Battle Theme - London

White Lies & Poxymash

2010-11-16T19:35:00.003Z

Check out my review of White Lies at Shoreditch Town Hall for Poxymash Magazine here.

Back to the Future re-release

2010-09-28T18:52:00.000+01:00

Back to the Future is being re-released in the UK on Friday.

It's been digitally remastered and looks great in this trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i89wUv25QU&feature=player_embedded

Holidays!!!

2010-07-20T10:05:00.002+01:00

One of the articles I've updated has been put up on the Moneymagpie website.

I learned so much about cheap holidays! It's really bad though, sitting in an office looking at holidays. Doesn't lead one to want to be sitting in an office!!

Damn Rooney off in Las Vegas right now! I wish that was my reward for a a bad day at the office! :(

If your looking for a nice break, check out the Cheap getaways for 2010 article.

Saving Money!

2010-07-06T10:49:00.004+01:00

I've written a little article on Moneymagpie.com about their readers' favourite deals. There's everything there from recycling your phone and ISAs to online surveys and credit card deals.

We all like going out to gigs and the cinema, but you have to fill your pocket first so check out the offers.

James O' Sullivan

New Articles etc.

2010-06-27T19:09:00.002+01:00

Hey!

Why-create have put up another one of my articles, on an internship at an advertising company, here.

I've also heading into my second week of an internship with Moneymagpie. If you're in England at any time, check out its cheap eats article fro all the food offers around.

it's got loads of other good money saving articles too!

Also, there's a piece coming on Bon Jovi in the O2!

Pity about England. 4-1 - my God:(!

Enjoy the weather everyone!

James

Midnight Juggernauts Profile

2010-06-14T15:43:00.002+01:00

Australian trio Midnight Juggernauts impressed London with hypnotising anthems at the Camden Crawl in April. Following the worldwide success of their first album, Dystopia, they've just released their 2nd album, The Crystal Axis. Their music, based around an organic retro synth style, gives the impression of cavernous spaces, even in their electrically crowded gigs. The mind expanding synth rock group are storming the world, again, and are hitting London's Lovebox on 17th July before continuing to Spain and New York.

Nike Tied Together Race: London

2010-06-08T00:58:00.002+01:00

Met the people from Protein today at the HQ for the Nike Tied Together race campaign. I'll be back there at 7am tomorrow to tweet the days events! Here's some uploads I made before I left:

First Racers '2nd Drop' set off,

Pre-race photo booth set-up.

See the most recent uploads here.

Blog Posts

2010-06-07T02:22:00.004+01:00

Check out my recent articles posted on the Why! blog:

Fancy a Stab at Art? The Budget Sets a Good Example

and

Belgrade Design Week.

The Stag and Dagger 2010

2010-05-24T18:01:00.009+01:00

Location: Various Shoreditch Venues.

Writer's Location: Catch promoted by Young & Lost Club.

One wristband, 20+ venues. We know the hype, but the reality can often be different! After experiencing the rain fuelled disgruntlement of people at the Camden Crawl, this writer decided to savour the pint and the music at the Stag and Dagger rather than risk having to listen to his favourite band from outside while in a queue the length of Oxford St.

Having carefully chosen my venue, I befriend the bartender, note the closest toilet facility and fire exit, just for thoroughness, and then proceed to settle in for an evening at Catch. Lined up for the night are Sunderbans, Othello Woolf, Planet Earth, Alan Pownall, with a DJ set wrapping it up. I haven't heard much from any of the lineup before, but having sifted through over 80 of the festival's bands on Myspace, this is where I've placed my bets.

Sunderbans start things off admirably, with a steady beat and some good crowd interaction. Songs including their recently released singles We Only Can Because We Care and Life Support had the crowd tapping and nodding to the openers.

Next to take the helm was Othello Woolf with some neo funky-soul. Tipped as a musician to watch in 2010 by Times Online, Woolf is an ostentatiously self-assured and slightly dark character who turns out to be the surprise performance of the evening for this writer. He has an aura of authenticity that the crowd react well to.

