Most Underrated Act:
In Britain, 2008 was yet another year for women to come along and laugh in the faces of men. Female singers are now by far the best ones around in our country, with everything from Kate Nash and Lily Allen right through to M.I.A. or Duffy. In fact, the retro musicians did themselves rather well all year, Duffy being one of the more obvious talents to break through recently. However, with people like Amy Winehouse and Duffy taking up space, less brashy musicians found themselves struggling for space. Among them were people like Laura Marling, the little folk sprite who wrote some of the best love songs of the year armed only with her acoustic guitar. She very almost wins the category for one story alone, which goes along these lines:
Laura Marling was only seventeen at the start of this year, and because of this she was on more than one occasion not allowed into the bars where she was due to perform because she couldn’t provide any ID for the locale, and was thus legally required to remain outside. After this happened for the nth time, she got tired of it and simply started her gig by the front door, with her guitar as the only backing. Head to Youtube and you will be able to find countless videos of her performing in the street, because she decided to do it a few times as a form of mini-protest. Her album, anyway, was called “Alas I Cannot Swim”, and is a great debut from this talented folkie. She sings love songs, but proper love songs that are intricately written and perfectly performed. On top of this, she won a Mercury Music Prize. So how come nobody seems to have heard of her?
Awarded to: Laura Marling
Showing posts with label Amy Winehouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amy Winehouse. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Wilftonville's Endless Year Of Awards: Worst Overall Year
Worst Overall Year:
Nobody could stop talking about Britney Spears. No matter what massive acts of violence occurred elsewhere in the world, the papers was far more interest in the current state of the former Mrs Federline than they were in anything else. 2008 was the year in which the industry decided to stop taking the piss out of Britney and start supporting her again, and she won a load of awards from MTV and several other corporate companies looking for publicity, but she managed to take this boost and shove it straight into the ground as she consistently messed up her live performances and continued to live a mad private life (as the cameras always documented). But Britney Spears isn’t a legitimate performer and can’t be thought of as a proper singer, so the award goes instead to Amy Winehouse.
The poor girl is trying to cope with her husband being in jail, and isn’t doing too well – and all the while the press are publishing article after article about how bad a role-model she is. Has it been noted by any of them that perhaps Amy Winehouse isn’t trying to be a role model? She’s a fantastic, gutsy singer and songwriter, and it’s a damn shame the press and public seem to have it out for her. What, like the Beatles never took drugs? It’s her own choice, and leave her to it. Don’t presume to know better than her. This year, Amy Winehouse couldn’t get away from the media no matter how hard she tried (holidays weren’t enough: the paparazzi simply followed her), and all in all she had a rotten time. Hopefully in 2009 she’ll get some of the privacy she deserves.
Awarded to: Amy Winehouse
Nobody could stop talking about Britney Spears. No matter what massive acts of violence occurred elsewhere in the world, the papers was far more interest in the current state of the former Mrs Federline than they were in anything else. 2008 was the year in which the industry decided to stop taking the piss out of Britney and start supporting her again, and she won a load of awards from MTV and several other corporate companies looking for publicity, but she managed to take this boost and shove it straight into the ground as she consistently messed up her live performances and continued to live a mad private life (as the cameras always documented). But Britney Spears isn’t a legitimate performer and can’t be thought of as a proper singer, so the award goes instead to Amy Winehouse.
The poor girl is trying to cope with her husband being in jail, and isn’t doing too well – and all the while the press are publishing article after article about how bad a role-model she is. Has it been noted by any of them that perhaps Amy Winehouse isn’t trying to be a role model? She’s a fantastic, gutsy singer and songwriter, and it’s a damn shame the press and public seem to have it out for her. What, like the Beatles never took drugs? It’s her own choice, and leave her to it. Don’t presume to know better than her. This year, Amy Winehouse couldn’t get away from the media no matter how hard she tried (holidays weren’t enough: the paparazzi simply followed her), and all in all she had a rotten time. Hopefully in 2009 she’ll get some of the privacy she deserves.
Awarded to: Amy Winehouse
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Ten British Singers To Admire
It’s quite upsetting to read the papers every morning, because without fail one of the headlines is going to tell us all about how a musician, previously admired, has gone off the rails. There’s a massive problem in Britain, and not many other countries have it quite as bad as we do, where the media can’t stand to see someone succeeding in life. Not just the media, but the general public too. As the uber-wise Emily Haines once put it, “there’s an obsession with seeing how people aren’t their dreams.” It’s quite sad. And now that Amy Winehouse is a daily fixture in the papers, and it’s impossible to turn a corner without hearing people whispering dirty rumours about Duffy (note: lie), there’s a growing feeling that Britain is losing identity. Step in Wilftonville, heroic champion of the underdog, in all the forms that it can take. We don’t like to see this going on; and we know for an almost fact that what you’d like to read about is something positive, instead.
