Reviews Category
We don’t just report off-beat news, breaking news and digest the best and worst of the news media analysis and commentary. We give an original take on what happened and why. We add lols, satire, news photos and original content.
‘I’m A Pineapple Not A Racist’: Nicolas Anelka Defends His ‘Quenelle’ Gesture
NICOLAS Anelka, formerly Le Grand Sulk of English football became its pariah when he performed the cryptic quenelle gesture. Having left West Bromwich Albion after being handed a five-match ban by the FA for making the gesture during the 3-3 draw with West Ham in December, Anelka is talking to Metro News.
“Because some people have performed [the quenelle] in front of a synagogue, then the gesture is suddenly meant to be racist and anti-Semitic in any place and in any situation? Sorry, I’m not swallowing that. I’ve tried to swallow it but it won’t go down. So if I understand correctly, all priests are paedophiles and all Muslims are terrorists? For me, it’s the same principle. If this continues, the people who decide that the quenelle is racist will soon ban us from eating pineapples! It is a vulgar gesture, I grant you. There was never any religious intent on my part. I am neither racist nor anti-Semitic and this quenelle was a simple dedication.”
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Austerity Army: Coldstream Guard’s Lance Corporal Kills Six Afghani Insurgents With A Single Bullet
MEANWHILE…in the austerity Army:
A British sniper in Afghanistan killed six insurgents with a single bullet after hitting the trigger switch of a suicide bomber whose device then exploded … The 20-year-old marksman, a Lance Corporal in the Coldstream Guards, hit his target from 930 yards (850 metres) away, killing the suicide bomber and five others around him caught in the blast.
It’s all about training….
Kent Teenager Ella Birchenough Gets Stuck In A Drain Trying To Retrieve Her iPhone (Photos)
TODAY Ella Birchenough was rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in a storm drain while trying to retrieve her iPhone.
The 16-year-old, squeezed down the hole to try to fetch her phone in Eaves Road, Dover, Kent. But she became stuck fast in front of a group of amused onlookers, including her mother, according to witness Tim Richards.
It was thoughtful of someone to take photos.
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Posted: 3rd, April 2014 | In: Reviews, Strange But True | Comments (2)
5 Sci-Fi TV Series Scuttled by Second Season Changes
WE might accept as axiomatic the belief that patience is a virtue. However, over the decades, several notable and even celebrated science fiction TV series have failed to live up to this ideal.
Instead of demonstrating patience and prudence, their makers have instead demonstrated radical impatience, and — after promising first season sorties — instituted sweeping changes that, in some cases, threw away the baby with the bath water.
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Posted: 3rd, April 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comments (7)
Nepotism Watch: The Guardian’s Rusbridger-Mackie Family Are Looking For Comment
HOW modern journalism works:
Guardian editor: Alan Rusbridger
Guardian Comment is Free Writer: Lindsay Mackie, aka Mrs Alan Rusbridger.
Guardian Comment is Free Community Co-ordinator Bella Mackie – aka Bella Rudbridger, daughter to – get this – Alan Rusbridger and Lindsay Makie. (You may know her as BellaM.)
Of course, Bella scored her job on merit.
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1978-1995: When Theodore John Kaczynski Was The Heroic Unabomber
ON May 3 1996, Theodore John Kaczynski, 53, had his mug shot taken by7 the Lewis and Clark County Jail in Helena, Montana. Kaczynski had been taken into custody at his mountain cabin north of Helena as a suspect in the Unabomber bombing spree.
The man called the “Unabomber” had killed three people and maimed 23 others with parcel bombs. His first known device exploded in 1978 and the last, killing California Forestry Association president Gilbert Murray. His campaign had continued to his most recent bomb in 1995. His final bombs was his 16th.
