Paul - Mossley Hill
Lewis should get out more !!
His view of the city is a very narrow one based it seems on a 200 yard radius of the Queens Square car park. The resteraunts of the Hope St area are excellent as are the smaller chains (Heathcotes) and hotels in the city. As for the WAGs fashion show - well why not!! What a snob you really are. Also, you forget to mention the other highlights;
Klimpt Exhibition
Schools Shakespere Festival
King Lear
European Boxing Championship
Vladimir Askenazy
Sir Simon Rattle
The Berlin Philharmonic
Mathew St Festival
Tall Ships Race
Around World Clipper Race I could go on !! People should take the highlights announcement with an open mind and get involved instead of moaning !! I can't wait for 2008.
Mike (Waterloo)
I can only hope that 2008 will be good. But this thing about footballers wives is ridiculous. What we need is culture!! There is great talant and cultre in this city, there could be literature, poetry, music, art. Come on, us Liverpudians are all about that and don't need some out-of-towner stereotyping us from some jokes from the 1980's!
Jim
Once again the kneejerkers who can't think for themselves swallow the media spin. People: 70 highlights already!! NEW & FREE programmes of PUBLIC art and STREET theatre. PREMIERES galore - The Turner & Stirling prizes. And it's ONLY 2006. For god's sake. Relax. This is a good start. Very good in fact. But thats just it. It's the start. To all the sad knockers - are you the same people who said the city would never win 08 in the 1st place. If you lot left then Liverpool would be miles better to live in.
Dan
I must admit I was concerned that there would be lots of silly stunts and no substance - but too see Simon Rattle & the Berlin Phil, a good production of King Lear, and the tall ships returning seems like a good start. I don't think that there is such a thing as 'upper class culture' any more. It will give many people the opportunity to try things they haven't done before - whether they embrace that or not is up to them. I do agree that there seems to be a shortage of 'pop culture' outside of the regularly occuring events, and the WAGS coming to town. That is definately something we could do without. I would, however, like to see more on the programme.
David O'Neill
There hardly seems much point in mentioning the abundance of writing talent, musical talent, acting talent, artistic talent, etc that has emerged from this city over the years and continues to do so. The reason being, of course, is the ignorant, narrow-minded masses have made up their mind that the imaginary 20 year old Scouse stereotype lives and that somehow we are not worthy of the Culture accolade? The fact that Liverpool suffered mass unemploymemt in the 1980's and experienced associated problems is hardly casue for ridicule for so many years. The very fact that we've got on with it and turned it around in the face of adversity and ridicule is a credit. Doubtless most of those who point the finger of ridicule are Tories and couldn't tell you anything about their own hometown. It's far more fun to insult Liverpool cos that's really funny! Liverpool being the UK's most successful footballing city, the world capital of pop, world heritage site - I could go on... As for Eb (and people like him/her or whatever it is), I wonder how many times he's visited Liverpool and how much he knows about the city and the cultural wealth that has emerged from here in the last 200 years? Never and nothing I'm sure the answer is.
Glen Fletcher
I've seen BEM Communities and Gay & Lesbian Communities listed and rightly so but nothing mentioned for our Disabled Community, can their Culture not be celebrated too. You have been slated for focussing on the City and you may argue that this is where the investment will be, but please don't forget us all living outside the City..we are the culture of Liverpool, too......Why not open it out with a mailshot and encourage communities to come forward with events from now through to 2008, and ongoing events and projects.......find the funds for some small grants....engage our youth, give them some hope..engage our disabled community, value their culture......
email me and I'll start the ball rolling, my partner is the best photographer in Town ( well I would say that) he can encapture all these communities and has a portfolio to die for !!!!! Let the people of Liverpool have their say, encourage them to be fully involved with all the planning and then maybe you wouldn't get so much negative feedback...we are this City's culture !!!! let us show the World......
Stephanie
I think it's totally corrupt, there are amazing things going on in Liverpool that most of the Liverpool 08 team know nothing about. Such as the tall ship Glaciere which is based in the Albert Dock, someone wants to open their eyes and get back to our roots in Liverpool. It's not all about new expensive clothes shops and fountains
danielle
The WAGS aren't going to be the centrepiece of the whole event but for some bizarre reason the BBC and other media outlets have decided to pick up on this one event (amongst many) and make it the headline news which is a shame .I suppose king lear wouldn't attract as much publicity as some footballers wifes with their tacky fashion. Lewis the only person you are kidding is yourself ,you quite clearly are a wirral 'snob'(take the 's' off .
