Posted by trev on July 4, 2011 – 3:26 pm
If we’d entitled this “Magritte makes it to the Tate Gallery in Liverpool” you might have looked a little blank, but the artist who is probably best known for the “Son of Man” picture has finally made it to the Tate Gallery.
Rene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist who wasn’t really that well received by the rather stuffy art world back in his day (he died in 1967), but his legacy lives on in paintings such as the man with the apple in front of his face, more officially known as Son of Man.
If you look closer at the advertising world, there are a lot of examples of Magritte’s work out there which is why the Tate Gallery in Liverpool have created an entire exhibition about him. This is especially fitting as although so far as we can tell he never lived in Liverpool, the aforementioned apple picture was said to have inspired The Beatles to form Apple records.
The BBC has a video report detailing the life and works of one of the most famous unknown artists in modern history – BBC on Magritte.
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Posted by admin on July 4, 2011 – 2:26 pm
It’s here again, London Film and Comic Con! Although the only difference is that it’s bigger and even better than ever before! This weekend (Friday 8th – Sunday 10th July 2011) showmasters will once again be running the popular convention in Earls Court Two, London where over 100 famous film and TV stars will be present from around the globe. Those who attend within the three days will have a chance to meet stars from films and TV programmes such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Avatar and Harry Potter, including some celebrities from the sporting worlds of darts and motor racing. Some of the confirmed guests already include Dug Bradley from Hellraiser, Jeremy Bulloch from Starwars, Lea Thompson from Back to the Future and Shawnee Smith from Saw and The Grudge.
Also featured is an anime zone with a few famous voice actors and comic artists and writers, along with a costuming zone for those who have a taste in cos-play, or just love dressing as their favourite superhero or villain. Even a steam punk zone has been newly added to this huge mixture of events as the convention becomes even more popular with each year.
For those of you who love to spend your life’s earnings, there is also a enormous market hall, where numerous stalls will be displaying countless merchandise from around Europe and the USA, including comic books, toys, t-shirts and even original movie props and costumes used in feature films.
Tickets range from £3 – £15 on Saturday and Sunday, and £5 for the preview night on Friday. The opening and closing times of the event are 6pm – 9pm on Friday and 11am – 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
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Posted by trev on July 4, 2011 – 2:17 pm
Yorkshire might be more famously associated with Yorkshire Puddings, but one pub there decided they wanted a change and served up a world record breaking 100lb dish of fish and chips!
Chefs at the Wensleydale Heifer in West Witton, North Yorkshire, broke the record which was previously held in the US, by serving up 40lb of prime halibut fillet coated in Black Sheep beer batter, 60lb of handcut chips and quite a lot of mushy peas as a side order.
The new record has been verified by Guinness World Records and so today the villagers of West Witton are able to tuck into what might become their new regional dish…unless of course they never want to see another chip by tomorrow.
The previous record holders were the Black Rose Restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts who served up 34lbs of fish and 44lbs of chips, but as we all know, only the Brits can really do fish n’ chips properly.
All donations from the record breaking dish is going to Help the Heroes. The record attempt even made it onto the BBC news web site [video].
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Posted by admin on July 1, 2011 – 11:10 am
The Whitstable Oyster Festival – one of Kent’s most popular festivals – will take place between 23rd and 29th July 2011. In recent years organisers have more than doubled the amount of events within the festival, which is structured around the traditional local customs of the oyster fishing industry. A packed programme of family and arts entertainment, and food and drink alongside local heritage and history are on the agenda, with numerous events and activities being low cost or free. Traditional festival favourites include heritage walks, talks and demonstrations, crab catching, Splash Pals – a demonstration of the loveable Newfoundland dogs doing sea rescues, raft race, traditional mud tug competition, arts and craft market, workshops and the infamous oyster eating competition. Adults are offered a range of entertainment from stand up comedy and open air theatre to a feast of literature and art.
The year’s festivities begin with the “Landing of the Oysters” and colourful Oyster Parade through the town, followed by street entertainment, dancing, music, seaside entertainment and more.
More heritage is on display later in the week with the ceremonial pageantry of the “Blessing of the Waters” and children will be constructing hundreds of oyster shell “grotters”. Grotters are lit by candles after the Blessing of the Waters to provide an enchanting night-time display.
Thanks to a Local Food Grant from the Big Lottery Fund the Festival’s food and drink EPICentre will have a special focus on local foods in 2011. Local food has always been the major part of the EPICentre but this year there will be a number of new elements including free food demonstrations and tastings such as the Champagne Master Classes from Taittinger on Saturday 23rd July.
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Posted by admin on July 1, 2011 – 8:59 am
Destination Bristol has partnered with Pan MacMillan, the publisher of Jeffrey Archer’s new five-part family Saga, The Clifton Chronicles, to highlight the historic locations mentioned in the book for Archer fans visiting Bristol.
Jeffrey Archer fans can log on to VisitBristol.co.uk/Time for a glimpse of life during the inter-War period in which the first novel, Only Time Will Tell, is set and then visit many of the exciting locations mentioned in the book. History is a hot topic in Bristol this year with the opening of the city’s new history museum, M Shed on 17th June 2011. Jeffrey Archer’s book launch also shows the city’s more historic side, highlighting areas like the old Bristol Docks and Harbourside, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, Palm Court Restaurant, Colston Hall, Bristol Zoo Gardens and many more. The official launch of the book was held in the Palm Court at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel in May with an immersive theatre event beforehand for a select number of fans and local residents.
Online, visitors can read about the history that inspired the novel and see some photographs of what it would have been like when the main character, Harry Clifton was growing up in Bristol. The website also offers an interactive map for visitors to scroll through the locations and images. Only Time Will Tell is already a number one bestseller since its publication last month and has been in the Sunday Times bestseller list ever since.
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