Surprises continue as Planet Earth take to the stage. One of the bands I'd been looking forward to, they seemed as if they were told to do the gig by their mommy's when, really, they only wanted to be out in the playground. They shuffled through some songs, taking an age to retune after each effort. The crowd picked up on this and the atmosphere, previously beginning to soar, became clinically subdued. Applause? Nope: Very awkward! Although they sound great on Myspace, I'm afraid there delivery was less than dazzling. They did seem to be missing a female vocalist, present in their recordings, which may have been a factor.

I'd been chatting to Jack, a new keyboardist in Alan Pownall's band, who were up next. He seemed like a nice chap, which I discovered after he'd given me a light. This little interaction wasn't a sure sign of the worthiness of Alan Pownall but I had faith and, for once, it was rewarded. Pownall's cajoling acoustic waves hit the room like a fresh breeze when you're becoming drowsy. With an expert delivery, and some great lyrics, Alan led the crowd back into a rising revelry with Chasing Time, Take Me and a cover of the Strokes song Someday. The room was brought back to life by the soft sung, languidly energetic performance. Well done on orchestrating that turnaround!

With hope in my heart, which was floating atop the whiskey in my belly, the band on everyone's lips that night, Exlovers, plunged into their performance. Armed with songs that become old favourites in about 2 days and a crowd enthralled, Exlovers commanded the scene. They looked like any number of indie bands, but with a mysterious co-singer attached, who's trademark is definitely the heel-toe shoe shuffle move. Laurel Sills and Peter Scott mesmerise with their harmonies, allowing the songs to filter all the way through to your unknown depths. You don't know how, or even realise until after, but this most unassuming of bands pulls you into their gravity field, hypnotising you. Too engrossed to be surprised, the band gives the performance expected of the head liners, weaving songs such as You Forget So Easily and Just a Silhouette around their audience. Just as the atmosphere starts to crescendo, a nagging voice in my head reminds me of the last tube, it's time to leave. Timing can be so cruel! This is a band that I will definitely follow, in a gig way, not a stalkerish way, the next time they're in the area.

All in all, the Stag and Dagger seemed a large success. The streets were abuzz all day, with no signs of the party stopping as I descended the escalator to my transport for the evening. If I was a girl, I'd describe it as Cinderella's carriage at midnight, but I'm not, so I won't.

I'll be attending the Stag & Dagger again next year and checking out the Young and Lost Club, who organised the entertainment for the night. Thanks for the mostly amazing line-up!

Stay well and be happy!

Pre-screened Screenings at the Prince Charles Cinema

2010-05-19T13:27:00.002+01:00

Showcasing an eclectic mix of cult cinema classics, the PCC has a buzzing line-up on right now.

Check out their “Films to See Before You Die” season, showing every Saturday afternoon, with a selection of classics lined up that makes sure you're in for a treat.

22nd May
15:15 City Of God

29th May

15:45 Dr Strangelove

5th June
15:15 Chinatown

Tickets: £4 / £6.50

They've also put together some well picked sensations for their “Monday Night Double Bills” lineup. Concentrating on the stars, they've pulled together some favourites staring, respectively, John & Joan Cusack, Jim Carey and Nicholas Cage. Next up is a Wes Anderson double bill, with more recast names than the National Lampoon series!

24th May
18:30 The Royal Tenenbaums
20:50 The Life Aquatic

31st May
18:30 Grosse Point Blank
20:50 High Fidelity

7th June
18:45 The Cable Guy
20:50 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

14th June
18:20 Con Air
20:45 Face/Off

Double Bill Tickets: £12 / £7

And, if none of that piques your sensory pleasure centres, how about 2 tickets for the price of 1!? The PCC are starting “2 for 1 Tuesdays” on the 25th May, leaving no excuses not to get up to date with your favourite popcorn entertainment!

