Review: Stevie B Wolf NEW! EP Alone + Alive Out Now!

I apologise for how late this post has taken me to post, I've just been so caught up in all the Christmas festivities that I've not really got round to blogging as regularly as I would like to...but it's here now.

As readers of this blog may or may not already know I am a HUGE fan of Stevie B. Wolf and after hearing his cover of  one of my favourite bands Blink 182's "Dammit" I just had to hear what the rest of his new album/EP,- "Alone +Alive" which is out now- sounded like as this cover to me sounds like a really good cover even though I thought at first there are some songs like Blink 182, Foo Fighter's, Muse, 30 Second To Mars, Adele, Fall Out Boy etc that you just don't touch at all as they are classic songs that were perfect the first time they came around, these covers to me anyway just end up sounding like bad X Factor karaoke versions of these classic songs and I always end up hating them and it just gets me angry and feeling like "why would anyone do that to that particular song?!", but as I said in my last post about Stevie B Wolf this is a really chilled, laidback, acoustic version of the original song which I love.

Anyway I digress...anyhew after hearing this I really wanted to hear what the other songs from this new EP sounded like and of course when I messaged the man of the moment Stevie B Wolf on Facebook about when I could get my hands on this new EP I immediately downloaded all the songs when they became available to download. And thank god I did download these songs as I love listening to all these songs, and if you haven't already downloaded "Alone + Alive" then I'd seriously advise you to download it!

And you can't imagine how excited I was to hear that there was a music video for "Alone +Alive" that premiered on www.popmatters.com's website on the 18th November. I of course just had to watch this as I felt like I was so excited about this that if I didn't see it I was going to burst with how excited I was.

If you haven't seen this music video yet, here is the link to Pop Matters's website where you can also read their interview with Stevie B. Wolf:

http://www.popmatters.com/post/stevie-b.-wolf-alone-alive-video-premiere/

All of the songs I think would sound so amazing on my local radio Spire FM or on "Later Live...with Jools Holland" as this would probably in my opinion get more people to listen to his music, but it just frustrates me that you'll probably never hear him on either of these instead you'll have to listen to One Direction or Justin Bieber and Stevie B. Wolf is in my view just as good if not better...well probably it's fair to say that his music is a different genre but it's definitely music that will get you tapping your toes along to...and I have just seen a tweet from Aled Philips from the now broken up band Kids In Glass Houses about how he would like to see some new bands come through so nobody has to watch the same pop acts like the bands I have mentioned above.

Also this may just be me on a rant here but where are all the A+R Music Talent Scouts from record labels when you have fantastic singer/songwriters like Stevie B. Wolf, Elissa Franceshi, dj's Eli +Fur, Mike Cavanagh etc as these all definitely have the potential to be HUGE artists! (and I think if it's all about the money for these big music labels then I definitely think that Stevie B. Wolf and some of the mentioned artists above and more that I have heard all have the potential to make the labels money!)

Anyhew....apart from "Dammitt" which gets stuck in your head and has an acoustic melancholic feel to it as I said in an earlier post about this cover from Stevie B. Wolf, and despite me feeling a little disappointed with the "Alone + Alive" music video, with this video having Stevie B. Wolf standing on what looks like a platform with the guitarists and the drummer standing in designated areas that were marked out in black, but I think this does remind me of James Bay's "Hold Back The River" music video as this is quite boring to see James Bay standing in the middle of a room playing the guitar with the drummer and guitarist stood around him while this room seems to be spinning, but I think that both songs are so distinctive in other words so catchy that as soon as you, now this could just be me but when I think about either song I immediately see in my mind these two music videos.

One thing I don't get in this music video is the different people like the little girl in a prom dress with mascara running down her face, the drunken man in a suit smoking a cigarette, the guy drinking in underwear, a white T-shirt, a bath robe and a bottle of some kind of drink in his hand or the man smoking with a suit on that's also suppose to be drunk...why are they in the music video?

I do like this song as it does definitely have a beachy feel to it, and I have to say that when I listen to it I do get this idea like there could be a group of people including Stevie B. Wolf sat round a bonfire on the beach singing along with his guitar then in the middle of the song he and the band could be on a stage with fairy lights set up across a piece of the beach where people are dancing and a girl walks in watching Stevie B. Wolf perform and when the song finishes he looks over at her.

I have just realised that this may sound just a little bit like the idea behind "Fire In Your Lungs" and that with Stevie B. Wolf saying about this song having duality with it saying about how love in general and heartbreak is never all one way and that this song has duality meaning that on one hand it's like one of the many songs that say "I miss you!", "I want you back!", and also like lots of other songs it says "We are never going to get back!", and "Don't call me!" that this idea may not be appropriate for this song.

Anyhew...in "Nothing But A Name", I like the guitars in this song and it does feel a little bit sad as it sounds to me that this song is saying that every now and again the girl's face that Stevie B. Wolf broke up with pop's up in his minds eye every now and again even though he did his best to erase her from his mind and that he acted like a menace until she finally walked away, and they should have been like a photograph that freezes a particular moment in time but they just ended up being two people who were hurt by this.

When I listen to "Getting Through" I like the sound of the keyboards with the guitars I think they go together really well, and I can just envisage sitting in a bar somewhere and this being played in the background and I just thought that for the time of year it would go really well if you were sitting right next to a warm fire having a nice mug of hot chocolate...very atmospheric! But that is one of the best things about Stevie B. Wolf's music that no matter what the occasion, the time of year or what mood your in his music is definitely going to get you feeling better and it will definitely get stuck in your head so you could carry it with you in your head all day...if your out and about with no access to Youtube or an Ipad where you could download it.