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Posted: 3rd, April 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts | Comment
Now Look What Their Doing To Kurt Cobain: He’s A Musical
Kurt Cobain’s stash box
WHEN Kurt Cobain died, a whole generation lost one of their favourite icons. While he wasn’t necessarily a spokesperson for everyone through his songs, there was something very pleasing about his stance against business, phoney or otherwise. He was just about the only superstar who actively championed bands who needed the publicity as well.
Can you imagine any band now hailing the virtues of Teenage Fanclub and The Vaselines on international TV?
However, Cobain died and we didn’t see his like again. So what became of his legacy? Well, it didn’t take too long for unreleased music to get hastily stuck on some compilations and Nirvana t-shirts to get reissued by the buttload. And then Cobain appeared in a video game, which was fun but weird.
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Gypsies On Benefits And Proud: The Daily Star Flogs Channel 5’s Benefits Street For ‘Sponging’ Foreigners
THE Daily Star once told its readers to vote for the EDL. Todays its anti-foreigner message is cloaked in a front page about gloating, freeloading Romanians:
The Star’s (prop. Richard Desmond) headline is linked to a Channel 5 (prop. Richard Desmond) documentary. The paper tells us:
TV documentary exposes how gypsies are happy to exploit British benefit system
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Posted: 3rd, April 2014 | In: Reviews, TV & Radio | Comments (3)
Dear Christians: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Complain About Noah
Russell Crowe arriving for the premiere of the film Noah held at the Odeon Leicester Square, central London.
THE new film about Noah, starring Russell Crowe, has been causing a lot of grief among certain religious types. Of course, most religious people have a faith strong enough to brush off some poxy film, but we’re looking at those shrieking mentals who can’t stay calm or, it seems, apply logic to a situation.
The film tells the famous story about Noah and his ark. God gets wrathful and sends a flood which is destined to wipe everything out. Destroying everything in a flood seems a bit snide, but as we all know, God is a vengeful so-and-so. And presumably, floating and water-breathing creatures weren’t at all bothered by this, to which we glean that God has no problem with ducks or fish. They’re the most saintly animals, obviously.
However, there’s a few Christians that are not at all happy with a Biblical tale being shown on the big screen. Instead of being happy that the word of God is being distributed worldwide, coupled with a very famous actor, they are furious.
Why?
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Before They Went Solo: Early Bands Of Bowie, Elton And Others
Billy Joel’s hard rock duo – Attila
MUSICIANS like Billy Joel and Elton John didn’t start out as solo acts. Like nearly all solo pop stars, they began as just another member of a band. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at musicians who we primarily identify as being solo acts and see what bands they were in before venturing out on their own and making it big.
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Posted: 3rd, April 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, Music | Comments (2)
5 Sci-Fi Movies That Didn’t Deserve the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Treatment
TO the delight of virtually everyone, the late, great Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988 – 1999) seems to be experiencing something of a pop culture resurgence these days.
April 1st of this year saw former Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy return to top form in National Geographic’s Total Riff-Off, and the cable network Retro TV recently announced that it will begin airing MST-3K reruns starting July 5, 2014.
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Posted: 2nd, April 2014 | In: Film, Flashback, Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comments (13)
10 Revolting Packaged Foods That Taste Of Regret
STROLLING down Memory Lane on the way to Anorak Towers, we came across an old advertisement for Spangles – the sweet signifier of choice for lazy peddlers of nostalgia.
But instead of invoking it alongside Chopper bicycles and Spacehoppers, it invoked an earlier, less innocent time, when germs were everywhere, and the role of confectionary packaging wasn’t simply to announce the Old English delights within, but to keep dirt out. ALL dirt. Yes, that includes you, Foreign Dirt, coming over year and contaminating our indigenous flavours.
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Posted: 2nd, April 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, The Consumer | Comment
Daily Express Says An Area Five Times The Size Of Manchester Will Drown In Migrants
THE Daily Express and Daily Mail lead with news of migration.
The Express states:
It’s always a “flood” of human misery in the Express.
