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Colin Farrell: TV Crime Boss?

Rumours have been rife in the Irish media for a long time that RTÉ’s top crime drama “Love/Hate” is set to be remade by the US market.

Last week, the Irish Daily Star reported that if the series were to go ahead, Colin Farrell would be interested in taking on the role of Nidge.

Tom Vaughan Lawlor is the actor who currently plays Nidge. He recently won the IFTA for for Best TV Actor. Copyright: RTÉ 2013. Photography Credit: Bernard Walsh.

TheCity.ie took to the streets of the capital to see who fans of the hit show would like to see play the conniving crime boss.

“Well if we’re talking about Irish actors I actually think Farrell would be quite good. He was excellent in Intermission.”- John Ginnity, 45.

“It doesn’t really matter. America very rarely remakes a foreign show successfully; look at the likes of ‘Skins’ and ‘The Inbetweeners’. The humour won’t transcend properly and I think the humour is the reason the characters are so likeable.” -Marie Daly, 25.

“I suppose maybe an actor that the US audience is familiar with could be good. Obviously Colin Farrell would be one of these or maybe even Brendan Gleeson, I think he’d do a great job of it.” – Jill Watkins, 21.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing someone like Michael Fassbender take it on. He plays a great role in ‘X-men: First Class’ taking on the evil character.” – Glenn Dalton, 32

Farrell has proven he can play the role of a criminal in Martin McDonagh’s critically acclaimed films “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths” as well as Bullseye in the 2003 superhero film “DareDevil”.

Several US remakes of hit British TV shows have been a regular occurrence in recent years. E4’s top shows “Skins” and “The Inbetweeners” were both given the US treatment by MTV. However, neither show was renewed for a second season by the broadcaster.

The Inbetweeners was a highly successful British Television show. However the US Remake was cancelled after just 12 episodes. Image by Magnus D on flickr

The racy nature of “Skins” lead to complaints from many viewers, and possible violations of federal pornography laws saw big name sponsors cease advertising during commercial breaks in the show.

While US audiences are fans of gritty crime dramas such as “The Wire”, “The Sopranos”, and “Breaking Bad”, it remains to be seen if “Love/Hate” will get the final go ahead to be remade Stateside.

Currently, online video streaming service Hulu, own the rights to broadcast “Love/Hate” in America.

Vox Pop carried out by Stephanie Quilligan and Graham Barry.

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November 21, 2013
Falling out of Love/Hate

When it ended just before Christmas last year, Love/Hate season three had provided Irish viewers with some of the best television ever produced by the national broadcaster.

Stuart Carolan had struck gold with his gritty crime drama set on the streets of Dublin. Drawing in viewers in the hundreds of thousands each week, Love/Hate had the perfect formula.

Carolan and his team of writers showed no loyalty to characters and were willing to wield the proverbial axe over any star on the show.

This past Sunday saw the conclusion of season four in the hit drama, and viewers across the country are feeling more than slightly disappointed.

After the colossal conclusion to season three, fans were expecting another major bombshell this time around. Unfortunately, this bombshell never came.

The final episode, as well as the season as whole, is best described as a let-down. The fourth season followed crime boss Nidge, portrayed brilliantly by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, as he tries to import a major drug shipment through Dublin port.

Throughout the six episodes, audiences watched as the Garda drug squad monitored Nidge and his crew. The stage was set in the final episode for either a major drugs bust which would see Nidge and his “associates” arrested. When the moment came though, the Gardai, lead by Detective Mick Moynihan (Brian F O’Byrne) made their move to early, and could not pin anything to Nidge.

Much of the series is based around the importing of drugs through Dublin Port. Image by William Murphy on flickr

Many characters throughout the season, who had major roles in the previous season, were brought back simply to play bit parts culminating in them being killed off. I’m speaking of course of Dano, played by Jason Barry, and Debbie, played by Susan Loughnane.

In sporting terms, the writers behind season four of Love/Hate bottled it. They had the potential to create something fantastic, but the series went so slowly, and in such an elongated manner, it suggests that it was written just to set up season five.

