Telegraph Reviews Derren
13 June 2005
I have just finished reading Charles Spencer's review of the Something Wicked This Way Comes Tour on the Telegraph Arts website. Interestingly his take on the show is in complete contrast to mine. He likes what I didn't and is not impressed by what startled me. Read his review and then read mine. Afterwards go and see the show and decide for yourself. I promise you will like it.
Parrots and Solitude
13 June 2005
Derren is interviewed about his current tour to the Islington Express. He talks about why he likes magic, parrots (dead and alive) and eating alone.
Guinness for the un-initiated
13 June 2005
Being a seasoned Guinness drinker both in the UK and Ireland, I have no need for this guide to buying Guinness in an Irish pub, however any UK Guinness drinkers planning on a trip over the water may find it enlightening. I particularly liked the bit about determining nationality of the drinker by the number of rings left on the glass "An Irishman will have in the region of 5-6 rings (we pace ourselves), an Englishman will have 8-10 rings, an American will have 17-20 (they sip) and an Australian won't have any at all as they tend to knock it back in one go!"
The Gathering
31 May 2005
On Saturday evening Channel 4 aired "Derren Brown: The Gathering". If you like Derren this was a must-see. Derren basically filled a theatre with a mixture of celeb's, students and cabbies and performed what (in my mind) he does best - his live show. This was all very familiar to me as the show was a partial reworking of his 2003 live tour that Paula and I saw at Shaftsbury Avenue in September of that year. The show had been trimmed to fit into a TV special at 1 hour and 10 mins, and it was excellent. The show was at the usual break-neck speed that we expect in Derren's live shows and it culminated in the sort of suprise ending he does so well. This special is Derren at his best; I never think the TV series ever quite live up to the live shows and this gave you a taster as to what an experience it is. If you liked what you saw, the current "Something Wicked This Way Comes" tour is still running across the UK. Blag, eBay or steal some tickets and go and see. You will be amazed.
Derren and Derek Limited By OfCom
25 May 2005
Ofcom have just published a single rulebook combining all the existing broadcasting regulations. To this they've added rules "forbidding broadcasters from showing paranormal stunts before the 9pm watershed, or at a time when children may be likely to tune in". According to The Times this means "entertainers who specialise in mind reading and magic like Derren Brown are also likely to be affected", and presumably Derek Acorah types too. I must say I'm slightly baffled by this, what corruption of children's minds are they expecting from a magician 'reading your mind' and telling you the card you picked from his carefully manipulated deck? Does this mean no more 'Geoffrey Durham' on Countdown? If this regulation had applied in the 70s and 80s would it have kept Paul Daniels and Uri Geller from our screens? Ahhh... I'm beginning to see their point.
How Stuff Works
27 April 2005
I've just discovered this great site that tells you how stuff works. It's called HowStuffWorks.
In just three minutes I've found the following gems:
Can flour explode?
The true story behind The Amityville Horror
What causes an ice cream headache?
This is an essential resource when you've got a five year-old.
Teeth and Poo
25 April 2005
Last week was highly eventful.
Annie did her first poo in her potty, and Billy's got his first couple of wobbly teeth.
Ray Harryhausen
25 April 2005
I've always been a fan of Ray Harryhausen's stop motion effects, and Billy has become a fan too. We've started watching all of the old films again, and here's what we think of the ones we've watched so far (in chronological order).
Earth vs The Flying Saucers (1956)
This is a real B-Movie. That's not always a problem, but the story is pretty diabolical. Effects are good for their day, but there aren't really enough of them, and the actors in rubber alien costumes are terrible. It's a shame Ray wasn't allowed to animate the aliens. The movie tagline was "Warning! Take Cover! Flying Saucers Invade Our Planet! Washington, London, Paris, Moscow Fight Back!". 5/10
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
I like this film. The difference in the effects in this one compared to 'Earth vs The Flying Saucers' is amazing, and the story is great too. Animated monsters include: Cyclops, a sword-wielding skeleton, a two-headed Roc and a dragon. Brilliant. 7/10
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Definitely my favourite Harryhausen film. Talos is still as scary today as he was when I was 7. We've watched this film over and over. As a kid I remember watching open mouthed as Poseidon appeared in the sea holding open the 'Clashing Rocks'. 9/10
Kreed Kafer T-Shirts
21 April 2005
Fancy taking the mick out of Mr Acorah. Then get yourself a Kreed Kafer = Derek Faker TShirt. They ship in from the US, but with the current exchange rate that's quite cheap. Oh and before you ask, yes they are available in medium.
Rik Eedles == Derek Lies
17 April 2005
We are currently watching Most Haunted and it's the adverts. Derek Acorah has just mentioned Highwayman Rik Eedles. Myself and Paula instantly thought this must be another anagram. Is it a coincidence that "Rik Eedles" is an anagram of "Derek Lies"? Is this Kreed Kafer all over again?
Trick of the Mind
15 April 2005
Check out Derren Brown's new series Trick of the Mind starting tonight on Channel 4.
Derren Brown's Website
15 April 2005
Derren Brown's own website has also undergone some changes, so check it out for news on the tour and new series.
You can also buy limited edition original Derren Brown artwork like the one above and he also has a post showing how his picture of Cate Blanchett came together. 50 quid for a signed piece seems like pretty good value to me.
Vote a Pope
13 April 2005
An Irish bookmaker is taking bets on who the next Pope should be. The favourite is Cardinal Francis Arinze with odds of 3-1. Odds are also 3-1 that the new Pope will be known as Pope Benedict.
