DYRT Magazine Issue 5 by Georgina Lennon

LITTLE MIX

Iss

DYRT look back on their X Factor journey

The best DYRT of 2011 The celebrity gossip that had everyone talking...

Cover Drive DYRTâ&#x20AC;&#x;S One to Watch in 2012

Tech Review Of 2011

Fashion Games Girls Gossip Sport Interviews Music Movies Health & Fitness Technology Daily Ranter

Fashion Games Girls Gossip Sport Interviews Music Movies Technology

www.dyrt.co.uk Sport News Interviews Music Movies Health & Fitness Technology

Photographer: Ian McInnes

Exclusive collection by DaMarcus Beasley & The Diamond Studio

What‘s Inside?

Welcome to DYRT…

The DYRT 4-9 Get your fix of celebrity gossip.

Fashion 10-14 The Best of 2011

Music 14-35

18 Little Mix 18-21 DYRT‟s 1 To Watch 26-29 Barbadian exports Cover Drive

Movies 36-45 Check out what‘s hot at the movies and on DVD.

Games 44-46 Ben Stokes takes us inside Runescape

Technology 48-53 Technology review of 2011

Our monthly magazine is a one stop shop for all the sport, music, fashion, DYRT, news, gossip, real life and health & fitness any one teen can handle. Each month we‘ll bring you the latest news on all your favourite pass times. We‘ll have exclusive interviews with your favourite bands, players etc, will keep you informed on all the latest game, movie and music releases and we‘ll be taking an in-depth look at the issues effecting your life as a teen. DYRT would like to wish all it‘s readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We‘ve had a great time with you in 2011—wait till you see what we have in store for 2012!!

Georgina Lennon Georgina Lennon, Editor In Chief editor@dyrt.co.uk Website: www.dyrt.co.uk

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Sport 54-59 Football, NBA, NFL plus much more…

Disclaimer: DYRT is published by Dotcom Media Group. Nothing in this magazine can be reproduced in whole or in part without the

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From Charlie Sheen‘s ―tiger blood‖ to Amy Winehouse‘s tragic death and Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s romps with his cleaner, celebs have made us laugh, cry and gasp this year.

Get the DYRT

But none have captivated quite like the nation‘s sweetheart, Cheryl Cole. As she boarded her flight to LA in May to pursue her American dream, few could have foreseen the humiliation to come. The undoubted star of the X Factor in the UK, Simon Cowell hand-picked her to join the panel on the US version of the show – a move which looked certain to make her an international superstar. But just a few weeks later her career lay in tatters when Cowell ruthlessly dumped her from the show explaining she ―wasn‘t herself‖.

Who‘s ‗WINNING‘ Two and a half men or Charlie?

Things looked grim for Cheryl, but they were worse for Charlie Sheen whose life imploded in a blizzard of Class A drugs in February. The world watched in bewildered horror as he unleashed a series of bizarre rants and dubbed his Two and a Half Men bosses ―maggots‖. Unsurprisingly, they sacked him. Claiming to have tiger blood running through his veins, Charlie‘s outbursts also highlighted his unusual domestic set-up, in which he shared his home with a pair of live-in ―goddesses‖. Ashton Kutcher signed a deal to replace Charlie Sheen in a revamped version of the sitcom 'Two and A Half Men.' in May 2011.

Ashton plays billionaire Walden Schmidt who is quite similar to the character played by Charlie sheen as they share the same womanising ways, this however is where the similarities end as the ratings for the show have slumped since Ashton‘s arrival. When Ashton Kutcher made his debut appearance on Two and a Half Men this season, the ratings skyrocketed with more than 28.7 million viewers. However, since the 33-year-old actor‘s marriage scandal with Demi Moore, ratings have plummeted to fewer than 16 million viewers.

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Back home, all eyes were on the new X Factor judging panel – Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland. They initially seemed to gel, but viewers were less complimentary about the talent on offer (Frankie Cocozza, anyone?) – and the show‘s ratings took a dive with Strictly Come Dancing beating them for the first time in years, largely thanks to Nancy Dell‘Olio‘s histrionics and Russell Grant‘s hilarious routines.

“I have let everyone down, including myself,” said Frankie.

Frankie Got Booted Off X Factor Frankie Cocozza was released from/left X Factor following reports of him breaking a ‗golden‘ rule. It later emerged that Frankie has boasted behind the scenes of his wild nights of drinking and taking cocaine. Frankie has since left the X Factor house and has apologised to all involved.

All the top stories from 2011 Amelia Lily Returned Amelia returned to the show after a public vote which saw all four contestants previously voted off by their mentors. With 48% of the vote it was Amelia who stole the show with a rendition of Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s, The Show Must Go Onâ&#x20AC;Ś Way to stick it to her ex Frankie Cocozza...

Little Mix were crowned the WINNERS Little Mix have been crowned this year's X Factor winners - the first group to win the singing contest. The band, made up of Jade Thirlwall, 18, Perrie Edwards, also 18, Jesy Nelson, 20, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 19, beat Marcus Collins to take the title. After being announced the winners of the ITV1 show, Nelson said: "This is never going to sink in." Their first single, a cover of Damien Rice's ballad Cannonball.

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Tragic death of Amy

Winehouse The showbiz year‘s bleakest moment was the tragic death of Amy Winehouse in July. Her passing – at the age of only 27 – was especially heartbreaking as she seemed to have been winning her fight against drink and drugs. Millions of fans were utterly devastated and her distraught family said:

―Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives.‖ An inquest heard she was four times over the drink-drive limit for alcohol when she died after going on a booze bender in the week before.

Mrs Terminator I won‟t be back Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s years of womanising also caught up with him – as he split from his wife of 25 years when a love child scandal involving his housekeeper finally emerged. Maria Shriver, niece of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, stormed out of their mansion in Brentwood, California, and moved into a Beverly Hills hotel after learning The Terminator star had a son with a maid who had been with the family for years. Joseph Baena was born after mum Mildred romped with the star while she was meant to be cleaning his California home. The retiring Governor of California, who has always had to fend off accusations of infidelity, hid the sordid truth from wife Maria for 14 years. 8

Ashton Kutcher‟s

„Romp‟ Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher‘s six -year marriage was documented on Twitter – so it was no surprise that fans could watch it die in cyberspace too. The couple posted increasingly cryptic messages after claims Ashton romped with party girl Sarah Leal on his wedding anniversary to the Ghost star. They eventually officially called it a day – with Demi said to have orchestrated the move after being left feeling ―humiliated‖ by her husband‘s behaviour.

72 Days

Later Kim Kardashian wed Kris Humphries in a beautiful ceremony watched by millions 72 DAYS LATER—she announced she would be divorcing the NBA star. No real reason was given, however I‘m sure if you tune into Kim & Kourtney in New York (starting on Sky channel E on 22 January) you‘ll find out.

