Day: 7 March 2013
Khan seeks redemption on home soil
It was announced last week that Amir Khan will fight in Britain for the first time since April 2011 when he takes on Julio Diaz in Sheffield on April 27th. But contrary to the fight’s tag-line “Return of the King”, this will be anything but a coronation for a man who is struggling to stamp his authority on the boxing world.
Bolton-born boxer Khan has flattered to deceive since he burst onto the scene at the 2004 Olympics. He won a silver medal, Britain’s only boxing medal of the Games, at just 17, and was quickly tipped for big success. But since turning professional in 2008, Khan has been defeated on three separate occasions and has not lived up to the potential he showed from such a young age.
Against Colombian Breidis Prescott in August 2008, Khan suffered a shock knockout defeat within 54 seconds. Questions were asked about his brittle defence and inability to withstand a punch. But Khan recovered and by 2011 was the WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion after defeating highly-rated American Zab Judah in Las Vegas. It looked like Khan was on for the big-time, being tipped for mega-fights against Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquaio. The Prescott defeat was consigned to the past, a one-off mistake.
Then things started to go wrong. Khan lost, again surprisingly, to Lamont Peterson in Washington DC in 2011, although the defeat was more than a little controversial. Khan was twice docked points for seemingly innocuous offences and video evidence after the fight suggested that a mysterious man at ringside had interfered with the score-cards; a rematch was scheduled but soon thereafter Peterson tested positive for the banned substance synthetic testosterone. Against Peterson, Khan had been unlucky.
But there were no excuses for his next defeat to Danny Garcia. Khan entered the fight as the 1-7 favourite but was caught cold by a searing left-hook that penetrated his defences. It was this third defeat more than anything that left Khan out in the wilderness as he looks to take control of the welterweight division.
Since then Khan has made changes. He dispensed with trainer Freddie Roach in favour of Virgil Hunter, who has been tasked with working on Khan’s defensive problems and containing his tendency to react with emotion, rather than the mental awareness to step away, when caught. In none of his three defeats was Khan ever comprehensively out-boxed; rather he was caught by individual blows that could easily have been avoidable.
Khan is already on the comeback trail having defeated Carlos Molina last December. Diaz should not create any major problems for Khan; at 33 he is well past his prime and having fought predominately in the lightweight division he is not naturally a welterweight. But then Peterson, Garcia and Prescott should never have caused Khan a problem either.
There is now no room to manoeuvre for Khan. His career is on a knife-edge and, at the age of 27, he cannot afford to be defeated again. He is still a very capable boxer but he has been forced to climb the ladder all over again. Should he miss a rung this time, he may well never get to the top.
Touch rugby tour hits Manchester in style
Britain rediscovered its sporting pride last year in quite spectacular fashion with the London Olympics, which Mayor Boris Johnson hailed as the start of “a golden decade of British sport”. While it was hoped that this “decade” would be concluded with a FIFA world cup, England have still won the rights to the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, with several games to be played in Sale, and the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. England will again expect, with the latest odds at the bookies 5/1 in League and 4/1 in Union for them to lift the trophy. But for the Rugby Football Union, the managing body of rugby union in England, the main aim of the event is to create a lasting legacy, promoting the sport in England like it hasn’t been since they brought home the Webb Ellis Cup back in 2003.
As part of this drive, they’ve sent a touring party around the country to promote the opening of some seventy-five touch rugby centres by the end of this year, and another hundred the year after. To help them with this, they’ve brought together some rather unique individuals to create an exhibition rugby team, with a twist. Drawn from the realms of parkour and choreography, some of the most skillful athletes and dancers in the country have merged to form rugby’s answer to the Harlem Globe Trotters: The Untouchables.
So it was that on a bitterly cold morning in Albert Square I was to be found at the side of a piece of hallowed Twickenham turf surrounded by inflatable walls, awaiting the arrival of this super team. Already there was England Women’s twenty three times capped Vicky Fleetwood:
“Everyone can get involved, all ages, so it’s a really good sport in that respect. It’s great for fitness and skills, and they’re starting to promote it in schools now- it’s getting a lot more promotion, which is great. If you want to get involved, just get in touch with your local club!”
