Going Back To The Future: Are We There Yet?

Image via Wikipedia

The Back to the Future film series is an undeniable pop culture staple, with perhaps the most popular instalment of the trilogy being the second. Starring Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd as protagonists Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown respectively, it saw the pair travel to the now not so distant future, specifically the 21st of October 2015... and now this date is fast approaching. The film was originally released in 1989 but set in 1985, leaving a good 30 year gap between Back to the Future Part II’s then and now. With each passing year, fans have mourned - perhaps even affectionately mocked - the inaccuracies of the film’s predictions. But exactly how bad are they, and does it look like we’ll manage to get anywhere near flying cars in the precious few years we have left? Well, let’s take a look...

Image via Wikipedia

Top 5 Embarrassing Adverts Starring Rock Stars

Rock stars are notoriously cool. Aside from their uncanny ability to score with chicks and earn their ‘money for nothing’ (it’s a Dire Straits reference...ask your mum!) the rock elite are also respected – unlike average folk – for their blatant disregard for social norms and rebellion from mainstream culture.

Imagine the disappointment for many then, when their favourite rock personas turn up on the telly in adverts for products that they would not usually dream of associating with these musical heroes. Here are the five most shameful rocker-starring TV advertisements...

Guide to Renewable Energy [Infographic]

While renewable energy is gaining momentum, the vast majority of people still get their power from non-renewable sources such as oil, coal and other fossil fuels. But the renewable energy sector is growing fast and it will be up to the next generation of researchers and business people to push sustainable energy to the forefront of the social and political agenda. There are several types of renewable energy, all with a huge amount of untapped potential. Solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen and geothermal power all harness more than enough energy to meet consumer needs. The tricky part is revamping the worldwide infrastructure and economic norms that currently set the energy agenda.

Makeup of the Ancient Egyptians - Healing and Hurting

Image via Wikipedia

What do most Americans look for in their cosmetics products these days? Do they put more weight on look rather than taking good care of their skin? The cosmetics industry is one that always tried to tell the mainstream masses (of mostly women these days) that their "fates depend on the way they look."

The ancient Egyptians took that to a whole other level, and incorporated the ancient Egyptian gods into the whole idea of wearing makeup.

Doctor Who And The Case Of The Lesser-Known Villains

Every science fiction series runs into a wall occasionally, and even Doctor Who has had its share of strange villains. While the Master and the Daleks are famous, one might assume that the Seeds of Doom haven't garnered quite as much fame as these illustrious monsters. 

However, that doesn't mean that fans shouldn't celebrate the lesser-known Doctor Who bad guys just as well. After all, they make the Cybermen look all the better.

10 Great Classic Songs For Road Trips

Road Trip Time Lapse (Photo credit: Neil Dorgan)

All the best road trips are synonymous with music, specifically musical mixes. MP3 players may have replaced mixed tapes or even mixed CDs, but still nothing rivals the road trip mixes and long distance journeys they once inspired.

If you’ve ever seen a Cameron Crowe film, you know the power of well selected music to pull you through personal stories and launch you into a life changing, coming of age adventure. It saddens me that in some ways we may have moved beyond the generation of mixed tapes. Perhaps playlists have replaced this but these are changeable, constantly editable. There’s nothing quite like the nostalgic feeling of putting in an old mixed tape or CD and hearing the music from your past wash over you as you pull out onto the highway and watch the roads and scenery flow by.

Road trips are not the same without some good mixes. Get thyself a great car or van and gather your favourite tunes to create the best travelling experience the road can offer.

Here are a few of the best songs for road trips, long drives, or other adventures, as discovered through working as part of a travelling theatre group, and enjoying many cross country road adventures:

Essentials For Writing A Coming Of Age Film

Cover of Stand By Me (Deluxe Edition)

If you’ve ever wanted to write, direct or produce your very own coming of age movie then this article is for you.