The PCC also features Gorezone 2010, a Sci-Fi Season, sing-a-longs and other interesting, slightlty strange, events. If cult cinema, bizarre horror, or films that are "So bad it's good" sounds entertaining, the PCC will sort you out. If not, at least you'll have an interesting story!

Belgrade Design Week 2010

2010-05-18T16:39:00.002+01:00

Coming into it's 5th year, BDW plays host to workshops, conferences and exhibitions covering Design, Fashion, Architecture, Advertising, Branding and Media. Marketed as a world standard international event, many top international speakers are invited every year. This years program and guests can be seen here.

BDW 2010 runs from 31st May until 5th June, with tickets setting you back €100.

“One for the Ditch, Barman”

2010-05-13T18:59:00.004+01:00

The Stag And Dagger returns to Shoreditch, 21 May.

Normally uttered at last orders, or sometime in the early morning, we can all start our Friday with “One for the Ditch” because on Friday, May 21st, The Stag And Dagger Returns to Shoreditch.

One ticket at £15, 20 venues and over 100 acts are lined up to give you the perfect excuse for a sick day, or ,if your an unemployed comrade, a day off from a being sick! Each Venue is hosted by a different promoter, including Time Out, giving a unique style of music to each. With bands including Class Actress and We Have Band, along with DJ sets from Little Boots, the one day festival (It has a second, sister event in Glasgow the following day) should prove a worthy alternative to the pricier Camden Crawl.

There's a lot of new names floating around this festival. Part of the fun is randomly wondering but, as for where I'll be basing myself, here's my top 3 choices:

1: Club.The.Mammoth - Stags Head.
Little Death and Islington Boys’ Club look interesting.

2: Young And Lost Club - Catch.

Exlovers and Planet Earth.

3: Time Out Presents - Room1/3.
Well, it's hosted by Time Out, so hopefully that's a good sign. There's Indie/Pop/Rock in Room 1 and Little Boots DJ's room 3.

Oh, and if you find somewhere serving after last orders, make sure to let us know!

Links:
The Stag And Dagger Website
Lineup
Tickets

Community NOTworking get's a Boost from Social Networking

2010-04-30T20:07:00.004+01:00

Meetup.com: The network of people you HAVEN'T met - yet!

Moving to a new country, even a new city, can be a daunting, but exciting, adventure. New cultures, new clubs, new exhibitions and, the responsible stuff, new jobs lie waiting to be discovered. Exploring the unknown, finding your favourite cinema and the most comfortable coffee shop are all satisfying achievements that await you.

However, even for the most outgoing of us, replacing that group of friends that you have cultivated since you were 5 can be tough. How do you replace Eamonn, your pulling partner that is so much like you in personality that you dressed as Siamese twins last Halloween, or Michelle, who always told you exactly what you needed to hear about your outfit before a night out. Well, you don't. You're in a new city, and its a new life now. Still, it'd be nice to have someone to catch the newest cinema release with or to go to that wine tasting event with next week. That is precisely the role Meetup fills.

Yours truly has been to several meetups each month for the past year and has struck up several good friendships as a result. Whether it is a book club your looking for or a gig to go to after work, the site facilitates your social whims. Everyone you meet is generally very friendly and its a good bet that you'll meet someone you'll hit it off with. If you are alone in a new city and itching to explore the sights, culture and people or if you just want to meet some friends from outside your normal social circle, this site is perfect for you. Everyone has that friend that likes the theatre, another who likes heavy rock and one who is into art galleries. However, matching your schedules can be almost impossible. Now you can pick events without worrying about your friends schedules as their is already be a list of people who have agreed to meet there. Fantastic!

Founded in 2001, the site originally aspired to humbler goals than its present incarnation. In the wake of 9/11, co-founder Scott Heifernan noticed a general improvement in the sense of community in New York. This started some people thinking. That thinking, long and arduous as it was, led to Scott, along with Matt Meeker and Peter Kamali, creating a social networking site where the focus was on local community and real life interactions. The mission was “To use the internet to get people off the internet”. They did just that. Not only was the website a success, but it mushroomed to a much bigger phenomenon than even they could have predicted.

