RIP Amy Winehouse: A Sad Loss of Soulful Talent

British soul singer and international success Amy Winehouse has died. She was found on the 23rd July, Saturday afternoon in her flat in her hometown Camden, North London of unconfirmed causes. Such a disappointing end to a story of such an authentic musical talent.

It is no secret that Amy had serious problems with drink and drugs, in fact, it is these demons that shaped her into the person we all grew familiar with as much of her troubled experiences fueled her creative direction in music. Jazz was Amy's forte, music purely of the heart and soul and Amy didn't care if every part of herself was expressed in that way,

"I’m not frightened of appearing vulnerable. I write songs about stuff that I can’t really get past personally - and then I write a song about it and I feel better."

It was this attitude that separated the down-to-earth singer from so many other artists in the industry today.  Amy had literally tattooed her heart on her sleeve, she was brave in that way. She wrote songs to try and pull her out of desperate situations and we could hear her pain and suffering through her stunningly haunting vocals. 

It's just a shame these songs were not enough to save Amy and Fl@unt is devastated at the loss of such a voice. Amy had already achieved so much success and respect in her career, influencing artists such as Adele and Jessie J who have gone on to become successful internationally also. We honestly believed there was still more to come from Amy.

Condolences to her family and close friends.  

Beyonce Making A Stand in Music: Bringing Back R&B with New Album '4'

Sick and tired of the music scene of late? Fl@unt is definitely bored of hearing single after single of the same electro/dance genre that has taken over the charts for a solid year now. Don't get us wrong - there have been excellent tunes to come from the genre, but its time to change it up we feel.

Currently, there are seven songs in the UK Top 10 based on the electro-pop genre showing artists who have sold out to this music trend such as Pitbull and even The Wanted (although both singles are great), and so Fl@unt breathed a sigh of relief when Ms B released her album 4 earlier this month reintroducing r&b grooves we thought we'd never get back again. 

In a recent interview with Complex magazine, Beyonce stated her musical intentions for her latest album:

"Figuring out a way to get R&B back on the radio is challenging.  Everything sounds the same on the radio. With 4 I tried to mix R&B from the ’70s and the ’90s with rock ‘n’ roll and a lot of horns to create something new and exciting. I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation, and classic songwriting.”

Thank goodness for Ms B,  otherwise the music industry would have seriously lost itself to one type of music style which is never good. 

4 is a great album with an array of r&b ballads, mid tempos and up tempos - mixed with flavours of other music styles of course - reminding everyone that Ms B ain't no follower as she says herself:

"I have an authentic, God-given talent, drive, and longevity that will always separate me from everyone else. I’ve been fortunate to accomplish things that the younger generation of queens dream of accomplishing. I have no desire for anyone else’s throne. I am very comfortable in the throne I’ve been building for the past 15 years.”

Beyonce creates music trends while never forgetting her musical roots which is why she'll always be an inspiring artist and an important figure in music - other singers take note.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' - Ended as Intended...With a Stunning Climax to a Franchise Like No Other

So the time has come for us to bid farewell to a magical franchise we would be lucky (but most unlikely) to come across again in our lifetimes - the Harry Potter film series has met its end. And what an end to finish on. The trailers for this film promised clashing battles between the ultimate forces of good and evil created by J K Rowling and it certainly delivered in terms of action. 

The second part to the Deathly Hallows starts exactly where the first part left off, setting the serious tone of the film with a dark shot of Voldemort unleashing the powers of his wand ready to embark on his encounter with Harry. A couple of scenes follow filled with silence mostly, short sentences from the cast letting the locations speak for itself giving the audience time to remember how exactly the first part of Deathly Hallows ended. This further sets the tone of seriousness and anticipation as those who have read the book know Harry is about to set off on the biggest confrontation of his life.

This series has worked well and particularly this film because of the expert skill of acting involved not only from the experienced, more weathered older cast but just as much from the main considerably younger star Daniel Radcliffe. There comes alot of pressure with such a role to play that is worshiped and followed by so many, however Daniel seems able to carry this well as his portrayal of a brave, determined yet extremely vulnerable teenager is executed so well in this film and will no doubt gain him endless movie offers after this - J K Rowling was lucky to cast such a talented boy back in 2000.

Of course the supporting cast carry the film also and so J K Rowling was extremely lucky in finding exactly the right people able to portray these characters she created so accurately and convincingly. The two roles that stood out for me personally was Voldemort portrayed by Ralph Fiennes and Professor Snape portrayed by Alan Rickman. Both seasoned actors but these roles were particularly played well fitting my image of the characters when I read the books. Fiennes brings the hissing sense of pure evil to Voldemort so easily its frankly horrifying and Rickman was able to bring a surprising openness of vulnerability in this film contrasting his usual impassive acting style - Oscar nominations deserved for both actors.

This film contained non stop action and so the audience is never left restless and also scenes of emotional contemplation and revelation to provide some relief from the fast pace. There are certain details of the last book left out but also so many scenes remained loyal to the book such as the last scene of Harry and the rest as grown adults with families. I believe it is impossible to include every aspect of J K's words into a two hour film and so I appreciate this film for what it is: a truly moving, unique, larger than life movie experience that I am sad to see leave me after ten years.

Harry Potter, its been a pleasure. 

Harry Potter: Final World Premiere of the Franchise

The World Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 took place this sunny evening in Trafalgar Square, London, and the event attracted more than hundreds of fans from across the world as well as in the UK, no doubt bringing in the biggest public audience in the UK for any premiere of Harry Potter.

 

Understandably so, as this is the final time the cast and crew will celebrate the release of a new Harry Potter film (that is unless J K Rowling decides to create new adventures for Harry). Emma Watson and J K Rowling herself found the whole experience attending the premiere particularly emotional and overwhelming shedding some tears before they entered the cinema.

Were you able to attend the world premiere? Are you sad at the departure of the Harry Potter film franchise?  I must admit I feel slightly sad as while I stood in Trafalgar Square surrounded by fans of the films I realised that a movie and book franchise of this intense popularity may never be created again, especially in the UK. To think that the seed of all this madness came from the imaginative mind of a woman from Gloucestershire is crazy. 

I'm sure even J K Rowling can't believe she's behind this. We must not collapse in depression just yet though as the film is not released until next week - then we can ponder how we will cope without tales of the wondrous wizard.