Crane Merchandising Systems will unveil a new vending machine platform at the National Automatic Merchandising Association's OneShow this month in Las Vegas. The line features integrated cashless payment capability, wireless and Ethernet network access and contemporary user interface options, all "right out of the box."
The company is the vending and payment business unit of Crane Co. (Stamford, CT), with offices in Bridgeton, MO, and manufacturing facilities in Williston, SC. Crane explained that the Media concept was developed to bring the experience of shopping at vending machines in line with the expectations and desires of today's consumers.
The next-generation line of snack, cold beverage and food venders will be marketed under the "Media" brand. The series has been conceived to chart a new course in machine design that will deliver a more engaging, rewarding and reliable customer experience.
"The solution is long overdue," said Tom Edwards, Crane Merchandising Systems vice-president of global food and beverage initiatives. "It answers a need by being built around the consumer, who has never been linked into the equation effectively."
The new vending platform is the culmination of three years of development inspired by NAMA research that identified lack of consumer confidence in vending as a root cause of declines in same-store sales in recent years. Consumers cited high product cost, low value, worn and dirty machines and the lack of cashless acceptance, among factors that deterred them from using vending machines.
"We built the Media platform to attack those issues and to help restore consumer confidence," Edwards said. He added that the goals of the new equipment offering align with those of NAMA's Industry Growth Strategy, which aims to revitalize vending by engaging 18- to 27-year-old "Gen Y" consumers, communicating a positive message and changing obsolete paradigms.
"Media represents revolutionary change in technology, functionality, look and feel. These combined attributes are changing consumer perception and driving growth," Edwards explained. "There is opportunity to forge stronger relationships with current users, and to make a stronger appeal to nonusers."
Crane's Media machines are designed to turn heads and draw consumers with sleek, modern styling highlighted by a high-impact LED lighting scheme, which conveys high technology.
In the vanguard of the new line are the Merchant Media snack vender and BevMax Media drink machine. Both have larger cabinet footprints than their predecessors, permitting increased product variety to spur incremental sales. The added capacity also allows for more inventory on site, reducing out-of-stocks and service visits.
The new snack machines can support up to 50% more spirals than standard five-wide models, and the beverage venders can accommodate 10 additional selections, amounting to 80 more bottles (three-plus cases) of additional inventory. Both variations offer powerful product presentation through a wide glass front.
A new delivery door on the Merchant Media is one of several key consumer-focused improvements. When the user pushes the door downward, the bottom of the bin elevates to present the purchased product in full view, eliminating the need to fish around in a dark bin to retrieve a purchase.
The new BevMax Media uses the theatrical appeal of an XY-positioning robotic arm to conveniently deliver cold drinks, upright and in full view, through a newly designed delivery port.
The delivery mechanisms, along with the two machines' user interfaces and payment systems, comply with the new ADA requirements.
2012年4月22日星期日
No shortcuts in counseling
It’s STAR testing time, and Valencia High School counselor Kathy Stroh seizes the opportunity to meet with larger groups of students than she can during regular class schedules.
The weeklong period of standardized testing slows the hustle and bustle of packed counseling centers throughout the William S. Hart Union High School District as regular academic programming goes on pause.
“The real challenge for counselors has become finding time to make face-to-face contact with students,” Stroh said of state budget cuts’ impact on her field.
Addressing basic requirements en masse is one way the district has tried to be more efficient with counselors’ time as their workload increases.
“Instead of meeting with every class, we’re giving group presentations,” Stroh said. “You spend all the rest of the time trying to meet the student.”
California’s budget crisis has led to some $20 billion in cuts to state public education over the past five years.
One effect has been shrinking college opportunities for students as state universities cut enrollments.
“Kids are needing to do more and more, and with the way our economy is, it’s so much harder to get into college,” said Stroh, a former Saugus High School teacher who has more than 20 years of experience at the Santa Clarita Valley’s only high school district.
“In the past, if you had a 3.6 (grade point average), I could guarantee there would be a spot somewhere for you. If you have a 3.7 now, there might not be a place that can take you.”
Counselors receive automated reports alerting them to poor classroom performances by the students assigned to them.
While the reports put counselors on notice of behavior that could lead to a failing grade, there is no mechanism for alerting them if students’ slipping performances could knock them out of the running for college admission.
Counselors’ one-on-one time with students, which has become increasingly sparse, is crucial for students as they set out on their individual academic paths, said Principal Sal Frias of Golden Valley High School.
“If a student wants to pursue a path of college, career tech, military or other, the courses our students are required to take vary,” Frias explained. “We need to make sure our plan is in place for the student’s goals to be realized.”
But counselors are facing more and more challenges.
“We have a higher counselor-to-student ratio now,” Frias said. “This means that each counselor has a caseload of more students. We also have less workdays. In short, we have less time to see and work with more students.”
The Hart district has 58 counselors to help approximately 23,000 students — a ratio of approximately 400-to-1, according to district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.
A union contract stipulates that a school is allotted a counselor for every 450 students, and the school is required to hire an additional counselor if the remainder of that number of students comes out to at least 226, explained Bob Vincent, principal of West Ranch High School.
Since the public school funding crisis began, districts statewide have been forced to divert counseling funds elsewhere to save jobs.
Most recently, the Hart district eliminated a career adviser position, and the number of students each counselor serves has steadily risen.
“You want to keep things sensible,” Stroh said. “It’s really just a numbers game, but we have gone up in the last few years,” she said. “Where (Valencia) used to have 375 (students per counselor), now we’re at 450, which is our contractual limit,” noting the ratio can differ from school to school.
Counselor Karla Arriaran-Rodriguez has seen her job change radically in the past few years.
She was a full-time counselor at Hart High School last year, but then she received a pink-slip notification, meaning her position might be eliminated.
“It said, ‘returning — location to be determined,’” she said.
It wasn’t unfamiliar territory to the 16-year education veteran with a doctorate in the field from University of California, Santa Barbara.
She came to the Hart district after she was laid off from the Moorpark Unified School District due to budget cuts in 2009.
This year, Arriaran-Rodriguez works at four different schools within the Hart district: Sequoia Charter School; Hart at Home for home-schooling students assisted by the charter; and Golden Valley and Hart high schools.
In addition to counseling students at all four schools, Arriaran-Rodriguez also runs various career-advisement events, student-peer support groups, the bilingual Padres Unidos program and various other academic events hosted by all four schools.
It can create a real time crunch during periods when there tend to be more students in the counseling center, such as December registration and right around report-card time.
Counseling cuts have changed the landscape at every school and brought a new focus and urgency to the job, Stroh said.
“You have to work as a team,” Stroh said. “And it’s not that it didn’t used to be that way, but now it’s more of a concerted effort.”
The weeklong period of standardized testing slows the hustle and bustle of packed counseling centers throughout the William S. Hart Union High School District as regular academic programming goes on pause.
