As you may or may not know, depending on whether a) you like us or b) you care, we have a glorious new site where you can reach us. Please please please check it out and tell us what you think. At the moment, only the articles from here are on it, but there will be updates tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. So do check it out, and comment. The site is http://www.popculturemonster.com/ or alternatively click here. Look at that for tech savvy!! :D Happy surfing guys.

Oh AND... Follow us on Twitter and tell your friends too @PopCultMonster

--PopCultureMonster /Ciarán

So, if you live under a rock or weren’t on Twitter last night, you wouldn’t know that the Oscars happened. Well they did, and what an Oscars they were – there were a few records set! By hosting standards, Alec and Steve were okay. They weren’t great though. A lot of their stuff was very forced and not very funny and Alec developed a seriously annoying habit of clapping into his mic at the very start.

Firstly, Neil Patrick Harris’ opener was good, but not as good as Hugh Jackman’s last year. The acceptance speeches this year were pretty succinct, and quite pleasing to hear which makes a change. There wasn’t too many cringe worthy acceptance moments. Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech for her Best Actress award for The Blind Side was particularly good. She didn’t stay very long on stage, made a joke at the end and didn’t blubber into the mic like an idiot for the whole time (see Halle Berry c. 2001). However one of the worst was Sandy Powell, who won Best Costume Design for The Young Victoria, who gave a very narcissistic, conceited speech, bragging “I already have two of these.”

Meryl Streep took all of the gibes in good spirits, which was good to see, and Avatar didn’t win any major awards, which was even better to see. Avatar is all sparkle, no substance and has made more money than God. Let that comfort Jim on a cold night when Katherine is cuddled up with all her little gold men.

Which brings me to The Hurt Locker, the stand out above everything winner of this year. It won both Best Picture and Best Director for Katherine Bigelow, who became the only woman to have ever won an Academy Award for Best Director. It also won another 4 awards, bringing it to a total of 6 of its 9 nominations.

The tributes were cringe worthy, which was in-keeping with Oscar tradition. And there will also be backlash for the dead-list, which included Michael Jackson not well known for his acting, and left off Farrah Fawcett, only known for her acting. Oh, and her hair. James Taylor sang the tribute song over the montage which wasn’t moving at all, as it was a bad song sung badly. The worst part of the night was the montage of selected pieces of the nominations from the Best Original Score category. A dance troupe did interpretive dancing to the pieces and they couldn’t have got it more wrong. It was more like a rejects dance from Britain’s Got Talent. Don’t get me wrong, the dancing was good, it was the interpretation that needed a lot of work.

The big wins of the night were as follows:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Katherine Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Best Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal

Best Adapted Screenplay: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, Geoffrey Fletcher

Best Animated Feature: Up, Pete Docter

Overall, common sense prevailed at this year’s awards ceremony (looking at you, Avatar) and the night continued without any major glitches. It lasted a very respectable 3hrs 37mins. And Pop Culture Monster would like to extend our congratulations to Katherine Bigelow.

Just as a disclaimer: I love social networking. I am an advocate of it. I practice it a lot, and have done for several years. But this is really interesting to think about.

Facebook? Twitter? Omegle? I am almost positive that you’ve heard of at least one of these sites, if not them all. One is the biggest social networking site online, one is fast becoming the biggest social networking site online, is the last a place where you can chat anoynmously to absolute strangers. Yes, there is the whole problem of, you know, complete pervs on there and that it is completely unsafe for children. But, having said that, the possibilities on this site are endless.

On the internet, we create a utopian society made up of people we like. But without a hetrogenous society, we create difficulties. Cass Sunstein asks us “Is the Internet a wonderful development for democracy?”. He believes it is in many ways, but there is downsides to this wonderful invention, however. He continues, “in the midst of the celebration, I want to raise a note of caution. I do so by emphasizing [sic] one of the most striking powers provided by emerging technologies: the growing power of consumers to "filter" what they see. As a result of the Internet and other technological developments, many people are increasingly engaged in a process of "personalization" [sic] that limits their exposure to topics and points of view of their own choosing.” So in this respect, social networks are very fine examples of how to show this idea in practice.

