Londonist

Saturday Cinema Summary

RachelH — 2009-11-14T17:45:57+00:00

Here at Londonist, we don't show you enough stuff exploding / 2012, image courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Our weekly round-up of film reviews

Like, OMG! The White House is flattened by an aircraft carrier that's totally been washed in by a tsunami! California falls into the sea! That statue in Rio massively falls over! 2012 has Roland Emmerich written all over it; expensive end of the world movie where an average American Joe (or John; Cusack) just wants to save his family and learn about the true meaning of life. It's a film "full of laughs. Some are even deliberate" snits the Times (2 stars) and "the usual medley of mawkish self-sacrifice, I-love-you-dad avowals and the determination to make a new world from the ruins of the old" (Independent, 2 stars). But hang on, nobody ever said big budget schlockbusters had to be Citizen Kane. "Like all good disaster movies, is big and brash and gloriously over-the-top" says the Guardian (3 stars); "fundamentally terrible, but almost irresistibly entertaining" concurs Empire (3 stars).

Gran Torino was Clint Eastwood's recent film about an elderly vigilante, which wasn't quite as gruesome as the trailers made out. Harry Brown, on the other hand, doesn't pull its punches. Michael Caine, in a "mesmerising, tough-as-old-boots performance" (Empire, 4 stars), plays a pensioner pushed to the limit on his South London estate, and sets out to wreak vengeance on the local hoodies. "It's gorgeously shot and deftly constructed" says the Times (2 stars), but the Evening Standard points out that "you can't believe everything is this bad for a moment and [Daniel] Barber's film is merely a better version of Death Wish" (3 stars). It's probably your personal taste whether this is a good or bad thing.

"Has any director, European or otherwise, made as many top-rate films this decade as the Austrian Michael Haneke?" asks the Telegraph (5 stars), introducing The White Ribbon. Set in a small German village in the lead-up to World War One, it explores very Hanekian themes of "grotesque public violence and... emotional and sexual cruelty. Even in this apparently calm rural backwater, innocence is the exception, not the rule" (Independent, 4 stars). The matter of who's behind the acts of violence is perhaps less important to the filmmaker than his bigger theme of the state of Germany: "when war arrives in 1914, it is almost a relief: a sweeping away of all these festering resentments - like smashing the window in a stifling sick-room" (Guardian, 5 stars). The Standard lauds "an austere and fastidious masterpiece that digs deep into what remains of the souls of the children and adults without appearing to strain for significance" (5 stars).

Cold Souls is "a moderately funny film everywhere described as "Kaufmanesque"... [but this] is ripping off someone else's act in such obsessive detail that it counts as a mixture of creative larceny and stalking" says the Guardian (2 stars) of writer-director Sophie Barthes's creation. Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, an actor struggling in rehearsals for Uncle Vanya. When he sees an advert for a company offering soul removal, he thinks it could be just what he needs. The Independent thinks Barthes, despite the homage, "shows enough wit and daring of her own to mark her as one to watch" (3 stars), but the Standard still feels "the film peters out in a way that Luis Buñuel would never have allowed" (4 stars).

Hilary Swank's portrayal of Amelia Earhart is Oscar bait: "a rich, spirited rendition of a courageous, independent woman for whom even the sky wasn't the limit" (Times, 2 stars) but it's buried in Mira Nair's inert biopic. "The film feels fragmented... making you want to rush to Wikipedia to fill in the gaps" complains Empire (3 stars), while the Independent (2 stars) adds "there's another epitaph, "Amelia", on Joni Mitchell's 1976 album Hejira, which finds more poetry in Earhart's legend over six minutes ("like Icarus ascending / On beautiful foolish arms / Amelia, it was just a false alarm") than this film does in almost two hours".

Ang Lee returns to comedy with Taking Woodstock, the tale of how the festival came to be. "Lee clearly views Woodstock as a state of mind rather than a concrete event and focuses instead on a small-scale family drama within the sea of nudity and mellow vibes" (Times, 3 stars). The film is "unflinching in its conventionality" (Empire, 3 stars) and his characters are "such hammy, two-dimensional comic figures that, dramatically speaking, this doesn't pack much of a punch" (Guardian, 2 stars). But if anyone's missing E4's Important Things with Demetri Martin, this might be enough to stem the telly grief for a while.

Kazakh film Tulpan beat out Steve McQueen's Hunger for the first feature award at last year's London Film Festival. A young man needs to marry before he can become a shepherd, so he sets out to woo the only available girl for miles. It's "gorgeously shot and often funny" says the Telegraph, awarding it 5 stars, as the Times explains how the "restless camerawork flings us nose-to-nose with irritable camels; it traces every nuance of tension between the family in the womb-like space of their yurt" (4 stars). The Independent laments this same "documentary style, to the extent that it feels more like something from National Geographic than a feature film" (2 stars). We guess you can't please everyone.

"If you want to know how we arrived at Facebook and Twitter, take a look at Ondi Timoner's extraordinary documentary about the eccentric dotcom millionaire Josh Harris" says the Evening Standard about We Live in Public. Harris made his money in the internet, then spent it creating conceptual film / internet 'art'. "As a portrait of a control freak, this is frantically compelling; as a snapshot of our times, it's demoralisingly chilling" says Empire (4 stars), backed up by the Times, who calls it "a thrilling and occasionally disturbing portrait" (4 stars).

Eric Bana and his car, in a tree, K - I - S - S - I - N - G. How else to explain Love the Beast, a self-directed documentary about his 1974 Ford Falcon XB coupe? The film "shows the actor as a decent bloke who keeps in touch with his old mates from home" (Independent, 1 star) and brings in other petrolheads, including our own Jeremy Clarkson, as Bana tries to get the car ready for a five day rally. He "may not be a star exactly swaddled in charisma, but what mystique he did have is disassembled as comprehensively as that coupe's innards" says the Guardian (3 stars), while the Standard is fairly unimpressed: "he's clearly a modest man - but this is a pretty modest film too" (2 stars).

Hideo Okuda's novel is adapted here for Lala Pipo (A Lot of People). A group of people in Tokyo's red light district meet for sex in a series of intertwining vignettes, which Empire feels "actually casts a melancholic verdict on the breakdown of communication and the devaluation of sex" (3 stars). The Times, on the hand, finds it "vapid and misogynistic" (1 star), while the Standard possibly undermines the whole thing by pronouncing it "jaunty rather than erotic" (2 stars).

The Magic Hour is a collection of short films by five British disabled directors. "Some of the tales are compelling... some... need serious pruning [and] the final short... is spiteful and immature" says the Times (2 stars). The Guardian agrees: "there are interesting images and themes here, but I have to say that many ideas did not really come off and some films needed work" (2 stars).

Next week: it's auteur directors week! The Coens are back with A Serious Man, Stephen Poliakoff with Glorious 39 and Steven Soderbergh with The Informant!. Oh, and something about twilight and new moons and vampires or something.

