Wednesday 20 March 2013

Peter Crawford - 24 Gigs, 24 Hours

 One of the things I like to do when I can, is show some support for local musicians, upcoming bands, people whose music NEEDS to be heard. Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Cornish singer/songwriter, Peter Crawford, at one of his shows in Exeter, and I thought it was about time he got a little more recognition!



Not only is Peter Crawford a talented musician, he's also gearing up to raise money for a great cause. On April 23rd, he will be performing 24 gigs in 24 hours in and around Plymouth to raise much needed funds for the Devon & Cornwall Air Ambulances Trusts. Anyone who has ever seen the Air Ambulance at work will know what a worthwhile cause this is but the cost of keeping these life-saving helicopters running is millions of pounds, so they really rely on generosity to keep them going.

This is where you could help. You see, it isn't just locals who rely on the Devon & Cornwall Air Ambulances. Every year, masses of tourists flock to the Westcountry to enjoy the beautiful beaches and get some fresh, country air. Having worked in the tourist industry for a while in my youth, I saw the Air Ambulance called out several times, to offer aid to people who were visiting the area. Lives were saved because generous people from all over chipped in to keep the helicopters in the air.

24 gigs in 24 hours won't be easy, but Peter has his route all mapped out, and he's ready to entertain in the name of charity! So, if you want to offer some support, you can do so here.

Also, if you happen to be in the area, here is a guide to where you can see Peter on the big day. Why not come out and enjoy some excellent tunes?

The schedule is still coming together but here it is so far.
00:00 Kitty O'Hanlon's
01:00 (TBC)
02:00 Tesco Roborough
03:00 ASDA
04:00 Tesco Lee Mill
05:00 City Centre landmarks
06:00 City Centre landmarks
07:00 Café Nero
08:00 Cap'n Jaspers
09:00 PCAD (TBC)
10:00 Hartnolls
11:00 Plymstock School
12:00 City College Plymouth
13:00 Skymind Studios
14:00 Saltash Leisure Centre
15:00 Fore St Air Ambulance shop Saltash (TBC)
16:00 Last Stop Record Shop
17:00 Plymouth Arts Centre
18:00 The Minerva
19:30 Blues Bar
20:30 UPSU
21:30 Vauxhall Quay (Acoustic Academy)
22:30 The Treasury (TBC)
23:30 Kitty O'Hanlon's


Good luck, Peter!



Monday 18 March 2013

The Top Ten Movie Blogfest


Today, it's the Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and I don't mind telling you that picking just ten, then trying to put them in the right order was one of the hardest things I've ever done LOL!










10. Chorusline

Don't judge me, I LOVE a musical! When I was a kid, my friend and I used to go through phases of watching certain movies over and over again. Chorusline was one of them, and to this day, I can still recite the whole movie.

9. Hairspray (Original)

While I do love the newer, musical version of Hairspray, I think I'll always prefer the original. It was less of a musical, and more... dark and twisted, I guess lol. Not, TOO dark and twisted, but the humour is darker. And Ricki Lake is wonderful!

8.The 40-Year-Old Virgin

I'm not ashamed to admit, I have a teenage boy's sense of humour, so The 40-Year-Old Virgin is pretty much my ideal film LOL! The first time I watched it, it was in the middle of a VERY low point in my life, and I hadn't laughed in a long time. However, this movie had me laughing so hard I had to hit pause so I didn't miss anything while I was giggling! My fondness for it is partly because it's a funny film, and partly because it dragged me out of a rubbish place.

7. Shrek

Come on, who doesn't love Shrek?

6. Talladega Nights

This is ridiculousness as its best. There are so any lines of comedy genius - if you haven't seen it you really must!

5. Leon (The Professional)

I know this one looks a bit weird in amongst my other choices, but I genuinely think this is one of the best movies EVER. Not for the faint-hearted, but Gary Oldman puts in a performance that mesmerizes me every time I watch it. Brilliant.

4. My Best Friend's Wedding

In real life, if a crazy woman tried to break up a wedding, you probably wouldn't want to hang out with her. But in this movie, you can't help root for Julia Roberts as she tries to take down the perky, and slightly irritating Cameron Diaz to get the man of her dreams. It's funny and sweet, and has that classic moment that everyone always remembers.


3. Love, Actually

Full of Christmas magic, some of the finest actors Britain has to offer, and enough romance to make anyone feel all mushy!

2. The Wedding Singer

Speaking of epic comedy moments....


1. The Rocky Horror Show

The first time I ever saw The Rocky Horror Show, I was a little traumatised lol.  However, I watched it again and learned to appreciate the true brilliance of it. I mean, it's so fabulously weird, it's hard not to love it!

Don't forget to check out the other bloghop participants, the link is at the top of the page! :D 

Monday 11 March 2013

Dancing On Ice Final: Why Beth Took The 2013 Dancing On Ice Crown

So, some of you will know ITV1's "Dancing On Ice" is pretty much my favourite TV show of the year. What's not to love? Ice dancing is beautiful, dangerous, and there are lots of sexy men wearing tight clothes! :p

The final of this year's series aired last night, and the winner was quite a shock to some people - though I'm not really sure why. You see, Beth Tweddle was being tipped as the winner for quite some time, so the angry reaction on Twitter when Matt Lapinskas didn't win was a little weird. From what I could gather, many viewers felt Matt was too cocky, and his Twitter exchanges with his ex Shona McGarty did little to dispel that theory.

Here are my theories as to why Beth triumphed over Matt.

Firstly - she was brilliant. Not saying Matt wasn't, but it wasn't as if she was stumbling around all over the ice like she'd had a few too many pre-show vodkas. People seemed to think Matt's ability was far superior, and in reality, it wasn't at all. They were on par with each other and it could have gone either way.

Secondly, while Matt was always fantastic on the ice, Beth grew through the competition. She got stronger and stronger every week. Sure, Matt learned how to get better control of his skates, and pulled off some great tricks, but Beth's transformation was much more noticeable, and people love that. They respond to people who don't whine when they get bad comments, and instead, they pick up and try harder.

Finally, Beth is one of our Olympic heroes, and we are still holding onto that pride from last summer. I mean, come on. Louis Smith won Strictly Come Dancing, and Victoria Pendleton was absolutely horrendous, and look how long she stayed in the competition! As a nation, we are still very much in the midst of a love affair with our Olympians, so that factor must have helped. The only difference with Beth is that she genuinely did deserve her place in the final.

But mostly, on the night, she was simply fantastic, despite the judges poor marking. Giving Matt's showcase full marks was bizarrre. He skated well, but there was nothing in it that was memorable, while Beth, and even Luke Campbell put their heart and souls into routines that were packed with fun and impressive moves.  The judges favouritism for  Matt was never clearer than when the results were announced. Jason Gardiner looked outraged, Karen disappointed, Robin surprised. I know you can't control your expression when you hear something unexpected, but frankly, the sulky and pissy look on Jason's face that continued right to the closing credits was unprofessional. It's one thing having favourites, but being so very blatant about it showed huge disrespect for Beth's achievements.

I leave you with Beth's amazing showcase - and, now we countdown to next year's show!