Face/Off review.

In this epic cat and mouse thriller, super Villain Nicolas Cage (Leaving Los Vegas/Con Air) takes on Super Cop John Travolta (Grease/Pulp Fiction) in the city of Los Angeles.

Anti Terrorism agent Sean Archer (Travolta) is tracking one of Americas most sinister and dangerous terrorists in Caster Troy (Cage) When Archer is getting to close, Caster Troy takes matters into his own hands and attempts an assassination on Archer when he is most vulnerable, when he is with his son in a playground.

The attempt, however goes wrong, and instead of Archer been killed, the bullet goes through his shoulder and kills his son instantly, setting up an agent obsessed with getting revenge, no matter what!

After six long years, endless encounters and constant bloodshed, agent Archer finally gets his man. After an exhilarating gunfight in a Los Angeles airport, it comes down to Troy v Archer, with Archer prevailing, leaving Troy in a coma.

Archer is over joyed, having seen Troy nearly destroy his life and his family, he can go home to his wife, Eve (Joan Allen) to finally say he caught the man who killed their son and they can start to put their life back together after so long.

After been congratulated on the capture of one of the most dangerous terrorists have ever known by the CIA and FBI, evidence comes to light that there is a massive bomb in a Los Angeles building which is set to go of in just weeks. The problem is however; only two people know where it is. Caster Troy and his Genius but troubled brother, Pollux Troy (Alessandro Mivola), who was arrested just before his brother Caster had been caught.

After been shown the design of the bomb on a laptop that was found in the Jet Caster and Pollux was trying to escape in, Archer knows full well that that this is no hoax and they are going to have to do what ever it takes to find the bomb that could destroy 10 blocks of Los Angeles. One thing was certain; the only person that Pollux Troy would talk about that bomb to would be his brother.

After interrogating all of Caster Troy’s friends and family, the only information they find is the date the bomb is set blow. There is only one thing that can be done, something only Sean Archer can do, but it means going behind his wife and daughters back in a thrilling covert mission and most dangerous task Sean Archer has ever engaged in. Sean Archer must swap identities with Caster Troy, go to the Maximum-security prison Pollux Troy is been kept in and get the information of him, as his enemy, Caster Troy.

Sean Archer’s worse nightmare comes to life however, when his mortal enemy Caster Troy walks in as Sean Archer, pretending to be an Anti Terrorist Agent to tell him that he is going to be staying in prison for the rest of his life and he is going to live out his life as an agent to cause havoc in the city of Los Angeles.

There is only two things that Archer can now do, give up or fight, and fight he does.

Director John Woo (Mission Impossible 2) makes an absolute classic Cat and Mouse thriller in surely one the best Action Films of not only the 90’s but of all time staring two actors in Travolta and Cage in the prime of their career’s, and based on this film, this is evident.

Throughout this film, any first time viewers will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seat in a faced paced action packed typical awesome John Woo film which was nominated for an Oscar and won an MTV movie award for best Action Sequence and best on screen duo in Cage and Travolta.

The action scenes are phenomenal and are only superbly enhanced with the audio and editing quality. Face/Off will truly grip all audiences and only leave them wanting more!

Lord Mayor’s big blood pressure Birmingham challenge

Get Birmingham into the Guinness book of records with high blood pressure challenge

By Daniel O’Sullivan 

You could help get Birmingham into the Guinness book of records, simply by getting your blood pressure checked!

The event, put on by Lord Mayor, Coun Len Gregory, is set to take place at Star City in Birmingham on April 2^nd 2011, between 10am and 6pm. All you have to do is go down to Star City, near Nechells in Birmingham, to get your blood pressure taken.

At the moment, the record for the amount of people to have their blood pressure taken is 2,331, held by Cardiff, capitol of Wales, which beat Florida’s record of 2,075 people. The Lord Mayor though would like to smash those records and get a massive 3000 people to participate in just 8 hours.

This event is not just about making history, it is also to raise awareness for High blood pressure, which Is more commonly known as ‘The silent killer’ because it has no symptoms yet is one of the main causes of a person suffering a stroke. A blood pressure test is quick and painless yet it is something that is very important that can be done for your heath, no matter what your age.

It is believed that 35-40% of strokes could be prevented from happening if high blood pressure is caught and treated from an earlier stage, which is a massive amount and makes this event very worthwhile.

