bye bye blackbird

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 1:02 PM | add or read comments (0)

So farewell then (I feel tones of EJ Thribb coming on) Jason Harborow.
Liverpool has finally waved a - very expensive - bye bye to the erstwhile culture company chief exec this week.
To be honest, I and many others assumed he'd already gone off to whatever new "business opportunities" were beckoning, taking the freebie train sets that littered his office with him.
Last year he said to me - and you'll have to imagine the Chorley accent for this one - "eeh, Catherine, I'm like a phoenix rising from the flames".
Obviously I had to laugh.
But it seems maybe Jase HAS managed to take on the characteristics of the mythical creature which was said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible.
The question is, is there anyone crowing now?

the millers tale

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:51 AM | add or read comments (0)

The latest in a string of high profile visitors to the city so far this year gave a very entertaining talk in Liverpool last night.
I almost didn't make it to the Sir Jonathan Miller lecture at Liverpool Uni.
The traffic was bad, the weather was worse, and the parking arrangements were less than clear to say the least.
I have to admit there was a point - rather damp and annoyed - when I almost gave up.
Luckily though I didn't.

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liverpool cityscape

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 11:56 AM | add or read comments (0)

Have you been to see Ben Johnson working on his Liverpool Cityscape yet?
If you're expecting a Rolf Harris-style "can you guess what it is yet?" done in a day artwork you may be sorely disappointed.
It has taken Ben three years to almost complete the most ambitious cityscape he's ever attempted, and frankly there is still some way to go yet.
There's the little (or anything but) matter of the new Museum of Liverpool and the less than lovely Mann Island black blocks to go in, plus the Pier Head canal and a slice of Grosvenor.

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holocaust memorial day

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:19 AM | add or read comments (0)

The month of commemorations came to a head with National Holocaust Memorial Day at the Philharmonic Hall yesterday.
Security was ultra tight because of the presence of the Israeli Ambassador.
Apparently there was a waiting list of 800 for tickets for the event, and yet I spotted quite a few empty seats dotted around the Philharmonic Hall.
So to those of you who didn't have a good reason for failing to turn up - shame on you.

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archbishop of canterbury

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 10:22 AM | add or read comments (0)

The Archbishop of Canterbury told a packed Liverpool Cathedral last night that the city has a "long tradition of iconoclastic irony".
ie - the way it seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions.
ie - sheer cheeky contrariness.
Then the Bishop of Liverpool summed up what he felt was the essence of "iconoclastic Liverpool".
"What it means is having Ringo Starr and Rowan Williams in the same month in the city.
"Only, I would ask, if possible, don't go on the Jonathan Ross show."

dooley archive

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 10:00 AM | add or read comments (0)

I never got to meet the late, great Arthur Dooley but I know he inspired an awful lot of people - not least his apprentice Stephen Broadbent who is creating the Sheppard-Worlock Statue for us.
And several of his tactile statues appeared on last week's Antiques Roadshow too.
Now the Arthur Dooley Archive Project is being launched in Liverpool.
It aims to create a living community archive celebrating Dooley's work, raising his profile and proving inspiration for generations to come.

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mini maestro

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:46 AM | add or read comments (0)

Could there be a new conductor in the house?
It sounds as though Vasily Petrenko's three-year-old son could be turning into a mini-me maestro.
At the Phil last night one concert goer told me they had chanced to be sitting behind Mrs Petrenko and young Sasha at a concert a couple of weeks ago.

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tyldesley words of wisdom

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:21 AM | add or read comments (0)

I went to see Cljve Tyldesley speak at St George's Hall yesterday teatime.
The former Radio City reporter and distinctive ITV commentator was in town to talk about "Liverpool - City of Sport".
As it happens, his talk could have been renamed Liverpool - City of Football. Or possibly even Liverpool: City of Liverpool, as by his own admission he tended to concentrate on the Reds.
Good thing then that both You'll Never Walk Alone AND Z Cars were played on the Willis organ beforehand.
Anyway, what does Clive know - he was a boyhood Man U fan!

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new culture secretary

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:07 AM | add or read comments (0)

So we've got a Liverpudlian in charge at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
And an Evertonian to boot.
Warren Bradley will be particularly pleased then!
But what does Andy Burnham's appointment really mean for Liverpool, European Capital of Culture?
Not the £20m we need to pay for it I bet.

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rejected but not dejected

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:10 AM | add or read comments (0)

There was a packed house for the first night of Reject Revenge's latest - and possibly last - major production.
It's been widely publicised that the Liverpool theatre company looks set to become a victim of the Arts Council's swinging blade.
It is one of nearly 200 companies nationwide which have been listed to lose their financial backing.
So do as the audience did last night and get along to see this inventive and irresistible company while you still can - and keep your fingers crossed for a last minute reprieve.

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starry starry flight

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:41 AM | add or read comments (0)

Oh dear, oh dear.
Ringo Starr isn't having much luck with his TV appearances.
Hard on the heels of his rather blunt performance Jonathan Ross which sparked a hullabaloo last week, it now appears he's got into a bit of strife on an American show.

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moving images

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 11:20 AM | add or read comments (0)

Possibly the most moving and oddly beautiful exhibition you will see this year has opened at Liverpool Town Hall.
I popped in to the see the RESPECTacles display this morning.
What a fantastic job the organisers have done creating what is a poignant but also a deeply magical exhibit.
The large ballroom is saturated with blue light, the chandeliers are dimmed and the floor is covered in tens of thousands of glasses.
Some are joined to create the Birkenau death camp "train tracks" - they run away, reflected in each of the hall's giant mirrors, to infinity.

