Another week flew past, which started with Watchmen, middled with parentals' return and is ending with a lot of writing, mucho restructuring of the workspace and generally doing the organisational thang that I've suddenly found myself enjoying after years of 'pile-filing'.

Friday was one of those days when I couldn't decide if I was being an old fogey or whether the world is just full of ignorant people. I got the bus into Leeds where two girls switched on their mobile phones and played music. Loudly. I've always wanted to kill the person who thought cell-phones that played music even without optional speakers, but I try to ignore as I remember that, hey, I was once a kid too. And I know all kids, as my friend Karen pointed out, don't do this and even if they did, life's too short to sweat the small stuff. I agree. Still. In this case, the girls were in their mid-twenties and about five minutes into listening to their music (sampling I think about thirty different tracks), one said 'Turn it up a bit and see how long it takes people to complain!' This of course is the ultimate dilemma for we Britons - to actually maintain the stiff upper lipiness or actually say 'Bugger this, whether I fulfil the stereotype or not, yes, turn it down, you silly cow because, no, not all of us DO want to listen to it! Just put the fucking ear-phones in!'

Moot point as they eventually got off. Which is what I tried to do... and would have done had the bus not gone the compeltely wrong route through Leeds City Centre. The passengers looked at each other, established we weren't all morons and approached the driver who shrugged, seemed to admit a mistake and travelled up another few roads to get us back on track. When I got up to get off, the bus pulled into a stop that the bus shouldn't stop at and was a hundred yards from where it was supposed to. The driver look confused again and started talking in what sounded like Russian or Polish. I pointed to the stop far ahead and he shrugged and pulled out again- only to pull in at another stop around fifty yards away. At this point I actually asked the guy what the hell he was doing and he started swearing at me in whatever foreign language he was using. Deciding that I wasn't getting anywhere - literally - I got off where we were as he gesticulated at me and possibly insulted my heritage. I turned around, said 'Learn to drive in English' and walked off - not caring if it sounded racist and wondering if it was all some strange planetary alignment.

People who know me the best know I can wild and crazy or calm and considered as the company requires and it actually takes a lot to get me riled - and, frankly, I really don't mind people being morons... I just wish they wouldn't converge on me.

I don't mind being forty. It's the new thirty. But I utterly loathe people who actually make me feel it...

My parentals are now on the way home after three weeks in Orlando. They arrived there on the coldest February day on record, but thankfully it warmed up thereafter and they sound like they've had a good time and didn't get arrested for anything major.

Their imminent arrival back in the UK means that I've bought them fresh milk and bread for their regulatory breakfast needs of a cup of coffee and toast etc immediately on their return early in the am - and that I will have to make sure I clear away any sign of the hookers, drugs and conservative party literature that was sprawled around their living room while they were gone.

I swear, it's all go, go, go around here.

So. I saw Watchmen on Monday. Half of the readers of this blog - for they are so many and I am but only one -will be pissed off they have to wait another week or so and the others will wonder what the hell I'm talking about. The latter half should get themselves quickly to a comic book store and buy the unfilmable graphic novel before seeing the apparently filmable film.

My opinion: For what it's worth this isn't the kind of film that warrants a quick write-up. It's a complex movie which will divide audiences and is largely based on expectations going in. Those casual cinema-goers who pick it because it sounds like it might be a bit like Spider-man or Hulk will be sorely surprised and possibly disappointed. This is much more of a cerebral outing. It's a film about heroes who have gone soft and in some cases can't get hard without their costumes on. There's attempted rape, murder, mutilation, nuclear warfare, love triangles and the kind of naked blue man that would give a Vegas musical act a serious inferiority complex.