At the event, there also going to be stalls, free secure parking, celebrities and all round family fun, so not only will you be helping your heath, you will also be taking part in history and having a fun day out.

This record-breaking attempt to get Birmingham into the Guinness world book of records is being run with The Stroke Association

To register with this event, which is completely free, then register at https://www.lordmayorschallenge.com/ and help Birmingham make history!

Century is the landmark..

 Century is the landmark!

By Daniel O’Sullivan

New evidence has found that one in four children aged 16 and under will live to celebrate their centenarian birthday!

A study undertaken has shown that with the medical advancement of the NHS, less people smoking and improvements in diet and exercise, 3.3 million children can expect to celebrate their 100^th birthday, with 1 in 6 people alive in Britain now, expected to be 11 million, will also be alive to celebrate their centenarian birthday.

These statistics was revealed in Mid April as evidence for increasing the retirement age and reforming pensions. This article has hit newsstands the day after the statistics were revealed, but how does this contrast with Obesity, smoking intake and alcohol intake in the UK and has the evidence provided taken this into account?

One of the main talking points over the last couple of years has been Obesity in the UK. A study revealed in 2011 that more people in Britain are dying from being overweight then anywhere in Europe, with 1 in 11 people dying due to carrying excess fat, 50% more than France!

It is estimated that over half of Britons are overweight, if not Obese, with 17% been male and 21% been female. The difference between been overweight and been obese lies in a person’s body mass index (BMI), which is calculated from a person’s height and weight. An adult with a BMI of more than 25 is classed as overweight and one with a BMI of over 30 is classed as obese.

Britain is not only known for been the ‘Fat Capital’ of Europe, but also for Binge drinking, which according to experts, is getting out of control and some have blamed it on Alcohol advertisements.

Sir Ian Gilmore, professor of Hepatology said that drastic action is needed because “alcohol is pervasive”

“It has become impossible to have a celebration in this country without drinking. Alcohol has never been more available or cheaper. We need a complete ban on alcohol advertising”.

Over £800 million is spent a year on advertisements and sponsorships for beer. Football, possibly the countries post-popular sport, have one of the main cup competitions named after a beer, the Carling cup, and big clubs such as Liverpool and Everton are sponsored by beer, with Liverpool having the brand Carlsberg written across their shirt. In Rugby, there is the famous competition The Heineken Cup and in tennis the tournament at Queens club is sponsored by Stella Artois.

Gilmore continued, “It sounds out the wrong message, I am looking at the consequences of the culture that we have got”

Current rules state that an advert for Alcohol cannot imply drinking will help with their sexual attractiveness, popularity or the success of a social situation. Professor Gilmore has said that Britain should take a leaf out of France’s book and ban advertisement for Alcohol all together. Since France has done this, they have seen a drastic fall in drinking levels.

‘Alcohol Concerns charity’ has backed up Gilmore’s concern that alcohol is a major danger in today’s society and says something desperately has got to be done. Like Gilmore, Campaigns officer for Alcohol Concerns Frank Soodeen says that the Government should put taxes up on Alcohol to stop as many people buying; especially children, and also any advertisement should be done post-watershed so that children do not have to watch them!

Statistically, drinking is a major hazard in Britain, with an estimated 9000 people dying directly from alcohol consumption every year, with that figure only increasing.

Obesity and Alcohol are major health concerns in today’s society, with one of the only positive things to say is how less people now are smoking over the past 50 years.

Smoking can lead straight to major health concerns such as lung cancer or heart disease, however with the Government rules that have come into play over the last 10 years, more and more people over the age of 18 are quitting.

In the last couple of years, it is estimated that around 39% of adults smoke, which does seem like a lot. However this has been compared back to the 50’s where almost 90% of people smoked some sort of tobacco. 

The bad thing is, however, more and more children in today’s society are smoking, despite the Governments attempt to stop this.

The Government has introduced rules such as no smoking in public areas and people only over 18 can purchase cigarettes. There are also disturbing images like lung cancer on the packs of cigarettes and soon, packs will not be allowed to be on show in shops, instead they will have to be hidden under the counter.

This comes after evidence that 15% of 15 year olds and under smoke regularly, despite it been illegal to sell tobacco to under 18’s. 21% of boys and 19% of girls, at the age of 15, have been found to have some levels of active smoking.