We can help with this. Instead of picking up a newspaper from now on, we suggest that you bookmark this blog entry, and re-read it every time you feel an interest in what the news of the day might be. It’s difficult to go cold-turkey, but if anyone can do it then you can. Here is a list, of singers who have managed to make us feel proud about Britain again, in their own different ways.
1: Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets)
A young lad from Sheffield, our Alex isn’t afraid of a bit of hard graft from time to time, as proven by his strong workrate over the past three years. He released an album a year with his first band, The Arctic Monkeys, and then went on to release another album earlier this year with a side-project called ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. All three of ‘em take a look at British culture and declare it revived, in a way. A smart fella with a wry sense of self-deprecating humour, Turner is the sort of person you want at your award ceremony. It doesn’t matter what he’s done, just give him an award of some kind, let him go up to the mike, and enjoy.
2: Alison Goldfrapp (Goldfrapp)
Her music may have been brash and aimed directly at getting people onto the dance-floor, but Alison Goldfrapp has never been the kind of person who could be called socially active. Quite shy in front of a camera (although not as shy as her musical partner, who refuses to take the stage at their concerts), she shows a level of quirkiness that has been a part of Britishness for decades and decades. From Syd Barrett’s music-making to Churchill’s crazy decision to attack Germany for no reason, the British are known for being an odd sort, and Alison Goldfrapp is a pioneer of oddness. Dancing with giant owls, dressing up as an old woman, and all the while singing about breast implants, she needs to be recognised as the modern-day icon that she is.
3: Paul Heaton (The Housemartins, The Beautiful South)
Paul Heaton is from Manchester, a place synonymous with bricklaying, housing estates, and crime. He’s never let this get him down, though, and his songwriting has often tried to make Manchester seem like a much nicer place than it really is (sample lyric: “If rain makes Britain great/then Manchester is greater!”). Heaton is well-known as a collector of anything he can – he collects crisp packets, ‘do not disturb’ signs, and autographs, amongst others. What could be more British than the inbuilt desire to keep as much junk in your house as possible? He’s a funny bloke, too, although his choice to always wear a tracksuit top – even in concert – is baffling.
4: Ricky Wilson (The Kaiser Chiefs)
There was an incident a while ago where Ricky was walking through the streets of Leeds at night (oh what a beautiful sight), but was caught up in a hit-and-run incident, which left him with a broken leg. How, then, was he ever going to be able to complete the tour his band were currently partway through? Why, with a cast on his leg, of course! The dirty humour of Wilson is well-liked in Britain, and his reputation as a cheekie chappie is certainly bolstered by the strong, retro-fitted lyrics he’s given to sing by bandmate Nick Hodgson. With a constant grin on his face, and typically battered, Wilson represents the very noble spirit of stamina. The show must go on, after all.
5: Dame Shirley Bassey
The Dameship alone should be enough to fill you in on her legendary status, but if you want more: she has sung three different James Bond themes. The brassy Welsh diva – was she the first real diva to emerge from music? She’s certainly one of the most beloved – has an extensive career to date, and miraculously her voice has remained as powerful as ever it was. How does she celebrate this? By turning up seemingly every year for the Royal Variety Performance to sing something for the royals, who love it. When she went to Glastonbury to perform for the first time, she was smart enough to bring along wellies to keep her feet safe. However, she was also glam enough to have said wellies encrusted with diamonds that spelt out “DSB” on each leg. Class doesn’t cover it.
6: Dizzee Rascal
This list isn’t a fair representation, as Dizzee Rascal is the only black entrant. But race doesn’t matter – we’re more interested in Dizzee’s personality. As a rapper, you would expect his reputation to be linked with drugs, brawls, and so on. Heck, fighting and drugs were all that kept So Solid Crew in the papers. Yet Dizzee Rascal is not thought of in that sort of way. Instead, he’s seen primarily as a great spokesperson for young Brits, and also as a strong, charismatic performer. These traits, along with his recent barnstorming performance on Newsnight with Jeremy Paxman, make him a Brit to be proud of.