Original scribe Alan Moore swore off any Hollywood adaptions after being shafted by the studio system and won't have anything to do with it. He openly told me he doesn't wish the project well. Equally Terry Gilliam's (who was once considering directing the project but deemed it unworkable in a 2-3hr format) judgement is also valid. This IS an epic tale more suited to the likes of an HBO mini series than over two and half hours of cinematic spectacle. But Zack Snyder, whose name raised a few concerns when he was announced as director, refrains from using too many of the tricks from 300. Yes, there are slo-mo scenes and some CGI back-drops, but they are minimal and he’s approached the project with genuine reverence for the source material and if there’s any complaint it must be the opposite of the one expected - that in fact he’s made this TOO much of a love-note to the existing fan base, added a few to many xxxxx’s to it and perhaps kept its heart at the expense of its circulation.

But make no mistake, Watchmen will be one of the most discussed films of the year. It won’t, I suspect, generate those Dark Knight box-office receipts or be as accessible to the uninitiated, but it will generate lots of column-inches and pontificating from the critics and sweaty palms amongst we geeks. It should be - and is - a landmark film for those of us who have already embraced the genre. I intend to see it again. I may even pay this time :)

I also got to meet the cast and crew and was impressed with them all, even moreso when Snyder revealed that the studio’s original view of it, before he came onboard was: "‘We’ve got this project called Watchmen, it might be based - we think - on a graphic novel somewhere, but you can see from the script that it’s a two-hour movie, it’s PG-13 and kids will love it. The graphic novel, wherever that is, apparently took place in the 70s and 80s, but we’ve updated it so it takes place in modern times, so that’s much better. Is there a way you think it could be cool to maybe include the war on terror, maybe Dr Manhattan goes to Iraq? I think we could create a nice franchise and make some more movies…’ If you can imagine that THAT’s where (my involvement) starts, it’s much easier to see how big a deal it was that we’ve now ended up with the movie we have now."

I'm busy transcribing the interviews, topping and tailing the fuller review and still designing the HLWW brochure. No time to laugh or cry. But then again, who does now that The Comedian is dead?

After scanning and archiving almost two decades (God, I feel old!) of newspaper cuttings, I now have a box to my left which is full to the brim of things I intend to put on ebay - a mixture of film memorabilia, a few classic pres skits, some limited edition records, toys and not-available-in-the-shop-items including t-shirts, jackets etc. If I can sell these it will create a bit of spending money for the forthcoming US trip in April and just as importantly reduce the clutter.  I'm a natural born hoarder, so don't underestimate the drive and will-power this is taking! But, do take a look on ebay and see if anythign grabs your fancy - there's Highlander, Lord of the Rings and other geeky goodness on show. My ID is johnmoz1 and you should be able to check out the several pages of items via http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/johnmoz1 (Let me know if this doesn't work). There will be more stuff each day, so keep checking!

In other work -the HLWW9 brochure is nearly done, fortunately quite ahead of my own schedule and all I'm waiting for is a few images for the guests' bio-pages and a confirmation of the final line-up (yes, we're not quite done yet!), I have some articles ready for the next Impact, I've paid the most urgent bill and I'm also working on a new issue of Verbatim which should be ready before the convention. I may even sort copies of my 'The Cutting Edge' book to sell.

And, point of note, I'm using the Beta 'blogger in draft' mode to input this in and I have to say it seems to work a lot better than the standard mode. And organised. Just saying.

Less than a week after that whole Carol Thatcher debacle, an even more serious news story is hitting the headlines which involves freedom of speech and the nature of taking offence.

Geert Wilders, a Flemish man who is well known for his outspoken and candid opinions criticising the muslim faith - to the extent of apparently calling for the Koran to be banned - was invited by one UK politician to attend a screening of FITNA, his movie which cites many examples of Islamic Extremism. Many muslims said they found the film - and the very idea of the seventeen minute film -offensive and wanted it banned and the British government have upheld a position that Wilders is likely to incite violence and he hasn't been allowed into the country. He was turned back at Heathrow earlier today.

Now, I tend to believe that most religious people, while convinced of their own beliefs, are fairly tolerant of others, or - at worst - quietly intolerant. When I'm doorstepped by Jehovah's Witnesses I usually tend to sigh and politely say I'm not interested and send them on their way (alternatively, my brother once engaged them for 30 minutes and finally backed them into a theological cul-de-sac so much that they had to do a holy three-point turn and come back later with more facts. It makes you proud!). When I meet people of an faith looking for a honest debate rather than a straightforward conversion, I'm usually happy to oblige and I go into such discussions perfectly willing to MAYBE have my opinions changed as much as re-inforced.