Compared with the obesity and alcohol intake in Britain, not many people diet and exercise, however more and more people are now doing it. In a questionnaire done in 2010, a quarter of people who responded regularly do exercise, however if compared to the amount of obese and overweight people in Britain, which add up to 46%, this is nothing.

Clearly the articles in newspapers on how 1 in 4 children under 16 will live to be 100 have not considered the consequences of Obesity, smoking and binge drinking in the country and how out of hand it is, and how much worse it is going to get if something isn’t done.

The government done something about smoking, and smoking went down drastically over the last decade and now something has to be done about obesity and alcohol intake too. There has been a start with school dinners offering a healthier range, but this is clearly not enough.

Advertisement is a major factor in both of these, with fast food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC been advertised everyday. These have got to be cut, if not dropped completely, the same with Alcohol adverts and maybe then the country will start to see the affects of a healthier lifestyle!

Aston villa crisis..

Villa in freefall

By Daniel O’Sullivan

For the past 3 seasons, Aston Villa had got 3 successive 6^th places finishes in the English Premier League under Northern Irishman and former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill.

This year however, Aston Villa have struggled at the wrong end of the premier league all season, now seemingly having a very low chance of even getting into the top half.

Villa’s season got off to the worst possible start with Martin O’Neill quitting the midlands club just five days before the start of the Premier League season, a move which shocked not only Villa fans, but all football fans across the country!

With Villa having a mediocre pre season, they started the first game in the league with Kevin McDonald, reserve team manager, as caretaker manager of the first team and he got of to a great start, with Villa beating West Ham 3-0, a game to be influential midfielder James Milners last for the club. Milner, voted Villa’s player of the season in the 09-10 season, was sold to Manchester City for £24 million, with Stephen Ireland coming in the opposite direction.

This was to be the only transfer activity of the summer transfer window for Villa, and with a credible 1-1 draw against Rapid Vienna in the Europa league, Villa’s season started to go downhill, and fast. Losing to Newcastle at St James’ park 6-0 in a battering by the recently promoted North East club, villa then went out of Europe, losing 2-3 to Rapid Vienna in the Europa League second leg.

With no new manager in site, Kevin McDonald carried on as caretaker manager, getting 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses in all of his 7 games, a run which convinced Villa owner Randy Lerner he would not be the man to lead Aston Villa’s team forward.

Then a move that left Villa fans with some optimism for rest of the campaign. Aston Villa introduced Gerard Houllier as new manager. The former Liverpool and Lyon manager has had an impressive record at club level, winning the treble of League Cup, FA cup and UEFA cup, as it was then known, in 2001 with Liverpool as well as winning the League twice with French club Lyon and enjoying the role of technical director when France won the World Cup in 1999, with Gerard Houllier been recognized for his contribution to this achievement. 

This sort of manager left Villa fans hopeful they could still break into the top four and resurrect a so far disappointing season. They, however, would be mistaken.

Despite 2 wins in his first 2 games, draws against Chelsea home and away and a draw against Manchester United, Villa went into the January transfer Window after a 4-0 hammering against Manchester City and 15^th in the table, a record which didn’t sit well with Villa fans or Gerard Houllier himself.

With the arrivals of Michael Bradley, Jean Makoun II and a 24 million pound record deal for Darren Bent, Villa fans were again left hopeful something could be salvaged from this so far disappointing season, especially with Bent scoring on his debut with the only goal as Villa edged past Manchester City.

Again, however, in the coming couple of months, the excitement was diminished which saw Villa crash out of the FA cup to Manchester City and has saw Villa only win once in seven games since the close of the January transfer window, which saw them drop into the relegation zone, albeit only for a week!

Now with recent loses to Bolton and local rivals and fellow strugglers Wolves, Villa now lie just 1 point above third from bottom Wolves with 8 games remaining in what is surely 8 of the most important games in Aston Villa’s Premier League history!!

Wine of the month..

Wine of the month – January

Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz 2008 is a deep red wine brought to us by the world famous Robert Mondavi from the Napa Valley in California, USA.

With magnificent flavors of black fruit, mixed spices and black pepper, this wine would go perfect a various amount of dishes, from lamb Curry to Pasta!

Woodbridge Shiraz 2008 is based in Napa Valley, who have been distributing commercial wine since 1858 when founded by John Patchett and is now one of the leading wine regions in the United States. 