As the day progressed, many innocent passers-by were lured onto the pitch to try their hand, all enjoying themselves in the sunshine that eventually showed up around eleven. And then, the perfect promotion opportunity: a school day trip. As a rugby fan it’s always a treat to see enjoyment of the sport in young people, and here were a batch of youngsters eager to learn. The class of year sevens got individual time with the Untouchables who passed on their tips and tricks, which lead to one boy performing a catch behind the back I’m sure I could never have managed. All were given links to the new touch rugby centre and a free O2 water bottle to boot.
For the more experienced rugby players, the famed Martin Bayfield challenge from the BBC Six Nations coverage emerged twice during the day- just imagine a giant cardboard cut-out of Martin Bayfield and all you have to do is pass the ball through the hole where the hands would have been. After hearing that England scrum-half Danny Care had only managed one in the allotted sixty seconds, I was feeling confident of impressing. In reality, I got a brutal reminder of why I played in the forwards: par with Care; one clipped in off the lip in the last second. Meanwhile the guy I was lined up against nailed sixteen…or so he said…
But the special guest I was keen to meet was Sale Sharks very own Rob Miller. An Under-20s England star, he’s touted as one of the exciting prospects of the future and could perhaps be key to Sale avoiding relegation from the Aviva Premiership this season. As a Sharks fan, and having seen him play live at Salford City Stadium, I hoped he’d be the perfect person to help promote rugby to Manchester.
“We’re trying to get as many people involved in the sport as possible, which O2 are doing a great job of- there’s tournaments and prizes to take part in and hopefully we’ll get loads of people playing rugby. Touch is a fantastic and simple way of getting into the game, there’re no line-outs, scrums, and no contact so it’s a safe route for youngsters. The Untouchables with their street-dancing and free-walking skills have a great display of skills with the ball and without so keep an eye out for them on tour! There’s a lot of rugby played in Manchester and in the North-West, if you want to get started, the RFU advertises a lot of touch rugby tournaments online in the summer, which is a great way to stay fit in the summer, and take it from there”.
All said, it was a fantastic day of exhibition for the sport and with six legs left of the tour (at the time of printing) I’m hoping we’ll see a lot more youngsters brought into the family of rugby. If the Untouchables can kick on to turn England to the way of the oval ball the RFU will be well on their way to building that legacy. They resume touring after the conclusion of the Six Nations, with England on course for their first Grand Slam in ten years, which can only help their cause. Manchester: mission accomplished. Next up: Portsmouth- catch them if you can!
Old Trafford added to Emirates catalogue
Lancashire County Cricket Club has struck a deal with Dubai-based airline Fly Emirates for naming rights to Old Trafford. The stadium is in West Manchester, just around the corner from Manchester United’s home of the same name. The ten-year sponsorship agreement will see the ground, home of Lancashire CCC for 150 years, renamed Emirates Old Trafford, as the club ends its hunt for greater income ahead of their ongoing redevelopment. The effects of the deal will be implemented immediately, as Lancashire renovate their unique pavilion in preparation for the busy summer ahead.
This is not the only such sporting deal for the airline, which also has sponsorship rights to Durham’s Chester-le-Street ground – officially the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground – as well as the Emirates Stadium in football, at Arsenal’s Ashburton Grove arena. Much like the Arsenal kit, Lancashire’s domestic T20 strip will also now adorn the company brand.
Emirates’ skyway rivals, Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi, are the current sponsors of Manchester City, holding both stadium naming rights and kit sponsorship. With wealthy Middle Eastern investors financially backing sport in both the west and east of Manchester, the city is further establishing itself as an internationally recognised sporting hub, following on from the great success it achieved as host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Currently, cricket is very much at the forefront of the minds of British sports fans, as England prepare for two Ashes series against Australia this calendar year – first on home soil, before travelling Down Under this coming Winter.
The newly-named Emirates Old Trafford will host its first Test match for three years this summer when Michael Clarke’s men come knocking, the Aussies hoping to reclaim the bragging rights after back-to-back Ashes defeats in 2009 and 2011. Manchester will host the third test in the five-match series, and will be followed by Chester-le-Street in a sponsorship double whammy for Fly Emirates. The last time the Manchester complex saw Ashes action was the third test of the famous 2005 series, which was fought to a nailbiting draw. The club will, no doubt, be hoping for similar positive publicity in August, side by side with their new investors.
