Why film editors need strong stomachs

I don't like horror.

Actually, that's not quite right. I like some horror. But I don't like gore, I don't like suffering and I really don't like torture. Ghosts and curses are okay. I liked The Ring. But the more modern breed of "here's something nasty I can do with a coat-hanger" - I don't like that at all.

Which makes being a film editor pretty difficult. If things are looking thin on the musicOMH.com trailers page, that's because the last four or five I've been sent I don't want to post. I don't want to watch them. I didn't really want to read the plot synopses, to be honest, but I didn't know that until I'd got to the bad point.

But at least amidst all the grim unpleasantness it's still possible to laugh. I got such a smile reading the plot synopsis for indie-teen-sexual-awakening-horror Teeth, which if you can't
what's it about I leave you to find out for yourselves. You won't see the trailer on musicOMH.com, but that's because the PR company pulled it after an hour after releasing it. Perhaps they realised that the premise, which would like to be the most shocking thing you've ever encountered, actually came across as pretty silly. A set of teeth? Every rose has its thorns? Oh, come on. It's a spoof, right?

[Sadly the other eight torture trailers (and the one which, more unhappily, has an "interactive online game" to go with) raise less of a smile. The same goes for the trailer for Meet the Spartans, a comedy from the makers of Scary Movie, who believe that naming a film in another film is as funny as actually, I don't know, making a joke about it as well. At least its plot synopsis was honest, describing it neatly as a "spoof comedy". Phew. I thought it was meant to be a real one.]

Will this current fad of straight-to-cinema video-nasties never cease?

AOL buys Bebo

The third biggest "social networking" site, Bebo, has been gulped down.

Following News Corp's acquisition of MySpace, Microsoft's investment in Facebook and CBS's purchase of last.fm, AOL, part of media giant Time Warner, has reportedly paid US$850m for Bebo, which claims a global membership of about 40 million users.

So whichever social networking site you prefer, rest assured that a giant American conglomerate now supports your messaging, photos and events calendar.

Lovebox 2008 - acts confirmed

Lovebox was superb last year, but this year already looks like it could be even better, having pulled a few rabbits out of the hat early on in the Flaming Lips, Goldfrapp and the Human League. The undercard looks good too, with Lightspeed Champion, The Glimmers, Black Seeds and Stanton Warriors.

I reckon it's another feather in the cap for the smaller festival, and I might be getting a bit older but I definitely prefer somewhere that offers you a bit of space if you need it, a choice of a crowded dancefloor, the open field or a heaving tent. More recently at T in the Park, I've found too many people per square inch for my liking, and that's from someone who uses the tube most days - you don't really want the same effect in a field. With Lovebox, all were enjoyed to good effect last year - here's hoping for more of the same!

Anyone else agree with my festival sentiments?

In praise of the ICA

Quite apart from the cosy gig venue tucked away at the back, where I've seen everyone from Luke Haines to Fuck Buttons perform, London's Institute of Contemporary Arts (the ICA to its friends) is in so many other ways a league apart.

I've been coming here to see gigs for years, but there's so much else to the place.

For instance, in which other gig venue can you get married? They have a reception area, probably upstairs amongst a selection of art galleries. Where else on the gig circuit offers free and reliable WiFi internet access? This lovely detail is the reason I'm writing this post - because I can. Where else can you get food as well as drink before a gig? Where else is located on The Mall? In fact, where else can you also see films and browse paintings and sculptures, and even see the latter being made?

The line-ups are pretty impressive too. It's Yeasayer tonight; MGMT played here last week. These gigs were all sold out well in advance.

I know there's a subsidy set-up here that's not available elsewhere. But when a venue demonstrably makes so much good use of its subsidy, it's a positive argument for more of its kind. Hurrah for the ICA.

Check out their website for details of what's going on at www.ica.org.uk.