7: Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
Any list of true British heroes, who should only ever be spoken of in faltering, praise-filled hushed tones, is incomplete without Jarvis Cocker. An incredibly articulate and astute man, Jarvis writes songs which capture a moment in great detail, and in doing so raised points about class and culture which reverberated through Government. Although he has chosen to live his life in France, which is a terrible mistake on his part and will probably end in his brutal sacrifice just as soon as the French harvests fail, Jarvis manages to be filled with everything that symbolises Britain. He’s smart and funny, he was raised in Yorkshire, and he takes the piss out of everyone he sees. On top of this, he’s also a superb dancer.
8: Tom Jones
A true gentleman knows how to wear a suit, and Tom Jones can wear a suit better than anyone else in the World. He can also wear not a suit better than anyone else in the World. Continuing the strange trend of powerful singers from Wales (Shirley, Duffy, Cerys Matthews… The Automatic), Mr Tom Jones throws off class and sophistication everywhere he goes, even though somehow he has never lost his ability to appeal to the working man. With a collection of songs which would be the envy of any singer; Mr Jones has managed to sing tunes which have crossed continents and charmed millions of women, the suave geezer. And has he ever been caught up in drugs scandals? Has he ever been sent to rehab because of drinking? No. Because he’s a legend.
9: Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy)
Speaking of gentlemen, Neil Hannon surely epitomises the look of a modern Irishman. Instead of being dressed in the slave dungarees that are traditional for all who work in Ireland down on the potato fields, Hannon wears a suit and can recognise the idea of having a melody in his music, instead of histrionic shouting. Conducting together superb, baroque pieces of orchestra in order to compliment his deft use of words, he has created music that sounds more English than anything the English themselves could ever hope to make. In the process, he has suffered many hardships, but came through them stronger, and his recent output are arguably his best records to date. A superb musician to admire.
10: Kylie Minogue
We're claiming her.
We can help with this. Instead of picking up a newspaper from now on, we suggest that you bookmark this blog entry, and re-read it every time you feel an interest in what the news of the day might be. It’s difficult to go cold-turkey, but if anyone can do it then you can. Here is a list, of singers who have managed to make us feel proud about Britain again, in their own different ways.
1: Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets)
A young lad from Sheffield, our Alex isn’t afraid of a bit of hard graft from time to time, as proven by his strong workrate over the past three years. He released an album a year with his first band, The Arctic Monkeys, and then went on to release another album earlier this year with a side-project called ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. All three of ‘em take a look at British culture and declare it revived, in a way. A smart fella with a wry sense of self-deprecating humour, Turner is the sort of person you want at your award ceremony. It doesn’t matter what he’s done, just give him an award of some kind, let him go up to the mike, and enjoy.
2: Alison Goldfrapp (Goldfrapp)
Her music may have been brash and aimed directly at getting people onto the dance-floor, but Alison Goldfrapp has never been the kind of person who could be called socially active. Quite shy in front of a camera (although not as shy as her musical partner, who refuses to take the stage at their concerts), she shows a level of quirkiness that has been a part of Britishness for decades and decades. From Syd Barrett’s music-making to Churchill’s crazy decision to attack Germany for no reason, the British are known for being an odd sort, and Alison Goldfrapp is a pioneer of oddness. Dancing with giant owls, dressing up as an old woman, and all the while singing about breast implants, she needs to be recognised as the modern-day icon that she is.
3: Paul Heaton (The Housemartins, The Beautiful South)
Paul Heaton is from Manchester, a place synonymous with bricklaying, housing estates, and crime. He’s never let this get him down, though, and his songwriting has often tried to make Manchester seem like a much nicer place than it really is (sample lyric: “If rain makes Britain great/then Manchester is greater!”). Heaton is well-known as a collector of anything he can – he collects crisp packets, ‘do not disturb’ signs, and autographs, amongst others. What could be more British than the inbuilt desire to keep as much junk in your house as possible? He’s a funny bloke, too, although his choice to always wear a tracksuit top – even in concert – is baffling.
4: Ricky Wilson (The Kaiser Chiefs)
There was an incident a while ago where Ricky was walking through the streets of Leeds at night (oh what a beautiful sight), but was caught up in a hit-and-run incident, which left him with a broken leg. How, then, was he ever going to be able to complete the tour his band were currently partway through? Why, with a cast on his leg, of course! The dirty humour of Wilson is well-liked in Britain, and his reputation as a cheekie chappie is certainly bolstered by the strong, retro-fitted lyrics he’s given to sing by bandmate Nick Hodgson. With a constant grin on his face, and typically battered, Wilson represents the very noble spirit of stamina. The show must go on, after all.
