The Big Reunion when all is said and done

Last week was the last of the current series of The Big Reunion and it ended with the concert I went to at the end of February.

It didn't show the whole concert but it was still good to relive it all, so much so that I have now pre-ordered the concert DVD and will be going to the Christmas party gig at the O2 in December.  

Watching the concert I was a little relieved (and disappointed) that I didn't make the cut. My friend's friends were in one shot though. Well I knew I was there.

I thought I would use a post to talk about the Big Reunion. I have seen many of these shows - Take That and Spice Girls, where they re-interview old bands who reflect on the good ol' days. Only to reveal that they were not that great and they were plagued by self-doubt, drugs and lots of sex with older fans. The Take That one broke my six-year-old fan heart that the guys were less than perfect. 

I was relieved that watching the Spice Girls one that they were friends with each other, well we all knew Mel B and Geri were at each others throats, but I suppose the most telling thing is that Victoria is never really with other girls anymore. I suppose if I had a multi-million pound global fashion house I wouldn't want to be associated with the 'Posh' Spice label still.

Also the Steps one which was upsetting as they really didn't like each other, so when I saw them on tour all I kept thinking was 'they hate each other really'.

So I was little apprehensive when I saw this show was going to be on. It featured all the bands that I loved when I was a child in the nineties, I saw some as well at radio roadshows. For a re-cap the show featured Honeyz, B*Witched, 5ive, 911, Liberty X, Atomic Kitten and later one Blue, who didn't really split up recently but ah well.

It was a really interesting show revealing what it was like to be in a band during those years. Record labels pushing them to the edge of their sanity if they knew they were on to a good thing. All the bands left on quite good terms, Atomic Kitten always seemed to be fighting, very fiery. 5ive as well were quite interesting proper bad boys.

I loved 5ive and fell more in love with them after the show. They are and were fantastic.

But at the end of the day it was interesting and good to see the bands gelling quite well after all these years.

It does make you wonder after the success of this show who will be in the next series - Cleopatra? Busted? Hear'say? S Club 7? Who knows?

Les Miserablés costume exhibition - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Anyone from Portsmouth will know that the opening scene of the 2012 film version of Les Mis was filmed in the Dockyard, everyone now knows someone who was an extra in the film.

Now those who didn't get the chance to star in the film can get up close to the costumes that feature in it.

The Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth is hosting nineteen of the costumes and a selection of props, which were Oscar and Bafta nominated. This is the first time they have been shown in the UK, courtesy of NBC Universal Archives and collections.

I saw and loved the film so wanted to check them all out, I also wanted to see just how skinny Anne Hathaway got for the film.

The costumes featured include Hugh Jackman's Valjean convict costume  that he wore in his Portsmouth scenes, various costumes worn by Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, Natalya Angel Wallace and Samantha Barks as Eponine, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier, Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop, Daniel Huttlestone as Gavroche, Aaron Tveit as Enjolras.

They aren't all behind glass which is quite cool because you can get quite close and see the intricate detail used and how beautiful even Fantine's dirty red dress is. Let me say as well she is very, very skinny. Her clothes are tiny, so are Samantha Barks. 

It is really good, if you loved the film you will enjoy this. My sister went with me, she hasn't seen Les Mis but said she really wants to now.

There may not be many but it is great for something like this to come to Portsmouth. I hope more come down, we had a great Little Black Dress exhibition at Portsmouth Museum a few years ago and I know people will go to it, well I will..

Tickets are £5 just for the exhibition and it ends on April 14.

To buy tickets online visit: http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/tickets/  I would advise buying in advance as we had to queue to get in.

Fantine - 

Jean Valjean -

Eponine - 

Letter from Cosette to Marius - 

Early Easter chocolate cupcakes

It may be a little early to be making Easter cakes but I'm not sure if I will be making any next week but had an egg and flour that had to be used up so made some cakes.

I used the Hummingbird cupcake book, just a normal chocolate cupcake recipe. I did add chocolate chips but they seemed to drop to the bottom even though I put them in the batter. They didn't burn but they were a little crispy and it annoyed me a bit that it didn't really work.

The icing is just the usual chocolate butter icing, which I seem to have mastered which was good. The recipe said to use 300g of icing sugar but I used 200g as I always have too much and have to bin most of it but that amount worked.

I added mini eggs to the top make them more Eastery.

The cakes were so soft and crumbly really delicious and would be perfect with ice cream.

Film review - Argo

What is Argo all about? Here is what it says on IMDB - A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.

