Worcester News - Stories for 21 November 2006

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Worcestershire | Archive | 2006 | November

Stories for 21 November 2006

Acorns

Mayor won’t just host big Christmas concert – he’ll perform in it too

THE Mayor of Worcester's annual concert in aid of charity this Christmas will have a unique twist this year - the man himself is planning to join in with the performance. more...

Paddlers go from splash to cash

DRAGON boat racers have raised more than £1,000 for Acorns Children's Hospice. more...

Hospices to benefit from cash boosts

ACORNS Children's Hospice and St Richard's Hospice in Worcester are among more than 200 hospices benefitting from a share of £500,000 raised by the Freemasons' Grand Charity. more...

Business

Fuel efficient firm wins top accolade

ARROW Distributors based at Norton, near Worcester, has won the prestigious Green Champion Logistics and Distribution Award, the highest accolade in the category, for being environmentally friendly. more...

Education

Greek school gives its pupils a taste of home

AS a Greek Orthodox priest scatters holy water over a room full of children in a traditional blessing, surrounded by their parents, with a table groaning under the weight of food, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in a small school in Cyprus or Greece. more...

Bullying tackled by new campaign

SCHOOLCHILDREN throughout Worcestershire are receiving special cards this week to help them stand up to bullies. more...

Switched-on pupils design best posters

PUPILS at a primary school in Worcestershire have been rewarded for producing the best posters to help encourage people to conserve energy and save the environment. more...

Film Reviews

TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (15)

A hugely entertaining and highly irreverent biopic that traces the creation of self-professed "greatest rock band in the world" Tenacious D, made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their bid for global domination looms tantalisingly on the horizon with this madcap, surreal film. more...

THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (U)

Crammed full of more sugar than a family pack of Christmas candy canes, this movie boasts more mawkish, Yuletide fun with Tim Allen and Co. Were it not for an amusing turn from Martin Short as the scheming Jack Frost, it would be too saccharine for all but the most sentimental palates. more...

JACKASS NUMBER TWO (18)

Jackass Number Two is the second feature-length instalment of the outrageous MTV show. Johnny Knoxville and his daredevil pals attempt a ridiculous and potentially dangerous array of stunts. Most of the pratfalls end in tears - of pain for the Jackass team; of laughter for us as we shake our heads in disbelief. more...

HOLLYWOODLAND (15)

Ben Affleck gives one of his best performances in years as George Reeves, the actor who played Superman on TV in the 1950s and whose death was surrounded by mystery. But Adrien Brody, as the private eye hired to investigate the actor's death, gives a lacklustre performance, and the film only sparks into life during flashbacks. more...

CASINO ROYALE (12)

Daniel Craig's secret agent isn't the Bond of old. At times, 007 is so emotionally distant it's difficult to empathise with the character. Eva Green brings a smouldering sensuality and fragility to her Bond girl. The end credits announce "Bond Will Return" - on May 2, 2008 as it happens, when we will see if Craig really has a licence to thrill or is merely the man with the golden locks. more...

THE PRESTIGE (12A)

The greatest illusion in Christopher Nolan's thriller, about feuding magicians in 19th century London, is the film itself. Once you look past the impeccable production design and strong ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine, the film is nothing but a cheap parlour trick. more...

STARTER FOR 10 (12A)

Inspired by David Nicholls's comic novel Starter For Ten, the film remains faithful to the hugely enjoyable page-turner, and accomplishes that rare feat of surpassing the source material. James McAvoy is scarily believable as a socially awkward 18-year-old, who is ill equipped to woo the woman of his dreams. more...

BREAKING AND ENTERING (15)

Breaking And Entering is a contemporary love story set against the urban sprawl of present day London. Anthony Minghella's film promises so much but high expectations are met largely by disappointment. Juliette Binoche and Rafi Gavron bring an emotional depth to their characters, which is absent from the rest of the film. more...