Chris
Liverpool has a lot to offer. It is not just the City Centre that makes a City. Lark Lane, Allerton Road, Sefton Park, Penny Lane and Aigburth all offer individual resturants with tasty menus for eating out. Liverpudlians are very passionate people which is not a bad thing, with them having a sense of pride for the city which they live in. Liverpool is a beautiful city and people who put it down are jealous.
Sarah
People of Liverpool are very proud of their city and there is a brilliant feeling of Culture here even without the Capital of Culture Title. We may have had a bad reputation in the past but doesn't every city have their problems (i.e. Glasgow I believe is a crack heaven!) People should get behind the Capital of Culture celebrations as they are there for us to enjoy and thats what we should all do!
Jane ( Kirkby )
Its all well and good arranging all these events but if we are expecting to raise the profile of our city then surely the council needs to get a grip of the chaos outside our airport. International flights bringing more visitors - as soon as they step out the terminal they will want to go straight back unless they actually relish walking along a dual-carriageway for a taxi or to be collected by friends/family.
simon
proof if proof were needed that 'capital of culture' is merely a brand to be sold. as if the council don't waste enough of our money already. i still wish it had gone to gateshead
alan p
Missing is the Re Opening of one of the Theatres on Lime Street
Lewis Macdonald (Wirral)
So, the WAGS are to be the centrepiece of the whole event it seems; I can just see the visitors from the rest of Europe being really impressed. Really tacky, but not much more than I expected from a tacky city whose people still have the big chip on their shoulder. Some decent reataurants would also be an improvement. Most restaurants are part of wider UK chains e.g. 'Living Room', Piccollino's; La Tasca's, ASK - very few individualist quality places to eat. Don't kid yourself Liverpool, a makeover won't change the ugliness of the city or the agressiveness of its people. P.S. I've lived on the The Wirral for 24 years and I'm originally from the Glasgow area. I'm not a Wirral 'snob' having a go at Liverpool, I'm just describing things as I find them.
David
And groups like Formby and Birkenhead Choral Societies are planning a big musical event along with Merchant Taylors' School - to show that amateur choral music is still alive and well in Merseyside
Will, West Derby
"Here we are now, entertain us?!" The schedule features a lot of already-established fare and to me [whilst such things are admittedly, "in the eye of the beholder"] the programme is a rather boring and predictable set. Not that impressive. I expect nepotism, mismanagement, parochialism and cronyism to feature heavily. The wheeling-out of "ex-pat," "too-rich-to-stay-in-Liverpool," "Rent-a-Scouser" individuals will serve to be the final straw. What odds would I get for Cilla Black et al, making at least one high profile appearance a month "back home," whilst the cameras are snapping and rolling?
Steve
This is excellent stuff. Now let's hope Liverpudlians don't shoot themselves in the foot by moaning about what 2008 is going to do for them individually. We need people talking it up and telling everybody how great this is going to be. We also need less of the arts organisations with vested interests complaining that they're not involved enough just because they're not getting a shedload of money.
Lewis b Howells
The usual overhyped garbage
wheeled out by those who think they know what's best for the 2008 festival!
Just whatch the Council tax rise to pay for all the events and the luvvies and highly paid people employed to ensure Captital of culture is a success!
Don, Litherland
The theatre and music side of things look great but do we really need footballers wives to jump in on the act? Dont they already make enough from publicity already?
Chris Evans
There is nothing big and glitzy to grab the publics imagination in these plans so far. The programme seems to be focused around very upper class forms of culture. I have no problem with that, but you wont appeal to the ordinary people of Liverpool. Can and must do better is my thought.
Eb.
I read that 'a fashion show featuring footballers' wives is to be one of the highlights of Liverpool's Capital of Culture year' (BBC News). You must be having a laugh. This is simply pandering to those with zero talent and no sense of what culture is really about at all. Liverpool city of culture .... pull the other one its got a shellsuit on it.
danielle
I think the plans look great and its only the start ,more will be revealed later and its never long before people jump on the bandwagon and momentum builds ,can see a lot of 'stars' getting involved for publicity. I think it looks a nice mix of high brow and low culture and Pete Postlethwaite in King Lear would be brilliant .
Marge
I believe the Capital of Culture Events will be great! Marge, USA
