Christopher Fowler's Blog, page 493

Britain's Strangest Town

I've long thought of Blackpool as the most peculiar town in Britain, so trapped in a between-the-wars era that it constitutes some kind of grotesque living museum, and now I've had those fears/hopes confirmed. In what feels like a publicity stunt, Blackpool is trying to get itself listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

The heritage [...:]

Defining British

Let's get a few things clear; I don't like national definitions because by nature they fall into cliche. For decades our idea of an American was a loud bloke in a ten-gallow hat. Now Americans think we're all like Russell Brand. My US book jackets all feature a Union Jack, a bowler hat (ever seen [...:]

Failing Upwards

Writing 'Celebrity' has made me think a lot about fame. It's odd that Jennifer Aniston's films all fail horribly, and yet she remains a highly recognisable star (partly because her appearance seems to have become frozen around the time of 'Friends'). This is presumably due to her turbulent private life, which fans find more interesting [...:]

The Celebrity Blog Three: Casting

I should never have used the word 'covet' – it seemed none of our 19 year-old auditionees could say it in the script. Indeed, none of them seemed to have ever heard of it.

Casting calls had been booked for the two leads and two supports – with one surprise role to be cast afterwards, [...:]

Alternative Shopping

Forget Abercrombie & Fitch, with its nakedly bogus 'You Suburban Nobodies Can Pretend You're At A Premiere' store design and naff T-shirts – 'Drink Shop & Do' might just be providing a genuine alternative to traditional shopping.

It's the latest in a line of sophisticated London pop-up shops that test the water before opening permanently – [...:]

The Alternative To Shopping

Forget Abercrombie & Fitch, with its nakedly bogus 'You Suburban Nobodies Can Pretend You're At A Premiere' store design and naff T-shirts – 'Drink Shop & Do' might just herald the future of shopping.

It's the latest in a line of sophisticated London pop-up shops that test the water before opening permanently – and they don't [...:]

Where Did The News Go?

I know it's the silly season (or 'the Barbecue Summer' as the Met Office had it), ie the three days in August when the temperature rises above 14 degrees, but have you noticed how especially stupid the newspapers are at the moment? Even the broadsheets are running WAG-friendly style pieces that would test the patience [...:]

Comic Book Action Euro-Style

With Steven Spielberg about to massacre 'Tintin' in the dead-eyed motion-capture style used for Robert Zemeckis's awful 'Christmas Carol' and 'Polar Express', it's worth remembering that alhough comic books (or bande-dessinees) have a richer, subtler life in Europe, so far attempts to film them have proven spotty.

Critic Anne Billson points out that 'Asterix and [...:]

London's New Maps

Click on the above to see how someone – presumably a kid – sees my neighbourhood. I can't remember where I found this but I think it's a great idea – now that we can all access satellite photography of our streets, why not make our own maps of the hood, featuring our personal places [...:]

Secret Street Symbols

In 'London Old & New' (see earlier entry) a friend complains that there are no mysteries left in modern London streets, a sentiment I strongly disagree with. Today I offer a case in point. For no reason I know of, seemingly random metal symbols have appeared set into the pavements of Marchmont Street. These range [...:]