There's just been a press conference with the MP who invited Wilders and a group of her supporters who hold the decision to ban Wilders with some disdane and I have to say, on the surface, they seem to make a lot of sense. They don't all necessarilly hold Wilders in huge regard, but several have pointed out that it now seems illegal to voice any provocative, critical opinion of the Islamic faith or suggest that there are links between the Islamic faith and terrorism. A law was nearly brought into the UK which could have carried up to a seven year sentence)

But, I'll be honest. I DO have problems with some of the more violent chapters and 'inferior/superior' edicts of the Koran (and, equally the Bible had a fair amount of smiting and eye-for-an-eyeing that can make uncomfortable reading too) and there is, sadly, no denying that many of the major atrocities of the last decade have been perpertrated by Islamic extremists (and again, Christianity... let's talk about your etiquette a while back during those Crusades, shall we?). And look... I have no problem with balancing my observation that while I think 99% Muslims/Christians are decent people, I'd just ike to hear a slightly more vociferous condemnation of the extremeists and reserve my right to make observations that may be negative or positive about you as long as I do so with due care. My bottom line: I believe in upholding a law that says you CAN call a person an idiot for their belief system, you just CAN'T demand their death or injury for not having the same stupid belief system as you. Call it the Life of Brian defence, if you will.

FITNA itself is available on the 'Net fairly easily - just do a Google search. I watched it and I think you'll find some of it unpaltable (either way), some of it thought-provoking and definitely with a narrow focus that backs up the director's viewpoint without any discenting noise. Balanced, it isn't. Xenophobic, it might be. But it does challenge you. And, hey, I like a good challenge.

Perhaps it would be in the best service of taking the wind out of the fundamentalist's sails if rather than merely banning the criticism by loudmouth propagandists of either side... a GENUINE ongoing debate was allowed to take place in which represetatives of each side were willing to answer the serious concerns and criticisms of the other. With voices not violence.

Thank GOD we live in a free world where we COULD actually do that if we tried.

But... y'know, let's not kill each other over which one.

It's a Monday. I can feel it in my bones... or rather in the eyes and head which are aching just a bit annoyingly despite of - or perhaps because of - the new glasses (vaguely looking smug to the right >>>) for my laptop work. My get up and go has got up and gone, which is unfortunate as I have a list of stuff to do which doesn't seem to be growing shorter. HLWW guest announcements, the event brochure, last articles for Impact, bills and readying stuff to ebay.And a brand spankingly new tax bill. Didn't I pay all that last year??? *shudder*

Today, I picked up my glasses. Yes, after years of being the only person in my immediate family with 20/20 eye-sight, it turns out that it's more like 22/18. According to the optician I visited just before Christmas, it's not that I'm desperately in need of them, but that one eye is showing just a little more strain than the other and given the headaches I'll be prone to for a while, they suggested it was a good idea to help with general eye-strain etc.

I'll only need them for close-up work on the computer or lengthy stays in front of a monitor, but looking in the mirror, it's going to take me a while to get used to them. Even on a limited scale.

I am however, warmly reminded of that classic scene in the '90s series Lois and Clark when a time-traveller from the future shows complete disdane of Ms Lane's investigative reporter skills...

Lois: If you wanna kill Superman, I don't know why you're going to Smallville or 1966.

Tempus: She doesn't know yet. Oh, this is good. This is really good. Um, Lois, did you know that, in the future, you're revered at the same level as Superman? Why... there are books about you, statues, an interactive game. You're even a breakfast cereal.

Lois: Really?

