#@ uk tv studios: call me

[adrienneleclerc]

Hey there I was wondering if you could write for Henry Cavill and can it be something like y/n is kind of a newly famous younger singer and is on the Graham Norton Show with Henry and you know he’s always kind of been objectified which kind of makes me sad so maybe Graham mentions that y/n is a fan of Henry and he assume it’s mostly about his looks but y/n asks Henry about gaming and stuff like War Hammer and stuff and he’s really happy that it’s not just a bout his looks and it’s a cute moment as they bond about that stuff and maybe turns a little flirty. Hope that makes sense x

This is so cute! I have watched some Graham Norton interviews with Henry Cavill and I have looked up about War Hammer to make it as accurate as possible, Y/N will be 28, I believe that age gap is good, 12 year age gap like my parents’, hope you like it! Like always, it will be Hispanic Reader because you didn’t clarify ☺️

Nerds in Love

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Hispanic/Latina! Reader

Summary: Henry Cavill and Y/N bond over their love for Warhammer and World of Warcraft in the most unlikely place.

Warning: no warnings.

A/N: im sorry if I keep mentioning Eiza González in my Henry Cavill fanfics but she is literally the only Latina that can be linked to him, the only other Latina is technically Shakira and I don’t think they even talked. Also, I LOVE Becky G so she will ALWAYS be like a reference when it comes to outfits or songs when writing about “singer! Reader”

Y/N was in the recording booth, recording her new song.

“Soy muy buena niña, 100 de calificación, tengo todo bien resuelto, vivo chill de vacación, cerveza, billar, dados, tacos son mi tradición, pero tú eres idiota.” Y/N sang but her manager made a signal to stop and the backing track stopped, Y/N took off her headphones. “What’s going on? I thought it was sounding really good.” Y/N got out of the booth.

“It was, it really was, my dear, but I got a call and Graham Norton wants you on his show as his musical guest.” Y/N manager, Milagros, said. Y/N got a water bottle out of the mini fridge by the soundboard.

“Graham Norton? I didn’t think I was popular enough with the UK crowd, I just started.” Y/N said, drinking water.

“Your song was in a movie, you gained a lot of fans from that. Plus, you’d be surprised how many Europeans LOVE Latinas. Would you be interested? He wants you in 2 weeks.” Milagros said

“I don’t know if I can, I don’t even watch the show.” Y/N said.

“Well, i thought you’d be interested since Henry Cavill will be one the guests.” Milagros said, she turned to leave the studio.

“In 2 weeks, right?” Y/N asked.

“Yes! Okay so Henry Cavill will be there with Eiza González, and Henry Goulding. I’m gonna make the call, continue recording, this song is going to be a hit, I know it.” Milagros walked away to make the call.

“Okay compa, do we start from the top?” Y/N asked, stepping into the booth.

“Yes, that would be preferable.” The music producer said.

Y/N was backstage getting her makeup done.

“Oh my god, I’m so nervous. I’ve seen what people have said about Renee Rapp and how she has no media training, these people will rip me to shreds.” Y/N began to panic to Milagros.

“A ver, mi niña, cálmate, You’re going to be great, you’re going to sing your heart out, sit with the Henries and Eiza, and answer some questions that Graham might have about your musical journey. You’ve been working for this, you’ll be great.” Milagros said. Y/N was wearing a decent performance outfit that’s also TV appropriate.

“And welcoming the Latin Pop Princess of the moment, here’s Y/N L/N singing her hit, ‘Arranca’” Graham announced and Y/N walk out on stage wearing this.

She sang her song and everyone applauded. Y/N walked over to sit next to Henry Goulding.

“Y/N, that was a spectacular performance, honestly.” Graham complimented her.

“Oh thank you, I was very nervous, this is my first TV appearance.” Y/N responded.

“Does not seem like it. I’ve heard that you are a big fan of Henry Cavill.” Graham said.

“Oh yes, I really am.” Y/N responded, nodding her head excitedly.

“Are you a fan of his shirtless movie scenes?” Graham asked and Y/N laughed a little before catching a glimpse of Henry who looked a little uncomfortable with Graham’s question.

“No actually, I became a fan of his when I discovered that he’s into Warhammer as well.” Y/N replied and Henry looked at her.

“Really?” Henry asked.

“Yes! I’ve collected quite a few, sometimes I just don’t have the time to paint all of them so there are a few figurines left untouched.” Y/N said.

“Whenever you finish painting, we should play together sometime.” Henry said.

“I’d like that a lot actually, it’s a dream come true to okay Warhammer with the great Henry Cavill, are you kidding?” Y/N said and there a few laughs.

“So Y/N, you’re still new to the industry, only being signed for what, 5 months? How did you get discovered?” Graham asked

“Well, my friend was holding this fundraiser because she runs that performing arts school in New York, the one Timothee Chalamet went too…” Y/N started and there were cheers in the crowd. “Yeah, Timothee is popular, anyway, she needed to replace a performer who got sick, she knows I sing, so instead of playing world of Warcraft that night, I was singing on stage and this woman, who is now my manager, came up to me with this tall guy and said I had a really great voice and if I was interested in becoming a singer.” Y/N said.

The last 6 minutes of the show was just Y/N answering questions because she is new to the industry. When the show finished, Y/N was walking backstage when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw Henry.

“You play world of Warcraft too?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, I do. Along with The Witcher, it’s actually the reason why I became a fan of you. I know I said it with Graham, but it’s awesome that there’s a celebrity with the same hobbies as me, you know? Besides, it’s fun to surprise people who only see me as a pretty face.” Y/N said.

“Yes, I feel the same way, a lot of people see my body and they become a fab of me because they think I’m hot.” Henry said.

“I mean you are hot, but you are so much more than that.” Y/N said

“What do you feel about getting dinner with me right now?” Henry asked. Y/N looked down at her outfit.

“Let me change and I’ll let Milagros know.” Y/N said.

“I’ll wait for you outside the door so we can leave together.” Henry said and Y/N went to her dressing room and told Milagros everything.

“Ay mija, Im so excited for you. Have fun, tell me everything.” Milagros said, giving Y/N her change of clothes.

Y/N walked out and saw Henry on his phone. He looked up as soon as he heard the door open and close.

“You look great. Let’s go.” Henry said, holding out his arm so Y/N could hold on as they started walking out of the studio.

The End

I hope you like it! I was thinking of a part 2 where Henry and Y/N are on the show again and Y/N sings “So American” and they just talk about their relationship. If you think that’s a good idea that is

Taglist: @warriormirkwood

[agendabymooner]

heaven ! fernando a. x ofc (mom!professional wrestler!canadian!ofc)

"i don't know how heaven could be better than this."

summary: everyone's talking about the hearth sisters, lester and their partners. but what about the original F1 it couple of the 2000s? OR beatrice anastasia 'trish' alonso is the only woman who can balance out fernando alonso's insanity with her calmness, and she happens to be the grid's crush of the season.

content warning: fluff, mentions of mclaren fernando, dad!fernando, family-centric (ish), possible use of explicit language, badly translated spanish, tim hortons references, 2023 canadian gp, f1 drivers are down bad, petty fernando at the very end, using 'trish stratus' (the actual ring name of the wrestler) as the ring name of oc

note: was writing third part of my max verstappen thing, worked on cmyc for a minute, thought about nando and that photo with the models, made these posts, had a breakdown. bon appetit xx

masterlist

2018 ROYAL RUMBLE - TRISH STRATUS TALKS ABOUT COMING BACK TO THE RING AS A WOMEN'S ROYAL RUMBLE ENTRANT

[1st image: i've definitely missed being in the ring. for the past few years i've been working back and forth in spain and canada- where my yoga studio is. i've been watching my husband, fernando, race throughout the years and we've been taking the kids along whenever we could.]

