TV: Heroes - The Early Episodes

Hot on the heels of 24, Lost and the C.S.I. phenomenon comes Heroes, the latest American TV series to sweep the world, dominating TV ratings wherever it lands. Superheroes, in general, are pretty big business in 2007. Their stock has risen hand-in-hand with the advance of detailed, believable, computer-generated imagery. Suddenly, Superman really can fly, Spiderman really can swing, and Batman is no longer the pantomime dame. So, there is no better time to unleash a TV series featuring a ragtag collection of new superheroes than now.

The real genius of the story is Heroes creator and executive producer, Tim Kring. He’s managed to capture all the things that make great viewing whilst avoiding the usual pitfalls that kill off most series in their infancy. The first few episodes are a series’ make-or-break moments. Introduce the action too quickly and the show will burn out, usually through it's lack of character depth. Start out too slow and it’s a yawn-fest. To achieve this he has given us imagery that burns bright. Comic-book art and camera-work; clever snapshots of what’s to come; characters that intrigue, each with their own rich, dark and complicated history; entwined plot lines introduced from different perspectives.

The heartbeat of these first few episodes has been Kring’s masterstroke. He’s admitted that Hiro Nakamura was the final character he created and yet with Hiro he’s introduced the one missing, but essential, element to the storyline - humour. Played by the brilliant Masi Oka, Hiro, is the last piece in the jigsaw. He is the one with the most awesome power and yet the one who embraces his talent with a childlike joy. It’s in such contrast to the bitterness and recrimination with which the other heroes deal with their powers. They feel like freak shows and have a tendency to bury themselves with their fears.

Revealing as little as possible, Hiro wields the power to bend the space-time continuum and discovers a terrible future lies in store for humanity. It is in Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) that Hiro confides this horrific reality. Peter is the one other character who seeks the truth no matter what, bringing to mind character elements of both Spiderman’s Parker and Matrix’s Neo, and as the cast begin to find one another the series really lifts off.

It seems inconceivable that from this point Heroes can fail. So much is reminiscent of successful sci-fi entertainment past. Star Trek, Firefly, Donnie Darko, Spiderman, Matrix, Battlestar Galactica. This along with all the referencing to modern life keeps the viewer riveted, constantly guessing then reassessing. If you’re not already involved then Heroes comes highly recommended. If you’re way ahead of me I trust it’s everything you wanted it to be and hopefully more.


© Johnskibeat

Eating Out: The Zebra, Cambridge

‘Do you fancy going for a Polish?’ isn’t exactly a phrase you hear being uttered too often, but thanks to Ralph and his wife Ania, the proprietors of the Zebra pub on Maid's Causeway, you could be hearing it a lot more around Cambridge.

The Zebra, a gentle stroll from both the Grafton Centre and Midsummer Common, has recently had a menu makeover and now boasts Polish cuisine ranging from simple soups to interesting pasta combinations - many of which can also be served as a vegetarian option. This all sits alongside traditional English dishes, such as bangers and mash or filled jacket potato, and on top of that there’s a comprehensive pizza menu. So there really is something for everyone.

The pub is filling up nicely with both the young and old as we arrive for an early evening meal. The atmosphere is relaxed and the background music isn’t overly intrusive. The place is clean and neat and there are large and small tables to choose from. We’re keen to try the new generously-priced Polish food and it arrives promptly, courteously, and is both neatly plated and full of colour.

The zurek (potato and sausage soup) is hearty, slightly spicy and moreish and comes with a fresh baguette and butter. Our party also tries the goulash, the perogli (pretty pasta parcels filled with meat in a tomato sauce) and the golabki (meat and rice baked in cabbage parcels with a tomato sauce). All these main courses are accompanied with a salad replete with fruit and vegetables. The golabki filling is spicy and wholesome but the sauce rather overpowers the delicate cabbage. Of the three dishes the perogli was deemed the tastiest with a particular favourite being the excellent beetroot puree that accompanied it.

As we finished the proprietor popped back to check that everything was to our satisfaction and he was able to expand a little on how well the Polish menu was going down. Apparently, Monday to Thursday lunchtimes are the least busy but his staff are run off their feet in the evenings of Thursday to Saturday with both English and Polish clientele enjoying the food. When asked about where the idea for this bold new menu had come from, he replied, ‘Having got married in Poland and sampled many of their traditional dishes, my wife and I believe that the Cambridge residents will enjoy it’. With most of the main courses costing around a fiver, and the food a welcome deviation from the standard pub fayre, he may well be right.


