Hello readers

As it’s been a while since I really talked about anything in depth I thought that for a change I would just have a talk about a little bit of everything  as there is so much gone on lately, hence the title of this article.

So where to begin, let’s start with politics. Well my predictions, and that of a lot of other people for that matter, on the outcome of the general election were quite some way off the mark. We are now governed by a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition. Just how a right wing party and a centre left party are going to run a coalition without falling out very frequently remains to be seen especially as mp’s from both sides have voiced their dissent about forming a government together. I know who the biggest loser of the two will be and that is Nick Clegg and his liberals. A fair amount of liberal democrat voters have already turned against the party and sided with labour as their vision of change seems to have been betrayed by their leader who has in essence just put one of the two major parties back into power after he has spent months slating them both. And with labour currently in the process of selecting a new leader after the resignation of Gordon Brown, if a strong candidate is selected then they will be a pretty formidable party to contend with in future years. On a small note I would like to say how glad I am that my local Labour MP Natascha Engel was re-elected to keep her seat in parliament. She has taken time out to help me personally with problems in the past and I have been able to see firsthand just how much she strives to help the local community. Hopefully there will be lots more like her out there to help regain the people’s belief in the politicians.

Moving on from politics now into the field of media. Now if you have been reading my posts for a fair amount of time, and im honoured if you have been, you will understand by now that I am not the media’s biggest fan and that I frequently have issues with them. Well unfortunately this scenario has raised it’s ugly head once more, big time. A short while back the Daily mail seem to decide to take upon itself the challenge of ruining it’s host countries world cup bid. Confused….me too. They sent an undercover reporter in to tape a conversation involving the then head of England’s world cup bid, Lord Triesman. They then proceeded to take an innocent part of that conversation, twist the semantics, and turn it into a full blown media scandal. As a result of this twisted plot, Lord Triesman has had to resign from his position and now the England bid to host the 2018 world cup has been left in ruins. Once again an example of a newspaper destroying whomever or whatever it can just to sell a few more newspapers without thinking of the consequences. Well I could tell the Daily Mail right now what those consequences are, for one the world cup is the biggest sporting event on the face of the planet, not only does it inject a substantial amount of money into the host countries economy (and considering the state of this countries current economy thats a very good thing), but it also a very special experience for everbody who lives there too. Young children get to fulfill a dream which is to go and watch their footballing idols in person, aspiring footballers get to watch and learn of the world finest, and also a country can really get behind its national team when it is playing it home, it would be one of those rare times when this country would be able to fully unite together to cheer our footballers to hopefully the world cup. But these reporters at the daily mail dont think about stuff like this, as usual all its about is playing dirty to sell a few more papers and this is why I despise media when it pulls stunts like this.

Anyhow moaning aside this leads nicely to my next topic, the world cup. It is now fast approaching and I am very much looking forward to cheering on the England team from beginning to end. I will be wearing my England shirt proudly wherever I  go even if its in a pub (yes that is directed at the morons trying to ban england shirts in pubs, seriously who the hell do you think you are trying to do that) and I like the rest of the country hope that this time we go all the way and win the damn thing this time haha. Though looking at the opposition it is going to take a big effort to get there but we are more than capable of putting that effort in. Shortly when the final 23 man squad is announced I shall be writing an article to see just how many players I predicted would make the squad, back towards the end of last year, have actually made it. Should be fun.

Now a quick one before I finish. Yesterday I was overjoyed to discover that a new lethal weapon, this would be number 5, is about to start been filmed. I am a huge fan of the lethal weapon series and to see it back on our screens will be brilliant, and the best thing is they still got the original dynamic duo so it’s going to be good. And a quick one whilst on the topic of films, I would recommend strongly that you go and see Robin hood, its a brilliant film and definatly worth 2 hours and 20 minutes of your life.

A quick message to all my readers out there, if there are any haha, you may soon have the chance to see me live in action on youtube as I have been approached about the possibility of doing a sort of chat show themed video where we sit down and discuss politics from the view of a couple of common down to earth people so if you are interested in watching that then I will keep you informed of when the show is due to start and how to find it. I shall be back soon as I have a list of new articles to put together.

So until next time readers…farewell!

