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I wanted to see how the 2008 remake stacked up against Robert Wise’s original 1951 sci-fi classic. The remake stars Keanu Reeves as an Extra Terrestrial named Klaatu who arrives on Earth with an enormous Robot sidekick named GORT, warning of impending destruction unless mankind changes his ways & stops ruining the planet,

Of course the American Millitary (led by a tough US secretary of defence played by Kathy Bates) are having none of it and seem all too ready to use violence instead of reason and persuasion, and Klaatu is captured, imprisoned and denied a chance to speak with the leaders of the world.

However The Millitary are no match for Klaatu’s awesome powers and he soon escapes and and ends up on the run with a beautiful astrobiologist named Dr Helen Benson (Jennifer Connely) with whom forms a piquant, platonic friendship and she agreees to help him

Having had a bad experience with the Millitary so far, Klaatu becomes convinced that the only way to save the Earth is to exterminate mankind So Helen introduces him to her mentor Professor Barnhardt, played by a deadpan John Cleese, who has allegedly won a Nobel prize for his work on “biological altruism” and they must convince Klaatu that the human race can change it’s destructive ways before it’s too late….

I didn’t think this was anywhere near as good as the 1951 Original, In fact recently I’ve also recently seen most of the Star Wars films & Close Encounters of the Third Kind and I think it’s not a patch on them either.

A Christmas CD featuring the Gospel Choir from the Academy Of Contemporary Music, who earnt a place in the semi-finals of the BBC’s brilliant singing competition, Last Choir Standing, was available in the weekends Mail on Sunday and it features the songs below, aswell as many others.

I Believe I Can Fly,
Something Inside So Strong
Oh Happy Day
O Holy Night
Silent Night
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
When A Child Is Born.

Christmas is nearly upon us and many people are doing special events to celebrate the occasion. Last weekend I went to one such event – a local Victorian Christmas fayre.

It was quite packed and all the staff wore Victorian Costumes and despite the bitterly cold weather there was a lovely atmosphere . Luckily there was Mulled Wine & warm mince pies on offer – which was just the thing to stave off the cold. In the main street there were many stalls selling all manner of flowers, home-made cakes, honey, jewellery, produce, Christmas Decorations and cards, aswell as toffee fudge & sweets.

Entertainment was put-on throughout the day with Highley Colliery Band aswell as the Severn Gilders & Iron Men Morris Dancers both doing great performances. A nearby church was also selling various home-made cards, calenders, christmas decorations, paintings, toys and other gifts aswell.

The replica of Richard Trevithick’s locomotive was also there, quietly puffing away, which generated a large amount of interest and excitement (aswell as some much needed warmth:) and was an ideal opportunity for me to finally get close to it & see it in action and take some photos.

All-in-all I had a very enjoyable day out aswell as buying loads of wine & cakes lol

….Or “Sod it, the bloody thing’s stuck again”

Many people over a certain age (including me) get all nostalgic at the mention of Oliver Postgate and regard his Television programs as some of the best Children’s Television ever written. He showed that you could take a relatively simple idea & make it really entertaining, and will be sadly missed.

Here is an episode, courtesy of YouTube, of another one of his much loved programs Noggin the Nog in which a young chap named Noggin rules as King of the Nogs, however his wicked uncle Nogbad wants to be King himself & resorts to increasingly more devious methods in order to get rid of Noggin and be crowned King of the Nogs himself.

Noggine and the Pie 1

Noggine and the Pie 2

Oliver Postgate was the co-creator and narrator of some classic childrens TV series, Including Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine & The Clangers. Recently he sadly passed away, so as a tribute here, courtsey of YouTube, are some episodes from one of his most famous creations The Clangers:

Music

The Intruder

Treasure

The Iron Chicken

Music of the Spheres

The Visitor

Pipe Organ

I’ve really enjoyed eeing all those utterly charming episodes of Ivor the Engine again, they brought back some happy childhood memories – I’ve started to feel really nostalgic, thanks to YouTube I can go back and revisit some of the stuff I enjoyed as a kid.

Anyway here are episodes 7 to 12 of Ivor the Engine

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mKpscakEztA
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ulbEUrJeeo0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NBrFNn36Q0A

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=49xz4oWo9Ww
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xaU3B5_SS5M
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fsdZ1FGFDh0

Here is my tribute to Oliver Postgate the co-creator of many classic children’s Television series such as Bagpuss, The Clangers, Noggin the Nog, Pogles’ Wood, Ivor the Engine, and many more, who sadly passed away recently.