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THE LEADERS OF THE PACK DYRT LOOKS BACK ON THE BEST DRESSED OF 2011

Fashion

Blue contrast shirt £30 River Island

TINIE TEMPAH We love his mixture of casual and preppy. His Brit award outfit certainly impressed us proving that formal wear doesn‘t have to be boring. He totally pulls off the monochrome look. The spotted dicky bow is bang on trend and Rust navajo cardigan £50 River Island it just shows a smart pair of trainers can work with a formal outfit. Also Tinie definitely has the specs appeal with his trademark retro glasses. The perfect way to pull of geek chic.

Distu

Geek Glasses £2 Primark

DYRT have put together a few of the key items you‘ll need to get the style of our Style King of 2011.

rbing Lon tshirt don Tea C £25 up

Rust Jeans £ 30 River Island

Selected HommeSuit Jacket £49 http://www.zalando.co.uk

Following in true fashion steps, if you‘ve got style then why not bring out your own clothing range. That‘s exactly what Tinie has done with his „Disturbing London‟ range which is out now.

Converse All Stars £39.99 www.dyrt.co.uk

Battle of the Boyband DYRT take a look at the stand out looks of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s biggest boy bands

Fashion Get the Look JLS, The Wanted, Westlife, Take That, Blue and One Direction are all setting the standards when it comes to fashion. For us it‘s One Direction who‘ve swooped in and shown the older boys how it‘s done. To get their look, there are a few key items you‘ll need..

All items available from River Island www.dyrt.co.uk

DYRTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Music Album Releases

Music

Now Xmas

Up All Night

Heaven

Various

One Direction

Rebecca

Out Now

Ferguson Out Now

Pop Party 9

Live Lounge

On Your Radar

Various

The Saturdays

Out Now

DYRTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Music Album Releases Fallen Empires Snow Patrol Out Now

A Taste of Kandi

At Your

Various

Professor Green

Out 26 December

King of Hearts Lloyd Out 2 January 2012

Music Inconvenience

Out Now

The Dreamer, The Soundtrack Believer

Common Out 19 December

The

Inetweeners Out Now

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DYRTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Music Album Releases

Music

Jai McDowall

Amy

Now 80

Believe

Winehouse

Various Artists

Out Now

Lioness

Out Now

High Flying Birds

Bruno Mars

Michael Buble Christmas

Noel Gallagher

Doo-Woops & Holligans

Out Now

DYRT’S Music Album Releases Born This WayThe Remix

Talk That Talk

Lady Ga Ga

Rihanna

Music Who You Are Jessie J Out Now

Out Now

Head Khandi

Adele

Various Artists

In Case You Didn‟t Know

Out Now

Out 14 November

Olly Murs Out Now

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Music

Little Mix

were crowned

X Factor winners earlier this month, becoming the first group EVER to win the ITV talent show. Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall beat finalist Marcus Collins at the final hurdle to take home the crown after a series of stunning performances on the final show. Screaming with delight as they were told they had won the show, the girls burst into tears before speaking to host Dermot O‘Leary. Not bad going for four girls who originally entered the competition as solo acts—only to be eliminated and brought back as a group by mentor Tulisa. We look back on the girls journey….

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This is the week which seen the girls become contenders. Here the girls showed their fun, flirty side

Back at judges houses whole life was about to

The girls knew they were on the way to the top when they were compared to US superstars En Vogue

It was all about girl power this week

the girls had no idea their o change.

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Nicola Roberts Interview by Jenny Entwhistle

Music L

istening to the album its apparent immediately

that each track addresses life issues that you‟ve faced – in particular the track „Sticks and Stones‟; was it important when making this album that you make it so lyrically personal? I think that when you‘re writing an album it like all of the things come from inside you; like they come from your emotions or the way you think about certain situations. Coz everything is how you see it or what you feel. I think it‘s always inevitably going to be perceived as being more personal. The album gained massive critical success; does that mean more to you the fact that you made it in your own terms rather than being a team effort like with Girls Aloud? For me I literally left school, walked out of the classroom and onto the stage – like I was just in the band when I just turned 17 so I suppose like for me to have the support of the other girls for so many years and working together as a team was amazing but it‘s kind of now nice to have that 18 months of solid work on that little square CD and to sort of just to see maybe my own little journey on that little CD. It was important for me that everyone that we worked with, as i'm used to working in a team, and I like to work in a team, it was important that everyone I worked with on the record I felt like they wanted to be on the team. I never wanted that situation where I would go into the studio and I would feel like ‗oh we‘re writing a song today‘ but tomorrow I've got her, and the day after him, I didn‘t want to feel like just another one on the conveyer belt. It felt like everyone wanted to be apart of the project and that‘s why I think it worked. You collaborated with some amazing producers on this record [Metronomy, Diplo etc]… who would be on your dream list for album 2? Oh! …M.I.A, Kate Bush, Missy Elliot… oh my god could you imagine? A little far-fetched…but!

You‟re releasing „Yo-Yo‟ on 8th January; you‟ve previously said that you thought it might have been your debut single, so how does it feel to finally have a release date set and for the video to be out there? It mental isn‘t it! When you think about it like that. I‘m not sure… it‘s strange because like I said Yoyo was supposed to be the first single. So for nearly the whole time when I was making the record in my head I just had yoyo as the first single so its funny that through all that time I thought that and only now is it sort of coming out there. The visuals and aesthetics to accompany your music are obviously very important to you, and with „Cinderella Eyes‟ a lot of the artwork centralised around the fairytale theme, with very bright and bold colours. Is this a theme you‟ll continue into your second album or something created specifically for Cinderella Eyes? The whole of the artwork was made to compliment, everything had to compliment… like electro music. The album has electro music so there‘s so much going on in that thread of music that colour really and detail were the only real things that could compliment it. I think that this album, in terms of the sound, its ‗up‘ I see it as being ‗up‘, and so colour is a reference to that. You look at each thing as it comes; so ‗\beat of my drum‘ I was really interested in all of the prints, and like the tribal prints and all of the colour patterns. ‗Beat of my drum‘ to me was all cheerleader and super Mario sounds but it‘s cool, you know? So that was for that. Whereas for ‗Yoyo‘ now everything a bit darker, and actually the song, it‘s like the needy sound of love. The side of love where you don‘t know if you‘re coming or going… it‘s proper, it‘s a bit of a head fuck, you know? It draws you to wear darker things and wear things are a little bit more serious; older and darker.

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You‟ve come from being criticised in the press by the way that you look to being hailed as a fashion icon. You collaborated with Atlanta Weller to create the shoes you work on the Cinderella Eyes album cover; do you think fashion designing is something that you would like to do more of in the future? I would love the opportunity to have a collection… I would absolutely love it. As long as I‘m being able to be creative, being able to create things, be it in the studio or working on Dainty Doll it‘s where I‘m most happy and where I‘m the most confident. So to be able to sort of have a collection… I feel like I would never want to just jump on the bandwagon of having a collection, I would have to take it far more seriously. It‘s about timing and I think that fashion is very much a personal thing to me. Its like, when you put something on in the morning and it determines whether… like I wont leave the house unless I feel like what I‘m wearing fits my mood or creates the mood that I feel like I should be in that particular day whatever situation I‘m going to be in. its very much a personal thing than just wearing a nice coat.