Hello readers

My deepest apologies for not writing in here much sooner. I’ve been going through one of those times where everything I seem to write just seems to be rubbish, one look at the thousands of saved drafts in my inbox that started brightly but faltered would back up my point. But what was it that the guys of  Wet wet wet once taught us…oh yeah I believe it was along the lines of  ‘Il get by with a little help from my friends’, and that is exactly what has help rejuvenate me to start writing in here again.

Anyhow sentiment aside and back to business. It’s now official, on May 6th 2010, the general election to decide the next government of the United Kingdom will take place. But you could forgive the winning party for not been too overally impressed with their prize. For the prize that awaits them is a country. A country that is limping out of one of the worst worldwide recessions on record, a country that is so divided, than an outsider may think that each county was it’s own individual state, a country that needs one hell of a refurbishment to get it off its knees.

You may think ‘hang on that’s a little over the top’, but is it really? The modern day legal culture means someone is as likely to sue you as they are to say hello to you. In fact just saying hello to someone would probably bring a harrassment lawsuit against you. There is just no spirit left in this society and it’s quite saddening. There was a time when been fellow countrymen meant something to people, no matter who they were or which part of the country they came from, everybody got along with one another and did there upmost to help each other. Nowadays people class one another as suspicious even if they live as close as next door. This is just one example of how backwards this society is really going. 

So, what kind of qualities would I be looking for in the party that get’s elected then? Well the first thing I would be looking for is commitment and dedication to the cause. Politics has been publicly humiliated by the expenses scandle, corrupt politicians looking to line their pockets with money. This country’s core is rotting as it is, so what better place to stop the rot than at the top. I admit politics without corruption would be like Treacle sponge without custard,you cannot have one without the other in the sense that you need the custard to make the sponge nice but anywhere there is a political system, corruption follows suit anyhow, but the new government must clean up corruption to the best of it’s ability. It’s polticians must remeber that they are there to serve the people, and not serve themselves. Admittedly though there are already some good honest politicians out there, one that comes to mind is my local labour MP Natascha Engel. I have met her in person and seen the work she has done and if all politicians could be this hard working, then politics would get it’s reputation back very quickly.

Secondly, the party itself has to look at this broken society and admit that we have a serious problem. Drugs, binge drinking, teenage preganancies, broken familes, one-parent families, these are just but a few of the things ravaging this society. More often that not I see examples of these sorts of things and to be perfectly honest it makes me ashamed. These ASBO families you see on television, they are sick. Terrorising people in their homes, raising children who wouldn’t look out of place in The Omen, sponging this country’s benefit system for all they can, it make you wonder just how things got this bad. This new government needs to have the steel to come down hard on these things, to make people realise behaviour of this sort will not be tolerated and most importantly of all, to put some pride and some hope back into people’s lives. They say English society is moving forward in leaps and bounds, only a sick man would be able to see that and keep a straight face if they realised just how bad things have become.

And finally, to the party who come to power, please for once be a party of some action and not all mouth. It would be nice to see things getting done rather than you just rambling on about them on the television. I am as yet still undecided on who to vote for, so you have approxamately a month to persuade me that you are the ones who closely fit the description of what I am looking for in the British government.

So to Brown’s labour party and Cameron’s conservative party, may the best team win. (Sorry Clegg but we all know your party doesnt stand a chance so I thought it best not to include you, no hard feelings I hope)

Until next time, which will be very soon (I promise)

Au revoir

Hello readers

I’ve had a request from a friend of mine who wishes to use this blog to put up a petition so this article will be dedicated to doing so.

The friend in question is currently a university student at the ambleside campus which is part of the university of cumbria.  The site was due to be closed at the end of the 2012 academic year but a snap decision has led to the stong forthcoming prediction that the campus will be closed at the end of this academic year instead, meaning hundreds of students will be forced to relocate to other universities thus causing major disruption and incovenience for students during a crucial part of their education.

The University of Cumbria has amassed what is believed to be around 29 million pounds worth of debt which has led to the proposal to shut down one of it’s campus’s. Although shutting down the campus and creating all this inconvenience is only going to save roughly 1.5 million a year in expenditure which is relatively small considering the reprecussion it will have on the students working there. So a petition has been created to help try to save the campus from closure and ensure the students will be able to see out their courses their.