“The real challenge for counselors has become finding time to make face-to-face contact with students,” Stroh said of state budget cuts’ impact on her field.
Addressing basic requirements en masse is one way the district has tried to be more efficient with counselors’ time as their workload increases.
“Instead of meeting with every class, we’re giving group presentations,” Stroh said. “You spend all the rest of the time trying to meet the student.”
California’s budget crisis has led to some $20 billion in cuts to state public education over the past five years.
One effect has been shrinking college opportunities for students as state universities cut enrollments.
“Kids are needing to do more and more, and with the way our economy is, it’s so much harder to get into college,” said Stroh, a former Saugus High School teacher who has more than 20 years of experience at the Santa Clarita Valley’s only high school district.
“In the past, if you had a 3.6 (grade point average), I could guarantee there would be a spot somewhere for you. If you have a 3.7 now, there might not be a place that can take you.”
Counselors receive automated reports alerting them to poor classroom performances by the students assigned to them.
While the reports put counselors on notice of behavior that could lead to a failing grade, there is no mechanism for alerting them if students’ slipping performances could knock them out of the running for college admission.
Counselors’ one-on-one time with students, which has become increasingly sparse, is crucial for students as they set out on their individual academic paths, said Principal Sal Frias of Golden Valley High School.
“If a student wants to pursue a path of college, career tech, military or other, the courses our students are required to take vary,” Frias explained. “We need to make sure our plan is in place for the student’s goals to be realized.”
But counselors are facing more and more challenges.
“We have a higher counselor-to-student ratio now,” Frias said. “This means that each counselor has a caseload of more students. We also have less workdays. In short, we have less time to see and work with more students.”
The Hart district has 58 counselors to help approximately 23,000 students — a ratio of approximately 400-to-1, according to district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.
A union contract stipulates that a school is allotted a counselor for every 450 students, and the school is required to hire an additional counselor if the remainder of that number of students comes out to at least 226, explained Bob Vincent, principal of West Ranch High School.
Since the public school funding crisis began, districts statewide have been forced to divert counseling funds elsewhere to save jobs.
Most recently, the Hart district eliminated a career adviser position, and the number of students each counselor serves has steadily risen.
“You want to keep things sensible,” Stroh said. “It’s really just a numbers game, but we have gone up in the last few years,” she said. “Where (Valencia) used to have 375 (students per counselor), now we’re at 450, which is our contractual limit,” noting the ratio can differ from school to school.
Counselor Karla Arriaran-Rodriguez has seen her job change radically in the past few years.
She was a full-time counselor at Hart High School last year, but then she received a pink-slip notification, meaning her position might be eliminated.
“It said, ‘returning — location to be determined,’” she said.
It wasn’t unfamiliar territory to the 16-year education veteran with a doctorate in the field from University of California, Santa Barbara.
She came to the Hart district after she was laid off from the Moorpark Unified School District due to budget cuts in 2009.
This year, Arriaran-Rodriguez works at four different schools within the Hart district: Sequoia Charter School; Hart at Home for home-schooling students assisted by the charter; and Golden Valley and Hart high schools.
In addition to counseling students at all four schools, Arriaran-Rodriguez also runs various career-advisement events, student-peer support groups, the bilingual Padres Unidos program and various other academic events hosted by all four schools.
It can create a real time crunch during periods when there tend to be more students in the counseling center, such as December registration and right around report-card time.
Counseling cuts have changed the landscape at every school and brought a new focus and urgency to the job, Stroh said.
“You have to work as a team,” Stroh said. “And it’s not that it didn’t used to be that way, but now it’s more of a concerted effort.”
2012年4月8日星期日
County residents will use voting centers for first time
Vanderburgh County residents who live outside the Evansville city limits will vote for the first time in the May 8 primary election at new voting centers.
The concept debuted during last year's city election with 15 centers. The centers enable Vanderburgh County residents to vote at any of the locations instead of only at their precinct polling centers. The primary will see the addition of seven new county locations.
Vanderburgh County Clerk Susan Kirk said she feels confident that duplicating last year's publicity efforts will inform voters about the change.
"We're just going to do like we did last year," she said about getting the word out, a year where she said everything went "just fine."
Kirk said the local media "helped out tremendously" in spreading news of new locations in print, on television and online, and she anticipates similar help this year.
She also said the candidates played a big role, as it was in their best interest that voters got to the right locations.
Kirk said candidates distributed literature that contained candidate information and vote center locations.
She expects that this year as well.
As a safeguard, Kirk said she plans to send flyers to the previous county polling places notifying voters of the new centers. She did that at previous city polling places last year, but she doesn't feel that's necessary again.
"I think the people in Evansville are savvy enough to figure this out," she said.
Kirk said no complaints from the public about the new centers came her way, and the few calls she got were questions about what the changes meant.
When asked about the long lines at popular centers like Washington Square Mall, Kirk responded: "Even with the old polling places, people had to stand in line."
Nevertheless, Kirk said election officials are going to place more voting machines and laptops with electronic poll books at city locations that proved popular or county locations expected to draw big crowds.
Other changes include the addition of one more vote center in the city and a change of location for another one.
A state law that took effect July 1, 2011, allowed local election officials to implement new voting locations.
Local election officials made the changes, and it proved to have two benefits: convenience for voters and a cost savings of about $85,000 per year for local governments.
"We had 132 polling precincts," said Kirk, adding that there was a Republican judge, a Democrat judge, a clerk for each and an inspector. "That's $500 just to pay those people to work."
Under the new system, there is an additional judge and clerk for each party, but they're at only 23 locations.
With respect to convenience, Kirk said Vanderburgh County has a mobile application that might be useful to voters.
It called "VC Election Office," and it allows voters to see locations and estimated wait times in real time.
The free application, available on Apple- or Android-based devices, was created by Mark Rolley Consulting, Inc., the company the city and county contracts with for several information technology services.
Kirk said, "We are the first county — period — to have this kind of an application." Matt Arvay, the city's chief information officer, said that's based on research by the leading geographic information systems (GIS) software company, ESRI.
The concept debuted during last year's city election with 15 centers. The centers enable Vanderburgh County residents to vote at any of the locations instead of only at their precinct polling centers. The primary will see the addition of seven new county locations.
Vanderburgh County Clerk Susan Kirk said she feels confident that duplicating last year's publicity efforts will inform voters about the change.
"We're just going to do like we did last year," she said about getting the word out, a year where she said everything went "just fine."
Kirk said the local media "helped out tremendously" in spreading news of new locations in print, on television and online, and she anticipates similar help this year.
She also said the candidates played a big role, as it was in their best interest that voters got to the right locations.
Kirk said candidates distributed literature that contained candidate information and vote center locations.
She expects that this year as well.
As a safeguard, Kirk said she plans to send flyers to the previous county polling places notifying voters of the new centers. She did that at previous city polling places last year, but she doesn't feel that's necessary again.
"I think the people in Evansville are savvy enough to figure this out," she said.