"Bold" I have just listened to really does feel like to me one of those songs on many albums that you've heard that's about Track 9 or Track 10 itself that signifies the end of the album so you feel "Oh is this album over then?" and you have to have a moment to decide whether you want to replay the whole album again or whether you just want to play a specific song,-and I have to say that that is a decision I would never do as I'm already so indecisive and I wouldn't know which specific song to choose if I had to decide, I probably be there all day at my Laptop not knowing which one to listen to again-.

This is going to probably be the last post I post on here until the new year so have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fast and Furious are in the preliminary stages of developing spinoffs and prequels!

I know you may or may not have already seen this news story doing the rounds via various websites on the internet but I haven't had a chance to blog about it yet so I'm just catching up.

Anyhew...according to Variety.com not only will there be three more Fast and Furious films but there might be some wiggle room for this, and that there might be spinoffs or even prequels.

According to Jeff Shell chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group:

"...Vin (Diesel) has a vision in mind for three more, so let's get three more done and then see where we are from there..."

And according to Variety.com after the success of Fast and Furious 7 with this film being the first in the series of Fast and Furious to top $1 billion and benefited from the growth of foreign markets like China, where it made over $390 million, and also according to Jeff Shell China wasn't the only foreign market that this last film benefited from:

"It's new in China to them, it's new in Russia to them, it's new in most Latin America, so this is a series that's accelerating in my view, not slowing down."

So I'm thinking with this success of the last film why wouldn't the studio want to hold onto this money making machine a bit longer by probably now I think about it probably doing a Harry Potter style thing and do spinoffs, prequels, origin stories, etc -although when I've seen these films they do tend to be crap and films that just disappoint because you end up thinking why on earth did I waste my time watching that, so I'm thinking that these probably don't end up making as much money as other kinds of things that the studio could do to make money on the franchise-, the sky is probably the limit if you think about it with money making ideas for this movie franchise.
"
So I'm guessing the studio also had this thought as Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley has confirmed that according to Variety.com talks were taking place about ways to broaden the series' reach:

"We're certainly in conversations about how we can expand the franchise now..."

She went on to say that:

" It's an ensemble cast and there's room to bring character's in and out ".

This sounds all very exciting news but also according to Variety.com this next instalment will not be having any of the insane car stunts like ones in other films I'm thinking in particular like the ones in the last film such as the one where the car goes through 3 buildings when the team go to Dubai or the car stunt when the team go to get the computer hacker who has created "The God's Eye" and all the cars parachute out the back of a airplane and when they reach the ground Paul Walker's character has to run up the bus and jumps off onto Letty's car to get back onto land or even the stunt when Vin Diesel's character and the computer hacker jump off the mountain with only the computer hacker wearing a safety helmet, as according to this same article on Variety.com's website, Vin Diesel and the people over at the studio promise that the upcoming films will be different in tone from the adventures that proceeded them. That's why the studio brought in F. Gary Grey, the director of "Straight Outta Compton" to guide the eighth film in the series.

Vin Diesel has also said that:

" We have a director who is going to bring the darkness out the character", and the actor also promises that this next film will be similar to his previous collaborations with F. Gary Grey such as the 2003 "A Man Apart".

Jeff Shell the chairman of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group has also said that:

" You can't keep having every movie have bigger and bigger stunts forever and ever and ever."

And he goes on to say:

"Eventually you have to really focus on the story. We'll still have big stunts but bringing in this amazing storyteller is going to be great."

I understand that it would be even more ridiculous than the stunts they do now in the films if all the people involved with these films were to keep doing insane stunts forever as there is a limit to when stunts stop looking wow! that's amazing and that stunt just looks like it was totally insanely ridiculous...but I do have to say that these insane car stunts are probably one of the reasons why apart from the cars, the music, the action etc that makes these films so popular so I don't know if the stunts they will have in this next film will be able to stand up to stunts from the other movies and prove just as wow as other stunts.

Must read PledgeMusic campaign....The Fever, The Focus

You may or may not have already heard about this news, but I'm soooo excited about this news I just had to post about it up on here,-but I've been so ill recently with the flu on top of dealing with a Deep Vein Thrombosis that it has taken until now for me to blog about this-, anyhew Alex Davies and Ed Minton from Elliott Minor have gotten together to create The Fever, The Focus and have launched a PledgeMusic campaign to launch their new 2016 mini album!

Here is the link to their PledgeMusic page where you can sign up to buy anything and all manner of cool things from this new mini-album of theirs,- which as I am a massive fan of Elliott Minor for ages ever since I first heard "Parallel Worlds", and as soon as I first heard this very exciting news I of course ran over to PledgeMusic's website as quickly as possible and signed myself up to get my hands on this new mini-album of theirs as well as a download of their NEW! demo format version of "Hurricane"-, tickets for their secret launch party show which is on the 5th March at the London Garage (on the PledgeMusic page tickets for this show can ONLY be purchased through PledgeMusic), to even Alex and Ed coming round to your home with acoustic instruments for "...for an evening of music for you and your friends and family..."  And even more but your just going to have to see for yourselves just what you could get your hands on!

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thefeverthefocus

In exchange for all of us the fans pledging to buy any of these items you'll get to have access to behind-the-scenes recording updates, video clips and many more updates...you could even if you follow them on Facebook be able to see much more updates!