Now I have not heard much about this personally but i am aware of  a strong belief amongst people to ensure the campus stays open which is why I have agreed to put it up on here as it is something it seems the people want. So if you are directly affected by this or wish to pledge your support anyhow then just follow the enclosed link and sign the petition .

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Ambleside 

If anyone else wishes to put up a petition or anything just let me know and I will see to it.                                

Until next time : )

Hello readers

Now as we fast approach the end of another year which has seemingly flew by without stopping to spend much time with us, all eyes, well mine at least, have started having a small glance to see what next year brings and it is a very important year to say the least especially in the fields of politics and sports. So what is happening next year that is so important?

Well let’s start with politics shall we. Next year is the year of the next General election when we find out who is to lead the country for the next 4 years. So who will you be voting for? I don’t know about you but at this minute in time I really don’t have the foggiest idea. Let’s have a look at the contenders shall we;

• LABOUR- The political party who have been leading the country for the last 12 years. Probably at this moment in time my most likely candidates even though I sit on the right wing of the political spectrum. People harp on about how they have got us into a recession and about how bad conditions are becoming. They quickly forget about the 10 years of growth they brought to this country after stabilising an economy brought to the edge of extinction by the Tory party. Having passed through the education system during the entirity of their ascent to power i have noticed firsthand how much better it has become under their rule. Overall i believe there efforts have been very good and i wouldn’t begrudge them another 4 years to sort out this unfortunate tarnish on their record.
• CONSERVATIVE- Undoubtedly in the hot seat to replace labour at the helm of this country it seems  as they have taken advantage of the current crisis labour faces. One thing you cannot deny is that they have the most formidable leader to take up the challenge against Labour domination in David Cameron. I however am far from convinced by him as he seems more concerned trying to disgrace labour than to actually think about what to do should he come to power. And it seems other people agree too as the big lead the Tories had in the opinion polls is falling by the week. His cabinet looks open for corruption and should the people really trust them with a struggling economy. I mean if they can destroy such a good economy the way they did what on earth is going to happen giving them an unstable one.
• LIBERAL DEMOCRAT- May as well put on their coats and leave  if the Glasgow by-election is anything to go by as they finished a dismal 6th place behind some unknown Scottish party. Nick Clegg had the ultimate opportunity to gain some votes during the recent turbulent times at labour but missed the opportunity as his party’s ratings stayed the same. This party are never going to challenge for government in the short term and they are now looking nervously over their shoulders at emerging parties such as the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the British National Party (BNP) who are fast catching up with them and will surely overtake them in the not too distant future.
• BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY- If one phrase was ever to ignite a debate every time it was mentioned it would be the BNP. The ,according to all the other parties, seemingly countrywide hated party who for some magic reason keep growing ever year. I don’t like them but i don’t dislike them, I respect their status as a political party and am totally disgusted by the attitude of some people towards them. If the best this country can muster to try and disuade people from voting for them is by sending a bunch of adolescent University students who think they know something about politics to go and parade themselves as an absolute bunch of tits then it’s getting what it deserves. Who on earth is ever going to take them seriously. And they say the peope who support them are morons, you just have to look at these protesting students to figure out who are the real idiots. Anyhow the BNP are one of the upcoming parties who could cause some suprises at the next election but for sure they will definately not win.  
• UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY- Like the BNP they are an upcoming party who have already proved they are capable of mounting a decent election campaign as shown during the local elections where both parties made gains. UKIP are quite likely to have a say in the upcoming general election but the step down of their former leader Nigel Farage will hit them hard and it will be interesting to see if their popularity maintains.

Anyhow their are the main contestants, not necessarily for the win but for popularity issues. I wish all parties the best of luck and i will try my best to find one to vote for before the election. See you need to try and win me over haha.

