Notebook Letters 13.

The top franchise movies of 2009

The movie franchise are back with a vengeance in 2009. Here's a selection.

Underworld: Rise of The Lycans (Jan 23) Prequel tale of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their former slaves, the Lycans (werewolves).

Friday The 13th (Feb 13). At last Marcus Nispel's remake looms. Young adults discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake, and encounter Jason Voorhees.

1/6.

The Pink Panther 2 (Feb 13) Steve Martin's sequel will be the 11th pic in the franchise. Clouseau teams up with other bumbling 'tecs to stop a thief of historical artefacts.

Crank 2: High Voltage (April 17). Follow up to the 2006 flick with Jason Statham as Chev Chelios once again.

Star Trek (May 6) JJ Abrams takes us back to Trek's early days of the USS Enterprise in the 11th motion pic.

2/6.

The Descent 2 (May 15) British horror film. In the 2005 a number of women were trapped in a cave full of terrors. Sarah is forced back to find her five pals and contront the Crawlers.
Terminator Salvation (June 5) John Connor (Christian Bale) fights to keep the machines from destroying humanity.

Fast & Furious (June 12) Vin Diesel is back in the fourth The Fast And The Furious as Dominic Toretto.

3/6.

Shrek Goes Forth (July 16) Fourth in the series. The further adventures of the giant green ogre, Shrek, living in the land of Far, Far Away.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (July 17) Last but one of the eight-movie franchise. Harry's up against the inferni, Death Eaters and others.

Final Destination 4 3D (Aug 21) After a teen's premonition saves lives, Death collects those who evaded wheir end.

4/6.

Toy Story (3D) (Oct 2) Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care centre after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (Dec 18) Rupert Everett put some of his own money into this surprise hit. This time there's a pirate theme.

Alvin And The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel (Dec 26). The furries find their female counterparts.

5/6.

Teletext page 819; 1st of January, 2009.

Sequel will be descent

Having read the franchise feature, I have decided not to bother with The Descent 2. The idea that you could get a sequel of the film is laughable. The Descent has one of the best endings ever. A sequel would spoil the emotion that it gave me. Shaun, Hertford

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 2nd of January, 2009; 1/6.

Death of video stores

So how do Vortex viewers feel about the closure of traditional film rental stores? It's not the format that killed the rental store, it's the way DVDs are distributed. Mark Harwood, Belfast

Of the six Xenomorph-featuring movies made to date, Alien 3 is certainly the most evocative of the depressive (in tone, not quality) artwork of the iconic creatures designer H.R. Giger. Matth Stil, Wakefield

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 2nd of January, 2009; 2/6.

Fighting for an Oscar

I hope David Fincher's nominated and wins an Oscar for Benjamin Button. He's got a great body of work. Fight Club's his best movie. Rich A, Aylesbury

Australia has to be one of the best films of the year. I loved every minute. Highley recommended. Anthony Ritta, Crouch End, London

I really like Nicolas Cage but Bangkok Dangerous was a real low point in his career. Dominic, Castlewellan

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 2nd of January, 2009; 4/6.

Babylon is a cut above

Just watched Babylon A.D. Extended Cut on DVD, it blew me away! Tone better than the cinema version. Why was it cut in the first place? Paul, Whitworth

Trying to find a film for my gran from about 1985 called Arios starring Kirk Douglas. She loves it and hasn't seen it for years. Can anyone suggest a place? Paul, Whitworth

Can anyone recommend any Vanessa Paradis films? Nigel, Keighley

Vortex; Teletext page 817; 2nd of January, 2009; 5/6.

I've read some tripe on The Void. But, for Steve to say "Music is dying in front of us" just because Zvvi is closing, tops it all. Zavvi defined MOR and the mass market, it killed off our once-mighty independent stores. Good riddance to them. Music is alive and well online. Tim Walker

What's the music played in the second series of I'm Alan Partridge where he plays "air bass" in his caravan? Cheers and all that. Johnster Munch

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 1/7.

I'm with The Doc on how good Band of Horses' album was last year. It's fine that it's short. I just put it on repeat. Plus, No-One's Gonna Love You gets an extra play for being so excellent. Gazzoir

I think DJ Gordy was harsh on Mariah Carey's quantum physics book. It's certainly better than Cheryl Cole's effort, A History of Municipal Parks' Subterranean Drainage Systems From The 1950s. Vince McRaincoat

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 2/7.

