Notebook Letters 11

Who else would get this outpouring?

PS's demise is depressing, but it's been heartening to see the outpuring of support for PS and Earls. That has to count for something, doesn't it? Most outlets would kill for that kind of appreciation. Rob Hunt

Reading other people's views on PS, it suddenly struck me how much I'll miss it. I might really dislike Elbow, but its news is second to none. I hope Earls continues as a music journalist for years. Mattrobgret

The Void; Teletext page 825; 23rd of July, 2009; 5/7.

At least I'll get more week done

I'm really sd that PS is ending, but one bonus is that I'll make an extra 15 minutes of flexitime at work, instead of reading PS in my PJs.

I can't believe part of my day is going, reading the letters from Sleepy Sealion, Tyler Durden, dj gordy and co. Harsh times! Liam's Tambourine

More vital and fun than other mags, I'll miss the 10 minutes a day I get to spend with you.

The Void; Teletext page 825; 23rd of July, 2009; 6/7.

Funny Bones tickled

Fair comment about Lee Evans in The Medallion, I was referring to his good work in Funny Bones. Jamie, Merstham

Mark- If Heath Ledger was alive he'd be one of the hottest stars on the planet after his role. Eric, Edinburgh

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 1/6.

Ledger put effort in

Mark- how can you say Heath Ledger made no effort? He hid away for six weeks delving into the psychology of the character and developong himself to getting the voice and laugh. You say you didn't like the performance, but you can't say he didn't put any effort in. Matthew, Sheffield

James- Could you explain what kind of entertainment a person gets from murder-set-pieces and guinea pig? Maybe I'm missing something? Mark, Woking

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 2/6.

Martyrs sickeningly good?

I'm more likely to want to see a film if it has made people be sick and/ or faint. Eg Martyrs. I read about screenings in February and wasn't that bothered. Then it said people were sick and had fainted. The next day, I bought the ticket. Matthew, Sheffield

James- There is nothing entertaining about i spit on your grave. It's just misogynistic, amateurish, and depressingly offensive. It has no redeeming qualities. Dave, Newbury

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 3/6.

Blockbusters taking up screens

I would agree cinemas need to stop sub-standard blockbusters on so many screens. Ice Age 3, Harry Potter and Bruno (Snipped) are on so many screens I can't see either Moon or antichrist without travelling 15- 20 miles (and that's only for Moon!).

Deckystrikesback- Awful is a loose term and can't applied to Public Enemies. I agree it's not a classic film but not awful, in the same way Transformers 2. Hamsolo, 77, Basingstoke

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 4/6.

Any news on Dune remake?

Does Vortex have any news of the cast for the Dune remake? I have tried the internet to no avail. Considering this film is to go on release next year, there seems little news on its production. Mick, West Yorks

Vortex: Dune is being developed by Paramount Pictures but is still in the script stage so the 2010 release date is doubtful. Rumours have circulated about Robert Pattinson in a lead role.

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 5/6.

Potter could have been better

I thought Harry Potter And The half-blood prince was better than The Order of The Phoenix, but there was too much humour. It was a bit slow and the ending was anti-climatic. It could have been better. Ben, Dalton-in-Furness

Arthur Penn started the trend for violent mainstream cinema, at least in America with bonnie and clyde. Faye Dunaway is the brains and the beauty while beatty guns 'em down with a bloody style. t rivers, suss*x

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 24th of July, 2009; 6/6.

No leisurely time for Mercurys

Which cloth-eared, music-hating buffoons are in charge of the Mercury Prize this year? How can they not include either The Leisure Society or Broken Records, when they nominate the distinctly below-par Florence And The Machine? Disgraceful. dj gordy

Earls' feature on the Mercurys was great- cogent, with the kind of appreciation for music that's pretty rare. Sweet Billy Pilgrim's album sounds exciting. That is why PS matters. Rob Hunt

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2009; 1/7.

Glasvegas clear winners

Glasvegas is the definite choice to win the Mercury Prize as, given the next extra bit of publicity, they would become the new Oasis. Their self-titled record is brilliantly made, beautifully textured and has sublime songs.