If you unlike me you haven't heard The Fever, The Focus's demo version of "Hurricane" here is the link to their Soundcloud page where you can have a little listen and see what you think of it or if you want to download this or their cover of The Weekend's "I Can't Feel My Face" then I'm afraid you'll have to have pre-ordered this or sign in to PledgeMusic to access this content on their PledgeMusic page.

https://soundcloud.com/the-fever-the-focus

And if your anything like me you'll probably already have downloaded the demo version of "Hurricane", so I think it is fair to say that this has a feel of Pop Rock about it, so I can't wait to hear what the rest of this new mini-album sounds like when it comes out on the 30th April.

Fast and Furious 8 Has Finally Found A Director

You may or may have not have heard through the internet, various websites or through Vin Diesel's own Facebook page but if you haven't heard then here it is: There will be a Fast and Furious 8 and it will be located in New York, but there hasn't been a decision made on who will direct this...as Vin Diesel said himself on his own Facebook page:

"My producing partner Neal (Moritz) would love for me to just sign off on a director, but this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled. To be clear, NO ONE has been offered to helm Fast 8...let alone seen a script".

But today it looks like the search for a director is now over:

And possibly a trilogy might be on the way, also as according to Vin Diesel's own Facebook page:

"Universal has been so good to me and so trusting of the vision...they have been like family...I promised the studio and I promised I would deliver one last Trilogy to end the saga. I will announce the directors on my next post".

And sure enough this picture pops up:



So this looks like to me that a director has been chosen out of all the names that were thrown into the hat such as Louis Leterrier who has directed "Transporter 2", "The Incredible Hulk", "Clash Of The Titans" and "Now You See Me",- (this film in case your wondering was the film that starred Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Woody Harelsson all have their own magic tricks but all of them are mysteriously contacted and put together to form "the four horseman", and during one of their performances they pull off a heist showing the audience that they have seemingly at random chosen a man out of the audience and that he has been transported to France and into the bank vault of one of France's biggest banks and then they disappear, this leads to Interpol sending someone from France to get the money back but also the FBI send in Mark Ruffalo to arrest the team all the time having Morgan Freeman playing a character called Thaddeus Bradley wanting to find out the secrets of these magicians as that's his job as he makes money doing this, but by the end of the movie there's the ingenious twist that Mark Ruffalo put all these magicians together and has each given this "the four horsemen" the opportunity to be invited into "The Magician's Circle")-...

And that Deadline Hollywood.com's website through The Hollywood Reporter's suggestions of William Eubank (he has directed "The Signal") and Adam Wingard (he has directed "You're Next" and "The Guest") maybe also directing this next film in the franchise were all wrong and that the honour of directing this next Fast and Furious film has gone to by the looks of this picture F. Gary Grey who has just directed "Straight Outta Compton" for Universal Studios, "The Italian Job" (the Marky Mark remake with Charliz Theron) and "A Man Apart" that also starred the man of this very same Fast and Furious franchise Vin Diesel all the way back in 2003 has been chosen for this role of director.

And by this link to F. Gary Grey's Twitter page, we the fans like myself of this movie franchise now know the date for the next film in this series:

http://twitter.com/FGaryGray/status/652181877587992576/photo/1

But this date as well as this news about the director could all change.

But with Vin Diesel saying in his last post on his Facebook page saying:

"...but this is too special a franchise, so these matters have to be very carefully handled. Universal has been so good to me so trusting of the vision...they have been like family. I promised the studio I would deliver one last trilogy to end the saga. I will announce the directors on my next post..."

Empire Magazine's website seem to think that this might be suggesting that there will be possibly more than one director at the helm for this next Fast and Furious film...interesting theory...very interesting I'd say, I guess we'll have to wait and see if this theory is just that a theory or there really will be more than one director at the helm of this film.

Ssh! One Style Secret To Keep Under Your Hat: How To Dr. Frankenstein Your Tired, Worn Out Looking Pair Of Trainers/ or Sneakers

I just saw this on Mr.Porter.com's website's The Journal page and I thought that everybody including myself has to read this article, as it can't be just me that has this problem of after a while of owning a pair of trainers, sneakers, plimsolls or whatever you call them, the shininess of whatever colour they were when you first bought them,-particularly with white trainers, plimsolls, sneakers etc- wanes and you start noticing marks of dirt on them from where they've been worn repeatedly, or they've got marks on them from where you've been wearing them when it's been raining and you've walked through puddles, and the laces look all dirty, and then this again might just be me but by the next time you want to wear these trainers you see all of this and you start to feel like they look too dirty to wear out and about that maybe you should start looking for some new trainers because you can't just put these in the washing machine anymore!

And now thanks to Details Magazine Style Director Eugene Tong's "How To Guide..." on Mr. Porter.com's website's The Journal page which includes a handy Tutorial showing the "5 Golden Rules To Sneaker /or Trainer Maintenace" and what kind of tools you'll need for this job, and thankfully all these tools you'll need for this job are amazingly cheap,-well for the website they are amazingly cheap- but they are also of the highest quality such as:









Jason Markk's Premium Shoe Cleaning Essential Kit for £16, this includes a gentle biodegradable shoe cleaner that will clean up to 100's of pairs of shoes before you have to restock with the full size cleaner, and this kit also includes a wooden handled brush. This brush is made of synthetic bristles so is tough enough to use on all colours and material types, but for delicate materials and leather use the Premium Shoe Cleaning Brush priced at £10 as well as using the Premium Shoe Cleaner priced at £17.

And what can also be great to use to keep your trainers looking as fresh as when you bought them is Jason Marrkk's 200ml Repel Spray, this water based formula creates a durable barrier that protects a variety of materials including leather, nylon, nubuck, canvas, suede and leather without altering the look or feel of the shoes.

