I have to admit (and I guess you will be aware from other blogs) that I am now fed up with the Christmas music in Starbucks. The staff at Castle Marina know this (and secretly they are fed up too) but they are not allowed to say. They do turn it down for me… and for them?

Slumming it in the Champagne Bar at the IOW Festival - tough but someone has to do it?

May seems a lifetime away and Summer will hopefully be in full swing! And talking of Summer – the IOW tickets go on sale next week! This will be our 6th year of going back to nature. It’s my contribution to being green. Park the car and ‘live off the land’ for four days… We are eagerly anticipating the line-up – but to be honest we’ll go whoever is playing. We sometimes give bands a miss, but the list of people we have seen is quite impressive – Bowie, Rolling Stones, The Police, REM. But we have had some surprises too – The Magic Numbers, Snow Patrol and Newton Faulkner (doing Bohemian Rhapsody) were really good – on their debuts.

The Festival is quite an experience, especially the toilets and showers. As this is a family orientated blog I can’t actually describe the toilets. But the showers are great – if you can wash in a mug full of hot water – and then wait ten minutes for the next mug! And that’s after you have queued for an hour. Basic diet consists of Pig Sandwiches and Lager – quite healthy!

We both had new tents this year – as the old ones had a peculiar smell. Febreze tried but failed.

So, whilst not wishing my life away – I am already looking forward to Summer – and no more dark mornings or Christmas music!

I first came across Eleanor’s music about a month ago after hearing about her on the Urban Outfitters blog. After listening to her song, “Belgium,” I was hooked and haven’t stopped listening to it! I was amazed when she found my blog so I asked her if she would be interested in doing an interview. Let me just say that Eleanor is one talented lady. She was also super excited to do this interview

Q: Eleanor, how old are you and where are you from? Plus, I have to know. Is Eleanor Seabird your real name?!

Eleanor: I’m 22 years old, and I’m originally from America! I still like to call London my hometown as it is the first place I finally feel able to call my home.  No, Eleanor Seabird is not my real name, it actually came from my old landlord/friend who was in the music business briefly and we were driving along and I was trying to come up with a stage name and I wanted to be Eleanor SEBERG after Jean Seberg my favourite actress and Sandy thought I said SEABIRD and was like, “Genius! Eleanor Seabird is great!” And I never corrected him. It might not be the name on my birth certificate, but Eleanor Seabird is a real person it’s who I am and who I’ve always been.

Q: When did you first begin singing and was it just for fun or could you see this as a possible career?

E: I began singing when I was four. I started off with Elton John cassette tapes and a little walkman and then did talent shows with my kid sister (we’d sing gruesome versions of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen songs) then when I was about 17, my aunt took me to this music group and I would sing Wham! Songs at the mall to people. I didn’t take it seriously till I moved to London and felt like I had nothing to lose, so now I’m embarking on a proper career.

Q: Who are you usually compared to? And do you think that this person and you are alike?

E: Looks wise, people say I have this Karen O thing going on, and music wise it’s a combination of Karen O and Lily Allen, both of whom I love so I take it as a compliment.

Q: What is your favorite song to cover?

E: ANYTHING by Hall and Oates. I end my sets with a killer acoustic version of MANEATER and we want to do a Hall and Oates show of just their songs. They are so much fun to sing!

Q: Who were your influences growing up?

E: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN! He was and is one of my heroes. I really loved Elton John, AC/DC, Genesis, the Police, a lot of classic rock growing up as I think I was in a state of rebellion coming from a conservative home so anything loud that made me feel like I was going to get the heck out of dodge had an impact on me. As I got to my late teens’ early 20s when I moved to London I became seduced by French pop of the 1960s and fell madly in love with Jacques Brel. He is, to me, such an amazing vocalist and performer. I really hope as an artist to be as captivating as he was/is.

Q: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

E: Jacques Brel, Dizzie Rascal, or Bruce Springsteen.

Q: What influenced your relocation to London from America?