© Johnskibeat

Commissioned by Local Secrets online magazine...

Sport: Oxbridge Engineering Sports Day 2007

Every year unbeknownst to the outside world there is a colossal clash of great engineering minds. It features Cambridge University Engineering Department trading blows with the Oxford University Department of Engineering Science and, over the course of a day, one great establishment overcomes another across a range of sporting events - golf, softball, punting, cricket and tennis.

In recent years there have also been unofficial events played alongside those recognised. This year the spare places on the Cambridge coach are taken up by football-crazy engineers hell-bent on humiliating their Oxford rivals despite the lack of a trophy to recognise the feat. I am one of those determined few.

Oxford is hosting this year’s event and we arrive in their fair city on the stroke of noon. A connecting bus is caught to the Brasenose Sports Ground following lunch and we find our opponents already in full kit warming up – an ominous sight.

There’s only time for a quick warm-up and team-talk and then suddenly we’re off. Oxford start brightly with quick passing and some intricate dribbling, but Cambridge defend strongly and find space down the wings for the strikers to attack. It’s a real game of cat-and-mouse until disaster strikes. Our defensive midfielder, Chris Cassidy, goes in for a tackle and comes away with a badly twisted knee and has to go off. Oxford very sportingly loan us one of their substitutes, but as our lynchpin limps off the game opens up for Oxford.

Within ten minutes Oxford go 2-0 up as their striker proves too speedy for our ageing defence. He beats the offside trap and runs clear to round Cambridge’s otherwise excellent goalkeeper before slotting his second in off the left-hand post. Unbowed, we continue to raid down their weaker left side and get a well-earned free kick around the edge of the penalty area. The defence pour into the box and, as the kick curls in, yours truly manages to get a glancing header on target to reduce the arrears. Game on.

As half-time approaches, the older Cambridge legs start to creak and Oxford goes for the jugular. Two raids through the middle and one killer counter-attack lead to three easy goals and as the whistle sounds for the break it’s a miserable 5-1 score line.

Drinks are taken and soothing ointments are applied to sore areas. A quick change of formation leads to our striker being redeployed in defence and in the first few minutes this seems to blunt Oxford’s attacking prowess. Although, in hindsight, it may the fact that it had started raining, making the ball more difficult to control, may have had more to do with it.

Then, lo and behold, Cambridge start to dictate the play and pepper the Oxford keeper with shots. Goal-line scrambles and some clever defending at corners keeps the Cambridge side out but they are not to be denied. A foul on the edge of the area follows and Cambridge front man, Meshal Almane steps up and hammers it low past the wall and through the keeper’s outstretched arms to reduce the arrears.

From here both defences stand firm with both goalkeepers excelling with fine saves. As the minutes tick away, and with the rain now bucketing down, both sides become more conservative. Dribbling skills fall away as legs tire and the passes begin to shorten. The final whistle sounds with the score at 5-2 to Oxford.

Hands are shaken and cheers for each side are chanted vigorously. There are even beers waiting for both winning and losing sides in the changing rooms. Cambridge Captain, Tim Nichols, praises the Oxford team before thanking his players. “I was chuffed with the work rate, team spirit and ‘never say die’ attitude of my players. We kept battling and challenging for every ball right up to the final whistle”. All agreed it was a thoroughly enjoyable game and that next year the football should be repeated and become an official event in the Sports Day programme.

The coach arrives soon after and we’re all transported back to the University Club for the presentation of trophies where we learn that Oxford have won all the events save the tennis. They therefore take the Wroth Trophy as overall winners and are roundly applauded before all those present tuck into the delightful buffet that Oxford have laid on. A thoroughly successful and enjoyable day is had by all.
© Johnskibeat

Click here to see my review in the Local Secrets online magazine...

Clubbing: Generator @ Kambar, Cambridge

Following five days hard labour, the weekend is finally here and what better way is there to let off steam than to dance until you drop? Tonight's club of choice is Generator at the Kambar located opposite the Corn Exchange Box Office.