The site owes it's success to its genuine effort to create and promote community in cities and areas where it can be hard to meet new people. It is a social facilitator, with all the meetups and groups run by the members. Organisers pay a small fee of $12 - $19 a month and can then create and manage a group based around their chosen topic. As a group gets bigger, the organiser can choose to delegate positions such as co-organiser and assistant organiser to other members of the group, creating a network of helpers throughout the group. Each member gets a personal homepage and is updated on events being organised by groups they are members of. The ease of set-up and use of the site is a result of the values of the site. You don't have to be an internet nerd to use it, which means its accessible to everyone who wants to get connected with people in their area.

Some of us take our hobbies a little more seriously, or even incorporate our social and professional lives. There are many different ways of utilising the sites functions and people have explored many possibilities. Many creative orientated people have groups set up on the site. The groups provide social networking, feedback and a base from which to organise collaborative opportunities. One such creative, Colin Reid, decided to take his interest in short films a little further and is now the organiser of The not so yet in the Film Industry group. Colin began as one of the groups first members and was eventually asked to run the group. It has been a very rewarding effort, according to Colin:

“Following on from my two short films I decided I wanted to meet like minded individuals that I could learn from and work with. A search of the internet for film groups in London produced NSYITFIG and I immediately joined. At a personal level, I am learning a lot from my members. I get great satisfaction from running the group and watching my members develop and participate.”

Groups can range from the impulsive, entertainment orientated cinema/gig groups to highly organised and purposeful groups with a more practical objective. As Colin explains:

“I firmly believe that, if the right script came along, there is within the group enough talent, skills and experience to make a marketable feature film and that thought is never far from my mind.”

Lisa Goll, the organiser of the London Writer's Café group believes that Meetup is all about sharing knowledge with each other:

“I particularly wanted to meet other writers and, having worked in publishing, I was keen to share my knowledge of the industry with the aspiring novelists and authors in London.

I find hosting the group through the Meetup platform hassle-free and easy to administer; from RSVPs to new events, payments and even web analytics - it has a really good selection of practical features. I could have set up a whole new site but using Meetup means more benefits from being on such a large shared platform.”

Whether you use Meetup as a social icebreaker, a 'what's on' calender or to promote yourself professionally it is undoubtedly a tool that should be in everyone's repertoire. Through it, you can find people to jog with in your area, someone hosting a 'Come Dine With Me' dinner party, a group going on a fancy dress night out, a crowd of jolly drinkers having touring local pubs on a Sunday afternoon or some people to help you with your writing. With Meetup hosting sites in 45,000 cities around the world and boasting over 2 million RSVPs per month it should be the first port of call for meeting new people and trying new things!

Guardian Student Media Awards 2010

2010-04-14T16:22:00.001+01:00

Posted on Why!.

It's that time of year again! Students all around the country are sorting out their hangovers with some painkillers and getting their best works together to impress the judges of this years Guardian Student Media Awards. Open to any NUS student, the GSMA has been creating opportunities for the best students in media since it began in 1978. This year, it has a total of 6 categories, down on last years 12. This could be indicative of the business tightening it's belt or the downturn in media output. The Guardian have been contacted and comments will follow.
The 6 categories this year are Publication, Reporter, Writer, Photographer, Digital Journalist and Broadcast Journalist of the Year. The prize on offer is a chance to work for one month within your relevant field at the Guardian and a NME internship for the winner of the Digital Journalist category. Runner's up get a two-week stint at the Guardian.
The GSMA is a big deal, with the judging panel being consisting of senior staff from the respective areas within the Guardian, Channel 4, ITV Newsnight, NME and The Times. If you think your work is good enough and you want it read by the right people, this is a golden opportunity for you to showcase your talent!
If you think you've written a “Wow!” factor article, have taken some inspiring photos or have a magazine issue you think would put NME to shame, get entering! And, if you don't think you've gotten your work up to scratch yet, the deadline for entry isn't until July 2nd, which is plenty of time to smooth out the bumps and kick some ass! So, students of the UK, don't mix your beer and wine, drink plenty of water after clubbing and stock up on ibuprofen, there's creating to be done! Remember, work experience with a top company is like gold dust these days. This opportunity could fast track your career and save you a lot of time and money in the coming years trying to improve your CV! So good luck!