5: Dame Shirley Bassey
The Dameship alone should be enough to fill you in on her legendary status, but if you want more: she has sung three different James Bond themes. The brassy Welsh diva – was she the first real diva to emerge from music? She’s certainly one of the most beloved – has an extensive career to date, and miraculously her voice has remained as powerful as ever it was. How does she celebrate this? By turning up seemingly every year for the Royal Variety Performance to sing something for the royals, who love it. When she went to Glastonbury to perform for the first time, she was smart enough to bring along wellies to keep her feet safe. However, she was also glam enough to have said wellies encrusted with diamonds that spelt out “DSB” on each leg. Class doesn’t cover it.
6: Dizzee Rascal
This list isn’t a fair representation, as Dizzee Rascal is the only black entrant. But race doesn’t matter – we’re more interested in Dizzee’s personality. As a rapper, you would expect his reputation to be linked with drugs, brawls, and so on. Heck, fighting and drugs were all that kept So Solid Crew in the papers. Yet Dizzee Rascal is not thought of in that sort of way. Instead, he’s seen primarily as a great spokesperson for young Brits, and also as a strong, charismatic performer. These traits, along with his recent barnstorming performance on Newsnight with Jeremy Paxman, make him a Brit to be proud of.
7: Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
Any list of true British heroes, who should only ever be spoken of in faltering, praise-filled hushed tones, is incomplete without Jarvis Cocker. An incredibly articulate and astute man, Jarvis writes songs which capture a moment in great detail, and in doing so raised points about class and culture which reverberated through Government. Although he has chosen to live his life in France, which is a terrible mistake on his part and will probably end in his brutal sacrifice just as soon as the French harvests fail, Jarvis manages to be filled with everything that symbolises Britain. He’s smart and funny, he was raised in Yorkshire, and he takes the piss out of everyone he sees. On top of this, he’s also a superb dancer.
8: Tom Jones
A true gentleman knows how to wear a suit, and Tom Jones can wear a suit better than anyone else in the World. He can also wear not a suit better than anyone else in the World. Continuing the strange trend of powerful singers from Wales (Shirley, Duffy, Cerys Matthews… The Automatic), Mr Tom Jones throws off class and sophistication everywhere he goes, even though somehow he has never lost his ability to appeal to the working man. With a collection of songs which would be the envy of any singer; Mr Jones has managed to sing tunes which have crossed continents and charmed millions of women, the suave geezer. And has he ever been caught up in drugs scandals? Has he ever been sent to rehab because of drinking? No. Because he’s a legend.
9: Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy)
Speaking of gentlemen, Neil Hannon surely epitomises the look of a modern Irishman. Instead of being dressed in the slave dungarees that are traditional for all who work in Ireland down on the potato fields, Hannon wears a suit and can recognise the idea of having a melody in his music, instead of histrionic shouting. Conducting together superb, baroque pieces of orchestra in order to compliment his deft use of words, he has created music that sounds more English than anything the English themselves could ever hope to make. In the process, he has suffered many hardships, but came through them stronger, and his recent output are arguably his best records to date. A superb musician to admire.
10: Kylie Minogue
We're claiming her.
Saturday, 29 December 2007
The 10 Most Likely Career Suicides of 2008: Numbers 10-6
When Jade Goody disconnected her already highly inconsiderable mind from her mouth on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007, few could have expected that it would do what countless hatchet jobs in the media and the fact she had no discernable qualities as a human could; it killed off her career as a reality TV show contestant. What’s more interesting is that this year several actual talented people lost all their privileges as a celebrity after making massive missteps in the eyes of the public – and, crucially, the papers. If the 2000’s have been all about celebrities who are worth jack-all in real terms, then this year has been all about wiping out the weaker celebrities in favour of the bigger, faster, stronger ones. We’re witnessing survival of the fittest amongst out celebrities, and it’s fascinating.
So now that several celebrities are now gone forever, in whatever sense – Lisa Scott-Lee, Bernard Manning, Chris Langham (and that dude was awesome, y’all), and we’re at that festive, happy, giving time of year when people are curled together and feeling generous and joyous, spreading goodwill to all mankind… what better time to guess which celebrities won’t be with us by this time next year? Here, rolled up into one of those comprehensive top-ten rundowns people seem to love, are the ten celebrities I most expect to get been completely wiped off the face of the earth by December 2008.
