Recommends – “Pick of The Pack” – Best Bites Newsletter – Friday 12th to Sunday 14th February

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Having expanded our newsletter family to include films, one of our originals makes a comeback, its return encompassing the length & breadth of our expanded media & entertainment coverage, we picking from the pack, the best of what’s on offer this Valentines weekend.

 

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As we step into full stride and overdrive gear we are beginning to reassemble our previous posts family from our former clubbing life including this, our best bites of where to be & be seen, although now what’s on & worth watching, not least that our expanded media & entertainment coverage encompasses film & theatre, radio & television, as well as that this newsletter was originally designed for clubbing. So with so much more to cover, as this weekly recommends whimsy finds its feet, we will be starting simple, selecting just one best bite from each category to talk turkey on but also listing a few worthy others.

 

 

Films - A Bigger Splash - PosterSo let’s get to it and to films first, a veritable feast of offer as we approach the BAFTA’s & the OSCAR’s, some nominees still on the cinema circuit, while our best bite this week goes to “A Bigger Splash” which has been trending & trailing since the beginning of the year, but is released here in London tomorrow (Friday). The story surrounds a famous rock star, Marianne Lane (played by Tilda Swinton) on vacation with her boyfriend on the remote Italian island of Pantellera with her boyfriend Paul (portrayed by the steamily sexy Matthias Schoenaerts), their escape to a far away from the world retreat, interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an old friend of hers, Harry (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson), all sorts of mayhem unfolding in what is billed as an erotic thriller. Without wishing to give much more away, the top draw cast & intriguing plot is enough to charge our canter to the cinema, “A Bigger Splash” very much our best film bite, while other mentions go to “Concussion” starring Will Smith, “Trumbo”, the story of this blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter, while the likes of “The Reverent”, “Spotlight” & “The Big Short”, all heavyweight Academy Award nominees are still showing.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mOVgI0-pb4[/youtube]

 

I Love LucyOn to the theatre and it’s the play “I Love Lucy” that gets our best bite recommendation this week and one plugged on our favourite radio broadcaster’s show last week. Portraying the intimacy of one of America’s true comedic sweethearts, Lucille Ball, this play based on the personal memoires of Lee Tannen, a lifelong friend & close companion of Lucille, revealing the real life Lucy, acted out here by the delightful Sandra Dickenson, while Matthew Bunn plays Lee. With the strapline “…Make a Person Laugh Enough Times, You’re Loved Forever…” “I Love Lucy” has a three week UK premiere running at the compact yet cuddly Jermyn Street theatre, this stage show brought to you by artistic director Anthony Biggs. With Saturday & Sunday matinees at 3.30 pm and one on Thursday 25th February ahead of its run end on 27th, also catch the evening show’s at 7.30 pm every day excepting Monday, tickets are priced at £22 and available via http://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/i-loved-lucy/. Other mentions go to Daniel Cainer at the St James’s Theatre, “Kinky Boots” at the Adelphi & “War of The Worlds” at the Dominion.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI[/youtube]

 

BBC Radio London - PosteTo the radio now and no Saturday is quite the same for us without the heavenly hour that is Jo Good on BBC Radio London, she the warm up between six & seven for the dynamic duo that his her & Simon Lederman between 7 & 10 in what is reputably the most popular broadcast on Radio London’s whole substantial schedule. However, the calm start that Ms Good delivers from 6 am for what we often term as a heavenly hour, is packed with soothing musical sounds and charming chat like no other on this radio station. So, if you are in London and up early, there is no better way to start your Saturday, but with the power of online iPlayer, you can tune in from anywhere in the world by clicking on any of the revolving banners below, while also catch all of Jo’s shows via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011nd8m

 

 

The BAFTA's - PosterHaving hinted towards our next selection and moving into television, our weekend best bite pick has to go to the screening of exceptional awards ceremony, the BAFTA’s, which the BBC will be broadcasting yet again this year, on Sunday night at 9 pm to be precise. In its 69th year, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA’s) concentrates on the film element this Sunday, its television awards taking place later in the year, celebrating all that was great in film during 2015, it very much celebrating British film through specific categories which the GRAMMY’s & the OSCAR’s don’t, such as “Outstanding British Film” and “Best British Short Film”, while British actors, directors & industry workers tend to get a bigger & better look in than over the other side of the Atlantic. And, while Hollywood invades London in a fashion, the BAFTA’s is much more about Britain and with the superb Stephen Fry steering this spectacle, it knocks spots off its American counterparts. So, while the BBC broadcast is not live, it’s well worth tuning in from 9pm tomorrow, while follow this link for info on live BBC news coverage from the red carpet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b071fxb4

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jyCBFM1S58[/youtube]

 

