"She's too international!" The science behind the Laminated List

So it's been ten years since 'Friends' left our TV screens (unless you count the daily repeats on Comedy Central).  While there were many memorable moments during its ten year run, one of my favourite episodes was way back in Series 3. In 'The One With Frank Jr', the gang put together what has since become known in pop culture as 'the Freebie List' or more amusingly 'The Laminated List'. The list is essentially five celebrities that you are allowed to sleep with and your partner won't get cross. Now realistically we all know it's just a bit of fun but it's interesting to see who you or your significant other may choose to make up their dream five.

I'm extremely lucky that I'm in a relationship where we are comfortable enough to discuss who we have unspeakable thoughts about on TV, in music etc. for example I know for a fact  that if my fiancé  Kayls saw Chris Hemsworth in the flesh that I may have to physically restrain her for his own safety. That's not to say that I don't completely trust her. (unless we happen to end up at the premiere of Avengers 2!)  I guess the message is don't take it to heart who your cherished one has the hots for.  To be honest it gives me an ego boost to think that I've got the girl and Thor didn't. Take that Demi-God!

Of course the laminated part of the name comes from love's perennial loser Ross Gellar who after finally getting his list up to scratch, laminated it for good measure. It can't be changed. It's final... so for God's sakes choose wisely. Ross' downfall of course was the fact that he had left off actress Isabella Rossilini thanks to Chandler's advice that she was 'too international' and that the chances of meeting her were slim. Little did they know that Isabella Rossilini would appear right there in Central Perk. My advice to you is don't be a Ross. None of my picks are even English! It is a dream list after all so dream big!

OK so remember... they must be celebrities, it's just a bit of fun (so don't get mad!) and once it's laminated (figuratively not literally of course) then there's no going back. Got it? Good.

So without further ado I'd like to get the ball rolling and give you my Norris Approved Laminated List! ... in no particular order

1. Eliza Dushku

If you need me to explain why watch 'Dollhouse', or 'Buffy' or 'Tru Calling' (she runs around a lot in that last one) Some of the people on Kayls' list are there because of their voice. I didn't necessarily get that until I thought about Eliza Dushku. Let's just say that husky voice finishes everything off perfectly!

2. Natalie Portman

In terms of my relationship this one's probably the most contentious. For some reason unknown to me Kayls HATES Natalie Portman. Maybe if she starts a blog one day she'll tell you why. I told Kayl one day that she looked lovely and she replied "Thanks. Oh by the way I saw a picture of Natalie Portman the other day... she looked like a dog."  Oh and by the way 'Black Swan' may have helped with this pick.

3. Andrea Corr

This one's likely a blast from the past for many of you. Andrea was the lead singer of the Irish family band that took over the charts in the late 90s. Anyone whose knew me circa 2002 knew I loved Andrea Corr... I mean it was a bit unhealthy. I guess it's due to that that I'll never truly be able to take Andrea off my list. Irish accents make anyone 10% sexier. That's scientific fact!

4. Demi Lovato

Ok so here's one I don't get. I just don't. For some reason if she happens to be on the telly I can't help but think about how hot she is. I can't even put my finger on it but you want what you want I guess.

5. Velvet Sky

My 5th pick was a toughie but I've gone with TNA's most popular Knockout (arguably). Maybe it's the slightly rocky style, maybe it's the character she plays in the ring or maybe it's her entrance... Yeah it's all that...

So there you have it. I've rambled for long enough. Now I wanna know YOUR laminated list. Leave it in the comments below, tweet me @NorrisApproved3 or like Norris Approved on Facebook and leave me a post on the wall. If I get plenty of responses I may revisit this soon.

Ciao for now!

