Natalie Vincent

Well seeing as everybody in blogosphere is giving their two-pence worth on the News of The World, I thought I'd might join in too. This week we in Britain have been waking up to a kind of Groundhog Day news-wise, except that the allegations of voicemail interception get considerably worse every day. The wolves are pacing outside the doors at News International in Wapping. When the accusations of voicemail interception (I personally HATE the term 'phone-hacking', it is louche and lazy) arose, we sneered at the likes of Sienna Miller and other famous celebrities who it happened to. Hell, we even cracked a grin when we heard former editor Rebekah Brooks' may have been a victim of it. But that all changed faster than a Coalition U-turn when it emerged that the PI working for NOTW had allegedly been accessing the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, and DELETING messages left by frantic friends and relatives, who still believed her to be alive. Only then did the pr...

Hi chums, this is my initial draft before it appears on Theatreland, which may be edited.... Great night out: for romantic numbers and tearjerking moments Morning after effect: checking furtively over your shoulder, just in case that coffee mug really did move by itself Recommend to friends? For die-hard Ghost fans Best bit: Oda Mae Brown’s scenes with Sam Interesting factoid: Poignantly, it was at this very same theatre in 2006 that Patrick Swayze performed in Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit. With the film-to-stage adaptations satuating the West End at the moment, you could forgive me for being a little on the cautious side. After all, Shrek: The Musical, despite sounding awful, did not suck (apart from Richard Blackwood as Eddie-Murphy-as-Donkey). Still in previews, the show is a faithful by-the-numbers adaptation of the film, brought up to date for the 21st century, complete with Euro signs and a digital camera. Richard Fleeshman, best known for playing tort...

I am aware, that when I started this blog that it would be covering things of a sci-fi nature. But after reading a certain story in tonight's Evening Standard , I had to speak out. Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker of our House of Commons is clearly bored. Not content with her husband presiding over Parliamentary sessions, she has taken to Twitter to air her views on absolutely everything. This week, failing retailers Carpetright, Thorntons and Jane Norman have come in for some spectacularly ill-timed and wincingly juvenile criticism, a la Bercow. Of Thorntons: 'yuck tasting rip-off' Of Carpetright 'over-rated' Of Jane Norman: only sold 'clothes for skinny minies (sic)' Not only can Bercow, an alumus of independent school Marlborough College, have trouble spelling (minies, anybody?), she also displays breathtaking insensitivity towards the thousands of staff who have lost their jobs as a result of store closures. Interesting to note that Habitat, also in adm...

Us girls finally have our very own Da Vinci Code novel - with angels. Lauded as the new bad-asses of supernatural fiction, with Legion and Supernatural as prime examples, this new offering cuts a hefty swathe through the reams of pithy vampire-fiction out there, (anyone for a sparkling vampire?) courtesy of Stephanie Mayer and co. This one definitely ain't one for the tweenies..... Angelology follows Evangeline, a young nun in Upstate NY who stumbles onto a millienia-old battle between the fallen angels of old Testament fame who took a fancy to human women; their offspring, The Nephilim, and a group of anti-angel secret service agents. Richard Dawkins would just be salivating at the thought. In the meantime, a young art historian is approached by a mysterious family, headed by a menacing old man who appears to be hiding something.... The story jumps between present day New York and World War II Paris and Eastern Europe, where the quest is on to find an item of impossible value...

Well folks, it looks like my quasi-prediction came true for the much hyped Wonder Woman series. After announcing their autumn 2011 schedule NBC have decided not to pick up the series after a truly dour response from preview audiences. The now-cancelled production, plagued with poor script choices (anyone for an Ally McBeal-esque superheroine? No, me either) and a truly appalling costume redesign (read: blue PVC leggings and boots) just goes to prove that it was a disaster in the making. Message to David.E.Kelley: Read the actual comic. Lots of lovely script ideas there. DON'T MAKE UNNECESSARY REBOOTS/UPDATES. The new costume, triple identity plot (WTF?) and 'updating' of the character was too much. If you really must reboot something, just choose one aspect. Although in light of the furore, perhaps not the costume. For the love of God, you should have hired a female writer. Jane Goldman proved her mettle with X-Men: First Class despite a couple of blatant continuity error...

Having now read all the Twilight novels, and seen 3/5 of the movie series, I'm now feeling some malaise about the messages Stephanie Meyer has put across. Now, I put my hands up and admit; the books sucked me in for 10 days straight; a friend of mine who lent me her copies was quite amused, as I had successfully avoided the craze for a good two years, and archly replied to the inevitable 'Team Edward or Jacob?' question, "No idea, I refuse to read them' (I'm Team Jacob, just in case you were wondering). Some things which frustrate me about the books and films: 1) Apparently it is acceptable for girls to string along two men at once under the excuse, 'I love both of you'. Christ, if I'd just been abandoned in favour of flouncing off to Italy, I would have just kicked the whiny cow to the kerb. Oh Jacob, you were fine to hang out with/lead on/save me while the Cullan clan were off gallivanting, but now Edward's airy-fairy sister has turned up, yo...

So we are now two weeks away from the most radical referendum this country has seen - the outcome of this vote could potentially change the way our General Election votes are counted - not, if you vote no. This isn't a blog post designed as propaganda for the Yes vote, by the way. I might as well say straight off the bat that I will be voting YES, purely as the NO camp haven't come up with any decent or considered arguments for their cause. And the less said about the Tories or the BNP's involvement the better.... No, this blog is not pushing for YES or NO, just for people to get out there and VOTE. There is a worrying amount of voter apathy in the air - brought on in part by the leadership of one Mssr Clegg. As hated as he is by students, liberals alike, some quarters are considering avoiding the vote altogether. WHY??? Yes, it would be a good kick in the nuts to Clegg for whoring his soul away for some Downing St action, but we run a very real risk of cutting our noses o...