I was blown away by Felt Mountain, but was disappointed by the two albums that came after Seventh Tree restored my faith in Goldfrapp and was my album of the year. New European

What old or new acts did Voiders discover in 2008? I got into Editors, Kill Hannah, Bloc Party, Howard Jones, Billy Talent, Grandmaster Flash and, at last, Take That. I only liked a few of their '90s songs, but Rule The World won me over. Shane Damien

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 3/7.

The fact that the only thing Boogie Pirate found to mock Oasis for is their anoraks shows hiw good they were. I don't think allof Britpop was good. Every moment has its terrible imitators. You can't blame Green Day for atrocities like Bowling For Soup.

As for all Britpop's acts being English, "Britpop" was a word coined by the press in an attempt to unite us around a cultural landmark. It failed thanks to cynics. Charlie Boulevard

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 4/7.

My tip for 2009 is Baddies, who were superb supporting The Rascals. It helps that the drummer is cute. Jen Price

I won't shed a tear for Zavvi. When I tried ordering Robin Guthrie's new 3:19 album, it wasn't on their computer and I was asked "Is he a known artist?". Nigel Alderson

Alexandra Burke's next single should be a cover of The Firm's Arfur Daley (E's Alright). A No 1 for sure. Snowdog

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 5/7.

Top 10 albums of 2008

1) Velocifero Ladytron
2) St Jude The Corteeners
3) Glasvegas Glasvegas
4) Reality Check The Teenagers
5) Dirty Washing I Ludicrous
6) Ladyhawke Ladyhawke
7) Singles The Long Blondes
8) CSI: Ambleside Half Man Half Biscuit
9) Saturdays = Youth M83
10) Fantasy Black Channel Late of The Pier
Captain Zoetrope

The Void; Teletext page 825; 3rd of January, 2009; 6/7.

* Age renders you less certain of whether a badger or a baboon would win in a fight.

* Babies practise their first word in their head for months before saying it out loud.

* Until this week, the last bearded Conservative Cabinet minister was the 4th Earl of Onslow, president of the board of agriculture with March 1905.

* Baby turtles co-ordinate their hatching by talking to one another through their egg shells.

* Just 34 people are claiming Jobseekers Allowance in the Staffordshire town of Uttoxeter- population 12, 000.

* Bubble wrap can be used for blood and bacteria tests- the bubbles are injected with a syringe and can be sealed with clear nail hardener.

* In Seoul, it's common to use your lunch break for a snooze.

* Two millennia ago in Sudan, people used to munch on the purple nutsedge weed- and it might be why so few of them appear to have dental cavities.

* People don't just walk more slowly when they're on smartphones, their field of vision is reduced to 5% of what it could be.

* When given a date in the future, William Hague can tell you off the top of his head which day of the week it will be.

10 things we didn't know last week; 18th of July, 2014.

Ash get the creeps

Ash have recorded 36 songs for a series of singles to be released this year.

The trio have said they will now only release singles rather than albums. One of the songs is a cover of Carly Simon's Coming Around Again.

Tim Wheeler told ash-official.com: "On Kung Fu, the dumb catchy line 'Kung Fu, do what you do to me' came to me. Five minutes later, it was done. That's also happened on new song The Creeps."

1/7.

Tha best-seller

Tha Carter III by Li'l' Wayne has been revealed as the best-selling album in the US of last year.

It sold 2.88m, the first time the year's best-selling album has sold less than 3m copies.

Coldplay's Viva La Vida was second with 2.15m, followed in the Top 10 by Kid Rock, AC/DC, Metallica, TI, Beyoncé, Jack Johnson and two by Taylor Swift. A total of 428.4m albums were sold.

2/7.

Courteeners plane sailing

The Corteeners have said that hearing Cavorting used on BMI Baby flights was their most bizarre moment of last year.

"I wrote our songs when I was a student in Burnage in a cold, damp bedroom and now you can hear them on an aircraft in Greece," Liam Fray told PS. "Madness!"

Fray added: "Getting hand luggage out of a plane overhang is the worst bit of any holiday. I don't know why BMI chose us, we haven't had any money off 'em."

3/7.

Bob Marley writer dies

Vincent Ford, who wrote No Woman No Cry for Bob Marley, has died due to complications from diabetes. He was 68.

A lifelong diabetic who lost both legs to the disease, it has been claimed that Marley wrote the song but gave the royalties to his childhood friend as an act of charity.

Ford is also credited with three songs on Marley's 1976 album Rastaman Vibration, including Crazy Baldhead.

Fancy going to the Brits?

The Brit Awards are to sell tickets to the public for this year's event at London's Earls Court on February 16.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday at 9am from seetickets.com or 08712 200260.

