Latest posts...

SOPA and PIPA, will they leave us speechless?

It has been a while since I have last blogged and this is mainly due to the demanding workload of my third and final year at university. However, today marks an important day for the internet that cannot be ignored, with SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), anti-piracy bills, being considered in the USA.

The legislations are aimed to stop online piracy but many people feel there will be devastating consequences regarding freedom of speech and movement online. If the laws are put into action they can create blacklists of websites to be censored, remove these websites from search engines and cease funding. The DNS (Domain Name System) would be manipulated by these laws and could therefore make websites vanish in the blink of the eye. This might not always be a “bad thing” you may say, but for example, if it were to stumble upon a contaminated blog, instead of discarding of that one, single blog the entire website/company would cease to exist.

Innovation, liberation and freedom would all be squandered by these two movements. If the legislations offered greater fairness and well-thought and developed arbitrary values then perhaps they would be considered more useful to the internet. However, this is not the case.

The BBC (2012) state that 

The bills propose that anyone found guilty of streaming copyrighted content without permission 10 or more times within six months should face up to five years in jail.

This will benefit those that are damaged by people committing piracy which is right and just, however as stated above the delivery methods of punishment are not as clear-cut nor effective.

Those in favour include music publishers, film companies, book publishers and television channels and networks. Though PIPA and SOPA have caused a stir amongst large online presences such as Wikipedia whom are feature a black out showing their utmost support against the proposed laws. Others include eBay, LinkedIn and Google.

PIPA is currently being cradled by the Senate whilst SOPA currently remains in the hands of The House of Representatives. The body of the internet is yet to be disfigured but these changes may just be the making of an unattractive global medium.

Useful links

BBC article discussing sites protesting the legislations

The Guardian- Stop SOPA or the web really will go dark

Sweeney Todd: does it make the cut?

“The demon barber of Fleet…Street.”

Blood, sweat, tears and more blood; the preview of Sweeney Todd at CFT (Chichester Festival Theatre) was a cut above the rest (24th September 2011). The cast gave a bloody account of the gloomy tale of a man fuelled by loss and grief and driven to madness. The final scene reflected the successful retelling with the audience repaying the actors hard work with a standing ovation.

The two lead characters played by Michael Ball (Sweeney Todd) and Imelda Staunton (Mrs Lovett); beautifully recreated the dark tale. Ball gave phenomenal singing performances (solo and duets) and the powerful projection of his voice created an eerie atmosphere in the city of London. At times Ball’s body language lacked the emotion of Mr Todd seen in previous performances (such as the renowned Mr Johnny Depp). At times Ball looked like a young Ricky Gervais in The Office which made his role less effective and daunting however his performance of Mr Todd was energetic at all times.

The sharpest performance of the night was from Imelda Staunton. Staunton’s quick pace delivery of modern jokes and witty lines left the audience in upheavals of raucous laughter. Staunton embraced the character of Mrs Lovett without doubt and the best scene of the night was between her and Mr Todd. What type of pie would you like? This scene showcased the flawless acting by Staunton; humorous descriptions of the ‘types of people in the pies’ with modern references and puns: bankers, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the army and many more relatable professions.

The set was enticing, exciting and elaborate. The main scenes made brilliant use of a winding staircase and balconies overlooking the main stage. To change from various locations a two levelled staircase set would transport the audience: from the barber shop to the asylum to the Judge’s house and so on. The costumes were low cost reflecting the era of the story but none the less, very captivating.

The production managed to stir various emotions throughout the evening: Mr Todd’s anxious nature to seek revenge, Todd’s daughter Johanna’s despair, Mrs Lovett’s obsession with Mr Todd, Judge Turpin’s sick perversion with his daughter and the seeded events that occurred in London and went unnoticed.

Judge Turpin played by John Bowe created a startling scene that really put the audience under the knife: a ritualistic whipping scene with Turpin using his belt as an instrument of pain on his body whilst dressed only in trousers. Turpin numerously beat himself to drive the incestual thoughts for his daughter away. The scene was a little cringe worthy yet effective as it portrayed the dark sick nature of judge Turpin and the cracking of the leather belt on his skin brought the reality to the audience. Crack.