Robert Mondavi, who died in 2008, was a leading California vineyard operator provided quality technical development and marketing policies brought worldwide acknowledgement to the wines coming out of Napa Valley and in his recognition, the University of California opened a Robert Mondavi institute for Wine and Food Science!

Price: £8.06

Food and drink..

This summer is going to be quite big for food and drink in Birmingham, with the Food and Drink expo coming to the NEC, the biggest food and trade show in 2012!

At this show, there will not only be 500 suppliers but there will also be many companies within the food industry as well as famous TV chefs. Last year, chefs John Torode, James Martin and Rachel Allen all attended and put on demonstrations on how to prepare inspirational summer dishes in no time at all! Some chefs attending this year’s expo include Sophie Wright, Paul Hollywood and Gregg Wallace!

As well as the demonstrations from these popular chefs, there will be dining ideas, how fruit and veg are grown and quality recipes for you to try at home

On the Saturday and Sunday of this great show, any paying adult can bring up to two children to the show for free as well as on the Sunday there will be some family entertainment such as giant gardening games, face painting and pot planting as well as other entertainment on offer!

Tickets are now on offer for this great food and drink show and can be purchased from http://www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk/

Travel - 5 must see destinations!

Around the world, there are places that just make you breathless, places where you can just look on and be absolutely speechless. Traveling stereotypically is known for students on gap year or when they have just finished their studies, but that doesn’t mean that you have got to take a year off work and disappear visiting every continent on the planet!

Some people simply can’t go traveling until they have worked for a few years and saved up, especially in this economic climate, but once you do have the money to go somewhere breathtaking, where do you go? Ideally you will want to go somewhere, which suit your needs and your personality! So here at Mesh magazine, we have looked at some of the most beautiful and different places in the world for people with different likes and dislikes and have chosen 5 worldwide destinations.

We will start of with site seeing. You might love to go around a city and look at buildings that have been there for hundreds and hundreds of years, what better place to go to then Rome!

Rome is known for having the biggest empire in history with some landmark buildings standing today! In Rome you will find places such as the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, the famous 36-meter tall Pyramid, the Trajan’s markets, the 2^nd Century equivalent of one of today’s every day shopping centers, St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world and center of Christianity, with the infamous St Peters Square leading up to this famous church!

One of the most beautiful sites one could ever see in the world is also based in Rome, and that is the legendary Colosseum. This is the most famous building in all of Roman Empire history seating a staggering 55,000 people and was a stadium where gladiators fought wild animals for entertainment.

None of these however would compare to Vatican City, home of the leader of Christianity! Vatican City is the world’s smallest state, houses St Peter’s Basilica and is most famously known for when there is a new election to become Pope, with thousands upon thousands visiting every month.

Rome truly is a beautiful historic city and a city that anyone with a love of history or famous landmarks must go and see!

Not everyone wants to go walking around a City though; maybe you just want to go and relax, to get away from the stress of your home life. If this is you, then there is arguably nowhere better than Palawan Island in the Philippines.

On the Palawan Island, all your stresses will be gone and you can simply sit on the beach, or by the pool with a cocktail and a book! The island is almost 2,000 kilometres of Rocky coves, jagged coastline, white sandy beaches and clear blue waters! Add in the beautiful rain forest, reefs and caves around the Island, really, what more could you need to have the ultimate relaxing holiday?

On a holiday, something that may be a necessity is Nightlife, and if so, Barcelona would most certainly be somewhere to visit! Barcelona has some of the most diverse bars in the world, with many partying the night away until the early hours of the morning! Of course, this could be because the Spanish people dine very late and so the peak time in on an average night out is 3am, with most clubs closing around 6 or there about!

In some of the nightclubs in Spain’s second city like the recently refurbished   Shoka, Elephant or Sutton host not only some of the best DJ’s in the world but also gets visitors such as Nicolas Cage and various other A Listers at their VIP bar! So, if you’re a party animal then Barcelona is most certainly the place to be, no matter what time of year you are planning on going!