Pet Shop Boys will play after receiving the Outstanding Contribution prize. Other performers are named when the shortlist is announced on January 20. Critics Choice winner Florence And The Machine plays at the shortlist event.

5/7.

Buy shares in Bjork

Bjork has lent her name to a venture capital fund in a bid to help restore Iceland's economy.

The Bjork Fund has been set up by Icelandic financial firm Audar Capital with an initial investment of £450, 000.

It is seeking investors until March, with the money used to fund small companies in Iceland to "create value through Iceland's unique resources, vibrant culture and green energy".

6/7.

Madonna tour sells loads

Madonna has been named as the biggest-earning live act of 2008.

According to Pollstar, Madonna's tour grossed £194.8m in 2008, with £70m of that in US sales.

Celine Dion was in second place thanks to her residency in Las Vegas, while Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and The Police were in the top five. The Rolling Stones' tour in 2005 is the highest grossing of all time.

7/7.

Teletext page 821; 3rd of January, 2008.

In the last 30 years, obvious as it may be, there is only one defining year for music: 1994. His 'N' Hers by Pulp, Blur's Parklife, Definitely Maybe by Oasis, Suede's Dog Man Star, The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers, Orbital's Snivilisation. The Manncat

In 1979, there were a plethora of classics by Joy Division, The Clash, Talking Heads, The Specials, Gang of Four and PiL. Even that list only scratches the surface. Antonio Gramsci

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2009; 1/7.

The best year for classic albums has to be 1968: Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Small Faces, The Byrds, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, T-Rex, The Band, Julie Driscoll, Steve Miller, The Kinks, The Beatles. Those are just from ones I own. Roger Gibbard

No Courteeners, Ladyhawke or Friendly Fires in either the singles or albums list, to name but a few, yet The Ting Tings' That's Not My Name makes the Top 10. Clueless. Kev Bird

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2009; 2/7.

My singer-songwriter tip for 2009 is Matthew Kilford from Swindon. He knows how to write inspiring songs that tug at the heartstrings. If it's anybody's years, why not his? Kyle Servera

I couldn't agree more with Kyle that The Courteeners deserved to win The Guardian's First Album award. It's the album of 2008 by a mile, yet they get no radio airplay. I saw them at The John Peel Tent at Glastonbury, and they blew me away. They can do live. Kev B

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2009; 3/7.

Has Earls jumped the shark? No Sigur Ros or Goldfrapp in either the singles or albums list, Fleet Foxes only scraping into the singles list, yet there were entries for Kaiser Chiefs, Oasis, The Pigeon Detectives, Martha Wainwright, The Music and Detroit Social Club. Chas & Morph

I too am concerned that HMV will go the same way as Zavvi. They're now my port of call on the high street for obscure artists. Matth Stil

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2009; 4/7.

How dare Attilathehood insult Daffy Duck by claiming he might be related to the bore that is Duffy? It's impossible as, compared to Duffy, Daffy Duck is talented. Neela

So much for the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's I Am Sasha Fierce album, which promised five extra songs. There's a total of 16 songs over the two CDs, yet its combined running time of 61 min 57 secs would easily fit onto one CD. Morph

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2008; 5/7.

Top 10 albums of 2008

1) When Myth Fades To Legend Alesana
2) Suicide Season Bring Me The Horizon
3) Pretty Odd Panic At The Disco
4) Fragile Future Hawthorne Heights
5) Wires Skylit Drive
6) Go West, Young Man Greeley Estates
7) Champion The Audition
Eight) For Those Who Have Heart A Day To Remember
9) The War Is Over Escape The Fate
10) Reach Eyes Set To Kill
Gretel Bracken

The Void; Teletext page 825; 5th of January, 2009; 6/7.

Avalanches finish album?

The Avalanches have finished their new album, according to the head of their Australian record label, Modular.

Stephen Pavlovic said the band was due to hand over the completed albums to him on Christmas Day, eight years after their previous album Since I Left You.

Pavlovic told Triple J Radio: "They scrapped two or three albums of work before deciding 'Who are we fooling? Let's just make an Avalanches album.'"

1/7.

Elbow out on Patrol

Elbow have said that Snow Patrol's cover of One Day Like This is better than their original version.

Snow Patrol covered it on Radio 1's Live Lounge in November.

Guy Garvey told us: "Me and Craig were in a car when it came on, and we got quite teary. It's stunning. Gary's voice suits the song far better than mine. We're mates, and I phoned Gary to tell him they did a beautiful job."