You champion a lot of causes, but most notably the stance against tanning and the use of sun beds. As you‟ve got older you‟ve been able to embrace the fact that you have a naturally pale complexion and started your range of „Dainty Doll‟ – what sort of advice can you offer to people who may be going through the same insecurities? Just bite the bullet. I think its like I had… what‘s the word when you‘re addicted to tanning… but its like anything that you go through as a person you have to make a change. So many people like all the girls would be like ‗oh my god please just stop tanning, its much better when you‘re pale!‘ but I was so wrapped up in it that no one could tell me. I think that you, whatever the situation in life that you have you personally have to change but it takes time.

You‟ve mentioned before about having the persona of „Little Nicola‟ do you think branching off and going solo has made you more confident and accepting who you are or did that happen during the later years with Girls Aloud? It sort of happened around the last album, I don‘t know, something just clicked. I had had the most amazing summer holiday with all of my friends from Liverpool and I had just become single. I started to go to all the fashion shows and change my mentality about beauty and commercialism, everything. My whole aspect and everything I looked at just changed. Then as soon as it did I just felt like… I felt looser. I think its important to feel loose, I really do. Do you think a solo tour would be something on the horizon for you in the New Year? Doing more solo gigs would be something I would love to do, I really would. I would be able to perform some songs from the record that I haven‘t been able to performance live yet that would be amazing. Just going to have to wait and see what happens! It‟s Girls Aloud‟s 10 Year anniversary next year; do you have any plans to celebrate? Yeah we‘ll definitely be celebrating – we‘re actually 9 today. It‘s crazy isn‘t it?! It‘s nice but definitely I am like super looking forward to that. As so much of my life was spend in girls aloud you just couldn‘t not celebrate it, it just couldn‘t happen. I‟ll just finish up on your tips for 2012; and artists or designers you‟re looking to see more of in the New Year? There‘s a young designer that I‘ve worn some stuff from on the album cover called ‗Tour de force‘ its little accessories, pieces that you can occasionally wear to fit outfits but I'm a fan of that. When I've got the time I love to check out the new up and coming designers. Do you know what? I was SO… I felt so happy the other night when Victoria Beckham won the designer fashion brand of the year award [at the British Fashion Awards]. I just thought ‗you know, she really deserved that‘. I just think that its incredible… her collections are amazing. Just what she‘s done I just feel like that she totally deserves it. Amazing. Yo-Yo‟ is out 8th January 2012 24

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DYRT’s 1 To Watch

Cover Drive

MUSIC

You may not know their name but you’ll undoubtable have heard their massive summer hit —Lick Ya Down. Cover Drive - Amanda, Barry, Jamar and T-Ray are the latest export from Barbados. Having already performed with Rihanna and toured with Dappy, this Barbadian quartet bring fun and sunshine everywhere they go—even if it’s just in their personality. DYRT have spoken with the band a few times now and we most definitely tip them to be our 1 to Watch in 2012.

www.dyrt.co.uk

Cover Drive: Last time we spoke you mentioned you‘d like to collaborate with N-Dubz/Dappy – how did it feel when you found out you were his support act? How have the shows been so far? Have you had a favourite venue so far? What can the Glasgow audience expect tonight? You‘ve performed in Glasgow a few times now - do you enjoy playing here? When we found out we were supporting Dappy we were beyond excited! He had said when we all were at a radio show Scotland a couple months ago, that he really wanted us to be a part of the tour and now here we are! He is a man of his word! Respect, Dappy! The tour has been great so far. It is really a great opportunity for us to share our music with a whole new fan base. Dappy‘s fans LOVE him! It is pretty amazing. We have enjoyed each venue for different reasons. Liverpool was pretty special! Great crowd and a great dressing roomour own! Lol! Glasgow can expect for Cover Drive to bring the sunshine! Our set is all about feeling like you‘re on a vacation in Barbados. We love Glasgow! Glasgow has always shown us a lot of love and support. We really appreciate that. Cover Drive: Do you have any backstage gossip/funny stories from the tour so far? Funny backstage stories…ummm… not really…Just a lot of fun backstage with the entire team. There is such a good vibe on the tour.

.Cover Drive: How have you found the whole tour experience? Does it make you want to tour yourself? Have you learnt anything about living on the road that you didn‘t before? OOOH! We love being on the road! Yes! We do want to tour again soon!!! We wish this could go on forever. Feel like great when we are on stage entertaining fans daily. Life on the road is tough. If we could, we would love to have a portable microwave, so that we could eat food from Marks and Spencer after our shows! Hate having to eat fast food all of the time. Amanda has learnt that if you are the only girl on a tour, and you‘re a support act, don‘t expect to have your own dressing room! Lol! Cover Drive: Tell us about your new single Twilight? It‘s about friends becoming lovers..have any of you experienced this? Ha! Ha! I am sure we all have at one time or another. It really is a special feeling! Cover Drive: Where do you get your inspiration from for your songs? Amanda is the principal writer for the band. (Amanda) I get inspiration from all over! Magazines, books, movies, and real life…I am always watching, observing, listening and reading. Cover Drive: Tell us about your album? What can fans expect? When can we expect to hear it? Our album is going to take you on a trip to Barbados for less than 15 pounds! It is drenched in sunshine and feel-good vibes! Carib pop music. If all goes according to plan, our album should be ourtby second quarter 2012. 28

Cover Drive: How did you find the process of making an album? How did you decide which songs make it and which don‘t? Making the album was amazing! Working with creative people is so inspiring. We were soaking up every bit of knowledge and creativity that the more seasoned musicians, producers and songwriters would share. Selecting songs for the album was tough. We wrote and recorded over 70 songs for this project. Still, we are very happy with the songs that are a part of the album. Amanda: You recently revealed that you wrote a song with Scotland‘s newest star, Emeli Sande – how did that come about? How was that experience..was it an easy process? Now that she‘s an artist in her own right, does it feel strange that you worked together before either of you ‗made it‘ as such? What were your impressions of her at the time? Emeli was amazing. So talented and kind! Working with her was a great experience. She was one of the first writers we wrote with when we started working on our album. We were all blown away by her talent! We all knew she has star potential and it is great to see it all coming together for her. Cover Drive: Is writing for other artists something you‘d like to do more of? Anyone in particular you‘d like to write for? I love to write and would love to write for other people! For now, though, I am totally focused on Cover Drive and making sure I write songs that work for the band!

Cover Drive: You guys have always done Fedora Sessions and have continued to as you get ready to release your 2nd single…why do you still do this? Fedora Sessions got us our record deal. Fedora Sessions continue to be a way for us to share our talent with our fans. Fans really love them and they are fun to do, so we intend to continue doing them. The sessions are about creativity and giving fans more insight into who we are.