If it is adventure that you are after, then why not try out Tignes in the south of France in the Winter! There is quite an amazing ski resort called Val d’lsere, which hosted the freestyle skiing in the 1992 Olympics! Even if you have never tried the sport of Skiing or snowboarding then why not try your look with there been schools that teach it, and what a better place to learn! There are luxury hotels as well as quality restaurants, bars and clubs! If skiing isn’t quite your thing, then head to Tignes in the summer and try your hand at a number of activities including an airbag jump, where you launch yourself onto a huge airbag without any danger! There is also archery and shooting, Cannoning, Glacier walking, mountain biking or even going into ice caves! This is really a holiday for the adventure orientated person and one that is guaranteed to be enjoyed!

If none of this takes your fancy and you are looking for a family holiday for both the kids and the adults, then why not head to Italy and go to Canevaworld, one of the worlds most famous water parks! Just imagine the fun you and the kids could have with 100,000 square foot of a water park! As well as this there is also a night festival every year showing various artists for the pleasure of the tourists! As well as this there is also movie-land, the first theme park in Italy devoted to the American film productions. Designed in the image of the original Universal Studios in LA, this theme park has a studio that plays attractions and film sets of America’s most successful films.

With all of this to enjoy, whether you are a kid or an adult, you are guaranteed to have one of the best times of your life and is really worth the trip for all of the family!

These five places really are all five star and destinations that are a must see, and with the summer coming up in a few months, there will no doubt be offers you simply can’t resist!

Britain's budget 2011

Britain looking to climb back among the worlds top countries

“Britain is open for business”. This is the view of Chancellor George Osborne, who last week presented the latest Budget for Britain.

In this budget, the Chancellor revealed that Corporation tax is going to be cut by 2 pence, from 28 to 26 pence, and will be cut by a further 3 pence by 2014! This will mean that Britain will have the lowest corporation tax out of the G-7, which includes countries USA, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan.

Osborne also revealed that 21 new ‘Enterprise Zones’ are going to be set up to help the recovery from the Economic Crisis, with 2 been set up in the West Midlands! The zones are going to be set up next year, offering super fast broadband and a five-year exemption from business rates.

“Let it be heard clearly around the world, from Shanghai to Seattle and Stuttgart to Sao Paolo, Britain is open for Business” declared Osborne.

In a budget that has been largely welcomed, both in the West Midlands and across Britain by business’ small and large, the Chancellor has stated that Britain now have to catch up to other European countries.

"Britain has lost ground in the world’s economy and needs to catch up. In the last decade, other nations have reduced their business tax rates, removed barriers to enterprise, improved education systems, reformed welfare and increased exports. Sadly the reverse has happened in Britain. We gambled on a debt-fuelled model of growth that failed. With the state now accounting for almost half of all income, we simply cannot to go on like this. Britain has to earn its way in the modern world. "

Osborne continued, “ "We want the words, 'Made in Britain', 'Created in Britain', 'Designed in Britain', 'Invented in Britain'."

This budget is really going to help business small and large now grow, and could even see companies that started in Britain return from overseas in what seems to be the Government looking at the long term view, something Labour didn’t seem to do.

The Government are also trying to help the unemployed, with 40,000 apprenticeship places been created in Britain and 40,000 construction jobs nationwide which will be supported by the Chancellor's scheme to boost first-time home buyers.

"Our country has to compete if we are going to create growth and jobs. Britain has fallen behind many others in the world in the last decade” stated Osborne.

This budget is going to come as a welcome relief to people all over Britain, who are now clearly seeing the government do something about the economic crisis that they have suffered through over the past few years. 

Olympic Budget

The summer of 2012 is going to be a massive few months for Sport with Euro 2012 coming up, but in the UK the main focus is the Olympics, which is been held in London.

The focus right now isn’t on the sport though, its on how much the sporting event is going to cost the country and whether or not it will be worth it in this economic crisis we are still in!

With the Olympics recognized as one of the most prestigious sporting events on the planet, the pressure is really going to be on, especially with it estimating a cost of £10bn, £8bn up from 7 years ago.

This £10bn might not seem a lot compared to past Olympics games. Athens 2004 overall cost £15bn and China spent a staggering £40bn for the Beijing 2008 games! Quite a difference considering the Los Angels games in 1984 only cost £546m!

The security will cost an estimated £1.2bn, an approximate increase of £271m. This is almost double of the estimate from just a year ago!