E: Because I left the states to pursue a better life for myself I don’t have too many good memories but I will say the ones that mean the most are the ones with me and my radio. I always found solstice in listening to music. I think now as an adult and coming back to the states on different terms I’m looking forward to meeting people who love music, who are passionate about life, and to be able to see the parts of the country I haven’t seen, such as Seattle. I think growing up in a small town you’re just not inclined to travel so I’d only go to places where I had relatives, we never really could afford to travel much so even though I’m from America I’ve met Europeans who have seen more of it than I have.

Q: Describe to me the London music scene.

E: The London music scene is vast. Music is on every night of the week, and there is sooo much of it. That’s what’s great about London, it’s really chaotic and multi-cultural and the music capital of the world and any and everything goes here. I will say it’s cool to be a artist here as it does feel like a community and you go out to support your peers and they come out to support you and there are some big faces around so it’s cool to bump into some bands you really like and get the chance to strike up a conversation.

Q: What is a typical day for Eleanor Seabird?

E: This question makes me laugh as I know people expect a musician to have this lifestyle, but I’m quite boring to be honest. I eat breakfast at the same café every morning, I’m usually writing and recording throughout the day and at meetings with different people I want to collaborate with, and in the nights I’m either rehearsing or checking my Myspace and then off to bed. I had someone ask me where all the great nightclubs are in London and I couldn’t name ANY! I prefer films, art galleries, photography exhibits in my spare time. And of course going to gigs to see friends play or  a really great band I like.  It’s pretty standard.

Q: What has been most challenging for you as a musician?

E: I think taking the criticism. I have people tell me I’m crap or that my music is shit to my face and because I put a lot of myself and my life into my work, it’s hard not to take it personally. I have those moments where I’m ready to quit sometimes…….. it’s not a life for the faint of heart especially when trying to make a living doing it.

Q: At the end of the day, what makes it all worth it for you?

E: This! When people want to interview me or chat with me because they really enjoy what I do and want to learn more about who I am. It’s cool to know that there are people out there willing to give me a chance and come on this journey with me because I’m still unknown, but hopefully I’ll drum up support along the way. I really love to play and put on a good show for people and I’m glad that more people believe in me and my work than don’t so the fans and friends who believe in me make it worthwhile and it makes me want to really succeed!

Q: What are you listening to these days and who would you suggest my readers start listening to, besides you of course!

E: Oh there are a few suggestions: I really like this band called the Dark Room Notes based out of  Dublin, Ellie Goulding is great, The Temper Trap, The XX,  The Big Pink are great and put on a wicked show,  Pelle Carlberg is an indie guy from Sweden who’s great,  Dizzie Rascal is a rapper from London who I quite think is fun, and Mayer Hawthorne is cool! He’s like Amy Winehouse, but a bloke!

Q: Where can we expect to see you next Eleanor?

E: I’m starting up a show on my YouTube channel ELEAVISION called ELEANOR GOES where I go on little adventures. It’s not a reality show, though if I did a reality show I’d call it THE BILLS because that’s wherein my drama unfolds.  Me a telephone and the lady on the other line. LOL  It’s just a little documentary style show where I go off and do stuff. My first one is ICE SKATING and then I’m going to Norway to find this red phone booth I have an obsession with. Apparently phone booths are on the historical society’s list to preserve in Norway or so my Norwegian mates tell me. So going to go on a safari and try to capture them in their habitat before they disappear.  Good times……….

Check out Eleanor’s music here

All images © FOX

[Ed. Note-- Hello monsters! You all know Erika, Glee recapper extraordinaire. Presented is her recap of last week's show. Season 1, Episode 10: "Ballad" SPOILER ALERT, duh.]

Last week: Everyone was handicapped and Sue Sylvester was human.

Will has a pop quiz for our favorite little singers: What is a ballad? Brittany says it’s a male duck. That would be a mallard, sweetie. Kurt contends that it’s a love song, which is close, but not quite. Apparently, new sectional rules require a ballad (Thanks indirectly to Rachel). On that note, just how many songs will New Directions be performing at sectionals?