While Carolan and his writers failed to kill off any major characters, the season finale saw two minor characters meet their maker. Young gun for hire Wayne Cardiff was gunned down by a former friend, while dentist Andrew played by Peter O’Meara was suffocated by Fran (Peter Coonan).

The deaths of these characters almost make much of the season’s events pointless. Wayne (Barry Keoghan) spent the majority of the series attempting to hunt down Nidge in order to kill him. However, almost miraculously, all was forgiven and forgotten between the two after a minor run in with the Gardaí.

O’Meara also had the potential to play a massive role in the outcome of the series, after he agreed to help Moynihan and his drugs squad before being killed by Fran, without the latter even knowing of the dentist’s involvement with Gardaí.

While the final episode did help to increase the mounting tension between Fran and Nidge, the series never reached the anticipated heights it was believed to be capable of.

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November 12, 2013
4 Reasons For Irish Rugby Fans To Feel Positive

Irish rugby took a significant step toward forgetting last year’s horrific campaign with a 40-9 victory over a disappointing Samoa on Saturday.

Joe Schmidt’s first game in charge could not have gone better, though the New Zealander was eager to dampen enthusiasm and described his side’s performance as “untidy” but “earnest” in a post-match interview.

Regardless of Schmidt’s views, Ireland’s performance showed there are indeed several reasons to feel positive going into this season’s 6 Nations.

Debutantes have a Ball

Schmidt handed a starting debut to Jack McGrath in place of Cian Healy, while Dave Kearney made his first Ireland appearance as a substitute in the 60th minute. McGrath went on to win the RTÉ Man-of-the-Match while Kearney scored a try five minutes after being introduced, following it up with a second 13 minutes later.

McGrath’s performance in an impressive scrum, as well as his work in the loose, means Cian Healy will now have to fight the 24-year-old for the loosedhead position at both provincial and national level.

Captain Fantastic

Last season much focus was given (undeservedly) to Jamie Heaslip’s captaincy, critics pointing to his perceived lack of form or experience as proof the decision was a mistake. There can be no such discussion this time round, with the talismanic Paul O’Connell chosen to lead his country. Though Heaslip captained the side on Saturday due to O’Connell starting on the bench, the Munster second-row was introduced in the second-half and had a telling impact as Ireland scored three tries in that period.

However, with Heaslip and Munster captain Peter O’Mahony in the team alongside former Ireland captains Brian O’Driscoll and Rory Best, there will no shortage of leaders in the dressing room.

Strength in Depth

The calibre of the replacements available to Ireland on Saturday was great to see, especially after the previous injury-ravaged campaigns. The fact that the match-day squad was missing quality players such as Simon Zebo, Johnny Sexton, Stephen Ferris and Luke Marshall is testament to the resources available to the national manager.

Added to that, Paddy Jackson’s performance confirmed the fact that Ireland can now call on three top-quality No. 10’s. After years of needing utility-man Paddy Wallace to act as cover for Ronan O’Gara, there is a genuine competition for places with Jackson, Sexton and (despite his current situation at Leinster) Ian Madigan all vying for a starting berth.

The Man in Charge

Schmidt’s post-match comments made clear he will not be getting carried away after one match. Singling out Brian O’Driscoll, Irish rugby’s Messiah, shows that the Kiwi will not be phased by big names or past achievements.

The fact that two of the manager’s substitutions converted three of the teams five tries highlighted his tactical nous, Sean O’Brien with a trademark barn-storming run over the line five minutes into the second half. Dave Kearney will draw great confidence from his cameo, while the selection of O’Connell as captain and his decision to start Jackson over Madigan will prevent any whispers of a Leinster bias from the former Leinster manager.

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November 12, 2013
NCT odour debate lingers on

On an airing of RTÉ Liveline last month, a man called Connor phoned in about his unusual NCT test experience.

His vehicle was refused by a tester on the basis of a smell of fish present inside. The caller was a self-employed restaurant owner from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, who occasionally transports fish in the car. He claimed the odour was not strong enough to cause the tester any immediate distress.