What you’re going to need are a few tried and tested methods to get you on track with: location, characters and storyline.

Below are a few ideas and examples to help inspire and motivate you before you start.

Good luck and in the words of the greatest inbetweener of them all: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Tell CBS News Not To Legitimise Discredited Fringe Groups!

Image via Wikipedia

As some of you already know by now, I do sometimes give some of this blog's space to causes and campaigns I feel are worthy and, even so I haven't done it as much as I would have liked in the past (mostly due to RL getting in the way of my online activities far too often), I've still managed to post a few important messages from cool organisations such as Avaaz.org and Brave New Foundation...

Today, the message I'm sharing with you guys is from Media Matters for America regarding a very worrying situation occurring right now with CBS News risking to legitimise a very anti-gay and discredited unsavoury group by accepting an award from it. (I know... Sounds incredible, doesn't it?)


The email we've received from Media Matters for America earlier this evening will definitely explain much better than me what the problem about AIM is, and what we can do to prevent that fringe group being legitimised by CBS News, so, without any further ado I'll let its Campaign Director, Angelo Carusone, "have the floor" now.

Thanks for your time.

Loup Dargent

How To Tell A Chav From A Wannabe

Our favorite chav, Rose Tyler

At one point of time, Chavs were looked down upon as being the violent, temperamental and dangerous kinds of people who would hang around on the streets, looking for trouble. They would constantly look for potential targets, pick up random fights or simply damage private property. They were distinguished, from the regular crowd, by their unique attire and attitude. Today, all that is changing!

Chav clothing, style and attitude are quickly becoming the chosen mode of fashion for teenagers from up-market and high-society circles. Everything, from the clothes they wear, to the shoes, jewelry and more, all of it is being picked up by these individuals, looking to live the Chav way of life.

With all these people going around dressed like Chavs, how can you tell the difference between an “impersonator” and a real Chav?

Black Eyed Peas Go On Hiatus But Deny Breakup Rumors

On November 23, 2011, the multi-platinum Black Eyed Peas shocked the music world by announcing that they would be performing one final concert at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium before taking an indefinite break. The group made the announcement on the Ellen DeGeneres Show before thanking fans for supporting the band at their final concert. The Black Eyed Peas made their hiatus plans official after battling tabloid rumors through the autumn months. The group confirmed that they will no longer be making music together for the moment. Band members and representatives continue to call the move a hiatus and insist it’s not a breakup.

Rhino Poaching - A Deadly Sin Not Known To The Rest Of The World

To make the rest of the world aware of this problem stoprhinopoaching.com have produced the graph below. The graph indicates that more than 400 rhinos have been killed and the reasons for this will be explained later.  As rhino poaching isn’t new, only increasing in South Africa, this exponentially increasing graph will give any animal lover the chills when you realize that the numbers indicate deaths of rhinos.

Source: http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com/statistics.aspx

This cold hard truth happens every single day in South Africa and the news channels are buzzing all about it.  Only a few poached rhinos survive this inhuman act, but it still takes a few months for this vulnerable animal to recover.  Seeing those small black watery eyes, so innocent, with blood rolling down… no excuse in this world justifies doing this!

On A Search For Relevance: Unique Films Of 2011 That Struck A Nerve

Part of being a master of a craft is the ability to evolve in a way that your work reflects on your era and is relatable to your peers, while also being original enough to be thought of as refreshing.  Notably, Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog threw curve balls with their unexpected 3-D releases.  This may well be a sign that 3-D is the way to go, and these two classic directors decided to take the plunge rather than looking on the additional dimension like a grandparent looks on new music.  Both Hugo and Cave of Forgotten Dreams are certainly worthwhile films, though neither really brought anything new to the table. If anything, Hugo, much like The Artist, dwelled in the glory of the past, while Herzog stuck to his standard documentary method.  There were, however, a few movies from 2011 that struck nerves in the contemporary audience, and this list regards three of those films that have done just that.