Anyway, Will is dividing the Gleeks into pairs to sing ballads. Matt (the not-Asian football player) is at the hospital because of a… spider in his ear? Or would that be a nifty tool that many stumped writers refer to as a plot device? So Will is taking Matt’s place for the time being.

If that isn’t enough, Will wants the pairs to be decided by fate. The match-ups are as follows: Puck with Mercedes, Artie with Quinn, Finn with Kurt, Tina with “Other Asian” (Does anyone know his name?!), and Santana with Brittany. Kurt looks like his wildest dreams are about to come true.

Will, who is saddled with Rachel, does not look as enthusiastic. Artie asks for clarification on what a “ballad” is and clever Rachel suggests a demonstration. Will and Rachel sing the Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross duet “Endless Love”. The voiceovers speak for themselves.

While Kurt, Puck, and Finn are thinking about Diana Ross, underwear (er…lack of it), and butts, Rachel is falling head over heels in love with Will. Will, on the other hand, realizes he made a bad call. No, really?

Meanwhile…Quinn is getting married. No, wait, she’s just getting into a white lacy dress in preparation for the Chastity Ball. Huh. While her mom gushes, Quinn is missing her Cheerios uniform. The fallen cheerleader captain is putting on the baby pounds, which makes her dress just a tad too small. Her mother is delightfully unsuspecting… right? Quinn’s dad, excited about the dress, the ball, and Glenn Beck, announces that he’s invited Finn over for Sunday dinner. The daughter looks… terrified.

Rachel is traveling down a dark road. She schedules a present and gives Will a satin, star-covered tie. What?

In other news, Emma is back! And blurting things about Will’s major sex appeal. We love Emma. Sit tight, kiddies, because Will has the harrowing tale of Susie Pepper to share with our dear guidance counselor.

Susie is strange, socially awkward, and mildly attractive. Oh, and completely obsessed with Will. Or was. Until Will got sick of the presents and the stalker phone calls at 3am and told her to stop. She then attempted suicide with… the hottest pepper in the world? Only in Glee. Luckily, she lived, after an esophagus transplant, three days of a medically induced coma, and intense psychotherapy.

Emma, in her wisdom, suggests that Will should sing his feelings to Rachel.

Kurt and Finn are working at their ballads. Finn snaps at Kurt. Kurt blames it on girls. Is he trying to turn Finn? We’re rooting for you, Kurt.

Finn, completely clueless, spills on his anxiety about Quinn giving away the baby. His baby. Er…what he thinks is his baby. Kurt has a song ready for Finn to sing. And we learn that Kurt plays piano. Why are all these children so talented?!

Finn gives a rendition of “I’ll Stand By You” from The Pretenders.

He sings it… to the sonogram. Maybe he should think about investing in a better football helmet, once he’s done paying baby bills.

However, he should have done this with his computer facing away from his door because Momma Hudson walks in and sees him singing to the sonogram. Busted! She confronts him and he breaks down in tears. She holds him and tells him that everything is going to be okay—the perfect, understanding parent.

Quinn, however, is not happy. She is pissed that Finn broke down and received comfort from his mother because no one can patch up her chew toy. Right? Honestly Finn, baby that is not yours aside, what do you see in her? The other Gleeks look on, pitying the constant baby drama.

Kurt is acting as an inside agent. And still trying to convince Finn to be gay. “It’s because she’s a girl,” he says. Our Kurt admits to being madly in love with Finn, his “knight in shining armor.” He says it only got stronger after bonding over Glee, football, and skin care. (O…kay?)

Kurt finds Finn’s stupidity “charming.” His ultimate plan? Get close to Finn so that he’ll be the shoulder for Finn’s tears when Quinn disappoints him. Which she will. Hopefully.

At practice, Will has a ballad for Rachel. Emma is also present, saying that she wanted to learn the “power of the ballad” for SAT prep.

Actually, she was there for moral support. Also, Will needed a witness, in case the plan went foul.

Will sings a mash up of “Young Girl” by Union Gap and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police. Wow. Will has quite the dreamy voice.

Emma and Rachel are loving it, especially when he belts it out on the piano.