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ringo on wossy

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:20 AM | add or read comments (1)

Well, that's set the cat among the pigeons.
I didn't see Jonathan Ross's show on Friday night - a combination of being bored with Wossy's interviewing style and being completely Ringoed out.
I wish I had now if only so I could see what had caused the furore which has gathered pace over the weekend.
Arrogant, obnoxious and an embarrassment are some of the more printable reactions we've received on our forums.
And it's such a shame.

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back when they was fab

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 7:56 AM | add or read comments (0)

It's one of those seminal moments in Liverpool history.
Julia Baird, John Lennon's sister, reckons there were 200,000 people there the day the Beatles came home for a civic reception.
Now the whole shebang, from the invitations for the Speke Airport press conference to the guest list for the Town Hall party and a host of memorabilia in between, is on show at the Central Library.
It's fascinating, and it's free!

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the lessons we never learn

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 10:59 AM | add or read comments (0)

The Roscoe lecture at St George's Hall on Monday taught everyone there a very sombre lesson.
Human beings are supposed to learn from our mistakes.
And yet nearly every generation has to live with the shameful stain of genocide and hatred.

Continue reading "the lessons we never learn" »

capital of celebs

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 12:40 PM | add or read comments (0)

They were out there in force, but you may not have known.
Liverpool's actors, musicians, sportsmen and business names were invited to join the Capital of Culture opening party on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Many of them appeared on stage in Lime Street but due to either some strange editing decision or a glitch in the system, their appearance wasn't beamed up on the giant screens.
Maybe in retrospect the hard-hatted compere on top of the Wellington column should have read out their names so the crowds knew who was celebrating with them.
But still, they were here and they told me they'd had a marvellous time.

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liverpool the musical

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 3:02 PM | add or read comments (0)

It was billed as "the greatest story ever told".
And that was no idle boast.
Liverpool The Musical at the ECHO Arena last night was simply magnificent and hats off to all involved.
At its heart was a tour de force performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra which played - conducted with brio by Vasily Petrenko - almost continuously throughout the entire 100-minute extravaganza.

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it really WAS the people's opening

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 4:16 PM | add or read comments (1)

Do you know what the most impressive thing was about last night?
No, not the rooftop guitarists and drummers (well done to Ambrose Reynolds and his Urban Strawberry Lunch brigade), nor the amazing wall walkers and acrobats, nor even a beanie hatted, shades-wearing Ringo Starr.
It was the people of Liverpool and the sheer number who turned out to see it.
The sight in Lime Street was simply breath-taking.

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ringo

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 5:32 PM | add or read comments (2)

The telly are here, the rain is staying away and Ringo has arrived for our Capital of Culture launch weekend.
The former Beatle hit town with his new best friend and musical collaborator Dave Stewart this morning.
I was sent to stake out his hotel to get the first photograph and words with the 67-year-old and he obliged, albeit briefly.

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holocaust

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 5:27 PM | add or read comments (0)

Amid the Capital of Culture celebrations, does it seem a little odd to talk about the systematic murder of millions of innocent people?
I pondered this today during a poignant event at Liverpool Cathedral to launch the Anne Frank exhibition and Holocaust Memorial Day programme.
But actually the talk was mostly about hope, and how to teach the next generation the lessons which will prevent future genocide and hatred.

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three days to go

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 11:26 AM | add or read comments (0)

The stages are going up, the scaffolding is installed and Ringo is packing his thermals.
We're now just three days away from the opening weekend of Capital of Culture and despite the wet and windy weather I have to say it's getting quite exciting.
I had a brief chat with one of the co-artistic directors this morning as he wolfed down his hotel breakfast before starting another 20-hour day.
Here's one export from Australia we're definitely getting our money's worth from.

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08 ambassadors at the arena

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 7:48 AM | add or read comments (1)

I joined thousands of Ambassadors and 08 supporters at the Echo Arena on Friday night.
And it really is quite impressive.
Even more so was the Mexican wave Phil Redmond and Pete Price managed to get going which swept up the centre of the arena and then exploded out around the raised seating.
It got everyone laughing and in the party mood.

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arena

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 2:48 PM | add or read comments (0)

So what do you think of the new ECHO Arena?
Yes, yes, I know it's not quite as big as the MEN Arena - but it's a damn sight bigger than the Big Top and it's ours!
We've watched it grow up on the banks of the Mersey from nothing, and now look at it - a week before the official opening event.
And in two hours time, up to 8,000 people are going to get the chance of a closer look.

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trial by train and a classic headache

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 9:27 AM | add or read comments (0)

The West Coast mainline fiasco threatened if not to derail but at least to severely hamper Classic FMs trip up north.
The radio station is broadcasting live from the Beetham West Tower next door to the Echo all day today.
But getting here proved a bit of a trial by rail for the presenters and techies yesterday.

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2008

• Posted by Catherine Jones at 12:43 AM | add or read comments (0)

Well, it's finally here!
If you were one of the 3,000 people at Liverpool Cathedral tonight you will have marked the turning of the year in style, singing Auld Lang Syne as fireworks cascaded from the cathedral's roof.
The date 2008 was also emblazoned in numbers 10ft high lighting up the night sky with firewriting.

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