10: Britney Spears
Britney is on the list not because of a personal vendetta I have against the girl, but out of blind hope. I really hope that Britney Spears stops being a celebrity next year, and the possibility is not altogether unlikely. At the moment, she’s a basket-case of Syd Barrett dimensions (I speak mentally, if not physically), hounded everywhere she goes by the press. Now considering the number of paparazzi who have been physically injured by Brit this year due to their relentless stalking, it’s not a far leap to consider the possibility that next year one of them will go too far, and actually die for his ‘art’. That sounds far-fetched, but think about it; this girl cannot drive well at the best of times. She’s about as sober as a limo driver (yes, that was a Diana joke, people. GET OVER HER), and she’s followed at all times by around ten-to-twenty people, all of whom are flashing her with cameras. Could you keep control of a vehicle in those circumstances? This year George Clooney was almost killed by the paparazzi whilst on a motorbike, and it’s entirely likely that in 2008 one of them will be on the receiving end of some wheels. Sadly, I think Britney is the one most likely to do this. I hope that this doesn’t happen, naturally, but perhaps it’d provide the incentive for her family to finally Get Her Out Of The Public Eye. For god’s sake, someone needs to protect that girl. As an added bonus to us all, there’d be one less rubbish album out per year.
09: This year’s Big Brother contestants
I’ve lumped them all together, because I only know the names of two of them: Chanelle and Ziggy. Those two aside, there is nobody from this year’s wholly boring extravaganza that merits any remembrance. They’ve kept a bit of press, but now they’ve split up their story is going to wind down very quickly. Ziggy already seems to have vanished somewhat, which shows a common sense I can respect. Chanelle has proved to be much trickier to get rid of, which stands to reason: she’s a Wakefield lass. But her problem here is that she is no longer the most famous person from Wakefield – Ryan Jarman is quickly making tracks. He’s the lead singer of indie band The Cribs, and has started dating Kate Nash – plus, he’s funny and entertaining. Chanelle can offer neither a flighty musical partner, nor talent, and will thus fade into obscurity in 2008. Ah well, there’s always the Wakefield Christmas Lights Switch-On next year, Chaz!
08: Mika
I just really dislike his music. And unless he releases any new music in 2008, I can’t see how he’ll still be popular by this time next year.
07: Amy Winehouse
Who am I kidding? Amy isn’t leaving our papers. However, she currently stands over a very rocky precipice. This is the cliff, of course, of ‘creative talent’, that I refer to. As she stands by the edge, the wind of ‘media circus’ blows at her, as winds tend to, and if she continues to get in the press these wildly metaphorical gusts are going to blow her over. I am here referring, in the likely event you didn’t understand any of that incredibly forced image, to the fact that Amy Winehouse is still more famous for her voice than for her personal life. But more and more she is becoming a media star instead of a valuable asset to the British music scene, and she risks falling into the same trap Pete Doherty did, whereby her music loses all hope and becomes a waste of everyone’s time. She’s currently only one ill-judged comment about Israel (well, she is a nice Jewish girl after all) away from becoming no longer a star, and instead a pin-up for The Sun.
06: Jim Carrey
His star is fading, isn’t it? After years of being Hollywood’s biggest clown, ol’ Canadian rubberjaw is out of favour with the masses. Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, amongst others, are some of the many stars who have taken over comedy in cinema. Seriously, can you name Carrey’s most recent films? He was in that one where he played a madcap bank-robber, and then there was the one where he was a madcap evil uncle… oh wait, that film is two years old! There aren’t many gigs lined in for Jim Carrey, especially now that his latest project has been cancelled. Considering the fact that the WGA strike means there will be very few new films made in 2009, and this means it’s going to be a long time for us without a new Jim Carrey film. Will we need him anymore, now Judd Apatow rules us all?? Carrey has one left in the bank… but it’s a computer animation jobbie. Looking at the trailer for this new Dr Seuss-inspired yarn too, and you’ll notice someone else gets equal billing with him – Steve Carell. Oh-oh! Add to this the knowledge that he’s stopped lasciviously going around the blonde girls of America one at a time (well, hopefully one at a time). He’s found one he likes, and he’s settled down. So at the very same time his work has dried up, he’s also stopped being of any interest to the press. Things look grim for everyone’s favourite madcap actor!
So now that several celebrities are now gone forever, in whatever sense – Lisa Scott-Lee, Bernard Manning, Chris Langham (and that dude was awesome, y’all), and we’re at that festive, happy, giving time of year when people are curled together and feeling generous and joyous, spreading goodwill to all mankind… what better time to guess which celebrities won’t be with us by this time next year? Here, rolled up into one of those comprehensive top-ten rundowns people seem to love, are the ten celebrities I most expect to get been completely wiped off the face of the earth by December 2008.