HOWEVER, it is not just going to be the men in suits vying it out for supremacy next year. For there is a much bigger event taking place which will render all others obsolete. I am of course talking about the FIFA world cup, the biggest event on the planet and one which I am immensely looking forward too. All the places have been decided so let’s see who the lucky countries are who will be flying to South Africa;

• South Africa (HOSTS)
• Uruguay
• Portugal
• Thierry Henry’s hand
• Slovenia
• Greece
• Algeria
• Cameroon
• Nigeria
• New Zealand
• Honduras
• Argentina
• Slovakia
• Switzerland
• United States
• Mexico
• Chile
• Italy
• Serbia
• Denmark
• Germany
• Ivory Coast
• Paraguay
• Spain
• England
• Ghana
• Brazil
• North Korea
• The Netherlands
• South Korea
• Australia
• Japan

So those are the 31 teams and 1 hand  (Personally I don’t blame him for doing it but gotta be supportive of Ireland here) to contest the world cup finals. So who’s gonna win, will it be BRAZIL with their seemingly limitless pool of talent to choose from, SPAIN with their creative midfield and clincal frontmen, the FRENCH with their very own Maradona, or maybe…..just maybe…..ENGLAND (oh god what have i done by saying that). The truth is is that it is that close that I wouldnt know who to choose. Though my money is on BRAZIL as favourites and FRANCE to make good outside betting. But I wish the best of look to all 32 countries and who knows maybe a minnow might win in to severly annoy Sepp Blatter.

So next year promises to hold much in store for us all. But for now I’m going to concentrate on enjoying Christmas so until next time I bid you all farewell.

Hello readers

Today is not a post as such but I just wanted to give you all an update on some new features you may be spotting on my blog in times to come.

Now before I go into detail I would just like to give a thankyou out to all the people who have, whether it be once or more, taken time out to read my blog. Im really beginning to enjoy my writings now and as my blog hits the 600 hit mark i hope to now push on and try to keep and expand the following that this blog is amassing. I never actually thought i would get this far but i now intend to push on and keep you all busy with a series of new articles debating various issues over many topics.

Right now to the point at hand, it has always been priority to try and incorporate topics which will keep you the readers interested in this blog. Well i have come up with an idea which i am going to trial starting as of now which should help me provide an even better selection of writings for the readers which is, for any of you out there interested, to incorporate into my articles the writings of you the readers. If you have a burning issue out there that you want to see discussed or you have a piece of writing that you would like others to take a look at then just get in contact with me and i can include the information in the articles as i make them. So not only do you get to read about something you may find interesting but you yourself will be part of the actual article as well. So if anyone out there is interested please feel free to contact me.

Right well i said the trial was starting as of today and i indeed have the very first article to be published which is written by one of the readers of this blog. This is an extract from his sociology essay, if i remember rightly, all about modern day standards of common sense and how this country is becoming slightly over-obssessed with the new ultra safety precaution culture. A very good topic indeed been’s as i myself do also have issues regarding this. Anyhow feel free to give it a look over, i can’t promise stirling a-grade performance’s from any of the links offered but it is very interesting to get the common person’s view of an ever changing world which i hope you will all find interesting.

Common Sense

Hopefully that should be the link to the article. Right well i hope you enjoy that and i will be back soon with the next topic on the agenda. And just before I go if you do wish to contact me about involvement in the articles my email address is;

antonyfitzpatrick@hotmail.co.uk

Until next time readers

Hello readers

Well now, just about to go to bed on a normal night like any other day, but just as im going what happens, i find out that Patrick Swayzee, the well known actor and singer, has finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

I really have been taken aback by the news. Only recently we lost Michael Jackson to what is seemingly becoming a more sinister death, and now as well as him, yet another true star has now gone before his time. And both i admired very highly.

Patrick was without doubt a very rare breed of actor. They don’t make them like him anymore. His performance in Dirty Dancing is one of the greatest performances of all time. The chemistry between his character and Baby is in my opinion one of if not the greatest movie romance of all time. The final dance scene accompanied by Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley’s ‘I’ve had the time of my life’ is the most powerful of scenes and is etched in the mind of all generations old and young who have watched the film. And that’s the difference between what makes an actor good and what makes them brilliant. Their appeal to all people around the world. I mean im only 19 yet i have watched the film made all those years ago and quite frankly most modern day films don’t compare. True love, true passion, and a a true sense that you the audience are on that dancefloor having the time of your life.