With it been such a global event, money is going to be spent on the look and infrastructure of the city. This includes work on power lines, utilities, bridges and roads, building hotels, transport, enabling works and landscaping! Although it could cost over £2bn, all of this would be very good for the City and the local communities, with 5,000 new homes to be available after the games.

As well as work around the City, money will be spent on venues for the sporting events. As well as the main venue, the Olympic Stadium, there will be other Olympic park venues around the city, with none Olympic park construction such as hotels also being built. This is estimated to exceed £1.5bn; with the main stadium it’s self-costing over £400m!

The Olympics will generate in the region of 2-3 million jobs, not just work in the City during the games, but also across the country in construction work leading up to the games. Along with this, hosting the Olympics will also increase tourism not only during the games but after as well with Lloyds bank predicting the UK will generate £10-£11bn on a whole in revenue.

Though the Beijing games cost a whopping £40bn, China had enough capital to absorb the costs and they have seen a growth of 3% in the economy after building things such as brand new subways and roads for the games. After China and Athens (£15bn), Britain will become the third most expensive games at £10bn and will be really hoping for the same result!

London will be hoping for a profit from the games and it is looking like it will be very good for the economy, however the true cost of the games and how much money and jobs will be generated from the games we won’t know for a minimum of 2 years! If all the estimations are correct, it is looking good for the entire country!

Lets hope the Britain can get some success in the games and for it to be enjoyed by billions across the world as we will have to wait until 2016 to see the next games, hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

Neil Buchanan returns

The Neil Deal comes to West Midlands

with “the story of childhood”

Neil Buchanan, the creator and presenter of two times BAFTA winning Art Attack raised several generations of young people on his TV art show. With six million children tuning in for his cartoon drawing, papier maché creations and awesome Big Art masterpieces, the award winning artist has recently swopped the TV studio for his art studio and created his debut collection of signed limited edition fine art. Neil Buchanan’s HOPE STREET is being shown throughout the spring in Jamie Leigh Fine Art gallery, Rubery and ONE magazine was delighted to catch up with ‘the Art Attack Man’ during a recent visit to Rubery to launch the new collection.

Neil Buchanan describes HOPE STREET as his first collection of “grown up” fine art which depicts ‘the story of childhood”.

Asked about his inspiration for HOPE STRET, Neil told One Magazine: “Having worked with children for the best part of two decades I thought how appropriate it would be to paint ‘the story of childhood’. My HOPE STREET is not a place it’s a state of mind – and it’s a very nice place to escape to. The paintings depict a simpler time when children were free to play outside, before traffic clogged up the streets and cyberspace banished play indoors.”

Whilst Neil says he embraces the many positive elements that new technology and social network sites have brought to today’s generation of children, it was the darker side of the technology that inspired him to start painting HOPE STREET.

Three years ago Neil Buchanan switched on his laptop whilst on holiday with his children to find 69,000 messages of condolence pouring into a Facebook site entitled ‘RIP Neil Buchanan’, following his ‘death’. Marooned in a remote, mountain hideaway in Wales, in a mobile phone black spot, it took several days before the popular and much loved presenter of Art Attack was able to contact his family and shocked elderly mother in Liverpool to reassure them that he was alive and well.

Out of these dark and sinister rumours, Neil started questioning the excesses of modern technology and its negative influences and began to record his own childhood memories in Liverpool in the early 60s long before the days of Facebook, Twitter and the internet, when life seemed simpler. In a series of rough sketches he depicted a time before computers banished us to cyberspace and traffic clogged up our streets... and so the seed of an idea was sown for a new, yet strangely familiar, adventure playground... Neil Buchanan’s HOPE STREET.

Neil told One Magazine, “Whilst I embrace the positive elements of modern technology I hope we never lose site of the magic of the simplicity of childhood. When I went out to play I walked down my very own HOPE STREET everyday with the gift that only children truly possess in abundant measure... imagination. HOPE STREET was a space where you could be whoever you wanted to be, and go wherever you wanted to go, and a place where you could rule the world or win the World Cup and all before tea time!”

Neil says he is a “sucker for nostalgia” and the 12 images capture an evocative snapshot of childhood as his paintings skip us across his great outdoor adventure playground, from hanging out on the swings and shared bike rides; through fishing with homemade rods, to the arrival of the ice cream man in the street.

