson (click on the titleto read), and now those lovely folks at Michael O'Mara Books have given us acopy to give away to one lucky reader
For a chance to win just send your nameand address to:
leicesterbangs (at) hotmail.co.uk 
(subject heading: "LesDawson’s Joke Book"):
Please see our competition rules, termsand conditions here:LeicesterBangs Rules, Terms, Conditions for Competitions
By entering our competition, you agree to be bound byall rules, terms and conditions relating to the competition.
All entries to be in by 31^st December2012.
Be sure to check out the other titles at Michael O'Mara Books
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Review: 1982 and BJ Cole – S/T

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1982 andBJ Cole – S/T (Hubro)1982 is a Norwegian Improvisatory trio that comprisesNils Økland (Hardanger fiddle, violin), Sigbjorn Apeland (harmonium) and ØyvindSkarbo (drums). For some time they’d been considering playing with a guestmusician in order to explore new terrain and after a chance meeting, Øklanddecided BJ Cole should be such a guest.
BJ Cole has been an active Pedal Steel guitarist –crossing genres from pop and rock to jazz and the avant garde - for fourdecades, and has staggering credentials, having worked with T-Rex, Bjork,Sting, Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Iggy Pop, REM, Brian Eno, Luke Vibert, DavidSylvian, and Roy Harper, amongst others.
The amalgamated quartet spent one day in 1982’s usualGreighallen studio freely improvising with occasional random ideas or differenttunings leading the way. As no track names are given, just durations, the albumshould be considered as a whole and it is the unique juxtaposition that makesit so interesting.
Økland plays a traditional Hardanger fiddle, which issimilar to a violin but includes four or five sympathetic strings, which arenot bowed but add resonance to its sound.
Although often associated with Country music Coleemploys a number of devices (including ring modulator, Ebow, Leslie simulator,sitar simulator and MIDI interface) to extend the sonic scope of his instrument.To this mix add the ecclesiastical harmonium and drums and you have a totallyinimitable musical blend.
Be it in places jazzier, in others scratchier orrecalling the widescreen of Ry Cooder’s Paris Texas soundtrack, all in all theoutput provides a curious intersection between Americana, folk music, religiousmusic, jazz, ambience, soundtrack and occasional flirtations with sci-fi.www.1982trio.comwww.bjcole.co.ukwww.hubromusic.comWillsk