And it’s not only his acting skills i hold in high regard but also his voice. Many actors try and fail to make the transition from actor to singer yet Patrick pulled off both with seemingly no trouble at all. And with transition in effect what did he give the world, ‘She’s like the wind’, a truly beautiful love song about a man’s longing for something he knows ultimately he cannot have. The lyrics are beautiful, the music is beautiful, the way he pulls the song off is incredible and it is definately my favourite song of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

And now he is gone i can’t help but feel this emptiness inside. The man who has inspired many people around the world through his acting and his music is no longer here. That is why he is a rare breed, he wasn’t some overpaid, overconfident superstar who needed stuntmen to pull of all his tricks or special effects to try and make them more than they are, all he gave was an honest, total account of himself. He didn’t pretend to be someone he was not, he gave his all to the profession he loved and that is why i will always remember him in the middle of the dancefloor, holding Baby in the air, and imprinting that vision into my mind. But i still can’t help feeling, the world is a much emptier place without people like him around.

God speed Patrick, you will never be forgotten.

Until next time readers

Hello readers

Now today i shall be taking of my normal blog writing fingers and replacing them with the mind of a football pundit in an attempt to correctly guess the winning formula to said title.

Now as most of us football fanatics out there know, this football season is also indeed a world cup football season in which after a long hard season of supporting our beloved home clubs (and hopefully celebrating a Chesterfield promotion back to league one) we can then look forward to a summer of watching the world’s best football talent fight it out for the ultimate trophy….the World cup, the world’s most prestigous sporting event, whilst all grouping together to support our beloved homeland in the hope they can repeat the heroics of 1966.

And expectation is indeed very high for this particular tournament. With one of the world’s most respected managers at the helm, many people around are indeed beginning to believe that this could be our year. But it is not just the manager who creates a winning formula, it is the player’s whom he takes with him who are going to be the deciding factor between success and failure and it is these players who will be going to this world cup that i, like millions of others across the country, am going to predict will be the ones chosen to go.

So without further ado, here are my prediction for the 23 player spots available on the plane to South africa.

First of all we start with the goalkeepers, of which 3 of the 23 places are open for. Now it has not escaped many people’s attention recently that the position of goalkeeper is becoming somewhat of an achilles heal for this England side at this moment in time. Ever since the retirement of the great David Seaman there hasnt been really one person to step up and firmly grasp this position by the scruff of its neck. So who do we take? Well my number 1 for the starting world cup England side would currently be Portsmouth’s David James, who is vastly experienced with 48 England caps to his name and also played a staggering total of 742 proffessional games as well. Some of his more high-profile blunders maybe shouted out about quite frequently but there is no denying he is England’s best chance in the upcoming finals and when on form can match the world’s best. But this is where lack of depth maybe exposed in future years as James is now 39 years of age and has no developed successor in line yet. However, the torch may yet be carried by Machester United keeper Ben Foster, who is keeper number 2 who i would take. After much time been shipped out on loan and fighting against Tomasz Kuszczak to be Edwin Van der Sar’s successor at Manchester United he is slowly beginning to show the potential for which he has for so long not had the opportunity to do so and with the right amount of playing time i firmly believe that he is the answer to England’s goalkeeping dilemma. Now position number 3 i am yet to be fully decided on but it is between West Ham United’s Robert Green and Blackburn Rovers Paul Robinson depending on who has the better season overall.

Now onto the back 4 where we are thankfully blessed with many world class defenders. Chelsea left back Ashley Cole, somewhat now a veteran of the England line up with 74 caps to his name, has had a very good start to the Premier league season and if he maintains his usual high standards will be one to watch at the world cup. The centre back pairing of Chelsea’s John Terry and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand is one of the most established and key attributes to this England side and any attacking forwards will have to be on best form to break this pair down. Now, right back, definately the one questionable part of Englands back line with vastly experienced Gary Neville seeming now out of the England setup due to injury and increasing age. Though i really hope he does go, we do have to look at possible replacements and, fingers crossed, i am hoping that might arrive in the form of new Liverpool right back Glen Johnson. Though i am not entirely sure of his international credentials just yet i hope a solid season’s showing at Liverpool will be enough to put my mind at rest. So those four for the starting defence now we need to look at other possible defenders to take. Now one thing that needs to be addressed is the advancing ages of both central defenders who are now into their 30′s, so this tournament will be vital also to handing out world cup experience to prospective England centre-backs. So for this i would also take with me Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott of whom i have been a big admirer since his days at Wolves and have watched progress to been a top notch premier league defender at Everton. He is exactly the type of player England need and experience at the upcoming world cup will be brilliant in his development to become international class. the two other defenders i would take would be Manchester city’s Wayne Bridge who is well experienced in been cover for Ashley Cole and Tottenham’s Ledley King that been if he ever manages to stay fit for more than 5 games at a time.