Kirk said no complaints from the public about the new centers came her way, and the few calls she got were questions about what the changes meant.
When asked about the long lines at popular centers like Washington Square Mall, Kirk responded: "Even with the old polling places, people had to stand in line."
Nevertheless, Kirk said election officials are going to place more voting machines and laptops with electronic poll books at city locations that proved popular or county locations expected to draw big crowds.
Other changes include the addition of one more vote center in the city and a change of location for another one.
A state law that took effect July 1, 2011, allowed local election officials to implement new voting locations.
Local election officials made the changes, and it proved to have two benefits: convenience for voters and a cost savings of about $85,000 per year for local governments.
"We had 132 polling precincts," said Kirk, adding that there was a Republican judge, a Democrat judge, a clerk for each and an inspector. "That's $500 just to pay those people to work."
Under the new system, there is an additional judge and clerk for each party, but they're at only 23 locations.
With respect to convenience, Kirk said Vanderburgh County has a mobile application that might be useful to voters.
It called "VC Election Office," and it allows voters to see locations and estimated wait times in real time.
The free application, available on Apple- or Android-based devices, was created by Mark Rolley Consulting, Inc., the company the city and county contracts with for several information technology services.
Kirk said, "We are the first county — period — to have this kind of an application." Matt Arvay, the city's chief information officer, said that's based on research by the leading geographic information systems (GIS) software company, ESRI.
2012年2月23日星期四
‘The Secret World of Arrietty’ brings whimsical story to dazzling life
"The Secret World of Arrietty" looks to shrink us down, both in size and in age, to a smaller, simpler world where little people inhabit the walls and an empty meadow holds all the promise and potential of imagination. It is nothing short of captivating and magical, and although both words are well overused when describing a Studio Ghibli movie, there is simply no other way to say it.
This world comes to the screen by way of English children's writer Mary Norton and her successful series, "The Borrowers." In this universe, mazes are constructed through walls, dollhouses and floorboards to allow miniature versions of people, called "borrowers," in and out of the "beings" world — the realm of normalsized humans. Borrowers live by a credo to take what they need and nothing more, with the one condition that a being can never notice what's been taken. Here, a single tealeaf will last for a week, a sugar cube a month and a tissue possibly forever. Water drops in slow beads like syrup, and when it rains, the borrowers are able to brush off each drop individually. At the same time, cats and other animals appear mountainous, and a brush with a creature as small as a rat can be fatal.
In this dangerous yet fascinating world, Pod (Will Arnett) has started to teach his daughter Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler) how to navigate through the walls as well as the various climbing techniques required of any successful borrower. While hunting for a tissue, however, they are seen by a twelveyearold boy, Shawn (David Henrie), who is resting in the country before undergoing surgery on his failing heart. Arrietty and Shawn eventually become friends, but in keeping with the borrower code, Arrietty's parents decide they must move because they've been discovered. The old caretaker, Hara (Carol Burnett), long suspicious of the borrowers' existence, has other plans and tries to trap the borrowers to prove once and for all that she is not crazy.
Part of what makes the environment of "The Secret World of Arrietty" so compelling is the lack of any immediate antagonist or villain to push the plot along, allowing the magnificent visuals to shine through. Sure, the occasional crow or cat saunters along to chase the borrowers around the house, but these actions are more a compulsion than ill will. Similarly, Hara seeks them out not to destroy or hurt them, but rather because she cannot help herself.
Instead, the real conflict is found in the juxtaposition of Arrietty's magic wonderland with the truth of Shawn's cruel circumstances — that life is just not fair to some people. When the beings' recognition of the borrowers' world forces Arrietty's family to move, she must confront the unfortunate reality that it was a result of her own carelessness. Likewise, Shawn and those around him remain silently fixated on the fact that he will not survive in the coming weeks. His talk of death and the pointlessness of existence is sharp, especially coming from someone his age.
It is only when Shawn is willing to believe in the mystical around him that he can confidently look toward his future with all the imagination and wonder he deprived himself of as a child. Meanwhile, Hara's singlemindedness in tracking down the borrowers will never end until she is willing to quit hunting and just believe.
The real heart of the movie is found in Hayao Miyazaki's tradition and Hiromasa Yonebayashi's flourishing, modest direction. While Peter Hewitt and John Goodman's "The Borrowers" (1997) may have been impressive in the technical details, "The Secret World of Arrietty" manages to retain the mystique without sacrificing the tone for slapstick. There are no moments where Arrietty's femininity superficially stands in the way of her capability, nor does the movie trade quick jokes for a hollow laugh. Instead, this is an animated movie in the classic style of greatness: full of heart, sincerity and confidence in its message.
This world comes to the screen by way of English children's writer Mary Norton and her successful series, "The Borrowers." In this universe, mazes are constructed through walls, dollhouses and floorboards to allow miniature versions of people, called "borrowers," in and out of the "beings" world — the realm of normalsized humans. Borrowers live by a credo to take what they need and nothing more, with the one condition that a being can never notice what's been taken. Here, a single tealeaf will last for a week, a sugar cube a month and a tissue possibly forever. Water drops in slow beads like syrup, and when it rains, the borrowers are able to brush off each drop individually. At the same time, cats and other animals appear mountainous, and a brush with a creature as small as a rat can be fatal.
In this dangerous yet fascinating world, Pod (Will Arnett) has started to teach his daughter Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler) how to navigate through the walls as well as the various climbing techniques required of any successful borrower. While hunting for a tissue, however, they are seen by a twelveyearold boy, Shawn (David Henrie), who is resting in the country before undergoing surgery on his failing heart. Arrietty and Shawn eventually become friends, but in keeping with the borrower code, Arrietty's parents decide they must move because they've been discovered. The old caretaker, Hara (Carol Burnett), long suspicious of the borrowers' existence, has other plans and tries to trap the borrowers to prove once and for all that she is not crazy.
Part of what makes the environment of "The Secret World of Arrietty" so compelling is the lack of any immediate antagonist or villain to push the plot along, allowing the magnificent visuals to shine through. Sure, the occasional crow or cat saunters along to chase the borrowers around the house, but these actions are more a compulsion than ill will. Similarly, Hara seeks them out not to destroy or hurt them, but rather because she cannot help herself.
Instead, the real conflict is found in the juxtaposition of Arrietty's magic wonderland with the truth of Shawn's cruel circumstances — that life is just not fair to some people. When the beings' recognition of the borrowers' world forces Arrietty's family to move, she must confront the unfortunate reality that it was a result of her own carelessness. Likewise, Shawn and those around him remain silently fixated on the fact that he will not survive in the coming weeks. His talk of death and the pointlessness of existence is sharp, especially coming from someone his age.
It is only when Shawn is willing to believe in the mystical around him that he can confidently look toward his future with all the imagination and wonder he deprived himself of as a child. Meanwhile, Hara's singlemindedness in tracking down the borrowers will never end until she is willing to quit hunting and just believe.