We can choose who to add as friends, reject or accept those who do, follow who we choose, speak to whom we wish to speak – and all these people are generally who we have things in common with, otherwise we wouldn’t interact with them would we? Essentially, we isolate ourselves. This is where we are more comfortable or assured, and we practice what’s known as group polarisation. We aren’t exposed to points of view which necessarily differ from our own and therefore we are never challenged. And in this sense, the internet produces narrowness, as opposed to breadth. We have a dramatic increase in choice and control, and a decrease in the power of things where we don’t choose that are in say newspapers for example.

The reason I write this blog post now is I recently discovered Omegle, and it got me thinking about the idea of choice and power. I was told, “you are now chatting with a stranger. Say hi!” and then, if I didn’t like that stranger, I could simply disconnect and move on. At first I found myself giving these “strangers” a lot more of my time than I should have, I was reluctant to just disconnect on someone for fear of offending them. Then I started to think, hey they haven’t got a clue who I am, and this conversation does not reflect badly on me nor them so, what if I disconnect? What if I’m an asshole to this person? So I disconnected within the first couple of seconds if they didn’t grab me with anything interesting (on a side note, hi asl? is not interesting. Ever.) I have to say I have had the most random, funny and altogether disturbing conversations with absolute strangers. You wouldn’t have such conversations as you do on here in real life for fear of being judged, or offending. So why do we do it on the Internet? ‘Cus it’s fun.

Cass Sunstein's article "The Daily We" which inspired this blog post is available here.

Dollhouse, Joss Whedon and why TV is doomed...

Jim Morrison. Heath Ledger. TV series by Joss Whedon: What are “Things that were snuffed out before their time”? Correct.

Apparently in the age of Big Brother, The Apprentice and The X Factor there is no place in this world for intelligent and well crafted programming and no man knows this better than Whedon; his latest casualty being Dollhouse.

For some time now it has been clear that smart, sexy sci-fi does not sit well with network executives. With reality shows being a license to print money, properly funded and well-written television often falls by the wayside. But what was it in particular that brought about the fall of Dollhouse?

Several factors contributed to the show’s demise; the first being the timeslot. The “Friday Night Death Slot”, as it has been dubbed, is where TV shows are sent to die. So it says so much about Fox’s opinion of the Mutant Enemy penned series that it started off in the graveyard slot. It says even more that despite the show proving strong in the DVR ratings that, rather than try to relocate it (as Sci-Fi did with an ailing Battlestar Galactica), the network’s knee-jerk reaction was to cancel the season midway through its second season.

The second reason for the untimely demise seems to have been the complex subject matter. On the surface Dollhouse is a sci-fi series about superhuman, programmable people, with all of the prerequisites thereof: fighting, explosions, slick technology. Although, it’s not quite that simple. The real concepts with which Dollhouse deals are relationships, the morality of power and the notion of the soul. One of the core threads of the series is the idea that while the Dolls’ personalities are continuously erased and reloaded, there is an aspect of their humanity that cannot be erased, a part of them that cannot be removed. Additionally the series frequently makes reference to the idea that the Dollhouse is a kind of brothel, with actives being deployed on romantic engagements as well as action-packed assignments. The consideration of these subjects are extremely ambitious for such a series and may have proved too much for some viewers, who prefer their morals black-and-white and their sci-fi candescent.

The show’s Mutant Enemy writing staff – with major new input from Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon – addressed mature and complex subjects skillfully and subtly. The cast lacked a weak link and every one brought depth and likeability to their characters.

Which brings me to my conclusion: Television is doomed. If smart, well produced programming is to be written off at the first sign of trouble then it can’t be long before Simon Cowell is master of the universe and people have to perform on talent shows for the right to survive. If you think it would make a good post-apocalyptic-Logan’s-Run-esque sci-fi series, don’t bother. Fox would only cancel it anyway.

There’s always a lot of talk of who will be the next big thing, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon so to speak and collecting my tips, and my favourite artists for 2010. Forget your Justin Bieber, blubble-gum pop, it might give you cool points with your friends to know who these people are. Especially this early in their careers. So, with that said, in no particular order, here are my tips for “Who to Watch in 2010”.

