Five minutes with Gareth Cliff

Gareth Cliff is the driving force behind the hilarious and energetic morning team at 5FM. We spent time with the guy behind the mike to find out what makes him tick.

- What makes me get out of bed in the morning: the fact I have a radio show to start at 6 am - and I often wake up late in a panic.

- The best thing about working in the radio industry: the listeners and callers. It’s a big dysfunctional family.

- My biggest dream: to be emperor of the world.

- My favourite pastimes: sleeping, being with family and friends, historical architecture, genealogy and tequila.

- Being in love means: being tricked by chemicals into believing that procreating with one other person is your decision when it’s actually the work of your DNA trying to control you to replicate itself.

- The 2010 Fifa World Cup makes me feel: I cannot wait! I’m a MASSIVE soccer fan and I’m convinced we’ll host the tournament with aplomb.

- I just can’t do without: a car. I know this because someone drove into me the other day and not having a car is an impossible situation - I drive a lot.

- Music I can live without: I’m not wise enough to appreciate jazz yet.

- My most embarrassing moment: embarrassing things happen to me all the time. I don’t really care to remember the individual events any more.

- I drive: a rental car for the moment. Argh!

- If I were president for one day: I would sterilise stupid people.

Gran Torino

Drama. 2009. 112 min. With Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang and Scott Eastwood.
Director: Clint Eastwood. 16LV.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Kim Van Reizig

We’ve waited four years to see the legendary Clint Eastwood on screen again and he doesn’t disappoint in this chilling crime drama. He plays a recently widowed grumpy old racist, Walt Kowalski, who moves into an Asian neighbourhood riddled with gang violence.

One night he’s woken by a gang brawl involving his teenage neighbour, Thao (Vang). It moves from his neighbour’s property to his own and Walt inadvertently saves the youngster, making himself the neighbourhood’s reluctant hero. He develops a protective relationship with the boy who’s being forced to join a gang.

Walt’s solitary life changes as he gets to know his neighbours and learns about their culture. But continued gang violence sees him caught up in a vendetta and everyone soon learns there’s much more to the old man. The film is simple but powerful with Eastwood delivering one-liners that induce goosebumps. Special features: featurettes.

PASSENGERS
Thriller. 2008. 93 min. With Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson. Directors: Rodrigo Garcia, Ronnie Christensen. 13PG.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Dalena van Jaarsveld

Psychologist Claire Summers (Hathaway) has to help the survivors of a plane crash - but they have contradictory stories about how the disaster occurred. One passenger claims he’s being followed by someone from the airline and soon afterwards some of them start disappearing. A slightly creepy romance develops between Claire and one of the survivors, Eric (Wilson), as she struggles to put pieces of the puzzle together.

It’s a good attempt at a psychological thriller but you may find the plot predictable. However the eerie feeling throughout the movie is enough to keep you watching. And Hathaway is naturally talented, whether she’s playing for romance or thrills.

CD reviews

CD reviews
HI-NRG CLASSIX by various artists
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Jared Orlin
This double-disc compilation of 39 songs treats listeners to a foot-stomping variety of disco, electro and dance-pop classics. The songs are premixed so it’s perfect to play right through at a party. The best tracks are Mel & Kim’s Respectable, Rick Astley’s Together Forever and the slightly more mellow Commancero from Moonrays. Groovy stuff!

BORN IN 69 by Bob Sinclar
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Jared Orlin
The French hip-hop/house DJ and singer returns with his 11th album. This time there’s a more disco and electronica feel to a few of the 12 tracks. The first single, Lala Song, is already burning up the airwaves and we also love the reggae-inspired Love You No More (featuring Shabba Ranks on vocals) and the deliciously over-the-top We Are Everything.

SUNNY SIDE UP by Paolo Nutini
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Roger Katt
Half-Scottish, half-Italian Nutini is big news in the UK. And once you’ve heard his second album you’ll understand why. It’s almost impossible to define his style - it’s mostly folk rock but slips into reggae, big-band swing and pop every now and then. His raspy, unusual voice is mesmerising on the catchy love songs 10-10 and Pencil Full of Lead. Check him out - you won’t regret it!

Obsession of the week: The Parlotones

Always on the move, SA’s biggest-selling rock band is about to embark on a tour of the UK, Australia and Europe. But the downside of touring, the band members say, is living out of suitcases and missing out on special occasions.

Image is important to them, which is why they always wear grey, black and red on stage. “They’re strong colours, which we like. We believe in music that encompasses all the elements - audio, visual and memorable,” lead singer Kahn Morbee says.

They’ve done loads of gigs overseas and locally but their best places to play are Kirstenbosch botanical garden in Cape Town and Blue Moon in Nelspruit because “they’re aesthetically beautiful and hold awesome memories”.