The real heart of the movie is found in Hayao Miyazaki's tradition and Hiromasa Yonebayashi's flourishing, modest direction. While Peter Hewitt and John Goodman's "The Borrowers" (1997) may have been impressive in the technical details, "The Secret World of Arrietty" manages to retain the mystique without sacrificing the tone for slapstick. There are no moments where Arrietty's femininity superficially stands in the way of her capability, nor does the movie trade quick jokes for a hollow laugh. Instead, this is an animated movie in the classic style of greatness: full of heart, sincerity and confidence in its message.
2012年2月21日星期二
From hard edges to London glamour
BIGGER, BETTER, brighter and British. That was the national sense of pride in London yesterday as Fashion Week drew to a close after an impressive number of promising winter collections proved its status as a fashion capital is secure.
This confidence and authority showed in the event itself, which has become far more professional and well organised. A busy schedule of nearly 60 catwalk shows along with a host of ancillary launches, exhibitions and presentations lured influential international buyers and press, many from Asia and the US.
The presence of Anna Wintour, powerful editor of US Vogue, at many shows gave them an added frisson and imprimatur. Locations were as varied as the collections and provided a sightseeing tour of London, from the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Billingsgate market to the White Cube art gallery and the modern high rise Broadgate Tower.
Walking into Somerset House every day was to face a battery of bloggers, camera teams, photographers and what’s called “bloggerazzi” detaining the fashion packs from all over the world. A noticeable trend was the curious lack of clapping, particularly after many really good presentations, explained by so many in the audience videoing the finale or frantically tweeting or instagramming.
There has never been a better time to be a young designer in the UK with huge support from government and from industry, all sorts of funds and a determined effort by the British Fashion Council to get business skills on a par with the country’s celebrated design talents.
It wants to encourage home manufacturing and bring standards up to luxury level; make locally, sell globally is the mantra. Many designers are already doing so, such as Catherine Teatum who, with partner Bob Jones, launched the Teatum Jones label last year. It is made in the UK, stocked at Liberty and exported to the US.
As for winter clothes, among the trends noticeable on the catwalk were: modern interpretations of lace, which were often veiled, embellished or rubberised; the pervasive and continuing play of print and pattern; the preponderance of peplum waists; and the fearless use of fur. Skirt suits were much in evidence, often pleated, as were skinny trousers. Colours such as inky blues, black, grey and oxblood saturated the catwalks. If there was an overall look, it was hard edged, street cool, but ladylike. There were many contrast or stand alone collar details.
Print continues to dominate, however, and yesterday Mary Katrantzou, whose Topshop collaboration has been a sellout, lived up to her reputation as the queen of prints with a collection of decorative exuberance and Victorian shapeliness that introduced Lesage embroideries on printed knits for the first time. “I use my mouse as a paint box,” she says.
But it was Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen, who provided the standout show of the week for the company’s second line McQ. It reprised many of the familiar McQ motifs, the sharp military style tailoring, the Scottish tartans and romantic ballerina dresses, in a fresh, appealing way without excessive styling. The unveiling of a little house in a fairytale forest of real trees at the end to highlight the opening of McQ’s new London shop was a real coup de thtre and a fitting end to a memorable week.
This confidence and authority showed in the event itself, which has become far more professional and well organised. A busy schedule of nearly 60 catwalk shows along with a host of ancillary launches, exhibitions and presentations lured influential international buyers and press, many from Asia and the US.
The presence of Anna Wintour, powerful editor of US Vogue, at many shows gave them an added frisson and imprimatur. Locations were as varied as the collections and provided a sightseeing tour of London, from the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Billingsgate market to the White Cube art gallery and the modern high rise Broadgate Tower.
Walking into Somerset House every day was to face a battery of bloggers, camera teams, photographers and what’s called “bloggerazzi” detaining the fashion packs from all over the world. A noticeable trend was the curious lack of clapping, particularly after many really good presentations, explained by so many in the audience videoing the finale or frantically tweeting or instagramming.
There has never been a better time to be a young designer in the UK with huge support from government and from industry, all sorts of funds and a determined effort by the British Fashion Council to get business skills on a par with the country’s celebrated design talents.
It wants to encourage home manufacturing and bring standards up to luxury level; make locally, sell globally is the mantra. Many designers are already doing so, such as Catherine Teatum who, with partner Bob Jones, launched the Teatum Jones label last year. It is made in the UK, stocked at Liberty and exported to the US.
As for winter clothes, among the trends noticeable on the catwalk were: modern interpretations of lace, which were often veiled, embellished or rubberised; the pervasive and continuing play of print and pattern; the preponderance of peplum waists; and the fearless use of fur. Skirt suits were much in evidence, often pleated, as were skinny trousers. Colours such as inky blues, black, grey and oxblood saturated the catwalks. If there was an overall look, it was hard edged, street cool, but ladylike. There were many contrast or stand alone collar details.
Print continues to dominate, however, and yesterday Mary Katrantzou, whose Topshop collaboration has been a sellout, lived up to her reputation as the queen of prints with a collection of decorative exuberance and Victorian shapeliness that introduced Lesage embroideries on printed knits for the first time. “I use my mouse as a paint box,” she says.
But it was Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen, who provided the standout show of the week for the company’s second line McQ. It reprised many of the familiar McQ motifs, the sharp military style tailoring, the Scottish tartans and romantic ballerina dresses, in a fresh, appealing way without excessive styling. The unveiling of a little house in a fairytale forest of real trees at the end to highlight the opening of McQ’s new London shop was a real coup de thtre and a fitting end to a memorable week.
2011年12月29日星期四
Tips for last New Year's Eve
For the second time the city its Silvestival: Ten venues, it is in a core clock time 21-2 (Late Night in the City Hall clock to 4) to explore. The direction is posed by the Nuremberg town hall in the predominantly Sebalder old to new venues such as the Pellerhaus, the John Scharrer Gymnasium, the cornerstone and the Jazz Studio. The island is the largest bulk with free admission outdoor venue.
"There are about 500 remaining tickets," says the project office of the city. If it rains, as announced, is a bit, then all fit into the ribbon-holders covered venues. Advance tickets cost 15 plus presale tickets at the box office 19 .
If you like it even more contemplative, is in good hands with the churches of St. Sebald and St. Giles: For the New Year's Eve concerts by 22 clock Tickets are still available, just for the concert at the Reformation Memorial Church at Berliner Platz. There, works by Bach and Handel are listed.
In St. Giles is a buffet for New Year's Eve concert, the musical motto is: "Behold, thou art fair, my love," can be heard love songs of the Renaissance with works by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, etc. At midnight, champagne and served jointly celebrated the new year.
St. Sebald is New Year's Eve in an organ concert of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The performers of the evening Bernard Butt Man are on the organ, and Rev. Gerhard Schorr speaks the words of the year.
