Brit Awards 2012

Tuesday saw the Brit Awards ceremony screened live on ITV1 and one story stole the headlines the next day: Adele's reaction to being cut short during her acceptance speech . This article heavily criticises the singer for her less than civil reaction to James Corden's interruption, but I don't think she is wholly to blame. I'm not the biggest fan of the singer, but I think that she deserves her time to express her thanks to her fans and friends. The way in which she reacted on live TV wasn't the ideal way to express her annoyance at this, but I think the greater problem lies with the Brit Awards' organisers. It seemed to be a shambloic, underorganised show - mistimings and missed opportunities. The Critics' Choice award was won by Emile Sande, yet missing was the acceptance speech by the singer. Watching it at home I thought it was odd that we only saw a brief shot of Sande's face before Corden began a lengthy interview with last year's winner, Jessie J, which seemed to be a promotion for Jessie J's new show, The Voice, where she is a judge, sorry not a judge, a mentor. This was cruel to deny Sande her moment in the spotlight and to shine on stage in the glory of winning the award, and it is just downright strange. Hopefully, next year will see a more polished show, where everyone is given the right to collect their awards properly.

David Mitchell's Soapbox

I recently came across this a few months ago and it is a delight to watch. Mitchell's ranting is usually hilarious to watch as he picks up on the things that annoy him the most, from bad grammar to hairdressers. Sometimes, the sheer randomness of his views is funny such as his video on shirts - the only one where he wears a blue, and not red, shirt. My only complaint is that these video podcasts are too short, but maybe I am just being greedy!  There have been 3 series so far, which you can find on itunes for free. I have my fingers crossed for a 4th one later this year...

Andy Murray loses the Australian Open Semi-Final 2012

And yet again, Murray loses and his bid for grand slam glory is over. Sure the match between Djokovic had moments of great potential. Murray was leading 2-1 before Djokovic rained all over his parade and looked certain to clinch an easy win in the 6th set before Murray made an inspired comeback, only to lose again. Typical isn't it...every year we have our hopes raised that maybe a Brit can clinch the grand slam crown only to lose it when they stutter on the court. I guess we should be used to it by now - e.g. Tim Henman, but it gets frustrating, especially as Murray as a great talent for tennis. The problem is that he can't capitalise on this to win a grand slam, especially as there are 3 better players that he can't seem to beat to get glory. Every year, Murray loses in a grand slam and tennis commentators say that it was the best match he has played and he will go on to win other grand slams - but this has been occurring for a while. I would like to see British success in tennis, but I don't think it will come in the form of Andy Murray. I don't think he can win a Grand Slam so long as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are still playing, and by the time they retire or their game weakens, I don't think Murray will still be playing the same fantastic standard of tennis as he does today. I guess we have to look to the future for the next British hopeful, with James Ward's success in 2011 and Laura Robson being touted as one to watch for the future, or maybe resign ourselves to British failure at tennis.

January

And so it comes to pass..the first month of 2012 (the end of the world supposedly, although I doubt this will happen. If I'm wrong, you can shout at me all you want, but I won't be able to hear you). January is nearly over but what makes it such a January so January-ish?

• A new start - the idea is that you begin the year in a new frame of mind, ready to transform yourself into a fantastic being be it giving up smoking, learning a new language, refraining from using so many  plastic shopping bags or liking the colour green. However, best intentions often go awry as your New Year resolutions often break down and split (like a plastic shopping bag) a week or two after they were made. One of my many resolutions was the generic "be more organised", and yes, I've been organised up to a point, where my memory is failing, papers are stuffed in drawers or scattered all over the floor and everything I need has always mysteriously disappeared. Ah yes, I appear to be sticking to that resolution quite well...
• The weather - I feel let down by the lack of snow in my town, seeing as several lorries full of snow was dumped all over where I live. And yet...the strong winds, heavy rain and frosty icy pavements...Spain or Hong Kong hasn't got anything on UK weather.
• News - as per usual, the news is full of bad news surrounding the economy, where unemployment is rising, our politicians failing to do their jobs, acts of crime and murders, and more recently, the tragic tale of the cruise ship crash which has so far claimed 12 lives. 

There are positive things in January too:

• Chinese New Year - the Year of the Dragon, another chance for a new start
• TV - Sherlock has been and gone on our screens - one of the best dramas for a long time.
• We have the 2012 Olympics to look forward to in 6 months. How can the public wait to see how Boris Johnson pulls this off!

So cheer up, you still have 11 months left of 2012 to enjoy, so long as the end of the world doesn't drop by in the meantime...