Cover Drive: Is communicating directly with your fans something that‘s important to you? Is it something you hope to continue even when your platinum selling artists? Communicating with our fans is so important. We don‘t ever want to stop doing this. We control our social networks. We listen to our fans. We try to meet with them whenever we can to ask them what they like and dislike. Just recently we met with a group of fans that told us how much they look forward to our Weekend Lime videos. It was great getting that feedback! Cover Drive: A lot of people have said the internet is harming the music industry, but would you say it's a good thing? The Internet has been great for us. It has given us a direct line of communication with our fans. We suppose all of the illegal downloading can really negatively impact the industry. We try to give some songs away for free so that fans are less inclined to illegally acquire songs off of the net. www.dyrt.co.uk

Cover Drive: YouTube seems to be helping get artists noticed, take yourself and Justin Bieber for instance - would you say it‘s a useful tool to help artists make a name for themselves? Is this something you‘d recommend to anyone who‘s looking to follow their dream? Use the Internet to promote yourself and your music. It can be an amazing tool! We did not have to find money to travel to the UK to showcase for record labels; the Internet facilitated it all. The Internet has made access to music industry executives accessible to all. Then if they like you, they can fly you up for the showcase! Cover Drive: Do you think it has replaced the ‗original‘ method of door knocking and sending demo files to record companies? Record labels do not ignore the Internet. The old method probably still does exist but record labels do not ignore the Internet. Cover Drive: When you finish touring, what are your plans for Christmas and New Years. Do you have any New Year‘s resolutions? Going back home to the sunshine! We are soo excited!! Sand in our toes! Beach time!! Liming with friends and family! And food and more food! Oh! And a photo shoot, a studio session and rehearsals! New Years Resolutions…to work towards our career goals with tunnel vision! And no more Nandos!!!! We spent a good 3000 pounds in six months eating there! Lol!! Nah! Just joking! Cover Drive is only able to maintain its sunshine-y feel good vibe in the UK by eating Nandos!

Cover Drive‟s 2nd single, Twilight is out 22 January 2012 Available to pre order it NOW 30

New for 2012

DALEY Daley is a rising UK singer-

Conor Maynard Having scored over 40 million hits on YouTube by singing covers of artists including Rihanna, Katy Perry and Chris Brown, 18year-old Brighton lad, Conor Maynard has already become a musical force to be reckoned with even before the release of his first track. Expect big things from his debut single, due out in March next year.

songwriter hailing from Manchester. You'll hear touches of neo-soul, jazz, funk and pop in his smooth sound. Over the last few years Daley has been building a reputation for himself around the UK with his inflective, melodic vocal style, songwriting flair and sense of style. Daley found himself on the road to Maida Vale after uploading his track, Rainy Day, to BBC Introducing. The song was soon picked up at BBC 1Xtra by Ras Kwame's 100% HomeGrown team and MistaJam. It's also been played by Sam Walker at BBC Introducing in Manchester.

Emeli Sande Some might say that 2011 has been Emeli's year - what with a number two hit with 'Heaven' and a chart-topping collaboration with Professor Green on 'Read All About It'. However, February 2012 finally sees the release of her debut album Our Version Of Events, which is expected to include the star's mesmerising mix of powerful vocals, emotive lyricism and stirring production. With a Brit Award already under her belt, we predict SandĂŠ has the potential to become the UK's next big international export. www.dyrt.co.uk

Amplifier Interview by Gary Ogilvie

What/who influenced you to get into music/play music? Sel - Started really getting into music in the 80's and used to tape tunes of the radio onto blank cassettes. I first got into playing guitar from primary school and wanted to play from then. Dad had an old broken guitar which he fixed and I‘ve been playing from there. Later on in my teens I got into bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden and grunge. How was the band formed? The band has been together 14 years now. Sel and Matt have known each other from Music College. We both were in other bands but used to jam together in our spare time and Neil used to join in as well. We started to enjoy playing together more than our actual bands. It was the mutual love of the music which got us together. For those who haven't heard of amplifier, how would you describe your band and the music you play? I will answer this quiet simply we are mixture of Beatles meets Led Zepplin meets Black Sabbath. Its Music but beyond music. You write your own lyrics. How important is it to have 100% control of what you write? The lyrical element of our music is not throwaway. All our life experiences go through the prism of the band. All our values and observations are set in the music we make. That principally is one of the things that people really like about Amplifier. It‘s just honest. It‘s not fashionable and that's probably why we are still going cause its kinda timeless cause it‘s not fashionable. What do you think of the manufactured groups and artists out there? The way we listen to music now is not how we listen to music back then. Records back then were not designed to be background music - like wallpaper like some of the artists out there now. The chart music that is in your face is not really music, at a push its entertainment and mostly advertising. You really need to go out and find good music rather than it coming to you. There are some great artists coming out Eastern Europe and Balkans right now.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x;s your favourite Amplifier track and why? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t have a favourite Amplifier track, I like playing the tracks of "The Octopus" at the moment. I tell you what its like, you know the Generation Game at the end where you got that conveyor belt, well its like that with all the songs going across. "Ooo I like that one". Neil chips in "Cuddly Toy, Cuddly Toy" "Actually do you remember Cuddly Toy by Roachford, absolutely belter of a song" "When was that '83" (I can officially say that it was '88 - GaryO) Which tune in another genre do you like right now? Neil - Dutch Uncles (indie band out of Manchester) Sel - I have been listening to a lot of classical music at the moment Beethoven What have we got to look forward to in the fourth album? Keeping close to their chest but will be out 2012. At the moment it all about "The Octopus"

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You were once signed by a German record label, which opened up a fan base in mainland Europe. Do feel the love more abroad than home? Neil - We have a lot of fans abroad thanks to the being signed over there. The only problem in the UK is that fashion gets in the way of everything. What's popular, what's trendy, where as in Europe they don't let what's fashionable sway them, they like what they like. Germany, Austria, Belgium. I'm not saying they aren't interested in fashion but they don't let it drive them. Biggest fanbase is in Germany and interestingly in USA. Amplifier have never played in the USA or released a record there. Have you gigged in Scotland before? How do you find the Scottish fans? Gigged in Glasgow many a time but never anywhere else in Scotland. Matt's auntie lives in Edinburgh (So Amplifier might be playing Edinburgh soon then - GaryO) Any artist or band you would like to support in the future? We really enjoyed playing with Gary Numan and would like to do that again. I think we would have similar fans as Opeth who we have played with before and Porcupine Tree. Good bands Matt chips in - "Iron Maiden" - I don't think the band agrees Is rock and roll lifestyle a thing of the past? Skittles and mineral water rather than tellys out the hotel window. Neil - Rock and roll lifestyle is a bit of a myth. Shameless self-promoting really.