]]>

Populist: November 8-14

DeanN — 2009-11-14T17:00:21+00:00

Clockwise from top left: Digital cloud, Carnaby Street lights, fun at the Grant Museum, Thames Draw-Off

The week's most popular posts, and a round-up of what's happening around London

In the news

Everybody's least fave freesheet, the London Lite, closed. We lamented in poetic form

The first building on the Olympic site was completed

In the first test for Boris' signature policy, the 38 bus unbendied

A hotel in Hoxton upset various groups, while people are down about London hotels in general

Fulhamites got excited about an urban beach

Abandoned building sites could be transformed into allotments under a new plan

Keeping Waterloo's Eurostar platforms closed costs £2 million per year

Check out the News category for more

Around Town

See London from the air

Will Self caught up with Grayson Perry

The Peckham Literary Festival begins this week

A pop-up Marmite shop popped up in Regent Street

Get the scoop on the city with the Not For Tourists guide

See Crossrail completed... in scale model form

See the Arts & Events and Food & Drink categories for more

Londonist Behind The Lens: mrdamcgowan

Lindsey — 2009-11-14T12:28:32+00:00

]]>

A series celebrating the talent of our friends over in the Londonist Flickr pool. Here, they introduce themselves and share their favourite London shots. This week, mrdamcgown. AKA Dave...

I was born and bred in South East London and have lived all over it. For the last decade or so I've been fortunate enough to live in Central London and am now set up in Covent Garden. Brixton, too, is a particular stomping ground of mine. I believe work is over-rated and am a keen idler. I DJ, write songs, sing in a band (occasionally) and am currently honing my creative writing skills at City Lit.

Every time I step out of my front door I love it. London's constantly changing and there's always some thing or place you've never noticed or been to before (or a pub to investigate). There's nothing better than getting about a bit. I'm drawn towards London's darker side and am fascinated by the mundane and the minutiae. This is what I want to show people. I always go down alleys and peer into dark stairwells or investigate piles of rubbish. I found a stuffed armadillo in Pimlico, once. I could NEVER live permanently anywhere else. I would pine away. London is like a parent to me.

I'm relatively new to photography and no great technician (conveniently my lack of technical skills ties in with my old punk philosophy). The majority of shots on my Flickr photostream were taken with a Pentax film camera or a Nokia 6000 series phone. In the next few weeks I'm intend to purchase a digi SLR (probably a Canon EOS 400), a digi compact (possibly a Leica D-Lux 3) and an old mechanical Pentax, all second-hand I hasten to add. I recently took a second basic course at The London School of Photography and hope to learn even more about the workings of the magic box. I've learnt to use the dark room, which is great fun and have a picture framer mate who kindly allows me to use his facilities. These factors, I hope, will one day come together to enable me to exhibit my photos.

Check out Dave's Flickrstream, blog and band for more

FCC Does The Decent Thing On Compensation

RachelH — 2009-11-14T10:00:36+00:00

Image by mattbuck4950 under a Creative Commons licence

In case you missed it, FCC popped by to tell us they're going to honour the normal timetable when it comes to compensation payments during the work-to-rule. Usually in these 'amended timetable' situations, you have to live with the new timings even if it's one tiny train an hour and like it. (The phrase from TOCs is generally "in the event that we introduce an emergency timetable, Passenger's Charter compensation arrangements will be based on the emergency timetable" before adding, silently, "so screw you".)

FCC finally got round to putting up some clarifying FAQs yesterday afternoon (we'd love to think a lengthy email conversation we had with them helped point out some discrepancies, but given how long it takes big companies to sort out their corporate line, it was probably coincidence). Anyway, long and short of it is that if you would normally catch a train that isn't running at the moment, and the delay is more than 30 minutes, you can make a claim. Although, given that there's still a train every half an hour, you'll probably have to wait for something else to go wrong to be in line for some cash.

Extra, Extra: Who Ordered That Rain? Edition

M@ — 2009-11-13T17:50:41+00:00

Man breaks record for pulling bus with hair. Presumably now has more room on top.
Pens at the ready, punning tabloid headline writers, as Harry Potter star denies smoking cannabis at a London party.
Cabbies angry at bus lane misuse start taking pictures.
Farewell London Lite, we hardly knew you, nor ever really wanted to.
Tonight's ES Magazine almost has a couple of interesting pages in it. Almost.

Image courtesy of M4r00n3d via the Londonist flickr group.

Westminster Apostrophe Fail

M@ — 2009-11-13T16:26:15+00:00

Local pedants have launched a tirade of asterisks at Westminster Council for playing fast and loose with the borough's punctuation. According to the Evening Standard, six signs in Bayswater alone are incorrectly appellated. Some locations, such as Prince's Square, carry signs both with and without the quixotic apostrophe. In one case, Kensington Gardens Square, there's even a spelling error. The council will now replace the signs. As if the story wasn't scintillating enough, the Standard managed to get a quote from an organisation called the Apostrophe Protection Society. Also interesting to note is that it took two reporters to write a 140-word article. We guess you have to be doubly careful when writing about typographic errors, lest one shoot's oneself in ones foot. Image from catya_maria007 in the Londonist Flickr pool.

Walthamstow To Get Speakers' Corner

DeanN — 2009-11-13T16:00:26+00:00

Ever at the forefront of trying to improve democracy, councillors in Waltham Forest have decided to erect a Speakers' Corner in the borough. A stage in Stoneydown Park, Walthamstow, will be the venue for picking apart the thornier issues facing borough dwellers. According to one cabinet member, the initiative will "stimulate debate and provide a forum for a wide range of issues"; if only they'd done a little research in Hyde Park, they'd have discovered that the "debate" nowadays usually consists of unsolicited hectoring by religious cranks, unemployed bloviators, the mentally disturbed, and Socialist Party members defending the Warsaw Pact. Whether that offers any difference from Walthamstow on a sunny Saturday is another matter. (Image / buckaroo kid)

Alternative London Workouts #11: Power Plates

Londonist — 2009-11-13T13:24:13+00:00

In the mood for good vibrations? We are referring to the Power Plate (of course!) a training device that produces vibrations from its platform and then through your body making each movement more challenging and thus burning calories in half the time. Another fitness fad? It's up for debate. London certainly seems to be embracing it as more studios open every month.

What: Power Plates. Also referred to as Vibe Exercise, this form of fitness focuses on enhancing circulation, lubricating joints and increasing secretion of hormones such as serotonin whilst also toning the body and accelerating weight loss. That's a tall order for a 20-30 minute class, but instructors are working their way into the world of sports medicine and finding results for both rehabilitation and strengthening.

The technique was first introduced in Russia where astronauts discovered the vibrations prevented muscle and bone atrophy. Dutch Olympic trainer Guus van der Meer went on to commercialise the product in 1999 developing the Power Plate machine as we know it today.

