Now back in favour with TNA management this is perhaps the best time to take a look at this recent double DVD set based on the most recent stint in TNA by the ever-popular Jeff Hardy.
Hardy when on form is a wonderfully entertaining and exciting grappler.
This release takes us back to his early 2010 re-appearance for the company and follows his subsequent journey, through his main feud and his eagerly anticipated World Title win.
The material on offer here is very relevant and the freshness of it also means this will appeal to newer fans also.
The documentary style links work well, as Hardy and many top TNA stars talk about his past indiscretions and how he made his mark once before in TNA before leaving to rejoin the WWE.
Hardy himself seems very approachable here, he is honest in his answers and does acknowledge that he is very lucky to be in the position he is in TNA.
This was of course before Hardy saw himself removed from active duty (and his title), this DVD timeline takes us right up to the point where TNA management and Sting had to take Hardy off TNA TV and ruin a perfectly enjoyable PPV in doing so.
This event is something TNA may approach again down the line I am sure.
Alongside the talking heads and trivia points in the main feature we also get some top notch matches from 2010 TV and PPV events.
The matches are all pretty decent ones, featuring Mr Anderson, Kurt Angle, Sting, Shannon Moore, Matt Morgan and a nice tag team scrap where Jeff joined his brother Matt.
Also covered here is Hardy’s heel turn and affiliation with Hulk Hogan’s Immortal faction, we are also told how Hardy’s specially designed title belt came to be and learn that he modelled his early face-painted character on his hero Sting.
Over the course of these two discs (and its five hour plus duration) we the viewer do get a warts and all look at Jeff ‘The Charismatic Enigma’ Hardy and his impact on the wrestling business.
Hardy has many outside interests too, he still pursues his musical aspirations and his art, he is now a father and that seems to have curtailed(freely admitted) self-destructing lifestyle.
As Jeff Jarrett says Hardy is a one-man merchandise machine, the fans love him, they buy not only into his persona, but they buy his t-shirts etc too.
This DVD is a perfect re-introduction to the present career of one of the industry’s most interesting and innovative performers.
Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy Volume 2 is available now from all good retailers.
Visit impactwrestling.com for more information. By Phil Allely
Johan Reinhold is a Swedish indie electro-pop singer/songwriter ready to re-introduce himself with the release of ‘Shoot Me Down’, his first single from the upcoming full-length debut Beautiful Loser, metaphorically stripping himself of the old Johan only to reveal a darker, more honest and reformed self.
“My goal was to try different sounds with no real structure or form of writing in mind. I wanted to mix and play around with vari¬ous styles like indie pop, French house, British rock and sprinkle that with some Swedish melan¬choly, taking me back to the sounds that really influenced my younger years” – Says Johan Reinhold.johanreinhold.com facebook.com/reinholdjohan
In 2011 Warner Bros. invited audiences to exclusive screenings of the new creation from the director of The Hangover.
“An epic, dirty, hilarious movie. I wish I was there!” “Funny as hell!” and “Superbad on crack!” were amongst the responses.
The film was PROJECT X – the party movie to end all party movies – and now you can watch the full trailer:
Directed by Nima Nourizadeh and produced by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Joel Silver (The Matrix), Project X is an out-of-control comedy that follows a group of buds who set out to throw the most epic 17th birthday party ever. The film documents a high school party that gets completely out of control, shot from the perspective of the digital cameras that the kids have with them.Project X – This year’s coolest party movie is released in the UK and Ireland on March 2nd. facebook.com/ukprojectxparty
Bap Kennedy’s new album ‘The Sailor’s Revenge’ is produced by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler and is released on the 30th Jan 2012.
Bap will be playing a full band live set and signing copies of the new record, at- HMV Belfast Monday 30 January at 1pm.
For nearly any singer/songwriter on the planet, the idea of collaborating with Mark Knopfler would be the stuff of fantasy.
But for Bap Kennedy, it was just the latest in a long line of projects with high profile, and highly respected, musical legends.
For a man who has worked with Steve Earle and Van Morrison, to name just two, an offer to record an album in the Dire Straits frontman’s own studio was another musical milestone.
The Sailor’s Revenge, the album that Kennedy wrote and Knopfler produced, features songwriting that grows stronger with every listen – assisted, of course, by Knopfler’s distinctive delicious guitar and tasteful widescreen production
‘The Sailor’s Revenge’ features Kennedy’s most mature and sophisticated songwriting to date – an achievement in itself when you consider his back catalogue – as well as the instantly recognisable guitar work of Mark Knopfler, who also produced the album.
Knopfler is joined by a collection of the most highly respected session musicians, such as Jerry Douglas and Glenn Worf, combining to ensure that the musicianship on The Sailor’s Revenge is every bit as good as the songwriting. Bap Kennedy – “The Sailors Revenge”
Produced by Mark Knopfler.