At the Oscars it won - Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay and director Ben Affleck won Best director at the BAFTAs. However, Affleck was not nominated for best director at the Oscars....words escape me.

I had left it until it came out on DVD before seeing it, and I wish I hadn't as it is a brilliant film. More than brilliant, I don't just...I can't describe how good it is. 

I think as well because it is a true story you know if someone dies they actually died. So at the end when they are trying to get the fugitives out I felt so nervous and apprehensive and worried. Concerned for their welfare and willing them to get away. I also wasn't sure if they did get away as I hadn't read up on it so I was even more nervous and felt like crying at the end, just really emotional.

This is a no messing film it just gets down to business. It isn't over dramatic and doesn't drag, it just gets on with it.

Ben Affleck as always is great but I loved Alan Arkin, I think he is a splendid actor and was so good in Little Miss Sunshine. He has great comic timing and gets a lot of laughs. John Goodman is fantastic as well.

I don't know what else to say as I don't want to give away too much, but you should watch it as it is an amazing film.

It is such an emotional rollercoaster of a film and really deserves all the awards it has won. 

Film review - Oz the Great and Powerful

The Wizard of Oz is without a doubt my favorite film. I have loved it since I was a child and can sit and watch it from beginning to end without fast-forwarding or getting restless I love it.

So I am sometimes a bit skeptical when it comes to re-makes. I had no interest in seeing Andrew Lloyd Webber's remake of the musical. However, I did read Wicked and saw the musical and loved it. I suppose I don't mind re-imagining of the story before it is just the actual story I want left alone.

When I saw Oz The Great and Powerful was coming out I was looking forward to seeing it and thought the cast looked amazing - James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis, and directed by Sam Raimi which is quite interesting really as he has directed the Spider-man films and The Evil Dead.

It starts in black and white and in a square, just like the original 1939, and then when he gets to Oz is goes into glorious technicolour. 

The story is about Oz, a conman/magician in Kansas who gets swept up in a tornado and ends up in Oz. He is found by Theodora (Kunis) who believes he is the Wizard here to save Oz from the wicked witch. She brings him to her sister Evanora (Weisz) who doesn't quite believe the prophecy is true. On his travels he finds Glinda the Good Witch (Williams) they join forces to give Oz back to the people. He is also joined by a winged monkey called Finley (Zach Braff) and the beautiful China Girl (Joey King). 

There are a few laughs some from Finley. It is a brilliant, nostalgia, family film. 

James Franco is unlikable but likable at the same time. Mila Kunis is phenomenal, her transformation from naive Theodora to someone completely different and altogether wicked is brilliant.

I watched the film in 3D and unlike other films it didn't feel like it was in 3D for 3D's sake. It added depth and made you feel as if you are looking through a window. Really beautiful and bright and colourful.

If you love The Wizard of Oz I think you will like this as it is similar to it, almost a homage. This is a brilliant film, although I do think it is a little to CGI-ed. A lot of special effects, but still fantastic. Go see with the family.

Delia Smith's Lemon drizzle cake with poppy seeds

Last week I got a copy of Delia's Cakes book for only £7.50 through O2 Priority moments, which was great as it should have been £25.

There are so many cakes in the book, loads of biscuits, cakes, loafs and muffins, and as it is Delia I knew it wouldn't be too difficult.

As it is Mother's Day today I decided to make a cake and picked the lemon drizzle with poppy seed one.

It was really easy to make, you just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then put in the cake tin.

The only problem I had was to do with my oven. In the centre of the cake it had risen so there was more mixture so the outside had cooked but the middle was still gooey.

This wasn't helped by the fact that we poured a sugar lemon syrup all over it so it made it even wetter. I will admit that this cake has so much sugar in it and on it and it is very lemony but it tastes delicious, would probably make a nice pudding with cream.

The Courteeners, Pyramids, Portsmouth, Monday, March 4, 2013

Anna

The Courteeners, what can I say.

This was the fifth time I have seen them perform live. The first of which being in 2008 at the University of Southampton  student union we could only stay for 45 minutes due to last train home but it was brilliant and from then on my boyfriend and I were hooked to this band from Middleton, Greater Manchester.

The band's first album St Jude came out in 2007 and I am still gutted to this day that we didn't go to one of their first gigs in the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. I think we have made up for it though having seen them at the Pyramids twice, Bournemouth O2 and in Chester as part of Chester Rocks.