Cocknbullkid

The stage name of one Anita Blay, a very cool and very intriguing artist who is recording her debut album at the moment. Two singles were released last year, and the videos are available on youtube. Her music is essentially pop, but it has a darker more edgy sound, and often biting lyric. The production is sythy and dance orientated and should remix well should anyone do it *HINT*. An interview with Anita will be posted soon on the blog so keep checking back for details.

For the win: I’m Not Sorry – very catchy, edgy, synthpop.

Twitter @cocknbullkid

Cocknbullkid’s Myspace, Youtube.

Amasis

Probably the most eclectic mix of people I have seen in a band for a long time. But it works so well. You have African influences from the lead singers Nofe and Felix Liberty and that mixed with the sheer genius of Les Stapleton and Fergal Toohey as the songwriters, guitarists, keyboards and producers has produced an award winning mix. Possibly the only cool Pop/HipHop Irish band ever, which makes a change from the cringe inducing stuff you normally hear. This band is set for the big time, with a Meteor Award already under their belt for Most Promising Act you must watch this space. An interview with Amasis will be coming soon right here so keep your eyes peeled.

For the win: Never Yours – catchy and you can dance to it: a total club TUNE!

Twitter @amasismusic

Amasis on Facebook, Myspace, website, Youtube.

Marina and the Diamonds

Despite the name, it’s actually the brainchild of one Marina Diamandis: Welsh beauty, with a stunning voice and catchy songs to boot. She writes Pop songs, and mixes them with synthy beats and a layered backing sound, which has such an impressive sound. All that and a biting tongue, a cheeky wit, and a flair for melody? Yep, so this songstress is all set to go far. She just released her debut ablum, The Family Jewels, last week and it got the Monster treatment here. A total must see live, she’s playing Dublin in May tickets @ ticketmaster.ie.

For the win: Oh No! – HAS to be a single: a catchy, fun and cheeky track.

Twitter @MarinasDiamonds

Marina and the Diamonds on Myspace, Facebook, website, Youtube.

Yes, Giantess

Jan Rosenfeld, Zach Fried, Chase Nicholl and Joey Sulkowski, better known as Yes, Giantess are, what I would describe as, a Synth-Pop/Rock band hailing from Boston. They’ve got some really catchy stuff and play well live, and interact with their audience which is always a plus. They played the NME Radar tour in 2009 and they were one of the highlights at the night in KOKO Camden. I also managed to get my hands on a hand-made copy of the Tour EP, which has been on constant repeat on the aul iTunes since. Boo yeah! Their debut single, The Ruins is out on Neon Gold Records.

For the win: You Were Young – like MGMT, but good.

Twitter @yesgiantess

Yes, Giantess on MySpace, website, Youtube.

Two Door Cinema Club

Alex Trimble, Kev Baird and Sam Halliday make up this Northern Irish Indie/Electronica Rock band. They have a semi-original sound, due to the Electronica influences. They’re going to have a hit this year, for sure. They play The Button Factory this Saturday. Their debut album Tourist History is available on iTunes and Amazon.

For the win: Undercover Martyn – just listen.

Twitter @TDCinemaClub

Two Door Cinema Club on MySpace, Facebook, website.

Bombay Bicycle Club

With an NME Award for Best New Band, Bombay Bicycle Club are sure to do well this year. An Indie Rock band comprised of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Ed Nash and Suren de Saram. They have a sort of Artic Monkeys meets Paulo Nutini sound and their debut album was released last July to great critical, but very little commercial success.

For the win: Empty – A “get up, and get ready to go out” song. Perfect for morning train or bus journeys.

Twitter @BombayBicycle

Bombay Bicycle Club on Myspace, website.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

Yes, that is his name. Well, his real name is Sam Duckworth, but this Electroacoustic self-confessed Emo is better known by his stage name. Working with, and calling the likes of Kate Nash friends, the boy’s got a good backing already. His sound is different with every song. If I didn’t know better, I would say it is a collective of people writing and singing/producing every song. The airwaves have copped on to his sound and he’s getting quite a bit of airplay recently in the UK. Although more is needed on this side of the pond.

For the win: The Chronicals Part One - a self-relective song, about songs.

Twitter @forgetcape

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly’s MySpace.

Starting out as your average acoustic singer-songwriter, Ellie Goulding has evolved into a synth-pop, BBC Sound of 2010 and BRIT Critics’ Choice Award winner. But her debut album, Lights, is less than impressive for an artist of such critical backing. It falls short of a electro-synthpop gem, and is far too over produced to be a folk treasure.