Beyond -Poster FebTo clubbing now and with Valentine’s very much dominating the scene in London, we opt for a Sunday morning soiree that should be packed to the rafters, as the brilliant Beyond opens its doors to welcome the gay clubbing community that are either tipping out of a host of Saturday night shindigs, or simply (as we will be) going for a post breakfast boogie. Now based at the world famous Ministry of Sound in Elephant & Castle, “Beyond The Desire” opens for business at 5 am this Sunday (14th Feb) running through till 1 pm, D.J.’s on duty including Gonzalo Rivas, Zach Burns & D’Johnny in the bar space, commonly known as “103”, while Chris Brogan plays classic beats in the “Baby Box” room. However, it’s the massive main space we will be heading, as superstar Beyond resident Steve Pitron takes centre stage, supported by Fat Tony, while dancers & lighting pyrotechnics a-plenty should makes this a party not to be missed, more details & links to tickets available via https://www.facebook.com/events/1053597737996434/. Two other parties worth a mention are “Famila Masked Ball” at The Egg on Saturday and “For The Love of Orange” at Fire on Sunday.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhkfOA5IoMU[/youtube]

 

HozierFinally to music and given it is Valentine’s weekend, we had to mention a musical & video collaboration to shine light on the darker side of his romantic weekend, violent abuse. Indeed, when pop artist Hozier first wrote “Cherry Wine” it was inspired by the shock & atrocity of this little reported & highlighted blight on the male side of this abuse and as a result his desire to push this sometimes seen as taboo subject into the spotlight, he is releasing this track as a special single tomorrow (Fri 12th Feb) with a hard hitting video to accompany it premiering on Valentine’s day itself. Starring two time OSCAR nominee actress Saoirse Ronan who portrays a woman dealing with a physical abuse relationship, we will be devoting a special report to this and the release of “Cherry Wine” following the video going live on Sunday, while the man, having played to a packed audience at the O2 Academy in Brixton two Friday’s ago, moves his tour to Germany and is playing Berlin on 19th February then Cologne on 21st. In the meantime, catch more info on both “Cherry Wine” itself and all things Hozier by going to http://hozier.com/

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtRIz7VocNs[/youtube]

 

So that’s our first reformed “Best Bites” newsletter and while pretty brief, gives you our picks of where to be and what to watch & listen to in film, theatre, radio, television, music & clubbing this weekend and beyond. So if you happen to catch us on the Beyond dancefloor on Sunday morning come say hi, while we hope our choices here give you food for thought in how to fill your weekend to come. (DISCO MATT)

About discomatt

The History........................................................Created in 2008 after a short period of blogging under his real name, the pseudonym, “Disco Matt”, was born on the back of a reputation for being London’s original party boy having partied and clubbed across the London gay scene since in mid 1990’s.........................................................Through his series of blogs via individual blogging pages which soon morphed into a full blown website (http://discomatt.com), Disco Matt established himself as an independent journalist come columnist who quickly gained a reputation for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. He previewed, reviewed & recommended London gay clubs, as well as the diverse gay/metrosexual London club/bar culture, linking to & reviewing the scene top D.J.’s and generally covering the gay scene including international gay events....................................................Regularly reporting on the top events across the scene, Disco Matt’s reviews, over the years, developed a strong following, not just by clubbers, D.J’s, promoters, music producers & scene faces, but people far and wide that were looking for an insight to the incredible scene that was London. He also previewed upcoming events that signalled, either a major change or update of existing clubs, new ventures on the gAylist/metrosexual scene, or where he considered events that deserved more comprehensive coverage to that provided in other posts.............................................However, having pretty much reached the top of his game in his chosen specific field, due to a number of personal predicaments, challenges & changes in his life priorities, Disco Matt parked his writing and operation in February 2014. While the burning desire to continue remained, what this much needed period of inactivity did provide was the time & space to re-think & re-focus his activities on a broader spectrum of media and entertainment............................................................So, following this long two year lay-off, he built up the foundations for this diversification into the areas of film, theatre, radio & television where his reviewing, recommending & reporting was to be replicated & resurrected, also pointing his promotions through more visuals & video's linked to all these areas along with his core activities and passions ................................................................................The Present....................................After another (shorter) period of lay-off from mid 2016, a life changing event reignited his passion and early into 2017, Disco Matt has delivered on his promise for a new, more modern look to his website, shedding the old & tired skin in favour of something far more in keeping with the times and with his blogging roots. And he has waived a fond farewell to his clubbing days, this having also been ditched from his site & activity, rather now just focussing on the genres of film, theatre, radio, television, video and of course, music, in so doing, aiming to broaden his appeal to a much wider audience interested in the latest most cutting edge areas of media & entertainment.............................................................................His aim is to be highly regarded across the industry for his writing in these fields and ultimately become a full time critic in film &/or theatre.