I'd be happy if Kasabian won too, as their crazily-titled album is everything Empire was supposed to be. The only albums that missed out for me are Los Campesinos, White Lies, Manics and Doves. DJ Dave

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2008; 3/7.

Boss better than Captain

After seeing Bruce Springsteen give the best live performance I've witnessed in Glasgow last week, Madness need the back catalogue of hits that Springsteen has before Suggs can criticise his Glastonbury show. The Boss got superb reviews for his set, and Suggs saw a true genius at work. Lynsey Roddy

Suggs should stick to advertising fish fingers. Bruce Springsteen was awesome from start to finish. Tim Walker

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2009; 3/7.

Smells like R&B

I take umbrage with the synthetic hip hop MTV and Tim Westwood play so I commend jay-z for his doa single. It's brave of him to eschew R&B in favour of traditional hip hop. Hopefully the song will invert rap, bringing it to its former glory, as Smells Like Teen Spirit killed hair metal. Rich Barrett

Does anyone know what The Thrills are up to? I know they left Virgin. I hope they don't split, as it'd be a shame to lose their unique music. MCA

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2009; 4/7.

Cornershop open for business

I agree with Tjinder Singh's views on the current state of music. White Lies is the only new album I've bought this year, and even that's rather retro.

Never mind that, though, welcome back to Cornershop- a band whose constant quest for new sounds and ideas keeps them head and shoulders above everyone else (except The Fall, of course). I've always enjoyed them, it's good to see them back. Maybe 2009 won't be so bad after all. Simon Franklin

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2009; 5/7.

La Roux win would make us see red

I know they're not really Mercury Prize material, but a nod for Placebo would have been nice, as Battle For The Sun really is exceptional. I predict The Horrors will win, but I'd far rather it was Florence And The Machine or Kasabian. How La Roux got nominated I'll never know- their album is awful, bar its excellent singles. Mattrobgret

Like Earls, I can't believe The phantom Band haven't made the Mercury shortlist. Graham Baxendale

The Void; Teletext page 825; 24th of July, 2009; 6/7.

* People hate Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays as much as Mondays.

* Alcoholics Anonymous's co-founder believed that LSD could cure alcoholism.

* Gibbons on helium use the same techniques as human soprano singers.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 24th of August, 2012; 1/3.

* Insects sunbathe.

* When a player signs for Man City, the club already know his girlfriend's taste in restauraunts.

* Cucumber sandwiches regulate body temperature in a hetwave.

* Mo Farah has an identical twin brother- who ran faster than he did in childhood.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 24th of August, 2012; 2/3.

* Ants can be electronically tagged.

* The Home Guard was more like a lad's than a dad's army.

* Healthy lungs brush themselves clean.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 24th of August, 2012; 3/3.

* Chimpanzees have a secret handshake.

* In Italian, there is a word for a summer hit song that is played everywhere you go- tormentone.

* The favourite number of count von count from the Muppets is 34, 969.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 31st of August, 2012; 1/3.

* The writer Ian McEwan applied to work at M15 and was rejected.

* A hurricane can make the Mississippi River run backwards for 24 hours.

* Ferrets are used to test the flu virus.

* mitt romney has a stake in Armitage Shanks.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 31st of August, 2012; 2/3.

* Only Fools And Horses is popular in the Balkans.

* There's a subcategiry of homicide in the Philippines for so-called my way killings- deaths which come in the wake of karaoke rows.

* On two occasions, Neil Armstrong could have been killed by malfunctioning Nasa machinery.

10 things we didn't know last week; Ceefax page 129; 31st of August, 2012; 3/3.

Quotations of the week

"I was at work, fitting a toilet seat in Farnham." Sweet Billy Pilgrim singer Tim Elsenburg on how he first heard of the trio's Mercury Prize nomination.

"We'd hire a yacht for the day, fill it with 100 people, and get out of our minds." Tom Meighan won't give the 20k prize to charity if Kasabian win.

"I know you're meant to be modest about these things, but no. I deserve this." Speech Debelle on her nomination.

1/6.