The rundown: Marketing itself as the work-out for those short on time, Power Plate studios are quickly grabbing the attention of those on-the-go. Classes run no more than a half hour with a maximum of five people ensuring each person gets individual attention. The time scale allows for approximately 15 -25 exercises, each one being held for 30 - 60 seconds (thankfully you can adjust the time yourself!). The class maintains a simple structure and overall low impact work-out - a bonus for those rushing back to work, but a drawback for the cardiovascular-hungry types.

A typical class begins with warm-up stretches on the platform giving one time to adjust to the vibrations that allow the muscles to contract at 30 - 50 times a second instead of once or twice - it's definitely an adjustment! The mainframe of the class consists of exercises such as squats, lunges and planks as well as arm work that incorporates a small medicine ball and/or straps attached to both sides of the platform.

Is it right for you?: It's hard to knock the Power Plate work-out for its basic format and emphasis on personalised attention. The rather pricey £20 per session however makes us think lunges and dips can be completed elsewhere for half the cost. Having said that, the work-out is challenging and can be varied from ski school, yogic postures, sports related training to specially constructed rehabilitation sessions for injuries and conditions such as arthritis. Give it a try, but be warned - best not to have anything in your stomach- the vibe machine can be jolting!

Where: From Fulham to the City, studios are popping up all over London. Some to mention are Good Vibes (enticing all with the "Look Fabulous Naked" logo), Fitness for Everybody (including wacky work-outs titled Little Black Dress and Shaken Not Stirred) and PowerTone.

Many gyms are also integrating Power Plate classes including Bankside Health Club near London Bridge which boasts an impressive ski training programme.

When: Similar to other studios, classes start at early bird hours from 7:00 am and run through the day and evening. Private classes can also be booked.

Offers: Most studios offer free trial sessions. Memberships vary - the more classes you sign up for, the less it is. One-off classes tend to be around £20 and personal sessions approximately £30. Good Vibes offers a winter deal of three classes for £30.

By Tiffany Pritchard

]]>

Drive-In Movies At Alexandra Palace?

RachelH — 2009-11-13T13:00:33+00:00

Could the spirit of 50s America be coming to Ally Pally? Plans are afoot to create a drive-in cinema in the Pavilion car park. 17th January, 21st February and 21st March are the days pencilled in for the open air screenings (locals rest easy: cars will be hooked up to individual speakers, so noise won't be a problem). However, the sharper eyed among you may have looked at those dates and thought 'Brr'. We think this a brilliant idea in principle, but perhaps for the summer months when people won't have to keep their engines on to run the heaters? (Image by J.Marshall)

Photo of the Day: Caption Required #27

NatalieU — 2009-11-13T12:30:31+00:00

Got a caption for these hungry little fellows? Leave it in the comments below.

Photo by cafedereves via the Londonist Flickrpool.

Captions from last week's PoTD: Caption Required #26

Video: New Frieze For St Pancras Kissing Couple Sculpture

M@ — 2009-11-13T12:00:41+00:00

New sculpture in St Pancras from Londonist on Vimeo.

A bronze frieze dipicting scenes from railway life has been erected around St Pancras' notorious sculpture of a nuzzling couple.

The mammoth statue has become something of a love/hate landmark on the station concourse. Some think The Meeting Place is the perfect symbol of rail departure; others, including Antony Gormley, dismiss it as crap.

The new base, however, is undeniably impressive. Artist Paul Day, who created the main statue, has returned with a perspective-bending frieze that shows scenes from the station's past and present. Day's exceptionally high-relief sculptural technique will be familiar to anyone who's walked along the Embankment (Battle of Britain memorial) or the Mall (Queen Mum friezes). This new work trumps even those fine installations for its character and depth of perspective.

The piece caused minor controversy last year, when early clay models depicted a person under a train, a one-fingered salute and a tongue-probing couple. The final work is less controversial, but still contains challenging scenes of loneliness and lewdness.

Preview: Shoot Dating

RuthL — 2009-11-13T11:45:00+00:00

Will anyone in London who has NOT been Speed Dating at some point please step forward? Since the turn of the century (!) we've witnessed many manifestations of this quick fire phenomenon for time-strapped singletons, from pub quizzes to yachting (the mind boggles). But at Londonist we're all newly aflutter with anticipation as the lovely people at Shoot Experience launch their first speed dating event in the glamorous surroundings of The Bathhouse - recently voted Time Out's best new venue - on the 5th December. You're set to meet 23-35 years olds who take an interesting perspective (literally) on life in London, and their treasure hunt style clues will give you something much more interesting to talk about than the Cilla style 'what's your name and where d'you come from'. Or that terrible taboo: work. Urgh.

For £20, they're offering you a Shoot treasure hunt (which are usually £15 anyway), prizes, cupcakes, drink offers to get the creative juices and conversation flowing, the use of a themed photobooth and entry to the Bathhouse's ever popular Rock-a-Billy Rebels night afterwards (saving you another fiver).

Get your tickets quick as the Shoot events nearly ALWAYS sell out, and who knows what could develop? *groan*

Presented By: National Geographic Channel - Expedition Week

2009-11-13T11:45:00+00:00

Search for the Amazon Headshrinkers
Sunday 9P e/p

They say that shrinking heads is no longer practiced. We’re going to ask the experts. Premieres Sunday at 9P e/p on Nat Geo. Learn more at
natgeotv.com/expedition

Ads by Pheedo

Preview: Shred Yr Face 3 tour @ ULU

chloeg — 2009-11-13T11:22:03+00:00

This time round, next Friday's Shred Yr Face tour takes on a calmer hue (previous acts included Fucked Up and The Bronx) with an evening of psych-folk, chamber pop and all that jazz (there is to be no jazz, by the way. A figure of speech you see).

This time around the Cave Singers and Brooklyn's Woods offer support to Espers at the University of London's Union on November 20th. It might be a case of the bridesmaid outstripping the bride, as the relatively lightweight Espers are preceded by the sublime Cave Singers. Fronted by the extraordinarily voiced Pete Quirk, campfire warmth, harmonies and joyous refrains mesh together in an echoing mountain-singing fashion. To be fair to Espers, they have some stronger moments that might come across well live amongst the romance of a darkened room, and Woods provide a strong psychedelic feeling to the evening. However, it'd be worth heading out to see the Cave Singers alone. Even if the gig was in Brighton. Or Ayrshire. Or Sydney.

The Shred Yr Face 3 tour is on Friday 20th November. All bands play instore gigs in London that day - follow @shredyrface3 to find out more.

Buy tickets here

Can You Help Crisis This Christmas?