Tempus: Yes. But, as much as everybody loves you, there is one question that keeps coming up: "How dumb was she?' Here, I'll show you what I mean. Look [puts glasses on] I'm Clark Kent. [Takes glasses off] No, I'm Superman. [Puts glasses on] Mild-mannered reporter. [Takes glasses off] Superhero! Hello! Duh! Clark Kent IS Superman. Ha, ha, ha. Well, that was worth the whole trip!

I have the glasses and the journo credentials. Just gotta work on the bullet-proof physique. Not working so far.

In the UK we've had a bit of a hoo-hah about a conversation that took place in the green room of popular BBC chat show, The One. In a conversation after the show (and unbroadcast) Carol Thatcher, a roving reporter on the show, apparently compared a well-known black tennis player (who wasn't there) to a 'golliwog'. Complaints were made, the story leaked and over the last few days, Thatcher has been publicly condemned for her words and fired from the program. However that sacking created a controversy of its own and I have to admit I'm in two minds about how I feel about it.

Carol Thatcher is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher and seems to share the same ill-informed, elitist, condescending tone and demeanor of her mother. Quite what her qualifications for the reporter role were, I'm not sure, but she's done a few programmes previously and fared better than average in the 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here' - which basically sums up her career position to date. Now, her stupid words basically speak for themselves. Her rep has said the term was used in jest, but you'd have to be fairly stupid to use the term at all. Where once it might have been a vaguely acceptable but embarassing stereotype (to the extent of the famous badges/pins that Roberstons' marmalade) that was decades ago and now there's NO way you could use the term and see it as anything other than either (at best) gross naivety or (at worst) maliciously offensive. The BBC fired her when she wouldn't apologise.

The problem here is whether this was a private conversation or a workplace incident. However reprehensible I find the term and her use of it, I'd feel very nervous about someone being fired for having a private belief, expressed off-air and being unwilling to apologise for it. For example - I hate almost everything of what the BNP stands for, but I'd fight for their right to exist in a democracy. Should Thatcher have been made to make a public apology in that case? I'd say, no. If it wasn't for a convenient leak, the public wouldn't even know about it and I see no reason for a private conversation to be apologised for if it wasn't public to begin with. Now... if you take this as a workplace incident, where fellow workers felt distressed enough to make note of this and formally complain, then I think the organisation has every right to take action against an individual - though it might well have been more pragmatic to take her aside, give her a good talking to and told that it if it happened again, that was it. Out. Possibly tell her they weren't renewing her contract (subtley different than a firing). Then again, if the regular hosts had a problem with her, a quick and dignified exit was probably well advised.

Some papers say her firing was political (a broadside BBC revenge because of her mother - which seems a stupid idea as they hired her to begin with!) and many try to make their own advantageous links to other recent controversies (don't even get me started on the whole Jonathan Ross situation which has more hypocritical agendas than a council meeting rap sheet).

Bottom line: Thatcher is her own worst enemy, but in a climate where everyone is scared stiff of offending everyone else... if people even remotely suspect you're a racist idiot with the tact of a Big Brother contestant, better to keep silent or risk the result of removing all doubt.

Well, it began snowing early yesterday evening and though it kept stopping and starting overnight - see picture currently to the right - there was at least a 2-3 of inches on the ground by morning and today's weather seems to be fluctuating between the sun coming out and the cold stuff coming down. This isn't Iowa -standard snowfall by any means, but it's the first significant snowfall of the year and naturally that means some major UK cities have come to a grinding halt. (London seeks a snow-flake and has major palpitations, oop north we're a hardier bunch and it takes at least a sever frost to get us fuming!)

Horsforth/Leeds roads seem relatively okay, but as the forecast says the Russian-exported cold front could quickly get worse anytime over the next 36hours and drop the biggest snowload in about five years here and the fact I CAN work from home, it seems sensible to stay here for the moment - so it's articles on my laptop and the beginning of a major restructuring of the room around it (look out, ebay, you may be about to be inundated!)

Didn't win the lottery and I'm apparently not allowed to enter the Univeral Studios Super Bowl Giveaway Sweepstakes - so plans to make my bank account smile have to go on hold. Not so much a winter of typical discontent as a February of the usual fretting...