For sporting teams around the world, outside endorsement and stadium sponsorship are now one of the commonplace lucrative factors that have contributed to the universality and much-publicised financial attraction of sport. For that, there have been many detractors. Lisa Pursehouse, chief executive of Nottingham CCC, has been quoted as saying that selling the naming rights to their Trent Bridge stadium would be akin to “selling our soul”. Many fans and experts alike, however, understand that the financial outlay of modern sports clubs means that sponsorship is a necessity if the books are to be balanced.
Although stadium-naming rights are frequently attributed to the modern era of sport, the practice is believed to be trackable as far back as 1912, when Boston’s Fenway Park baseball diamond was so named after the owner’s company, Fenway Realty. It retains the name to this day.
A step too far for Manchester’s squash team
Manchester headed into the semi-final of the BUCS trophy with high hopes, having edged out Exeter and cruised past Bristol in the previous two rounds. But league winners Birmingham proved too much, ending Manchester’s cup dream with a thorough 5-0 victory. The Northern in Didsbury was the venue for the showdown and a handful of students supporters turned up to watch the action unfold.
A BUCS squash tie is made up of five singles matches, which are themselves decided by the best of five games. The point-a-rally system applies, each player aiming to reach eleven points, though a two point margin is needed to win each game. The teams were familiar with each other, having faced off in the league earlier in the season and this resulted in a demanding physical and mental performance from both sides.
First up on court was Manchester’s Zubin Bativala against Birmingham’s James Ryan. Bativala battled to claim the first game 11-7, but his opponent Ryan rallied to take the second game 11-9. The third game was always going to be decisive in such a tight contest, and it was Ryan who eventually prevailed by 14 points to 12. Ryan secured his victory, and the first point for Birmingham, with an 11-6 win in the final game.
Over on the other court, Alex Lemom represented the home side against Birmingham’s Oli Rawlins. Rawlins took a two-game lead without too much difficulty, twice winning 11-7. But some complacency on his part, combined with an impressive response from Lemom, led to the Manchester man prevailing 11-4 and 11-7 respectively in the next two games. At 2-2, it was all to play for. Rawlins returned to his best to edge the final game 11-8 and notch a second point for Birmingham.
Next up was Morgan Hibberd for Manchester, facing Oliver Mapp. The first game was a tense affair, tied at 4-4, 6-6 and 9-9. Hibberd nicked the next two points, to steal a 1-0 game lead, to the surprise of his opponent. A determined Mapp fought back to win the next two games 11-7 and 11-3, though the hotly-contested game was allowed little chance to flow due to numerous let plays from both players. Birmingham were once again the stronger as the match wore on, Mapp winning a third successive game by 11 points to 6 and sealing victory. 3-0 to Birmingham, and the tie was effectively over.
But there was personal and team pride to play for as Richard Johnson faced off with Birmingham’s Josh Taylor. Taylor was far superior in the first game, defeating a frustrated Johnson by 11 points to 1. Johnson improved as the game progressed but Taylor won 11-5 and 11-7 in the next two sets; a great win and perhaps the most impressive individual performance of the contest.
Last to play was Manchester’s Brendan Basset, whose opponent was Scott Young. Basset won the first game 11-7 in impressive fashion but Young responded to win the second by the same score line. The match was similarly back-and-forth over the next two games, Basset winning 11-3 in the third but Young replied with an 11-7 success. With all other matches finished, the crowd was enthralled as the match was taken to an intriguing fifth game. It was Young who triumphed by 11 points to 5, rounding off a whitewash for Birmingham that will set them in good stead for the final against Nottingham. Manchester can take some pride but also some lessons from the match, as they prepare for the upcoming Christie Cup.
FULL SCORECARD:
Zubin Bativala (Manchester)
v
James Ryan (Birmingham)
11-7, 9-11, 12-14, 6-11
Alex Lemom (Manchester)
v
Oli Rawlins (Birmingham)
7-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 8-11
Morgan Hibberd (Manchester)
v
Oliver Mapp (Birmingham)
11-9, 7-11, 3-11, 6-11
Richard Johnson (Manchester)
v
Josh Taylor (Birmingham)
1-11, 5-11, 7-11
Brendan Basset (Manchester)
v
Scott Young (Birmingham)
11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 7-11, 6-11
MMU pole-vaulter leaps to gold at Euro Champs
A Manchester Metropolitan University student won a gold medal after taking a gamble at the European Indoor Championships last week.