Release Date – 30 January 2012
Bap Kennedy Live: Thursday 23 February:
The Empire Music Hall, Belfast bapkennedy.com facebook.com/BapKennedy
TNA Knockout Tara spoke to our very own Phil Allely this past week about her career to date, her hopes for the future and the upcoming TNA UK Tour, below are highlights from that interview.
Having started her career as a member of the Godfathers Ho Train Tara can relate to the cynics who belittle the females who get high paid jobs in wrestling for their looks alone. “You know I was signed (to the WWE) with no wrestling experience, I was in the right place at the right time and my look and my fitness training background helped me get that job. Unlike many girls hired now, I paid my dues too, I spent three years going to wrestling school, working my way around the indy and developmental leagues.”
“You know I’d never bad mouth girls who have got an opportunity in this business
without any in-ring ability, the big thing though is that they need to realise just how hard you have to work and bust your butt to get the recognition you deserve.”
Tara is currently part of a tag team with fellow Knockout Brooke Tessmacher, the duo have already snared the KO Tag team belts once and seem intent on regaining them.
“Brooke is a lovely young girl. We are now really close friends, I think when they paired us up it was a case of putting her with someone who could coach her and help her learn more in the ring. She has so much more to give we’ve only seen a glimpse of what Brooke has to offer. I like being a tag team wrestler, I miss having those titles.”
A Knockout: Our very own Phil Allely with lovely Tara
“We all strive to get the belts (singles or tag), being champ means you get more matches and it makes you work harder, we all work towards that. Mind you I would like the singles title again too.”
Tara is very high on former WWE road agent and diva’s trainer Finlay, a man who is now a free agent and perhaps one of the genuinely toughest men in the industry.
“Finlay created my character, he said to me you are psychotic, let’s use that and we worked out my character from there. He was given the Diva’s as a joke I think, he didn’t argue or complain, what he did was take it seriously and he worked us hard.”
“He believed in us girls and he was a passionate about our division as we were. I did contact him to say how sorry I was to hear about his situation (his WWE firing). I told him how much TNA would appreciate him and what he could offer us.”
He is a great coach, he is an amazing wrestler too, even though he’s a bit mature now he can still work, I know he has something to offer us, he’s a wasted talent and I’d love to see him here.”
The upcoming TNA UK tour is poised to be the biggest yet for the company, with Sting and Hulk Hogan confirmed for the shows it must make it an exciting prospect to have made the grade for this series of live shows and TV tapings.
“The fans are so amazing in the UK, we get engulfed in their enthusiasm and it make sus work harder too. We’ll be having fun out there and with Mickie James, Gail Kim, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky there we are sure to have some classic matches.
“It’s unbelievable to think of how successful we are as a brand in the UK, you know we were always compared to the WWE, but we are not the same and never have been. I think we are really standing out as ourselves now. We always make time for our fans and I’m glad that we can do that. I never want someone to think that I walked past them or ignored them. I am a fan and I know how it feels to be pushed aside and not get that few minutes of a conversation or a treasured picture”.
TNA are on tour January 26-28 2012, watch out for our review of the Manchester live show and more news. By Phil Allely
Check the video for London duo 14th’s new single ‘Take Me There’, released on Monday 13th February.
14th new UK dates:
9th Feb – HMV Next Big Thing @ Jazz Cafe, London
13th Feb – I Luv Live @ XOYO, London
16th Feb – Buffalo Bar, Cardiff
18th Feb – The Little Room, Sunderland
25th Feb – Harley, Sheffield
2nd March – KOKO, London
3rd March – The Unit, Southampton
9th March – The Hope, Brighton
15th March – The Cavern, Exeter
French/Finnish duo The Dø are Olivia, the O in The Dø and Dan is the D. Technically accomplished and full of rich orchestration and electronic flourishes, The Dø manage to keep a lightness of touch and an instant pop appeal, no doubt thanks to Olivia’s bewitching vocals and song-writing skills.
Oliveia veers from the primal, invoking the spectres of Fever Ray and Bjork with the percussion led ‘Slippery Slope’. Expect to be hearing a lot more of the pair as the year goes on.
Former Hollyoaks babe Emma Rigby spoke to TV buzz about her new role in the new TV series, Prisoners’ Wives.
Emma plays a pregnant wife who is in prison: “The costume department kept stuffing sponges into the suit to make me look bigger, and when I sent a photo of myself to a friend, they were like: ‘My God, you look terrible.’ I couldn’t disagree!”
She explained, “I’m not maternal anyway, but this has put me off having kids for life.”
Emma told TV buzz how she really got into her role: “I visited a real-life jail in preparation for the role, and it broke my heart to see prisoners and their loved ones being separated from each other at the end of visiting times.”
Emma is keen to ensure she makes a name for herself as an actress rather than a celebrity so she’s coy when TV buzz quizzes her on reports that she’s dating 23 year old JLS heart-throb Aston Merrygold.
