Back in August, the news broke(http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/08/23/simon-pegg-cast-in-john-landis-new-film-burke-and-hare/) that Simon Pegg would be taking on a lead role in John Landis' forthcoming feature project Burke and Hare, the true story of Irish immigrants William Burke and William Hare, who murdered and sold the corpses of their 17 victims to the Edinburgh Medical College for dissection. Though there was some uncertainty as to whether Pegg was locked into the picture, it has since been confirmed that Pegg will indeed taking on the role of Burke, and now(http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17658) Bloody Disgusting reports that David Tennant (of BBC's "Doctor Who") will be filling in as Hare. Sounds like the perfect return to the big screen for Landis.Back in August, the news... more
When I was getting ready to record this video, I went online to find some wallpaper for my Mac that showcased the beauty of Scotland. It's absolutely gorgeous, isn't it? This is the next in our series of things to do and places to visit. Douglas sent his list from Edinburgh, Scotland. Have you sent your list yet? What's fun and/or unique to do and see where you are from?When I was getting ready to record this video, I went online to find some wallpaper... more
"What is this inescapable desire we have to mess around with Jane Austen? The poor woman has been through the mill of late, with the literary world seeing Elizabeth Bennet contending with the undead in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the Dashwoods about to take on tentacled sea creatures in Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Meanwhile, onscreen, Elton John's Rocket Pictures is working on Pride and Predator.
So far be it for theatre to miss out. Fresh from a run on the Edinburgh fringe, Jane Austen's Guide to Pornography arrived at Battersea's Theatre 503 last week with an all-male cast and not a little innuendo. Steve Dawson's piece pitches a gay pornographic playwright, tired of only churning out one-liners and sex, up against Austen herself, who is near death, bored with her stories and "awaking screaming at the thought of another Mr Darcy". The pair look for inspiration from each other: Jane wants a bit of raunch in her new novel, Brett the playwright wants to inject true love into his writing.
There are some predictably nudge-nudge elements – ooh, let's make Jane Austen say "enormous cock", that'll be hilarious – but it actually works pretty well, particularly when Jane and Brett are squabbling over storyline ideas. It's silly, but it's also funny: "No one has ever fainted in my novels except for Emma, and that was the only one and not because she met this 'Dick' person," Jane tells Brett firmly. The burgeoning romance between the two actors/characters dreamt up by Jane and Brett is sweetly believable, ending with a clever twist on the "Marianne sprains her ankle" scene from Sense and Sensibility. Perhaps the mention of felching – "it sounds frightfully Mediterranean," says Jane – will get the Jane Austen Society up in arms, but the play is actually a very affectionate portrait of the author, so I hope not.
It does make me wonder, though, about this trend to sex up Austen. Someone has even written a book of "deleted sex scenes". Perhaps it's the buttoned-up nature of her characters – the closest we get to a bit of frolicking in Austen is probably Mr Knightley drawing Emma's hand through his arm. Maybe it's just immature and deliberately provocative, but I think our appetite for postmodern character cutting and pasting comes down to the genius of good writers. In Austen's case, we love her characters, we believe in their romances: we want to know – and see – more.""What is this inescapable desire we have to mess around with Jane Austen? The poor... more
"Tickets sales for this year's Edinburgh festival fringe have hit a new record, after a surge in the number of people spending holidays at home and looking for an escape from the gloom of the recession.
The Fringe Society said more than 1.85m tickets were sold for this year's event, an increase of 9% on the previous record, set in 2007, and 21% higher than for last year's disastrous event, which was hit by problems with its box office.
The scale of the improvement surprised fringe organisers. Many producers and residents had feared the significant upheaval by tram works cutting through the city centre and a dispute by refuse workers that left rubbish piled on kerbsides in the run-up to this year's festival would frighten off some visitors.
Kath Mainland, the event's new chief executive, said: "As this year's festival draws to a close, we can look back on a month of exceptional ticket sales and one of the best festivals in my 20 years in and around Edinburgh."