In the Meistersingerhalle the restaurant presents for the first time under new management with New Year's Eve menu and buffet. In the Great Hall is magic time: "Magic Unlimited" guest appearances at 19.30 clock. After the show it's in the lobby with live music by the band "Members", dance and fireworks continued into the new year.
The small hall fills the Upper Palatinate comedian Lizzy Aumeier. The best of the programs "AufBass'd", "Racer Girl" and "full on it" - award-winning cabaret.
Is sold out, "My Fair Lady" at the Opera House, as the event in the intimate theater. Remaining tickets are still for "Peer Gynt" at 18.30 clock in the theater.
There are no tickets for the theater salt and pepper, in S'Baggers is the single-party canceled, instead it gives food a la carte, the events are sold out at the Hilton on Valznerweiher well as Maritim Hotel. There are still tickets for the New Year's Eve buffet at the Sheraton, with piano music to 85 .
Cinecitta in the cards for the big party cost 16 , 18 box office, with cinema ticket, it costs 23.50, the facilities are fully booked for the menu.
In contrast, there is a gala dinner at the Grand Hotel still places. Under the theme "Opera Ball" is supplied in a festive wardrobe for 139 per person, midnight champagne reception and lunch included. In Provenza on the main market, there are fine Italian buffet, plus music by Pino Barone and an open dance floor. The card costs 69 , however, are almost all gone.
The New Year's Eve at the Park Café starts at 22 clock, entrance costs 16.50 and there's most wanted hits with DJ Cube House with DJ Icee, 2011 White roses and a welcome drink. Culinary, the Park Café until midnight, a finger-food buffet for 5,50 and long drinks.
Deer ends in the old year with 20 hours New Year's Eve for electronic 12.20. In the Vineria for "Red Passion Party New Year's Eve" at midnight and admission is free, before it costs 99 . Quite passionately celebrated in Red and best in evening dress. If you just want to dance into the New Year can do so in the Rock factory, but also the Mach 1 has revealed the clock from 22 dance floors.
"There are about 500 remaining tickets," says the project office of the city. If it rains, as announced, is a bit, then all fit into the ribbon-holders covered venues. Advance tickets cost 15 plus presale tickets at the box office 19 .
If you like it even more contemplative, is in good hands with the churches of St. Sebald and St. Giles: For the New Year's Eve concerts by 22 clock Tickets are still available, just for the concert at the Reformation Memorial Church at Berliner Platz. There, works by Bach and Handel are listed.
In St. Giles is a buffet for New Year's Eve concert, the musical motto is: "Behold, thou art fair, my love," can be heard love songs of the Renaissance with works by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, etc. At midnight, champagne and served jointly celebrated the new year.
St. Sebald is New Year's Eve in an organ concert of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. The performers of the evening Bernard Butt Man are on the organ, and Rev. Gerhard Schorr speaks the words of the year.
In the Meistersingerhalle the restaurant presents for the first time under new management with New Year's Eve menu and buffet. In the Great Hall is magic time: "Magic Unlimited" guest appearances at 19.30 clock. After the show it's in the lobby with live music by the band "Members", dance and fireworks continued into the new year.
The small hall fills the Upper Palatinate comedian Lizzy Aumeier. The best of the programs "AufBass'd", "Racer Girl" and "full on it" - award-winning cabaret.
Is sold out, "My Fair Lady" at the Opera House, as the event in the intimate theater. Remaining tickets are still for "Peer Gynt" at 18.30 clock in the theater.
There are no tickets for the theater salt and pepper, in S'Baggers is the single-party canceled, instead it gives food a la carte, the events are sold out at the Hilton on Valznerweiher well as Maritim Hotel. There are still tickets for the New Year's Eve buffet at the Sheraton, with piano music to 85 .
Cinecitta in the cards for the big party cost 16 , 18 box office, with cinema ticket, it costs 23.50, the facilities are fully booked for the menu.
In contrast, there is a gala dinner at the Grand Hotel still places. Under the theme "Opera Ball" is supplied in a festive wardrobe for 139 per person, midnight champagne reception and lunch included. In Provenza on the main market, there are fine Italian buffet, plus music by Pino Barone and an open dance floor. The card costs 69 , however, are almost all gone.
The New Year's Eve at the Park Café starts at 22 clock, entrance costs 16.50 and there's most wanted hits with DJ Cube House with DJ Icee, 2011 White roses and a welcome drink. Culinary, the Park Café until midnight, a finger-food buffet for 5,50 and long drinks.
Deer ends in the old year with 20 hours New Year's Eve for electronic 12.20. In the Vineria for "Red Passion Party New Year's Eve" at midnight and admission is free, before it costs 99 . Quite passionately celebrated in Red and best in evening dress. If you just want to dance into the New Year can do so in the Rock factory, but also the Mach 1 has revealed the clock from 22 dance floors.
2011年12月5日星期一
Celluon Magic Cube Virtual Bluetooth Keyboard
We’ve seen an Apple iPhone 5 prototype and were very hopeful that Apple would bring it to life for us. The prototype featured a virtual keyboard that projected onto any opaque surface and works like a true to life keyboard. Apple didn’t product the iPhone with this technology but technology Celluon tried their hand at the projected keyboard and it looks like they’ve done a good job with their Magic Cube.
The Magic Cube is the size of a small computer speaker that projects a virtual full sized keyboard onto your desk and connects to your iPhone+iPad computer, notebooks, smart phone or tablet via USB and Bluetooth. The Celluon Magic Cube has already been produced and is for sale at Amazon for $169.99.
The Magic Cube is the size of a small computer speaker that projects a virtual full sized keyboard onto your desk and connects to your iPhone+iPad computer, notebooks, smart phone or tablet via USB and Bluetooth. The Celluon Magic Cube has already been produced and is for sale at Amazon for $169.99.
2011年11月8日星期二
Ian Thorpe's comeback on track despite failing
Thorpe had just about missed the start, but with the same methodical stroke that has brought him five Olympic gold medals, he caught and then passed his younger rivals in his heat of the 100m freestyle.
In the closing lap, Thorpe faded badly and finished sixth in 50.21sec. But the swimmer himself saw hope from yesterday's failure.
"Literally, if I went 22 one-hundredths faster I would have been really happy with it, it's kind of the psychological barrier around 50 seconds," Thorpe said.
"It's nice to see the glimmers of possibility in what I can do but they are usually taken away pretty quickly when lactate sets in or whatever else."
Just over an hour later he swam in the 100m individual medley heats.
He missed out on that final, too, with a 56.70sec performance, ranking him ninth overall. It was, however, .04sec faster than his 100m individual medley in Singapore.
It is clear there is much work for the champion to do with just under five months until the Olympic trials.
Yet Thorpe was never going to produce magic in this World Cup series in Asia, said head coach Leigh Nugent.
Yesterday Thorpe was almost three seconds slower than he was at his peak in 2003 when he swam 47.82.
Nugent dubbed Thorpe's first freestyle of his comeback as "pretty solid".
