The skyscraper has ruined London’s skyline and our lack of complaint suggests we’ve become blind to architectural ugliness Someone has to speak up for the London skyline. It is being viciously attacked, invaded by philistines, and a nation stunned into acceptance of every monstrosity so long as we are told it is modern seems happy to see taste, style and proportion go out of the window. Why are we putting up with the Shard ? There should be protests, tormented editorials, parliamentary questions about the monster skyscraper that is unstoppably rising up near London Bridge. But compared with the controversies that greeted the infinitely superior Gherkin there appears to be general passivity, even enthusiasm, for this far more arrogant structure. From the sunny top of Primrose Hill at the weekend, London spread out in blue and silver glory. The London Eye, the rounded, elegant form of Norman Foster’s 30 St Mary Axe (said Gherkin) and the dome of St Paul’s all dance together nicely in that urban masque. Modern architecture can work beautifully among the old streets and buildings that define London. But architectural conservatives have long said otherwise. In the aftermath of their falsely grounded scepticism about fine modern buildings, it is understandable that people decide the new is always good. The same has happened in art. After years of wrongly denouncing everything new in art, the entire British media at some point rolled over on its back and gave up. There is no public debate about art any more, because everyone seeking admittance to the elite is scared to look old-fashioned. It is so British, this inability to decide visual cases on their own merits. People who have no natural feel for art judge it ideologically. I fear we are not a very visual nation at all. Compared with other countries, we seem totally incapable of appreciating, say, an urban public space. We think a healthy piazza life is the crowded carnival that Trafalgar Square has become . And we cannot tell the difference between a beautiful modern building that adds to the visual interest of London, and an aggressive, bombastic distortion of the skyline. The Shard is grotesquely out of scale with other London landmarks: it is so big that it demands a massive skyscraper forest around itself. In other words, as you read this, the future history of London is being decided. This city, which grew gradually over centuries, will not keep its character in our century. It will become an anonymous maze of corporate citadels, a Houston-on-Thames , as the Shard generates copies and rivals. Skyscrapers can be ugly. They can also be beautiful. The British fear of modernity once refused to see their beauty. But it invited a backlash that now seems blind to their potential ugliness. Competing polemics produce an insensitive society. London has been enriched by new architecture in recent years. But the Shard and the unneeded grandiosity it will unleash can only impoverish a great city. Future generations may see this building as the most significant in London in our time – but they will not thank us for it. Architecture Design London Jonathan Jones guardian.co.uk
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When Carlos Saldanha’s 3D animation opened on the first warm weekend of 2011, there was only ever going to be one winner … The wipeout Sunny skies are the mortal enemy of cinemagoing in the UK, and that’s never truer than on the first properly sunny weekend of the year. Most people choose parks and gardens over darkened multiplexes on any fine day, but when it’s the first to come along in many months, it’s really no contest. The executives at 20th Century Fox will be cursing the weather gods now that the weekend numbers are in for Rio, the studio’s big animation of 2011, which took £1.52m including £109,000 in previews. That’s by no means a flop, but hopes will have been much higher for a talking-animal 3D animation overseen by Carlos Saldanha, who directed or co-directed all three Ice Age movies. The first Ice Age – which, like Rio, did not have the advantage of a built-in audience established by previous films – debuted with £3.03m back in 2002. Its sequels, The Meltdown (2006, £9.78m) and Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009, £7.64m) opened with significantly bigger numbers. (All figures include preview takings.) Even the less appealing Robots, likewise from Fox’s Blue Sky Studios, managed a £2.62m debut back in 2005, and that film didn’t have the benefit of Rio’s 3D or its Angry Birds app marketing tie-in. Although Rio has yet to release in the US, it opened in 72 countries internationally at the weekend, grossing $55m. Considering the UK is traditionally a buoyant market for Blue Sky and animation in general, Fox will be disappointed that the territory delivered less than $2.5m (just over 4%) of that total. Russia contributed $10.4m, Brazil $8.3m (the biggest animated opening of all time, although in fairness the film is set there), and Mexico $5.3m. Several major territories, including France and Italy, have yet to open. Fox will be hoping for better things – much better – now that many UK schools have broken up for the Easter holidays. The losers Overall, the market posted the worst tally since June 2010, when World Cup football