UK - Never Mind the Buzzcocks is back for its 24th series. The BBC2 show continues its obviously successful formula with guest competitors from the worlds of music, TV and comedy, regular team leaders (Phil Jupitus and Noel Fielding) along with a guest judge for a scathing and somewhat provocative attack on the music industry.

Lighting designer Chris Kempton, supported from the offset by Richard Martin Lighting, uses what he previously admitted as 'nothing exotic' to compliment the Industrial and Urban design of the set.

The rig includes MAC 500's and MAC 250's, while MAC 600's on the floor are used to wash set pieces.

Chromabanks can be seen dotted underneath the panel's desk, whilst LED Par 36's are used to backlight the 'speaker stack' set pieces that appear behind the contestants.

(Jim Evans)

UK - 2010 has proved to be another successful year for Zero 88 at the Edinburgh Fringe. Over 100 venues selected Zero 88 control consoles and dimming for their fringe runs, with products being supplied from a spread of Zero 88 dealers, including Black Light, Northern Light, Stage Electrics, Hawthorn, HSL and Stage Lighting Services.

Products in use varied from the Level 6 DMX through to the ORB and ORB XF professional theatre consoles. The largest presence of Zero 88 products this year was once again at the Pleasance venues which utilised 23 Zero 88 control desks, plus 56 Betapack dimmers (including generation 1, 2 and 3 varieties). The smallest venues at the Pleasance feature just six ways of dimming and a Juggler console, whilst the largest, the Pleasance Grand, included an ORB and 34 Martin Mac 700 moving lights.

Chief electrician Dom Knight comments, "It was a logical

UK - ShowCAD Artist 3 system controls DMX lighting and supports many other input/output protocols. The system can interface and integrate with many other AV systems, lasers, video and pyrotechnics.

Features include LED array pixel plotting, Autopilot (an automatic show generator), 365 day global scheduling and comprehensive controls for intelligent and conventional lighting. ShowCAD can also be interfaced with many peripheral control surfaces, touch screens, MIDI, Wifi and networked systems and can either be slaved by or can slave other controllers.

The company is currently working on an Apple Mac version. Artist is installed in many prestigious nightclubs around the world including The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn's, The Hard Rock Hotel and the new City Centre in Las Vegas. Architectural installations include The Zain Bahrain Building, The Edinburgh International Conference Centre

UK - The Chatsworth House Attic Sale has caught the attention of the media and the public interest, with four days of public viewing preceding an auction lasting three days (5-7 October 2010). Aside from Chatsworth items, attic retrievals have been gleaned from the fine houses associated with the Devonshire family since the 16th century including Holker Hall, Hardwick Hall, Chiswick House and the massive London seat of Devonshire House.

Point Source Productions, working in conjunction with Fine Art Lighting, has supplied the lighting solutions to auctioneers, Sotheby's, for over 20,000 sale items. These are estimated to raise over £2.5m and are arranged in 1,400 lots within a series of marquees in the grounds of Chatsworth House.

The marquees were chosen specifically to give the ambience of a country house sale and arranged in a square around a central courtyard in which

UK - Comedian Les Dennis has begun a new series of the children's game show, Fee Fi Fo Yum which airs every Friday afternoon on BBC TV.

As games play out on Brian the Giant's table top, young contestants, or 'humunchies', compete for the chance to run off home and avoid being eaten for dinner by giants.

With computer generated assistance, giants, gunge, a fantastically designed set, a very dapper Dennis in a sequined jacket and catchy slogans (such as 'if you're not the winner you'll be Brian's dinner') it is sure to capture the imagination of the younger generation.

Brian the Giant's home-made studio was created inside BBC's TC3 at London's Television Centre. The set took up all but a few feet of the studio with the massive kitchen scales at the centre; giant books made up the steps and in the middle was a very big bowl which held the messy gunge games.

Tasked with

France - Indochine's Météor tour took in the Stade de France in Paris where 80,000 fans celebrated the band's 30 years in the music business. The tour officially kicked off on 6 October 2009 at the Zénith in Rouen and ended in a grand finale on 15 September 2010 with a final concert at the Palais Omnisport in Paris Bercy.