TNA- The Impact of no more Impact

As I sat watching Impact Wrestling coming live from the Manhattan Centre last week it felt very much like TNA was hitting the reset button again. Before anything else Kurt Angle reintroduced the six-sided ring after the fans voted for it to return. Since Angle's return as Executive Director of Wrestling Operations (What a mouthful, remember when wrestling used simple terms like 'president' or 'commissioner'?) there has been a renewed focus on in ring action and a concerted effort to return to logical story telling. As I watched Impact for the first time in several months I thought about three things. Firstly I thought about how for the first time in some time I was actually enjoying the show. Secondly I thought about Velvet Sky... let's face it. Anyone who read my reviews during my time with Divas of Destruction will know I'm always thinking about Velvet while I watch TNA. She wasn't even on the show that week!

The third thing I thought about was how resilient the company is. WCW were founded in 1988 and folded in 2001. We're talking twelve and a half years when you do the maths. ECW lasted a relatively short seven years. Not every company can have as illustrious a run as WWE but with that being said I thought about TNA's twelve years as a wrestling company. They've matched WCW in terms of simply existing. They've surpassed ECW. Yet there were times when one would think they were done for which are well documented. Unfortunately just days after thinking about TNA's resilience and relative longevity, the biggest threat to their existence in years reared it's head... Spike TV who air Impact Wrestling in the US have chosen NOT to renew their contract with TNA.

Although TNA have a huge following internationally (particularly here in the UK) this could be disastrous for TNA. Simply put their PPV business is barely negligible. If TNA can't work things out with Spike TV or an alternative TV station then they may join WCW and ECW in the graveyard of wrestling companies. Even for those who don't watch TNA, their ceasing to be as a company would be terrible news for wrestling fans. WWE don't need other wrestling companies to exist. As long as the WWE Network becomes a success they will be completely self sufficient. Their performance centre means that they don't even need to reach out to the indies for their talent although they still do. If you as a wrestling fan don't like what WWE is selling then at the moment they aren't the only restaurant in town. If TNA fold then they might as well be until Jeff Jarrett gets GFW off the ground. Not only that but there would be so many talented wrestlers we may never see on primetime TV again.

There is a glimmer of hope in that Dixie Carter tweeted yesterday that:

 Negotiations with @SpikeTV are ongoing. Stay tuned and be sure to tune in this Thursday night for Ultimate X on #ImpactOnSpike!!

On top of that Spike TV have said they don't comment on 'ongoing' negotiations. Perhaps TNA will dodge yet another bullet. I sincerely hope they do as I love having an alternative to WWE as much as I am really enjoying WWE's product at the moment. I guess the wrestling world will all be watching with baited breath to see if TNA can overcome this latest storm. Either way it's going to be a really interesting few weeks ahead for TNA and the wrestling business as a whole.

What do you think? Reply below or tweet me @NorrisApproved3

Album Review: Black Stone Cherry- Magic Mountain

Black Stone Cherry are a band on the rise although to be honest I have been saying this for years. In the UK at least it looks like 'Magic Mountain' is the album that will send them over the top.

Released: May 6th 2014
Chart Peak: 5

Black Stone Cherry are a band at an extremely crucial point in their career. Their extremely loyal following in the UK has assured that they have become THE must see rock act every time they tour. Their Download 2013 headline set on the second stage surely solidified them as future headliners of the whole damn thing. However there's some grumbling in the background as to whether the band have somehow lost their way. The first two albums (their self titled debut and 2008's 'Folklore and Superstition') were laced with heavy southern riffs and some great storytelling lyrics. Some fans were disappointed with the direction of their third album (2011's 'Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea') when the band traded the deep and meaningful tracks like 'Rain Wizard' and 'Ghost of Floyd Collins' for radio ready tracks like 'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Blame It On The Boom Boom'. 'Magic Mountain' has the unenviable job of pleasing the hardcore, old school BSC fans while continuing to challenge for the title of 'Greatest Rock Band on the Planet'. For this Black Stone Cherry fan at least I can happily report that anything and everything I could possibly want from this band is all represented on 'Magic Mountain'.