I think there should be a new reality tv show allowing us all to phone vote for our favourite with the winner becoming Pope. The name of this show? Why Pope Idol of course!
How To Chill Wine Fast
13 April 2005
Put the bottle in a bucket with ice, water and a large handful of salt. The salt reduces the freezing point of water and will allow it to become superchilled, which will in turn chill the bottle of wine in six minutes flat.
[Lifehacker]
Excel Space Invaders
06 April 2005
Some guy in Japan has written some Excel macros that allow you to play pacman and space invaders in your spreadsheet presumably whilst filling out your tax return. Why do I find this so disturbing?
Seance Officially Scary TV
29 March 2005
Derren Brown's Seance has been voted 4th most frightening moment on TV.
The top 5 are:
1. Killer Corrie (2003) - Over 19 million viewers tuned in when conman Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) killed Maxine Peacock in her home before kidnapping the whole family and driving them into the canal.
2. Dr Who - The Daleks
The ruthless race of fighting machines have been tormenting Dr Who since the Sixties and are set to return in the new series.
3. Cracker - To Be A Somebody - Robert Carlyle plays a terrifying psychopath who exacts revenge for the Hillsborough disaster.
4. Derren Brown - Illusionist Derren Brown manipulates 12 people into believing that they were communicating with the dead.
5. Dr Who - The Cybermen one of the show`s most popular monsters.
Kreed Kafer == Derek Faker
29 March 2005
A week or so ago I was contacted by Emma who is one of the researchers of Bad Psychics. She explained she was setting up a new site "aimed at exposing Most Haunted, Most Haunted Live and Derek Acorah amongst others". She was interested in publishing my account of an Evening with Derek Acorah and of course I agreed.
The site is still new and evolving, but it does have a few interesting articles about Mr Acorah.
My favourite is about the first episode of series 6 of Most Haunted. The episode aired on Living TV last week and was set in Bodmin Gaol. You can read the full transcript here, but in summary the article purports to have evidence that Derek was completely stitched up. In one section of the show, Derek is seen to be 'possessed' by a South African Jailor called Kreed Kafer. According to the article the name was made up by a couple of people on set, and talked about within earshot of Derek. The punchline is of course that Kreed Kafer is an anagram of Derek Faker. The author then sent an email to the head of Living TV quoting the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 proposing that Derek should be sacked.
Other articles of interest consider the origins of Derek's name and why medium Thomas Alder believes Derek Acorah is faking it.Finally, here is the Daily Mirror article where Ciaran O'Keeffe finally reveals how he tricked Derek.
Happy Birthday to Me
29 March 2005
It was my birthday on Sunday, and I got some brilliant gifts.
Billy bought me Spider-man 2 for the PS2. I think he had an ulterior motive on this one, but the game is fantastic fun none-the-less. As our friendly neighbourhood spider-man you get to swing and climb around the whole of NY, yes you really get the freedom of the City. One of Billy's favourite things to do is to climb right to the top of the point of the Empire State Building then dive off into the air ensuring a webswing occurs before he becomes spidey-mush on the pavement.
I also got a brilliant book on Ray Harryhausen. If the name rings a bell, it could be because of the name of the sushi bar in Monsters Inc, or hopefully it's because like me you loved the movies that this guy made. Ray is in my mind the master of stop animation, and was responsible for some of my favourite films when I was a kid. I have loved the movie Jason and the Argonauts for as long as I can remember, and the scene when the giant bronze statue Talos turns his rusty head around still sends shivers up my spine. Every Christmas and Bank Holiday I used to pray for a repeat of it. Seems weird now we all have videos and dvds, I guess my kids are spoilt. The book features stacks of images and sketches of all the creatures he has ever created on the small screen, and even some that never made it. It tells the story of Ray's inspiration from the work of Willis O'Brian (who animated Kong) and how he set up his own studio at home to create some of his masterpieces.
I also finally got a copy of The War Magician to read, so I'll post a review after I've read it, and Annie bought me a lovely hand-painted recorder from Peru. What she was doing there I'll never know.
Faking It
29 March 2005
Last night I watched a taped copy of Sundays C4 episode of 'Faking It'. It was brilliant. Nerdy Physicist Kevin McMahon transformed from geeky science student to table hopping magician. Highlights included him being thrown in at the deep-end and having to perform some tricks in front of Penn and Teller (he completely cocked it up, leaving Penn looking somewhat bored and unimpressed), doing a 5 minute standup slot at a gay comedy club and the realisation on his face that saying he was a magician was a real girl-puller. This meant he no longer had to resort to using his 'lucky' jumper that from what we gathered gave him a little success with a girl, sort of, once. In the end he completely fooled the expert panel (including Paul Daniels no less), and he loved it so much that he immediately quit his physics phd to become a full time magician. Afterwards I was all ready to give up being a geeky IT consultant and becoming a full time table-hopping magician too until Paula pointed out how many tables I would have to 'hop' to pay the mortgage. Maybe I should practice more.
Derren Feature in NY Times
29 March 2005
Is Derren trying to crack the USA?
In this mornings New York Times, Sarah Lyall introduces America to Derren under the title "Mind-Reading? No, Just Head Games". He does, of course, completely bamboozle her with a Derren Brown classic illusion. I'm sure they'll love him.
Hello. My name is Roy. I live in rural Oxfordshire.
This is my blog. I write about things that interest me, make me laugh or that I want to remember.