Olivier Payen, the tour's lighting designer, who also worked on Indochine's previous Alice&June tour, succeeded in creating a breathtaking light show. However, according to the team managing the project, it was no easy ride. Apart from the challenge of an enormous stadium, from the outset specifications were determined by the video layout. With five 16:9 screens occupying the entire north curve of the stadium and covering a total area of 720m2, there was little space left for the lighting. The design used lighting to surround

UK - Kinesys has supplied 160 of its new DigiHoist motor controllers to Production Resource Group (PRG).

The new units will replace all PRG's existing motor control stock in the UK, standardising the control platform across its substantial rigging department which has over 2000 motors.

Kinesys were one of three companies that pitched for the design commission of this project which was managed by Dave Weatherhead for Kinesys, and for PRG by PRG's UK head of asset management Paul Weaver and Summit Steel's Jon Bray - who have co-ordinated an overall upgrade for all equipment in PRG's rigging department.

Together, they came up with a list of requirements and a basic spec from which the DigiHoist was developed as the most suitable product for concert touring and systems for shows and events of all sizes.

Following the product's official launch at the recent 2010 PLASA exhibitio

France - Robert Juliat reports that its new Aledin LED profile has been adopted by one of France's most popular news channels. i>TELE, a subdivision of Canal+ Group, the leading pay-TV Group in France, has installed 24 cold white Aledin profiles in its broadcasting studios where they are in daily use on live news broadcasts and weather reports.

i>TELE studios has changed all its lighting from incandescent sources to LED or fluorescent. Technical director Laurent d'Auria says, "There was too much maintenance, too much energy consumption, too much heat being produced at i>TELE studios, all of which was just not compatible with our new lighting infrastructure."

i>TELE quickly decided on Robert Juliat Aledin on the advice of Canal+, pioneers in the new uses of television, who were already investigating low energy solutions. Aledin's new technology provides the answer to

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies audio and lighting divisions have supplied an extensive inventory of stage production equipment for the auditorium of the Hawth Theatre in Crawley as part of an upgrade to the venue's technical facilities.

The Hawth Theatre is one of the south's liveliest arts venues, playing host to a diverse mix of theatre, dance, music, comedy, concerts, film and visual arts. The theatre has been host to hit West End and worldwide musicals including West Side Story and Saturday Night Fever, comedy acts including Eddie Izzard and Jack Dee, and visiting companies including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Following a competitive tender, single source supplier AC-ET was selected to provide the complete order of leading brand entertainment technology products, accessories and custom manufactured items from its

Australia - After more than two years in development, ENTTEC has innovated its signature DMX networking tool, the Datagate, by adding a Web-based, user-friendly graphical interface, Gigabit-speed Jumbo Frames, Remote Device Management (RDM) on-demand, and more.

A key upgrade to the original Datagate is that the configuration is all performed via Web browser. A utility no longer needs to be downloaded to a computer. Instead, users set their browsers to the Datagate Mk2's Web address, and there they will find a unique graphical interface that's as easy to use as dragging and dropping, says the company. The simplified display screen allows users to create a flow chart easily and then the Datagate Mk2 will perform what is drawn. This enhancement not only eliminates steps, but makes the whole process easier to understand and manage.

"As compared to a conventional Art-Net frame

UK / USA - With plans for the merger between ESTA and PLASA now in their final stages, the elections for places on the new North American and European Regional Boards, and the over-arching Governing Body, got underway on 1 October.

The elections are a unique milestone in the merger of the two Associations, as this is the first time that ESTA and PLASA Members will vote simultaneously to elect representatives to the new Board structure. The month-long ballot, in which over 1,000 companies and individuals will have the opportunity to vote, pre-empts the New Year merger date when the Associations formally unite under the PLASA name.

For PLASA, one of the major developments to come out of the merger is the move to a more representative Governance system. The new 12-member Regional Boards will better mirror the diversity of regions, market sectors, business types and technologies a

USA - Elation Professional will be introducing more than 20 new products at LDI, but the company's activities at the show won't stop there. Elation will also be providing lighting professionals with learning tools that will help them navigate their way through two of the most important trends shaping the lighting industry: video walls and lighting control software.

The company will be conducting a series of EDU learning sessions on Friday 22 October and Saturday 23 October at the Elation LDI Demo/Training Room N107. The Video & Lighting Control Software sessions will be offered at 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm and 5pm Friday and Saturday; while the LED video wall sessions run 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm both days.