The week ahead in gigs

Super Furry Animals and The Human League headline Ben & Jerry's Sunday from Saturday.

Mika, Amadou And Marian, Beverley Knight and The Saturdays round off iTunes Festival. The Rakes, scum, Chrome Hoof, Polly Scattergood and The Warlocks play 1234 festival on Sunday.

Cornershop tour from Sunday, the only band of any note to start their own gigs when festival season is on.

2/6.

The week ahead in radio

Little Boots and You Me At Six are on Nick Grimshaw (Radio 1, Mon- Thu, 10pm).

Madness are on jonathan ross (R2, Sat, 10am), followed by Lisa Hannigan and A-ha on Dermot O'LEary (3pm). Au Revoir Simone and Hawkwind are on Radcliffe & Maconie (Mon- Thu, 8pm).

KT Tunstall fronts a documentary about music's relationship with astronomy (R2, Sat, 10pm). The Orb and Moby are on Richard Allinson (Sat, 2am).

3/6.

The week ahead in TV

A-ha are on the last in the series of jonathan ross (BBC1, Fri, 10.35pm).

Neil Young is profiled in Don't Be Denied (BBC2, Fri, 11.35pm).

Elbow's show with The Hallé Orchestra is featured on The Culture Show (BBC2, Sun, 12am). Arctic Monkeys' new video debuts on C4 (Fri, 11.35pm). White Belt Yellow Tag are on The JD Set (Sat, 1.15am). And that pretty much seems to be about it.

4/6.

Champs of the week

Adam Yauch Get well soon to the most misvhievous Beastie Boy, aka MCA, after he was diagnosed with cancer of the pituitary gland on Monday. Luckily, the prognosis is good.

Jackson Browne He won a lawsuit against the republican party for using Running On Empty without permission by john mccain in his bid to be US president on his campaign trail last year. Those of you who are already thinking "John who?" are entitled to do so.

5/6.

Chumps of the week

Fearne Cotton Introducing ITV's coverage of iTunes Festival at Bloc Party's show on Monday, Cotton asked who was looking forward to Oasis next week. Forgetting the two bands have a long-running feud, she was booed into oblivion, and mocked onstage by Kele Okereke when the band came on.

Pixies Oh, get a move on. It's been five years since they reformed, so either get working on a new album or start preparing for the next Butlins tour.

6/6.

Teletext page 824; 25th of July, 2009.

Potter's back his best feature

I'm looking forward to 2011 when we'll finally see the back of Harry Potter. Can't wait! Russ, Crawley

Fright Night 1 is a masterpiece! So why no Fright Night Part 2 on region 2 DVD? Michael, Rotherham

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 25th of July, 2009; 1/6.

The power of taglines

My fave taglines are Gattaca's "There is no gene for the human spirit", "Courage is the ultimate weapon" from Defiance, Gladiator's "What we do in life, echoes in eternity", and taglines from the firm: "They made him an offer he should have refused" and "Power can be murder to resist". Edward, Kent

The British Board of Film Censors changed its name in 1984 to British Board of Film Classification. A rose by any name, eh? mondo, Kernow

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 25th of July, 2009; 2/6.

red dragon king of remakes

For me, the best remake was red dragon, mainly because of Edward Norton. The worst was The Haunting with Liam Neeson. Absolutely dire and a wasted opportunity. Paul, Sheffield

An antidote to the summer drought- the night porter suits my mood like a glove. Dirk Bogarde's pensively irascible max's obsession with Charlotte Rampling's corrupted ingenue lucia. Their final scene simpatico satisfaction. t rivers, suss*x

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 25th of July, 2009; 3/6.

Rickman amazing bad guy

What about Alan Rickman in Die Hard as best bad guy? Cool, cute and calculated nut job. Amazing. Marcus, Grimsby

The A-Team cast should be Kurt Russell as Hannibal, Sam Rockwell as Murdock, Paul Rudd as Face and an unknown to play BA. Andrew, Harwich

Andrew Iskanov is the Russian equivalent of David Lynch. Nails and Visions of Suffering are stunning, yet horrific and disturbing. Max, Kettering

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 25th of July, 2009; 4/6.