[2nd: i've told him (fernando) at some point that i've missed being out there and wrestling. months before, hunter (triple h) called me and wondered if i'd like to be a part of... this. i had never been so happy to hear that they want me to be a part of this very important event that will impact women's history at the professional wrestling industry. now here i am, participating in the first women's royal rumble.]

[3rd: it's been an eye opener for me, to be honest. i've met many women that are new here- some of them apparently grew up watching me alongside stephanie mcmahon and lita and the other ladies. i had never been this happy nefore because we never had the same platform as men - and back then, it wasn't as diverse in the women's division. so for me to be a part of this, so far, has been an absolute privilege. i will never ever waste any time spent here.]

[4th: my husband was more excited than i was *laughs*. throughout his break, he did everything a supportive spouse would have done. he took the kids to watch me train, we often did our workouts and yoga together, he was actually the one who suggested i wore these ring gears. he's highly excited to see me in the ring tonight - he even wore an old trish stratus merchandise that he bought years ago.]

[5th: he's supposed to be in uk for his sim racing practice, but he phoned me few days ago telling me that he was already flying in with our kids - one of which is a six month old - from spain. he said that "he didn't want to miss out on his wife making history again." so... here i am! making history with the most talented women in wwe, as my fernando wanted.]

2016 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX - POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH FERNANDO ALONSO

[1st image: i know that my mom and my wife are watching the tv, so i got out quite quickly.]

[2nd: trisha has been calling me every hour to see if i'm okay. i keep telling her that i'm okay but she doesn't believe me for one bit- i was like "what do you want me to do???" *laughs* but i am flying back to canada as soon as i can because i miss her and our son.]

[3rd: it's not the first time that has happened to me but now i know i have to make it out of such situation because i have a family. our son, frederico, is only 2. i still want to see him and his many siblings grow up, you know? this is the first time i've been scared (enough) because i promised to take him swimming when we go back to spain. so, yes. i would like to get out of australia as quickly as possible so i can rest with my wife and our son.]

tagged fernandoalo_oficial, lance_stroll, astonmartinf1

liked by tillywolff, estebanocon, carlossainzjr

user1 OMG !!! frederico was so little back then 😭

user2 what grade even is frederico in?

thetrishalonso fifth grade! he's turning 10 soon 🥰

astonmartinf1 when freddy and rey dressed for the occasion 💚 liked by thetrishalonso

thetrishalonso of course, green = lucky 🍀

user3 word on the street is that the drivers were drooling over you 😭 can you please confirm? landonorris pierregasly lance_stroll charles_leclerc

oscarpiastri "the source is i made it the fuck up" -user3

yukitsunoda0511 not true 👎

user3 oscarpiastri yukitsunoda0511 i literally didn't ask either of you 💀💀

user4 f1 drivers are obvious and down bad 🙅‍♀️

georgerussell63 thanks for visiting the mercedes garage! it's been a pleasure 😊

user5 oh no they're piling up...

carlossainzjr frederico y reyna estan bien grandes ahora! liked by thetrishalonso

thetrishalonso estoy tan preocupada de que lleguen a ser más altos que yo y su papá.

landonorris thank you for the selfie! i really liked spending time with you and the mini alonsos 😇

lance_stroll thank you so much for the iced capp this weekend! it definitely helped! liked by thetrishalonso

thetrishalonso of course, sweetheart 😘 anything for the aston martin crew!

mickschumacher the everything bagel was very good, thank you so much! teach us how to do the stratusfaction next time!

nyckdevries thank you for introducing tim hortons to us 🙃

estebanocon thank you so much for the timbits 😊 lance failed to be a canadian to us and never got us any the last canadian gp

schecoperez ¡encantado de verte, beatrice!

user6 she got the whole grid on a leash 😭 so girlboss of her

alo_oficial estoy tan feliz de que tú y los niños estuvieran aquí. te quiero mi reina 😍😍 liked by thetrishalonso

thetrishalonso love you too, mi hombre guapo 🥰

tagged thetrishalonso

liked charles_leclerc, pierregasly, landonorris

user1 LMAO YALL NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO FERNANDO 🤣

user2 fernando's bout to enter his dts villain era once more 😭

pierregasly very pretty! 😍

user3 not you having the audacity 🤠

landonorris so fine 🤪

user4 why are y'all asking for your death wish 😭😭

user5 fernando's on his way to wipe half of the grid, thanos style 🤌🥰 as he should

thetrishalonso you're going to have to work hard first then we'll talk babies 3,4 and 5 😘😜 liked by fernandoalo_oficial

fernandoalo_oficial challenge accepted, mi amor

user6 ugh parents 😫 if you need a dog hmu

translations !!! (what i wrote down in the translating app 💀)

frederico y reyna estan bien grandes ahora! = frederico and reyna are so big now!

estoy tan preocupada de que lleguen a ser más altos que yo y su papá = i'm so worried that they'll grow taller than me and their papa

¡encantado de verte, beatrice! = nice seeing you, beatrice!

estoy tan feliz de que tú y chicos estuvieran aquí. te quiero mi reina = i'm so happy you and the kids were here. i love you my queen

mi hombre guapo = my handsome man

solo mi esposa, frederico y reyna, y sus muchos más hermanos por venir = just my wife, frederico and reyna, and their many more siblings to come

[gottiewrites]

Amazon MGM Studios is developing the YA novel “The Loneliest Girl in the Universe” as a feature film.

Variety released the news today:

Amazon MGM Studios is developing the YA novel “The Loneliest Girl in the Universe” as a feature film.

Joe Roth and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum (“Anyone but You,” “Fast X,” the upcoming “Jackpot”) will produce the film alongside Katherine Langford, best known for starring in Netflix’s hit YA series “13 Reasons Why”; Seldy Gray will oversee development for Roth Kirschenbaum Films.

The project is in early development at the studio with Sarah Conradt-Kroehler writing the script, from a treatment by Gary Dauberman.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe was first published in 2017. It was nominated for the 2019 Carnegie medal, named one of Barnes & Noble’s Top 15 YA Books of 2018, and shortlisted for the STEAM Children’s Book Prize 2019.

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication is via email and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone…

I’ve been holding onto this secret for four long years, so I’m beyond thrilled to finally be able to share it.

The production company, Roth/Kirschenbaum, made Damsel (Milly Bobby Brown/Netflix), Anyone but You (Sydney Sweeney/Glen Powell), The School for Good and Evil (Paul Feig/Netflix), Fast X (Vin Diesel) and The Gray Man (Ryan Gosling), so Romy is in very, very good hands indeed.

A movie deal is, obviously, a dream come true. It’s not something I ever thought would happen to me. I feel lucky enough to get to keep writing new books, let alone for someone to make an adaptation of something that came out of my brain.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is a very special story to me. I wrote it when I was 22, fresh out of a physics degree. On the surface, it was inspired by some of the physics I’d learnt about deep space travel at university, but mainly it was propelled by the complicated feelings I had about technically being an ‘adult’ while really just feeling like a naiive kid. It was about internet dating, and fandom as a form of self expression, and my complicated relationship with girlhood (as someone who no longer really identifies as a ‘girl’).