The 12-strong series of limited edition prints, which are all personally signed by Neil Buchanan, have seen ‘The Art Attack Man’ take a highly anticipated step back into the limelight and he hopes to finally quell the ‘Neil Buchanan is dead’ rumours that still resurface on the internet even to this day.

Neil Buchanan said: “So am I dead... well last time I pinched myself I would say definitely not! I’ve always lived by the ‘let’s turn a negative into a positive’ approach to life, so HOPE STREET is this lively Liverpudlian’s response to the rumour mongers who tried to bury me! All I know is I had six million young art critics every week on Art Attack and it was their opinions I cared about most. The greatest honour will be if people like my HOPE STREET pictures enough to hang them on their walls. That will be the biggest approval rating for me.”

Often described as “a legend” by his loyal and enduring fans, Neil has influenced two generations of young people who grew up with Art Attack. The Ambassador for The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts, and Face Britain patron, has also created his very own charity piece within the HOPE STREET collection. Having been a patient at the Alder Hey children’s hospital himself, the artist decided to paint A Little Hope, to raise funds for the Alder Hey Imagine Appeal. The image is exclusively available on www.neilbuchanan.co.uk  and Neil hopes sales will benefit one of the biggest and busiest children’s hospitals in Europe providing care for over 200,000 children.

Neil’s ‘second coming’ with HOPE STREET has followed another resurrection in his life as the successful seventies rocker decided to reform the heavy rock band Marseille. Thirty years after their first recording deal and tour of the USA with Nazareth and Blackfoot, Neil brought the band back to life in 2010, recorded an album Unfinished Business and embarked on the Unfinished Business tour, which was still rocking throughout 2011.

A typical day for Neil usually involves him being creative – either with a paint brush or his guitar. “I wake up and I just want to be creative, whether it is with a brush, or something that comes from my guitar. At home, I’m very lucky to have a recording studio and art studio in the back garden, so I can be creative whenever I feel like it.”

It is also great to hear that we can expect to see and hear a lot more of Neil in the coming year too! He said, “I am in the initial stages of painting another collection – all I can say is it will be very topical for 2012, but perhaps with my usual slightly anarchic approach to art and a bit of Scouser humour in there too! I’d also like to do some more material for the band and we’ll be doing some more festivals and gigs. The question really is when I wake up whether I pick up a piece of paper or my guitar!”

HOPE STREET is currently in Jamie Leigh Fine Art gallery and will be there until late spring, or whilst stocks last. With 12 limited edition prints and an edition size of 295 each worldwide, the prints are all personally signed by Neil Buchanan and beautifully framed by Jamie Leigh Fine Art. The brand new Jamie Leigh gallery has moved across the high street to 112 New Road, Rubery, West Midlands B45 9JR.

For more information on the exhibition then visit http://www.jamieleighfineart.co.uk/Exhibitions.html or call 0121 422 2503. 

Artist to watch...Zara!!

Here I introduce you to the upcoming star in the making ZARA. The electro/pop artist has had an inspirational start to her career as she explains all in this exclusive interview.

Zara’s story has been described as a “RAGS TO RICHES TALE” as the Welsh born star puts all her current success down to her busking on the streets of Liverpool. “After winning a competition to move from Wales to Liverpool to become an official busker I fell in love with the city. Liverpool is famous for music and the people here are so kind and supportive. Liverpool is definitely the place I want to be!“

The multi talented artist, Zara, 27, felt it was strange when she first started out busking but it now comes natural to her and would undoubtedly recommend it to all artists, aspiring or established. “Busking is the best thing I have ever done, I wouldn’t be here today without it. I found that busking has helped build my confidence and this has improved my performance on stage. Being on stage is a completely different way of performing; your performance is completely stripped down. When people stop and listen to you it’s genuinely a great feeling. It’s a great way to get feedback from the public about your music and it teaches you a lot about yourself as an artist”

Fierce Management, who immediately spotted her talent and signed her up in September 2010, spotted Zara’s distinct visual style, inspired by her icons such as Joan Jett and The Riot Grrrl movement! Jen Corrigan of Fierce Management said, "Zara is a very special artist, she's a one off with an amazing talent. Not only is she a fantastic performer but she also writes and co-produces her work, which can be rare. She's so good that she is actually writing with some of our other artists too. I'm so happy I went shopping that day and heard her. We are very excited about her and really believe she has a massive career ahead within the industry!”