Many of the city's top venues reported steep increases in audience numbers. The Gilded Balloon said its sales rose by 15% from last year, boosted in part by staging large events such as the comedian Bill Bailey at the 3,000-seat Playhouse, one of Edinburgh's largest theatres.
Karen Koren, the venue's director, said many more local residents had bought tickets this year. Edinburgh's confidence has been hit by the collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS last year. "My feeling is that the credit crunch, people not going away and the weather – although it hasn't been great, has been a lot better than last year – has all helped," she said.
The Stand comedy club, which put on critically received theatre for the first time, said its audiences had grown by 20%. Tommy Sheppard, the venue's director, said: "It's been a record-breaking year despite the fact we've had to operate behind an iron curtain imposed by the city's tram builders."
This year's fringe, which featured a slightly larger number of shows compared with last year, with 2,098 productions, also featured a far larger number of recession-busting cut-price shows and cheap deals to draw in audiences. The number of shows on the so-called "free fringe" jumped from 350 last year to 465 this year, and they were held at a larger number of venues. While some shows were selling all their tickets for £5, the Underbelly comedy venue cut its prices for two nights a week.
Mainland said: "From the fringe's point of view, this is absolutely fantastic. We needed to re-establish confidence."""Tickets sales for this year's Edinburgh festival fringe have hit a new record, after... more
http://www.triponadeal.com: This week we hit the streets of NYC to find out from you why you travel and what places have changed you, moved you and inspired you. You came up with castles, monuments, spaceships and much more! Get all the links at triponadeal.comhttp://www.triponadeal.com: This week we hit the streets of NYC to find out from you... more
"The full seriousness of the failure of a new box-office system at last year's Edinburgh fringe festival has been revealed with the publication of new accounts.
At the Festival Fringe Society's AGM in Edinburgh yesterday, the board said the failure contributed to losses of £882,407, leaving the organisation in danger of collapse.
The society had appointed the IT company Pivotal Integration to create a new ticketing system. However, its "liquid box office" was suspended the day after it went live, tickets were sent out late and popular shows were overbooked. The system was replaced by one created by ticketing company Red61, extra staff were hired, and by mid-August Pivotal had gone into administration.
Accounts for the year ending 30 November 2008 reveal that income was £2,163,771, while a total of £3,046,178 was spent.
"There's no question we came very close to the edge of the abyss," said Tommy Sheppard, a board member and director of the Stand Comedy Club. "There were times around the turn of the year when we were looking at the cash flow on a week-by-week basis to make sure we had enough money to pay people."
He said a £125,000 loan from Edinburgh council – now repaid – an advance from the Scottish government and funds from the Scottish Arts Council proved to be lifelines, and that the society was now "very much on the mend".
According to the accounts: "The Trustees expect that it will take at least three years to establish an adequate level of reserves." The society has net current liabilities of £671,833 against net assets of £48,442.
Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Festival Fringe Society, said it was now "robust". However, she acknowledged that 2008 was a "difficult year that highlighted what a fragile and vulnerable enterprise the arts can be".""The full seriousness of the failure of a new box-office system at last year's... more
Of all the thousands of jokes that are told at the Edinburgh Festival, one involving a hedgehog was judged the best of the year.
Here's the oneliner from Dan Antopolski: "Hedgehogs. Why can't they just share the hedge?"
Looking at the top 10, it actually seems to be the funniest.
Seems it's not the done thing to joke about Michael Jackson as two jokes about him were deemed the worst on the list.Of all the thousands of jokes that are told at the Edinburgh Festival, one involving a... more
Mark Fisher writes, "When I wrote a blog a few days ago about theatrical deaths, a couple of readers complained that I should have included a spoiler alert. There was merit in what they said: death is usually a big event in a play, so if you talk about it you're likely to give away key twists in the plot. Sorry if I ruined your night.
But how much information is too much? What balance should a writer strike between safeguarding the joy of discovery for those who haven't yet seen a play, and talking in such generalities that the writing becomes meaningless? Before I give examples, I have to give a spoiler alert. If it troubles you to know too much, don't read on, but I can't write about spoilers without spoiling things.