Lindsey — 2009-11-13T11:00:37+00:00

Whilst the lights have all been switched on and the commercial Christmas train has fully rolled into town Crisis, the charity for single homeless people, is still looking for 2 more buildings to use as Christmas Centres for welcoming rough sleepers off the streets between 23rd-30th December.

Crisis aims to run 9 centres to accommodate around 2000 vulnerable people over the festive period. 7 have been donated already. 2 more, ideally in East or South East London, the City or Southbank are needed so get in touch if you know of a property or person who might be able to help.

And, of course, they need to stuff these centres with volunteers to ensure guests receive a warm welcome and can take advantage of services that aren't routinely available to them and get some light relief from the stress of the streets with workshops and entertainment. Whatever your skills and experience, there's some way you can help. You could put the decorations up at the centres prior to opening, drive supplies to where they're needed, put your professional hairdressing, advocacy, cooking, tailoring, dog handling, juggling or medical skills to good use or simply sit down and chat to guests.

If you can commit to 2 shifts in a Crisis centre over the period then all the details and sign up info is online now. You could be one of over 8000 Crisis Christmas volunteers giving a priceless and truly appreciated gift.

Boris Island: Back In Favour Again

RachelH — 2009-11-13T10:30:28+00:00

Image by Matt from London from the Londonist Flickr pool

Boris Island! He likes it! He likes it not! He likes it! Oh, we feel dizzy and in need of a sit down and a cup of tea. Barely weeks after telling the GLA Transport Committee he does "not have an aspiration to construct such an airport", according to the BBC Boris has been circulating a document setting out his plans for the rest of his Mayoral term, in which he calls a Thames Estuary airport the "single biggest... and bravest project we do".

Eh? Sorry? What? This strategy has been doing the round for the last month, so it must have been distributed around the time the Mayor made his little backtracking announcement. Can someone please tell us (and Kent County Council, and the RSPB) what the hell is going on? Or is Boris wavering in the face of anti-airport sentiment? Let's face it, when Tom Good from the Good Life starts planting apple trees on the proposed Heathrow third runway site, you know you've got some stiff opposition. (Um.)

As for the single biggest and bravest project he does, we reckon staring down the naysayers to the cycle hire project and doing something about London's pollution would be a greater tribute to his tenure than some great big flashy floater.

Waterloo: Couldn't Re-Open If We Wanted To

DeanN — 2009-11-13T10:00:03+00:00

It's almost two years since the last Eurostar crawled out from beneath the Nicholas Grimshaw-designed Waterloo terminal, yet the platforms remain unused and unloved. Earlier reports had the cost of keeping the five platforms mothballed was £500,000, but it now appears that was an understatement, and the annual figure is closer to £2 million.

The cost has exercised Lord Adonis, the Transport secretary, to call for "early recommendations" on the platforms' future. But Waterloo wasn't included in Network Rail's five-year modernisation plan, and the Eurostar platforms will continue as pigeon paradise until 2013 at the earliest. For a station that already serves the most crowded train in London, it's a shameful waste.

Network Rail say converting the platforms and the tracks running into them would cost £54 million, something the Government will struggle to produce at the moment. Yet the move to St Pancras was known for years in advance; in happier economic times, it's surprising that a contingency plan for the Eurostar platforms wasn't signed off.

Hoxton Hotel Plan Upsets Local Boozers, Victorians

DeanN — 2009-11-13T07:30:55+00:00

A new hotel planned for east London has united two disparate groups in opposition: the Victorian Society, and Hoxton hipsters.

The cylindrical, bronzed aluminium-covered behemoth, part of Park Plaza's idiotically-named "Art'otels" range but with a profile that should see it dubbed the Flip-Top Bin, is proposed for a site on the corner of Old Street and Great Eastern Road. For shame, say local alehounds, as the location is currently home to The Foundry. A group of concerned citizens have started a Save The Foundry campaign, calling for the bar to be re-homed.

The Victorian Society is also opposed to the hotel, albeit for different reasons. It argues that the 350-room, 18-storey structure is too tall for the area, and not in character with the South Shoreditch Conservation Area's "distinctive nineteenth-century industrial character". While those points are debatable -- the junction is already surrounded by a modern hotel and a 70s tower block -- their opposition to the design is justified: it's a ruddy ugly building, and would instantly replace the contraption atop Old Street roundabout as the local eyesore.

There's a full selection of planning application documents on Hackney council's website, and an area to leave a comment, including an option to support or object to the proposal.

Extra, Extra

SallyB — 2009-11-12T20:17:22+00:00

St. Pancras today saw the world's biggest ever group hug.
Spurs goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini has been badly hurt in a motor bike smash.
The 2012 Aquatic Centre has a roof.
Will Robbie Take That at tonight's Children in Need concert, or won't he? The debate goes on.
'Tis recession indeed when the casinos start to topple.

London, by Pablo Vieira via the Londonist pool.

Periodic Table of London: Part Solution

M@ — 2009-11-12T16:23:34+00:00

Looks like our little puzzle last week got a few people scratching their heads. We asked if you could work out what all the elements in our Periodic Table of London (reprinted above) represent. Kudos to WHampstead and the Urban75 community, who pretty much cracked the whole thing. For those whose brows are still furrowed, here are the general themes at play. We'll publish the individual answers at a later date.

Column 1: These are all Mayoral candidates from the last election, coloured along party lines (with one cheeky exception).
Column 2: The churches, in order of appearance, from that most Londony of nursery rhymes, Oranges and Lemons.

Yellow block: The numbers along the top represent centuries. So, for example, all four boxes in the column labelled '11' relate to the 11th Century. The four rows are also themed - some more tenuously than others.
- Row 1: Great buildings through the centuries.
- Row 2: Places of entertainment or festivity through the ages. Note: 'JC' is, in desperation, Jesus Christ - there doesn't seem to be any other distraction in the 11th century.
- Row 3: Personalities. Note: There are, erroneously, two elements labelled Wc. Consider the second to be Wch.
- Row 4: Major or disruptive events in London. Note: Flm is the most tenuous, owing to a dearth of noteworthy happenings in London at that time.

Orange/beige block: The diagonal divide denotes the presence of the River Thames. Everything above the divide (orange) is north of the river; boxes below (beige) are south of the river.
- Column 1: Following on from the previous block, this lists places and projects associated with the millennium and the dawn of the 21st century.
- Column 2: London boroughs, by size of population.
- Column 3: Major parks.
- Column 4: Termini of the District Line.
- Column 5: Tall buildings.

Blue block: Rivers of London.

Dark grey block: London bloggers, in no particular order.
Light grey block: The rest of the London media.

]]>

Molecular Mixology Cocktails at Hush Brasserie in Mayfair

Chris Osburn — 2009-11-12T15:43:04+00:00

Photography by Chris Osburn

It's been awhile since Londonist dabbled in molecular mixology, that most scientific of drinkie-pooh-ery. Over a year and a half, in fact. We're not sure that, since our write-up of the London launch of Cointreau caviar, the whole molecular cocktail craze has taken off as expected. Bartenders certainly haven't begun to don lab coats, and as far as we can tell, most London tipplers are still more than content boozin' it up old school liquid-style.