Waiting for Godot to beat the Valentine blues....

2010-02-14T23:34:00.006Z

It being Valentine's day, everyone has love and relationships at the back of their minds, no matter what's happening. Getting two last minute tickets to Waiting For Godot in the West End seemed like a good idea for a quick date and pick-me-up. Of course, finding a girl at 5 minutes to show time was a little trickier. Thankfully, however, the city provides. A nice girl walking by succumbed to the allure of the theatre and agreed to accompany this lonely sole.

What where my selling points? Ian Mckellen, a friendly face to most who have seen him in the Lord of the Rings and X-Men. To close the deal, a free ticket in the front row.

The show, doing its second stint in London's West End, after fantastic box office success last year, was bleak and humorous at the same time. Ian McKellen as Gogo and Roger Rees as Vladimir worked well together, cajoling and arguing with each other to 'pass the time'. There was a considerable emphasis put on the upbeat reading of the text, tending to avoid the darkest sentiments of loneliness and despair. Matthew Kelly was a rather rotund, pompous and miserable landowner and master of 'Lucky', his beleaguered and despondent slave who was portrayed by Ronald Pickup.

Placing the characters in a rundown, falling down theatre within a theatre, with the tree jutting through the floor, sets the play, not on the intended 'lonely road' of nowhere, but firmly on the stage. Theatricality plays a large part in the jokes, with some slapstick and clownish humour used to lighten the mood for the audience.

A very enjoyable production. The most memorable part for me however was the performance of Ian Mckellen. From my seat, just a few feet from the actor, every expression and nuance could be seen, and Sir Ian Mckellen has picked up quite a few over the years.

What did my impromptu date think? I never got a chance to find out. Her friends who, it turns out, she'd been waiting for, had turned up late for the show with her ticket and were waiting outside. Two rather unimpressed looking blokes with an unused ticket. Sorry guys.

If your interested in what she thought, I'll ask her about it next Saturday!

Waiting for Godot
Royal Theatre, Haymarket.
£11 Day Tickets (front row) available morning of the show from the Box Office.

Contemporary America accepts Old School Britain: Joe Wright talks about his latest film The Soloist.

2009-09-22T23:36:00.003+01:00

The Soloist Screening and Q & A with Director Joe Wright.

September 22^nd.

As the British director's first venture into the American film industry, Wright has used his outsider's viewpoint to good effect. He highlights the disparity between the rich and poor that can often be skimmed over in Hollywood films. He has managed to include some unforgiving comparisons between the life of the residents of Skid Row and those who work in the nearby financial sector. Skid Row is Los Angeles' slum district, an area where the majority of the cities 80,000 homeless people congregate under the shadow of large skyscrapers. Wright made it one of his terms of contract that 500 locals from Skid Row be cast as extras and actors in the film, with some receiving speaking roles. Wright explained that

“All of the 500 had to be made members of the film actors guild, with some going

on to be actors and extras in other films. At least it diversified the FAG's

membership list”[Laughs].

The story of a talented but unstable homeless man is given a refreshingly sincere and well thought out treatment. The film manages to avoid, for the most part, falling into an over sentimental documentary on homelessness. Instead, it concentrates on the development of a relationship between the two main characters. Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) is a brilliant, schizophrenic, former Julliard (top American Musical College) student and Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is a journalist on the lookout for a great story. One is homeless, the other works in the city's business and office sector.

Wright comments that

“It was a bit of an ironic casting selection. We had the quite calm and sane person playing the crazy part, with Robert as the professional journalist”.