The Video & Lighting Control software sessions will be conducted by product specialists from different manufacturers. Intended as educational events, they will not focus on 'sell

USA - The charity event Farm Aid turned 25 in 2010. Founder Willie Nelson said, "In 1985 I never imagined we would be doing this ever again, let alone 25 years later." Nelson is joined by Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews as the core group behind the cause.

The event has been run for many years by Ron Stern, ably assisted by Lyle Centola. Designer Stan Crocker has been at the helm of the visuals for many years. Working with Bandit Knoxville GM JR Sander and crew chief Eroc Shafferman, the show was a complete success, capping 25 great years. Bandit has been involved since 1990 and welcomes this most important event every year.

Crocker used a wide offering of fixtures including Martin MAC 2000 Washes, Martin MAC 2000 Profiles, Martin MAC 250 Spots, Vari Lite VL 3000 Washes, Vari Lite VL 3500 Spots, Coemar Infinity XL Washes and Lycian 1271 spotlights. There

Czech Republic - The 2010 Hrachovka Festival, staged near Robe's Czech Republic factory in Valasske Mezirici, featured Robe moving lights on the two main stages, supplied by locally based lighting company Stage Plus, run by Tomas Bierza. Robe also sponsored one of the stages making their Robin fixtures available for use.

The line-up was an eclectic mix of the very best of Czech bands including 2010 Czech & Slovak Superstar winner Martin Chodúr, Airfare, Plastic People of the Universe, Žlut? Pes, Electric Mann, PSH, Cocotte Minute and many more, representing a diversity of styles and genres - rock, urban, electro, pop, punk and dance.

Lighting for both Ostravar and Robe Stages was designed by Bierza, and operated by him plus Dalibor Michenka from High Life Touring and Martin Valovy.

The Ostravar Stage had six Robe ColorSpot 2500 and six ColorWash 2500E ATs on

UK - Wireless Solution Sweden reports a successful PLASA 2010, having signed deals with several new OEM partners including A & O, Pulsar, Antari, W-DEV and Aryton, in addition to new distributors. The company also held a Wireless University Seminar during the show and hosted its traditional Swedish vodka and meatball party to a packed booth.

On display was the W-DMX Generation 4. This new standard is transparent and works with several protocols, creating extreme flexibility and reliability without the need for additional controllers or software.

The new G4 product line includes Adaptive Frequency Hopping technology to avoid interference from Wi-fi, Intercom and other radio products, W-DMX invisi-wire and data-safe technologies for fidelity, and support for RDM (Remote Device Management) so W-DMX units and lighting fixtures connected through W-DMX can be configured remotely wit

Australia - Drawing attendees from around the world and broadcast globally via GodTV, the Planetshakers Conference was again a success for the Forefront team who were engaged to provide production management and design for lighting, video, monitor audio and custom motion graphics.

Rob Thorne, of Forefront and lighting designer for the project, asked Phaseshift Productions to make his design come to life for the 2010 Planetshakers Conference held at Melbourne's Hisense Arena.

"Phaseshift did a great job and I love working with them," Rob said. "I've worked with them a few times and they've always been very good."

With six weeks preparation consisting of 3D lighting programming and video content creation, the whole production setup went into Hisense arena in just one day. Restrictions on venue availability meant that the crew only had a very short time fram

UK - Black Light has been contracted to supply the trussing for the return of Black Watch, one of the National Theatre of Scotland's most widely acclaimed plays. Black Light's involvement in this international touring production marks the second time that it has been involved with this show, as it supported the original show during its award-winning debut at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

"We have had an excellent working relationship with the National Theatre of Scotland from the Company's earliest days," says Black Light's head of hire & events, Stephen Reid. "They know they can rely on us to deliver exactly what they need, even when we are dealing with a high-profile project such as Black Watch that is touring to many different venues."

Black Watch is touring to eight venues in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the United States.

UK - At the recent PLASA Show Goboland launched GoboSlides, a new gobo product specifically designed for use with Robert Juliat's ground-breaking Aledin LED profile spotlight. Both GoboSlides and RJ Aledin were launched at PLASA 2010, London on the Robert Juliat stand in the White Light zone, where Aledin was awarded a PLASA 2010 Award for Innovation.

