A Monkey Would Have Learned...!

‘Olympic Flame Goes Out During Torch Lighting Ceremony’ was the headline that most caught my imagination this week, closely followed by  ‘Aussie shooter in London 2012 'mankini' threat' The fact the Greeks could cock something up was not what matters here – I’m surprised they’ve got the time or energy to bother with the whole business at all at this precise moment in time! Instead, what struck me was the fact that the whole ceremony may well just prove to be an elaborate metaphor for this summer’s Games themselves. Never long without a canapé in his hand, Lord Coe was (obviously) there as part of the British delegation on hand to witness the spectacle at Olympia ’s Temple of Hera . An expectant, if gullible, crowd watched on as ‘High Priestess’ (aka actress) Ino Menegaki focused the rays of the morning sun in a parabolic mirror and kindled the first sparks of the official Olympic McFlame (sponsored by McDonald’s) What happened next, probably wasn...

This week, with more than a few days off work, I could have been out and about exploring London or getting in some early Xmas shopping... Kate and Gerry McCann giving evidence on Wednesday Instead, I have found myself drawn to my laptop watching far more testimony than is probably healthy of the Leveson Inquiry in media practices and ethics. Regrets? So far, none whatsoever. This week has seen a number of household names brought before the venerable peer, presumably selected to shed varying degrees of light on their treatment at the hands of the numerous organs of the fourth estate that we all so know and love. Hours of questioning and testimony from the likes of Hollywood darling Hugh Grant, comedian Steve Coogan, former Mrs Paul Gascoigne (Sheryl), the parents of murdered school girl Milly Dowler, their lawyer Mark Lewis and Gerry and Kate McCann have so far provided a fascinating glimpse of a world we all see reported around us each day, but rarely stop to question. Or m...

What have Colonel Gadaffi, recently deceased snooker legend Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins and BNP leader Nick Griffin got in common? First Prize: Live News - David Levene (The Guardian) Bodies in Haiti awaiting burial This unlikely trio were all photographed over the past twelve months and are currently on show at the engaging Press Photographer’s Year exhibition. The winners of the 2010 awards, many dramatically blown up on six-foot high canvas, are drawing crowds in the National Theatre foyer on London’s South Bank and aim to celebrate to ‘noble’ profession of the humble British snapper. Stars of both TV and the political stage take pride of place among the 119 images in the show that emerged as the pick of the crop in the eyes of this year’s jury. And yet, as is so often the case, it is the anonymous snatched glimpse of the ordinary man that has the biggest impact and power to either shock or inspire. Overall winner, David Bebber of the Times, snapped Libyan leader Colonel G...

TfL's bold idea to get the capital peddling came a step closer today, as many Londoners got their first glimpse of the new cycle hire scheme... Pedal power: Mayor of London Boris Johnson sets cyclists an example to follow Despite the July 30th launch date now being just days away, most of the new network’s navy blue ‘docking stations’ still stand empty awaiting installation of some 6000 specially commissioned bikes . Mayor of London Boris Johnson is hoping the scheme will become a popular green alternative to the city’s clogged bus and underground routes, with the added bonus of giving larger commuters the chance to shed some calories on route to the office. And just a stone's throw from the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames, today saw a small, but interested, crowd gathering around one of the first ranks to be stocked up with its own set of gleaming new bicycles. “I can’t wait to get on and try them out,” one girl was overheard saying as she scanned thro...

With less than two weeks to go before the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicks-off, the virtual rush for tickets is already well under way… Late Night Gimp Fight: Heading back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. But many performers who draw the crowds to the Scottish capital will ultimately struggle to break even and may even leave empty handed, while the costs for their audiences also continue to spiral ever upwards . So who is the real winner at the Fringe? And with much of the festival’s creative talent being previewed this month in and around London, is there any actual need for English based fans to make the long voyage north of the border? This year’s edition will see my own debut at the world’s largest arts festival, but fans of comedy will be relieved to learn that it will only be in a spectating capacity. The lure of the fringe has long been at the back of my mind, but the somewhat unalluring prospect of the Scottish ‘summer’, overpriced accommodation and general overc...