Their weirdest fan experience was when a guy interrupted them during a performance of I’ll Be There to propose to his girlfriend. They also had a fan who wanted to name her son after each of the band members - but her husband refused.

LOG ON!
If music is your first language, speakerbox.co.za is where it’s at. It has info on your favourite bands’ latest gigs and music news and if you’re an aspiring rocker or disco diva you can create your own band page. There’s also a mailing list for updates on what’s happening in the music industry, users’ pictures from live concerts and loads more.

Game of the week: X-Men

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
Xbox360. 2009. 18+
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Pieter Vermaak
After featuring as a co-star in the X-Men movies Wolverine takes centre stage in this visceral slash-fest. The game, based on the film, follows the story of his birth as a military experiment with a mind of its own. Wolverine combines his feral senses with devastating moves to chop up everything in his path. The action can be satisfying but becomes repetitive despite endless flashbacks and fights against various big (literally!) bosses. Just the ticket if you have to blow off steam.

Real hero Hayden

Our favourite Heroes hottie is back. Hayden Panettiere plays a cheerleader (again!) on the big screen in her new movie, I Love You, Beth Cooper. Here’s more on what she’s been up to

Being A Cheerleader
In I Love You, Beth Cooper, the latest teen comedy from Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, a nerdy high school graduate proclaims his love for the most popular cheerleader (Hayden) in school during his graduation speech.

Geeky Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) knows unless he acts quickly he will forever regret not professing his true feelings for Beth Cooper. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine she’d show up at his door that night. They’re not alone though; Beth’s ex stalks them, determined to ruin the evening.

It seems Hayden had no problem being nude in one scene in the flick; she’s apparently always been comfortable taking off her clothes with others looking on.

“I don’t think it takes much thought and much preparation as an actor. My dad always said I was an exhibitionist when growing up. So I didn’t find it very hard being naked. But that’s just me though. Maybe other people find it harder.”

TAT TROUBLE
Hayden is one chilled-out gal - not even the fact a tattoo artist made a spelling error in her latest piece of skin art ruffled her feathers.
The tat - on her back - should have read Vivere Senza Rimpianti which means “live without regret” in Italian . . . the artist misspelt it “rimipianti”.

“It is misspelt, whatever. Chances are I’ll get it fixed. That’s why I love having it on my back because I don’t get bored with it.”

ACTIVISM
Hayden is a hero in real life - fighting for the rights of animals.

In October 2007 a warrant for her arrest was issued after she protested against dolphin hunting. She was in a group of American and Australian surfers who confronted Japanese fishermen on a hunt. The six surfers were forced to return to the beach and they subsequently left the country. Although the Japanese Fisheries Agency denied issuing the warrant Hayden’s actions were heavily criticised by the Japanese media who saw her stand as an attack on their culture.

A month later People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) recognised her efforts to stop the hunt with the Compassion in Action award. At the time Hayden said, “It was really frightening. But in the end all we were really worried about was the dolphins.”

- I Love You, Beth Cooper is in cinemas now.

DVD of the week: Britney: For the Record

Documentary. 2008. 63 min. With Britney Spears and Madonna. Director: Phil Griffin. PGL.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Lara Atson
It was one of the most talked-about meltdowns in showbiz history. After her divorce from one-time backing dancer Kevin Federline pop starlet Britney Spears lost the plot two years ago and after a stint in rehab shaved her head and temporarily lost custody of her kids. In this doccie, filmed over three months during her much-anticipated comeback last year, Brit opens up about the episode and her hopes for the future. Pop queen Madonna also offers insight into the singer’s troubled life, saying Brit never had the chance to make mistakes without the world knowing about it.

The film was first screened on MTV in November but due to huge ratings has now been released on DVD with added footage. It was clearly a publicity stunt to promote her 2008 album, Circus, but is still worth watching, especially for the emotional moments - such as when Brit talks about being used by people close to her. A must-have for fans. Special features: six MP3 remixes of the hits Circus and Womanizer.

NEW IN TOWN
Romantic comedy. 2009. 97 min. With Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick Jnr. Director: Jonas Elmer. 13PGL.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewer: Dalena van Jaarsveld
Lucy, a career-focused businesswoman from Miami, is sent to freezing Minnesota to downscale the workforce in a factory. However her first high-heeled step into the new town shows things may not go as planned - and Renée Zellweger perfectly displays the polite disgust Lucy feels when she’s confronted with small-town America. But besides the cold weather there’s good-looking union man Ted (Connick Jnr) and an over-friendly secretary with a curious love for tapioca.

It’s a typical romantic comedy in the style of Sweet Home Alabama and The Wedding Date but the jokes and the romance are nothing outstanding - even the makeover scene, usually the part in a chick flick where the fun gets going, is mediocre. It’s good fun for a girls’ get-together though, with no raunchy scenes or toilet humour to get you down. Special features: deleted scenes.