The daughter Johanna was played well by Lucy Barker as she triumphantly showed the audience her angelic nature yet also her fight for survival. Although one of the first scenes showed an explicit silhouette denoting rape that seemed unnecessary; the rest of the production followed her tale of escaping the terror of her father and without knowledge being in the same location as her mother.

The true horror the audience loved was the ‘close shaves’ of many men under the knife of Mr Todd; all but one that resulted every time in death. Thrills, shrieks and cries were provoked by the humorous deaths in the barber shop. Mr Todd without mercy slit the throats of customers and simply disposed of their bodies to the bake house below. The scene beautifully showed the rhythmic ease of killing the men and then using their bodies as filling for the meat pies. The squirting of blood with each kill was a fantastic effect; simple, slaughtered yet effective.

The show was slick with excellent choreography for all of the songs and the crossover of two scenes at one time was timed well. The cast remained full of energy throughout the whole performance and kept the atmosphere of London very much alive and buzzing: a stark contrast to customers at Mr Todd’s barbers. The audience remained enthralled in the two and half hour tale of violence, madness, grief, deceit and loss. Sweeney Todd is being performed at CFT until Saturday 5th November 2011 and is a must see! You’d be bloody mad not to.

Book swapping: a novel idea

The Guardian is leaving 15,000 novels around the UK for people to find and read. Publishers and authors have joined this campaign to encourage reading and swapping books with one another.

The idea is to give your favourite novel away and leave a message within the cover for your ‘new’ reader. This is a fantastic idea and people can follow where books are left and the new journey their favourite novel has taken. You can follow this exciting adventure on Twitter: #guardianbookswap and upload photographs and a commentary following the progress of your swap.

Sharing books is an idea that has been around for a long time. Books clubs and societies ensure groups of people can empathise with one another on their precious novels. Swapping books also ensures they do not end up in your loft, being neglected and gathering dust. Readitswapit is an ingenious website that lets users swap their books for books they want to read, with the small cost of posting.

The internet also makes reading and novels more accessible. The Guardian are also offering this weekend a free audiobook download of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in the Saturday Guardian.

So prepare your favourite novel for a real adventure and read some helpful tips on swapping. Write that stranger a memorable note and get ready to book swap. The story begins this weekend.

Downton Abbey set to go off with a bang!

Downton Abbey returns to our television screens (ITV) this Sunday (18th September 2011) at 9pm. Following the incredible success of series one with 11m viewers for the last episode and eleven nominations at the Emmy’s; Downton Abbey has captured the attention of the entire nation.

The first series followed the lives of the Crawley family and their servants with engrossing storylines of love, betrayal and extreme class division. The series left the audience in suspense with the declaration of the First World War.

The airing of the new series faces rivalry of the new series of the spy drama Spooks. However with the explosive opening of Downton, (shown on BBC today) it will be very hard to move from the edge of your seat. Series two trailer:

So why do we love period dramas?

A blog from The Telegraph helped answer this question. Audiences love the costumes, the architectural setting, the (poetic) use of the English language and all in all the history is what makes the future. Downton Abbey offers audiences escapism, enjoyment and above all entertainment.

Although Julian Fellowes, writer and producer of the show, has come under scrutiny for historical inaccuracies, Downton has earned a renowned status: most popular costume drama since Brideshead Revisited in 1981 and has been sold to more than over one hundred countries.

Fellowes describes the show’s level of popularity as:

‘We were playing to something like a third of the adult population,’ he said. ‘I mean, nobody could expect that level of success, except for Simon Cowell. It was completely mad.’

With a strong cast, well written script and beautiful scenery Downton Abbey is not to be missed. Follow the story unfolding further this Sunday and be part of history. Stay tuned into my blog for a review of episode one next week!

The Bird

What a jolly bird, hopping to and fro,

He’s putting on a performance, he’s putting on a show.

Pecking through the grass, without any care,

He can’t see me watching, he can’t see me stare.

He’s plucked up the courage, he’s dancing on the road,

Hopping to and fro, oh no, he’s been squashed like a toad.