A staff member told him over the phone that a foul or unpleasant smell would be a Health and Safety issue to a tester. As a consequence, Connor was not even given a certificate of failure but did have his fee returned.

He was contentious about the guideline which mentions vehicle cleanliness. It requires a car to be “reasonably clean”, but it does not mention odours. He also referred to the fact that Applus+ is the only vehicle test company operating in Ireland, which meant he had nowhere else to go.

A spokesperson for the NCT Customer Service stated that “They should be in the condition that a tester can conduct the test in comfort. Obviously if the smell is too bad, they cannot perform the test and they have the right to stop it.”

He continued, “In the case of a dispute, you would have to speak to a team leader. They would be able to look at it better than we (at the call centre) would. If there was an issue of smell, they can make a judgment on it.”

TheCity.ie found some members of the public to react to this, and queried about how fair or unfair these measures are.

Photo Credits: Caro’s Lines on Flickr

Video Credits:

Reporter: Eoin Harmon

Camera: Kay Cairns

Production: Kay Cairns

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November 11, 2013
New site take-off? 9 ways you know you’re flying Ryanair

Sit back and relax, right? Photography: ‘fabbriciuse’ via Flickr

Ryanair has finally accepted their website is AWFUL.

Speaking on RTE’s Prime Time, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary accepted that the site is “the source of most complaints [from customers]”.

O’Leary described the site as “clunky” and “very frustrating”, echoing the user experience of… everyone.

But we’re in luck, O’Leary has promised a rollout of developments in the coming weeks making the site “simpler to engage with”.

To celebrate the good news, The City has compiled a list of the nine ways you know you’re on a Ryanair flight.

1. You’ve inadvertently added travel insurance, RyanairTalk or a bus transfer to your booking.

We’ve all done it, at least once. The frustration of booking the flight becomes a minefield of finger-slips. And that travel insurance doesn’t come cheap!

2. Ok. You’ve made the booking. Wait. You forgot to print out the boarding pass!

Quick! You’ve twenty minutes until the four hour deadline. It’s a game of mission impossible with the printer cables.

3. Phew, you’re at the airport. Carry-on luggage? Ryanair doesn’t think so!

You bought duty-free didn’t you? Silly, silly silly. You’re clearly a Ryanair nube. Now comes the 10 minute struggle at the departure gates stuffing Toblerones and that reduced bottle of Jack into your tattered old school rucksack.

4. You’re in. Time for the seat scramble.

It’s like a game of musical chairs, except your only sound track is the gentle hum of elevator music. Yep, no pre-assigned seating with Ryanair. Get held up at the departure gates with that Toblerone? Welcome to the seat right at the back next to the screaming baby.

5. Buckle up. Phone on airplane mode and… OFF. Ready for your safety demonstration?

Keep tuned in, because blink and its gone. Your hostess of the most-ess will be throwing on the oxygen mask and life vest like it’s a real life emergency. Don’t forget to thoroughly read the safety card!

6. And it’s take off! Sit back, enjoy the ride and, you guessed it, the Ryanair lottery tickets.

Relax they said. Take a nap they said. Oh, and listen to us drone on as we patrol the isle with tickets, perfumes, e-ciggarettes and miniature aeroplanes.

7. It’s no use, you’re awake. You might as well get a cup of tae. €3!?

Yep, and you better hope you’re sorry tush you’re not hungry. A packet soup is another €3.50, and a panini accompaniment will set you back €5.50. Wallet empty and only 15 minutes into the flight. Lets hope you’re not travelling too far.

8. You got some sleep and the captain’s announcing the landing. Wait for it… wait for it… “toot to-toot!”

The infamous Ryanair on-time trumpet jingle.

9. Phone on and airplane mode off. Hysterical beeping from your phone. Backpack on. Ready for the hike to the arrivals lounge?

That’s an estimated 30 minute walk. What Ryanair doesn’t tell you is that the secret to their cheap flights is in them having you walk half the journey… enjoy! Oh, and welcome to your destination.

Got any other fond memories of your Ryanair travels? Tell us in the comments!

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October 9, 2013