Now onto the midfield, the biggest department for me with a total of 8 players, of which there is many a debate raging as to who should be played and where. Now one player whom i definately hope is fit and ready to go is Chelsea left winger Joe Cole. I have seen him play at many of the internationals i have been to watch and he is always one to look for. Good delivery, not afraid of shooting from distance and scoring some very impressive goals, definately a starter for me. On the right i would probably start Manchester City’s Shaun Wright-Phillips and then deploy Arsenal’s Theo Walcott later in the game when defences are running tired as his frighteningly quick pace would be a definate match decider should all not be going well. Ex-Middlesbrough winger Stuart Downing would complete my quartet of wingers. Now the squabble over who should play in the centre is too big for a small piece of writing such as this so in a nutshell the four players who i would take to fight it out over the positions would be Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard, providing his early season dip of form does not continue, Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Manchester City’s Gareth Barry, and then a shootout between either Owen Hargreaves, providing he can return to full fitness and form by the required time, and Frank Lampard. And those of you now thinking why the hell i wouldnt have him in the starting four well i believe he and Gerrard are not the correct partnership and his loss would be less than that felt if Gerrard was not to be there in my opinion.

Now for the final section, the strikers. Ever since i heard the news that Michael Owen had been snapped up by Manchester United I have firmly believed that our world cup campaign has been saved. I have always been a big admirer of the forward and the sheer presence that he carries with him is more than enough to get him into my 23. He is the only striker we have, bar possibly Rooney, who strikes fear into every defence on the planet when on form and i truly beg of Fabio Capello that if Owen shows his promise this season at Manchester United that he take him to South Africa as he will be pivotol to any chance of success we may have. Also to go, the aforementioned Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, one player who has truly built on the potential shown as a youngster and has now matured into one of the world’s finest strikers, a definate must to go. Also, Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe, another player i have admired for a long time and one whom i feel has not been given the chance to show his true  colours yet for England but that double against Holland shows what he is capable of. Now the last 2, well of the 3 strikers mentioned so far we have skill in abundance but no arial prowess, cue Aston Villa’s Emile Heskey, the powerhouse who although not universally loved by England fans, is just the player needed to support the quick, lethal finishers as he has strength and height aplenty to win balls out the air and hold up play for the rest of the team. And lastly, and probably the decision i hate the most, Tottenham’s Peter Crouch, scorer of many goals against weak opposition but seemingly lacking when it matters, but nevertheless he still scores and with his towering frame he is a useful addition to an already impressive looking frontline.

Anyhow that is my take on things. I admit i am no proper football pundit but i think looking at the teamsheet that i havnt done such a bad job. As said there will be many more of these predicted teamsheets lying around but for this one should it atcually be the final team, remember you saw it here first. So the final rundown of my England football team for the 2010 South Africa world cup

• David James
• Ben Foster
• Robert Green

 

• Ashley Cole
• Wayne Bridge
• Rio Ferdinand
• Joleon Lescott
• Glen Johnson
• Ledley King
• John Terry

 

• Joe Cole
• Stuart Downing
• Gareth Barry
• Steven Gerrard
• Theo Walcott
• Shaun Wright-Phillips
• Michael Carrick
• Frank Lampard/ Owen Hargreaves

 

• Michael Owen
• Jermaine Defoe
• Peter Crouch
• Wayne Rooney
• Emile Heskey

But whatever the line-up may actually be i say this;

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello readers

Now for a while i have been promising a post in which i do not seemingly rant and rave for the entirity and instead have a more lighthearted post. Well now i shall duly deliver on that promise with a post dedicated to one of the things i have grown up watching since i was a little boy and the best series of films, in my opinion, that have ever been made……James Bond.