"I don't think it was ever purported for Ian to come here and make some massive breakthrough, but fairytales are written and are usually not performed," Nugent said.
"We are in the reality of sport here and progression back can be an exponential thing. So as time moves on I would expect him to improve with a more rapid progress later on."
Thorpe will swim in the 100m butterfly heats today.
He admits he is struggling in the transition from intense training sessions to racing but quickly replied "ah yes" when asked if he was still aiming for the Olympics.
In the closing lap, Thorpe faded badly and finished sixth in 50.21sec. But the swimmer himself saw hope from yesterday's failure.
"Literally, if I went 22 one-hundredths faster I would have been really happy with it, it's kind of the psychological barrier around 50 seconds," Thorpe said.
"It's nice to see the glimmers of possibility in what I can do but they are usually taken away pretty quickly when lactate sets in or whatever else."
Just over an hour later he swam in the 100m individual medley heats.
He missed out on that final, too, with a 56.70sec performance, ranking him ninth overall. It was, however, .04sec faster than his 100m individual medley in Singapore.
It is clear there is much work for the champion to do with just under five months until the Olympic trials.
Yet Thorpe was never going to produce magic in this World Cup series in Asia, said head coach Leigh Nugent.
Yesterday Thorpe was almost three seconds slower than he was at his peak in 2003 when he swam 47.82.
Nugent dubbed Thorpe's first freestyle of his comeback as "pretty solid".
"I don't think it was ever purported for Ian to come here and make some massive breakthrough, but fairytales are written and are usually not performed," Nugent said.
"We are in the reality of sport here and progression back can be an exponential thing. So as time moves on I would expect him to improve with a more rapid progress later on."
Thorpe will swim in the 100m butterfly heats today.
He admits he is struggling in the transition from intense training sessions to racing but quickly replied "ah yes" when asked if he was still aiming for the Olympics.
2011年11月1日星期二
Nick Walshaw on the last day of the Jockey Challenge
One of those jockeys all sharp threads and gold jewellery. Hair a hurricane couldn't mess. Even boasted a sports car with his nickname - "Magic" - stickered down the sides.
Yep, debonair right up until the day he committed suicide.
Which kinda has us wondering what, if anything, we've achieved this week with The Daily Telegraph's Jockey Challenge? Sure, over eight exhaustive days we've starved, stumbled and sweated.
But have we really lived like a jockey? It's a question that truly hit home about 6am on Melbourne Cup Day. When, wearing black trackies and a green garbage bag, I entered that Terrigal Crowne Plaza sauna for the second time in nine hours - throwing myself into an unhealthy procedure many hoops endure three, four times a week.
Within 30 minutes, I was gone. Nauseous.
Adding the experience to those headaches which hit me every afternoon around four o'clock. The dark mood swings that, by day three, had my kids seeking adoption papers.
So tired, hungry and tell-the-editor-to-shove-this-idea-up-his-clacker spent that, when mowing the backyard late on Saturday afternoon, I simply started dry retching.
And this, remember, was in eight days. An experiment where the finish line was always in sight.
There was no going 48 hours without food as some hoops are known to do. No three layers of clothing for sauna sessions over 90 minutes. No rehydrating for the next eight hours on little more than an ice cube, either.
Yes, we ate the sushi and handfuls of cereal. Ran the treadmill and boxed badly. Even have a new yoga mat which, once this yarn is written, will be tossed into my garage beside the Ab Cruncher. But how can anyone truly understand the darkness brought on by the constant drain of wasting? An insidious grind that, in recent years, has been considered partly responsible for more than half a dozen jockeys taking their lives.
"No matter how much people wanna help, they can never understand," Hugh Bowman had warned when we started this madness a week back. "When you have those real dark days, those times when you dunno how you're gunna get through ... there's just no one to help you."
Indeed, according to a 2004 Victoria University study - which spent three years studying the impact of wasting on Australian jockeys - a staggering 13 per cent conceded they'd suffered suicidal thoughts. Think about that for a minute.
Of all the riders currently battling away on tracks around this nation, 13 of every 100 have thought about ending it like "Magic" Mahoney. That brash Brisbane boy who, after a string of suspensions at age 42, was found dead inside his car, a hose running in from the exhaust pipe.
A tragedy that proves Bowman's right.
When it comes to really understanding what a jockey goes through ... impossible.
Yep, debonair right up until the day he committed suicide.
Which kinda has us wondering what, if anything, we've achieved this week with The Daily Telegraph's Jockey Challenge? Sure, over eight exhaustive days we've starved, stumbled and sweated.
But have we really lived like a jockey? It's a question that truly hit home about 6am on Melbourne Cup Day. When, wearing black trackies and a green garbage bag, I entered that Terrigal Crowne Plaza sauna for the second time in nine hours - throwing myself into an unhealthy procedure many hoops endure three, four times a week.
Within 30 minutes, I was gone. Nauseous.
Adding the experience to those headaches which hit me every afternoon around four o'clock. The dark mood swings that, by day three, had my kids seeking adoption papers.
So tired, hungry and tell-the-editor-to-shove-this-idea-up-his-clacker spent that, when mowing the backyard late on Saturday afternoon, I simply started dry retching.
And this, remember, was in eight days. An experiment where the finish line was always in sight.
There was no going 48 hours without food as some hoops are known to do. No three layers of clothing for sauna sessions over 90 minutes. No rehydrating for the next eight hours on little more than an ice cube, either.
Yes, we ate the sushi and handfuls of cereal. Ran the treadmill and boxed badly. Even have a new yoga mat which, once this yarn is written, will be tossed into my garage beside the Ab Cruncher. But how can anyone truly understand the darkness brought on by the constant drain of wasting? An insidious grind that, in recent years, has been considered partly responsible for more than half a dozen jockeys taking their lives.
"No matter how much people wanna help, they can never understand," Hugh Bowman had warned when we started this madness a week back. "When you have those real dark days, those times when you dunno how you're gunna get through ... there's just no one to help you."
Indeed, according to a 2004 Victoria University study - which spent three years studying the impact of wasting on Australian jockeys - a staggering 13 per cent conceded they'd suffered suicidal thoughts. Think about that for a minute.
Of all the riders currently battling away on tracks around this nation, 13 of every 100 have thought about ending it like "Magic" Mahoney. That brash Brisbane boy who, after a string of suspensions at age 42, was found dead inside his car, a hose running in from the exhaust pipe.
A tragedy that proves Bowman's right.
When it comes to really understanding what a jockey goes through ... impossible.
2011年9月26日星期一
Circus set to music still a thrill
It doesn’t matter how many times you may have seen a certain type of circus act, be it someone juggling on the ground or soaring through the air. These feats can still bring a smile to one’s face, even a thrill down the spine.
Cirque de la Symphonie is a company specializing in presenting cirque-style acts of strength, balance, agility, flexibility and a general disregard for the laws of gravity and physics in conjunction with symphony orchestras.