2/7.

Nash's new foundations

Kate Nash has said she is "really nearly there" with the writing of her second album.

Nash told myspace.com/katenashmusic: "I feel like it could be there, really nearly there. But I still have to figure out who to record it with, and then record it after that, so it'll be a while before you hear any of it."

She added she had demoed 14 songs for the follow-up to 2007's Made of Bricks.

3/7.

Prince at the double

Prince is to release two albums this year. They are set for a more traditional release than Planet Earth, which was given away with The Mail On Sunday. MPLSound is electro-based, with Lotus Plant more regular guitar-led.

Women tour their eponymous album next month at Birmingham House (13), Glasgow Captain Rest (14), Leeds Brudenell (15), Manchester N&D (16) and London Madame Jo Jo's. Tickets are £6- £7. They support Deerhunter at London Scala on March 3.

4/7.

Bono 'I'm bored of me'

U2's new songs are written about fictional characters because Bono says he is bored of his own opinions.

"I'm bored of Bono and I am him, I'm sick of me," Bono told Q. "I felt it was a little limiting to be in the first person."

New album No Line On The Horizon includes Cedars of Lebanon, about a war correspondent, and Tripoli, about a French police officer going awol.

5/7.

PSB get Tchaikovsky help

Pet Shop Boys have confirmed details of new album Yes, out on March 23.

Tracks are: Love Etc (the first single, out March 16); All Over The World; Beautiful People; Did You See Me Coming; Vulnerable; More Than A Dream; Building A Wall; King of Rome; Pandemonium; The Way It Used To Be; Legacy. It's produced by Xenomania.

All Over The World is credited as being co-written by Tchaikovsky.

6/7.

No change in charts

Alexandra Burke is No 1 single for a third week, with Hallelujah holding off Leona Lewis at No 2.

Just Dance by Lady Gaga is the highest new entry at No 3, with Sugababes, Girls Aloud and Kevin Rudolf the other new entries in the Top 40.

Take That are No 1 album for a fifth week, with Jason Mraz the highest new entry at No 35. Sales saw Girls Aloud, Elbow and MGMT re-enter the Top 20.

7/7.

Teletext page 821; 5th of January, 2009.

Bono is bored of himself now? Despite it being a pathetically easy "insert own joke here" open goal, I can't pass up the opportunity to say everyone else has been bored of the self-satisfied prannet for years now. Boom, and if you will, boom. Also, for new acts of 2009, The Domino State are very promising indie-rock. Lawrie Ward

One hundred acts over 50 albums and singles, yet not a sniff of the glorious Delays. Shocking. Allie

The Void; Teletext page 825; 6th of January, 2009; 1/7.

The opening of Gangster's Paradise by Coolio goes: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ Take a look at my life and realise there's nothing left." Quite appropriate for someone who's reduced to appearing in Celebrity Big Brother, no? DJGordy

To answer Johnster Munch's query about the air bass in I'm Alan Partridge, it's Gary Numan's Music For Chameleons from his 1982 album Dance. Marcus Passant

The Void; Teletext page 825; 6th of January, 2009; 2/7.

I can't believe that Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip didn't feature in more Best of 2008 lists. Their album Angles is distinctive and without fault. As for 2009, I'm looking forward to Little Boots' album and the return of Pet Shop Boys and The Prodigy. The latter's new single Omen is immense, a true return to form. Petboy

I'd like to add my praise for Band of Horses here. Cease To Begin is the most sublime album in years. Jen Price

The Void; Teletext page 825; 6th of January, 2009; 3/7.

Now that PS has delivered its annual Best Of lists, it's time for the usual dreary complaints to flood in. Here's mine. No sign of Guillemots in a list of 100 artists? Their album Red gave me more joy than any other, perfectly emotive and fractured pop. Delays might have challenged it, if I hadn't lost it while cleaning the house. Stephen Jones

I like Tommy and Ggrease, and the new Guns N' Roses album seems like the first act of a musical. Rob Black

The Void; Teletext page 825; 6th of January, 2009; 4/7.

I'm delighted that Martha Wainwright's You Cheated Me featured so highly in PS' Best Singles list. Following BMFA, it's her second genuine pop gem to escape a mainstream audience because of explicit lyrics or videos. If she gets dropped, she only has herself to blame. As for ones not to miss, Basia Bulat and The Felice Brothers' albums are well worth investigation. Mulletboy

Nice to see Jazmine Sullivan in your tips for 2009, great album. ID

The Vvoid; Teletext page 825; 6th of January, 2009; 5/7.