January 2009
1. The year of the Horne It is going to be Mathew Horne's year. The 30-year-old from Burton Joyce, fresh from the success of the brilliant Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special, will first be seen presenting the BRIT Awards with co-star James Corden next month. The pair will be joined by Kylie Minogue, who also appears in the duo's brand new sketch show Horne & Corden which will air on BBC Three in February. A month later they'll be making their big screen debut in the comedy movie Lesbian Vampire Killers. And as revealed over Christmas, a third series of Gavin & Stacey will be made, hopefully by the end of 2009.
2. Bronson The big screen biopic of Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson a.k.a. Michael Peterson will be released in cinemas on March 13. Starring Tom Hardy (Black Hawk Down, RockNRolla) it was filmed entirely in Nottinghamshire and tells the story of the 55-year-old who has spent 34 years inside for repeat violence against fellow inmates and prison officers. It will also feature Amanda Burton (Silent Witness), Matt King (Doctor Who, Peep Show, Inkheart, RockNRolla) and James Lance (Spaced, Smack The Pony, I'm Alan Partridge).
3. Chart idols Some of the biggest chart names are heading for the Arena in 2009, among them The Killers, The Pussycat Dolls, Pink, Kaiser Chiefs, Metallica, Girls Aloud, Keane and Snow Patrol.
4. TV on tour Three of the biggest TV shows of 2008 go out on the road this year and each will stop off at the Arena in Nottingham, starting with Strictly Come Dancing on January 27, returning for three more shows. Alexandra leads the stars of The X Factor -- including the loonies -- on a tour that comes to the Arena in March, then Torvill & Dean mark the 25th anniversary of their world famous Bolero routine by bringing the stars of the forthcoming Dancing On Ice ITV series to the Arena for two shows in April.
5. Nottingham pops Castle Donington may have given birth to this electro-rock quartet but they consider Nottingham their home city. Probably as they live in Radcliffe-on-Trent these days. Their debut album Fantasy Black Channel was a critical success, landing in the Top 20 of the HMV Poll Of Polls 2008 -- collated from end of year polls by 35 key publications and websites. All they need to do now is translate that in to chart success and we'll be on the music map of Britain (finally). Or that may happen with Sam Beeton. After a shaky start, Carlton's 20-year-old singer-songwriter will finally see the release of his debut album on the Sony BMG label in March.
6. . High School Musical Disney's teen movie phenomenon -- think Fame without the legwarmers -- makes two appearances in the city this year, the first of which is an ice show at the Arena next month. Troy, super popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, super smart transfer student and a genius in science class , then returns in May for the stage version at the Royal Concert Hall.
7. Old school musical Pop nostalgia is still going strong it seems with the astonishing popularity of Take That in 2008. On the back of that the West End musical Never Forget, featuring the songs of Take That, will tour the provinces including a four day run at the Theatre Royal in October. Boyzone, seeing the demand for their forefathers, returned to the pop game last year and sold out the Arena in the process. They'll be back If they're just too modern, there are a host of eighties pop idols coming to the Arena on the Here & Now Tour in May. Kim Wilde, Pete Burns, Altered Images, Brother Beyond and Hazel O'Connor were to be joined by Boy George but he may be otherwise occupied. The former Culture Club leader will be sentenced for falsely imprisoning a male escort on January 16.
8. Belly busters Ahead of his latest tour that will be dropping in to the Royal Concert Hall in April, Ross Noble will be warming up at Just The Tonic at The Approach on February 22, a rare opportunity to see the Geordie wit in a club setting. Manuel-bothering lothario Russell Brand will be making his Arena debut on February 20.
9. Summer fun DOWNLOAD will be back at Donington in June, McFly have been confirmed for one of the outdoor shows at Sherwood Pines Forest Park the same month and though the date has yet to be set, Splendour will return to Wollaton Park this summer. Nottingham's brand new music festival last year featured Kate Nash, Rufus Wainwright, The Lemonheads, Paolo Nutini and dozens of local bands.
10. Naked ladies The West End production of Calendar Girls is one of the big shows heading for the Theatre Royal. The true story of the Yorkshire WI members who hit the headlines after stripping for a fundraising calendar, stars Lynda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge, Sian Phillips and Gaynor Faye. It has been adapted by Tim Firth, who co-wrote the screenplay for the hit movie starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Other big hitters at the Theatre Royal in 2009 include The Graduate, West Side Story, Evita and The Witches of Eastwick.
10. Naked ladies The West End production of Calendar Girls is one of the big shows heading for the Theatre Royal. The true story of the Yorkshire WI members who hit the headlines after stripping for a fundraising calendar, stars Lynda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge, Sian Phillips and Gaynor Faye. It has been adapted by Tim Firth, who co-wrote the screenplay for the hit movie starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Other big hitters at the Theatre Royal in 2009 include The Graduate, West Side Story, Evita and The Witches of Eastwick.
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