10: Britney Spears
Britney is on the list not because of a personal vendetta I have against the girl, but out of blind hope. I really hope that Britney Spears stops being a celebrity next year, and the possibility is not altogether unlikely. At the moment, she’s a basket-case of Syd Barrett dimensions (I speak mentally, if not physically), hounded everywhere she goes by the press. Now considering the number of paparazzi who have been physically injured by Brit this year due to their relentless stalking, it’s not a far leap to consider the possibility that next year one of them will go too far, and actually die for his ‘art’. That sounds far-fetched, but think about it; this girl cannot drive well at the best of times. She’s about as sober as a limo driver (yes, that was a Diana joke, people. GET OVER HER), and she’s followed at all times by around ten-to-twenty people, all of whom are flashing her with cameras. Could you keep control of a vehicle in those circumstances? This year George Clooney was almost killed by the paparazzi whilst on a motorbike, and it’s entirely likely that in 2008 one of them will be on the receiving end of some wheels. Sadly, I think Britney is the one most likely to do this. I hope that this doesn’t happen, naturally, but perhaps it’d provide the incentive for her family to finally Get Her Out Of The Public Eye. For god’s sake, someone needs to protect that girl. As an added bonus to us all, there’d be one less rubbish album out per year.
09: This year’s Big Brother contestants
I’ve lumped them all together, because I only know the names of two of them: Chanelle and Ziggy. Those two aside, there is nobody from this year’s wholly boring extravaganza that merits any remembrance. They’ve kept a bit of press, but now they’ve split up their story is going to wind down very quickly. Ziggy already seems to have vanished somewhat, which shows a common sense I can respect. Chanelle has proved to be much trickier to get rid of, which stands to reason: she’s a Wakefield lass. But her problem here is that she is no longer the most famous person from Wakefield – Ryan Jarman is quickly making tracks. He’s the lead singer of indie band The Cribs, and has started dating Kate Nash – plus, he’s funny and entertaining. Chanelle can offer neither a flighty musical partner, nor talent, and will thus fade into obscurity in 2008. Ah well, there’s always the Wakefield Christmas Lights Switch-On next year, Chaz!
08: Mika
I just really dislike his music. And unless he releases any new music in 2008, I can’t see how he’ll still be popular by this time next year.
07: Amy Winehouse
Who am I kidding? Amy isn’t leaving our papers. However, she currently stands over a very rocky precipice. This is the cliff, of course, of ‘creative talent’, that I refer to. As she stands by the edge, the wind of ‘media circus’ blows at her, as winds tend to, and if she continues to get in the press these wildly metaphorical gusts are going to blow her over. I am here referring, in the likely event you didn’t understand any of that incredibly forced image, to the fact that Amy Winehouse is still more famous for her voice than for her personal life. But more and more she is becoming a media star instead of a valuable asset to the British music scene, and she risks falling into the same trap Pete Doherty did, whereby her music loses all hope and becomes a waste of everyone’s time. She’s currently only one ill-judged comment about Israel (well, she is a nice Jewish girl after all) away from becoming no longer a star, and instead a pin-up for The Sun.
06: Jim Carrey
His star is fading, isn’t it? After years of being Hollywood’s biggest clown, ol’ Canadian rubberjaw is out of favour with the masses. Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, amongst others, are some of the many stars who have taken over comedy in cinema. Seriously, can you name Carrey’s most recent films? He was in that one where he played a madcap bank-robber, and then there was the one where he was a madcap evil uncle… oh wait, that film is two years old! There aren’t many gigs lined in for Jim Carrey, especially now that his latest project has been cancelled. Considering the fact that the WGA strike means there will be very few new films made in 2009, and this means it’s going to be a long time for us without a new Jim Carrey film. Will we need him anymore, now Judd Apatow rules us all?? Carrey has one left in the bank… but it’s a computer animation jobbie. Looking at the trailer for this new Dr Seuss-inspired yarn too, and you’ll notice someone else gets equal billing with him – Steve Carell. Oh-oh! Add to this the knowledge that he’s stopped lasciviously going around the blonde girls of America one at a time (well, hopefully one at a time). He’s found one he likes, and he’s settled down. So at the very same time his work has dried up, he’s also stopped being of any interest to the press. Things look grim for everyone’s favourite madcap actor!
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