Romy is one of the most precious character I’ve ever created. I poured so much of myself into her personality; her insecurities; her flaws and strengths. So many readers respond to her vulnerability (and mine) with deep love. People have told me that they would die for Romy. That she’s their favourite fictional character of all time. That she’s helped them process so much of their own anxiety, trauma and imposter syndrome. That she’s a role model for girls who are deciding to study science at university. As a writer, it’s the biggest honour to have created someone who feels so real and important to so many people.

I can’t wait for Romy to reach a whole new audience on screen through Amazon MGM Studios. The team at R/K have a very clear vision for Romy’s story, and so much respect for her journey as a character. I’m very excited to see what they create.

I have some experience of the TV industry in UK through my work in the Heartstopper writer’s room as story consultant, but movies and Hollywood are obviously a whole new ballgame. I’m excited and nervous to learn more!

For everyone who’s been with me and Romy since 2017, I hope the The Loneliest Girl in the Universe movie lives up to all your expectations, when it launches (which might be a while off!). Thank you for sticking with me.

And for new readers, you can read the book now. It’s published in the UK, Australia, USA, and in translation in Indonesia, Brazil, Poland and Turkey.

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstones

Foyles

Audible

Amazon US

“A strange, witty, compulsively unpredictable read which blows most of its new YA-suspense brethren out of the water.” – Entertainment Weekly

“Black Mirror-esque. A fantastic slow-build drama. Lauren James is a genius.” – SFX

“Gripping romantic sci-fi thriller.” – Wall Street Journal

“This slow-burning psychological thriller has a killer twist that will make you gasp.” – Bustle

And while you’re all here, a reminder that my next novel Last Seen Online is being published on August 1st. A scandal occurs within the cast of the TV show that Romy writes fanfiction about in The Loneliest Girl in the Universe.

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Waterstones

Audible

Foyles

Fill out this form to receive a signed postcard of character art for Last Seen Online - open to anyone in the UK who preorders the book before 1st August 2024.

A contemporary YA murder mystery set in sun-drenched LA, for fans of Malibu Rising, We Were Liars and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz, aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal. In her quest for the truth, Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories … and murder. And the deeper Delilah digs, the more dangerous it becomes – because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth.

- Wren x

[sgiandubh]

Lionsgate/*** quarter call - not so good as it seems

While I am still fumbling around with the strike's aftermath, let me just quickly say a word or two about ***'s last quarter call, yesterday. Nobody does it as @cb4tb, but FWIW, here goes:

I should immediately say I could not watch the replay on the link provided by the initial press release (here: https://investors.lionsgate.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2023/10-19-2023-140125017), despite my total good will to take one for the team, go to bed early and wake-up at ungodly hours. I have no idea why - maybe access is somehow limited? I would never know, I had no 403 error in my browser, so... 🤷‍♀️. Instead, I could peruse the paper version of the standard Company Quarterly Report (US SEC Form 10-Q), along with some scarce press comments, for a bit of context.

The document is damn long (94 pages) and it reads exactly like I presumed: a kidney stone would be easier to pass (https://investors.lionsgate.com/financial-reports/sec-filings). It's perhaps worth for this phrase alone (on page 43), which really made me stop in my tracks:

At the time of the document's public release, it is technically true and accurate that the tentative deal between AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA still has to be approved by the union's members. However, given the horrendous impact of the strike on almost all things Hollywood and California, for that matter (more on this in a separate post), it's more than likely the deal will hold. The rest is dire: more slashing of content to come, 'if the Company is unable to efficiently complete the production of the film, TV show or program or decides to abandon the production'.

While this does not seem to affect Season 8, this could (I repeat: could) mean that: a) BOMB is gone and b) MIK3 is no longer a priority (the fact that MIK 2, as OL, was listed among the last quarter premieres is not a guarantee it will be continued - not the same amplitude as OL). If so, Season 8 might start shooting as soon as January 2024, since it already has all the needed infrastructure and staff readily available at Cumbernauld (yes, Mordor, the peasant you all love to hate managed perhaps to save the day again!). So OL is doing ok on that side, unlike other productions of other studios, who reportedly started a mad scramble for location scouting and staff recruiting, just before the festive season - that is a big competitive advantage and one of the main reasons I believe it's still entirely possible to pull it off.

The 'thriving' future (according to Feltheimer, that genius 🙄) of *** as a standalone company is still something we severely lack data on, as Lionsgate kept its commitment to go on with the acquisition of Entertainment One (you know, the Peppa Pig people), for a mere 375 million USD, to be completed by January 31, 2024. At the same time, *** is not the only actor on the US media & tech market to proceed to lay-offs and it seems to fare better than many, as I already supposed and told you:

(Sourced at: https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/starz-layoffs-exit-uk-australia-lionsgate-1235779627/).

Something to be closely monitored in the upcoming weeks. I think it's going to be worth it. Sorry for not bringing any sensational content today and I know it's dull and probably uninteresting AF, but it's there and it has to be taken into account, for sure. So yes, 'not as good as it seems' (profit is now mainly driven by motion picture, not television production), but not as bad as expected by the prophets of doom across the street, who - as usually - have no damn idea of what they are talking about.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2004 - Number 16 - Yana - "Скажы мне"

Here's something incredibly rare. Eurovision and the national finals normally take a decade to catch up with mainstream musical trends. Just occasionally, there's something almost contemporary and up to date. In 2004 there's a song that's actually ahead of the curve. In Belarus. You may think that dubstep had its Eurovision heyday in 2013, yet here's Yana doing something with some heavy bass, 2-step rhythms and all the wubs in the TV studios of BTRC in 2004.

Let's start with Yana who's full name is Tatiyana Lipnitskaya - although she's now much better known as Бьянка/Bianka. In 2004 she's still better known as Yana. Not only is she singing here, but she also wrote the song. Her normal genre is R'n'B, and she's already been kicked out of a traditional folk choir in her childhood for 'unconventional vocals'. She's someone who's got an ear for some highly non-Belrusian music and here she isbringing that to a stage that's maybe not ready for such unconventionality.

For context, in 2004 dubstep is still largely a London-based form of music emerging from the UK garage scene over the previous five years. Outside of the record shops of Croydon and clubs in the East End, it's not heard. Even John Peel only started playing this it 2003. English language listening is also evidenced in the lyrics. Even though the song is called Скажы мне (Skazhi mne/Tell Me), it's sung entirely in English. The only bit of this that isn't from a club in the UK is the sample of Russian folk music used in one of the breaks. It's so out of place, and yet it so good!

It will not come as a shock to learn that out of the fifteen songs, this finished tenth. Radical departures in music rarely get immediate public approval, even if the phone vote across the entire field at the Belrusian selection is unbelievably, suspiciously close. Yana did impress the TV producers and new Belarusian delegation so much that they invited her to be the 2005 representative of Belarus at Eurovision - internal selection and everything.

She turned them down.

Since this appearance Bianka has gone from strength to strength - but has had not further involvement in Eurovision. For her first album in 2006 she refined her style and named the album after it - Russian R'n'B. Typically she incorporates traditional Russian instrumentation and styles with a much more contemporary R'n'B sound. Eight albums and fifty-five singles later, she's still going strong. Here's an example of her sound from 2007 - Про лето (Pro leto/About Summer)

[mrschwartz]

Alex Turner on the Arctic Monkeys' musical evolution

By Mark Savage (published on October 22 2022)

Alex Turner is out of breath.

The Arctic Monkeys frontman has just blazed through a guitar solo on Body Paint - the swaggering, Bowie-esque centrepiece of their new album, The Car - on TV institution Later with Jools Holland.