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Cinema

UK release date: 26/12/2011 Who´s in it? Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg What´s the plot? In ‗Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol‘, a brand new team is assembled by Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who enlists the help of new recruits (including Simon Pegg) to clear the IMF‘s name after it is blamed for a global bombing plot. As the organisation goes into shutdown, they‘re forced undercover with no help, no contact and no limits in their toughest assignment ever.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo UK release date: 26/12/2011 Who´s in it? Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara What´s the plot? Based on Stieg Larsson's best-selling novel, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is the first in a trilogy of films starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, from legendary director David Fincher.

Hugo 3D

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' tells the tale of Mikael Blomkvist's first encounter with punk hacker Lisbeth Salander, as he is drawn into the investigation of an unsolved murder.

UK release date: 02/12/2011 Who´s in it? Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Christopher Lee What´s the plot? Set in 1930‘s Paris, ‗Hugo‘ tells the magical tale of an orphan who has secretly made his home in a train station and spends his time tending to the railway‘s clocks. When he tries to fix a mechanical man, he sets in motion a series of events that threaten to unlock all his secrets. 36

Releases

New Year's Eve UK release date: 08/12/2011 Who´s in it? Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel What´s the plot? ‗New Year's Eve‘ weaves together a series of stories that all take place on the most celebratory night of the year - in the most exciting city in the world.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows UK release date: 16/12/2011 Who´s in it? Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry

The follow-up to director Garry Marshall‘s ‗Valentine‘s Day‘, ‗New Year‘s Eve‘ features a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, playing a disparate cast of characters whose paths cross on the last evening of the year.

What´s the plot? Robert Downey Jr. returns as the world‘s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, with Jude Law once again at his side as Dr. Watson in ‗Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows‘. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, everything points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces murder, and falls into a cunningly constructed web that can only have been spun by arch enemy Professor Moriarty...and draws him into a deadly global game of cat of mouse in Guy Ritchie‘s ‗Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows‘.

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Top 6 Cinema Transformers: Dark of the Moon UK release date: 29/06/2011 Who´s in it? Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Tyrese Gibson

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

What´s the plot? Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action taking on the evil Decepticons, who are eager to avenge their recent defeat. The Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the United States and Russia, to reach a hidden Cybertronian spacecraft on the moon and learn its secrets, and once again Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends.

UK release date: 15/07/2011

Who´s in it? Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint What´s the plot? The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 UK release date: 21/11/2011 Who´s in it? Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner What´s the plot? The Quileute's close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks. 38

Releases of 2011

The Hangover Part II UK release date: 26/05/2011 Who´s in it? Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides UK release date: 18/05/2011

What´s the plot? Stu is getting married. Along with Doug, Phil, and his soon-to-be brother-in-law Teddy, he regretfully invites Alan to Thailand for the wedding. After a quiet night on the beach with a beer and toasting marshmallows by the camp fire, Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in a seedy apartment in Bangkok. Doug is back at the resort, but Teddy is missing, there's a monkey with a severed finger, Alan's head is shaved, Stu has a tattoo on his face, and they can't remember any of it. The wolf-pack retrace their steps through strip clubs, tattoo parlors and cocaine-dealing monkeys on the streets of Bangkok as they try and find Teddy before the wedding.

Who´s in it? Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane What´s the plot? Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past, and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

Fast & Furious 5

UK release date: 21/04/2011 Who´s in it? Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson What´s the plot? Since Brian and Mia Toretto broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead.

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Check out Dyrts DVD Releases

DVD

The Inbetweeners Movie The Hangover Part 2 Featuring: Simon Bird, James Buckley & Blake Harrison The multi award-winning Inbetweeners return - in this criticallyacclaimed film Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison), have finished school forever, and are off on their first lads holiday. They're looking forward to two weeks in Malia with no parents, no teachers and little chance with the ladies. From disastrous holiday accommodation, to Simon's heartache, to Neil's spectacular dancing, to Jay falling asleep in an ants nest, it's a real coming-of-age film - where 4 boys become men... or at least try to. And with the chance for holiday romance the boys pull out all the stops!

Cowboys & Aliens Featuring: Olivia Wilde, Daniel Craig & Harrison Ford The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Featuring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms & Zach Galifianakis The Hangover Part II is director Todd Phillips' follow-up to 2009's smash hit The Hangover. In The Hangover Part II, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined.

Senna (2 Discs): Featuring: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost & Frank Williams Senna is the true story of Brazilian motor-racing legend, Ayrton Senna, whom many believe was the greatest driver who ever lived. Spanning Senna's titanic Formula One career, the film charts his physical and spiritual journey, both on track and off; his quest for perfection and his ultimate transformation from a supremely gifted novice, who exploded into F1 in 1984, to myth after the tragic events of Imola in 1994. Made with the full co-operation of the Senna family and Formula One Management, Senna is the first official documentary feature about his life, featuring astounding archive material, much of which is previously unseen. 40

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Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Featuring: James Franco, Tom Felton & Andy Serkis Set in present day San Francisco, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/ science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Dynamo: Magician Impossible Featuring: Steven Frayne Tipped as the most exciting British magician to emerge in decades and with a list of celebrity fans that reads like a 'who's who' of the Hollywood elite, Dynamo: Magician Impossible is the story of an ordinary boy from Bradford living an extraordinary life. Like his dear grandfather before him, Dynamo grew up practicing precision card-handling and developing powerful magical skills. The series sees the 28-year-old travelling the globe as the unassuming anti-hero who just happens to astound everyone he meets, whether it's an international footballer or Hollywood actor.

Alan Carr: Spexy Beast Live Featuring: Alan Carr He's back! Stand-up comedian, best-selling author and chat show supremo, the lovable Chatty Man and Tooth Fairy himself..... Alan Carr is back on tour in autumn 2011 with a brand new live comedy show, 'Spexy Beast', that will also be filmed live for DVD. After a few years of rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities on his very own chat show, awardwinning Alan Carr returns to his stand-up roots in his first major comedy tour and Live DVD in four years.

Bridesmaids (Extended Edition) Featuring: Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig & Jon Hamm Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian, and a group of colorful bridesmaids on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.

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DVD

The Lord Of The Rings: Harry Potter: Complete 8 The Motion Picture Trilogy - -Film Collection (8 Discs) Special Extended DVD Edition (12 Discs) Featuring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen & Sean Astin The Fellowship Of The Ring: In a time before history, in a place called Middle-earth, a dark and powerful lord has brought together the forces of evil to destroy its cultures and enslave all life caught in his path. The Two Towers: The Fellowship has divided and now finds themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. The Return Of The King: Members of the fellowship prepare for the final battle of Middle Earth, while Frodo & Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring...

The Only Way Is Essex: Series 1 & 2 (6 Discs)

Featuring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint & Emma Watson Due for release on 02 Dec . The entire eight-film Harry Potter collection is now available for you to own. Join Harry, Hermione and Ron from their first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone all the way through to Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

The Inbetweeners: Series 1 - 3 Box Set

Featuring: Mark Wright, Samantha Faiers & Denise Van Outen

Featuring: Simon Bird, Joe Thomas & James Buckley

WARNING: This boxset contains flash cars, bling parties and false boobs. The tans you see might be fake but the people are real and it has all been boxed up purely for your entertainment.