Let's take the case of 'Orphans,' Dennis Kelly's thriller at the Traverse theatre in Edinburgh. This is a play that depends for its tension on the is-he/isn't-he enigma of a character called Liam, played by Joe Armstrong. He starts off as a good samaritan who has helped a man in distress, but it's not possible to say how he ends up without giving away the plot.
In her Guardian review, Lyn Gardner keeps it enigmatic, giving away little more than "one bad decision leads to another". Joyce McMillan in the Scotsman, however, cuts straight to the chase: "The clearer it becomes that Liam's original story of helping a wounded man is a lie, and that he has in fact carried out a brutal racist attack, the more Danny wrestles with the question of whether he should call the police."
McMillan appears to believe that once a play has opened its plot is in the public domain, and therefore fair game. If you regard the job of a reviewer as little more than a consumer's guide, this belief is contentious. If, on the other hand, you want critics to engage fully with a work, then they must be free to talk about what happens, and what it signifies.
The answer is not clear-cut – it varies from show to show and writer to writer – but it raises a second question: how much damage can a spoiler actually do? Examples of a show asking the public not to give away its plot are rare: the West End play The Mousetrap, the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the film The Sixth Sense rely heavily on suspense. There must be millions of people who enjoy those works on repeated sittings, even when the element of surprise is gone.
A work that depends on surprise alone is shallow indeed; so how much are you really put out if you know the details in advance? As a feature writer I'm often privy to this kind of information – after I've prized it out of artists who believe their work's power depends on a secret plot twist – but I rarely wish I'd been kept in the dark when it comes to seeing the show.
As an act of consideration, I won't reveal the coup de theatre in Silviu Purcărete's Faust, opening at the Edinburgh international festival, but even telling you that such a coup exists will alert you to it and subtly change your experience. Is that so bad?"Mark Fisher writes, "When I wrote a blog a few days ago about theatrical deaths, a... more
This week's Brand Spanking New celebrates the 62nd Edinburgh Fringe festival, as Mat Laroche tracks down some Current TV filmmakers who have gone on to pursue a career as stand up comedians!
The sharp talking Brett Goldstein, quirky Nat Luurtsema and massively inappropriate comedy trio Ladma are all performing at this years Fringe festival throughout August so go check em out!
A lovely animation film by A.A.Leszczynska of the Edinburgh College of Art.
I love the way the monster communicates by rolling the toilet roll to her.A lovely animation film by A.A.Leszczynska of the Edinburgh College of Art.
I love... more
I've been following Eddie Izzard on Twitter and he has been very busy running round the country. He started in London and has today arrived in Swansea after completing his 8th Marathon in nine days (he had a day off in Wales last Sunday). Other stops on his trip include Belfast and Edinburgh before making a return journey back to London. Why is he doing it you ask, yep you guessed it, its all for charity. If you would like to donate, then please visit the link to Comic Relief's Sport Relief website.
You can also follow his day to day progress on Twitter at the following link:
"The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Festivals Edinburgh have launched a new iPhone application to help visitors navigate their way around the events.
The Edinburgh Festivals Guide, developed in partnership with new technology firm Loc8 Solutions, is the only official application that carries full listings for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, International Festival, Jazz and Blues Festival, Art Festival, Book Festival, Mela and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
It will enable visitors to browse shows, check ticket offers, read reviews and plot their routes around the city.
Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, said: “This is an exciting new festivals listings service for our visitors, performers and venues on the iPhone.
“This application gives us a unique opportunity to broaden the delivery of our Festival listings services and reach new audiences. We are especially pleased that we have been able to partner with Loc8 Solutions, a dynamic young local company in leading the way with this new technology.”
An estimated 100,000 iPhone users are expected to attend arrive in Edinburgh this month for the festivals.
Loc 8 Solutions is a start-up company from the Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme – a joint development programme between the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.
The application is the brainchild of Gavin Dutch, founder of Loc8, who began developing the technology in his bedroom in early 2008.
Dutch said: “It’s great to have our first major contract with the fringe and Festivals Edinburgh.
