Posts tagged Good News

2010 World Cup Begins

Yes people, the wait it over. The 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa is officially under way, and in 10 minutes 11 men will step out onto the pitch at the wonderful Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg with the hopes and dreams of an entire continent behind them.

It is the first World Cup ever to take place on the African Continent. Don’t underestimate the importance this holds for the African people. It is truly a great day in their history and ours. 7 African teams have made it into the tournament, all in separate groups, so they have a strong chance of an African team making it to the quarters or even semi finals.

There is no clear favourite for the competition this year, but there is a strong feeling here in England that this is our year. It is perhaps the best squad we have had since the Lineker era in the 80’s. I do think we have a real chance this year. We have a strong midfield and defence, but perhaps all our eggs lie in one Wayne Rooney shaped basket up front. The two Spurs front two of Crouch and Defoe would really have to step up to match the likes of Eto, Messi and the mighty Torres. With hopes higher than ever before, the boys in white and red will race a tough reception after their flight to the UK if they do not making to at least the Semi Finals.

I think it will be a fight between Spain, Argentina, England and Brazil for the title, it does not look likely that an African Nation can win the world cup. But at the end of the day, they are already winners for finally bringing the World Cup to the Continent. Men of England, it’s time to write the future.

Megan Fox Replaced with Lingerie Model

Does anyone actually like Megan Fox? She was hailed as the hottest girl in the world after appearing in the first Transformers movie. That I agreed with, then. She was stunning in that movie and will always be remembered for the scene where she is looking under the bonnet of the car.

Megan Fox Transformers

But I don’t really rate her any more. She can’t act, but to be fair she knows it. She has got a lot of bad press for it but I don’t think she is a diva as some people make out. After the filming of Transformers 2, Fox slated Michael Bay and his production team, despite having already signed up to make a third Transformers movie. Bay’s production team replied in kind, saying she was horrible to work with a terrible actress.

After months of claiming the despite was behind them, Fox finally decided that she no longer wanted to be part of the third movie. A descision we should all be happy about. Why? I’ll show you why!

Rosie Huntington Whiteley Lingerie ModelThat is lingerie model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and she will be replacing Megan Fox in Transformers 3. Win. Rosie had not done much acting, instead starting her career as a lingerie model for Victoria’s Secret. She joins what is looking to be a very interesting array of new cast members for the third Transformers movie including Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Patrick Dempsey. I actually saw her in a shop with her partner Jason Statham outside of the Coachella Music Festival in California last month. Lets just say pictures do not do her justice.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has, would you believe it, already worked with Michael Bay. Bay directed a Victoria’s Secret advert which no doubt gave her the opportunity to impress. What’s that? You want to see this advert? Go on then, oh how I spoil you.

Big Money 0 v 1 British Character

Football. The Beautiful game. And it is never more beautiful that when your team is winning. That is why it is sometimes hard to be a Spurs fan. But it is never dull.

Harry Redknapp

This season was different. It felt different from the start. After the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a Europa League place last season despite a terrible start, there was a new feeling of hope for their Premier league chances. For once, everything seemed to fall into place. The season couldn’t have started better than the 2-1 win over Liverpool. A game that set the tone for a season that would eventually see Tottenham replace Liverpool in the Top 4.

Tottenham Hotspur have always been a great team. But they have not always been a successful team. They have always had the ability to contend with the seemingly unbreakable top 4, but have perhaps lacked that final part of the engine to drive them there.

That missing piece finally arrived in the form of Harry Redknapp in late 2008. Spurs have been through alot of managers over the past years, none of which really settled in or made a big impact. But Redknapp filled a void that no one really noticed was empty. They needed a rock, a solid leader they could anchor themselves to. A constant. Low and behold, in less than 2 seasons, Redknapp rallied Spurs from the Bottom of the League to the top 4 elite. An amazing achievement from a British manager, with a largely British team.