The Inbetweeners Series 1-3 boxset follows the o ften misguided footsteps of four friends, Will, Simon, Neil and Jay, as they try to navigate their way through sixth form, with their hormones running riot.

Finally it's here! The complete series 1 & 2 of the BAFTA Award winning hit show, The Only Way is Essex. "I compare Essex to LA, we all live the same sort of lifestyle, we've got as much money, we've got the same tans and I think we're better looking as well." - Mark Wright.

None of our heroes are exceptional, all are distinctly average: Will is constantly trying to raise their social standing, Simon is a hopeless romantic who is obsessed with schoolmate Carli, Neil is sometimes so slow it's more like owning a pet than having a friend, and Jay is a borderline sex pest constantly bragging about imaginary sexual experiences. 42

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The Twilight Saga: Triple Pack (3 Discs) Featuring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson & Billy Burke Experience the passion, romance and action that has made "The Twilight Saga" a global box office smash hit in this 3 disc set. Twilight adds a dangerous twist to the classic story of star-crossed lovers as we first meet 17 year old Bella and the mysterious Edward Cullen. In The Twilight Saga: New Moon Bella finds her loyalties tested as she is drawn into the world of the werewolves, through her friendship with Jacob. In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger, and in the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob.

The Fast & The Furious Box Set: 1 - 5 (5 Discs) Featuring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel & Michelle Rodriguez Titles Comprise:

Terminator 1 - 4 Box Set (4 Discs) Featuring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton & Michael Biehn The Terminator: Arnie is perfectly cast as the fiercest and most relentless killing machine ever to threaten the survival of mankind! The Terminator 2: The Terminator joins forces with Sarah Connor. Together, they must protect her son John the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. The Terminator 3: A decade has passed since John Connor helped prevent Judgment Day. Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins: Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators.

Smallville: Season 10 Box Set (6 Discs) Featuring: Tom Welling, Allison Mack & Michael Rosenbaum

The Fast and The Furious: Emerging from his A nitro-burning joyride that makes darkest hour, only to find outstanding use of special effects. the path to his destiny blocked by ghosts from 2 Fast 2 Furious: the past, Clark finds Now an ex-cop on the run, Brian O'Connor hooks himself tempted toward into outlaw street racing. darkness at every turn by shadows in the present. Despite insurmountThe Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift: able odds, will Clark be powerful enough to step Speed needs no translation. into the light and claim his rightful place as Earth's mightiest protector? Taking flight in its Fast & Furious: tenth and final season, this modern retelling of When news of tragedy reaches O'Conner , he and a hero's legendary origins continues to blend Dom Toretto are reluctantly reunited. realism, action, heart and humor as Clark Kent (series star Tom Welling) soars toward claiming Fast And Furious 5: Rio Heist his birthright. Former cop Brian O'Conner partners with ex-con Dom Toretto on the opposite side of the law.

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Gamer, Ben Stokes delves into the world of Runescape.

If you‘re at all into gaming then you‘ve probably heard the name, its almost impossible to miss: boasting a huge 156 million registered accounts, with an active following of approximately 10 million people logging on to level, PK (Player killing) and Quest every month, it has quite rightly won the title of the world‘s most popular free MMORPG. But what exactly has JaGeX (creators of Runescape) done to make this game such a huge success? A lot of people will have tried RuneScape once in their lifetime. The appealing nature of its ―Free to Play‖ model and the fact that its browser based makes it very accessible to the average Joe. To the complete outsider, a typical first glance at RuneScape is met with something along the lines of: ―Its a game with bad graphics in which you can chop down trees.‖

And who could blame them? With the majority of gamers in this modern day playing graphics intensive first person shooters, why would they want to even take a tiny peek into the world of RuneScape? Well, if you did dare to look past the browser based 3D graphics and enter the lands of Gielinor, you‘d see why. The first and most addicting feature of RuneScape that you‘ll notice is its skill system; offering players 25 different skills, from Agility to Summoning, each with 99 levels of increasing difficulty. There is no specific skill you have to train, offering a new player complete freedom to do whatever they please. When you start your epic adventure you‘ll find that you‘re level 1 in everything but Life Points; in which JaGeX has generously gifted you 10 levels so that you are not to be killed by a wondering chicken. 44

The levelling up system, at its core, is very simple: do more of a skill and you will get better at it. However, if you delve deeper you‘ll find that you can also level up via Questing, Minigames and combining skills into a fun concoction of levelling madness. The point where the levelling system really excels is its reward system. Take for example the skill ―Attack‖. Each 10 level tier or so will offer you a new set of weapons, each better than the last – starting with bronze, through dragon and finishing with the mighty chaotic weapon set, which can take weeks upon weeks to obtain only one of the fabled items. This is why the skill system stands out. The sensation of setting a goal, working towards it and then achieving it is one of RuneScape‘s truly addicting features. Achieving level 99 in a skill is the ultimate achievement for anyone, which rewards you not only with a visually stunning cape symbolising the skill, but grants you serious bragging rights. The only criticism of the levelling system is, that of course, some methods of levelling are more efficient than others. This often results in very grindy gameplay. Questing in RuneScape is quite unique. If you‘ve played other MMOs such as World of Warcraft you‘ll know that they‘re often plagued with the standard: ―Collect 10 bunny ears and hand them in for a reward‖ style quests. (That would actually be quite interesting..!) RuneScape stays well away from this and instead, at the time of writing, offers a smaller selection of 179 quests, each with their own unique story lines that can last anywhere between 5 minutes, a few hours, or even a couple of days.

fresh change from tediously clicking through pages of text. Another very unique aspect of RuneScape is its player versus player system, often referred to as ―PKing‖. RuneScape is one of the very few games that, quite brutally, says: ―When you die; you lose everything.‖ This makes PKing one of the most terrifying, yet exciting experiences in gaming. The Majority of PvP takes place in one of the most notorious arenas in gaming: The Wilderness. Covering about 40% of RuneScape‘s land mass, the wilderness is a desolate, dark area where PVP is enabled, all the time *insert gasp*. The RuneScape combat system however is a very basic and passive activity, shadowed hugely by games such as WoW and League of Legends which offer a much more visually stunning and active means of fighting. RuneScape PVP is basically: Attack, eat food if you‘re losing health, pray, drink potions, special attack when necessary, and usually in my case – die. RuneScape PVP may only be simple, but mastering it can take years of practice and often brings huge spoils and sometimes even fame amongst the RuneScape community. Yes, you heard me, you can achieve fame in RuneScape. Being a fairly active member of the RuneScape community for most of its life span I can tell you that the community has recently spiralled downhill. Due to the game‘s popularity and ease of access, you will find that Free to Play worlds are dominated by a younger age group, which can cause major frustration amongst more mature players.