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Posted: 2nd, April 2014 | In: Reviews | Comments (2)
Media Should Be ‘Controlled’ To Stop BNP Demolisher Nigel Farage Says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
NIGEL Farage has achieved nothing in his time as Ukip leader other than promote himself. His mission is to gift the two biggest parties an identity and sense of purpose. His comments, such as a recent sense of pride in having “taken a third of the BNP’s support”, seducing those bigots “frustrated” and “upset” by their changing communities, serve to demolish the once feared BNP and make Ukip wholly unelectable.
If Farage leaves, perhaps under a scandal, what then for Ukip?
Nothing. The party will disintegrate.
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Posted: 2nd, April 2014 | In: Politicians, Reviews | Comment (1)
Regrettable Reads: A Stack Of Objectively Bad Vintage Books
THEY say not to judge a book by its cover, but I think it’s pretty safe to say all of these books are horrible without ever turning a page. That being said, it’s sometimes fun to check out some good old fashioned paperback trash – so let’s have a look.
NAKED BRUNCH
Perhaps this is a prequel to the William Burrough’s classic, Naked Lunch. I suggest, then, a third volume called Naked Supper and make it a trilogy.
THE MAN WHO SAID NO
You mean they actually found the guy who said no to sex? I thought it was just an urban legend……. Oh, wait…. I’ve just been informed it’s a false alarm. He didn’t say “no”; he was merely clearing his throat. It’s all been a big mistake. False alarm.
RONALD REAGAN: A MAN TRUE TO HIS WORD
My favorite part of Ronald Reagan: A Man True To His Word is when the president sells arms to Iran then uses the cash to fund the Nicaraguan rebels. Don’t miss the exciting climax when he completely denies it.
INCLUDED OUT
“Suspecting Linnie’s affairs with the others, Chris’ vanity couldn’t accept the thought of being included out because of his age.”
I think the word they’re looking for is “excluded”. Somebody get Mary S. Gooch a dictionary pronto.
I WAS A TEEN-AGE DWARF
No offense to those short of stature, but this title puts the vertically challenged on par with being a werewolf or Frankenstein. (Note: This is a Dobie Gillis novel, so it was actually pretty popular in its day.)
KISS MY FIST!
Damn! Those hardboiled pulp fiction novels could get to be pretty brutal, but this is extreme. Just be glad I didn’t show you the back cover where he karate chops a kitten.
SWEET DADDY: THE STORY OF A PIMP
I think there’s been a mistake. The title should read something like: Sweet Daddy: The Story of a Tax Attorney. I’m no authority on pimps, but I think they could have chosen a guy who looks a lot more “pimp like”.
BURT REYNOLDS HOT LINE: THE LETTERS I GET AND WRITE!
I doubt Burt even noticed the naked woman attached to his backside. In the 1970s, nude females collected on Burt’s body like barnacles. Lucky bastard.
COUCH OF DESIRE
Forget 50 Shades of Grey, I recommend Couch of Desire (truthfully, it’s probably written better). But if the eroticism is just too extreme for your tastes, I suggest the much lighter read, Beanbag Chair of Friendship.
GOOD NIGHT SWEET DYKE
A perfect end to our reading list of shame. Good night, dear reader.
Posted: 2nd, April 2014 | In: Books, Flashback, Key Posts | Comment (1)
Starbucks Wrongly Apologises For Daubing A Pentogram and 666 On Woman’s Cup Of Satanic Coffee
TO Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a Starbucks barista has used caramel sauce to draw a pentagram and 666 in a customer’s coffee.
It turns out that this is not on the menu. It wasn’t even asked for. Starbucks tells The Daily Adviser:
(Sunday) was the first we heard of it when she posted on our Facebook page,” Starbucks social media team spokesman Tom Kuhn told The Daily Advertiser. “We reached out to her through social media and apologized. We’re taking the complaint seriously. We’re not sure who served her or what kind of beverage it was. It looks kind of caramel-ish in the photos.
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