Holly Bleasdale, who studies at the University’s Cheshire campus, took gold in pole vault at the event in Gothenburg after being tied for first place with her Polish opponent Anna Rogowska.
The 21-year-old Sports Science student had the opportunity to share the medal with Rogowska after both failed to clear the height of 4.72 metres – or jump again. She chose the latter and became Britain’s first Euro gold medallist in the sport with a vault of 4.67 metres.
“I was in the moment and I felt really good and thought if I got my jump together I could clear the bar easily,” Bleasdale said. “I thought instead of sharing gold, why not get it for myself and I’m glad I did that.
“If most people had the option to do that, I would have thought they would do it.
“I feel so confident in my ability and I was really positive, so thought why not take the risk.”
Bleasdale’s previous career high was winning the world indoor bronze medal. Rogowska, with 10 years more experience in the sport, was the defending European championship.
Early in the competition Bleasdale sat in fourth and came dangerously close to missing out on a medal, only clearing the initial 4.67 metre jump after her third attempt.
She 2has also previously held the title of Under-23 European Champion, and in January 2012 set a personal best of 4.87 metres.
Return to Manchester, the post-study abroad comedown
Last year I wrote an article for The Mancunion’s ‘All Abroad’ feature, discussing the beginning of my year at the University of California, Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to spend one year basking in the sunshine, taking a plethora of classes and socialising with an amazing group of people.
Then in June 2012, it all came to an end, by September I was back in Manchester for my final year. While I enjoy life up North, returning to Manchester has been a bit of a come down. Yes I have missed the Northern honesty (everyone in LA was uncontrollably happy to meet me even though they knew nothing about me) but listening to my lecturers talk at me for two to three hours just does not have the same effect as it did in LA. In the ‘City of Angels’ I was able to take classes on the history of African American music, black freedom narratives and one of my Professors, Reverend James Lawson, had worked with Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.
At the neighbouring University of California, San Diego Riccardo Monfardini took a public speaking class and Josh Malkinson found his digital photography class ‘refreshing’ as it was so different from his Psychology degree. I can definitely see where Josh is coming from, as the limited choice of classes I can pick for my American studies degree means that I am always left disappointed with one or two of my selections.
On top of that, my UCLA lecturers were always passionate and enthusiastic about their subjects. I enjoyed Professor Dale Tatum so much that I picked his class every quarter (of course they were all on different subjects). Tatum was so unafraid to speak his mind that he caused one pupil to storm off during a heated debate, something you would never see at this university. This outspoken nature of American students is almost alien to their Mancunian contemporaries. I have been in more than one class where the pupils seem completely disengaged and the lecturer is struggling to even get an answer to a simple question, let alone stir emotion. I am not sure if it is the depressing weather, or if people just do not find the classes that interesting but I miss the boldness of that guy who just walked off when he felt that Tatum was not letting him make his point.
You are also able to build much closer bonds with your teachers. Now this all depends on whose class you take (so if you are heading to California this year and you end up hating your teachers please do not blame me). However, I was lucky enough to be asked to join a class on Black Power ideology during my final quarter. Professor Mary Corey had hand-picked fifteen students from her Winter American History class based on our grades. After our final session together she invited us all back to a party at her home in Beverley Hills and it was so amazing I actually cried when it was time to leave. Now while that may have been due to the five Coronas I had drunk that night, I was genuinely upset that not only would I be leaving for London in a few days but also I would never get to go to another of Corey’s lessons or see all of my classmates together again. Think of the last time you cried because the semester was over, and I do not mean tears of joy.
However, not everyone has such great memories of studying abroad. My friend Michael was ‘robbed at gunpoint while studying in the US’. Although this must have been traumatising, Michael told me that he was ‘moving to Chicago next year to start [his] PhD’. His experience highlights the importance of keeping safe while in another country and recognising that the American culture is very different from British norms and values. A lot of large American cities have areas that are a no-go for tourists, for example Skid Row in Los Angeles. But if Michael can get over what happened to him then his year abroad must have been worthwhile.