Four of its performers were the guests of the Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College for the orchestra’s first concerts of its 33rd season. And before the show was over Friday night, artistic director Barry Epperley promised the capacity crowd at the VanTrease PACE that Cirque de la Symphonie would be back.
Epperley said that even when Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime, juggler, clown and magician, apparently made off with Epperley’s wallet in the course of a magic trick. Tsarkov did the most in the evening, beginning with demonstrating a number of innovative ways of keeping first three, then four, then five, then six hoops in the air. He then assisted Elena Tsarkova in her series of quick-changes — gloves, then dresses that got increasingly lighter in color and longer in length.
Then came the magic act, where Epperley was coaxed into a large sack with a ropebound Tsarkova. After a few seconds, the sack was dropped — and Epperley’s tuxedo coat was under all those ropes around Tsarkova.
Tsarkova on her own performed a series of acrobatic moves and contortionist poses on a pair of tall stools.
Alexander Streltsov performed a kind of juggling act, spinning a large cube made of metal bars around the stage. He and fellow aerialist, Christine Van Loo, were featured in the show’s finale, weaving themselves in two long red silks high about the stage.
Everything was done with understated grace, precision, even humor — as when one of Tsarkov’s hoops got away from him, and he was able to make it a part of the act. And no matter how familiar the various acts were, they were still remarkable displays of human ability.
The soundtrack to all these goings-on was a good deal of Tchaikovsky, a bunch of Bizet and a sampling of Saint-Saens and Rossini.
In order to accommodate the cirque acts, the Signature Symphony was moved to the very back of the stage. Epperley and guest conductor Pete Peterson, who divided the conducting duties for the night, had all the strings to one side, all the winds and brass to the other.
It might have been because of this physical arrangement, but the orchestra’s sound was wildly unbalanced — the opening piece, Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture,” sounds like a carnival that had been touring too long through some pretty rough towns.
It wasn’t until the final piece of the first half, the Bacchanale from “Samson et Delilah,” that the orchestra’s sound really came together. The medley from “Scheherazade” was maybe the best performance of the evening, with fine solo work by concertmaster Maureen O’Boyle, principal oboist Lisa Wagner and principal bassoonist Jim Fellows.
Cirque de la Symphonie is a company specializing in presenting cirque-style acts of strength, balance, agility, flexibility and a general disregard for the laws of gravity and physics in conjunction with symphony orchestras.
Four of its performers were the guests of the Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College for the orchestra’s first concerts of its 33rd season. And before the show was over Friday night, artistic director Barry Epperley promised the capacity crowd at the VanTrease PACE that Cirque de la Symphonie would be back.
Epperley said that even when Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime, juggler, clown and magician, apparently made off with Epperley’s wallet in the course of a magic trick. Tsarkov did the most in the evening, beginning with demonstrating a number of innovative ways of keeping first three, then four, then five, then six hoops in the air. He then assisted Elena Tsarkova in her series of quick-changes — gloves, then dresses that got increasingly lighter in color and longer in length.
Then came the magic act, where Epperley was coaxed into a large sack with a ropebound Tsarkova. After a few seconds, the sack was dropped — and Epperley’s tuxedo coat was under all those ropes around Tsarkova.
Tsarkova on her own performed a series of acrobatic moves and contortionist poses on a pair of tall stools.
Alexander Streltsov performed a kind of juggling act, spinning a large cube made of metal bars around the stage. He and fellow aerialist, Christine Van Loo, were featured in the show’s finale, weaving themselves in two long red silks high about the stage.
Everything was done with understated grace, precision, even humor — as when one of Tsarkov’s hoops got away from him, and he was able to make it a part of the act. And no matter how familiar the various acts were, they were still remarkable displays of human ability.
The soundtrack to all these goings-on was a good deal of Tchaikovsky, a bunch of Bizet and a sampling of Saint-Saens and Rossini.
In order to accommodate the cirque acts, the Signature Symphony was moved to the very back of the stage. Epperley and guest conductor Pete Peterson, who divided the conducting duties for the night, had all the strings to one side, all the winds and brass to the other.
It might have been because of this physical arrangement, but the orchestra’s sound was wildly unbalanced — the opening piece, Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture,” sounds like a carnival that had been touring too long through some pretty rough towns.
It wasn’t until the final piece of the first half, the Bacchanale from “Samson et Delilah,” that the orchestra’s sound really came together. The medley from “Scheherazade” was maybe the best performance of the evening, with fine solo work by concertmaster Maureen O’Boyle, principal oboist Lisa Wagner and principal bassoonist Jim Fellows.
2011年3月20日星期日
Humor column breaks down Smackdown from A to Z
A - Awesome. "Fortress of Attitude" and "Fortress of Aptitude" were the names Cole proposed for his cube. Any time a Superman reference can be made, it should and is. How about referring to himself as the "Golden Avenger?" I'm a much bigger Iron Man fan...
B - Brodus Clay is going straight to the top. It's not just the look or the push, I think he has it. It's not that hard to see why he'll be more successful than 97 percent of the NXT Rookies. For one, he has a gimmick, not just a terrible randomly picked name (cough, Johnny Curtis, cough). Secondly, it's easy to see what his role will be. He's clearly defined - he's the big guy and the enforcer. I thought Brodus vs. Edge was very good. Brodus worked a decent big-man match and Edge sold well. It felt like a big deal to beat Brodus. Well done. The only draw back was Booker's commentary, I'm not entirely sure he was speaking English during this match.
ChristianCageArt_130GG_28.jpg
C - Cage! Rage! ...Mage? I'm out of cool rhyming "-age" words. I like the cage match added between Christian and Del Rio. It makes sense for the feud. Del Rio and Christian feels like a cage is the only thing that will let them unleash all of their fury. The problem was Raw just did a meaningless cage match with A-Ry and Cena last week and this one seemed silly. Thanks, Raw! Raw: Doing everything bad that you want to see, so it looks bad when you do it.
D - Dramatic question mark?! Champion vs. Champion! Wowee! This never happens. Even Josh Matthews said this was rare! I looovvveee Zack Ryder too! Can I be anymore sarcastic? Find out!
E - Either that or magic spells. I like how it must be the King of the Ring "curse" that caused Sheamus to lose. The "curse" that has affected no other king of said ring. It can't be anything else. The announcers said it almost as if the "curse" was definitely real and authenticated. I'm waiting for "ghosts" to be the reason why Kofi can't get a main event push.
F - Finally! Sheamus has gotten rid of that embarrassing king gear. He looked like a comic-con attendee that got lost. I thought he was an extra for the upcoming "Thor" movie. I thought he stole his mom's curtains and put Christmas decorations on his head. I thought...okay, I'll stop here. I have plenty of these, though. I filled half a page of my notes with Sheamus jokes. Ahh...WWE.