Still, it's of note to mention the innovative and reasonably priced range of deconstructed and oddly textured cocktails available at Hush Brasserie in secluded Lancashire Court off Brook Street in Mayfair. For £8.50 per cocktail, this swank restaurant/bar offers the opportunity to challenge your preconceptions about what a cocktail's supposed to be.

On a recent press tasting, we enjoyed sampling a number of Hush's scientificly terrific concoctions. Among them, the Piña-cavia-da (fresh pineapple juice, coconut syrup and santana gum blended and served in a small martini glass, garnished with rum caviar) and the Caipiroli No. 8 (Elements 8 rum blended with fresh lime juice, simple syrup, green food colouring and sodium alginate, chilled and served in a small cocktail saucer and garnished with fresh apple peels) delightfully messed with our minds and enticed our senses. These molecular cocktails taste the same as the classics but look and feel completely different. For traditionalists, we can confirm that Hush has a fine list of the usuals. We especially like the 8th Sense (Element 8 Gold, lemongrass, fresh grapefruit juice, squeeze of lime and touch of syrup served in a martini glass). Classy.

Hush is located at 8 Lancashire Court (W1S 1EY). Visit www.hush.co.uk for more details.

Final Night At Shunt Lounge

Lindsey — 2009-11-12T15:30:41+00:00

Shunt Vaults by forzagaribaldi

If you're one of those people who've always walked past that door in the arches between the Underground and the Overground at London Bridge Station and never ventured into the mysterious hole that is Shunt you have until Saturday to satisfy your curiosity.

Yes, Shunt Lounge is closing. Thankfully the Shunt collective have a new venue to play with at 42 - 44 Bermondsey Street which is already up and running and home to Money until 22 December.

There are 3 quirky installation performance art happenings running their final few days in the Vaults: Sonic Booooum, 'The Geomancers and Shunt's Crying Wall' and Sporadical: Epic Folk and there will be the mother of all arty parties to close the venue on Saturday night. Get there early with photo ID to guarantee entry from 6pm-midnight (£10).

Book Review: Not For Tourists Guide To London

Lindsey — 2009-11-12T15:00:07+00:00

Neatly packaged as "half anti-guidebook and half urban manual" the Not For Tourists Guide to London is ironically, probably pretty good for a certain kind of tourist. If you shun the double decker bus tour and Blue Badge guides or are newly resident and have no friends then this "little black book" could give you shortcuts to some cool bits of the city.

The guide is arranged by broad areas, starting with Central London, and by sub-districts therein. Each has their own map and a list of useful and interesting places including banks, libraries, post offices and supermarkets as well as cinemas, coffee shops, landmarks, places to eat, drink and shop. These listings are highly selective. The NFT team have cherry picked and name checked their take on non-touristy, hip and quirky places. The only editorial to enhance their selection is a bite sized summary of the area that majors on local stereotypes and doesn't shy from insults or caustic commentary encouraging the suicidal to head for the top of Trellick Tower and tipping off where to find "prozzers" and "poppers". You'll find there's nowhere to eat or drink in Maida Hill and, infamously, nothing at all in Hornsey.

Whilst the summaries are reductive, they're based in truth and ring with a certain hep knowingness that doubtless appeals to those in search of London's grubby undersheets. If only the text wasn't shot through with an unmistakeable US accent. The spelling might be UK English but the delivery is transatlantic which prevents the guide feeling totally authentic. It's unsurprising, however, when you realise this is the first international edition of a project that covers 9 US cities already.

There are snippets at the back about parks, transport, educational establishments, arts, entertainment and sports in London and a double sided fold out map with tube on one side and a new-to-us bus map that looks dead helpful for a stranger in this bemusing town. Of course, we're hugely biased, as we write about London every day but whilst we recommend you Londoners stick with Londonist, we'd consider giving this guidebook to visiting friends if we weren't around to show them what's what.

"Not For Tourists Guide to London" costs £9.99 but they're having a party this Friday from 5pm at Bar Kick, Shoreditch High Street if you want to pick up a free copy and have a drink on them. We'll be throwing a few free copies your way via our @londonist twitter soon.

London On The Cheap: 12-18 November

Lindsey — 2009-11-12T14:20:04+00:00

Detail of the Ice Berlin Wall installation 'Work in Progress' at the German Embassy this week by acediscovery

Things to go out and do when you can't afford to have the heating on all night.

Tonight: Start the weekend early and feel dead trendy and cultural - go to the private view at NO:ID gallery, 31 Commercial Road E1 from 6pm to see Jayne Taylor's 3D (stereoscopic) photographic portraits of people in their own homes (part of Photomonth) then hop along to the arty party afterwards across the road in The Castle.

Or take advantage of late opening of the Barbican Curve where Robert Kusmirowski has transformed the space into a World War II bunker. Free, till 10pm.

Friday: Not a tourist? Hell no. Then investigate the Not For Tourists London city guide at their own launch party. Drop by Bar Kick, Shoreditch High Street from 5pm and watch out for our review of the guide coming up quick smart on Londonist.

Saturday: Celebrate books by contemporary artists, poets, writers, composers, book designers and small publishers featuring artist-publishers and small presses from UK and abroad at the Small Publishers Fair 2009 at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1 between 11am - 7pm. Free entry.

Fans of dressing up, remember it's the Mad Hatters' Tea Party in aid of Oxjam in Clapham - just £5.

Sunday: Stimulate your grey matter whilst damaging it with booze down at the Quizzer Sisters Sunday quiz. It's only a QUID to enter and you could win gig tickets and free drinks. The theme? 'Winners & Losers' digging deep into the failed pop careers of soap stars, the fashion trends that were never meant to be and the those Tomorrow's World gadgets that never caught on. Retro cocktail bar The Black Door, Kings Cross is the venue from 7pm.

Monday: Peckham Literary Festival kicks off today with a free philosophical event at Review Bookshop from 7.30pm.

Tuesday: There are 2 interesting, free public lectures going on at LSE tonight from 6.30pm. Choose either "Obama and the Arabs: the historical context" in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House or "Cities, Design and Climate Change" in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building.

Wednesday: Back in literary Peckham, our mate Chris Roberts is talking about his latest book Lost English at Persepolis from 7.30pm. Totally free with Persian refreshments thrown in.

Do you know of groovy, cheap and cheerful events happening in your patch? Are you organising something? Tagging along somewhere? Wherever your London is, we want to know. Leave a comment, follow @londonist or email londonist at gmail dot com to tip us off.