"You've parched me out there," he pants. "Could someone get me a water?"

Unusually, the Arctics are the only band in the studio. For the first time in 15 years, the show is devoting an entire episode to a single act - an honour reserved for rock legends like REM, Radiohead, Metallica and Oasis.

Turner and his band-mates appreciate the enormity of the situation. They film additional takes and switch up their setlist to ensure the new music is conveyed with appropriate punch and panache.

"Gotta make this one count," says Turner as the recording runs into its second hour. "We'll do an acoustic one, and then Born To Run."

The promised Springsteen cover never materialises. Nor does the band's hellraising 2007 hit Brianstorm, despite guitarist Jamie Cook idly bashing out the riff between takes. But, with almost twice as much Monkey business as they'd bargained for, the audience leaves on a high.

"I enjoyed it a great deal," agrees Turner, on the phone to the BBC a couple of days later. "I'm a big fan of that show and I have been for a long time, even before we put the band together."

In fact, his highlight in the run-up to the show was getting access to the Later vaults, to pick a performance that influenced him for broadcast on the show.

"I kind of lost myself in the archive back there for a minute, Mark, to be honest with you," he says. "I found myself gravitating to performances from 2002 and going, 'Oh God, yeah, I remember seeing that and getting excited about it.'"

Of course, 2002 is the year the Arctic Monkeys formed in Sheffield, where all four members were pupils of Stocksbridge High School.

Turner and guitarist Jamie Cook had only received their first guitars a year earlier, as Christmas presents from their parents. The first song they wrote was called "Matt Dave Rock Song" - named for a singer who subsequently left the band, and which they subsequently described as "junk" and "total crap".

But they progressed at speed, developing a sharp, nervy sound full of searing riffs and witty, literate lyrics. By 2005, people were eagerly swapping bootlegs, demos and gossip on dedicated message boards.

When their first album, Whatever People I Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, arrived in 2006 it became the UK's fastest-selling debut of all time, just weeks after Turner's 20th birthday.

Arctic Monkeys were suddenly the most written-about, talked-about rock band of their generation.

They responded by closing ranks.

Back-slapping events like the Brit Awards were avoided, the band accepting prizes in mailed-in videos, dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz. When they played Radio 1's Live Lounge, they subverted their "rock saviour" image by covering Katy B's On A Mission and Girls Aloud's Love Machine.

"I can't really remember the impetus behind that decision," reflects Turner, "but it was a lot of fun".

Musically, Arctic Monkeys went from strength to strength, particularly on the hard-hitting Humbug (2009) and the leather-jacketed rock of AM (2013).

They last graced the charts in 2018 with the space-jazz concept album Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino, which explored themes of consumerism and politics through the concept of a luxury resort on the moon.

Turner composed its languid, meandering songs on piano, declaring the guitar "had lost its ability to give me ideas".

Critics were divided. Rolling Stone called the album "indulgent", but Q Magazine thought it was "strange and wonderful". Fans sent the album to number one, but it's the only Arctic Monkeys record not to be certified platinum.

Released on Friday, The Car is tighter and more immediate than its predecessor but it spins in the same sonic universe.

Opening track There'd Better Be A Mirror Ball is all woozy keyboards and staccato string stabs, while Jet Skis On The Moat sees Turner slip on his velvet jacket for a brooding lounge-pop ballad.

"I made a big deal about the piano on the last record," says the singer, "but when I look at it now, the shift in sound between that record and the one before [AM] is more to do with the fact that my writing process [changed] around that time".

In the Arctic Monkeys' first decade, he explains, he'd take a song "into a rehearsal room and work out how it goes with the band". That's gradually become more insular, with Turner building up songs in his home studio until he feels they're ready.

"So the piano had a part in it, but being able to record myself and write to those recordings is perhaps what got us into this mess."

That's not the only thing that's changed.

"I can vaguely remember times in the past where I've been struck with the inspiration and written something quite quickly, but it feels like that happens less these days," he says. "But I'm not worried if it takes a little bit longer."

In fact, some of the musical motifs on The Car percolated for three years before he "persuaded them to be a pop song".

Among them was the instrumental refrain of Big Ideas, a gorgeous electric piano melody that "felt like it had aspirations to be a movie theme".

"It hung around for ages, that melody, and I'd play it whenever I found myself sitting at a piano [until] one of the band asked, 'Is that one of yours?'

"And that's about as excited as they get," he jokes.

Their enthusiasm encouraged him to build the passage into a song that describes a songwriter's (favourite) worst nightmare.

"I had big ideas... the kind you'd rather not share over the phone," Turner sings. "But now the orchestra's got us all surrounded and I can't for the life of me remember how they go."

It's one of many lyrics that hint at instability and dislocation.

The music, meanwhile, reflects his emotional turbulence. The band often sound like they're fighting to be heard - bursting through an orchestral swell to gasp for air, only to be dragged under the surface again.

"There was much discussion and deliberation" about those "push and pull dynamics", Turner says.

Some tracks, like Sculptures, were recorded with several different arrangements, then reconstructed in the mix.

The track was born when guitarist Jamie Cook wired a Moog synthesizer up to a drum machine, creating an ominous, industrial sound. Then it "went on its own journey", evolving into a full-band recording, before the original idea reasserted itself.

On the finished version, "it's almost like there's a button for the band and you press it and they step in for a bar, then they disappear back and you're in that synthesizer place," Turner explains.

"That, of course, is not the kind of idea that I would have had before we started. That's something that revealed itself during the process.

"So I'm thrilled that you mentioned the dynamics because that's something we attempted to explore and get a handle on this time. And yeah, I think I think we did a better job in that respect, than we did last time around."

Back on stage in Alexandra Palace, Arctic Monkeys are still figuring out how to play the new material live, taking a couple of passes at the funky, sqawkbox riffs of I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am before they're satisfied.

Without a string section, the songs become harder, more full-blooded - giving an idea of how they'll nestle up to Fluorescent Adolescent and RU Mine on tour.

And while some bands (cough, Radiohead, cough) abandon their old hits when they settle on a new sound, Turner has no such inclination.

"There's certain numbers from the early records that I should think we would continue to keep playing. And there are other numbers we haven't played for a while that we could imagine knocking the dust off. "

"Nothing has been ruled out," he concludes. "Although Love Machine might be a stretch."

[devouringyourson]

I'm curious what's your view on working in the film industry in general?

I've been in and out working in the costume/wardrobe dept for a few years now and am ready to call quits. I find it too unstable, stressful and underpaid, but i'm from a small country with an even tinier industry so idk how it is in london or hollywood?

I have a feeling like the entire industry is on it's knees, with the major drop in quality and the insane lifestyle that comes with the job imo steel nerves and rich parents are a must.

it's.. yeah i empathize with you a lot cos right now it's incredibly spotty and unstable especially for freelance crew. I can only talk for the UK but generally there was a big commissioning boom after COVID that gave everyone unrealistic expectations and lots of people (including myself joined the industry) now after the strikes every studio is playing it safe and there's just not the work for all of us and so many people are leaving or being pushed to breaking point. I do think departments like costume are the worst hit, especially as these have so many below the line female workers who depend on often only dailies. I would love to work in costume I have such a passion for costume design and construction but it's too insular and toxic I've stayed well clear haha

I've always been in production and started out in factual TV (which is generally a lot more chill but has suffered huge losses recently no one is commissioning and loads of unscripted indies in the regions have gone under) so haven't experienced the worst of the industry which imo seems to be freelance film crew. Especially in 'craft' areas as these are particularly unregulated and difficult to break into. There's increasing schemes but there's so much gatekeeping in costume, props, sfx, art etc which results in nepotism and abusive practices. Generally I've found the production management side a bit more stable and meritocratic as anyone can do office work but there's still so much nepotism and black listing going on. I've always managed to stay in-house which gives me some security and stable employment but it's still a waiting game to see if we're actually going to shoot anything this year or all be fired. Every film/show release feels it could flop and we'd all be gone tomorrow.