G - Grade C+. Above average show. The wrestling was decent, too. I'd say the show was better than finding a really nice pen (the value of a good pen cannot be understated) but not as good as after-holiday candy sales.
H - Honestly, Sheamus is getting better. I really liked the Kofi match. Sheamus has a better grasp on storytelling and really seems to be trying to connect with the audience on each move. Good idea in hindsight putting the U.S. Title on him.
I - I love Cody Rhodes. I do this every week, and every time I tell myself "No, Charles, no more rambling about Cody Rhodes in your Smackdown column." Well too bad, because I am. His new gimmick is awesome. It's a true character evolution; as opposed to when guys all of sudden show up with a new gimmick and name with no reason why. It's the natural arc for the "pretty boy" type: humble, over confident, cocky, fall from grace. The new song, the dark lighting, the towel over his head...I like everything about this. Best angle of 2011 so far and maybe of all 2011 when it's all said and done. He's got a World Championship coming soon.
J - Just when I started giving up on women's wrestling (see: TNA columns) Layla and Kelly Kelly put on a decent match. Both women are terrific athletes, which should be the number one quantifier to be a women's wrestler. Unfortunately, it looks like that anticipated Lay-Cool isn't happening unless something happens during the freak show six-person tag at Mania.
K - Kwoosh! Sploosh! Onomatopoeia! That's all WWE is missing from the Sin Cara promos. He now has the ability to make fire surround him at all times, along with his previously shown giant newspaper clipping levitation and glowing aura.
L - Let me get this straight. Two weeks ago, Kane wanted to hit Big Show with a chair with no provocation. One week ago, Show blasted Kane with a chair after their tag match. Now, from Kane's perspective, Show "completes him." Wow. Okay. Talk about the Odd Couple.
M - Most insane thing ever said by an announcer: "Slater and Gabriel have been together for a long time." "How long?" "Almost one year." One year?! That's a long time? I shouldn't be surprised. In WWE years, a one-year tag team is equivalent to 40 human years.
N - Niiiccce. Kane and Big Show's beat down at the hands of Corre was visually striking and compelling. Beat up one individually, sure, but both simultaneously and it's a reputation maker. Of course, it can never be as good as Nexus's debut - easily the most jarring attack in years - but that's the inevitable Curse of Comparison for Corre. They will always be compared to the New Nexus and the original Nexus. It was good, but it was no Nexus.
O - Only in WWE: a large, former collegiate wrestler/football player beats up a short, surfer-type with help from a short, forty-year-old broadcast journalist with a pension for bad puns. On that note...
B - Brodus Clay is going straight to the top. It's not just the look or the push, I think he has it. It's not that hard to see why he'll be more successful than 97 percent of the NXT Rookies. For one, he has a gimmick, not just a terrible randomly picked name (cough, Johnny Curtis, cough). Secondly, it's easy to see what his role will be. He's clearly defined - he's the big guy and the enforcer. I thought Brodus vs. Edge was very good. Brodus worked a decent big-man match and Edge sold well. It felt like a big deal to beat Brodus. Well done. The only draw back was Booker's commentary, I'm not entirely sure he was speaking English during this match.
ChristianCageArt_130GG_28.jpg
C - Cage! Rage! ...Mage? I'm out of cool rhyming "-age" words. I like the cage match added between Christian and Del Rio. It makes sense for the feud. Del Rio and Christian feels like a cage is the only thing that will let them unleash all of their fury. The problem was Raw just did a meaningless cage match with A-Ry and Cena last week and this one seemed silly. Thanks, Raw! Raw: Doing everything bad that you want to see, so it looks bad when you do it.
D - Dramatic question mark?! Champion vs. Champion! Wowee! This never happens. Even Josh Matthews said this was rare! I looovvveee Zack Ryder too! Can I be anymore sarcastic? Find out!
E - Either that or magic spells. I like how it must be the King of the Ring "curse" that caused Sheamus to lose. The "curse" that has affected no other king of said ring. It can't be anything else. The announcers said it almost as if the "curse" was definitely real and authenticated. I'm waiting for "ghosts" to be the reason why Kofi can't get a main event push.
F - Finally! Sheamus has gotten rid of that embarrassing king gear. He looked like a comic-con attendee that got lost. I thought he was an extra for the upcoming "Thor" movie. I thought he stole his mom's curtains and put Christmas decorations on his head. I thought...okay, I'll stop here. I have plenty of these, though. I filled half a page of my notes with Sheamus jokes. Ahh...WWE.
G - Grade C+. Above average show. The wrestling was decent, too. I'd say the show was better than finding a really nice pen (the value of a good pen cannot be understated) but not as good as after-holiday candy sales.
H - Honestly, Sheamus is getting better. I really liked the Kofi match. Sheamus has a better grasp on storytelling and really seems to be trying to connect with the audience on each move. Good idea in hindsight putting the U.S. Title on him.
I - I love Cody Rhodes. I do this every week, and every time I tell myself "No, Charles, no more rambling about Cody Rhodes in your Smackdown column." Well too bad, because I am. His new gimmick is awesome. It's a true character evolution; as opposed to when guys all of sudden show up with a new gimmick and name with no reason why. It's the natural arc for the "pretty boy" type: humble, over confident, cocky, fall from grace. The new song, the dark lighting, the towel over his head...I like everything about this. Best angle of 2011 so far and maybe of all 2011 when it's all said and done. He's got a World Championship coming soon.
J - Just when I started giving up on women's wrestling (see: TNA columns) Layla and Kelly Kelly put on a decent match. Both women are terrific athletes, which should be the number one quantifier to be a women's wrestler. Unfortunately, it looks like that anticipated Lay-Cool isn't happening unless something happens during the freak show six-person tag at Mania.
K - Kwoosh! Sploosh! Onomatopoeia! That's all WWE is missing from the Sin Cara promos. He now has the ability to make fire surround him at all times, along with his previously shown giant newspaper clipping levitation and glowing aura.
L - Let me get this straight. Two weeks ago, Kane wanted to hit Big Show with a chair with no provocation. One week ago, Show blasted Kane with a chair after their tag match. Now, from Kane's perspective, Show "completes him." Wow. Okay. Talk about the Odd Couple.
M - Most insane thing ever said by an announcer: "Slater and Gabriel have been together for a long time." "How long?" "Almost one year." One year?! That's a long time? I shouldn't be surprised. In WWE years, a one-year tag team is equivalent to 40 human years.
N - Niiiccce. Kane and Big Show's beat down at the hands of Corre was visually striking and compelling. Beat up one individually, sure, but both simultaneously and it's a reputation maker. Of course, it can never be as good as Nexus's debut - easily the most jarring attack in years - but that's the inevitable Curse of Comparison for Corre. They will always be compared to the New Nexus and the original Nexus. It was good, but it was no Nexus.
O - Only in WWE: a large, former collegiate wrestler/football player beats up a short, surfer-type with help from a short, forty-year-old broadcast journalist with a pension for bad puns. On that note...
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