Starting from tomorrow (Wednesday) The Society of Authors is launching an exciting new project to create five short stories of 670 characters. Each Wednesday famous authors including Ian Rankin will tweet the first line of the story then there will be half an hour for the next 140 characters to be contributed. The Society of Authors is hoping to promote the cause of the short story which is increasingly coming under attack. Make sure you follow the #soatale hashtag on Twitter and make your own contribution to this unique collaboration.
Booksellers name their top tips for Christmas 2011
12 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Publishers and booksellers are already gearing up for Christmas and are expecting strong sales across a wide range of titles. Like every year a large number of books are vying to be the most popular in our stockings on Christmas morning. These include James Corden’s autobiography May I Have Your Attention Please?, Rob Brydon’s Small Man In A Book and Jamie Oliver’s new cookbook Jamie’s Great Britain.
Contagion Tops US Box Office
12 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
A couple of weeks ago I called Contagion one of my must-see films of the year. It seems I’m not alone. The star-studded thriller about a deadly virus spreading across the US debuted at the top of the US box-office this weekend making a healthy $23 million in its first two days. The buzz on Twitter is good too – looks like I picked well.
18 World Premieres at Raindance
6 September 2011 by 2 Comments
The 19th Raindance Film Festival was launched today in London and it looks like it will be the strongest year yet. In just 12 days the festival will host 18 World Premieres, 21 European Premieres and 49 UK Premieres…
A cappella tribute to John Williams
4 September 2011 by 1 Comment
One of my friends shared this video with me when he found out I was going to be watching and reviewing all six Star Wars films this week. It’s a four piece a cappella tribute to John Williams which made me laugh but also appreciate the talent of the guy involved. Enjoy.
Ides of March Trailer
1 September 2011 by 6 Comments
The Venice International Film Festival opened this week with a showing of George Clooney’s fourth film in the director’s chair – The Ides of March. Feedback so far has been very positive, particularly about Ryan Gosling’s performance. The cast is strong with Clooney, Gosling and the always impressive Philip Seymour Hoffman. The trailer promises a slick political thriller and it’s definitely one of my must-sees for what looks like a very impressive autumn at the cinema. What upcoming releases have caught your eye?
Richard & Judy autumn picks announced
31 August 2011 by 1 Comment
Richard & Judy, in partnership with WHSmith, have announced their selection for the autumn bookclub. In the year since the bookclub was launched over three million copies of the selected titles have been sold. The latest crop includes the wonderfully named The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and the Booker Prize long-listed Jamrach’s Menagerie. The first book to be reviewed is The End of Everything by Megan Abbott, a story of innocence lost and burgeoning sexuality.
Do you hear the Hollywood stars sing?
30 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
The overwhelming success of the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert has given a boost to the possibility of a film adaptation actually happening. Rumours have been flying around for a while now and it seems almost certain that Tom Hooper will direct and Hugh Jackman will star as Jean Valjean. I’m quite excited by this as I love Jackman’s voice and I think he’ll do the part justice. Some of the other names suggested are a little worrying….
Banned Books Week
29 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Banned Books Week has been a feature in American libraries for the past 29 years but I’ve not seen much coverage in the British media before. UK libraries are coming together from 24th September to highlight the growing issue of censorship and challenges to libraries stocking particular books.
This is what World War Z looks like….
26 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been having a sneak peek at some photos from the set of World War Z, next year’s Brad Pitt film currently being filmed in Glasgow. These are just a few of the images…