For all other product details on Jason Marrkk's range of amazing products that are good to use in maintaining your trainer's /or sneaker's or plimsolls or whatever you call them and stopping them looking drab and dirty, or if you just want to see this tutorial or if you just want to have a gander at this article, here's the link below:

http://www.mrporter.com/journal/the-tutorial/how-to-keep-your-sneakers-clean/418?cm_sp=shoeguide-_-sneakerscleana2-_-01-10-15

New Must Listen To Music Alert!: Martin Luke Brown

You may or may not have already heard of Martin Luke Brown and his amazing song "Scars On Scars", if you have you might have heard his music either through the wonder that is Facebook or through BBC Introducing, Beats 1 via Jack Garrett, Radio 1, or if you were at this year's Boardmasters, or if you went to this year's Reading and Leeds Festival or if you've listened to Huw Stephen's show, but either way you just have to give his music a listen to as it's instantly addictive!

And I have to say that just thinking about this song I have now got this song stuck in my head...but that's no bad thing as I love this song and I have to say that as soon as I heard this song I headed to Amazon's website and just had to download this song as well as his other EP "Take Out On Me" because I really wanted to hear what if any songs or albums were on Amazon's website sounded like as this song was so good.

And I have to say thank god I did download these two EP's!

It frustrates me that he hasn't had as much press attention as some of the crapper artists or bands such as the made to order 1 direction bands that seem to be made and don't really get any press attention or they do but they become overnight hits, and get access to all the shows on primetime TV so everybody in the public domain can hear or at least have access to their music and can therefore build their fan base or at least gets an instant fan base but haven't had to really work at building this, or the latest band that Radio 1 are typically going crazy for at the moment like Foals,- if your a fan of Foals this is just my opinion and I won't apologise for that, but I don't know how after they're god awful performance on "Late Live...with Jools Holland" where they were just screaming, you can say that was a great performance,- because he sounds so amazing and with one listen to his EP you'll become an instant fan of his music and no doubt like me you might feel sad when you get to the last song on "Take Out On Me" and have to immediately press the replay button to listen to all of these songs again.

I can also guarantee that by the end of today you will be humming the tune to "Scars On Scars".

I also have to say that after listening to this EP it definitely has a feel of Tyler James' album "A Place I Go", with the first track from the EP "Take Out Of Me" having a definite Justin Timberlake vibe to it with a definite R 'n' B vibe to it.

Also, track 2 on this EP "Stitch" also has an old school motown beat to it, and it might just be me but the following track "Thorns" always make me think of something floating down a river, and now that I just thought about it the music video for this song could be that Martin (who's from Leicester by the way), is stood overlooking a bridge staring at an envelope thinking should he post it or not then he decides to crumple it up and then throws it in the river below and then walks away singing whilst having flashing images running through his mind of "the girl" that he means the song for, and then you see that the girl is walking down by the same river that the letter is making its way down and she picks it up and by the end of the video she knocks on his front door having read the letter and it saying all the words in the song and shows him that she got the letter.

But this could just be me. He is also doing a couple of free tour dates, so if you would like to see him live in the flesh and see how fantastic he is with your very own eyes then why not go on over to his Facebook page and see if he is coming to a venue near you!

Also if downloading "Scars On Scars" and "Take Out On Me" isn't enough for you then why not sign up to his mailing list to get a free download of his song "Nostalgia".

David Beckham for Belstaff at Mr. Porter

You'll want to take a look at this as it may just be me but not only are they're a few very nice stylish things in the new collection that Belstaff have just brought out, but you'll also want to take a gander at Mr. Porter's interview with David Beckham and the new short Outlaws film starring David Beckham and Harvey Keitel.

I have to say that now that I've seen this short film it seems like to me it has a feeling of Kill Bill like Quentin Tarentino has had his hands at the film, but now that I think about it this feeling could be more to do with the music being played in this Geremy Jasper written and directed short film that was made in partnership with Belstaff and executive produced by Liv Tyler.

Here is the link to the interview for your eyes to peruse over:

http://www.mrporter.com/journal/the-interview/mr-david-beckham/490?cm_mmc=Email-_-JournalDigestC-_-170915-_-GBTHEINTERVIEW

But it does seem to me that the director of this film may have taken some inspiration from Kill Bill as it seems like to me that in this film when David Beckham is sat down at a table with the same women who is sat at the back of the cinema at the end of the short film laughing it makes me think of when in Kill Bill: Vol 2 Uma Therman's "The Bride" character sits down with Esteban after driving to Mexico,- one of many father figures that Bill acquires that is also a pimp and a dugs lord- to talk about Bill and where is he.

And it also has a kind of a Kill Bill storyline to it as Harvey Keitel plays a revenge filled maniacal film director with what looks like horses going after David Beckham and him zooming off dressed head to toe in biker leathers zooming off across the Mexican desert on one of David Beckham's own motorcycles.

Also there seems to be in this short film a set of conjoined twins, evil bikers, a bearded lady and Ms. Katherine Turner starring as a trapeze artist.

And David Beckham looking like he's zooming off into the sunset with a girl in toe on his motorcycle.

And I have to say that it might just be me but all of these items from this new collection give you some really great ideas for any upcoming events, occasions or even for Christmas...I know, I know I said the C word and it's not even been Halloween yet but it's just a thought!

Ed Sheerans's first music film!

Come one come all, as I am a massive fan of Ed Sheeran I was ecstatic to see in my e-mail inbox an e-mail saying that Ed Sheeran has made his first film about his Wembley Stadium shows called "Jumpers For GoalPosts", and before you ask according to Mr. Sheeran himself he's called the movie this because the goalposts keep moving.

This film will according to www.edsheeranmovie.com will be shown in select cinemas worldwide, but according to the newsletter that I received if you live in another country the sale of these green carpet event will be different but he will let you know the dates for different countries.

