I went to bed at around 11.30pm last night, switched on the TV in the bedroom and began to flick through the channels. When I got to the BBC News channels I was greeted by the sight of people outside the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles and the ticker-tape banner across the bottom saying that Michael Jackson had died. I felt a bit like I did on that Sunday morning when I first heard about Princess Diana's death - stunned and in disbelief.
To be honest I was never a huge fan of MJ before the Thriller album was released - I thought some of his music was OK but as a teenager at the time I would never go out and spend my hard earned money on it. Then Thriller was released - and WOW! Not only the most fantastic album (every track was good enough to be a single in it's own right), but the video was ground-breaking and awesome as was the choreography. And at that moment I was a convert.
Sadly he never managed to hit those heights again - but then if you achieve perfection I guess it's hard to improve on that. But as someone growing up in the 1980's you couldn't fail to be affected by the music of MJ - love it or hate it. It's also easy to get drawn into the debate about the allegations concerning his childhood, private life & the recent abuse case but none of us will probably ever know how much of this was true.
All I know sitting here this morning is that the world has lost an amazing, incredible talent - and a small part of my childhood feels like it has died. RIP Michael.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Monday, 22 June 2009
ITV4 Tour Series comes to town - good or bad?
Hello and welcome to my first attempt at a ColchesterGuide Blog!
So did you go or watch it on TV? The ITV4 Tour Series came to Colchester on Thursday June 18th and caused quite a debate - the main reason being the decision to close off the town centre to traffic from 9.30am until midnight for the day. But was it worth it?
My own personal experience was that on the morning of the race (admittedly before 9.30am) I noticed virtually no difference and in the evening traffic conditions were quite busy but no worse that some evenings I've encountered on a 'normal' weekday. However I do know of some people who were greatly inconvenienced by the decision and furious at the decision to close off the town for the TV cameras and some of the town centre businesses actually closed early or for the whole day due to anticipated disruption.
So overall what do you all think - was the extra profile it gave Colchester worth the pain? Did the businesses that gained from the event being held outweigh those that lost out?
My own personal view is that events like this can only bring benefit to a town like Colchester which is looking to enhance it's reputation as a tourist centre. Yes there was some pain involved but looking longer term (and especially bearing in mind that the Olympics comes to Britain in 2012) surely the benefits the town gains by hosting a high-profile event such as this can only be a good thing. If there is one town naturally suited to a continental cafe culture with shops and restaurants open into the late evening then surely it is Colchester and we should be doing all that we possibly can to ensure we promote it as such.
So did you go or watch it on TV? The ITV4 Tour Series came to Colchester on Thursday June 18th and caused quite a debate - the main reason being the decision to close off the town centre to traffic from 9.30am until midnight for the day. But was it worth it?
My own personal experience was that on the morning of the race (admittedly before 9.30am) I noticed virtually no difference and in the evening traffic conditions were quite busy but no worse that some evenings I've encountered on a 'normal' weekday. However I do know of some people who were greatly inconvenienced by the decision and furious at the decision to close off the town for the TV cameras and some of the town centre businesses actually closed early or for the whole day due to anticipated disruption.
So overall what do you all think - was the extra profile it gave Colchester worth the pain? Did the businesses that gained from the event being held outweigh those that lost out?
My own personal view is that events like this can only bring benefit to a town like Colchester which is looking to enhance it's reputation as a tourist centre. Yes there was some pain involved but looking longer term (and especially bearing in mind that the Olympics comes to Britain in 2012) surely the benefits the town gains by hosting a high-profile event such as this can only be a good thing. If there is one town naturally suited to a continental cafe culture with shops and restaurants open into the late evening then surely it is Colchester and we should be doing all that we possibly can to ensure we promote it as such.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)