So yeah I'm kinda losing the will to live but I've been super lucky and have purposefully chosen the more boring routes that are more secure. I'm sure if I had rich parents I probably would've done something I'm passionate about and pursued screenwriting or directing or set design but that was never really an option for me so joined the industry in the only way I saw I could: the management side. I also never thought film was possible so aimed for local TV and just kinda ended up here by accident

It's definitely kinda awful but if anyone is discouraged I would still say that we're still living through a comparative historical boom in content (though it's shrinking) and a career is possible. There's a lot of access schemes and ways in if you want and if successful you can get a very good wage. It's just hard bloody work and kinda psychologically scarirng. I would always say just aim for what you can cope with. There's a lot more 'boring' options that are a lot less toxic (local TV, children's content, unscripted and then a lot of tangential work like film finance, marketing and management).

I don't wanna discourage people to try cos I feel like underrepresented voices is exactly what we desperately need to get some interesting storytelling 😭😭 I'm hopeful something's gotta give though as even though the studios are being super cowardly, consumer taste is at least changing and people are desperate for something new. People have just gotta try new things, support local and indie talent and stop watching bloody sequels (and also hot take actually watch films legally when they can)

[fredseibertdotcom]

Next New Networks, Part 2 : “YouTube will be our distributor.”

I’m going to try, in as few posts as possible, to create a coherent timeline of the short, eventful life of Next New Networks, an early, consequential moment in streaming video history. 

From Part 1: There was almost no “professional” quality video on iTunes in November 2005. The result for us? 1 million downloads in the first 30 days! We had some hits! 

Part 2: Early 2006 

Wait! What? iTunes? What about YouTube?! 

Let’s set the scene of online video in late 2005. The consumer internet is still coming into its own. Broadband connections, which will supercharge video consumption, have barely made themselves known. Vimeo is first, but starved by its corporate parent, YouTube is going to be the big thing, but it’s still independent, Google has launched its own (ultimately failed) competitor. No one understands who/what online video is for. 

In our case, we announced Channel Frederator and VOD Cars as “video podcasts” and YouTube was wedding videos and baby’s birthday party. Apple iTunes was the place for podcasts, and Emil and David Karp were the only two people who’d pointed out to me that iTunes had recently been optimized to handle video, not just audio. 

What did it all mean to me? Who the fuck knows? I had no particular plan, neither did Emil. Things just seemed cool, it was fun. I had a loose professional agenda, but it was a cartoon agenda, not particularly an online video strategy. 

That said, as our numbers kept growing, and Steve Jobs used our logo in live presentations for the Video iPod, I said to Emil: 

“You know, if we could launch 100 of these channels with this kind of performance, we could have our own media company!” Emil nodded, and we decided to register www.NextNewNetworks.com in January 2006. What the hey! 

Like a lot of people, I was intrigued with the notion that the internet would allow everyone to watch "television" (video?) everywhere. Emil pushed me along as early as 2001, showing me how internet TV would be better served with a user interface like early AOL, prophetically the same as we now have with so-called "smart TVs."

Well, great! But still, no plan. 

Jed Simmons @Next New Networks 2009

Until Jed Simmons started showing up. 

Jed and I had been partners at Turner Broadcasting, the top two dogs running Hanna-Barbera Cartoons for Ted Turner until he sold his whole company to Time Warner (now WBD). He’d moved to the UK, got involved in venture, moved back to NewYork, I moved back to NY to run MTV’s online business for a minute, quit and opened Frederator/NY in addition to LA’s Frederator Studios. I suggested that he take a desk in our office and we could get into trouble together. The office was an open plan (I didn’t want to spend money to put up walls) so he could hear everything my big mouth spouted. 

There might have been any plan, no strategy, but it sure was exciting. Thousands of views a day, hundreds of submissions of animated shorts –people still hadn’t realized that they could control the internet as well as well could– it was a brave new world. I would tell anyone who would listen how neat it all was. 

Jed would ask me about what I was going to do with it all, I pushed him away. One day, he asked if I’d talked to any VCs. I didn’t know what he was talking about. He patiently explained and told me that a buddy we’d worked with at Turner was a venture capital guy now, Jed would invite him in. Sure. 

Within a few days we were describing how we did what we did and why we thought it could be expanded. He blubbered about how YouTube would beat us, blah blah blah. 

“YouTube is going to be our distributor,” Emil piped in. I had no idea what he was talking about. Distributor, what?! But, experience had already proved to me that Emil was always right about these things, so I blah blah’d about it myself. Our friend was not at all impressed (he rarely was when I had an idea at Turner either), and then he left. So be it. 

Then, a couple weeks later, he was back. But, this time he came with Santo Politi, one of his bosses, a founder and general partner at Spark Capital in Boston. We were at lunch downstairs in the French restaurant (owned by Anthony Bourdain’s partner and the ex-boyfriend of a former MTV colleague) and I went into what had become a 20 minute blah blah. In 10 minutes, Santo interrupted.

“OK, we’re in.” 

What? 

“We’re in. We’ll syndicate an $8 million, A Round.” 

Emil, Jed and I looked at each other. What???

(More next time.) Part 1 here. 

Next New Networks -by Tim Shey by Fred Seibert

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Scrublands: Award-winning ‘ripping page-turner’ becomes the latest crime thriller shot in Victoria

The adaptation of the novel Scrublands into a crime series is the second Stan original after Bali 2002. Photo: Stan

Ever since award-winning Australian crime writer Chris Hammer published his 2018 thriller Scrublands, television networks and production studios worked furiously to get their hands on the rights to bring the story to life.

Canberra-based Hammer, a former political journalist with just two non-fiction books under his belt, couldn’t believe it when he landed a book deal with Allen & Unwin to publish his debut fiction novel.

Shortly after, he sold the international and TV rights.

“I was laughing and crying, it was just unbelievable,” he told The Guardian at the time.

Fast forward to 2023, and Scrublands – an Easy Tiger production co-commissioned by Australian streamer Stan and the Nine Network, in association with VicScreen – is now filming across Victoria.

Easy Tiger founder Ian Collie and its chief executive Rob Gibson issued a joint statement, saying: “From the moment we opened Chris Hammer’s ripping page-turner, we knew Scrublands was destined to be a must-watch crime series”.

“[It] will be an unmissable TV event for rusted-on Chris Hammer fans and everyone else alike.”

Hammer, too, can’t wait to see it, telling his 2000 Instagram followers he’s thrilled with the cast, the director and just about anyone involved in the series.

“Can’t wait,” he wrote on Tuesday.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Hammer (@thehammernow)

What’s it about?

Scrublands was an instant bestseller in 2018, topping the Australian fiction charts and shortlisted for Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards.

It was also shortlisted for Best General Fiction at the Australian Book Industry Awards and won the UK Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Debut Dagger Award.

The story is set against the backdrop of the New South Wales Riverina, in an isolated country town called Riversend, where a charismatic and dedicated young priest (Jay Ryan) calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners.