But if you live in the UK this global event which features the Wembley Stadium gigs but also features how Ed got to where he is now in his career as well as the people closest to him who have helped him to get to this point will start going on sale from Thursday 24th September.

So if I were you and you were a fan of Ed Sheeran and his music I would say you need to get in there fast before these tickets are all gone!

And if you haven't seen the trailer for this movie of Ed Sheeran please see the link below:

http://www.edsheeranmovie.com/?eml=2015September16/2721052/6010037&etsubid=31839988

Stevie B. Wolf New Music!

It seems like an age since my last post on here and to all the readers here I again apologise but since I've been away it doesn't mean I've been idle...no no I have been listening to lots of music from new, unsigned and exciting artists as well as artists that you may have already heard of on the radio that are already signed,-and I have to say thank god for Youtube and all bands and artists out there as I would be going absolutely mental and climbing up the walls of my bedroom without it whilst I've been off sick-.

One of these many artists that I've been listening to is Stevie B. Wolf, I love listening to Stevie B. Wolf and all his songs as they always make me smile whenever and whichever song of his I'm listening to, and I absolutely loved the video for his cover version of Blink 182 "Dammit" which you can now download (if you go to his Facebook page) and I really think you should as this will definitely brighten up your day,-but I do have to say that once you've heard it this will get stuck in your head, but that's no bad thing,-

 



This is a slowed down version of Blink 182's "Dammit" and to me even has a stripped back acoustic feel to it, but I feel that this sounds a bit sad and even a bit melancholic with the sound of the guitar and the story of the video and I always find myself going "Aw! I can't believe it's over", so I always find myself having to click on other Stevie B. Wolf videos that are on Youtube to get me feeling up again and I have to say that his other song "Fire In Your Lungs" does this very nicely!

(If you haven't seen the video for "Fire In your Lungs" then here it is below, but I also urge you to download his EP "The Mountain" as all these songs are amazing and they'll definitely turn you into an instant fan as you'll definitely like me want to hear what his other songs sound like after you've heard this song.)

And that is how I became a fan of Stevie B. Wolf's music...anyhew I seem to be going off topic, Stevie B. Wolf has a new song out "Nothing But A Name" which I have just checked out and it can now be downloaded via his Facebook Page.

If anyone is in the New York area and you want a chance to hear him live then why not pootle on down to PIANOS on September 18th.

Listening to it now to me it sounds like it could be in the background in an American TV show like The OC or The Vampire Diaries where there is a scene where there's a possibility of  two characters getting together, this could just be me or it could even be the story for the video to this song that comes from Stevie B. Wolf's new EP "Alone + Alive".

This is what is so perfect about Stevie B. Wolf's music, it is perfect for playing in the background whilst with a group of friends, at a dinner party, or just in your room as his voice is so amazing, brilliant, soothing and relaxing.

But I have just read in a message from the man of the moment that pre-orders for this new EP "Alone +Alive" will start this Saturday, but all 4 songs from this new EP won't actually come out until November 5th. But 2 songs from this EP are already to stream on Soundcloud.com and the 3rd will be available to stream on Culture Collide on October 1st.

And if you want to get your hands on a physical CD copy then this will take longer these will not be available until the beginning of November.

Dressed to kill... Tom Ford at Mr.Porter

The other day I received a newsletter from Mr.Porter.com about what new arrivals they had to their website that always has the best and coolest names in men's fashion such as Alexander McQueen, of course Tom Ford, Gucci, The Kingsman Collection from the film Kingsman, Acne Studios, Givenchy, Dolce and Gabbana etc but they also do the best in men's shoes, fragrance, accessories, gifts etc...and to me men's fashion is so much cooler than women's and now that I think about it women's fashion is nowadays inspired or it does tend to take a leaf out of men's style, and it now has become a fashion trend that some celebrities have been seen wearing out such as Emma Watson and journalists calling it "Boy Meets Girl" style.

And I have to say that even I when I'm out and about or browsing on the internet am inspired by men's style and the fact that half my wardrobe is filled with clothes from one of my favourite clothes brand All Saints.

Anyhew...I digress Tom Ford has now arrived at this stylish men's clothing and accessory website that is great for getting any ideas for any upcoming events such as Father's Day, birthdays, Christmas's etc, and I have to say that I know that he already designs the suits for 007 but these brilliantly designed classic and modern styles of clothes using Italian craftsmanship and premium materials look really WOW! like this Tom Ford Navy Slim Velvet Tuxedo Jacket £2,030,:




very smart and James Bond-esque. Some pieces of this collection from Tom Ford such as the Tom Ford Woven Silk and Wool Blend Tie £155 does look a bit like the Anthony Sinclair Grenadine Neck ties which are made of rare Grenadine silk that according to Anthony Sinclair's website "...is often mistaken as a knitted rather than woven material..." look almost as if they have been designed specifically for James Bond as these pieces of clothes when you put them altogether has somewhat of the classic Sean Connery 007 look to it, but with a modern refreshed look to it.

