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Celebrity Mastermind
Specialist subject: Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Tag Archives: zombies
The art of newswriting – KU Writing School Class notes
These are links to some of the stories and ideas we discussed in Thursday’s class. RADIO: BBC R4 NEWS BRIEFING (play 2nd item from 1:18 to 1: 59) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03sbkqq TV: ARIEL SHARON FUNERAL JAN 2014 (JEREMY BOWEN) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25709378 TABLOID … Continue reading
Posted in journalism, Kingston University class notes, Media, Radio, TV, Uncategorized
Tagged BBC, Dave Lee Travis, journalism, Kingston University, Lois Lane, media, Superman II, zombies
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Missing news: A tale of an NHS rally, zombies and security guards
Should the BBC have given more attention and coverage to a mass protest rally over NHS changes outside Tory party Conference in Manchester on Sept 29th last weekend that attracted over 50,000 marchers? The rally, organised by unions, was mentioned. But like other … Continue reading
Posted in journalism, Media, Politics, TV, Uncategorized
Tagged BBC, Conservatives, journalism, Manchester, media, Newswatch, NHS, politics, zombies
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Plotting the arc of darkness with Joss Whedon
Here’s a link to my interview with Joss Whedon for Radio 3’s Night Waves on June 12th. We covered his writing for Roseanne, Shakespearean superheroes, his love of musicals — especially Brigadoon — the way studios treat writers, (take Firefly … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Children, Comedy, Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Media, Radio, Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV, Uncategorized
Tagged BBC, books, Brigadoon, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, cinema, culture, feminism, film, FTW, Hollywood, Joss Whedon, literature, media, music, Musicals, Roseanne, tv, zombies
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How The Middle East Became Another Planet
From Flash Gordon’s Ming the Merciless with his harem and his war rocket Ajax, to Frank Herbert’s prophecy-obsessed desert tribes in Dune battling over a valuable resource, the Middle East has always been another planet to western science fiction creators. … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Culture, History, Politics, Religion, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged 70s, Arab Spring, Argo, books, cinema, culture, Egypt, film, Iran, literature, Planet of the Apes, politics, terrorism, war, zombies
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Broken clocks & zombie apocalypse
I have a thing about broken public clocks. I wrote a piece for The Big Issue about why I think they’re the first step on the way to social breakdown and chaos. Think Day of the Triffids when there’s no … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, History
Tagged Alfie Dennen, Caledonian Clock Tower, Cally Clock, clocks, culture, time, Victorian engineering, zombies
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Martin Landau and the Art of Darkness
I was lucky enough to interview Martin Landau when he was in London for the Film Festival premiere of Frankenweenie. Like a lot of 70s kids I first discovered him as Space:1999′s haunted looking Commander Koenig. When discussing his career … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Radio, Science, TV, Uncategorized
Tagged 50s, cinema, Crimes and Misdemeanours, Dracula, film, Francis Ford Coppola, Frankenweenie, FTW, Hollywood, James Dean, Martin Landau, Mission impossible, Mr Spock, Space 1999, Star Trek, The Strand, Tim Burton, Tucker, tv, Woody Allen, zombies
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Aliens, abortion and baby machines: HG Wells & John Wyndham
Woman’s Hour ran a fascinating interview today with novelist Kishwar Desai, about India’s burgeoning surrogate baby industry. Her exploration of this massive business (an estimated 20,000 babies produced each year) seems to differ from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale only … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Children, Culture, Film, Politics, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged 50s, 60s, abortion, aliens, books, cinema, culture, film, HG Wells, John Wyndham, literature, Martians, science fiction, zombies
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Something Warhammer This Way Comes
I discovered the world of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K through my son. Warhammer 40K was launched just over 25 years ago. To mark the anniversary I have written a feature about its world of table top fantasy wargaming for the BBC … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Games, War
Tagged culture, FTW, Games Workshop, media, Nottingham, war, Warhammer, zombies
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Thor: Tales from Shakespeare (and Johnny Utah)
While there’s been much surprise at the choice of Kenneth Branagh to direct Marvel Studios’ action film Thor, there’s plenty of evidence that he was an inspired choice. This is my post today for The Spectator Arts Blog. Thanks to … Continue reading
Posted in Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Film, Theatre, Uncategorized
Tagged branagh, cinema, culture, film, loki, shakespeare, superman, thor, zombies
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Why I’m a Cover Girl.
Listening to R2’s ‘Sounds of the 60s” this morning, I realised to my shame that I had no memory of ever before hearing the original Beach Boys’ version of “Break Away.” Why? Because in the mid 80s I discovered the … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Media, Music, Uncategorized
Tagged 80s, beach boys, beatles, brill building, cover versions, culture, harvey and the wallbangers, music, spanish harlem, zombies
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