The UEFA draw for the 2008 Euros is near.

African Nations Cup has kicked off… our compo is here…

The home nations love of the English continues…

Or should that be overload of the clones? TV just seems to be flooded with action / adventure / thriller / scientific police drama shows. You had CSI, fair enough, but then came CSI Miami, CSI DKNY, CSI DIY, The Shield, NYPD, ABCD… Channel 4 and Channel 5 must have had bulk buys? They promise a lot, but rarely satisfy.

The other night Sky premiered Bones. Not sure what the point of Bones is. Seems to be some expert who really every other police force in the world does without! So you either through in an expert, or take the characters to space, or if that’s been done – bring space to the characters!

Lost offered something different. Well at least it claims too. Series 1 ended. Looking back, what happened? It seems to just float along on the breeze from week to week. What actually happens? The writers have obviously kept things open so that anything can happen, but it is just so open that it is just getting slightly bizarre. It does have some attractions (see below!), but I guess the openendedness of it all is not really a draw. You knew nothing would really close Series 1 off, as Series 2 is out already!

Guess that is where 24 excels. You know there is some deadline, some urgency, something to aim for… Sky have started advertising Series 5! Bring on February!

But it’s also Jack. The character does compel you to watch. Is that the key? Is it really the plot line or the people that we are drawn to. Or does one make the other?

…But only since you asked nicely. wwjb has formed a chart of one star amazon reviews! A nice touch. Some quite funny comments. (if the blog offends, stay away!)

Also, Brother Phil has predicted Australia to become the new Canada for quality band output…

Keep an eye focused down under for the rise of Art of Fighting, Ben Lee, Wolf Mother, Wolf & Cub and The Early Years… (insert stereotypical, but pleasing, image).

Ricky Gervais was doing stand up on Channel 4 the other night. One of the thoughts he conveyed was our assumption that Humpty Dumpty is an egg! Where do we get this from? Illustrations. Illustrations made by whom and when? If you were in charge of ALL the kings horses and men, would you lead them away from military duty to try to put an egg back together? Plus, how and why did a giant egg climb up a wall?

There is nothing like the FA Cup. It is wonderful to see a player who earns in a year what another player earns in a week giving said rich player the run around. Something refreshing about it. Humbling? Encouraging? Equalising! Long may it continue.

The Top 50 Albums of the Year according to Phil…

1 The Raveonettes – pretty in black
2 Arcade Fire – funeral
3 Rilo Kiley – more adventurous
4 The Wedding Present – take fountain
5 The Crimea – tragedy rocks
6 Black Mountain – black mountain
7 Art of Fighting – second storey
8 The Decemberists – picaresque
9 Mew -…and the glass handed kites
10 Songdog – the time of summer lightning

The rest can be found here.

I’m currently listening to 7 of the 10, so maybe I am cool?

Indie For Dummies has the top 100 albums listed…

I like Scott. I like what he said:
Some people say they see life by the pictures in their minds.
Me? I like to hear the soundtrack.

My year could be easily split into 3 sections. University, Africa, School.
Since it is also the Magic Number, my charts have 3 places…

Top 3 albums on heavy rotation.
1. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
2. The Raveonettes – Pretty in Black
3. The Decemberists – Picaresque

Top 3 albums that didn’t make the top three!
1. Sufjan Stevens – Come On Feel the Illinoise!
2. Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
3. Low – The Great Destroyer

Top 3 albums that have had a lot of hype but I need to listen to more to give a fair go!
1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
2. Wolf Parade – Apologies To The Queen Mary
3. Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow

Top 3 albums that I wished I got earlier in the year but are supposedly great!
1. Stars – Set Yourself On Fire
2. Luke Doucet – Broken (And Other Rogue States)
3. Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous

Top 3 songs that I’m glad I heard this year.
1. Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day (beautiful, poignant, moving)
2. Rogue Wave – Publish My Love (energetic, powerful)
3. Stereophonics – Dakota (a great story)

Top 3 gigs:
1. Sufjan Stevens @ Oran Mor – quality all round, with cheerleading too!
2. The Decemberists @ ABC2 – Best Ever crowd interaction and most fun!
3. Bell X1 @ King Tuts – Pure energy and volume

The Frames gig @ The Arches would have made it, but it was more the aftershow party that sticks in the mind rather than the music!

The top 50 singles of the year from Brother Phil (he’s on the radio! Albums to follow…)

1 Rilo Kiley – portions for foxes
2 The Dears – 22:the death of all the romance
3 Saint Judes Infirmary – the church of John Coltrane
4 Ralfe Band – albatross waltz
5 Nine Black Alps – unsatisfied
6 Husky Rescue – new light of tomorrow ep
7 Arcade Fire – wake up
8 My Latest Novel – sister sneaker sister soul
9 Imogen Heap – hide and seek
10 Soft Hearted Scientists – midnight mutinies ep

the rest are here.

It can be either. But in this case, Bell X1 refers to the name of a fantastic Irish band. They rocked it up something wild at King Tuts on Saturday. This was an awesome gig. Sold out – as ‘Tuts always seems to be – no matter how many people are there! The band produced a highly energetic, polished, humorous, enthusiastic and entertaining gig.

The band seemed to really enjoy the first night of their UK tour. The crowd, buoyed by a large Irish contingent, contributed with some of the best singing I have ever heard at a gig. Even tracks off the new album, which isn’t out over here until March, were given splendid renditions. Tracks off Flock and Music in Mouth provided the crowd with an excellent evening. The band produced a sheer volume of sound unlike I have ever heard before, so full and complete. Captain supported them, but that’s all I want to say about them – apart from they would have been ok if their lead guitarist played music that actually complemented the rest of the band.

They are touring again at the end of March, to support the UK release of Flock. Go see.

(main star pursued by co-star; observation courtesy of many bald men)

Flight Plan Brief Synopsis:
Flying at 40,000 feet in a cavernous, state-of-the-art 474 aircraft, Kyle Pratt (Foster) faces every mother’s worst nightmare when her six year-old daughter, Julia, vanishes without a trace mid-flight from Berlin to New York. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. While neither Captain Rich (Bean), nor Air Marshal Gene Carson (Sarsgaard) want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane.

So now you know! Very good. Plenty of twists and turns, cunningly confined onboard an aircraft – which offers something different. Jodie Foster seems to grow younger as the film progresses, and the grave digger from Garden State (Sarsgaard) proves a very able co-star. Plenty in this to leave you second guessing and frequently changing your opinion on what is happening, what is going to happen…