   


(The Tom Ford Slim-Fit Houndstooth Wool Blazer £2,380, The Tom Ford Slim-Fit Houndstooth Wool Trousers £730)

And this definitely will give any 007 fan the look like they're going to the Casino Royale for a high stakes poker game, (team this black Slim-Fit Mohair and Wool-Blend Tuxedo £3,280 with the below Pleated Cotton Tuxedo Shirt £450 and Silk-Satin Cummbund £285) :

 
Or you could team this up with Tom Ford's White Slim-Fit Bar Cotton Shirt £330

If these looks are not to your taste this collection also does fantastic modern looks such as trainers, brogues, loafers, cashmere sweaters and accessories such as wallets and leather bracelets but if you want to take a look at the full collection here is the link:

http://www.mrporter.com/mens/designers/tom_ford?cm_mmc=Email-_-WNG-_-010915-_-GBCHeroBanner

I know that these items are a tad on the expensive side, and this collection doesn't exactly fit into many people's budgets but this collection of Tom Ford does certainly deliver on beautifully designed quality pieces of clothes and accessories that definitely give the WOW! factor both in terms of refreshing the classic men's tailored fit design style and bringing it bang up to date and current...,-which now that I think about it is the 'in' thing these days, as there are films out there today such as "X:MEN: First Class", "X:MEN: Days Of Future Past", these films in particular are more stylised and are more focused on a particular period in time and thus use fashion such as this collection which easily refreshes classic looks like Tom Ford's Slim-Fit Cashmere Sweater £790 and the Tom Ford Fine Knit Cashmere and Silk Blend Rollneck Sweater £860:

 

 as well as many other things that makes these films look and feel like they are 'back in time' or 'in the future' but cool and bang up to date like the rollneck definitely has the air of something that Michael Fassbender would wear in "Haywire", this film again is very stylised as well as the new Bond films such as "SPECTRE", "Quantum Of Solace" and "Casino Royale" which are again stylised and again bang up to date and really does bring the classic tailored look back into fashion,- and also in terms of present giving.

Start your engines rolling be the first to get your hands on the NEW! Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise!

I was just perusing the web when I came across this on Collider.com this:



And this definitely piqued my interest as just like it says in the picture "Furby has entered the World Of Star Wars", and on the one hand as an avid fan of all the Star Wars films I think this is cool, cute as it looks to me at least just like Gizmo from "Gremlins" and I imagine it also sings like Gizmo but this time it sings the Star Wars theme tune, and I don't see this getting wet and sprouting any nastier versions of itself like Stripe was in "Gremlins", just probably if it gets damaged by water that it will probably stop working.

But...on the other hand I had one of these when I was little when they were all the rage and I have to say they are very demanding little toys that I instantly after about 10 minuites lost interest in, as they just keep perching at you like a bird "Play with me" and they do become annoying, but as I do love Star Wars this does tempt me...but if I can guess the response of my parents would be a definite and resounding "NO Grow Up!", and it is very possible that if I did own this along with any other of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens  merchandise that Disney, LucasFilm and Hasbro will be celebrating as part of "Force Friday", which starts at 12:01 am on September 4th 2015 where fans can visit mass retailers,  Disney stores world wide as well as from DisneyStore.com a wide range of all things StarWars from toys, collectables, books, comics, ebooks and apps, apparel and lifestyle accessories.

     
           

These are just some of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise that new and old lovers of this franchise can get their hands on...but I think that when the time comes for this " Force Friday" there will definitely be some things said about the Star Wars StormTrooper guns and the "Put Together BladeBuilders" as these to me anyway do look like on some of the ways you could put them together look a bit lethal, especially the way you could put these together to look like Poseidon's,-in case you don't know who this is, Poseidon was the Greek God who controlled the sea's or in case you haven't seen the film "Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief"- fork.

If you want to get your hands on some of these toys you can go to:

www.starwars-hasbro.com

So if you want to get your hands on any of these toys you better be quick as I'm sure that every other Star Wars fan will want to get this just as much as the next fan including myself so I would suggest you get in their fast as I bet you there will be a frenzy for these things juust like there was when the Harry Potter books came out, or even when a new Iphone comes out or when a new game in a series of Xbox games or PlayStation games comes out.

And its not just me that thinks that these 'toys' are well worth owning for every Star Wars fan new and old, but according to Josh Silverman, executive vice president, global licensing of Disney Consumer Products thinks that these products are:

"Every lightsaber, every action figure, every LEGO set tells a story for generations of Star Wars fans, and this global event is a celebration of those stories."

Don't forget that "Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens" will be released in the UK on 18th December 2015...if you are in a different country and want to know the alternative release date please go to IMDb.com and the Star Wars page and click on the release date underneath the title to the page.

SPECTRE is coming to cinemas...now get the look!

Today as I logged onto Twitter I saw that the original tailors for 007 and the many actors that have played him in the Bond films over the years excluding Daniel Craig as all Bond fans including me, who is a massive fan of all the Bond films especially the Sean Connery James Bond films know by now that Tom Ford designs all the new James Bond suits, Anthony Sinclair has a new special offer that has definitely piqued my interest and will definitely interest every Bond fan like myself.

For years me, my dad and the rest of my family have been massive fans of all things James Bond and I was very lucky to have found Anthony Sinclair's website as well as Bond Lifestyle's website that has all things Bond including the most important of all information that all Bond fans should have...the recipe for a Vesper cocktail, as well as information like Anthony Sinclair on how to get the look of 007, where to get it, information on the types of gadgets and where to get them, also information on all manner of tropical locations where 007 has been filmed as well as what cars were used in these films.

Anyhew...Anthony Sinclair's offer of the day is how every Bond fan can now get their hands on the newly designed Conduit Cut Ready-To-Wear Suit in either navy blue or grey sharkskin, Prince Of Wales Tartan or Charcoal Grey - both the grey sharkskin and the Prince Of Wales Tartan in my opinion has the more classic Sean Connery James Bond look to it, whereas the navy blue Conduit Cut that is the classic cut James Bond Suit, has the more modern Daniel Craig look to it-, and this look can be topped off with one of their quality crisp white double cuff cocktail shirt or the single cocktail shirt, one of Anthony Sinclair's crisp white linen pocket square's and a solid coloured neck tie...all you have to do is choose the size you want or even if you want to try before you buy the Conduit Cut Suit, you can book an appointment at Anthony Sinclair's London shop on 34 Montagu Square London, W1H 2LJ...nice day trip out for everyone if I do say so myself!