He explains the growth of their friendship is based on the typical timing arc of a sexual relationship, although there are no homosexual overtones implied. The process of trying to understand and subsequently help Nathaniel acts as Lopez's courting period, followed by a consummation scene where Lopez sleeps on the pavement with Nataniel.

“We told Jamie about the love arc running through the film, but we forgot to mention it to Robert”[Chuckle].

There's also the theme of a morally injured hero, redeemed by his contact with someone from an unwholesome background, played up in this film. We are introduced to Lopez as he falls from his bike and bashes his face on the cities street. Throughout the film, his face, like his humanity and morals, heal and repair themselves as he strives to help somebody else up off the harsh streets of L.A.

Seamus McGarvey, who also worked as Wrights cinematographer on the award-winning film Atonement, creates an extremely polished and beautiful view of the city and its people. Wright comments that he doesn't agree with the trend of using shaky, grainy camera work when dealing with subject matter of the lower classes and morally substandard material. Instead, he treats his audience to sweeping views of L.A. and of the living conditions present on Skid Row. Another notable visual factor is the 2 minute long, 70's style, synthesised light sequence that accompanies Beethoven's music. This seems to be Wrights idea of how to challenge the limits of the audiences attention and the studios tolerance levels.

“I was asked to remove most of the sequence, but I only cut 10 seconds. When the time came for the test screening, the audience gave a favourable review so nobody brought it up again. They put a lot of weight on the response of those test audiences. It all depends on who you get on the night”.

Final Thought:

The Soloist is a well made film with a compelling, though not unheard of, story. Fantastic acting from Foxx, who really inhabited his character, lends it weight to the sense of reality throughout the film. Downey also delivers, at times providing an inspired performance.

The only downside is that the sometimes emotionally and morally heavy story leaves the viewer feeling a little exhausted at the end of the 2 hour film. Overall, an interesting and beautiful film by Wright.

Rating: 4/5

Mitchelstown Indie-Pendence Festival '09

2009-08-05T17:35:00.007+01:00

There are few important factors in choosing summer festivals to attend. The line-up, how many loan repayments it will cost you and the level of personal hygiene you will have to put your friends and your other half through while you're there are at the top of the list.

This year the Mitchelstown Indie-Pendance festival sported a good welter-weight line-up. Although suffering a string of cancellations, which included, according to rumour, performers such as Muse, U2 and Lady Gaga, the fans were more than satisfied with the headliners Ocean Colour Scene and Super Furry Animals.

However, an extremely adrenaline fuelled performance from Fight Like Apes stole the weekend for this writer. Security had a hard time with this fervent crowd as the band put in more time playing pressed up against the barriers than they did finishing off the Smirnoff Vodka bottle on stage. May Kay, complete with a wild mane of hair straight from the 80’s rock scene, gave as much as she got from the crowd as she leaned out over the railings to get some vocal support on Jake Summers. She held half her body in over the crowd, thrusting the microphone at avid fans. All this done despite being in danger of losing the microphone, along with pieces of her hair, as the over-eager amongst the crowd clambered to give her a pat on her, em, back.

A mid-gig breather for the fans was found in two renditions of the 8 second ‘Mega Meanie’ which went down well with anyone who has listened to their debut album ‘Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion’. A faux encore wrapped it up with ‘Battlestations’, one of the bands earlier successes. Exhilarating.

With the festival moved to O’ Connell Park this year, the rain was no friend to the people. Wellies were a must. However, straw around the main stage and two enclosed stages meant that heavy rain caused minimal disruption. Ankle wellies sufficed. No horror stories like those from a weekend at bigger festivals. All this for €60 including camping, €40 non-camping if you were a local, meant that it was an all-round success in its first year as a pay-in festival.

