Jenjie

Not unlike the red, lidless orb of the evil Sauron, the eye of the theatre world swivelled towards Toronto last night for the long-awaited opening of the stage version of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy. It is a collaboration between the director Matthew Warchus, Shaun McKenna (book and lyrics), the composer A. R. Rahman, who is best known for Bombay Dreams, and the Finnish folk group Varttina under the musical supervision of Christopher Nightingale. It is also an enterprise daring almost to the point of foolhardiness. Yet, on the whole, it works, without resorting to the slick but soulless spectacle of Cirque du Soleil, or declining into Gothic cliché, a pitfall even Peter Jackson’s celebrated films did not entirely succeed in avoiding. The stage version’s great strength lies in the way its constituent parts combine in an organic whole. Warchus insists that the show is not a musical, and certainly there are few conventional show tunes here. Songs arise directly from the action and are less concerned with expressing an inner emotional state than with representing ritual or a fragment of an oral and musical history passed down and shared. Equally, Rob Howell’s designs, exquisitely lit by Paul Pyant, are achieved with uncluttered economy rather than hi-tech wizardry, and with an emphasis on natural textures and colours redolent of the story’s Middle-earth setting. The score is a bewitching blend of smooth and jagged, lush and sparse. Female voices keening in close harmony shiver like quicksilver beneath a confrontation between Gandalf and the treacherous Saruman; a hymn-like chorale accompanies the departure of the newly formed Fellowship from Rivendell. There are folksy wayfaring songs for the Hobbits and insistent, throbbing drums of war gathering pace and volume as events grow darker. Visually, the show’s rough- theatre aesthetic is put to dazzlingly inventive use. Orcs leap and somersault on springed shoes; puppetry and stiltwalking ingeniously bring to life Shelob, the giant spider, and Black Riders that exude menace. In one breathtaking moment, the discovery of the ring on a riverbed by Gollum’s ill-fated friend Deagol is enacted by the character’s emergence from the dizzying height of the flies, swimming stagewards in a perfect shaft of watery light. There are, however, significant disappointments. The Balrog looks as if it has been made of baking foil. The Battle of Helm’s Deep makes dynamic use of the stage’s revolve and multiple moving levels, and of Peter Darling’s bold, thrilling choreography, only to peter out in feeble flagwaving. James Loye is an appealing Frodo, and his relationship with Peter Howe’s touchingly loyal Sam Gamgee is the show’s beating heart. Michael Therriault is terrific as Gollum, full of bitter, sibilant wit, and squirming and convulsing with pain and repressed desire for his Precious. Evan Buliung makes Aragorn suitably virile and intense, and Carly Street is a dignified, pure-voiced Arwen. But Rebecca Jackson Mendoza is a lifeless Galadriel and is saddled with by far the worst song — an irksome and incongruous power ballad that she belts out slightly flat. Still less satisfactory is Brent Carver as Gandalf. Clearly young for the role, Carver does nothing to suggest the gravitas, wisdom or authority of age and seems hesitant and ill at ease, not remotely the powerful, world-weary wizard he should be. In the end, though, theatrical magic wins out over the weaknesses. “Stories we tell will cast their spell, now and for always,” sing Frodo and Sam. With some fine tuning, this tale could hold its audience in total thrall. For now, its best moments are, like the ring, an intoxicating enchantment. The show is due to arrive in the West End of London next year. The title of the exclusive track is Lothlórien. It is played as the Fellowship emerges from Moira, and is offered refuge in the Elvish haven of Lothlórien. The music is by A R Rahman with Christopher Nightingale. This track is a demo version, not a recording from the production currently on stage in Toronto. Source: Times Online

A Devon boy expelled from school for selling cannabis is to receive £1,500 in compensation from a council. The Local Government Ombudsman ruled that Torbay Council was guilty of maladministration in its slowness to find a new school for the Year-10 boy. He said the money was not a reward but that failure to find a school and teach him at home properly caused injustice. The authority admitted it was unable to find alternative provision as quickly as it should have done. Rest of story at BBC

Scientists believe they may have discovered a reason why the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus cannot yet jump easily between humans. Flu viruses which target man tend to attach to cells further up the airway - maximising their chances of being passed on by coughing or sneezing. Researchers found the bird flu virus attaches itself to cells deep down in the human airways. The University of Wisconsin research is published in the journal Nature. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, and has killed more than 100 people worldwide and infected about 180 since it re-emerged in 2003. But it still cannot jump easily from human to human. Scientists fear that if it mutates and gains that ability, it could result in a human flu pandemic, with millions of deaths world-wide. Target molecule The Wisconsin team investigated why the virus could not spread easily between humans despite the fact that it could replicate efficiently in human lungs. Flu viruses infecting humans and birds are known to home in on slightly different versions of the same molecule, found on the surface of cells which line the respiratory tract. The latest study found the version of the molecule targeted by human viruses was more prevalent on cells higher up in the airway. The molecule targeted by bird viruses, on the other hand, tended to be found on cells deep within the lungs, in structures called alveoli. Thus the bird flu virus tended to be buried so deep in the lungs that it was unlikely to be spread by coughing or sneezing. If the virus was to acquire the ability to infect cells higher up in the airway, it could take a crucial step towards causing a human pandemic, researchers believe. Victims 'unlucky' Professor Ian Jones, of the University of Reading, UK, said the study provided some explanation of why people, particularly children, had caught the virus and died and yet it had remained "bird flu". "It seems they were just really unlucky and transmitted enough virus to their mouths for it to gain access to the lower lung, a distance shorter in children than adults. "Casual contact with the virus may therefore not be as dangerous as initially thought." However, Professor Jones said it was possible that the virus could mutate to gain the potential to attach to cells in the upper airway. "It remains the case therefore that planning for that eventuality makes a great deal of sense." Dr Laurence Tiley, a lecturer in molecular virology at the University of Cambridge, said: "This may at least in part explain why H5N1 is inefficient at transmitting person to person, although I doubt that it is the complete answer." Source: BBC Science/Nature

Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson has criticised the US broadcast regulator for "intimidating" a US TV network into censoring his new series. The Bedford Diaries, on the WB network, was due to air with girls kissing and a female character opening her jeans. But Mr Levinson, who is producing the show, said some scenes had been cut for fear of being fined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Source: BBC Entertainment

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28532

They'll be comparing Coldplay to Duran Duran next!!

double thread

The story of Peter Pan and the music of Coldplay are not typically seen together in a ballet performance. However, this Sunday, Volé, Penn State's student-run ballet club, will feature these themes in its spring performance. Stripay said the spring performance consists of two acts: "Peter Pan" and "Coldplay Ballet". More here

rather than keep posting "mod lock" in threads, you have 2 options: 1) leave it for a mod to find 2) report the thread

There's one here :)

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9685

Where am I? In Manchester, England. the chance of me being able to afford a plane ticket to australia is tiny. there's no point me going there unless I can get at least 3 weeks over there, and I can't have more than a fortnight's hols from work at any one time. and if i do head that far into the southern hemisphere, I'll be going to New Zealand before Australia. However, if the Australian tourist board fancies encouraging me by buying my return plane ticket, then I'll be visting sooner than I expected!!! :laugh3:

So, a brief summary then: Amazon.co.uk & amazon.com have no listings for The Hardest Part. HMV.co.uk is taking pre-orders for a Hardest Part Live EP which they say will be released on Thurs 6th April. HMC.com.au have no listing for the Hardest Part. Amazon.de has listings for a vinyl EP Amazon.fr also has listings for a vinyl EP Amazon.ca has a listing for a japanese import which they say will be released on 20th April I did try amazon.jp and amazon china but was a little stymied by the chinese characters! Checking out THE, the UK wholesaler which the company I work for uses, brings up no result for Hardest Part except on X&Y

GPASUYF was definitely a 'proper' single - I've got Ian's copy sat on the bookshelf next to me. the B-Sides were Murder, Politik & Lips Like Sugar.

And he's going to Germany!! They just sold the rights to one of the German tv channels!!

Holy crap!! No way that was as nail-biting as yesterday's quarter final!!

Its very scary. The thing that gets me is that on the one hand they're saying this Yet on the other you've got this statement It seems very contradictory to me.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has dismissed Tony Blair as a man with "no environmental credentials". The singer has revealed how he turned down a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss climate change. Yorke is an ambassador for Friends of the Earth and the charity asked Yorke to meet Blair to talk about environmental issues. The star said dealing with Labour "spin-doctors" had made him feel ill. [itv.com news]

Hackers have managed to get Microsoft's Windows XP operating system running on an Apple Mac computer. The success ends a competition started to see if the feat was even possible when Apple unveiled computers that used Intel chips. The pair who managed the feat won $13,854 (£7,895) in prize money for their trouble. The software used to put Windows on the Mac is now being circulated so others can try to replicate the success. [BBC Technology]

Postman Pat's black and white cat Jess is to get his own TV spin-off. In contrast to the original show's stop-motion animation, however, Guess with Jess will be made using hi-tech computer-generated imagery. Guess with Jess will be shown on BBC One, BBC Two and CBeebies from 2008. Aimed at pre-school children, it will have its own range of toys. [BBC Entertainment]

An Afghan man is being tried in a court in the capital, Kabul, for converting from Islam to Christianity. Abdul Rahman is charged with rejecting Islam and could face the death sentence under Sharia law unless he recants. He converted 16 years ago as an aid worker helping refugees in Pakistan. His estranged family denounced him in a custody dispute over his two children. [BBC South Asia]

A travel company has apologised to a school after pupils and teachers found they were given fake dollars for a trip to the United States. The party of six teachers and 40 pupils from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Blackburn took $5,000 (£2862) for the skiing holiday in the resort of Maine. But police were called when the group found the cash they'd been given by the company Going Places was forged. BBCLancashire

WTF? How weird?

A nuisance beggar who licked CCTV cameras to obscure their view has landed an anti-social behaviour order. Keith Farran would pester drivers for money to wash their cars and if they refused he would dance around gesticulating and licking cameras. Appearing before Teesside magistrates, Farran, 27, of Wellington Street, Middlesbrough, was banned from Stockton town centre for six months. The case was brought by Stockton and Middlesbrough councils. The court heard how Farran was caught licking cameras in the Wellington Square shopping centre in Stockton. He wanted to smear the glass so police could not see him harassing motorists. Rest of the story at BBCTees

well I asked ever so nicely about it being a radio only release and got this answer so I've just happily replied with the email info that sks has just posted in this thread (sorry nice peep, I forgot who you were :embarassed: )