I’m sorry to say this Will, but this was NOT a good idea. Rachel totally misses the intent. Emma’s moral support evaporated into breathless fan girl applause.

Oh, and now Susie Pepper is stalking Rachel.

So Kurt is helping Finn dress for dinner at the Fabray’s. They discuss their respective dead parents (because Finn is raiding his dad’s old clothes) and get onto the subject of the baby. He compares himself to his father and gushes about how pathetic he is because he can’t tell Quinn’s parents what is going on. Kurt suggests having the right weapon.

Kurt suggests that Finn use that “power of the ballad,” which is like the Gleek equivalent of the Force. Use the Ballad, Finn, use the Ballad!

Meanwhile, Will comes home to… Rachel? Oh snap.

As it turns out, Terri let her in. That crazy woman, amused by the crush, is exploiting Rachel’s feelings and applying it to housework. Like cleaning.

Terri is afraid that Will is going to leave her. Angry with his “slightly” unbalanced wife, he storms out of the house to take Rachel home.

Rachel tries to practice the ballad with Will. Her song choice? “Crush” by Jennifer Paige. Yikes.

Just as she gets started, Will cuts her off and asks her about Puck. Go Will. Massive save.

Later, Susie is threatening Rachel about Will… or is she?

As Rachel storms off to stalk Will or something, Mercedes is chatting on the phone with Tina about pregnant hamsters. And the baby drama.

She and Puck are just getting ready to start their rehearsal when Mercedes tells him about the group’s plan to sing a ballad to Quinn and Finn. Puck feigns indifference. And then blurts out that he’s the father.

Whoa, Puck! Mercedes, however, stays relatively cool. She tells Puck that Quinn chose Finn and to stop messing with her life.

Poor Puck. He really lacks sympathy.

It’s dinnertime with the Fabrays! Daddy Fabray is toasting to his wonderful family when Finn freaks out. He retreats to the restroom and calls his new best bud, Kurt. Kurt tells him to relax and remember what they practiced. Uh oh. That did not sound good. About to give him more advice, Kurt is cut off with, “I have to go. They’ll think I’m pooping.” Finn spends a couple of seconds in the mirror getting pumped.

Go get ‘em, tiger.

Wait… what?

Quinn’s warning alarms start to go off when Finn walks back in with a kitchen radio. Finn, ignoring Quinn’s protests, starts to sing “Having My Baby” by Paul Anka.

BAD FINN. VERY BAD FINN.

At first, the Fabray family thinks this is a cute joke. Finally, Daddy Fabray gets the message and stops the music. He is pissed.

Cue family conference time. Daddy Fabray is mad, Mommy Fabray is quiet, and Quinn accuses her mother of knowing all along and not helping her when she needed it. She says that in their family, “If you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist.”

Quinn is kicked out.

She begs her father for forgiveness, and help.

He leaves and tells her to get out.

Finn and his mother take in the pregnant teenager.

Then, to distract us from all the serious drama (PHEW!), Susie and Rachel have a bathroom heart-to-heart. She tells Rachel that they’re alike, looking for “boys we can never have.” Susie, the cautionary tale, leaves Rachel with a lot to think about.

Rachel and Will are now in practice. Will stops her before she says anything else and lays his cards on the table. He seems to be bracing himself for the worst when Rachel says she understands. She even brought pink flowers as an apology. Oh, and a note that says:

Will consoles her and tells her that someday there’s going to be a boy that will like everything about her. Then they ditch practice.

But Kurt and Finn are still at it. Kurt actually looks like he feels bad for what his master plan did to Quinn. Yeah, your plan kind of sucked, Kurt.

Trying to lighten the mood, Finn turns the subject to Kurt’s ballad. Kurt blurts, “I honesty love you.” Finn, our star quarterback who always wears his helmet, thinks that this is the title to a “positive and nice and stuff” song.

Mercedes comes in and saves Kurt a potentially awkward explanation. They lead Finn into the choir room. The rest of the Glee club starts the beautiful rendition of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Artie and Mercedes sing the leads. Chills.