Pubs in town provided the late entertainment as they pumped out the tunes until 2am. There was a good effort made by the pubs in the town, with live performances to be found each night. A well oiled performance from Kilkenny rockers Mata Hari packed out Miko’s on Friday night while The Stone Roses Experience lifted the roof off Paki Fitz’s on Saturday. Paki’s was straining on Sunday evening however as it ran out of clean glasses, space and change, which lead to long queues and overcharging. Other pubs to visit were Spratts and the Ramble Inn, amongst others.

All in all it was a raucous weekend that was enjoyed by everyone who braved the weather. With the festival gaining more of a following each year, we can only hope next year's weather will be better and that a bigger and better line-up will return, preferably including FLA.

James O' Sullivan

Michael Jackson, Twitter and the celebrations

2009-06-26T15:07:00.002+01:00

9/11, Barack Obama and Michael Jackson.

As for a lot of people, I'm too young to remember the 'JFK moment' or the death of Elvis and Buddy Holly. Nor was I old enough to feel the impact of Princess Diana's fatal car crash. Some the defining moments of the 20th century.

What is defining the 21st century, however, I do have a clear memory of. I remember what I was thinking and where I was for the events of 9/11, Barack Obama's inauguration speech and, now, the death and celebration of Michael Jackson's dazzling, if chaotic, life.

Sitting upstairs in my Dad's pub in London, watching Wes Anderson's 'Rushmore', a housemate told me:

Bill: "Not that you'd care (because your probably too young),", chuckle, "but Michael Jackson has just died".

How wrong he was. In fact, millions of people, from hardcore fans to casual supporters and lovers of pop, can be heard on radio stations, read on twitter and seen on television. Many of them are crying at the loss of an artist who seemed to do what no other could. Michael created personal connections with fans all around the world. His ability to affect people emotionally, regardless of any cultural, geographical or generational barriers, was what made him truly the King of Pop.

Michael's days as an energetic and vivacious performer are long since gone but, having had a heart attack in his Bel Air rented residence in Los Angeles, he's no longer a fresh Prince, he's now another dead King.

Comparisons with Elvis, whose daughter he was briefly married to, are adequate. One women on a BBC report this morning mentioned that she felt as if the "music had died", bringing up undertones of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and two other musicians in 1959, which became dubbed "The Day the Music Died".

This sentiment can be heard echoing all around the world today.

The magnitude of Michael's death, just weeks before he was to perform his 50 record-breaking gigs in London's O2 Arena, will not be realised for some days yet.

I'm off to Liverpool St. Station tonight at 6pm for a commemorative, impromptu, moonwalk thanks to Twitter.

Hope to report back soon.

James O' Sullivan

The Beginning of the Delusion

2009-06-24T17:10:00.001+01:00

I've finished my degree, English and Mathematical Physics in UCD (Dublin), taken the obligatory trip to Europe to celebrate, packed up all my belongings, said goodbye to my friends and girlfriend and arrived in London to begin my new life as a top Journalist for TimeOut London.

Funny how reality always seems to be sweetened by a sugar coating of delusional wish fulfillment.

So now I'm in London, back to living with a parent, my helpful Daddy, essentially friendless and finding that an under-experienced (It seems that you need a years experience to even get an unpaid internship, let alone a job) graduate has the same chance as a fish does in the Thames river.

Last summer I got PR work experience with a 'Life education' company called All For Success in East London.

Unpaid: Fine.

It seemed like a good opportunity. I conducted interviews and sent out press releases, helped by a friend in PR. I got stung however. The small company boss told me he was "Going on holiday for a week". I rang him the next week. I rang e-mailed the office. Again and again. No reply. No Company. No reference.

Back in London again, I now find myself wary of businesses that are too small who offer jobs that sound too good. The starting block for any career in Journalism, such as small review sites etc., are amongst the companies receiving my CV. Let's hope I have a better result this time round.

And let's hope I make some friends to whom I can moan and complain to after a few drinks.

That sugar coating delusion sure has a tough job this summer.

James O' Sullivan

p.s. The kids who took part in the Times Spelling Beat competion must be geniuses. Spell Check is better than any teacher.