Is anything really new anymore?

On the rare occasion where something fresh and new comes along, it is generally cherished, preserved and following that…..copied.
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but at what point does it just become re-packaging. Have things gone so far that nothing is really new anymore?

The question is certainly applicable for all forms of our entertainment dose; music, film, art, fashion. Trends come and go, and then they come again. But whatever happened to creativity, and starting with something original?

I understand that recycling is a great thing and is the trend of the decade but should we be re-using entertainment as well? I can picture the slogans now:
Recycle music. It’ll save the energy you would have used getting off your backside to make new songs!

In the music industry, beats are “sampled” (i.e nicked) in order to make quirky dance tunes. And hey, it works! Madonna stole – sorry, “sampled” – Abba’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” to make huge hit “Hung up” and Rihanna’s “SOS” contained the ever-catchy “Tainted Love” as a backbeat. Both were some of the biggest hits in the past 2 years. Both went straight to no.1.

Covers are just as popular, with Girls Aloud’s “Jump” and New Found Glory’s “Kiss Me” just to name a few. So when paying a licence fee is so much easier than actually picking up an instrument and writing new music, is it any wonder artists are becoming so lazy?

The songs that are emulated were generally big hits for themselves before being re-used, and re-released. And it is interesting to think; at what point do these songs become classics, rather than just repeated material. Christmas songs are released every single November/December, but are often named as “Classics” or “Must haves”. Is it the repetition of something that gives it legendary status? Or have they merely been drummed so hard into our skulls, we don’t have an alternative?

The film industry follows suit with last year being the “year of sequels”, with new plots being far and few between. I’m hoping that we will never reach Oceans 21, or Pirates of the Caribbean- take 7. I’m a huge fan of some trilogies I must say, but when is it time to just let it lie?

Die Hard saw its fourth instalment a whopping ten years after the trilogy was completed and although it turned out to be a blockbuster hit, personally, I remain unimpressed. Some projects should be left to quit whilst ahead. I hear there is another Indiana Jones upcoming this year…. And I’m pretty sure I know how it’s going to end….Hero is in mysterious country, Hero meets girl. Hero gets girl. Hero gets in trouble. Hero saves the day. Hero makes millions in yet another tedious and unoriginal sequel.

Comic books adaptations have proved more promising at the box office than at first expected. Often thought of as a niche market, the rest of the planet seems to have latched onto geek’s teat. Spiderman, Superman, Batman X-Men, and this year Iron Man. All have raked in the big bucks and with the help of Stan Lee (creator of Marvel comics) to keep with the original stories and it has been interesting to see Hollywood stars branching out into areas previously thought as “too nerdy”.

But even still, perhaps we don’t want new and different?
Perhaps those with the big money would rather invest in a project they are confident is popular. Of course investors must protect their cash, and keeping with the familiar is always a safe bet. The Transformers for example, last year was one of the best films released, and as a well-loved 80’s cartoon, many were already familiar with the idea and were overly-excited to see their beloved childhood past-time in the more human world of cinema.

Personally, I’m getting a little tiresome of repeats, although watching my Sex and the City box set almost every day, has not yet caused boredom. Which leaves me torn between the two. Vintage or brand new?

Tom Jones’s face is always re-invented and the ladies still love him. Who knows, maybe there is something to repeats after all, but if the entertainment industry wants to throw something new in there to mix it up once in a while, I certainly wouldn’t complain.

Karen Recommends.....Roller Disco!

“Who’s crazy legs McGee over there by the bar?” I heard some stranger in spandex ask. And even though it was myself who looked like I actually belonged in this decade (i.e. no legwarmers, no luminous clothing), unfortunately the joke was on me.
I was in Billie Rocks, a fantastically different nightclub…..on wheels.And as someone who has always had a love/hate relationship with that force we call balance, my movement round the club was sketchy to say the least.

After picking up my skates (which closely resembled the Fisher Price “My First Skates” I got for Christmas back when I was 4) I hopped with my wheels to the bar as if the ground was on fire. Awkward would be an understatement.
Not only could I not walk in them, I sure couldn’t glide in them either. In slow motion it seemed, making it to the bar, I held on for dear life in an attempt to avoid falling on my ass. Mission: Failed.

As tragic as this picture sounds, something was happening amongst my face simultaneously. I think they call it a smile. How refreshing it really was to find somewhere that provides an alternative to generic nights out into town.

It might just me myself on this one, but many cities are missing places such as these. Somewhere that anyone can go to try something different. Where anyone can have a laugh and not be judged, even if you are on your rear about to be ran over.
I would certainly recommend it.


Words of Warning. If you feel like going to the roller-disco anytime soon…

1) Don’t drink before hand. (Tequila shots, and blurry vision tends not to go hand-in-hand with a task that requires stability.)
2) Take someone who will hold your hand. If you fall down, you can take them down with you!
3) Do not go, in the expectation that you may pull. In a normal nightclub, hey, maybe you’ll get lucky. But at the roller disco, everyone’s a bit edgy.
4) Pack your sense of humour before leaving the house. No-one wants a cry baby in the club.
5) Have fun! If you take it too seriously, you’ll become the joke of the pro’s. Give it a go. Give it a giggle. And when you’ve mastered it, perhaps you could show me sometime.