So just to clarify, I’m not bashing The University of Manchester or the city itself. Some of you may even be questioning my patriotism. But I do recognise that Manchester definitely has its plus points: a great night life, charming people and a comforting familiarity. Living and studying in Los Angeles, on the other hand, gave me the chance to discover exciting things every day. We do not have beaches a mile down the road, the Hollywood sign a hike away or a very attractive football and basketball team on campus. So if I was forced to choose it would be UCLA all the way, but Manchester, I still love you too.
Competition gives students chance to win a year’s fees
A University of Manchester student is launching a free to enter online contest which gives students the chance to have a year’s tuition fees paid for them.
Jake Davis, a second year student at the Manchester Business School, and his friend Luke Shelley, a third year at Regent’s Business School London, have created the website WinMyFees which features a competition where the winner will get their fees, up to a value of £9000, paid in full.
To enter the competition, which is open to any current UK student, contestants will need to speed type a specific sentence. The pair is hoping to fund the prize through advertising revenue from student-friendly companies.
“We need students to help us to help them, the more users we get the more fees we can pay out,” said Davis. “We could be changing loads of student’s lives.”
The website www.winmyfees.com will soon go live and the competition will begin when 100,000 have registered online, with 15,000 registered so far.
The duo said they seek to capitalise on a student population which is constantly looking for ways to save money. Mr Davis believes the contest will have a wide appeal, stating that “students like to get offered things for free”. He also feels that by targeting a group with a “restricted income” that the website offers the chance to “help the community while making money”.
As well as word of mouth and viral marketing through the WinMyFees Facebook page, Davis said they plan to create publicity through links to student club nights.
They hope that the attention generated by the first competition and its lucky winner will allow them to continue with subsequent contests, giving more students the chance to take the money saved on fees and spend it on something memorable (or something they won’t be able to remember).
Whilst the main focus of the website will be the chance to have fees paid for, there will also be other free to enter competitions on the site, offering the chance to win merchandise from a range of companies.
The competition will presumably be particularly popular with first year students who have to pay far higher fees. The rise in maximum tuition fees last year saw a 7.7% overall decline of applicants to British Universities. MMU had one of the largest course vacancies of any universities in the country this year and University of Manchester saw its applicants fall 10% from the previous year; as a result three halls in the Owens Park residence are vacant this year.
Second year Geography student Declan Wagstaff said, “My little sister’s 14 and she still wants to go to uni but the rise in fees has definitely put off some of her friends who’d worry about being in that much debt. The chance to have her fees paid for her would definitely help. I’ll be entering the competition at least.”
The Irish Society
The Irish Society is open to anyone and everyone who has an interest in Irish culture. The main aim of the society is for both Irish and non-Irish students to come together for events including socials, sports, music sessions, concerts and trips away.
I spoke to the Chair Roisin Farrell, who told me more about the society and about their plans for St. Patrick’s Day. Roisin first got involved with the society after attending the St. Patrick’s Day event back in 2011, and has been attending socials ever since. “Socials are at the centre of our society and this year we have organised a number of different events. We had a very successful Christmas ball in Waxy O’Connors in the Printworks this year. We work with various Irish bars in Manchester such as O’Sheas, Waxy O’Connors and St. Kentigens where we hold events ranging from watching sports, open mic nights and the occasional ceilidh.”
The main event in the society’s calendar is St. Patrick’s Day. In previous years the society has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in various clubs around Manchester including Factory, which was a complete sell-out. “This year, we are holding a massive event in Jabez Clegg in association with RAG and the Manchester Ceilidh Society, called ‘Manchester’s 50 shades of Green’. The night will start off with a live music ceilidh followed by a DJ playing all the classic Irish party tunes. It is a fancy dress event and there will be prizes on the night for the best dressed. We are focusing on making it even more traditional. We are aiming to give both Irish and non-Irish students a taste of traditional Paddy’s day celebrations, promising a great night for all.”
For more information on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and other socials you can email Roisin at [email protected]
Slackline Society
I spoke to Mairi-Annabel Leggatt, a representative of the University of Manchester Slackline Society, who told me about this unusual sport which is, “in its simplest form, where you tie a rope between two trees and walk on it.” There are a number of ways that you can do slacklining as Mairi explained: “As you progress there are two main variants; tricklining & highlining. Tricklining involves using the line as a trampoline – bouncing around in various forms – whereas high-lining involves more balance and a mind-over-matter type of attitude as it is undeniably counter-intuitive to step out onto a piece of rope suspended over a ravine.”