Now throughout the seemingly short period of time, compared to the series length, that i have been watching Bond, I have watched the seemingly invincible Bond transfer from the cool, calm, collected secret agent battling the evil SPECTRE organisation that was brought to our screens during 1962 in the film Dr No to the more ruthless and the more deadly Bond we witnessed in Die another day which was released in 2002, an incredible 40 years after Dr No was first released which is the first piece of evidence in establishing that Bond is a worldwide phenomenon.

So what gives James Bond so much appeal? Is it;

• The Storylines
• The Characters
• The Gadgets
• The Girls
• The Songs

Well over the next few posts we will see just what it is that has taken me in so much but on with the post at hand.

In fact i believe that it is all of these put together which make Bond such an appealing attraction for audiences over the world. Let’s take a look in more detail about the things which i simply cannot help but love about the James Bond phenomenon.

First and foremost, the actors are what I like most. In every film there are at least 2 or 3 starring performances which are a mantle of the high class acting that Bond films are renowned for. But who for me are the best actors in my opinion? Well let’s start no further than the 5 men who have played the great secret agent themselves;

• Sean Connery- For me an inspired selection to be the first James Bond. In 1962 audiences were first presented to Bond. And what better way for them to be introduced to him by meeting a secret agent who in every way fitted the job description. They were introduced to a man who was as said before cool, calm, collected. A man who was unafraid of  any job given to him, unafraid of any enemy (unless you count the tarantula put in his bed in which case i also would need some new sheet covers so i don’t particularly blame him), and whose taste for luxury, gambling, and beautiful women was unmatched by any other. It took only until those first epic words of ‘My name is Bond…….. James Bond’ to realise that Connery fitted the James Bond boots perfectly and over the course of the 6 films he starred in (or 7 if you want to count Never say never again but i don’t), this view went from strength to strength with a series of brilliant performances.
• George Lazenby- Stepping into the boots of Sean Connery was never going to be an easy task for any actor, especially one who had never actually done any acting before. Cue the appearance of George Lazenby, an Australian model who had never before done any acting which rubbed even more salt into the wounds of those still hurting from Connery’s departure. But despite the lack of acting, despite the lack of a big name, his one and only appearance as James Bond was in the film that I acclaim to be my most favourite of the series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Fair enough he lacked the majority of the aspects that Connery had used to such effect whilst playing the role, but he brought with him one thing that Connery never had the chance to give Bond……emotion. In this, the 6th film of the series, we are reminded for perhaps the first time that Bond is still truly human. I am of course talking about the final scenes of OHMSS when Bond is cradling his dead wife in his arms after she is shot dead by Blofeld, the arch enemy of James Bond. For the first time we see Bond almost crack under the weight of emotion from the death of a loved one, and Lazenby plays the part to perfection. In fact the chemistry between him and Diana Rigg, who plays the doomed wife, throughout the film is the best example you will see of Bond’s human side and this is why i liked Lazenby’s performance so much as it showed there was indeed life after Sean Connery. I just hope other people give him credit for what he did in face of the challenge he undertook.
• Roger Moore- My favourite James Bond. Coming to the role in Live and let die which was realeased in 1973 and he was the longest serving of all the Bond actors, totalling 7 films by the time of his final appearence in A view to a kill ,released in 1985. Moore was a refreshing boost to the series after the Bond crowd hadnt taken well to George Lazenby which i found a little harsh as his performance seemed to have been overlooked by the people wanting Sean Connery back in the role who didn’t give him a chance. Roger Moore though came into the role and turned Bond into his own character and thus getting the crowd back on side and not thinking about Connery. Gone was Connery’s image of Bond and in it’s place was Moore’s intellectual agent who relied just as much on wit and humour to get himself out of sticky situations as he did his Walther. But most importantly he managed to keep the realistic features of Bond like his survival abilities and the realistic belief of the character itself, in other words he was’nt too far fetched. He, like Connery, looked every bit the part of a secret agent and was just want the Bond series needed to keep it going. But it was his combination of humour mixed with proffesionalism that was the clincher for him been my favourite Bond actor. My favourite Moore film was The spy who loved me where he is truly at the peak of his Bond performances. Well worth a watch.
• Timothy Dalton- Now if George Lazenby thought he had a problem filling the boots of Sean Connery, imagine how Timothy Dalton felt been asked to fill the retired Roger Moore’s. Well in truth he did it very well over the next two films in which he starred, starting with The living daylights in 1987. Now unlike Connery, Lazenby, and Moore, Dalton introduces us to a new side of Bond. His Bond is dark, ruthless, manipulative, basically everything you would associate with a cold war agent. He delivers two powerful performances, both of which rank up near the top of my favourites, and he re-installs some of the belief in Bond been a real agent which sadly was lost during the last Roger Moore film i hate to admit. I woulk liked for him to have carried on doing more of the films but sadly with the 6 year gap between Dalton’s last film License to kill, and Goldeneye, he was not prepared to wait which was understandable but such a great shame.
• Pierce Brosnan- Last, but certainly not least, of the Bond actors. After been snubbed for Timothy Dalton back in 1986, he was over the moon to be given the chance to fill Bond’s boots in 1995 with Goldeneye. And yet again the producers found a hit Bond actor as he was the first since Connery to define every aspect of Bond the way he wanted it. This Bond had a serious humour about him and Brosnan himself was a very commanding screen actor which together created the ideal Bond character. His performance in Goldeneye was very impressive and showed that the right decison had been made to cast him. What let Brosnan down though was not his acting but some of the storylines he was given. A good example of this is Tomorrow never dies in which he yet again delivers a great performance but stopping a media mogul from taking over the airwaves? Not exactly what you would expect on the mission board at MI5. This aside though his acting is top notch and he is well deserving of his role of Bond.