“There’s so much happening in Edinburgh during August that it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice. The Edinburgh Festivals Guide will take some of the pressure off, by allowing users to find out what’s going on down the road and read audience reviews.”""The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Festivals Edinburgh have launched a new iPhone... more
"Fringe Sunday has been cancelled, as have the opening and closing parties for performers; the Cavalcade has been greatly cut back; there is a dearth of sponsors; and, heaven forfend, Soho House will no longer be providing free champagne for its members staying north of the border during festival time. The recession is certainly having an effect on what is being called the credit-crunch Fringe, which gets under way in Edinburgh next weekend.
But if things are looking grim for the world's biggest arts festival, new chief executive Kath Mainland is putting a brave face on it. She was appointed following the resignation of Jon Morgan after just one year in the job, in the wake of 2008's ticketing fiasco, when a new box-office system failed disastrously: people didn't receive tickets they had paid for, and tickets for some shows were sold twice over. The furore attracted acres of negative publicity for the Fringe Society and necessitated a £250,000 public bailout.
Yet, says Mainland: "I'm cautiously optimistic about what will happen this year, as all indications are that people are staying at home rather than travelling abroad, and Edinburgh has so much to offer. Nowhere else can you get this range of culture in one place at one time. We were very much heartened that the Fringe brochure is just as full this year."
Performers may want to come, but sponsors don't seem so keen. The Edinburgh Comedy Festival – launched last year at the "big four" Fringe venues of the Assembly Rooms, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly – still doesn't have a sponsor; Assembly has lost its beer backer, Belhaven; and the rebranded Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perriers and latterly the if.comeddies) don't, at the time of writing, have one at all. It seems a poor omen but, says Mainland, "Sponsorships do come to an end."
One wouldn't expect anything but soothing words from a chief executive in difficult times – yet others are also optimistic. Advance sales across the Edinburgh festivals, including the International, are holding up, say the organisers, and comedian Stephen K Amos, a long-time Fringe favourite, concurs: "My advance sales, and those of a lot of comics I've spoken to, are very healthy; people just want to have fun, and Edinburgh has a lot to offer."""Fringe Sunday has been cancelled, as have the opening and closing parties for... more
Scotland's capital, Glasg.., er, Edinburgh, has what could well be a world first - scratch 'n' sniff bus shelters!
"Scratch" is a bit of a stretch... folk unfortunate enough to be waiting for a bus can while away their time PUSHING buttons in order to sample different smells. And what are these smells? I hear you ask... Well, supposedly, there are four distinct aromas, each one related to a different whisky producing part of Scotland.
It's all in aid of promoting a new attraction, dubbed the "sense room" at the Scotch Whisky Experience.
The Green Team is an environmental organization based in the Lothians. We work with young people to restore and conserve wild places as an important part of learning about the natural heritage of Scotland.The Green Team is an environmental organization based in the Lothians. We work with... more
Annually, the Edinburgh Tattoo in Scotland entertains thousands of spectators. One event that has grown over the last decade is the Taste of the Tattoo, a free one hour show:
Leith and Edinburgh, separate burghs, grew over the centuries now forming a contiguous urban area. Today, Leith celebrates it's success as a community with a Gala Day featuring a parade snaking it's way down Leith Walk:
The Fringe is the largest event of the year and features a massive amount of acts ranging from comedy to music which can be seen for a cheap price. You never know what you might see before taking in the shows and entertainment:
http://www.edfringe.com/The Fringe is the largest event of the year and features a massive amount of acts... more
During college time as Camera Operator and Editor, I experienced the Chinese New Year celebrations held at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, January, 2009. It took a few weeks of work to get this final cut of the show, giving a glimpse of the event.During college time as Camera Operator and Editor, I experienced the Chinese New Year... more
The City of Edinburgh originally consisted of the castle surrounded by walls but has since grown to include areas ranging from the areas of the Cowgate, Portobello, South Queesnferry and Ratho which only since 1975 have become part of the city boundaries.The City of Edinburgh originally consisted of the castle surrounded by walls but has... more