]]>

Cockney Cuisine Campaign For Olympics

Hazel — 2009-11-12T13:45:19+00:00

Image author's own

Newham Council is pressing for local produce to be sold at the Olympic Park when the games come to town in 2012. Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales wants to see local, independent vendors getting some action when East London gets overrun with Olympics fever. That would be fair and sensible as the number of air miles clocked by competitors, delegates, fans and press amassed for the games will be insane and flying in the food to feed them all would be heaping injury on insanity.

However, we may not see that many soups and salads from local allotments or biriyanis and jerk chicken from local restaurants as the International Olympics Committee has organised deals with global brands, which is a shame because we're quite sure all the visitors to London will want something "traditional" at some point. Imagine the stacks of polystryrene cups overflowing with delicious fishy jelly thronged with tiny, sharp bones. They would be served cold by red-faced ladies in striped aprons as an alternative or indeed, an accompaniment to dense meat pies and huge servings of mash, smothered in watery, pale green liquor. Mmmm.

Marathon runners, swimmers and competitors in endurance sports could do well with that sort of straightforward carb-loading but for the events that require speed and lightness, it would be tough to get on the track or field with that kind of lunch. For spectators too, the traditional honest, hearty and heavy East End cuisine could well mean lots of afternoon snoozing in the stands as ticket holders quietly sleep off their fish and chips. Bring it on anyway: during the worldwide focus on us during the games, we need to keep it real, Cockney style.

Disruption Continues On Thameslink Rail Route

RachelH — 2009-11-12T13:15:52+00:00

Image by mattbuck4950 under a Creative Commons licence

The fragile state of our railways is on show again, as the Thameslink route between Bedford and Brighton (with the loop through Wimbledon) suffers a third day of disruption after drivers started a work-to-rule over pay. Like a drunk woman flashing her knickers, the TOCs' reliance on staff working "rest days and overtime" is fully exposed for the second time in as many months.

Aslef are balloting members over a pay deal of 0% this year and 3% next (deadline's 9th December, and with a 7 day warning period, expect strikes just before Christmas to match the tube), but members are seemingly also expressing their displeasure by sticking (completely legally) to their contracts. We cannot believe our rail arteries have been set up to run on staff goodwill, and that the system can only function if drivers work on what should be days off. We're sure they get paid well for it, but wouldn't we all prefer to be on a train driven by someone properly rested?

Don't even expect compensation from First Capital Connect over the chaos; they've implemented an "amended timetable" (i.e., fewer trains) which is a way of wriggling out of fines and customer complaints. This timetable isn't being publicised anywhere as far as we can see though; so if you're planning to rely on FCC to get you home or to Luton or Gatwick airports in the near future, you'll need to check their live running information, give yourself plenty of time and cross your fingers.

Wax Haven: The Wall Street 100 @ Riflemaker Dairy

Londonist — 2009-11-12T12:45:08+00:00

An illustration of a wide-smiling Barry Sternlicht greeted us as we entered the Riflemaker Dairy for José-María Cano's "The Wall Street 100" collection. Mimicking newspaper cuttings from the Wall Street Journal, the exhibit's 100 large wax portraits depict people the artist deems socio-politically powerful. After Sternlicht, we caught the more stern glare of Paul Wolfowitz, and then moved on to a dopey-looking Roberto Vedovotto and a Jeffrey Rich in serious need of a new hairdresser. The first room made us want to read The Economist's entire back catalogue. Who were these bureaucratic supermen, and why had we never heard of them?

The second room, with slightly larger graphics, allowed us to appreciate the intricacy of Cano's work. What amounts to a sum of stipples successfully evokes mood, replicates the feel of a newspaper, and adds texture and dimension to each portrait. There is a vivacity to Cano's meticulous renderings, such that the coldness of the achromatic palette melts away and even Alan Greenspan can, in the words of an omitted icon, 'smile with his eyes'.

As we continued to walk the exhibit, we were confronted with the more familiar faces of Bill Gates, Bernard Madoff, and Rupert Murdoch. Still, many others we did not recognise, and a graph illustrating the 2007 financial downturn intensified our initial concern: while these people greatly shape our economic well-being, we knew almost nothing about them. Though movers and shakers they may be, we had relegated them to the margins of our consciousness.

Women are, strikingly, absent from Cano's list of powerful people. When we visited, none were present in his depictions, although the exhibit appeared to be still somewhat under construction. And though the website advertises certain female inclusions (The Queen, Kate Moss), the space is dominated by masculine icons, implying a message that mass inequality still lingers in the corporate and political worlds.

Cano's recreations are rigorous and well worth a look. Maybe you'll do better than us at 'Name that Tycoon'.

By Rob Lederer

Riflemaker Dairy is located at 7 Wakefield Street, just around the corner from Russell Square Station. The Wall Street 100 will be on display until 5 December 2009

Celebrity + Charity: Who, What, Where

Lindsey — 2009-11-12T12:15:41+00:00

Take small steps: revamp your wardrobe with TRAID by camdenphotos

The slebs are really pulling all the stops out to flash their charitable credentials this week and help campaigns raise awareness and cash. First up, is 'Small Steps', a Camden initiative about saving the planet. Emma Thompson, Julian Clary and Victoria Wood are among famous faces to have dug something out of their closets to donate to Camden Council. At today's launch event they will be re-styled with the help of TRAID into something chic. What will they do with Martin Amis' tie? Pop along to Swiss Cottage library this afternoon to find out.

Once the fashion shoot's over in Camden, it's over to Spitalfields where Sara Cox, an Apprentice, one from Blue Peter and that guy off The Bill will be sleeping out to raise money for Centrepoint. Normal people are very welcome too - please register to sleep out or stay at home and donate.

To round off a week of do-gooding, the Really, Really Great Garage Sale takes place on Sunday in the Selfridges car park with stall holders including Liz Hurley, Jamie Redknapp, David Walliams and Denise Van Outen shifting their unwanted guff out the back of their motors. Organised by Lisa B, Louise Redknapp, Trinny Woodhall and Yasmin Le Bon on behalf of Mothers 4 Children, admission for star spotting is just £5 but we imagine if you want to take home some sleb cast offs or fan memorabilia, you might have to wang out a bit more.

Finsbury Punk'd

DeanN — 2009-11-12T11:45:25+00:00

Image by quadriman

Long considered the red-headed stepchild of the borough by wealthier Islingtonites, residents of Finsbury Park have had that prejudice confirmed by a new pocket guide that virtually disowns the area.

The 32-page guide, distributed free in this week's edition of Time Out and shortly to be mailed out across the borough, is aimed at drumming up custom for businesses and services across Islington. Yet the many streets of N4 rack up just a single mention: Fonthill Road, with its manic clothing markets. The rest of the area fondly known (at least to Ciryl players) as Krapy Rubsnif might as well not exist.