The latest quest to be added, ―One Piercing Note‖, offered a totally new experience for players by being the first fully voice acted quest. JaGeX are definitely heading in the right direction here as the experience is incredibly immersive and a

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This year JaGeX brought back the wilderness and ―free trading‖ after it had been removed from the game to prevent real world trading. At first this was met with cries of joy, for many people the wilderness is why they played the game. However several months on, with a massive surge of players returning and RuneScape‘s popularity at an all time high, the game was dominated by people ―botting‖; using programmes to level for them and obtain in game gold, usually for illegal gold selling websites that breaks one of RuneScape‘s most sacred rules: no real world trading. JaGeX, for a long time did not respond, causing many players frustration. Only 11 months later in November 2011, ―Bot Nuke day‖ was announced, eliminating the vast majority of detectable bots and returning RuneScape to its once peaceful state. Some aspects of the RuneScape community however are to be shined upon with a heavenly beam of awesome. The YouTube community is one of them, and that I am proud to be a part of. Myself and my two friends, Henry and Merrick, started our YouTube channel ―LevelOneVloggers‖ at the beginning of 2011, and now have over 3000 happy subscribers.

This community, day after day, produces literally day‘s worth of high quality video, whether it be guides, PKing videos, commentaries, and, like us; just general comedy and nonsense. If there is any video making gaming community that deserves a gold star and a pat on the back – it‘s RuneScape‘s. Whether you‘re already experiencing it, or are on the verge of trying it, from my point of view, RuneScape, even though it has some flaws, is one of the most legendary MMO gaming experiences in history and will continue to be for quite some time.

Check out LevelOneVloggers on YouTube.

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PlayStation outage Technology caused by hacking attack

Sony has confirmed that a hacking attack was to blame for its PlayStation Network being taken offline.

April 2011

The company said that it had taken the PSN down voluntarily while it investigated an "external intrusion". The system is still unavailable five days after the hack was discovered. Users trying to connect have been met with error messages stating that the network is "undergoing maintenance" or is "suspended". The PlayStation Network is used by owners of PS3 and PlayStation Portable machines to download games, films and music, as well as to play online with friends.

Steven Paul Jobs, 56, died Wednesday

October 5th at his home with his family. The co-

founder and, until last August, CEO of Apple Inc was the most celebrated person in technology. No one will take issue with the official Apple statement that â&#x20AC;&#x2022;The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.â&#x20AC;&#x2013; more so when you think about what Steve brought to the world - the Apple II, the Macintosh, the movie studio Pixar, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.

Review 2011 says services 'fully restored' October 2011 Blackberry's founder Mike Lazaridis has said services are "fully restored" following a three-day global blackout. Millions of customers worldwide had their messaging and email service disrupted with many turning to Twitter to express their anger. The firm admitted that it was the largest crash it had ever experienced. Prior to the 2011 problems, the last significant blackout was in 2009. Users began to report loss of services mid-morning on 10 October and the problems spread around the world.

Android commands half the U.S. mobile market. October 2011 According to ComScore, as of October 2011 the Android operating system was used on more than 46% of U.S. smartphones. If this growth continues, then by now Google's open mobile platform may already be on about half of all U.S. smartphones in use. This leaves Apple's iOS in second place with nearly a third of all smartphones, and all other platforms (Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, etc.) occupying far smaller market segments.

Mark Zuckerberg photos leaked in Facebook flaw December 2011 A security flaw allowed private photos of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to be downloaded from the social networking site and posted in an online gallery this week. Fourteen photos of Zuckerberg, which appear to include images of him preparing food with his girlfriend and playing with his dog, were downloaded from Facebook and posted on the photo-sharing site Imgur Tuesday under the headline "It's time to fix those security flaws Facebook." The photos were leaked due to a flaw in the system that allows people to report pornographic or other inappropriate images posted by other users. Following the incident, Facebook issued a statement confirming a bug that "allowed anyone to view a limited number of another user's most recently uploaded photos irrespective of the privacy settings for those photos." It said it had disabled the inappropriate photo-reporting feature until it has been fixed. According to Facebook, the flaw came about as a result of a recent code push, and was only live for a small period of time.

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Samsung Series 9 Ultra Portable Notebook

Technology

Duralumin, The New Definition of Lightweight.

amsung Notebook 900X3A utilises the lightweight yet strong material Duralumin to create a slim and aerodynamic design.

Used in the building of military aircrafts and other highly-specialised equipment, Duralumin offer twice the strength of aluminum despite being light in weight. This allows for a design that is like no other, with premium finishes and a lightweight arching curved design that is beautiful from every angle. Other stylish features include a backlit keyboard that is always easy to see regardless of the environment and an edge-to-edge LCD design for visual impact. It‘s a minimalist look that is both simple and sophisticated.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 August 4th nationwide launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Revolutionise your world of entertainment and communication with the Samsung Galaxy Tab's host of amazing features. Supported by the latest Android operating system, everything from enhanced graphics to the latest apps will transform the way you live.

Instant web with Chromebooks Chromebooks boot in 8 seconds and resume instantly. Your favorite websites load quickly and run smoothly, with full support for the latest web standards and Adobe® Flash®. In fact, Chromebooks are designed to get faster over time as updates are released.

Review 2011

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s 33 per cent thinner and up to 15 per cent lighter, so it feels even more comfortable in your hands. And it makes surfing the web, checking email, watching films and reading books so natural, you might forget thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s incredible technology under your fingers.

HTC Sensation A multimedia superphone in the palm of your hand... Want to be entertained like never before? On-demand movies look great with a stunning qHD display, and they sound crystal clear with Hi-Fi audio technology. The HTC Sensation also includes an immersive HTC Sense experience making this phone easy-to-use and a top entertainer. The premium design, complete with contoured glass edging, feels great in your hand. The HTC Sensation is a multimedia superphone.

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Technology Dual-core A5 chip. All-new 8MP camera and optics. iOS 5 and iCloud. And introducing Siri. Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person: ―Do I need an umbrella?‖ or ―Any great burgers around here?‖ or ―Where‘s the closest ATM?‖ Siri not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean. It‘s the most amazing iPhone yet. October.

A new type of smartphone, borne of insight and innovation. It is the ultimate on-the-go device which consolidates core benefits of diverse mobile devices while maintaining smartphone portability. It empowers you with everything you can ever desire so that you can simply, feel free. It is truly smart.

Motorola Mobility‘s XOOM The first tablet to operate on Google‘s hotly anticipated Android 3.0 Honeycomb system. Released in February of this year the tablet boasts a two mega pixel front-facing camera for video chatting over the internet, as well as a back facing five mega pixel camera. It also has a 10.1 inch HD display screen, meaning you can enjoy watching HD movies and programs on this thin, light, and very sleek looking tablet. The main advantage the Motorola XOOM has over its competitors is that it offers a much higher resolution and larger display then most.

