Move over Quentin Letts with your acerbic take on the worlds Z list. Even the Daily Wail's readers comments online thought you were a little caustic, although very funny of course, which is what you were supposed to have been. People really do take life too seriously don't they? And of course seriously, we are all going to become, if you haven't already, as 2012 dear tweepers, bloggers and readers will be one hell of a year. Economic world downturn, wars raging and everyone wanting to 'have a go' at Iran.
Property prices predicted to fall a little in 2012 by industry experts, although they are cautiously hedging their bets as none of them are really too sure about the world to be honest and Prime Central London is almost bomb proof (with much talk of the £10,000 per sq ft lateral in the near distance) as very little new property comes onto the market. With many more billions of daft people being born into the world and wandering around the globe, than in previous recessions. Perhaps with the reports of Amazon selling approx 1 million Kindles every day on line in the run up to Christmas, we should all bury our heads in our new devices and cast away into our own Victorian worlds, to celebrate Charles Dickens's bicentenary, reading all the great man's novels and wishing nasty things away.
So in this last blog of mine for 2011, whilst I could write reams on 2011, whatever is the point? Everyone has lived and breathed the year literally, metaphorically and through all forms of media till they are blue in their asbo Footlocker faces. Instead, my top 10 items of 2011 that I feel are worth being mentioned over the past formidable 12 months:
1. Forget the pampered Duke of Edinburgh being the pre-historic Telegraph's man of the year, nice chap, and he has done well to get this far in the line of duty. But, by far and away the man of the year award, if there exists such a thing, should be awarded to Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian fruit seller, who burnt himself to death and sparked revolt across the Arab world. He has changed the world as we know it forever.
2. We should stop thinking that Africa is only about AIDS, starving children & corruption and look on the positives, especially with more women prime ministers and leaders there which should be encouraged and the only way forward whilst the old tyrants die off with old age.
3. After initially thinking David Cameron a bit of a killjoy on Europe, perhaps it was right that he said F You as we know that our pasta & foie gras munching friends are seriously jealous of London and The City. However, my worry is that he hasn't enough depth or genuine charisma for plan B, which of course is to cosy up to the BRICS. Anyone in the Cabinet besties with Russia & pet puss Putin? No thought not, unless there is another inside mole a la Tinker Tailor.
4. Yotam Ottolenghi, not only should be given his own series after the wonderful BBC4's Jerusalem on a Plate programme, but he could single handedly sort out the Israeli/Palestinian peace process through his love of food & recipes.
5. Want a laugh with all the serious woes in the world, get down to Bunga Bunga on Battersea Bridge Road for a hysterical look at the world of Silvio Berlusconi.
6. Dominic Strauss-Kahn, how we hoped you were innocent as most ladies found something secretly fascinating and sexy about you and wondered if you really were an old hair puller.
7. Sorry almost forgot the Royal Wedding, although god it was dull. The other royal wedding in Monaco was much more interesting, if only to see the spaced out anxious bride's face - poor girl - it was difficult to know whether she was going to be able to stand up straight for the duration.
8. Mark Rylance in Jerusalem, amazing, amazing, amazing, the best British actor of our generation. Frankenstein at The National Theatre a very close 2nd to best acted play of the year.
9. Best new restaurant goes to The Delaunay.
10. Last but not least, R.I.P. the beyond bright and wonderful Christopher Hitchens. I could have dedicated an entire blog to him, but am too busy re-reading his articles and books and viewing his brilliant debates on You Tube & the Intelligent Squared website to do so. Who would of thought that within days, Hitch and Vaclav Havel would have died. Surely they picked the third from whichever party (probably a re-run of Truman Capote's 1966 Black & White Ball known as the best party ever) they were having a scream at, choosing the next to join them in a pin the tail on the donkey kind of way we hope to set the scene in our heads. The tail fell on Kim Jong-Il, our dear leader, to be the next famous person to hit the buffers. All in the week that the Guardian announced that they were cutting their obituaries - terrible timing.
Cultural and not so cultural treats to look forward to in 2012, aside from the blasted Olympics - book your seats now:
1. Spending hours at the cinema catching up on the pre-Oscar season, let's start with The Artist & The Iron Lady firstly;
2. Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia - on BBC1 New Year's Day - just to see how much it has changed & of course love Cumberbatch;
3. Art - what a year, have already done Leonardo old news. David Hockney & Lucian Freud at Royal Academy, Picasso & Modern British Art at Tate Britain, Damien Hirst & Edvard Munch (obv not together!) at Tate Modern, Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton at the V&A.
4. Radio 4 just gets better and better. First people choke on their between Christmas & New Year late breakfasts to female masturbation being discussed on Women's Hour and then guest editors with Tracey Emin again on the Today programme get everyone in a tiffy - so much better than TV and you learn so much more;
5. Theatre - Jaime Winstone appears in Sex with a Stranger and Agyness Deyn in her acting debut in The Leisure Society both at the Trafalgar Studios. Patrick Stewart in Bingo at The Young Vic. Royal Court Theatre - everything,
6. Cate Blanchett in Gross und Klein at The Barbican.
7. Simon Rattle & Nigel Kennedy at the Royal Festival Hall. Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela sold out months ago, bugger.
8. I think the Hay, Althorp & Cheltenham Festivals this year rather than the wonderful but been there done it five times Port Eliot, in times of austerity and seriousness.
9. Books - Lionel Asbo by Martin Amis in July promises to be his most noxious anti-hero yet.
10. Happy New Year everyone & hope your list of New Year's Resolutions suit you well. One of mine is not to watch X-Factor. After all my cultural highlights, can you not afford me a little low-brow entertainment?!
No comments:
Post a Comment