persuaded all the major studios to give plexes a full body swerve, resulting in a couple of consecutive weekends that delivered the lowest grosses in five years. That month saw the likes of Killers, Letters to Juliet and Death at a Funeral dumped into a blockbuster-free zone, and the current frame also has its share of unappealing titles, including three Hollywood offerings released on a combined 700-plus screens, grossing a collective total of £320,000. Sony’s The Roommate, an update on the Single White Female formula starring Leighton Meester and Cam Gigandet, limped across the finish line with £120,000 from 227 venues. Disney animation Mars Needs Moms (retitled for the UK as Mars Needs Mums) took £114,000 from 303 cinemas; shockingly, this dismal figure benefits from £70,000 in previews, mostly grossed the previous Saturday and Sunday. Paramount’s teen action flick Tomorrow, When the War Began, which has the alibi of an Australian setting and unknown cast, kicked off with £86,000 from 205 cinemas. These results confirm the oft-observed phenomenon that while audiences will ignore the rival temptation of sunny skies if there is a film they have an urgent need to see, lesser attractions are particularly vulnerable to warm weather. If it’s not a must-see, why rush? According to virtually everybody, The Roommate, Mars Needs Mums and Tomorrow, When the War Began are not must-see movies. The steady holders Most weekends, respective falls of 35% and 39% for Source Code and Limitless would hardly merit comment. But with audiences shunning cinemas in general, and drops of 56% and 57% for Hop and Sucker Punch, those numbers look positively heroic. Duncan Jones’s Jake Gyllenhaal sci-fi has now taken a robust £2.99m in 10 days, while the Bradley Cooper thriller has posted an even more impressive £5.74m in 19 days, confirming The Hangover star’s status as a leading man capable of opening a movie. Also doing better than expected is Adam Deacon’s urban comedy Anuvahood, with a nifty £1.88m so far, clearly on course for a lifetime total of four times its opening weekend – considered a good multiple for this traditionally front-loaded genre. The big faller Plenty of films are plummeting down the chart, but notable among them is Killing Bono, based on the comic memoir of Neil McCormick. Shedding two thirds of its initial extravagant rollout of 253 cinemas, the Nick Hamm-directed flick collapsed by 81%, and is surely set to suffer another brutal purge of screens and showtimes this weekend. The niche hit Although the current market lacks a major new arthouse hit (Submarine at number 15, Cave of Forgotten Dreams at 19 and Oranges and Sunshine at 23 are the sector’s brightest spots), Bollywood flick Thank You is thriving in limited release. Its opening gross of £160,000 is hardly stellar for the genre, but in today’s depressed climate that’s good enough to earn seventh place, and its screen average of £2,967 is the highest of any film on release. The Akshay Kumar comedy also earns the distinction of achieving the weekend’s top engagement (Cineworld Feltham), and also its fifth (Cineworld Ilford). Overall, the top engagement chart is dominated by Rio, with 21 of the top 30 and 51 of the top 100. The indie sector is flat, with best results coming from Source Code at the Electric Notting Hill and Hampstead Everyman, unless you count Sucker Punch at the BFI Imax. The future For the sixth week in a row, the market lags significantly behind the equivalent frame from 2010, on this occasion by a troubling 46%. The exhibition sector has got some serious catching up to do, and hopes will be pinned on this week’s fresh crop, which include Scream 4, James Franco in Your Highness, Amanda Seyfried in Red Riding Hood and a new Winnie the Pooh from Disney. Cinema owners will be praying for dreary weather throughout the Easter holiday. Top 10 films 1. Rio, £1,515,853 from 522 sites (New) 2. Source Code, £848,366 from 416 sites. Total: £2,990,826 3. Limitless, £737,417 from 394 sites. Total: £5,744,993 4. Hop, £611,367 from 499 sites. Total: £2,623,612 5. Sucker Punch, £346,399 from 392 sites. Total: £1,633,285 6. The Eagle £181,823 from 342 sites. Total: £2,504,508 7. Thank You, £160,191 from 54 sites (New) 8. Unknown, £135,025 from 207 sites. Total: £6,225,112 9. The Roommate, £120,365 from 227 sites (New) 10. Mars Needs Mums, £113,559 from 303 sites (New) Other openers Tomorrow, When the War Began, 205 screens, £85,841 The Silent House, 11 screens, £8,539 Before the Revolution, three screens, £5,146 + £549 preview Snap, six screens, £4,418 Urumi, five screens, £2,981 Armadillo, four screens, £2,213 Rubber, one screen, £829 Animation Film industry Drama Science fiction and fantasy Charles Gant guardian.co.uk