They never disappoint and I think this gig was the best I have ever seen them live. The band, made up of Liam Fray, Michael Campbell, Daniel Moores and Mark Cuppello, seemed more comfortable on stage and you could tell that Liam was feeding off the atmosphere.

I always thought that bands could never really see the audience but I think on this occasion it was Liam who had a front row view. He interacted with people on the front, and looked in amazement at a crowd of lads dancing and moshing in the middle of the floor.

To start with voice his didn't sound as strong as it had done on previous gigs but seemed to warm up pretty quickly. I think he is probably fitter than I've ever seen him, in both senses of the word, as he seems to have lost quite a bit of weight, he looked great.

The band kicked off with Are You in Love with a Notion? From new album Anna, I would say by the crowds reaction to this song and Push Yourself, which they played after, it didn't seem as if many people had the new album. They livened up a bit after the latest single Lose Control, but practically erupted for Cavorting  and Acrylic.

The songs from the first two albums  St Jude and Falcon went down a storm and the room was buzzing.
Liam added at one point that he was worried people would have forgotten about them but seemed to have a strong following in the room.

The thing I love about The Courteeners is that they are still relatively unknown but should be massive. They never really headline festivals but do play a lot of them. I love them and they are one of my favourites.

My favourite song has to be Take Over the World which looked beautiful with two glitter balls casting a ray of stars around the Pyramids. It looked so good and the song was perfect for the mood, the crowd even quietened down a bit.

Surprisingly they didn't play You Overdid it Doll but ended with Not Nineteen Forever and What Took you So Long?

I loved on the set the light at the back of Anna from the album cover, I joked with my boyfriend that I wouldn't mind it when we have a place of our own.

Liam treated the crowd to a little acoustic bit where he played The Rest of the World has Gone Home this didn't really calm the crowd down but really showed off his fantastic vocal ability.

Liam described the gig on Twitter as manic, with chants of Liam whenever there was a quiet moment, we maybe Southerners but we do love these Northerners.

If you have never seen The Courteeners before but you are going to festival where they are playing check them out you really won't be disappointed.

'Spectacular, Spectacular' - The wonder of Baz Luhrmann

With The Great Gatsby out in May my love of the great Baz Luhrmann has resurfaced, especially as I have been listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack quite a bit recently. As I write I have the film playing in the background.

I think Baz Luhrmann (along with Christopher Nolan) is one of my favourite directors. I love the extravaganza and opulence of his Red Curtain Trilogy. Moulin Rouge is one of my favourite films and makes me think of the classic Hollywood musicals of old.

As with most of Baz's film he takes something - a dance, Shakespeare or musicals and adds his own modern twist.

Everyone post-1996 would have seen his version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio. Set in Verona beach it features guns and gangs but with the fantastic twist with the modern look when they open their mouths they speak in the original Shakespearean text.

The Red Curtain Trilogy so called not because it features the same characters, plot or even same countries but the theatrical nature of the stories. They are dramatic, theatrical and visionary.

His first film was Strictly Ballroom. Set in Australia it is a classic ugly duckling story. Scott is a talented ballroom dance champion who longs to dance his own steps. When he is dumped by his dance partner he starts to practise with Fran the ugly duckling of the ballroom school. It is a very camp film but brilliant. So Australian and funny.

My all time favourite though is Moulin Rouge. A musical with a difference set in 1899 at the Moulin Rouge it is bright and brash, the twist is the fact that all the songs are modern songs - Bowie's Heroes, Roxanne by the Police and The Show Must Go On by Queen. The only original is the heart-wrenching Come What May, a beautiful ballad.

When I saw this in the cinema back in 2001 I felt like clapping at the end of each musical number, it evokes so much nostalgia and you feel as if you could be at the theatre. It is also the only film that has really made me properly cry my eyes out...every time!

Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are just fantastic in it. Poor Satine and Christian fell in love so quickly to just lose each other! A really beautiful film. It really pulls my heart strings.


Not included in the trilogy but still epic and dramatic is Australia. It received a bit of a warm reception at the cinema but is a beautiful film. It stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and looks at the lost children of Australia. It is nearly three hours and truly is an old fashioned epic you could imagine seeing in the golden age of cinema.

Now I am really over the moon to see Luhrmann and DiCaprio join forces again for The Great Gatsby. It looks brilliant and I can't wait to see what twists he has for this film. Well Jay Z is doing the soundtrack so who knows.

I love Luhrmann and if you love bif dramatic films you will love his.