With Starsmith’s production and with his reputation as the remixer du jour, you’re almost guaranteed a good record, which this is, but it’s just not great. Maybe it’s because Ellie’s not quite comfortable with the genre, or maybe she just needs to grow a little as an artist first. It just seems to me that the record is a little premature.

The singles, Under The Sheets and Starry Eyed are possibly the best pop/dance tracks on the record. The piano driven ballad The Writer is beautiful, and has a glossy feel to it and a good remix would really make it shine. Wish I Stayed and Everytime You Go are in my opinion the best tracks on the record. I’m sure Ellie’s music will feature on Grey’s Anatomy at some stage through the season, it feels like it will lend itself well to a Grey’s Anatomy sad moment.

Ellie’s voice fits nicely into the dainty, puckish sound of the likes of Joanna Newsom. But her voice, unfortunately, cannot carry the weight of this record alone. It’s no Lungs or The Family Jewels, but we’ll see what the future holds for her, she is still very young.

5.) Barry Burton - Resident Evil

"Hope this is not... Chris's blood"

Barry Burton. Where to begin? The man is responsible for most, if not all, of the worst lines of videogame dialogue ever. From the outset, Barry guarantees RE's laughs as will be as memorable as its scares.

"Jill, here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the Master of Unlocking, take it with you"

Unfortunately his hilarity was obviously an oversight on Capcom's part as the remake sees the removal of this and other sidesplitters. Don't worry Barry, you can always come around to mine for some Jill Sandwiches.

4.) Gilgamesh - Final Fantasy V

"Enough expository banter! Now we fight like men! And ladies! And ladies who dress like men! For Gilgamesh...it is morphing time!"

At number 4, we have everybody's favourite anti-villain; Gilgamesh. Appearing in no less than ten games of the SquareEnix series, he is the most featured character in the FF universe. In fact, he has proved so popular that Dawn of Souls was updated to include him. That being said his standout appearance is in FFV as Exdeath's lackey. The many-armed-man brings with him the best laughs in the game, and even the series.

" I was wrong, I cannot fight four people... [casts Haste, Shell and Safe on himself, then jumps] ... HA! Did you really believe me?"

After a brief departure from comedy he returns to form in FFXII, pleasing die-hard fans by producing swords belonging to the heroes of the past few installments and running about the Lhusu Mines, cackling maniacally.

3.) Redmond - Whiplash

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Okay, so nobody thought all that much of Whiplash. The gameplay maybe be repetitive 3D platform all the way, but I defy you to say that you didn't laugh the first time you shoved Redmond into a grinder. Or used him as a flail. Or a grappling hook. Or set him on fire... and used him as a flail. Puerile cruelty at it's finest.

2.) Guybrush Threepwood - Monkey Island Series

"Oh there's a monkey in my pocket, and he's stealing all my change..."

Of all of the game protagonists over the past few decades, no one of them has captured hearts like Gorbrush Thiftweed. The loveable pirate with the impossible name turns 20 this year but Monkey Island's writing hasn't aged a day. From the first outing in The Secret of Monkey Island to the recent Tales of Monkey Island (being released episodically on Windows, Wii and Mac),

the lanky blonde rogue has never failed to satisfy.

Haggis McMutton: Me given name is 'Heart-Liver-And-Kidneys-Boiled-In-The-Stomach-Of-The-Animal McMutton.'

Guybrush Threepwood: Oh, so your parents were expecting a girl, then.

God bless him and all who sail in him.

1.) GLaDOS - Portal

"Cake, followed by grief counseling, will be available at the end of the testing period. "

Finally, at number 1: She's psychotic, she's evil, she is a stroke of comedic genius. It is the one and only GLaDOS. Yes, the sadistic Apperture Science Mainframe is the crowning glory in the videogame comedy crown. She's a manipulative liar with a penchant for incineration and baked goods, but you can't help but love her. Every line is designed to lull you into the most transparent sense of security as you make your way through the Enrichment Centre to the promised Cake. If she were human she'd invariably have a top hat and twirly moustache.

"Have I lied to you... I mean, in this room?"