Finn is smiling and Quinn is on the verge of tears. The club drags Finn and Quinn out of their chairs for a Glee dance circle and lots of hugs. Mercedes has a killer high note that rounds off the episode with a hopeful, wonderful feeling.

Next Week [Ed. Note: Tonight, we know]: Sue returns to being a kitten-eating monster, we meet the competition, and people turn into hippies.

Dicas de shows de rock para quem não gosta de sair aos finais de semana, somente de quarta a sexta-feira! Lógico, dicas nas minhas capitais preferidas.

BRASÍLIA

Na capital do Brasil, na UK Brasil Pub (411 Sul), haverá tributo a Queen e The Police, na próxima quinta-feira, 26 de novembro. É o projeto UK-Overnation e vai começar às 23h. A banda “Os 4 rainhas de paus” vai tocar músicas do Queen e a banda 190 vai tocar The Police.

No mesmo local, na sexta-feira, haverá UK-Overnation de novo. Será o tributo a Oasis e Pearl Jam. Show das bandas Ledbetter e Morning Glory. Segundo informações da UK, o show vai começar às 23h e terminar às 2h da manhã. Atenção! Será que vão tocar “Last kiss” ou “Alive”?

MANAUS

Na capital da Amazônia, na casa de rock, Porão do Alemão, haverá show das bandas Blackout e Official 80 na próxima quarta-feira, 25 de novembro. O evento começa depois das 23h e a entrada custa 15 reais. Parece que agora o Porão fechou contrato mesmo com a Official 80!Parabéns.

No mesmo local, na quinta-feira, haverá show da banda Barflys. Bom show Sandro Sasso (vocalista da Barflys)! Na sexta-feira, será a vez da Official 80 novamente e mais a banda Rock.com.

O horário e valor de ingresso são os mesmos da quarta-feira ok!O Porão está localizado a avenida Ponta Negra, próximo a entrada do bairro São Jorge.

Vamos?

OD Records

Laoying Shao Road, Fenghuang, China

On the banks of the calmly flowing river Tuo, in the back water river-town of Fenghuang, sits  OD Record store.  Narrow and quaint, snugly camouflaged by tea shops and  food stores; a record store that could easily be unseen by even the most observant eye.

We enter the shop, which has more in common with a long slim corridor than your average store (the idea of browsing space, having not really caught on), and discover a wall dominated by CDs without covers.  Each CD sits in a perfectly fitted clear plastic wallet, offering neither explanation nor reason for their naked forms. I stare closely at the specimens and discover them to be neither official release, nor pirated copies, but press-release promotional CDs, the likes of which are usually sent to music journalists or radio-stations.

I stare closely at a remastered release of The Police’s Reggatta Da Blanc, and notice that each CD is dotted with  stickers offering press-friendly promotional notes in Mandarin. We stop for a minute and gaze out to the River Tuo in wonder, contemplating how a small shop in the middle of nowhere in China, could have come into such a supply of promotional CDs. We come to a swift conclusion; that the store is either an ex-writer/ radio presenter/ editor’s personal collection for sale, or else a record-label company has liquidated its stock onto the market (which, according to copyright legislation, is technically illegal).

Spurred on by the apparent rarity of the promos on hand (after-all when was the last time you saw a CHINESE promotional copy of a record!), we get flicking. A few interesting titles raise their heads; a chill out CD featuring a Radiohead remix tempts my purse strings, as does a James Brown live album from the 1980s, and Supertramp’s Greatest Hits.

I scan my eyes over the hypnotically monotonous shelving, searching for anything unusual or that I have wanted for a while. I spy Roger Water’s The Wall Live In Berlin,  haphazardly jammed at the back of one of the stands near the cash register. Recorded way back in 1990, the live album features the likes of Van Morrison, Sinead O’Conner and, erm, Cyndi Lauper, dueting with the ex-Pink Floyd singer.

Picking up on the slight interest I show, the manageress slots the The Wall into the shop’s stereo and cranks it up to 11. The opening chords of In The Flesh ring out, and a biro on top of the old speakers near the till rattles as Water’s aged voice eventually  croons, “So you thought you might like to go to the show”,  the infamous first lines of that infamous album.  I listen to the track,  reminiscent of that spine-tingling night at Live 8, and, light of its 40Y (£3.64) price tag, can’t say no.