Choose the style of suite that you prefer, which colour of linen pocket square that you would like as well as which solid coloured neck tie you'd prefer then when you've done this and added all the items into your shopping cart enter the coupon code CCSUIT and the discount will be applied so you can receive all of these fabulously quality designed items for £700.00 (£583.00 excl. VAT)...I know this may seem a tad expensive but I can assure you that as I have bought some of these quality designed items for my Dad as presents, every penny is well worth it and every event you wear these items to you will look and feel just like your James Bond himself! As well as definitely adding the WOW factor to any and all occasions when are where you have to wear a suite!

Here's the link to see all of these items for yourself:

http://www.anthonysinclair.com/Special_Offer_s/2119.htm

And for those who haven't seen the trailer yet for the new SPECTRE film, here it is the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GqClqvlObY

I have to say that I've not really seen this second trailer for myself properly yet but probably like every Bond fan I have seen all the build up behind-the-scenes footage for this film and just like that footage this trailer looks fantastic, really action packed and I love the new Aston Martin DB10...but I am sad to hear that this will be sold after the film is released on 26th October 2016 in the UK according to IMDB.com, (for all other release dates in other countries please go to IMDB.com's website and click on the release date on the page for SPECTRE).

xxx3 on it's way...So says Vin Diesel!

I'm baaaack...well slowly coming back I'd like to say, although posts from here may come a bit slower than before but I'm going to try and see how I feel just after one of these posts as I'm still under the weather for now.

Anyhew...while I've been not blogging I've not been too far away from the news of all things movie, music and celebrity as if I hadn't had anything to do with music, films or contact with the internet I would definitely be climbing the walls of my bedroom whilst I've been bedbound and unable to do anything whilst I am ill.

Anyhew...Just as I have decided to blog today ComicBook.com has come up with this piece of exciting news that has definitely brightened up my day. I have to say though I was not that surprised to finally hear this piece of news being announced as the other day I was on Facebook and on my dashboard it came up from Vin Diesel's Facebook page I saw this photo:



That was posted on August 21st as the pages' updated cover photo, so you can imagine that when I first saw this I had a sneaking suspicion that there was something lurking under the radar and that that something would have to do with XXX.

And it looks like thanks to ComicBook.com that this sneaking suspicion was right...or it could just be me.

Anyway....according to ComicBook.com Vin Diesel has now officially announced via his official Instagram account:

"While I was filming XXX, guys on set called me Air Diesel...The time to return has come."

He go's on to say:

"Filming starts December in the Philippeans".

Might just be me but this turn of phrase "The time to return has come" reminds me of the old PlayStation Lion King game where the baboon character would say in the part of the game where you had to swing on the monkey's tail and it would have in the background the song "I just can't wait to be king" "The King Has Returned".

Anyhew... according to ComicBook.com this would be the third film in the XXX franchise,- with the second "XXX: The Next Level" which starred Ice Cube as the new XXX and ex soldier that was serving time in prison and is then contacted by Samuel L. Jackson whilst in prison so as he can go on a secret mission to stop a inner agency power struggle where William Defoe plays Secretary of Defense George Deckard who plans to use some of his task force friends to help him kill the president at a particular meeting with all the world leaders at a major conference about passing a bill in congress that would stop gangs from getting money into the country and then he would step into taking over the United States, this in my opinion wasn't nearly as good as the first XXX with Vin Diesel as Xander Cage the adrenaline junkie who is internationally recognised for performing out there stunts from stealing a car then crashing it over a bridge and then jumping out of it whilst the car is nearly going to hit the water below but with a parachute but still good family fun watchable action adventure-, which bombed at the box office and only made $71m globally or as Google has just converted for me £45116891.07, which was well below the $131m budget for it.

And as well as this there was the classic one liner from the first XXX "Welcome To The Xander Zone".

But saying this though, ComicBook.com did say that this original film was budgeted at $70m or £44490630.10m and made at the world wide box office $277m or £176106708.33m.

And looking at IMDB.com the working title or the actual title for this film I'm not sure for this film is "The Return of Xander Cage", with the story of Xander being left for dead after an incident but comes back for a secret tough mission with his handler Augustus Gibbons who in the other two films was played by Samuel L. Jackson.

This could all change though by the time it comes out though so your guess is as good as mine in what the title, story and release date is for this new film...but for now it will be good to see Vin Diesel back in the Xander zone,-I'm sorry I just couldn't resist!

Baywatch is finally getting a movie!

I'm back! After weeks of sitting in my bed feeling ill, taking pills and just basically feeling crap I've decided to get back on the blogging horse so to speak.

Anyhew...getting back to the matter at hand, yesterday I saw on Empire Magazine's website that Baywatch was going to be getting it's very own movie with Zac Efron.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Seth Gordon who directed "Horrible Bosses" will be directing this for Paramount Picture's with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions producing in some capacity, along with Beau Flynn (who is according to IMDb.com most noted for producing "The Number 23" which starred Jim Carey, executive producer on "Requiem For A Dream" which starred Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly among other films), and Ivan Reitman who will also be producing this film.

Also according to The Hollywood Reporter production for this could kick off in early February 2016 with a 2017 release date all being well.