Review 2011 The new Kindle The world‘s most popular reading device just got even better. Smaller, lighter and faster, the new Kindle features a revolutionary high contrast E Ink screen for crisp, clear text and images. Built-in Wi-Fi gives you easy access to the Kindle store and its vast collection of books, magazines, newspapers and blogs from your home network or nearest hotspot.

Small and Mighty Weighing less than 170 grams, this latest addition to the Kindle family is 30% lighter than other models. Its smart design retains a 6‖ screen size whilst being 18% smaller, making its slender form the ideal fit for bags and even pockets! Pairing a refined look with high functionality, the Kindle also sports built-in Wi-Fi.

Built to perform, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ helps transform the way you work and play by combining the features you need with a powerful, ultra-portable design you want. Choose the tablet that does it all - and then some.

New for 2012 PlayStation Vita. PlayStation®Vita from Sony offers an unparalleled combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context, made possible by leveraging Sony ‘s experience from its acclaimed console and handheld entertainment systems. Blurring the lines between interactive entertainment and reality, PS Vita enables revolutionary gaming experiences with dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, front multi-touch display, multi-touch rear pad, GPS, six-axis motion sensors, and three-axis electronic compass.

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6 Christmas Crackers

Check out the festive periods sporting events that wet our appetites.

NFL New York Giants 29 14 New York Jets Saturday 24th December

Football Manchester City 1 – 0 Arsenal Sunday 18th December

The New York Giants set up an NFC East decider against Dallas next week with a 29-14 victory over their local rivals the New York Jets.

Manchester City took on Robin Van Persies Arsenal at Eastlands where only a victory would‘ve done for the London club against the new kings of Manchester.

David Silva‘s solo goal was enough to take the spoils for city.

NFL - Chicago Bears 21–

35 Green Bay Packers Sunday 25th December

Aaron Rodgers threw five touchdown passes for the first time in his career to help the Green Bay Packers record a 3521 triumph over the Chicago Bears. Quarterback Rodgers threw a pair of scores to Jordy Nelson, another two to James Jones and a TD to tight end Jermichael Finley, helping the reigning Super Bowl champions clinch the NFC's No.1 54

NBA - Utah Jazz 71 96 LA Lakers Tuesday, DECEMBER 27th

Kobe Bryant starred, scoring 26 points, as the LA Lakers won their first game of the new NBA season on Tuesday. The Lakers avoided losing their first three games of the new season thanks to Bryantâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s efforts which brought a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz.

NBA - New Jersey Nets 90 - 84 Washington Wizards Monday, DECEMBER 26th Kris Humphries ignored crowd abuse to lead the New Jersey Nets to victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA on Monday. Humphries scored 21 points and picked up 16 rebounds in the Netsâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; 90-84 win.

Football Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers Wednesday 28th December The Old Firm derby seen Celtic and Rangers lock horns for the final time this year and ended with Celtic coming out on top with a hard fought 1 nil victory. The win also meant Celtic go to the top of table after being 15 points behind only a few months ago. www.dyrt.co.uk

Player of the year... 2011 is fast coming to an end, there have been many great football matches and scintillating performances but who has been the star player of the year? DYRT shortlisted our top 4 contenders. For us there was only ever one clear winner (and our readers agree as they also voted him â&#x20AC;&#x2014;Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Best Palyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; in our recent online poll)

Lionel Messi - WINNER!! Messi had scored a staggering 43 goals in 47 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League combined this calendar year alone, He also has assisted 21 goals and made 3335 passes with a stunning completion rate of 86 per cent. Messi is an unusual player. He is highly creative, and has the skills to take on defenders with ease. He is a versatile leftfooted player who can play in the middle, on either wing, or even as a centre forward.

His remarkable power and accuracy make him truly unique in free kicks and corners. He is cool-headed and able to assume several responsibilities when required. He is player of today but foremost of the future. He has the South American heart for flair and a European head for pragmatism. Messi's humble attitude and refusal to become embroiled in the histrionics of many modern footballers further enhances his reputation and it is all of these factors combined which made him our best player of 2011.

He may not be very tall Messi, but he makes up for that in speed and agility, which allow him to evade the tackles of his opponents.

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Cristiano Ronaldo On December 17, 2011, Ronaldo scored his twelfthLa Liga hat-trick and thirteenth overall in a 6–2 win away to Sevilla. This is an outstanding achievement on its own but when you combine this to the array of skills the Portuguese genius has in locker then its no wonder he is time and time again described as one the best in the game. Robin Van Persie Robin Van Persie has hit the net twenty times already this season and is close to breaking Alan Shearer‘s record of 38 goals in a calendar year. It‘s safe to say that Van Persie is at the peak of his game and in the form of his life.

Xavi On the pitch he shows no nerves whatsoever as he guides the team with an extraordinarily cool head. Since taking on the mantle of playmaker at Barca he has shown incredible vision on the pitch. Even though he is most used as one of the more attacking midfielders he is more than capable of playing at the position just in front of the defence, where he exceptionally controls the pace of the game. Since the title-winning season 2004/2005 he has been third captain of the team.

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The ‘Match‘ of 2011... There isn‘t any point in putting in a short list, the best match of 2011 was undoubtedly on October 23rd at Old Trafford.

As far as derby showdowns go, City's 6 -1 annihilation of their local rivals was up there with the best of them as they combined possession, creativity and intelligence to wreak havoc at Old Trafford. The heaviest defeat of Sir Alex Ferguson's career was largely inspired by arguably Mario Balotelli's finest performance in a City shirt to date as the controversial youngster proved a constant torment to the home defence, earning a delicious double for his efforts. But it was Spanish kingpin David Silva that masterminded the demolition; assisting on Edin Dzeko's second goal, picking out James Milner with a sublime pass which led to Balotelli's second, while also scoring himself in the dying minutes to cap a dazzling individual display.

The clash always had the makings of a blockbuster - with the city rivals tussling for dominance at the top of the Premier League and both unbeaten at that point in the season. Balotelli, who had run out at the Theatre of Dreams less than 36 hours after allegedly setting fire to his mansion by letting off fireworks in the bathroom, got things rolling in the 22nd minute when he teamed up with Silva and Milner to beat United goalkeeper David De Gea with a low drive from 18 yards. That strike ultimately sparked the Red Devils' collapse and it was pictures of the eccentric young Italian, revealing a vest emblazoned with 'Why Always Me?' beneath his City shirt in a unique celebration, that adorned the back pages the next day. 58

His second, the product of Silva's pinpoint pass to Milner, well and truly put the wheels in motion for City following Jonny Evans' sending-off and when Sergio Aguero slid home from six yards in the 69th minute United were probably already praying for the final whistle.

with super sub Edin Dzeko netting either side of Silva's strike to seal the emphatic scoreline. In terms of tension, drama and entertainment the Old Trafford derby ticked all the boxes and it will not just be City fans that remember it for years to come.

The humiliation did not stop there, with City responding to a late Darren Fletcher consolation by piling on three more of their own in stoppage time,

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The DaMarcus Collection

Photographer: Ian McInnes