A quick look on their website reveals that the Kambar is housed in a Grade I listed building made up of beams salvaged from wrecked sailing ships dating back to 1624. In its long history, the building has been used as a butcher's, a tea shop, private housing and a restaurant.

Tonight it's a nightclub run by husband and wife team, Richard & Sue Reynolds, and a very successful one judging from the number of revellers inside. Kambar regular, DJ Neil Ogden, is on the decks playing a mix of punk, pop and rock. The music ranges from oldies like Velvet Underground and Joy Division, through The Smiths and The Cure right up to present day anthems from The Killers and The White Stripes.

The décor isn't quite what you'd find in any other nightclub, mainly a dirty brown, with most of those ship's beams still poking through, some coated in anti-vandal paint, and the furniture looks like it fell off the back of a lorry. Then there's the bar which is replete with cans, not a pint glass in sight. Shots come in those little plastic cups you get out of vending machines.

Some may go so far as to describe this place as a "dive" but this place isn't short of supporters. In fact a good share of tonight's clientele pay the Kambar a visit at least once a week to let their hair down. The alcohol is cheaper than most of Cambridge's other clubs (I heartily recommend the Sex On The Beach), the music's treble isn't drowned out by the bass, the entry fee is a mere £3, and there's no dress code (barring the ridiculous).

Song of the night goes to The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" which has me bouncing around linking arms with smiling strangers. I think this may be the moment when I understand what the Kambar is all about - being yourself. I spend half the night slumped in a bean-bag tapping my foot to the music and chatting with friends, and the other half throwing shapes to all my favourites. All because that's just what I felt like doing. I'll certainly be back to do more of what I feel like in the future.

© Johnskibeat

Commissioned by the Local Secrets online magazine...

Sport: The Copyright Cup 2007

If I said I was playing in the Copyright Cup would you know what I was talking about? The name needs some explanation I feel.

Well, several months ago now eleven librarians from the National Library of Scotland (NLS) went in to their closets and each removed a pair of old, battered and, no doubt mud-encrusted, football boots. This innocent gesture began a chain of events that ended up in the NLS inviting three other copyright libraries to join them in Edinburgh for a magnificent tournament of football.

So it was on Friday 1st June 2007 that several football-obsessed Cambridge University librarians, one being myself, caught the 10:33 from Cambridge bound for bonnie Scotland and an exhausting weekend of advancing inter-library relations.

The Pear Tree on West Nicolson Street became the initial destination where all four teams met up for the draw. An event perceived by many as a chance to judge their opponents varying levels of fitness. First impressions were that there were more of those taller and younger than us and fewer not so.

As Ireland drew Scotland and England drew Wales out of the hat roars and groans went up. The Welsh were feared – any side with their own kit and team bus must be good. Friendships were immediately struck up, however, and all were quick to learn that this was a tournament not to be taken lightly.

Saturday began with a pre-match stroll up local landmark Arthur’s Seat. Halfway-up it became apparent that this wasn’t our best idea ever. 823 feet later and with aching bones, a muddle of chastened Cantabrigians steadily descended back to base-camp.

Not an hour later and all were heading for Peffermill Playing Fields and the semi-final play-offs. Team photos were taken and then anthems were sung (some National, some alternative) and the games commenced.

First game up for Cambridge was Wales and this proved to be a particularly tricky proposition. A well-drilled defensive unit of Siam Bhayro, Angela Pittock, Tim Cruickshank and Angela Fitzpatrick, thwarted many a Welsh attack but as the reds domination began to tell it became apparent that the breakthrough would come. Goalkeeper, Robin James, was making incredible save after incredible save and at half-time the score remained 0-0 and a well-earned breather for the Cambridge defence.

Second half began with the Welsh pushing their enormous centre-back, Huw Bonner into an attacking midfield role. Within minutes he’d made two searing runs into the box and the score was 2-0, one a towering header from a pinpoint cross on the right and the other a defence-splitting dribble and shot. Nothing for it then but to push more players forward in search of that elusive CUL shot at goal. And it worked. Two weak shots came in from Tim Cruickshank and John Clarke. One easily scooped up by the NLW keeper and one way over the bar. But at least the Welsh goal had been threatened. Ultimately though, the extra gaps at the back meant clearer NLW attacks and at the final whistle the score was 4-0 to the boys and girls from the valleys. Despite the long faces, we all agreed that the cheerleading CUL substitutes Chris Bell, Eleonore Migiet, Rachel Marsh and Claire Murnin, plus WAGs Louise and Hazel, had made the most noise and had kept the team going with their continuous chanting. Naturally, we claimed a moral victory for this reason.