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To give you an idea of the kind of hysterical predictions the global warming crowd have made in recent years, the United Nations in 2005 actually forecast that by the end of the previous decade, there would be 50 million environmental refugees around the world as a result of climate change. Britain's Guardian reported October 12, 2005: Rising sea levels, desertification and shrinking freshwater supplies will create up to 50 million environmental refugees by the end of the decade, experts warn today. Janos Bogardi, director of the Institute for Environment and Human Security at the United Nations University in Bonn, said creeping environmental deterioration already displaced up to 10 million people a year, and the situation would get worse. “There are well-founded fears that the number of people fleeing untenable environmental conditions may grow exponentially as the world experiences the effects of climate change,” Dr Bogardi said. “This new category of refugee needs to find a place in international agreements. We need to better anticipate support requirements, similar to those of people fleeing other unviable situations.” Hans van Ginkel, UN under-secretary-general and rector of the university, said: “This is a highly complex issue, with global organisations already overwhelmed by the demands of conventionally recognised refugees. However, we should prepare now to define, accept and accommodate this new breed of refugee.” As Gavin Atkins of the Asian Correspondent noted Monday, the U.N. back in 2005 provided a handy map to identify “places most at risk including the very sensitive low lying islands of the Pacific and Caribbean.” Atkins chose to look at census figures for some of these “at risk” locales to see whether the U.N.'s predictions – pun intended – hold water. What he discovered was that far from seeing a population exodus, many of these areas are growing in their number of homo sapiens. These included the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Seychelles, and the Solomon Islands. Atkins continued: Meanwhile, far from being places where people are fleeing, no fewer than the top six of the very fastest growing cities in China , Shenzzen, Dongguan, Foshan, Zhuhai, Puning and Jinjiang, are absolutely smack bang within the shaded areas identified as being likely sources of climate refugees. Similarly, many of the fastest growing cities in the United States also appear within or close to the areas
Continue reading …An Indonesian lawmaker has resigned after being caught watching pornography in the same chamber where he helped pass tough anti-porn legislation. Arifinto of the Islamic Prosperous Justice Party was filmed by a journalist as he looked through explicit images during a session of parliament, the BBC reports. He said he…
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In the second of our series, Rob Steen, who illustrated Ricky Gervais’s zany Flanimals picture books, teaches you how to master monsters
Continue reading …Villa Erotica opens in St Andrä im Lungau after overcoming objections ranging from moral concerns to low ceilings Does prostitution count as “heavy physical work”? Will the presence of a brothel next to a through-road increase the accident rate? How many cubic metres of air are needed for two people to have sex safely? Not questions a judge has to consider every day, but these are the conundrums courts in Austria have been mulling over lately in a farcical battle over a planning application from a pimp. St Andrä im Lungau is a picturesque village nestled in a valley in a mountainous area of Salzburg. It boasts quaint houses, a lovely pub, a famous steam railway and now – after a bitter nine-year legal battle – a lemon yellow bordello called Villa Erotica. In 2002 a former wrestler, Norbert Sendlhofer, decided the 770 inhabitants of St Andrä needed not another pub but a place to buy sex. He put in a planning application to turn an old hunting lodge on the outskirts of the village into what locals quickly called a den of iniquity. The mayor was horrified and, backed by his outraged constituents, began a campaign to thwart Sendlhofer’s ambition, exhorting every law they could think of to stop the sex trade from coming to St Andrä. Commercial law, property law, criminal law, health and safety regulations – all were tried. Prostitution is legal in Austria, but they were determined to keep their village prostitute-free. For years, planning experts and officials trooped in and out of Villa Erotica, asking questions and taking measurements. The Austrian newspaper Der Standard reported that in July 2005 St Andrä authorities informed Sendlhofer that his application had been rejected on the advice of the local public health officer, who claimed there were “inadequate sanitary facilities” for “business transactions which specifically deal with the excretion of bodily fluids”. That wasn’t all: an operation like Villa Erotica could “impair the moral, religious and psychological” life of the village” said the rejection letter, according to Der Standard. Sendlhofer was undeterred. He installed new showers to meet hygiene requirements, and when the council criticised the quality of drinking water at Villa Erotica, he dug new wells. In 2007, increasingly desperate to find reasons to reject the application, one resourceful local hit upon the notion that prostitution could be classed as “physical labour” and as such was subject to special health and safety regulations. A medical expert wrote a report for the council, claiming “prostitution is heavy physical work which is carried out in all possible postures”. They reached the conclusion that the ceilings of Villa Erotica were too low for suitable work spaces for prostitution and there were too few cubic metres of air to give sex workers the “volume of air” needed to carry out their duties. The ploy worked – briefly. Alas for the burghers of St Andrä, a higher court in Salzburg last year quashed the verdict and Villa Erotica was given the green light. Ironically, it was the brothel’s red light which caused its next problem: apparently, you need special planning permission to install unusual external lighting. When the brothel finally opened for business recently, Sendlhofer had the last laugh. The fuss of the previous nine years resulted in enormous press interest, and he was able to goad his opponents by telling TV cameras there was “no better location in the whole of Austria” for Villa Erotica. Austria Europe Prostitution Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk
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As Vanessa Hudgens looks to shed her tween star label, she’s also seeking to distance herself from another, more unwanted notoriety. Hudgens, best known for her turn in Disney’s three smash hit “High School Musical” films, and now starring in Zack Snyder’s fantasy femme fatale film “Sucker Punch,” spoke to the LA Times about her career and the nude photo scandal that has followed her for years. Private photos of Hudgens, posing nude, leaked out onto the internet in 2007, causing a ruckus for the young star. A second leak occurred in 2009, and this winter, more photos from the same set made their way to the public. “It’s just silly because I’m a very present person, and that’s the thing that has been so in the past,” she said. “The fact that somebody keeps bringing up the past is just selfish. I mean, it sucks. I already released a statement the first time it happened. It’s just unfortunate that it keeps reminding people about the past and not the present.” Back in 2007, Hudgens expressed regret for the entire situation in a generic statement. “I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me,” she said in her statement. “I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends.” She was more candid, however, in an interview the next year, calling the experience “traumatic” and intimating that she had made a youthful mistake. “My parents are very supportive of me. And they know I’m a teenager, and yes, kids do stupid things sometimes,” Hudgens said. “It’s very unfortunate because with the Internet these days, you don’t have a personal life. Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you. You’re not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you’re around.” Hudgens’ nude photo leaks have led to an investigation into a group of hackers that break into celebrity computers and mobile devices to steal private photos and other items. The star hasn’t been afraid to show skin in a controlled environment, though; she wears suggestive outfits in “Sucker Punch,” and has starred in a number of skin-baring ad campaigns and magazine photo shoots, including this recent one for Shape Magazine. For more from Hudgens, including talk about “Sucker Punch” and her breakup with Zac Efron, click over to the LA Times.
Continue reading …The autocratic leader of Belarus says he thinks a deadly subway blast in the capital was an attempt to destabilize his country. A 12th victim of the rush-hour explosion in Minsk has died. At least 126 others were injured, many of whom lost arms and legs. “We must find out…
Continue reading …All passengers escaped without injury after two planes collided on the ground at New York’s JFK airport Monday night. A wing of an Air France Airbus A380—the world’s biggest passenger yet—clipped the tail of a smaller Delta Connection plane while taxiing to the runway for takeoff, AP reports….
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[NEW] The socialnetwork [2010] Part 1 / 9 [HD] The socialnetwork [2010] Part 1 / 9 [HD] The socialnetwork [2010] Part 1 [HD] Winklevoss Twins Lose Facebook Lawsuit – Movies, TV & Music … Judge rules that the real life ‘Social Network’ brothers’ lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg “must come to an end” Winklevoss Twins Winklevoss Twins . By now many of you know that a judge on Monday told Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss they must accept the previously agreed-upon $65 million cash and stock settlement with Facebook over allegations that company founder … Winklevoss Twins Lose Legal War With Facebook – The Hollywood Reporter A U.S. appeals court says they must accept their $65 million settlement from the social-networking site. Winklevoss Twins Lose Appeal Over Facebook Settlement | Digital … The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an appeal from the Winklevoss twins , who were seeking a new settlement with Facebook over charges that founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea when they were all students at Harvard, … Winklevoss Twins Lose In Court, Forced to Accept Facebook Lawsuit … In a court decision which further frees Facebook’s hand for an IPO in the near future, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously ruled that Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Olympic-rowing twins who accused Mark Zuckerberg … ThrdHouse says: Winklevoss twins lose Facebook appeal over site idea http://bbc.in/iknKtc
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