One year later, Hammer’s main character, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) arrives in town to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.

“But when Martin’s instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart and he finds himself in a life-and-death race to uncover the truth,” according to the Stan synopsis.

Turns out there’s a love triangle, fraud, organised crime and cover-ups, all sub-plots worthy of a series.

Prepare to be ‘dazzled’

Although we’re yet to discover how the novel has been adapted to the television series by scriptwriters Felicity Packard (lead writer, and she’s penned Ep 1), Kelsey Munro and Jock Serong, one book reviewer said it was a first-rate crime mystery who was “dazzled” by Hammer throughout the book.

“There is a sense of imminence to Scrublands, particularly in its recognition of drought and the plight of small towns,” Amanda Barrett wrote.

“This one sure bowled me over right from the hooking premise and opening sequence.

“Scrublands will floor you.

Although it’s a work of fiction, she said “there is so much truth to Hammer’s writing and his depiction of the events that take place in Riversend”.

“This is a fastidious novel that works to build a complete picture of what is happening across many country towns, across all states and territories in Australia.

“Riversend is simply a euphemism for so many rural locales in Australia that are grappling with the impact of drought, a decline in services and a rise in crime.”

As a result, she said, the book came across as an authentic tale, tapping into issues that strike at the heart of rural townships.

Hard work starts for the cast at the table readings. Photo: Stan

Table readings of the adaptation with the lead cast of Arnold (Black Sails, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS), Bella Heathcote (C*A*U*G*H*T, Relic, Pieces of Her) and Jay Ryan (It: Chapter Two, Top of the Lake) have been completed as cast hit the road to various locations across the state.

Nine’s director of television Michael Healy says “joining forces with the teams at Stan and Easy Tiger on Scrublands has realised an ambition we have had since Chris Hammer’s novel was published in 2018″.

He says they’re confident it will turn into must-watch television, suitable for a global audience.

VicScreen boss Caroline Pitcher reveals more than 500 Victorians will be employed throughout the series, “adding to the state’s pipeline of local productions”.

Scrublands is the second co-commissioned production between Nine and Stan following Bali 2002.

Source: The New Daily

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: May 17, 1999

Lyrics:

I didn't hear you leave

I wonder how am I still here

And I don't want to move a thing

It might change my memory

Oh, I am what I am

I'll do what I want, but I can't hide

And I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide

I cannot be, until you're resting here with me

I don't want to call my friends

They might wake me from this dream

And I can't leave this bed

Risk forgetting all that's been

Oh, I am what I am

I'll do what I want, but I can't hide

And I won't go, I won't sleep

And I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide

I cannot be, until you're resting here

And I won't go and I won't sleep

And I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide

I cannot be, until you're resting here with me

Oh, I am what I am

I'll do what I want, but I can't hide

And I won't go, I won't sleep

And I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide

I cannot be, until you're resting here

And I won't go and I won't sleep

And I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide

I cannot be, until you're resting here with me

Songwriter:

Dido Armstrong / Pascal Gabriel / Paul Statham

SongFacts:

"Here with Me" is the debut single of English singer-songwriter Dido. It was the first single she released from her 1999 debut studio album, 'No Angel'. The song was written about her then-boyfriend Bob Page. The single was released on 17 May 1999 in the United States but was not released in the United Kingdom until February 2001, serving as Dido's debut single in her home country. In other territories, it was issued as the album's second single, following "Thank You". Shortly after its release, "Here with Me" was used as the theme song for the American science fiction television programme Roswell (1999–2002).

"Here with Me" peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Dido's second consecutive top-five single, following "Stan", a collaboration with Eminem that incorporated, in sample form, the first verse of "Thank You". The single also became a top-five hit in France, Hungary, New Zealand, and Portugal, and it peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in October 2000. In Australia, the track reached number one on the ARIA Hitseekers Chart following Dido's live performance at the 2001 ARIA Awards.

Two distinct music videos were produced for the selection. The first version was filmed in 1999, and released to the American market. The American version was directed by Big TV! and uses footage of the singer rendered in sepia tones. Dido later stated that she hoped to record a new video of the selection for international release.

The second version, shot in full color and directed by Liz Friedlander, was released in May 2000. This became the video released to the British & European markets; the music video for the international version was filmed in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

[scotianostra]

On 18th November 1998 Robin Hall, the Scottish folk singer and musician, died.

Hall was born in Edinburgh but spent his childhood years in Glasgow and was educated at Allan Glen’s School. After studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he briefly became an actor.

Hall achieved national fame in the sixties along with fellow Scot, Jimmie Macgregor, the pair met in a coffee shop in London, you know what it’s like, even away from our homeland us Scots stick together.

Their big break came when their agent phoned BBC TV’s Tonight show and suggested that what this popular tea-time current affairs programme needed for Burns Night was a song by Scotland’s national bard – and he could provide two Scottish singers who were tailor-made for the job. It was a lie. Neither Hall nor MacGregor, despite their wide repertoires, knew a single Burns song. So they rehearsed Rantin’ Rovin’ Robin in the taxi on the way to the studio and on the strength of their performance on the programme that night they were given a week’s trial that led to a ten-year residency.

Having played to an average of fifty people in London’s folk cellars, the duo now found themselves with a regular nightly audience of more than nine million and drew on their wide knowledge of songs to address topical issues, to fill in gaps during technical hitches and to serenade visiting dignitaries including President Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, whom they welcomed with an African freedom song.

Taken to the nation’s collective heart, the pair signed to Decca Records, scored a hit single in 1960 with Fitba’ Crazy and went on to record twenty albums as a duo and as part of the Galliards with Leon Rosselson and Shirley Bland. They also appeared at every major theatre and concert hall in the UK, with support on occasion from an up and coming band called The Beatles, appeared alongside blues legends Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and the then fresh-faced folk singers Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and made innumerable appearances on radio and television programmes including Hullabuloo and The White Heather Club.

Following their split in 1981 they both continued in broadcasting. Robin made programmes including The Sing Song Streets for Radio Clyde and Jimmie became Scotland’s spokesman for the great outdoors, fronting television programmes on the West Highland Way and hosting Radio Scotland’s popular MacGregor’s Gathering for ten years. Their contribution to the Scottish folk scene, as singers, ambassadors and a source of repertoire, however, remains immense.

I’ve chosen an old Scottish folk song,  The Baron of Brackley, Hall sung this way back in 1960 on his Collector album of ballads from the Gavin Greig Collection. The song is Child Ballad 203, the history behind the song is an which incident probably occurred in 1666.  At that time on the unruly Scottish Border, the courts made rulings, but had no power to enforce their decisions.  The powerful ‘riding’ clans would sometimes buy from the court the legal right to seize compensation by force from the guilty party.  John Gordon of Brackley bought the right to enforce a decision against John Farquharson of Inverey, and seized his cattle in payment of the debt. Inverey mounted a raid to take back his cattle—and took Brackley’s as well.  He was shrewd enough to come when Gordon was short of men.  There doesn’t appear to be any historical support for the idea of Peggy Gordon’s betrayal, but it does make an already great song even more compelling.

Doon Dee side came Inverey whistlin' and playin' And he was at Brackley's yetts ere the day was dawin. '"Oh, are ye there, Brackley, and are ye within? There's sharp swords are at your yetts, will gar your bluid spin." "Then rise up, my baron, and turn back your kye For the lads frae Drumwharron (sp?) are driving them by." "Oh how can I rise up and how can I gang For where I hae a man I am sure they hae ten?