The council deposited responsibility for the diss at the doors of Time Out, who were responsible for the content. Guide editor Laura Lee Davies said: "There are some great places in Blackstock Road but places like Archway and even Holloway Road often just get taken for granted as well... we can't just leave out Upper Street".

Certainly not -- the good burghers of N1 need to know where to buy their goji berries and ethically sourced handbags.

Presented By:

2009-11-12T11:45:25+00:00

Allotments On Abandoned Lots

Lindsey — 2009-11-12T11:15:00+00:00

Since the recession scuppered upmarket plans for the development of 'Noho Square' on the site of the demolished Middlesex Hospital a desolate hole has gaped in Fitzrovia. A year long campaign by locals to make the space available to the community, however, looks finally to come good.

The developer now in charge of the site has agreed to throw it open for a year. A section will be turned into temporary allotments and a part of it loaned to a neighbouring primary school so they can learn about growing food. The greenfingered plan needs planning permission approval from Westminster but we struggle to see why the Council would deny such imaginative use, given the shortage of allotment plots in London, the Mayor's keenness on grow your own and the tragic waste of this prime West End space.

Perhaps inspired by this grassroots action, the City of London Corporation is actively encouraging alternative uses for plots where development has been hit by the credit crunch. The Richard Rogers designed "cheesegrater" was put on hold last year. Developer, British Land, is now running a competition for young architects to find a use for the site for up to 5 years. Could Leadenhall Street soon be home to a new city farm, a pastoral pier or allotment plots for city types to unwind in? Let's hope this optimistic sprouting of green spaces in dense cityscapes isn't just a temporary blip. The winning idea will be announced in the next few weeks.

Crossrail Construction Completed...On Scale Model

M@ — 2009-11-12T10:20:50+00:00

It'll be over half a decade before the Crossrail project sees its first passenger services. But transport fans can now get a detailed peek at the route at New London Architecture. The Store Street museum-cum-showroom has long been one of our favourite places to casually drop by, thanks to its superb plastic model of London. This hobbyist's dream stretches from Kensington to City Airport, with a special flange for the Olympic site. Since our last visit, they've added the route Crossrail will take across the city, with some precision. It's fascinating (to a certain mindset) to see exactly which buildings the lines will pass under, and to speculate why it curves sharply in some places (existing tunnels? Deep building foundations? Nuclear bunker? Super-deep plague pit?). Check it out at 26 Store Street, just off Tottenham Court Road. Entrance is free.

See Rihanna Live on Monday

Talia — 2009-11-12T09:48:31+00:00

Stoke Newington girl gone global, Leona Lewis, launching her album at the Hackney Empire is one thing. Caribbean pop superstar Rihanna doing it is another matter, but that's exactly what's happening on Monday night, when the robot lady of pop hits the rainy streets of our fair capital in promotion of her new saucy album 'Rated R'.

The location of the gig is a secret for now, but we're told it holds 1000 people and the gig will be around 8pm. Any guesses? Tickets are available soley for competition winners, so it's a bit handy that we have the ability to make you one. Want to be there? Email londonist@gmail.com with rihanna in the title and we will sort one of you out. We hope she is wearing this exact outfit, particularly the eye patch.

Scrap The Olympics, Says Former Dome Chief

DeanN — 2009-11-12T08:20:02+00:00

Image / RobBeer

Frenchman PY Gerbeau -- you'll recall him, perhaps not fondly, as the Millennium Dome chief during the ill-fated 'Experience' of 2000 -- has hit upon a novel way of solving the budgetary excess of 2012: scrap the Games entirely.

Speaking on BBC2's Daily Politics show, Gerbeau, styled the "gerbil" during his Dome-nership, said that he expected the budget (currently £9.325 billion) will grow to exceed £12 billion, and argued that the money would be better invested in the economy. Britain's best interests would, he thinks, be served by touting the Games around other cities like a pair of hand-me-down galoshes. Paris is his pick; an attempt, perhaps, to win back Gallic favour, which he lost after publicly backing London's bid.

The argument brought a strong rebuke from Tessa Jowell. The Olympic minister offered a hostage to fortune by stating categorically that "not a penny more" than the current budget would be spent, and dismissed Gerbeau as a "disappointed Parisian" trying to steal London's glory.

Gerbeau has found himself a niche career sounding the bugle of doom over the 2012 Games. In a Telegraph interview earlier this year he predicted it would "go the way of the Dome, except 15 times more expensive", and would turn out to be the crowning folly of Gordon Brown's premiership, much like the Dome was a hangover from the Major administration. It just so happens that Gerbeau runs a profitable business which successfully turns around failed, or failing, companies: angling for a job much, PY?

Pop-Up Shop Review: Marmite Pop-Up Shop on Regent Street

Chris Osburn — 2009-11-11T21:38:10+00:00

Photography by Chris Osburn

Pop-up this, pop-up that. With vacant retail space throughout town and a palpable air of economic uncertainity, there's a lot of non-committal pop-upping going on. The latest is a pop-up shop dedicated to all things Marmite. Located at 80-82 Regent Street at the entrance to Quadrant Arcade, the yellow glow of Marmite's cheery lid and label is easily spotted (and might make a nice diversion while out viewing the groovy Carnaby Christmas lights). Love it or hate it, this savoury vegetarian spread's got a lot of affordably priced schwag associated with it. For those looking for yeast extracted Christmas prezzies, the Marmite Pop-Up Shop will be open seven days a week through the first week of January. Find out more at www.marmitepopup.co.uk.

In Pictures: Carnaby Street Switch On

Londonist — 2009-11-11T18:01:59+00:00

]]>

Groovy, baby! This Christmas Carnaby Street returns to its iconic 60's roots as the theme for its festive decorations - the decade in which the street ruled Swinging London, and London swung the world. The decorations are a psychedelic trip, featuring acid-bright six metre high inflatables celebrating 60's style concepts of Peace, Joy, Love and Hope, interspersed with enormous hot pink reindeers. Fab.

Once again the amazingly imaginative decorations - surely London's finest - are designed by the award-winning Paul Dart from the James Clancy Design Agency, who says "psychedelic Christmas is a fond homage to the 50th birthday of Carnaby as it was the birthplace of the explosion of British fashion design and its vitality still invigorates the design world today."

To celebrate the official switch on, last night Carnaby held a street disco with a live DJ set from Eddie Piller, founder of Acid Jazz Records.

By Edward Clarke. All images by the author.

Extra, Extra

SallyB — 2009-11-11T17:18:37+00:00

Drunk in charge of an aeroplane: a United Airlines pilot has been arrested at Heathrow.
London's primary schools are simply running out of dosh and space.
Rag trade riches to rags: the Luella Bartley label has gone bust.
2012: the army wants to play.
A new report ticks Boris off for not doing enough for the unemployed.

Remember, by tezzer57 via the Londonist pool.