 If there's one thing that Kentucky's favourite sons do well is pick the perfect track to set the tone for their albums. 'Holding On... To Letting Go' is heavy. The harmonies are there and Chris Robertson's vocals are stronger than ever. You get the sense straight away that you're in safe hands. 'Peace Pipe' and 'Bad Luck & Hard Love' follow in the same trend. However it is 'Peace Pipe' and lead single 'Me And Mary Jane' that highlight a bone of contention some fans have had with this album. Many of the tracks on this album allude to or are blatantly about smoking weed. Those same fans who loved the old fashioned story telling of the first two albums certainly won't or indeed don't enjoy the green smoking, partying version of Black Stone Cherry. Many have unfairly compared them to Nickelback who dropped their early grungy sound in order to sing about shagging and drinking everything in sight. I'm afraid I can't sit in the same camp as these fans when the music is THIS good! 'Me & Mary Jane' is undoubtedly one of the greatest singles in Black Stone Cherry history. Since when did every song written need to have some powerful, meaningful message? Tracks like 'Me & Mary Jane' and 'Fiesta Del Fuego' are the sound of a band having a shitload of fun! It's a band not taking themselves too seriously. Here's a question for you. Why do bands like Black Stone Cherry or Nickelback (hell even Kiss) write songs about rocking out, getting drunk and generally having an awesome time? Because they're ROCKSTARS! Now they're famous all over the world, they're going to enjoy the fruits of their labour and that's what's going to come through in their material.

 Rant over! Anyway the pace is unrelenting with the title track and 'Never Surrender' upping the ante further. It's not until ballad 'Sometimes' that things start to slow down. While 'Runaway' earlier in the album would have fitted quite nicely on their last album, 'Sometimes' sits on this album perfectly and seem perfect for an acoustic section on their live show. It has the poignancy of fan favourite 'Things My Father Said' and could be a showstopper on the next UK tour if they choose to include it. The aforementioned 'Fiesta Del Fuego' is simply awesome but is strictly for the fan who 'blames it on the boom boom'. 'Dance Girl' is somewhat of a sequel of 'Let Me See You Shake' from the previous album at least in terms of lyrical content but 'Hollywood In Kentucky takes more from 'White Trash Millionaire'. The cynicism of 'Millionaire' combined with the laid back BBQ vibe of Nickelback's 'This Afternoon' make this one of the more memorable tracks on the album.

By the time you reach 'Remember Me' I'm sure you'll have made your mind up on 'Magic Mountain'. In some ways they've achieved quite the balance. Tracks like 'Bad Luck & Hard Love' or 'Sometimes' hark back to the Black Stone Cherry of old while 'Me & Mary Jane' and 'Fiesta Del Fuego' show us where the band are now four albums in. No matter whether you like what they write about these days or you don't there is no denying that the band sound as tight and heavy as ever and benefit heavily from Joe Barresi's production. 'Magic Mountain' is the closest the band have ever come to replicating just how amazing they are live and it personally makes me very excited to see them for a 5th time in October this year on their first ever headline tour. Judging that this album broke into the Top 5 in the album charts back in May indicates that 'Magic Mountain' is a rousing success and that when I get to the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield that the place will be packed to the rafters. Black Stone Cherry have made it and I couldn't be any happier.

9/10

Best Track: Fiesta Del Fuego

Always meet your heroes...

As I kick start this blog full of my inane ramblings and thoughts, I thought now was a good time to explain some of my motivations and thoughts behind my love of writing and where they come from. In many ways they relate to the things I love in life, one in particular... At the moment I am slowly but surely putting together my first novel. I have the entire story in my head from start to finish. It's just the unenviable task of putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard as it is these days)that is more daunting. When I'm not at work, or busy with life in general, I sit down and I write a chapter. It helps me to escape for a little while. Don't get me wrong, life is great but a little bit of escapism in life is so important. A few significant people in my life told me over the years that if there was anyone who should try and write a novel, that I was that guy. However it took a once in a lifetime meeting in order for me to take the plunge and start to write. I was 13 at the turn of the millennium. (This is actually related I promise!) Now if you were a 13 year old boy in the year 2000, chances are there was only one thing you were talking about. WWE (or the WWF as it was at the time) were arguably at their popularity peak with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and the Undertaker battling it out every Monday night. I'd never really paid wrestling much attention. Then all my mates were talking about this show that was on Channel 4. The Royal Rumble. It sounded pretty awesome and I thought I'd give it a go. That ladies and gentlemen was my first introduction to the man, the legend that is Mick Foley.

