Becoming Wolverine

Whether it’s playing a claw bearing beast or gun slinging Van Helsing, it’s what Hugh Jackman does to play these roles that defines him.

Starting his career on the stage in Disney classic The Beauty and the Beast, Jackman’s charisma and talent as a singer, dancer and actor shaped his career.

Now though it is his body that’s been shaped. It is only recently his perfectly formed physique has come into the spotlight. Many would think his body deserves all the credit but Jackman says it’s his mind that is the secret behind the success.

He claims: “I search for the tipping point between what the mind wants and what the body can achieve.” “How do you keep that fearlessness of a kid? You keep going. Luckily, I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself."

People would think setting the goals is the key to accomplishment however Jackman disagrees: “In this country, people are all about goal-setting. And I concede, to a point, how it can help you get going,” he says. “But we limit ourselves with goals, we have far more ability than we give ourselves credit for.”

Modesty surrounds Jackman as his laid back personality is far from his rugged, brutal performances in the X-Men films. This is the case in Origins of Wolverine where his strong, vicious personality escalates to new levels.

A Lack of Money, A Lack of Boots

These may be a very nice pair of football boots but for £249.99 I would hope they gave me abilities to play in the Premiership! Maybe it's because they give so many free boots away to the professionals they need to rinse the general publics all ready sapped wallets.

Even if you do have money to throw around without a care, it's still difficult to justify spending this amount of money, when, it's more than likely they will get ruined playing at a low standard, or even worse, someone sneaking them right off your feet. Feet that are supposedly so superior and blessed they can be wrapped in these colourful, yet  easily disposable leather boots.

Although ending on a rather contradictory note. I would happily buy a pair of these 'elite,' foot-balling machines. If you have a strong enough imagination, it's easy to believe you will play a better game with more expensive boots. Even if they don't give you superpowers, it's always nice to drift off into false hope because it gives you belief in yourself one way or the other. If anyone asks why I have gone against the general slating at the start of this piece, the response given will be: "Yes my feet are blessed and superior, did you not see the article?"

The Ryder Cup: On a Magical Monty Monday

After Europe’s elite golfers sealed an emphatic win over the determined Americans. Was this the greatest Ryder Cup to date?

Golfs biggest event teed off with an opening ceremony as the teams and their captains were introduced to a riotous crowd at Celtic Manor in Newport. Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin took to the podium to give their final public inspiring words as anticipation grew as an inevitable climax began to take shape.

The Fourballs were announced and each Captain had their own surprise for the gripped audience. After naming strong pairings in Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher and third Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. 

For his final pairing Monty in a confident manor announced the fourth and final pairing would be three time major winner Padraig Harrington and England’s Luke Donald.

Somewhat fortuitously Pavin, ability-wise, matched up his big guns with those of the European team. He also shook up the proceedings by pairing Ryder Cup rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton together.

The ceremony came to a close and the Captain’s finished exchanging pleasantries. Now it was time to get down to business on Wales’ finest course.

Turkey: The Undiscovered Treasure

An affordable getaway where beautiful food is at the top of the order: not to mention the sun and beaches.

There are many popular destinations in Turkey such as Marmaris, Bodrum and Istanbul. However the places to go for fine dining are the small picturesque villages. On the menu is Dalyan, situated in the Southern city of Dalaman.

Coming into Dalyan there are restaurants lining the streets, all with a friendly waiter at your service. The choice is endless and if you plan on staying a week, you can count on having a different place to eat day and night (unless one in particular really attracts your taste buds).

In the morning, waking up to a cool breeze and sunrays, many would see it as impossible to beat an English breakfast; this however, is where Daylan comes into its own. With a menu of endless choices in your hands, it is hard to choose exactly what you desire.

Being Held Back

With the state of British tennis at an all time low, it is hard to see a way out of a seemingly ever growing black hole. Now the coach’s role has been made less influential, is it set to get worse?

For years the nation has struggled to produce the finest talents on the world circuit. With the exception of current world number four Andy Murray there hasn’t been any others breaking through.

The most recent addition to the downfall was Britain’s loss to Lithuania in the Davis Cup. Without Murray, the team ran out of ideas against their opponents who are ranked 21 places below them.

Lostprophets - The Betrayed

After their previous record Liberation Transmission failed to wow the most hardcore of Lostprophets fans. The boys from the valley bring them right back to their roots in the gritty, hardworking success that is The Betrayed.

Released in January 2010, The Betrayed brings back the heavier side of Lostprophets whilst exploring new areas such as Funk, Ska and the ever popular sound of indie.

Immigrating to L.A. seems to have taken a positive effect on the overall sound the band is now producing. It is safe to say many were expecting an even more commercial track list than its predecessor (if that were possible).

By accomplishing a solid mix of genres, the album really finds its feet with a professional, polished sound.

Boiled Egg and Soldiers

It’s not very often you get so deeply indulged in your breakfast you begin making metaphors out of what you are eating.

In this case the boiled egg is Afghanistan and the sliced toast is playing the part of the soldiers. I know what you're thinking, how did you think of that?

Well everyday, be it on the radio or the television, there is a story on the war that is more often than not, bad news. The tally has now risen to 270, six of which have been in the last week. Another important stat to note is the 1,062 service men and women who have been wounded in action.

Wayne Rooney: Englands Best Chance

Looking forward to the World Cup, is Wayne Rooney the player who can drive England to victory in South Africa? This season alone he has 34 goals in all forms of the game; it’s hard to argue against the impeccable red devil.

Finally playing at the pinnacle of the Manchester United team, Rooney has proved his knack for goal scoring and continues to impress everyone from rival managers to reporters who recently, have been doing everything they can to exploit England’s finest footballers.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Footballs soap opera started with Wayne Bridge ducking John Terry’s handshake but was soon overshadowed by Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez who inflicted nine men Chelsea’s first home defeat of the season.

Frank Lampard opened the scoring but Tevez and Bellamy gave City a surprise lead with goals either side of half time.

The State of the Beautiful Game

It’s a cold Sunday morning, the wind ripples the shirts of 22 fired up footballers, and the referee’s whistle blows. What happens when the ‘the beautiful game,’ becomes a survival ground?

Sunday league football is very rarely publicised and when it is, the stories are brief. When a tackle becomes assault, should we take a closer look?

Charlie Knight, 21, was a victim of the leagues brutal nature when after just 20 minutes he saw his professional ambitions crushed. He described the moment: “I toe poked the ball to my teammate and this lad stamped on my standing right ankle, breaking the bone, he pushed off on it causing the lower and middle part of my leg to break under the pressure, I went straight into shock.”