GoboSlides are full colour, 'A' size, images made from slide film and developed by Goboland's Wyatt Enever. These are mounted in a Black Steel slide mount created to fit a standard Robert Juliat profile gobo holder. The Aledin's 85W LED light source means the gate remains cool enough to project GoboSlides for extended periods of time without damage, just like any other gobo.

Unlike other gobos, however, the slide film substrate of Goboland's GoboSlides offers considerable advantages in terms of superior colours, tones and cost sa

USA - The W Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ is a showplace of advanced architectural lighting. Everywhere in and around the building are visual effects, beginning with the outdoor wet deck, where four massive architectural pieces known as the Grand Lanterns change colours in sync with a 360° mobile bar that 'floats' to different sites around the pool. Then there are the hotel's LED elevator wall panels, which display its big white logo 'W' when guests step into the car, transform into a dazzling light show when the doors close, and revert back to the trademark W when the car stops.

For a time, however, it seemed this ambitious project wouldn't see the light of day. Budgetary, technical and regulatory issues forced the W Hotel to put a hold on its grand lighting plan - until Phoenix design/installation company Burning Retina Lighting & Transport LLC was called to the rescue.

"

USA - Martin Professional is highlighting a range of innovative professional luminaries at LDI 2010, including the MAC 101, a small and simple LED moving head wash light, and MAC 350 Entour LED profile.

Also on display at Martin booths will be a new generation of LED display, the EC-20, as well as atmospheric effects, sophisticated control systems like the new M1 lighting controller, and more.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre from 22-24, also on the show floor will be Martin's Brighter World road show trailer, hot off a successful, 37-city, nationwide presentation tour.

(Jim Evans)

Israel - Showlogix, a developer of show control software for the entertainment market, has announced the release of its newest Logix-4D show and media control software, designed for controlling shows in museums, visitor centres, attractions and trade shows

The new Logix-4D is a significant step up from the previous version, offering greater flexibility, higher reliability and overall better performance, says the company.

As a multi-display control and presentation system, Logix-4D Manager communicates with multiple display computers for control and synchronization. Each of these computers drives one or two screens, creating a network of numerous audio/video channels with frame accurate playback.

For further flexibility, Logix-4D Player enables advanced edge-blending for seamless panorama projections. The geometry correction tool enables image shaping; video output can be man

China - The five star Hengda Hotel recently opened in Guangzhou in south-east China. Its spectacular appearance becomes even more stunning in the evening, when the Coemar moving heads are switched on.

The entire external lighting project, created by lighting company Guangzhou Zhilliang, is highly innovative: it uses moving heads that aremore usually found in the theatre.

Walking through the gardens and along the paths of the park during the evening, your eye is drawn to the light beams lighting up the sky. The design includes 63 of the Infinity S model ACL, some of which are located in the upper part of the building in order to create light beams towards the sky. Others have been positioned along two sides of the garden, to light up the darker areas and fill them with colour.

The small moving heads of the Infinity S range have been combined with the larger Infinity Spot XL o

Remembering Lennon - A monument to John Lennon has been unveiled in Liverpool by his first wife Cynthia and son Julian on what would have been the star's 70th birthday. The statue is intended to act as a shrine for fans who want to pay tribute to the late Beatle in his home city. In the shape of a globe with doves flying above, it is also designed to be a monument for peace.

The global birthday celebrations also included a performance by his widow Yoko Ono in Reykjavik, Iceland. In New York, Lennon's original band The Quarrymen headlined a tribute concert and fans gathered to remember the icon in Central Park.

Unveiling the statue, Julian said: "We come here with our hearts to honour dad and pray for peace and say thank you to each and every one of you and everybody involved in the celebrations today." The onlookers also included original Beatles drummer Pete Best, w

Argentina - The Teatro Colón is the main opera house in Buenos Aires and its reputation for magnificent acoustics and opulence places it as one of top five opera houses in the world. It has hosted the likes of Maria Callas, Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, Igor Stravinsky, Enrico Caruso, and Luciano Pavarotti. Pavarotti once described the acoustics of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as so perfect that they challenge singers because "if one does something wrong, it is noted immediately".

However, the past century had seen the building deteriorate to the point where balconies were blocked off, walls suffocated under as many as 10 coats of paint, bronze ornaments were splattered with floor polish, carpets were stuck to the floor with cement and the stage equipment had become obsolete.

In 2006 the city government's original 'master plan' to renovate involved structu

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