And whilst it is the main character who rules the screen, no film would be complete without back up actors and James Bond is blessed with a sizeable score of these.

There are superb good guy performances;

• Desmond Llewelyn (Q)- An icon of the Bond series with an arsenal of weaponry to embarress any major world power. Possibly the best actor of the series as he starred in the most films. Always grumpy but screenplay with Bond makes for some memorable moments. Plays the role as Tech genious immaculately and will never be matched in that role (sorry John Cleese)
• Tetsuro Tamba (Tiger Tanaka)- Appears in You only live twice. Tanaka is head of the Japanese Secret service and assists Bond when he comes to foil a plot that involves stealing rockets in space. Tamba delivers a great performance, helped by the fact the film is shot in his native Japan so he can fit straight into the role. Tanaka is something of a one off in which the head of a country’s secret service actually goes out and helps Bond on assignment so he gets plenty of screentime and it is the chemistry between him and Sean Connery which makes his performance even better.

And where would we be without the bad guys too;

• Richard Kiel (Jaws)- If you were asked to choose one distinguishing feature of any Bond bad guy, i reckon 99% of people would agree with me in saying Jaws unique set of metal teeth that can bite through just about anything. Jaws is a superb character and is done justice by the performance of Richard Kiel who is a perfect fit for the role. He is very tall and his huge frame serves to give Jaws that sense of menace and destruction which is so well portayed in the films. Indeed Jaws is such a success that he gets the chance to appear in 2 James Bond films. An almost impossible feat for any enemy of 007 which just shows hows deadly and hard to kill this man is. However it was a neat twist in which towards the end of his final outing he changes allegiance to help Bond and protect the girl he loves which also shows Kiel’s depth in acting to be much more than just the cold hearted bad guy. There are very few other villains who can match the exceptional quality of Jaws .
• Robert Davi (Franz Sanchez)- A cold hearted, ruthless drugs baron, Sanchez is in my opinion Bond’s greatest villain. His ability to mercilessly torture people without feeling a thing  is unmatched by any other. He personally attacks Bond as well by seeing to Felix Leiter and his wife. Robert Davi’s performance is in the same league as that of Richard Kiel as one minute he can be the perfectly amicable man (to his friend’s only mind), then next he is the ruthless killer which shows again the strength in depth of the actor’s abilities. Just everything about Davi fits the role of the villain and it is the ability of the films producers to match actor with villain that does the film a great service.

These are but a few of the great actors who have graced Bond’s film set but I would be here for day’s if i was to write down them all. Anyhow i have decided in the course of writing this that i will split this down into several posts as this as gone on too long as it is so I will be back again soon with the backdrop on Bond’s girls, gadgets, and the rest of the formula that make up the James Bond special.

Until next time readers