Foley, who at this point in time was wrestling under his Cactus Jack persona took on WWF Champion Triple H in a street fight which to this day is my favourite wrestling match of all time. Despite knowing nothing about Mick's career, history or indeed wrestling in general, I was completely and utterly hooked. I started to watch wrestling every week and over time became the walking, talking, nerdy wrestling encyclopedia that I am today. But it isn't just my love of wrestling that I have Mick Foley to thank for. A few months later I was in my local book shop and saw Mankind (another Foley persona) smiling back at me on a book shelf. 'Have A Nice Day' was Mick's first memoir and I bought it instantly. My copy of that book has been read so many times that it's practically falling to bits. I would genuinely recommend it to anyone whether they watch wrestling or not. Mick's story takes his all over the world and ends with him achieving a life long dream. It's certainly an inspiring story that anyone can take something from. Mick's writing career continued with children's books and more volumes of his life story however as much as I love wrestling and could read those books over and over, it was Mick's foray into fiction that really caught my attention. In 2003, Mick released his first novel 'Tietam Brown'. This was around a time that I was studying English Literature for my A-Levels and reading the feminist novels such as 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'The Color Purple' as part of my studies. I remember sitting on a plane and reading it from cover to cover in one flight. 'Tietam Brown' is such a raw, sometimes funny other times shocking piece of work that regardless of who wrote it it sits as one of my favourite novels alongside 'Carrie' and 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. I genuinely feel it is THAT good. I responded to it so much that when I did a screenwriting module at university a few years later that I adapted 'Tietam Brown' for my adaptation assignment. I was so happy when Mick wrote a second novel 'Scooter' just a few years later. Both sit pride of place on my bookshelf and I sincerely hope that in the years to come Mick will write many more novels. Reading any of Mick's books always gave me that itch and inspiration to see what I was capable of as a writer. As I mentioned earlier, I wrote screenplays during and after university but the idea of writing a full novel is something else entirely. In 2008 I started to suffer from panic attacks anything from once to three times a week. I was a wreck. Yet I found solace in writing. I started to write little bits and bobs for what I hoped would be a novel some day. It's an idea I hope to revisit at some point but it's not the novel I'm writing now. Regardless, writing helped me through a very rough time in my life as it helped me escape, even for a little while. I'm in a much better place these days. I'm in a wonderful relationship, we have bought a house together and are getting married next year. I even qualified as a counsellor after getting so much from my own counselling during my panic attacks. Last year I got an opportunity I never thought I'd get. Mick Foley, now touring with his own one man show, was coming to Newcastle. I also conveniently got a nice tax rebate around that time. I decided to buy tickets which included a meet and greet after his show. They always say 'never meet your heroes', (Who are this 'they' people talk about anyway?) and I know people who've had really bad experiences when they've been 'lucky' enough to meet someone they admire. I can safely say if you are reading this and you are about to attend one of Mick's shows that you'll be glad you did. My good friend Kimbo and I sat through his show and thoroughly enjoyed it. I took two things for Mick to sign: a copy of his DVD WWE had just released, and my copy of 'Tietam Brown'. The same copy I must have read 100 times. Mick was extremely gracious and we talked about his novels. He expressed that had he known how popular 'Tietam Brown' would become over here that he would not have used baseball as a theme throughout his second novel 'Scooter'. To be honest this didn't depreciate my love of the book but I understand where he's coming from. I asked him if he would be writing any more novels and it seems that for now Mick wants to enjoy life and focus on his family and his show. Now I have started my own book I can understand that mindset a bit more. Having a full time job and writing a book is hard work! I can't imagine what it must have been like for Mick while being a wrestler, a father and all the other various projects he has on the go.