We pay up, and wander back to the balcony of our hotel, where we listen to the album, as the sun sets over the quaint river town.

Purchase:

Roger Waters – The Wall Live In Berlin – £3.64 [Tracklisting]

Total Purchases:

Armand Van Helden – Ghetto Blaster – £1 [Tracklisting]

Club Azuli 1 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.48 [Tracklisting]

Club Azuli Part 2 – Mixed By Dave Piccioni – £0.79 [Tracklisting]

Chemical Brothers, The: Brothers Gonna Work It Out – £2.77 [Tracklisting]

Defected In The House – Mixed By Copyright – £0.79 [Tracklisting]

DJ Hardy Heller – Mix In Motion – £1  [Tracklisting]

DJ Shadow – The New Collection – £2.38

Elektrik 02 – Mixed By King Unique & Nubreed – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Fabric 25 – Mixed By Carl Craig – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Fabric 26 – Mixed By Global Communication – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Le Le – Breakfast 12″ – £8.24 [Tracklisting]

Moby – Last Night – £0.59 [Tracklisting]

Roger Waters – The Wall Live In Berlin – £3.64 [Tracklisting]

Santos – Camels 12″ – £1.18 [Tracklisting]

Samim: Flow – £1.98 [Tracklisting]

Underworld – Cowgirl (Remixes) 12″ – £1.18 [Tracklisting]

Underworld – Underneath The Radar 12″ – £8.91 [Tracklisting]

Total Spend: £36.68

Dags för läsresumé. Det har gått undan på bokfronten den sista tiden, och det är bara att tacka och ta emot. Har aldrig kunnat styra det där – vissa perioder plöjer man litteraturåkern som en traktor på metaamfetamin, andra är det valium i tanken.

Jag tror, för egen del, att det beror mycket på i vilken ordning jag läser böckerna. Jag måste variera mig annars tröttnar jag. Dessutom är det mest rättvist mot berättelserna, eftersom jag tenderar att blanda ihop böcker om jag läser flera snarlika på raken. Och det är ju inte bra.

Så sent som idag både började och avslutade jag Fyrväktaren av Jeanette Winterson. En poetisk berättelse om en flicka som lär sig hitta livets ljus med hjälp av en blind fyrväktare. Borde egentligen låta den smälta innan jag skriver om den, men den grep tag och ställde en del spännande frågor. Vi har alla en historia, frågan är bara var den börjar, och slutar.

Innan den ömsom lusläste och ömsom skummade jag Stewart Copelands självbiografi Strange Things Happen – A Life with The Police, Polo and Pygmies. SC var trummis i The Police, inihelvete bra sådan, och det var till stor del på grund av det här som den hamnade i läshögen. Den var tyvärr inte så bra som jag hoppats på. Likt hans trumspel var den intensiv, infallsrik och driven, men vissa partier var tämligen ointressanta. Sen hör det ju till saken att jag hade sett fram emot att frossa i The Police-kuriosa, vilket jag fick, dock inte om deras framgångsår (1978-1984) som avhandlades tämligen raskt och odetaljerat. Däremot berättade han en hel del om återföreningen, vad som föranledde den och hur han hanterade en viss basists (läs Sting) tendens att agera envåldshärskare över bandet. De partierna var klart läsvärda; resten – gäsp.

Och nu säger jag emot mig själv om att variera mig, men innan Copeland klämde jag till med två Ernest Hemingway på raken. Anledningen var dels att jag bibliotekslånat dem och var tvungen att förhålla mig till återlämningsdatumen, men även för att jag varit rejält sugen på EH länge.

Och Solen Har Sin Gång var hans första storsäljare, en magnifik berättelse om ”den förlorade generationen” i 1920-talets Europa. Rumlande festnätter i Paris, närgången skildring av tjurfäktningslivet i Madrid och en befriande osentimental beskrivning av ytliga romanser som tröst mot livsledan och sorgen över den oförlösta kärleken. Sprängbra.