So, with that I'll let the lady (?) herself sing us out of the Top 5 Funniest Videogame Characters.

Spoiler warning:

It’s always hard to choose the best new TV to watch with all the season premiere’s happening this time of year. You have the old faithfuls: your Soaps; Friends re-runs, which happen to be finishing this year – there is a God; The Simpsons. But, when it comes to choosing new shows, it boils down to either, a) you get into a really good, unmissable show or b) you lose an hour of your life on some complete horse…you get the picture. So, really, it’s not worth the risk. This is why I have compiled my recommendations of the unmissible television of the coming year.

There’s one name on everyone’s lips these days – Glee. Now, although Glee has proved to be a good bit of light entertainment, it hasn’t proved to have much substance and gets caught-up a little too much in the songs as if the writers forgot there’s supposed to be a story linking them. Lea Michelle, who plays Rachel, is fantastically annoying in the good way, you can’t help but like her. With such an amazing voice, which she can adapt to sing every song, she is the stand out member of the cast. Other stand out members include Jane Lynch, the fabulously devious cheerleader coach and Jayma Mays the neurotic, mysophobic and über-cute guidance counsellor.

Cougar Town, starring ex-Friends star Courteney Cox and starting on Living in March, has garnered a lot of attention since its Stateside premiere in September. It’s brash, vulgar and a bit cheeky, but with waning viewers, it probably won’t last past two series and you should catch it while you can. It has a great cast, and really pokes fun at an ever-rising part of the populace – the divorcée. Cox is excellent as the main character, and the supporting cast is very good. It’s not really one for the boys, but it’s sure to be a big hit with women all over the country.

Probably the best television series to come from the US in years is Weeds. The series revolves around the exploits of a potdealing, newly widowed woman trying to raise her children in a seriously luxurious, and apparently inhibited town in suburbia. It might not sound particularly interesting, but no blurb could really do it justice. It is the highest rating show on the Showtime network, and hasn’t failed to please over its five-season tenure. The cast is unbelievably brilliant, not a single weak link in it, particularly the younger members. It’s completely politically incorrect, hilariously funny and grippingly dramatic must-see TV. It has won countless awards for both the cast and the writers, and is set to have at least another season. It hasn’t really caught on over this side of the pond, Sky1 have shown it, but if you can get your hands on it, I thoroughly recommend it.

Nothing has had a quite as successful a run as Doctor Who. Returning from the abyss in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston and then the ever-popular David Tennant, the show has seen a revival like never before. A must-see for all sci-fi and non-sci-fi fans alike, the show has carved-out a once forgotten timeslot of sit-down-with-the-whole-family style television. With an unforgettable theme tune, a virtuoso writing team and a stellar cast over the years, the show has spawned a huge following of super fans, and doesn’t look like it’s going to decline when Matt Smith takes over the role this Easter.

The best of the rest include House MD, Hugh Laurie in his hugely successful role as a maverick genius diagnostician is into its sixth season and will be showing soon on Sky1: great for post dinner/glass of wine. The Big Bang Theory is a fine replacement for the Friends re-runs that are finishing this year. It’s about a group of four genii and a girl, and although the idea is a bit clichéd, it is actually very funny. Castle is proving to be a good dramedy, and already has a second season. Nathan Fillion of Buffy/Firefly fame plays a crime novelist who is employed by the NYPD to help solve murders, which are copycats of those portrayed in his novels. Gossip Girl is a superb teen drama. It’s about a group of filthy rich upper-East-Siders in Manhattan, whose exploits are gossiped about by the anonymous blogger "Gossip Girl". Although it's a total guilty pleasure, it is bitchy, dark and almost painfully funny at times. Skins is probably the best UK teen drama of the last ten years. Into its fourth season and the first run of the complete cast overhaul, it hasn’t lost any of its spark or failed to shock its viewers.

Keep your eyes peeled for: Better off Ted, a sitcom starring Portia De Rossi of Ally McBeal and Arrested Development fame. Set in the offices of a fictional callous technology company. It is superbly surreal and sports a great cast.