Rushing across to find out the result of the other match we learned that Scotland had triumphed over Ireland 3-1. So tomorrow’s matches, to be played consecutively would be England v Ireland in the third-place play-off, and Scotland v Wales in the final.

After quick showers and some more bonding at the bar, it was off to the Ceilidh. Held at the Counting House, next door to the Pear Tree, there waited an array of food, drinks & a full Ceilidh band which gave the teams a chance to let their hair down and dispel the myth of the finger-wagging timid librarian once and for all. Kilts were worn with pride by a few Scots which added a real sense of national pride to the occasion. Cambridge got stuck into the ceilidh dancing enthusiastically and soon picked many of the intricate steps involved to their own and their team-mates astonishment. As the evening drew to a close all agreed it was a wonderful way to spend a night out in Edinburgh.

The morning of the last matches began with drawn faces and aching limbs; team-mates comparing bruises and minutes of sleep gained. A hearty breakfast soon revived spirits (those that had plumped for the haggis on the first morning chose something a little less adventurous) and the walk down to the ground was a lively one. A full warm-up was needed to remove the aches and then it was straight into the battle to avoid the wooden-spoon.

Ireland began brightly but soon it was England who began to dominate possession. Suddenly, the goal was in sight and a deft through-ball led to skipper Richard Young controlling in the area and side-footing adroitly into the net. 1-0 to the CUL. The celebrations were more an outpouring of relief than anything else. To leave without scoring in the tournament would have been a complete failure. Little were we to know that this match would contain eight excellent goals! Ireland equalised and then took the lead with their star-player, Stephen Hanaphy, causing havoc when pushing forward. The half-time whistle went and a rousing Cambridge team-talk ensued. “We can win this but we have to stay focussed”, was one cry.

Suddenly we were off again with inter-library loan officer, John Clarke, pushed deeper to midfield-enforcer, and manuscript fetcher, Ian Pittock, moved to the wing. This was working. More Cambridge pressure, a wicked Tim Cruickshank dribble, a late run and deft header from Clarke and it was 2-2. But, alas, Ireland forced it down the left wing and crossed for 3-2. Immediately, Charlie Cruickshank picked it up in midfield, went past two, nay three, defenders and blasted it into the Irish net. 3-3. But, woe of woes, poor tracking from Clarke and the team from Dublin had another. 4-3. With time ebbing away, a steaming run from Andrew Alexander and a pass into Jez Cruickshank’s feet and suddenly their was an opening. Jez looked up, a good 20 yards out, turned and blasted it high and wide to the keeper’s left for 4-4. The crowd screamed and hollered. What a match. As the final whistle blew Cambridge celebrated the draw like a victory. Bronze medals all round and a split wooden spoon which quickly went walkabouts.

So, to the final. I’d love to say this was the beautiful game at its finest, but I’d be lying. The Welsh humbled the poor Scots and despite a few attacks down the right from the boys and girls in blue it was an all-red walk-over. Camwy MacDonald banged in two, Huw Bonner lifted his tournament tally to three and two Welsh penalties were missed. The crowd cheered and booed in all the wrong places and the National Library of Wales rode out deserved winners 4-0.

The weekend ended with speeches in the bar. The NLW captain said how he was chuffed to bits to be hosting the next Copyright Cup and promised to make us all as welcome as the NLS had made us feel. Rachel Edwards, the organiser, thanked everyone for attending and making the event a complete success and all teams responded in kind by thanking her for making it more enjoyable than they could ever have imagined. Richard Young, the Cambridge captain, said “It is an honour for the CUL to be part of the first Copyright Cup, and this can only be good for public relations between the copyright libraries. I'm very proud of all my players, who have trained hard over the last 5 months to be ready for the tournament and we can't wait for Wales next year”.
Hear, hear.
© Johnskibeat

Click here to read the heavily edited version of my report on the University of Cambridge website...

Tags: cambridge college copyright cup dublin edinburgh football ireland library national scotland trinity university wales