Zara is a passionate artist, who admits that although there have been tough days when she’s struggled trying to break into the music industry, never considered venturing down the reality TV route such as ‘X Factor’ or ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, although she is a fan of the shows and says “it is a good platform for certain artists to get out there and be discovered”, and thinks Susan Boyle is a great example!

Zara, who recently won SEEN magazine’s Inspirational Person of the Year award, an achievement that means the world to her, says she is “so grateful” for all the support she’s received and her favourite performance to date was at Liverpool’s Pride where she performed to 35 thousand people, although performing at the South Wales community Champion Awards in front of a host of Welsh Celebrities did mean a lot to her, been a Welsh girl herself!

Described as an “inspiring role model for all who is unafraid to be herself” by SEEN magazine, Zara is now working on her debut album with writers and producers from Sony/AVT as well as a major writer who has worked with artists such as Robbie Williams and Plan B, not bad for a girl who was busking on the streets of Liverpool less than 2 years ago!

I am sure we haven’t heard the last of Zara and are tipping her for massive success in the future!

Keep an eye out for Zara’s debut album and her music video ‘Kiss me’, both of which will be released in 2012 and keep in touch with her on her Facebook, Twitter and official website!

www.facebook.com/zaraofficial

www.twitter.com/zara_official

www.zaraofficial.co.uk

Project X review...

We have all heard about American parties, mainly from popular movies. High school kids inviting their whole school around when their parents go away, not just having a few drinks but rather Keg’s of beer and endless amounts of spirits. A party any 18 year old would love to be invited to; well maybe Project X might just provide you with some inspiration.

Producer Todd Philips (Director of The Hangover) hasn’t just brought this movie to our cinema screens, but with it shot in first person, more like we are at the party experiencing it ourselves!

Some may have been skeptical when first hearing about Project X. Over the years, there have been some excellent teen/party films. Looking back, there has been American Pie, Van Wilder, Eurotrip, Roadtrip, Superbad and The Hangover. The list really does go on and on. Does Project X bring anything different to it? No, nothing especially different. But it really didn’t have to with seemingly films of this genre still very popular among audiences, especially with some calling it ‘The Hangover for teenagers!’

The movie starts out the way you would expect. 3 geeks meeting up and going to school. The 3 characters, Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper) and JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown) are no different characters to what we have seen before. Thomas, the Shy geek, Costa, the over exaggerated guy who thinks he is popular already geek and JB, the chubby geek who has very little luck with the girls, along with their weird ‘friend’ Dax, who is shooting the footage for them.

Thomas’ Birthday just so happens to fall on his parent’s anniversary, and while they thought it would be nice to get away for the weekend, they really didn’t think it through, mostly because Thomas’ dad (Peter Mackenzie) doesn’t think his son has it in him to do anything out of line. Little did he know every parent’s nightmare was about to come to life for him.

Though Thomas was unconvinced about throwing such a party, JB and especially Costa do not accept this. While they swear that it will only be very small and intimate, they try and get as many people as possible to turn up, using social network sites and even the radio and soon after the party starts it gets wildly out of control and the only thing to do is go with it and hope to have some fun along the way!

Lets be honest, people might slate Project X for lack of story, lack of character development, even lack of cinematography. This film was made simply to show one of, if not the best high school party of all time (At least in the movies anyway). It involves alcohol, friends and sex. There really isn’t much more to it. The movie hasn’t been released to stir our emotions like The Notebook or P.S I love you!

That said, something does have to be said about movie newcomers Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathan Daniel Brown. They stepped into their characters and really did play them brilliantly. Michael Cera and Jonas Hill, characters from Superbad, though known for films before the hit movie, enhanced their reputation into cult status and that could very well be the case here for the main cast of Project X! We might just see them a lot on our screens in the future!

With any ‘party’ film, something, which is so important, is the soundtrack to it and the soundtrack for Project X was outstanding. With artists such as D12 and Kid Cudi and Kanye West really gave that party feel which was so important. Mixing that and the first person cinematography it really did make it feel like you were there at the party yourself (All you need to do is get a few beers!)

Combining the soundtrack, the cast and the first person experience, it really makes Project X a great party film, and with a very witty screenplay, it truly is a laugh a minute film. When reviews say it is every teens dream and every parent’s nightmare that is no exaggeration! Project X is definitely recommended as a must see!