Then rise up, Betsy Gordon, and gie me my gun, For though I gang oot, love, sure I'll never return. "Come, kiss me, my Betsy, nor think I'm tae blame, But against three and thirty, was' is me what is ain?" When Brackley was mounted and he raed on his horse, A bonnier baron ne'er raed ower a course. Twa gallanter Gordons did never sword draw, "But against three and thirty, wha' is me what is twa?"

Wi' their dirks an' their swords they did him surroond. They've killed bonny Brackley wi' monys a wound Tae the banks o the Dee, tae the sides of the Spey The Gordons will mourn him will ban Inverey. "Oh come ye by Brackley, oh come ye by there?  Saw ye his guid lady a-rivin' her hair?" "Oh I come by Brackley and I come by here And I saw his guid lady, she was makin' good cheer."

She was rantin' an' dancin' an' singin' for joy. She vowed that that very nicht she would feast Inverey! She laughed wi' him, danced wi' him, welcomed him ben. She was kind till the villain that hae slain her guid man."

Now there's grief in the kitchen, but there's mirth in the ha', For the bonniest Gordon wha's deid and awa'. Then up and spak the bairn on the nourice's knee, “It's afore I'm a man, avenged I'll be!”

[ausetkmt]

and if you want to sing along -

"Ghost Town"

This town, is coming like a ghost town All the clubs have been closed down This place, is coming like a ghost town Bands won't play no more Too much fighting on the dance floor Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown This town, is coming like a ghost town Why must the youth fight against themselves? Government leaving the youth on the shelf This place, is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can't go on no more The people getting angry This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town

Riots have broken out around Britain.

Charles and Diana are about to marry.

And backstage at Top of The Pops, The Specials are falling apart.

In a few minutes they will perform their latest hit Ghost Town, which over the years, would come to be regarded as one of the greatest British singles of all time. It was a track which bottled the discord, racial tensions and societal breakdown happening in the UK that summer.

There had already been riots in Brixton that April, over the increased use of a new stop-and-search policy, the so-called sus law, which was named Operation Swamp. Police were said to have mounted a campaign of harassment against the black community in south London.

Brixton was the centre of clashes between members of the public and the police

Terry Hall is telling the band that he too has had enough. Worn down by touring, band infighting and struggling to deal with success, he wants out. It is too difficult to be singing about disharmony, while surrounded by it, both inside and outside The Specials.

"We knew it was going to end as we were recording it (Ghost Town)," Terry Hall told Front Row in 2019.

"It was bizarre. It took about eight months to record. I don't think there were more than two of us in the studio at any point. Those weren't good signs really. It finished up with me in a living room in Tottenham singing Ghost Town. It was all over the place. But it was a great way to bow out."

The song was written by the band's founding member Jerry Dammers, but it is also the track with which lead singer Terry Hall is most closely identified. Every TV and radio report about his death has centred on Ghost Town.

The single was simply one of the most timely releases in music history.

Terry Hall performing in Amsterdam earlier this year

"Talk about zeitgeist. That one song suddenly captured so much," remembered Specials fan and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chada in the 2021 BBC Documentary 2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry.

"If there is one song Margaret Thatcher wishes never got released, it's probably Ghost Town," she added.

On 7 July 1981, Radio One announced that Ghost Town had replaced Michael Jackson's One Day In Your Life at the top of the charts.

That same day, newspaper front pages were full of reports about the first ever use of CS gas grenades by the police on mainland Britain, as they struggled to contain the Toxteth Riots. These were sparked by tensions between police and the local community in Liverpool.

By the end of the week more than 20 towns and cities including London, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Luton had riots of their own. The Specials were providing the soundtrack.

Amy Winehouse and Terry Hall both attended the Q Awards in 2009

In 2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry, Dammers explained how the creation of the song started with him sitting at his home organ, trying different diminished chords and working out how wailing could substitute a chorus.

"I think I wrote the music first. I was working on that for ages. The lyrics I wrote on tour just seeing what was going down around the country. It was about the recession and three million people on the dole. It's about the police harassment and unemployment. It was like a perfect storm really."

For years there has been debate over whether or not Ghost Town is specifically about their hometown of Coventry. The decline of the car industry had turned a thriving post-war economy into a concrete jungle.

Shakin' Stevens' Green Door shot up the UK singles chart

Neville Staple from The Specials has stated he believes the song should be taken more generally: "In Coventry and all over England it painted the same picture. This town is coming like a ghost town."

Terry Hall's own understanding of Ghost Town changed over the last 40 years. In 1981, when speaking to the New York Times, he insisted: "We were talking about riots in Bristol and Brixton. The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence."

But speaking on BBC Radio Five Live in 2019, he told Nihal Arthanayake: "We made a record about how we saw the north of Britain. People think it was about Coventry. It wasn't. It was about Glasgow and Liverpool and Newcastle. It was about the north."

Ghost Town has certainly had an after-life.

When Amy Winehouse joined The Specials on stage at the V Festival in 2009, it was Ghost Town that she wanted to sing.

In Father Ted, when the priests organised a disco and the DJ, Father "Spin Master" O'Dwyer only has one record that everyone has to dance to all night, the 7 inch on repeat is Ghost Town.

West End Girls

On Desert Island Discs, it's a recent favourite, having been picked four times in the last three years: by the charity worker Claire Horton, the Director of Tate Maria Balshaw, the foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill and the actor Rupert Everett, who called it "one of the great songs of the era".

And in 2020, The Guardian named it the second best number one single in the UK of all time, behind West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys, a song released four year later and not entirely dissimilar with the sense of urban decay which it creates.

Ghost Town is now considered to be an all-time classic, but its reign over the summer of 1981 came to an ignominious end. The day before 28 million people watched the wedding of the future King to Lady Diana Spencer, The Specials were dethroned.

The lunchtime unveiling of the charts revealed that rising 22 places to number one was none other than Shakin' Stevens with Green Door.

The band's era as chart-dominating stars had well and truly been slammed shut by Shaky. Within months, Hall had formed Fun Boy Three and The Specials in their original incarnation were over.

More than 40 years on Ghost Town stands as their defining work - the perfect coming together of pop and politics at exactly the right moment in history. It was that rarest of things, a song dealing with subjects found in The Economist while the band were on the cover of Smash Hits. Special indeed.

[hungryyheartarchive]

after being horrendously and violently unwell for like 120 hours straight the christmas of 2021, i treated myself to one of my grail items as a memorabilia collector. 

i watched gremlins for the first time when i was 5. i distinctly remember my mum insisting that we watch it together when she saw it appear in the tv listings in a magazine one day. she thought it was art and she was RIGHT. it’s been my most trusted source of inspiration in my approach to horror writing ever since then. all i’ve ever wanted is my own gizmo. one summer vacation my cousin brought me back the neca toy from universal studios, and for a while that was as close as i would ever get, until i discovered this gorgeous screen-accurate replica model made by a japanese company called medicom. they aren’t cheap but they are SO worth it. i was fortunate enough to be able to import one as a pick-me-up for myself last year. even now he still makes me smile every time i look at him. he leans more into the rick baker character design, whereas i’m a chris walas gizmo stan through and through, but even then he is still perfect and just the right amount of scruffy and his eyes are so expressive and he has a cute little butt and i could go but i’ll spare you........

such an artefact deserved to be displayed in the grandest vessel possible, so last february i contacted a uk-based prop maker and asked him if he would be willing to take on a project for me. he agreed. and almost a year later, the postman knocked on my door and i unveiled gizmo’s new state-of-the-art habitat!!

more pics below! i’ve never cosplayed before but thanks to this i am now seriously considering going full billy peltzer mode.