It is this British character that has always been with Tottenham and has always made them an entertaining team to watch. The Big 4 of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have dominated the Premier League for nearly 15 years. But these clubs have relied heavily on foreign talent to compete both domestically and on the European stage.

How apt it was then that at the end of the season, the battle for 4th place came down to the British character of Tottenham, versus the foreign wealth of a newly refinanced Manchester City. In the end the British core of the Tottenham team: Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Gareth Bale, David Bentley, Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch and the rock holding it together, manager Harry Redknapp.

Crouch Secures 4th For SpursDespite the many millions spent on the new Man City team buy their new Billionaire owner from Abu Dhabi, they never really kicked into gear in the match, rarely gelling as a team. Tottenham however stayed strong throughout, with the two centre-backs of Ledley King and Michael Dawson never giving City’s Tevez or Adebayor a chance on goal. With the British striking force of Defoe and and Crouch up front it was only a matter of time before the plucky Brits got the ball into the back of the Manchester City net. Thanks to a Peter Crouch header, the night ends Manchester City 0 – 1 Tottenham, and with it ends Man City’s chances of reaching the Champions league.

It just goes to show that money doesn’t make a great football team. Regardless of reaching their 4th place target, Man City have achieved good things this year with their highest ever Premiership finish, and they are definitely a good team. But it was the years of character that made Tottenham a great team this season. So as Man City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan sits on his flight to Abu Dhabi today, he should realize that you can buy all the great players you want, but you cannot buy history and character. Better luck next time City. Up the Spurs!

2009: The Year In Film

Here is a great little video spreading across the web celebrating the year in film. 2009 was a tough year for filmmakers, with the rise in online piracy and the pain of the recession, funding was profits in the movie industry has been getting smaller and smaller. But for us, the public, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

As with the recent struggle in the music industry to make money, it has simply forced filmmakers to up their game. This has lead to perhaps the best year for film of the decade. Of course there were still some stinkers. Here are my top 5 movies of 09:

  1. District 9
  2. The Hangover
  3. 500 Days of Summer
  4. Hurt Locker
  5. Zombieland

It’s now easier than ever to watch movies. iTunes now does movie rentals too, which means you can watch the latest movie releases from the comfort of your own sofas without leaving you house. You got 5 greats to choose from above, get watching.

Modern Warfare 2 Out Now

If you are reading this today then you forgot to book the day off work, or forgot to call in sick. Yes the long wait is over and the sequel to the best first person shooter of all time has finally hit the shops. Modern Warfare was a near perfect game with an excellent gaming engine that gave one of the most realistic infantry simulations of any medium. In steps Modern Warfare 2.

Modern Warfare 2 is set to be a milestone in the history of computer games. Self proclaimed as the most anticipated game of the decade (and rightfully so) Modern Warfare 2 is likely to break every record in the book and take the crown of best first person shooter of all time. All reviews claim the game meets or even surpasses the massive hype surrounding its release, which is a rarity. The games is available everywhere from today for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Hot tip to save cash is that Sainsbury’s are selling it for only £26 for today and today only.

Oxjam Charity Events 2009

For the past few years, charity Oxfam have tried to reach out to a younger audience by hosting a unique music festival. Threw out the month of October, Oxfam plays host to Oxjam, a month long festival where you make the music, events and raise money for charity.

Oxjam Events

It’s unique in that anyone can participate. You can get involved by anything from entire event production to performing at your  own show, to marketing events. You choose the venue, you pick the acts, you raise money for charity. This year Oxjam is bigger than ever, with bands ranging from chart toppers Fat boy Slim to your local garage band, hundreds of gigs have been going on around the country. It’s not too late to get involved. To check out what gigs are happening near you, head on over to the Oxjam site.

Here is the Oxjam Leicester team in action:

Lets not forget the important life changing help that charity provides around the world. The recession has seen a decline in charity donations, when demand for the help of charities such as Oxfam is higher than ever. Why give your money to the government when they are going to give it to rich bankers, when you could make a real difference to people’s lives.

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