The Slackline society is fairly new to the University of Manchester as it was only established at the begining of this year by Dave Adler, a trickliner with an interest in highlining, and John Crewe, a highliner who also provides all of the gear and equipment. They have 161 members on Facebook with ‘a motley crew’ of about 15-20 regular attendees.
Slacklining is a unique sport and I asked Mairi how she first got into it: “Personally, I was somewhat in love with a friend of mine who was very circus-skilled orientated. One very sunny day I met her in a local park and they had set up a slackline. After an afternoon of falling off I was eventually able to stand on my own and was hooked. I bought my own line soon after and the rest is history. Slacklining is anything but difficult. I was in Whitworth Park on Wednesday afternoon and I helped a partially sighted woman stand on a slackline. If she has the courage and the trust to stand on a line without sight then all those with it should follow in her steps.”
Mairi encourages people to get involved and try the sport as it is “the perfect combination of exercise and mental agility. If you want to do it for the exercise, it is a fantastic workout for your triceps, biceps and core. I know because I actually have muscles in my arms and tummy now instead of flab. If you’d like to do it for the concentration and focus that it enables, which, I assure you, is like nothing I have ever experienced, then please come and give it a go. We meet most Wednesday afternoons although as the weather has been incredibly cold, momentum has been lost somewhat. However, with the passing of St. David’s Day the beginning of spring has been signalled and there is nothing, not even a bit of inevitable Mancunian drizzle, that will stop us going forward.”
Everyone is welcome to join: “We would love to meet you and introduce you to the sport that we adore in the hope that you can share our passion and enthusiasm.” If you’d like any more information join the Facebook group which contains details of regular meetings: www.facebook.com/groups/uomslackline/.
Where has everybody gone?
In the ongoing battle between the big and the small screen, it appears that television is winning. In an unprecedented move, the movie-on-demand juggernaut Netflix made its first foray into TV with the up-front commissioning and filming of the first season of House of Cards, a Kevin Spacey star-vehicle which has all thirteen episodes of its first season available to watch now. The man behind it all? David Fincher, the director of acclaimed films such as The Social Network and Se7en.
This is not a unique occurrence. Fincher joins a long list of directors who have made the the switch to TV: Martin Scorsese executive produces and directed the pilot episode of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire; Frank Darabont occupied a similar position on The Walking Dead and Steven Spielberg is possibly the most prolific of them all thanks to mini-series Band of Brothers and The Pacific. It is rumoured that he has another similar project in the pipeline. What is it about TV that is so attractive to these directors? Or what is it about the film-making process that is pushing them away?
It can be said that television allows directors and writers much more creative freedom. Programmes such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad are pushing the boundaries in terms of creativity as well as explicit violence and sex. Contrast this with the Hollywood Studio System which is becoming ever-reliant on safe bets. Studio executives are, now more than ever, less likely to risk their investments on unique and original projects than they are on sequels and summer blockbusters. Editors are required to ruthlessly cut their films to secure the coveted PG-13 or 12A rating with the sole purpose of making the project profitable. All decisions are now business decisions.
Steven Soderbergh is the most recent director to fall foul of the film studios. Unable to find funding for his biopic of Liberace, Soderbergh found a home for the project at the cable channel HBO. As TV networks have relatively small budgets compared to film studios, they have to ignore the expensive CGI and instead focus on writing intelligent scripts and creating interesting characters. Length is a factor too: 13 or even 22-episode series give directors and writers the opportunity to create depth and intricacy. Compare this to a two hour stint at the cinema and films can seem relatively shallow.
TV land isn’t as liberated as you may think, however. Every year, dozens of projects are cancelled with little or no warning if they fail to bring in the desired number of viewers, creating an unpredictable workflow for actors and directors alike. In the 1990s, David Lynch began working on a TV pilot with ABC before it was abandoned for being too weird. Instead of forgetting about the whole project, Lynch transformed the episode into a feature film: Mulholland Drive became an award-winning cult classic, proving that there is still a place in Hollywood for originality.
With 2012 having offered up a diverse and exciting selection of films, it does seem possible that studio executives are waking up to the idea that audiences enjoy films that challenge them just as much as those that are simply there to entertain. As long as it can still provide an outlet for inventive story-telling, then cinema will continue to attract a range of talented directors. Maybe it’s time creativity was given the green-light.