BORAT - CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (15)

BORAT - CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (15) Sacha Baron Cohen's hysterical journey into America's heartland, in the guise of his fictitious Khazakstani television reporter, could justifiably stake a claim as the most uproariously and hysterically funny film of the year. The situations depicted in the film are, with one exception, all real: the people truly believe Borat to be a visitor from another country, keen to absorb American values. Who knows how Cohen got away with most of the antics without being deported. more...

LITTLE CHILDREN (15)

Little Children paints a beautifully detailed portrait of fear and self-loathing in American suburbia. Kate Winslet should be one of next year's five Best Actress Oscar hopefuls for her stunning portrayal here of a lonely wife, clinging forlornly onto the one glimmer of a hopeful future. more...

Football

Women: Holders suffer knock-out blow

REIGNING champions Kidderminster Harriers Ladies firsts were knocked out of the Worcestershire County Cup after a 2-1 quarter-final defeat at Worcester City. more...

Girls: Perfect 10 from the Flyers

DONE - TUES AM FERNDALE Flyers under-10s completed a double over Kinver Colts and reached double figures in the process. more...

Girls: Perfect 10 from the Flyers

FERNDALE Flyers under-10s completed a double over Kinver Colts and reached double figures in the process. more...

Bewdley Reserves: Dan the man hits hat-trick

DAN Franklin hit a hat-trick as Bewdley Reserves won 4-2 at Warstones in the West Midlands League Division Two with Chris Fellows also on target. more...

Kidder News Latest

Speading festive cheer

SCOUTS and Guides in Bewdley, Stourport and Cleobury Mortimer will help spread festive cheer with their annual Christmas post. more...

Craft, Cakes and pyjamas for Children in Need

A BEAR hunt, face-painting and fancy dress were just some of the activities chosen by schools across Wyre Forest to support Children in Need. more...

Girls treat stressed shoppers

SHOPPERS in Stourport were able to sit back and enjoy a relaxing treat all in the name of Children in Need on Friday. more...

Girls treat stressed shoppers

SHOPPERS in Stourport were able to sit back and enjoy a relaxing treat all in the name of Children in Need on Friday. more...

Dressing up fun for young at heart

STAFF at a Kidderminster care home had a good excuse to wear their pyjamas to work as they got into the fund-raising spirit for Children in Need. more...

Two taxis taken off road

TWO Wyre Forest taxis have been taken off the road after "serious defects" were found by inspectors during a sweeping night examination. more...

Outwit a

SHOPPERS are being offered free property labels by police in a bid to stay one step ahead of thieves as the dark nights draw in. more...

Outwit festive thieves

SHOPPERS are being offered free property labels by police in a bid to stay one step ahead of thieves as the dark nights draw in. more...

Union members protest

UNISON members in the West Midlands are to lobby their MPs at the House of Commons in London, alongside colleagues from all over the country on November 22 to protest at changes to their pension rights. more...

Prayers for road victims

MORE than 100 Wyre Forest road accident victims were named in prayers at a special gathering on Sunday. more...

Car owners warned over thefts

CAR owners in Wyre Forest are being warned to be on their guard after a spate of catalytic converter thefts. more...

Latest

I said ‘get out’ and Radio 1 DJ bit my arm, says landlady

A LANDLADY has spoken of her disgust after a Radio 1 DJ allegedly bit her during a scuffle at a gig he was doing in her hotel. more...

I said ‘get out’ and Radio 1 DJ bit my arm, says landlady

A LANDLADY has spoken of her disgust after a Radio 1 DJ allegedly bit her during a scuffle at a gig he was doing in her hotel. more...

Police don’t help says victim of concrete attack

A WORCESTER man says he has lost all faith in the police after they failed to investigate a violent attack on his family home. more...

DJ Stoney is back on airwaves

A POPULAR local DJ is back on air and wants to thank his listeners for their support. more...

City Gridlock Mystery

TRAFFIC was at a standstill in Worcester City Centre this morning - but mystery surrounds what may have caused it. more...