He was born in Hendon, Middlesex on 12 April 1925, and married his wife Prudence Myers in 1957, whith whom he had three children, sadly though she died in 1982 and His partner during the last years of his life was Naomi Linnell. He is survived by three sons and three step-sons.

As the co-creator of the animated programmes , Oliver Postgate was one of a handful of pioneers who turned children’s television into an art form and whose legacy is a warm nostalgia felt by grown-ups today. His calm tones were familiar as narrator of the stories, which he wrote himself and were brought to visual reality by the artist and puppeteer Peter Firmin.

Here are episodes 1 to 6 of one of Oliver Postgate’s best known series Ivor the Engine courtesy of YouTube

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWk0BCeblQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ZMNyscPcg
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fH2j_RI2rL0

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcDe4ETPv0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT3ZFG71QZg
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHKkHOlzl8

This book is the 8th book in the “Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series of novels and is available this week for £2.99 when you buy it with The Times newspaper. It features a character named Precious Ramotswe, who runs The Number One Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana and is constantly busy solving various crimes

One day her estimable husband Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, who has been hinting for some time now that he intends to do something special for their adopted daughter, Motholeli, decides that he’s seen a golden opportunity to become involved in the agency’s work by investigating an errant husband. However Mma Ramotswe has her doubts that a man can investigate such matters as competently as one of the ladies, and sure enough things don’t quite go according to plan…

Being a big Steam Locomotive fan I’ve noticed a lot of fascinating programs on TV recently about Steam Locomotives, which is fine by me .

Dangerous Adventures for Boys

Last Week there was an enjoyable episode of Dangerous Adventures for Boys in which ex-Grange Hill, Eastenders & The Bill actor Todd Carty took his son to drive the Southern Railway 4-4-0 no 30926 “Repton” across the North York Moors Railway from Grosmont to Pickering. First though they went to the Bluebell Line to serve a sort of apprenticeship where they learnt all about cleaning the Engines, Breaking the Coal, Doing Safety Checks & Oiling the Mechanical bits. I was really jealous, having spent many happy hours down at the Severn Valley Railway, I’ve always fancied having a go at being an engine driver.

Between the Lines – Railways in Fiction and Film

This interesting documentary narrated by novellist Andrew Martin has also recently been on & looks at how Steam Locomotives have been portrayed in books & films. Featuring films such as The Titfield Thunderbolt, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, The Railway Children, Brief Encounter & Harry Potter. It also examines how steam was portrayed in literature & examines the important roll played by the poet Sir John Betjemen in the saving St Pancras Station. Interestingly Goathland station on the NYMR (which was featured in Dangerous Adventures for Boys) is the also the location used for Hogsmead Station in the Harry Potter films.

Last Days of Steam

I’ve also recently watched this absorbing and rather fascinating look at the last days of steam locomotives in the UK. Starting before World War II it mentions the big 4 railway companies – The London Midland & Scottish, London North Eastern Railway, Great Western Railway and Southern Railway, and looks at how WWII almost bankrupted them, causing them to be nationalised by the Labour Government in 1948 and led to the creation of British Railways.

It then examines how Labour bought in Dr Beeching to do something about the railway’s dire financial situation, which he did by closing any branch-lines which were losing money. It then explains why the Government was keen to modernise the railways and how they did this, by scrapping Steam locomotives and bringing in Diesel locomotives instead, which in the early days were alarmingly unreliable & prone to breaking down, and looks at the effect that all these cuts had, with many people becoming unemployed & many almost brand-new engines being cut up & scrapped, not to mention many rural communities who relied on the railways, being cut off.

The program also looks at the birth of the Steam Locomotive Preservation movement, and how, thanks to people like Dai Woodham of Barry Island, and many other dedicated Steam enthusiasts, many locomotives were saved from the cutting torch for future generations to enjoy, and also mentions New build locomotives such as the A1 Pacific no 60163 Tornado, which seems to have really captured the public’s imagination since it was completed.

Each day next week Starting Monday 8th December, The Sun newspaper will be offering a selection of children’s Christmas DVDs. DVDs included are:

* Tweenies
* Robbie the Reindeer
* Lazy Town
* The Backyardigans
* Angelina Ballerina
* Postman Pat

The Sun will print a voucher each day which can be exchanged for the DVD at either WHSmith or Asda. That should keep the kids quiet for a while during the Christmas holidays.