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  Five Night's at Freddy's: REVIEW    30 OCTOBER 2023 After a 9-year wait the Five Night's at Freddy's movie breaks British box-offices. The Five Night's at Freddy's movie dominated the British box-office this Halloween weekend. The movie has made nearly £5.4M in the UK since its release on Oct 25th, according to the Film Distributers' Association . Based on the hit video-game series of the same name, by Scott Cawthon, the movie tells the story of the dilapidated 1980's Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Staring Matthew Lillard, as villain William Afton, and Josh Hutcherson, as Freddy's newest security guard Mike. For certain older audiences, like myself, who remember when the game first came out in 2014, this movie hits the nostalgia spot.  Lillard was perfectly cast for the deranged antagonist, his mannerisms and unsettling demeanour completely contrasted that of when he played Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo live action movies. The original game, which features...

       Overwatch 2 World Cup returns                               for 2023  29  OCTOBER 2023 The much anticipated Overwatch 2 World Cup kicks off, with exclusive Twitch drops for gamers. This years Overwatch 2 World Cup promises to be different from previous years. The event, which takes place between October 29th to November 4th, will take a different approach to previous years Blizzard has announced. Blizzard Entertainment, which owns the battle game, has stated "For the first time in Overwatch history, we will be crowdfunding the World Cup prize pool with an exciting slate of skins and other in-game cosmetics over the coming months." The e-sports event, which first started in 2016, sees top e-sports players form around the world compete for glory. The event consists of the top 16 teams have been split into four groups, which will compete in a round robin gauntlet t...

  Rewinding the past: Is Blockbuster Video returning?  28  OCTOBER 2023 The website of the former VHS chain Blockbuster has reactivated after years of lying dormant. Before the age of Netflix, Blockbuster Video was a permanent fixture on the high street. The global chain, that dominated the 1990's and early 2000's, came crashing to an end, after poor management and with the dawn of internet videos and streaming. The Blockbuster website has gained some interest. After lying dormant for many years, the website displays the following message: "We are working on rewinding your movie." It's sparked the question, is Blockbuster returning? With nostalgia hitting an all time high, with all things 1990's back in mainstream media, fans of the VHS store are excited to see a return. One chain of Blockbuster remains open, located in Bend, Oregon, USA. Although the store sells DVDs and VHSs, it primarily serves as a tourist attraction for the small town.  Could the reawake...

  Google Stadia: Game Over?  27  OCTOBER 2023 Google employee reveals why its cloud-gaming platform Stadia collapsed. Cloud-gaming platform Google Stadia shutdown earlier this year (Jan 18th) after operating for 3 years.  Stadia was promoted "to bring you the highest-quality blockbuster video game experiences streamed to any screen", and looked like the future of gaming. So what happened? A statement from Google employee Dov Zimring, as part of the FTC vs Microsoft Case , revealed some insight into what went wrong for the tech giant Google. In relation to Google's decision to discontinue Stadia, Mr Zimring stated "However, Stadia never had access to the extensive library of games available on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam."  Stadia was "unable to attract enough subscribers to maintain a viable business." Although Stadia claimed between 5-10% of Global Market Share in 2021, as found by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), its popularity ...

  Dudley Hippodrome demolished   22  OCTOBER 2023 The end of 125 years of theatre heritage came to an end as Dudley Hippodrome was demolished last Wednesday. Demolition of the former Dudley Hippodrome, which one hosted comics Laurel and Hardy, was completed last week, marking the end of 125 years of entertainment on the Castle Hill site.  Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, whic h owned the last remaining lyric theatre in the Metropolitan Borough, began demolition in August 2023. Councillor Patrick Harley, Leader of Dudley Council, said  This is the final significant stage in the demolition process.  Once the frontage is down we will really begin to see a difference in the Dudley skyline and be able to visualise the new university building which will take its place. Tom Clarke, National Planning Advisor of the Theatres Trust, stated in their report, We do not consider the Council to have acted within the spirit of its own planning condition and its ap...

  Talks go ahead for new arts centre in Worcester's former Scala Theatre  22  October 2023 An independent meeting between Worcester City Council and members of the arts and creative community, took place on October 16th. Backing has been received for renovating the former Scala Theatre for use as a multi-use arts centre, including a flexible space suitable for a range of activities for the community, including music, drama, film screenings, comedy, book clubs and workshop space. Funded by £17.9 million from the Government's Future High Streets Fund, t he theatre, which has since been closed for use as a cinema in 1973, will be regenerated along with the neighbouring Corn Exchange. David Blake, the City Council's Managing Director, said: "The new plans for the Scala and Corn Exchange site will be developed in line with the original aims of the Future High Streets Fund to transform the Northern Quarter of the City Centre into a diverse leisure, cultural and residential...

Donkey needed for St Cassian's Church nativity play.  16  OCTOBER 2023 Actors of Chaddesley Corbett's St Cassian's Church are appealing for a donkey ahead of this year's nativity play.  The actors of Chaddesley Corbett's St Cassian's Church are appealing to anyone who can loan a donkey for their four upcoming Nativity performances. One of the key players every year is the nativity donkey and audiences fondly remember past appearances by local donkey's Salvador, Ginny and Kevin.   Nativity Director Rich Vale said "Unless we can find a new donkey to join the cast to carry Mary and the baby Jesus into the church, our nativity just won't be the same. "There are plenty of local farmers who are more than happy to offer bed abd breakfast stabling or a field for any donkey who might feel like offering his or her services. "Or, if the owner would rather transport the donkey for each performance, then we will pay travelling expenses."  On Decem...