And of course, Dollhouse, another great show from the unbelievably gifted Joss Whedon with Eliza Dushku. Already cancelled by Fox, surprise surprise, it has twoseasons and has been shown on Sci-Fi. It is intelligent, philosophical and superbly written, which, combined with a terrible Friday timeslot, is probably why it was cancelled. It follows a corporation running an underground establishment, known as the Dollhouse, and group of ‘Dolls’ as they are imprinted with other people’s personalities and skills and rented by rich people for all kinds of business. Everything eventually goes awry and as the plot line becomes so convoluted you can't help but watch. The first season is already available on DVD and the second season will be released sometime this year.

It has been a very successful year for Marina Diamandis, aka Marina and the Diamonds, an indie-pop songstress hailing from fair Wales. Tipped for to hit the big time this year, Diamandis started out as many of the new generation of successful acts do: on MySpace. She sold copies of her EP online, and was soon discovered by a music scout which subsequently got her discovered by a major record label.

Fast forward a year and a half, and Marina is playing at huge music festivals in the UK and Ireland, headlining at the NME Radar Tour, being plugged by the likes of Kanye West, shortlisted for BBC Sound of 2010 and selling out dates of her own headlining tour across the UK, Ireland and the US – all before the release of her debut album.

I got a chance to preview her album, The Family Jewels, this week and I have to admit it has really blown me away. It is the perfect mix of indie-pop, catchy hooks and stellar lyrics. A woman with opinions and a sharp-tongued wit to boot, the album is a narrative of sorts, and takes you on a musical journey through the mind of a young woman who is not afraid to broach the subjects of politics, sexuality and body issues.

Her voice can be compared to Kate Bush or Annie Lennox. Her delivery is very staccato and emphasises certain syllables quite unashamedly, but it works. I do believe, not unlike Florence and the Machine, that Marina’s voice lends itself more to live shows than to the recording studio. However, that is where the comparison ends for me. Piano based anthems like Obsessions will have the swaying lighters out, with its delicate musicality. And the more upbeat tracks like Shampain will make it hard for you to sit still or not sing along.

“Oh My God, you look just like Shakira! No, no you’re Catherine Zeta. Actually, my name’s Marina.” She exclaims in her already successful current single Hollywood, where she pokes fun at reception she received in LA. A very confident young woman who already has a quasi-diva attitude that will be sure to make her a hit Stateside. An all-round slick piece of work, this is sure to be one of the musical high points of the year if not of the past few years.

The highlights of this album have to be Oh No!, Mowgli’s Road and Girls which will have you singing along in no time. Marina is playing a nation-wide tour from now until May, but the gigs are selling out fast so make sure you’re quick to get your hands on tickets before they’re all gone. Her MySpace page myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds has a stream of the album, and the CD version is to be released on Monday 22.

Verdict: A glitzy, glamourous, well-presented pop album. A highlight of the year for sure.

Rating: 4.5/5

Follow Marina on Twitter @twitter.com/MarinasDiamonds

This week's X10 saw the unveiling of the first screens of the much anticipated Fable III. Speaking at the conference, Lionhead's Peter Molyneux discussed the influences and features of the series' third installment.

"Fable III is all about power", claims Molyneux. The goal of Fable III is to immerse the player in a world in which their actions have global consequences. As the ruler of Albion, the player takes on their greatest responsibility yet. Molyneux cites Barack Obama as being one of the primary influences on the development of the story, with much of the focus lying in the promises of power.

However, the game's features go further into this exploration of power with the additon of the new weapon and 'dynamic touch' systems.

The game's weapon system has been modified to allow for complete customisation of the player's equipment. Leading on from Fable II's Augment System, players will be able to design their weapon down to "the curve of the blade".

The 'dynamic touch' system is also to revolutionise the way in which the player interacts with the world. Situation and character sensitive triggers are designed to increase the tactile feel of Albion and provide a more immersive experience.

Molyneux has also commented on the health and levelling system of Fable III, stating that the game will take them in a more organic direction. Following in the footsteps of games like Fallout 3, Lionhead plan to evolve the character in the world, rather than in a 2D menu. In another shake-up, the new game will see the ommission of a healthbar, with Molyneux stating that they would "do what FPSs do and use the world as a healthbar".

All of these features come in the wake of Fable II having, "Too many gimmicks and not enough features". A problem which Lionhead plans on rectifying with the newest chapter in Albion's history.

Will they succeed? Well, with a projected holiday release, we'll have a while to wait and see.