Selfishly I hope that one day Mick writes another novel. My only regret of our meeting was that I didn't give him a copy of the screenplay that I'd adapted from 'Tietam Brown'. Even if he'd hated it would have been cool to know that the author of one of my favourite books had read something I'd written. Who knows? Perhaps when my novel is finally finished, I may get an opportunity for Mick to read it. If I'm lucky maybe you'll all get to read it and someone will be inspired enough to write something themselves. We can live in hope!

Welcome!

Hi all and welcome to the first ever post here at Norris Approved; my latest attempt at a blog. My name is Mike Norris and I live in Durham in the North East of England. It's a pretty awesome place and when I'm not working or generally busy I tend to write. What about? Well anything really... I'm currently attempting to write my first novel which has been in the pipeline for a year or so now. I'm sure I'll find the time to discuss that soon. But when I'm not deep in a world that I created I have a lot to say about certain passions in my life. If you have even a passing interest in any of the following things then maybe you'll get something out of my blog... MUSIC Music (like many of us out there) is my first passion. While I wish to high heaven I could play an instrument I have to make do with simply listening and loving music wherever I can get it. While most people in my neck of the woods splurge all their money on getting pissed every Saturday night, I would be much happier at a live show watching one of my favourite bands. Pretty much anyone who knows me knows that I'm a pretty major Queen fan. Seriously I tend to think I'd do pretty respectable on Mastermind with Queen as my specialty subject. Outside of Queen I sit very much in the hard rock/metal camp. Some of the bands I love and have been lucky enough to see at festivals and gigs include legends like Metallica, AC/DC, Kiss along with future headliners such as Black Stone Cherry, Steel Panther and Airbourne. So what qualifies me to have a blog about music? Well not a fat lot. I had a blog back in 2010 called 'Definitive Hysteria' but I didn't really keep it up as I was training to be a counsellor at the time. Four years later, I'm qualified and that creative part of my brain is flowing again. It helps that 2014 is seeing a huge resurgence in the music I love. Needless to say if you are a fan of rock/metal then this blog is for you. I will sometimes deviate from that but rock will always be my first love. WRESTLING Yes I'm a 28 year old man and I watch wrestling. Yes I'm aware that it's all planned out in advance. That's the joy of it! Do you like 'House of Cards' or 'The Big Bang Theory'? Guess what? They're 'planned out' too. Wrestling when done right is the most exciting thing you can watch live or on TV. Even in the knowledge that WWE is 'fake' (I HATE that word! More on this another time) they can still have me on the edge of my seat with the stories they tell in and out of the ring. Having said that when it's bad it can be excruciating! I have no problem calling WWE/TNA on their cheesy moments too! Some of you may have stumbled upon this and remember that I used to write for Divas of Destruction a few years back; a website dedicated to women's wrestling in WWE, TNA and beyond. Among various bits and bobs I used to review TNA Impact Wrestling (back when the Knockouts rocked) and NXT Season 3 (AJ Lee and Kaitlyn started out here) so it'd be fun to share my thoughts on wrestling once again. MOVIES/TV I graduated from uni in 2007 with a degree in TV and Radio Production. I haven't really done anything with this qualification since then but that doesn't mean I won't touch on film/TV a bit now and then. If I'd had this blog set up a couple of weeks ago I would have had a lot to say about the 'How I Met Your Mother' finale for example. So yeah I'll no doubt touch on this too. So thst's what to expect from Norris Approved Album Reviews. I may even post a video or two. The dream would be a podcast but we'll start here. Needless to say please spread the word and more importantly let me know what you want to see here. If there's anything you want me to talk about; email me. If there's something you want my views on; tweet me @norrisapproved. If there's a gig you want to hear about buy me tickets... I'm only half joking about that gig thing. So whether this lasts 5 posts or 5000 let's ride this out and rock on! Mike