Review: They Only Come at Night, Visions @ The Barbican

RuthL — 2009-11-11T16:15:35+00:00

By Tim Smith

The Slung Low theatre company aren’t exactly renowned for abiding by convention, and the world they have created in the bowels of the Barbican Centre this month is as far removed from the traditional concept of theatre as you can imagine. They Only Come at Night: Visions is part walking tour, part ghost train, which draws you deep into an unnervingly tangible world at the periphery of society inhabited by, er, vampires. Whilst you may keep saying to yourself “it’s only theatre” as your seemingly innocent night starts out, their unique take on audience participation will ensure that that is no comfort. This is macro-choreography of the highest calibre, with the experiences of actors and guests (and the uninvited) overlapping and interweaving in spectacular harmony.

This run is sold out already, but keep a look out for their unique future productions (including a follow up to Night: Visions) or take a chance on returns on the night - there’s time slots to fill, so any latercomers need replacing. But remember, in the Barbican, no one can hear you scream... Except the actors. They must be having an absolute blast with this.

Cufflinks and Curry at Cinnamon Club

Chris Osburn — 2009-11-11T15:10:11+00:00

Photography by Chris Osburn

On the surface, this seemed like one of the wackier press releases to land in ye olde Londonist inbox in quite some time. An invitation to a “breakfast showcase of the Cinnamon Club jewellery range.” Oh brother. Still, the prospect of an Anglo-Indian brekkie at this famed Westminster resto drew Londonist out for an early morning look see.

A design collaboration between Cinnamon Club head chef Vivek Singh and Jaipur-based jeweller Elizabeth de Chambrun, the recently launched line of handcrafted sterling silver earrings and cufflinks bearing the Cinnamon Club's cinnamon leaf motif are certainly lovely (the cinnamon stick shaped bar of the cufflinks is pretty clever too). For the curry lover who has everything, perhaps? Hey, why not?

Priced at £75 per piece, there are less attractive - and less novel - gifts to consider as the festive season approaches … and as far as resto logos go, Cinnamon Club's is a winner in its elegant simplicity.

As for the breakfast, we were glad to taste that the morning menu here is on par with sister restaurant, Cinnamon Kitchen. We found the uttapam (south Indian rice pancake with onions, green chilli tomato and peppers served with coconut chutney and lentil broth) to be a delicious way to spend £8.

The Cinnamon Club inspired jewellery is available for purchase at Cinnamon Club (The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, SW1P 3BU) and Cinnamon Kitchen (9 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4WY). Visit www.cinnamonclub.com for more details.

Preview: Collectormania Comes Back To London

Londonist — 2009-11-11T14:31:44+00:00

George Takei works on his high five

The cults are coming back to town. No, not the crazy kind that make you sell your house or have group poison parties. We mean the movie cult kind.

Showmasters presents another London Collectormania Convention, a mish mash of time honoured and contemporary science fiction, horror and classic movie fun, all bundled into the Earls Court Olympia Convention Hall. The event draws thousands to shake hands with movie and TV talent (fancy meeting Freddy Kruger, Hellraisers Pin Head and John 'Captain Jack' Barrowman in the same room?) listen to talks by actors and crew, enter competitions, get autographs and peruse memorabilia stalls of every description.

Many attendees dress up in costume to emulate time honoured characters from movie lore, which often include a healthy smattering of Storm Troopers, anime characters and the occasional Starfleet officer. Other fans stick to a more esoteric dress code and sport T-shirts with fictional movie logos, such as the Slaughtered Lamb pub or Universal Exports emblem, to pay discreet homage to films such as American Werewolf in London, or action heroes like James Bond.

The convention offers a full plate to film culture followers on any level, from passive DVD renter to grindhouse movie maniac and even boasts full displays of blockbuster film props that fans can photograph or pose with that would be worthy of any personalised Christmas card cover.

By Adam Farina

Collectormania London is at the Earls Court Olympia, 28-29 November. Event starts at 9am-6pm Sat and 9am-5pm Sun (Early bird restrictions apply). Tickets are £5 per day for regular admission. Special entry prices available. For more information visit www.collectormania.com

Hotel Guests Give London The Thumbs Down

RachelH — 2009-11-11T14:00:08+00:00

Information card from the Ecclestone Hotel, 1938, by Central Historian from the Londonist Flickr pool

Beware the perils of that most beloved of buzz phrases, user generated content! A holiday price comparison website did its own comparing - of reviews left across sites like Tripadvisor, and worked out the average rating of hotels for 50 top cities. It's bad news for London: we came plum last, with an average of 69.9% - beaten even by Birmingham, whose whole percentage-point-extra placed it second to last.

Dresden came top, but where would you rather spend a holiday? Really? And perhaps it's worth pondering whether the size of our capital - and the range of accommodation therein - managed to drag down our average. When Bruges and Salzburg hit the top five, beautiful though they are, we're perhaps not quite comparing like with like. And while seeing what people will complain about is always an amusing way to pass a bored hour on t'internet, always remembering that some people are just crackers (Google SideWiki take note), it's perhaps not very, um, scientific.

Perhaps disappointed London visitors might be heartened to hear the Conran Group (now known by the nerd-loving name D&D London) is planning to open a boutique hotel in Moorgate. The development - which will have a rooftop bar for lovers of London's skyline - is scheduled to open in 2012, everyone's favourite Olympic deadline.

No More Bendy Buses On Number 38 From Saturday

DeanN — 2009-11-11T13:25:35+00:00

Image of a maligned bendy by steve_w from the Londonist Flickr pool

The un-bendification of London's buses will face its biggest hurdle next week, as the 38 bus reverts to double-decker vehicles, barely four years after first going bendy. The switchover will happen this Saturday, reports London Reconnections, but the Monday morning commuter rush will be the first real test.

The 38 is one of the city's busiest routes, starting (on the northward leg) at Victoria before plying through Piccadilly Circus, Bloomsbury, Islington, Dalston, Hackney, and terminating in Clapton. It was one of the last in the capital to be served by Routemasters, with the last cheered along the way in October 2005. It's unlikely a similar parade will greet the final bendy on Friday night.

While we await developments on the Mayor's Routemaster 2K project, the 38 will be served by a new fleet of buses (Wright Gemini 2 DLs and Enviro400s for the bus-spotters out there). The bald facts don't look good: in order to maintain the same passenger capacity, 72 buses will ply the route, up from the current 44 bendy buses, and a significant increase on the 50 Routemasters previously required. The frequency of the bus will be upped to every 2-3 minutes during peak hours. The change will also see alternate buses terminate in Hackney Central, a move that'll upset Claptonites.

The 38 follows the 507 and the 521 in being stripped of the "hated" (quote: Boris voters) bendy bus. How will the new fleet cope with a busy route which is already thick with traffic, one set to worsen when the trucks carting Crossrail dirt away begin to clog the streets? We'll be riding the 38 come Monday morning to see how the first day goes.