Myself and three friends booked tickets to see Phantom for the 5th of January 2010, and should have taken the adverse weather as the first sign that we should have stayed at home.

Firstly, I should say that our seats were perfect. We were front row of the Dress circle and the view could simply not have been better. On taking our seats we could not help but notice how impressive the set looked even pre-show. Unfortunately, the problems only started after the show had begun.

After showing initial promise with some very impressive effects, it soon became apparent that the cast was not able to keep up with the set. They were outdone by every other department working on the show. It is, in a word, spectacular, by which I mean that it is all spectacle. Wardrobe, lighting, the set and the orchestra were all very appealing but the cast and direction completely floundered.

The staging was clumsy with actors spending much of the show wandering the stage looking as if they couldn't find a mark and even when they did their delivery was sub-standard. I know this is musical theatre and that perhaps it requires more suspension of disbelief than other theatre, but in this case the only thing that could have suspended my disbelief was if you sentenced it to life. Phantom and Christine were unconvincing and overworked, while Raoul fell into the usual trap of being a charisma vacuum. The supporting cast frankly just seemed happy to be there.

Phantom's 23 years have led to it becoming stagnant. It needs a reason to be kept going; new energy and fervour. As it is, it plays like the West End's granddad on life support, while there are young, vibrant shows out there in Theatreland. Come on Phantom, people need a reason not to pull the plug.

Love Never Dies... but sometimes you wish it would.

With the Academy Awards just around the corner, I thought I’d give you the low-down on what’s what at this year’s ceremony. This year's show will be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin with presentations from a host of stars including Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Steve Carell and Sacha Baron Cohen. This year, Avatar and The Hurt Locker lead the way with 9 nominations each and Meryl Streep gets her 16th nod, which puts her as the most nominated actor in the history of the Oscars.

With that said, I think The Hurt Locker is set to gain the most wins from its nominations.

It’s pretty much sure to net Best Director for Katherine Bigelow, and the Cinematography and Editing awards. It will probably win Best Picture which will be another kick in the teeth for James Cameron, Katherine Bigelow’s ex-husband who had a very disappointing performance and this years BAFTA’s and had to watch Katherine’s flick pick-up 6 of its 8 nominations. Avatar will obviously get the Visual Effects award, but I think/hope that’s all it nets.

But with 10 films nominated in the Best Picture category this year it could be a bit of a surprise. If I were to hazzard a guess at what that surprise win might be, I’d pick An Education.

It’s a stellar British movie with the screenplay by Nick Hornby and starring Carey Mulligan, who picked up the BAFTA for Best Actress this week, Peter Sarsgaard and Olivia Williams.

The Best Actor in a Leading Role will probably go to Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, who has four previous nominations and no wins and it’ll be about time he gets it.

Or it could go to Colin Firth for A Single Man, who picked up the BAFTA this week for the same role. A Single Man is written and directed by Tom Ford, noted fashion designer and is a “gay role”, which the Academy always awards (see Sean Penn Milk).

Best Actress in a Leading Role is set to go to Sandra Bullock, who looks like she's going to appear to pick up her Razzie award the night before. However, Carey Mulligan gave a sensational performance in An Education as the young girl coming-of-age (another Academy favourite).

Christopher Waltz or Matt Damon could walk away with an award for Best Supporting Actor, and it looks like Mo’Nique’s performance in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire could net her the Best Supporting Actress award. Althoug, it wouldn’t be unlikely that Vera Farmiga or Anna Kendrick could win for Up in the Air.

Best Animated Feature Film is really between Up and The Princess and the Frog, one a Pixar creation, the other a hark back to the old day Disney with hand-drawn animation. My money is on Up, but my hopes rest on The Princess and the Frog.

Best Screenplay (Adapted)in my opinion should go to An Education, and definitely not Up in the Air because as Jason Reitman shows us again, he cannot write endings with the film really fizzling out with the last half hour to go. Best Screenplay (Original) will go to either Up or The Hurt Locker. It’s hard to tell. Up is a vary daring piece of Disney, which deals with the more heartbreaking and depressing side of life, and The Hurt Locker is such an epic piece of filmmaking.

We'll have to see tomorrow night who gets what, but as always it will be nice to see such deserved wins.