Alison King has filmed one of Corrie’s most explosive storylines about sexual assault; she revealed to TV buzz how she felt when filming these scenes.
She said, “You really feel the pressure to play it right for all those people who have been in that situation.”
Alison explained, “We went to St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, where a lovely lady called Bernie helped me through every stage.”
She has become very close to her on screen ex –fiancé Frank Foster [Andrew Lancel] “I call him my very own Stephen Fry as he’s full of trivia. I’ll tell him: ‘You’re boring me with all these facts! Will you shut up now?’
But we’ve got chemistry that can be hard to find in this business. Andrew keeps me alive – he keeps me going.”
Alison also revealed, “I love working with Chris Gascoyne [Peter Barlow] so much. It’s like working with your grandad. Honestly, he gets older by the day, but I know I’m going to have to give him back to Jane Danson [Leanne] at some point because she misses him dearly.”
Alison also told TV buzz, “It’s really hard to watch yourself. I don’t think as an actress you ever go: ‘That was brilliant’ – you always just cringe!” So what does the future hold for the actress?
It’s nice sometimes to stumble upon a band you have always wanted to see and hear and yet due to circumstances beyond your control you have missed.
For this reviewer Northern Irish rockers Rebels By Nature were one such band until not so long ago.
These guys (and girl) were on my radar (since they hooked up in 2007), but I was never in the right place at the right time to see what everyone else was raving about.
Fortunately I resolved that recently and picked up a copy of the band’s debut EP along the way too.
This debut EP Blood & Whiskey (single malt edition) is a very good stab at giving us the listener an insight into a typical short set from this energetic five-piece rock act. The good news a live set will feature these songs and much more in the same vein.
Rebels By Nature are a dirty, raw and adulterated rock act, taking the basic influence of the genre and spinning it in their own fun and inventive direction.
The four evenly balanced tracks on offer her in this release are fun and reasonably well delivered ones (the band recorded, mixed and produced the EP). Each one has a unique feel, tone and style, portraying the bands persona well indeed.
Blood & Whiskey features the trademark raspy rock vocals of lead man Phil, which wouldn’t work as well without the solid guitar backing and formidable rhythm section which this act possesses.
This CD shows RBN as a band who can perform fast/hard rock as easy as they can ballad style tunes.
If you are lucky enough to see this collective live you’ll appreciate just why they deserve more credit than they receive at present, hopefully 2012 will be the year RBN push themselves into the fore as much as their fans want to. rebelsbynature.co.uk 4 out of 5
By Phil Allely
Now back in favour with TNA management this is perhaps the best time to take a look at this recent double DVD set based on the most recent stint in TNA by the ever-popular Jeff Hardy.
Johan Reinhold is a Swedish indie electro-pop singer/songwriter ready to re-introduce himself with the release of ‘Shoot Me Down’, his first single from the upcoming full-length debut Beautiful Loser, metaphorically stripping himself of the old Johan only to reveal a darker, more honest and reformed self.
In 2011 Warner Bros. invited audiences to exclusive screenings of the new creation from the director of The Hangover. 
The film documents a high school party that gets completely out of control, shot from the perspective of the digital cameras that the kids have with them.
Project X – This year’s coolest party movie is released in the UK and Ireland on March 2nd. 
Bap Kennedy’s new album ‘The Sailor’s Revenge’ is produced by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler and is released on the 30th Jan 2012. 
The Sailor’s Revenge, the album that Kennedy wrote and Knopfler produced, features songwriting that grows stronger with every listen – assisted, of course, by Knopfler’s distinctive delicious guitar and tasteful widescreen production
TNA Knockout Tara spoke to our very own Phil Allely this past week about her career to date, her hopes for the future and the upcoming TNA UK Tour, below are highlights from that interview.
“You know I was signed (to the WWE) with no wrestling experience, I was in the right place at the right time and my look and my fitness training background helped me get that job. Unlike many girls hired now, I paid my dues too, I spent three years going to wrestling school, working my way around the indy and developmental leagues.”
Check the video for London duo 14th’s new single ‘Take Me There’, released on Monday 13th February.
French/Finnish duo The Dø are Olivia, the O in The Dø and Dan is the D. Technically accomplished and full of rich orchestration and electronic flourishes, The Dø manage to keep a lightness of touch and an instant pop appeal, no doubt thanks to Olivia’s bewitching vocals and song-writing skills. 
Former Hollyoaks babe Emma Rigby spoke to TV buzz about her new role in the new TV series, Prisoners’ Wives. 
Alison King has filmed one of Corrie’s most explosive storylines about sexual assault; she revealed to TV buzz how she felt when filming these scenes. 
It’s nice sometimes to stumble upon a band you have always wanted to see and hear and yet due to circumstances beyond your control you have missed. 