Also according to The Hollywood Reporter Zac Efron will be a busy boy this year as not only has he been in negotiations to be in this movie, but he will be doing the movie press rounds to promote other movies that will be released in 2016 such as "Bad Neighbours 2" where he'll be reteaming up with Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne where filming will be in Atlanta, also to be released in 2016 for Lionsgate Entertainment is "Dirty Grandpa" a road trip comedy which he will star alongside Robert De Niro, also according to The Hollywood Reporter Efron has just wrapped on production of 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment's comedy "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" which will see him alongside Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza.

So get ready to have your cinemas filled with Zac Efron in 2016.

The most recent draft of this script that was written by Damien Shannon and Mark Swift centres on Dwayne Johnson playing a by-the-book very serious lifeguard who is forced to team up with rule flouting hot head played by Zac Efron in order to save their beach from environmental destruction at the hands of an oil tycoon.

But judging by some of the reruns of Baywatch I've seen you can't have a proper Baywatch film without comedy, the slow motion running along the beach or a little bit of action from every now and again big storylines such as this storyline would suggest ...and from reading this most recent draft there could be a lot of laughs in this and it does sound like it could have the potential to be a dare I say it a new stereotypical buddy comedy...and now that I think about it, these types of films are not just proving to be popular with cinema goers like "Ted", the "Fast and Furious" films, "The Other Guys" etc etc and this popularity of cinema goers did translate into lots and lots of money earned at the box office as well as lots and lots of money for the studios that put up the money to make these kinds of films.

So I'm thinking that Paramount Picture's is hoping that this film will make them lots and lots of money...but now that I also think about it "Ted" and the "Fast and Furious" films although the Fast and Furious films were more about the cars and the going undercover in the underground street racing scene to steal things but everybody that's seen it and is a fan of these films including me knows that it's really about the bond between all of Vin Diesel's character's crew Toretto including the late Paul Walker and how these characters are more than just the stealing things from trucks more the black and white criminals that they're made out to be, they could be seen as a kind of buddy film these films did spawn sequels and in the case of "Fast and Furious" a film franchise so I'm thinking that Paramount are going to be keeping their fingers crossed hoping that this film either gets a sequel or it spawns a new film franchise.

This is an apology to the readers.

I apologise for the non postings on here lately and I was going to post on here sooner as I was worried that the readers of this music/film news blog including any music artists that have contacted me on my various social media pages- Twitter, Facebook etc-, would be getting frustrated that there was no new news about any music/films and would therefore stop reading this blog, but I see today when I log on to the blog that this looks not to be the case.

So anyhew back to the point...I apologise for not writing on this blog sooner as unfortunately I have got a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) in my lower leg and am in a lot of pain so I have been given all manner of pain pills which have all manner of lovely side effects so I am unable to write anything further on here because of all these lovely side effects.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens in depth behind-the-scenes pics post 2!

  
As you can see from these images faces new and old will make appearances in this film such as Mark Hamill (Luke SkyWalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Laia), C3PO, Harrison Ford ( Captain Hans Solo) which many including myself have already seen from the trailer, but if you haven't seen it yet please see the link to it below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs


 
  
Also John Boyega who will play the character Finn, Lupita Nyong'o who you may or may not have recognised from the previous post of pictures that is pictured with all the white spots all over her face, but you may or may not recognise her from films like "12 Years A Slave" who played the part of Patsy, and Daisy Ridley who will be playing the part of Rey are just some of the new faces which also include

 
 
 

 
Domhill Gleeson from films such as "Never Let Me Go" who played the part or Rodney who wants falls in love with a girl from the same mysterious school that Carey Mulligan's character, Keira Knightly's character and Andrew Garfield's character live under very strict rules such as they have to wear electronic tags to sign in to the house every day and night and when they come of age they watch each other have operations for something, but he wants to run away with this girl after hearing a rumour that a couple from a similar school did this and the school realised they were in love but left them alone and didn't bother looking for them.

  
Also I have to say that among these familiar faces are the lobster looking character that you may or may not recognise from "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" as the Commander Gail Ackbar, who led the Republic amongst others which included Luke Skywalker and the Starfleet Command in it's fight to destroy Darth Vader and Death Star II, and it looks like the character that helped Lando pilot the Millenium Falcon during the fight in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and had a fight with Lando when they realised that the Death Star II's defence shield was still operational and hit the Millenium Falcon and Lando says "Can you fix it?" is back.

 

Oscar Isaacs also looks to be one of these new faces that you may or may not recognise from films such as "Drive", he played the character that was married to Carey Mulligan's character and was killed during the robbery at a pawn shop that unbeknownst to him and the Driver played by Ryan Gosling is a front for one of the mobs cash houses, and most recently he was in "The Bourne Legacy" as Outcome #3 who Aaron Cross meets when in the field once he goes over the mountain after loosing his chems after running away from a pack of wolves that have been tracking him and after he makes a 25ft jump from one rocky side of a mountain to another.

 
It also looks like Warwick Davis looks like he'll be making a return as well to the fore but this time not in the guise of the Ewoks from "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" more in the guise of a bumblebee person.

You can also see from these images that J.J Abrams still manages to stick it to The Storm Troopers as of the huge explosion that you can see.

But again it is amazing,-well I think it's amazing,- how much time and thought goes into producing massive productions of the Star Wars sets and ships, making sure that they would not only fit into the Star Wars universe from the image of the blueprints of the star ship but also from the image of a team of people making the star ship making this go from just an idea that is on paper to an actual thing that looks exactly like this or as near to these drawings as possible.

From these few images I'm already excited and I bet just like me other fans of these films as well as you will be too, but you don't have to wait long as the film will be released in the UK on 18th December 2015 according to IMDb.com, and for all other countries please go to the website and click on the December 18th 2015 release date and scroll down to the relevant country.