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.133 / DJ David Hamilton with Mark Watkins.

MW: What’s your new book called and what’s it about?

DH: It's about the long and winding road from the farm where I grew up and where I broadcast from now, and all the places in between. 

| Austin Macauley Publishers UK

MW: Why do you think you’ve lasted so long in the “music game"?

DH: Ive been lucky that the right opportunities came up at the right time, including the launch of Boom Radio during lockdown.

MW: 1976 - how did your Hot-Shots LP come about?

DH: It was a compilation album of Records Of The Week on my BBC Radio 1 show, which I called Hamilton`s Hot-Shots. It was a Top 20 album at the time compilation albums were allowed in the charts.

MW: 1977 - how did it feel to be at the height of your charismatic powers with networked afternoon show on Radios 1 & 2, plus TV work presenting on Seaside Special & Top Of The Pops...

DH: Probably the most exciting time of my career. Very few programmes were simultaneously on Radio 1 and Radio 2, certainly not daily ones.

MW: Describe a typical day presenting on Radios 1 & 2…

DH: Didn't really do a lot of prep. Rocked up at the studio about half an hour before airtime and ad-libbed it all.

MW: To your knowledge, did any Radio 1 DJ’s date any of the Top Of The Pops dancers?

DH: The producers didn't like that, so none to my knowledge.

MW: What did you enjoy most about time on 210, the least? In hindsight, do you regret joining and not staying on at Radio 2, hoping for programming changes there i.e "more Madonna less Mantovani?!"   

DH: I had to leave Radio 2 because the music had become so awful and 210 gave me the chance to play the music of the day that everyone wanted to hear. Knowing what happened to stations like 210 in the future, I probably wouldn't have made that move but it was an example of a very well run local radio station.

MW:  As a top broadcaster, across decades, many radio stations, how do you feel about sticking to playlists?

DH: I don't like narrow playlists. They're repetitive and boring. Luckily, at Boom Radio we have over 15,000 songs and I do have some input.

MW:  What was so special about 210’s Keith Butler?

DH: Keith became a good friend. We had lots of laughs together. I recommended him to the bosses at Capital Radio. They gave him overnights. He was worth a lot more than that and should have been a top jock on a top station.

MW:  In the 90s you presented ‘All Clued Up’ for TVS Television, and those lit letters...

DH: That's right... the big catchphrase on 'All Clued Up 'was, The Stinger!

MW: Is it true you used to write for a football magazine? 

DH: Yes, it was Soccer Star. I wrote for them while I was still at school. I never really liked comics so growing-up bought Soccer Star and Football Monthly.

MW: Which football team is top of your League Ladders…and why?

DH: It was actually Shoot! that tended to have the League Ladders. Fulham is my team. I was a director in the 70s and match day MC in the 90s and 2000`s.

MW: What position did you play for the Radio 1 football team?

DH: I was a raiding winger. John Peel and I were the only ones interested in football at the radio station.

MW: Tell me about your connection with Jenny Lee-Wright, of Benny Hill, Generation Game and Whodunnit fame?

DH: She was the girlfriend of Rocky Taylor, the stuntman, who played football with me in the Showbiz X1.

MW:  Finally, let's get bang up-to-date with your current activities, weekdays, on Boom Radio…

DH: Yes, I'm broadcasting from home, Monday to Friday, Noon-2pm.

Boom Radio (boomradiouk.com)

Welcome - David Hamilton

David Hamilton's Hot Shots | Facebook

(c) Mark Watkins / July 2024

[bunniidollii]

meet the writer

hi !! you can call me dolly, and im 18, 19 in september which obviously makes me a virgo. i live in the uk (the only information i’ll give about whereabouts i live so please don’t ask for anymore).

i have audhd (autism and adhd) which i’ll occasionally post about, with potential irl experiences that i hope other neurodiverse people can relate and interact with.

favourite films/franchises :

ᡣ𐭩 harry potter / marauders (my special interest like no one gets remus lupin like i do sorry not sorry)

ᡣ𐭩 dead poets society

ᡣ𐭩 stand by me

ᡣ𐭩 maze runner

ᡣ𐭩 spiderman (specifically andrew garfield because obviously)

ᡣ𐭩 zombieland

ᡣ𐭩 literally any wes anderson film

ᡣ𐭩 final destination (aka best horror franchise ever)

ᡣ𐭩 studio ghibli

ᡣ𐭩 little women

ᡣ𐭩 clueless

ᡣ𐭩 shes the man

ᡣ𐭩 legally blonde

ᡣ𐭩 and any film in the ‘nothing happens but everything changes’ genre iykyk

favourite tv shows :

ᡣ𐭩 outerbanks

ᡣ𐭩 teen wolf

ᡣ𐭩 bojack horseman

ᡣ𐭩 avatar the last airbender

ᡣ𐭩 stranger things

ᡣ𐭩 the inbetweeners uk (bc us version is blasphemous)

ᡣ𐭩 the it crowd

ᡣ𐭩 the office uk

ᡣ𐭩 fresh meat

ᡣ𐭩 friday night dinner

music :

ᡣ𐭩 tv girl

ᡣ𐭩 the smiths

ᡣ𐭩 fleetwood mac

ᡣ𐭩 queen

ᡣ𐭩 jeff buckley

ᡣ𐭩 the beatles

ᡣ𐭩 florence + the machine

ᡣ𐭩 blondie

ᡣ𐭩 arctic monkeys

ᡣ𐭩 abba

ᡣ𐭩 the nbhd

ᡣ𐭩 frank ocean

ᡣ𐭩 the kooks

ᡣ𐭩 amy winehouse

ᡣ𐭩 fergie

ᡣ𐭩 britney spears

ᡣ𐭩 gwen stefani

ᡣ𐭩skylar

random :

ᡣ𐭩 favourite colours - baby pink, forest green

ᡣ𐭩 favourite drinks - diet coke, peach iced tea, dirty chai

ᡣ𐭩 favourite song atm - alrighty aphrodite (the peach pits)

ᡣ𐭩 favourite scent (idk) - rose

[lboogie1906]

Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D’Arby, is a singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby (1987). The album included the singles “If You Let Me Stay”, “Sign Your Name”, “Dance Little Sister”, and “Wishing Well”.

He was born Terence in Manhattan. His mother is Frances Howard, a gospel singer, teacher, and counselor. Frances Howard married Bishop James Benjamin Darby, who became his stepfather and raised him. He took this stepfather’s last name and added the apostrophe.

He trained as a boxer in Orlando and 1980 won the Florida Golden Gloves lightweight championship. He received an offer to attend boxing school in the Army but went to college instead. After enrolling at the University of Central Florida for one year and enlisted in the Army. He was posted at Fort Sill and served in the 3rd Armored Division, near Frankfurt, West Germany. He was court-martialed and dishonorably discharged by the army in April 1983 after going AWOL. He worked as a band leader with the band The Touch, releasing an album called Love on Time (1984). It was re-issued in 1989 as Early Works after his worldwide success as a solo artist. He left West Germany for London, where he played with The Bojangles, who were his backing group on his 1988 tour. He signed a recording contract with CBS Records.

He has a daughter from a previous relationship, London-based musician Seraphina Simone. He had a relationship with television presenter and writer Paula Yates; he was a regular musical guest on her UK TV show The Tube. He married Italian television host and architect Francesca Francone (2003). They have two sons. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence