Sweet Nothings

How 'bout these Olympics then? Despite all the prognostications of organisational disasters and transport armageddon, it appears that everything is going terribly smoothly - almost as if the media's sensationalist pre-Games focusing on the negatives was not entirely helpful or relevant. Imagine that. Even G4S's textbook demonstration of the ultimate consequences of unfettered privatisation was saved by the wasteful old public sector in the form of Our Brave Boys (and Girls) (TM), thereby providing the Daily Mail with a properly perplexing paradox. Empty Seats-Gate is the one thing to have really riled a lot of people, but even that has taken a backseat now that the medals have started rolling in for Team GB. For a hardcore sports fan it's a strange situation to have what feels like the whole country as enthused for a couple of weeks as you are for the rest of the year. Naturally our loved ones will return to being pissed off once we're back to watching the C...

Block-age My relationship with Adam and Joe has been a bit rocky so far. Several different people whose opinions I respect had recommended their 6 Music show to me, but for whatever reason I never jumped in. Then when I finally popped my podcast cherry in South Africa, my expectations had built up to such extreme levels that they were always going to disappoint. Worse, the postmodernism, silly voices and absence of any sort of heart made me furious. I  hated  this self-indulgent crap! Oh well, to cut a long story short I've been listening to the new batch of podcasts from the start and I like them now. Sorry about that. The one quality that helped them to crowbar their way into my affections was how media-literate they are, and it's this that makes Attack the Block  a qualified success. The general consensus seems to be that this is a 7 out of 10 film and I'd have to agree. It's a great concept, and as Cornish has pointed out comparisons to Shaun of the Dead ...

When a country is hosting an Olympic games, they always want to do well. And, buoyed by the homefield advantage and the goodwill of the vast majority of spectators, they generally do. For Vancouver 2010 and beyond, the Canadians, perhaps somewhat miffed at what they perceive to be below-par performances at previous Olympics, launched their much-trumpeted Own the Podium initiative. Its “Vision” is for Canada to become a “world leader in high-performance sport”, and clearly this is more likely to happen at the Winter Games based on climate issues and comparitve lack of competitors. Therefore the Canadian bigwigs have set the lofty goal of achieving the highest overall medal count in Vancouver. Which is all well and good, but there is maximising your chances of success and then there is basically not letting other countries practice properly on all your courses, which is somewhat crossing the line into pretty bloody awful sportsmanship. Oh, except the Russians, who were allowed more pr...

The BBC’s coverage of the Masters snooker this week is happening without one of its most recognisable voices. The decision to dispense of Clive Everton’s services is the latest in a long line of such moves by the Beeb, who have now got rid of nearly all of their long-serving commentators. Bosses insist that age has not been a factor in their decisions, but there is a general televisual drive towards pushing younger, supposedly more dynamic personalities into the foreground and your Bruce Forsythes and Peter Allisses are very much the exceptions that prove the rule. In sporting terms, the modern trend is to appoint famous former stars to replace the veterans who’ve been forced into retirement. There have undeniably been successes on this front, Sam Torrance, Steve Cram and Andy Jamieson to name a few BBC examples. But equally there are those that confirm the belief, which applies to commentators and pundits/trackside interviewers alike, that just because you’re famous for excelling at a...

It's actually quite hard to know what to make of this rush of British gold medals, since we are so unused to such sustained success as a nation. On the one hand, it brings out the best/worst strains of rabid flag-waving patriotism - we're above the Krauts and the Aussies in the medals table! How do you like them apples, guys?? On the other, the sports at which we're excelling are either somewhat elitist and frankly elicit zero interest save when we win medals in them every four years (rowing, sailing) or have had tons of money thrown at them in order to scientifically develop unbeatable technologies and training methods (cycling), which somewhat takes the fun out of a sport. That's what's so great about us Brits - we can find the cloud attached to every silver lining. I'm bracing myself for another tidal wave of anti-Paula Radcliffe vitriol tomorrow. Never mind that she was injured and probably shouldn't have even been racing - she didn't win! This makes...