Den andra var Den Gamle och Havet, som många betraktar som hans absoluta mästerverk. Och jag förstår det. Så enkelt, närvarande, och innerligt beskriven är den gamle Santiagos kamp mot naturen, att jag var DÄR. Jag satt bredvid honom i båten och kände sorg över att inte kunna sträcka ut en hand och hjälpa honom dra in svärdfisken, att inte kunna bryta en åra och bistå honom i hans kamp mot hajarna eller stödja honom när han utmattad föll ihop efter att ha nått land. Rörande, realistiskt och vackert. Har du inte läst den – gör det.

Det var det. Nästa på tur blir Middlesex av Jeffrey Eugenides. Pulitzerpris-vinnande tegelsten om ”det moderna Amerika: från massinvandringens ström av fattiga, rädda och sargade människor, över 20-talets förbudstid och sextiotalets raskonflikter in i vår egen tid”. Återkommer om den.

That´s a wrap.

I have gotten a bit behind with my write-ups on Flash Forward since I have been out of town. I visited the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio in San Francisco on Friday and will be blogging about that over the next few days.

Jeff “Doc” Jensen of Entertainment Weekly has some theories about Flash Forward. I loved to read his theories on LOST each week, so I am leaving you with his latest musings on Flash Forward.

Enjoy!

In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly now on newsstands, you’ll find a story written by yours truly in which I geek out on my new TV obsession, the ABC sci-fi drama FlashForward. If you’re new to the show, here’s what you need to know: On Oct. 6, the planet blacked out and for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, and everyone on earth saw a brief vision of their respective futures. The saga’s center is FBI agent Mark Benford (Shakespeare In Love’s Joseph Fiennes), who during his brief quantum leap saw himself investigating an elaborate conspiracy behind mankind’s perplexing power nap. The day glimpsed in all the flashes: Thursday, April 29, 2010. (Yep, the show will air that night.) Will Mark’s faithful wife Olivia (Lost’s Sonja Walger) find herself in bed with another man? Will vaguely sinister scientist Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan, another ex-Lostie) strangle a dude to death? And will FBI agent Demetri Noh (Star Trek’s John Cho), who saw only darkness during his flash, be (gulp) dead? “The high concept pitch is simply this: if you were given a glimpse of your future, what would you do with it?” says FF’s exec producer David S. Goyer. “If you see something bad, can you change it? If it’s good, how do you make it come true?”

One of the things I love best about the series is the explicit and implicit references to science, literature, philosophy, and pop culture. When investigated, these references suggest all sorts of possibilities about what’s really going on in the saga, or at the very least add some cool or ironic shading to the story. For example: we’ve been told that Agent Noh will be killed on March 15. That also happens to be the date of Julius Caesar’s murder. More on the nose with FlashForward: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which a seer tells the Roman leader to “beware the Ides of March,” i.e. March 15. Is that just the writers having some smarty-pants fun—or are they planting a cue that a Brutus-like colleague will betray Agent Noh?

Here’s another example—a little more tenuous, but if you follow my Doc Jensen work on Lost, you know that making pseudo-intellectual leaps are part of what I’m all about. In FlashForward’s third episode, Agent Benford traveled to Germany to interview a Nazi war criminal who claimed to know something about the true nature of the global blackout. The old Nazi was being held at Quale Prison, and as it happens, the word quale is directly linked to a philosophical term dealing with—in wikipedia’s words—“the subjective quality of conscious experience.” (The fact that FlashForward would name a prison after such a heady concept is pretty provocative. Is the show trying to suggest that objective reality is unknowable and mankind is fundamentally at odds with each other because we are locked into our unique, idiosyncratic perspectives of the external world?)

Are you with me?! I hope so, because in the weeks to come, I plan on doing even more obsessing about FlashForward here at EW.com, beginning with a complete TV Watch recap of the next episode, airing Dec. 3. Until then, here’s are some additional references (legit and perceived my crazy eyes) that FlashForward has made during its first nine episodes—and some theories about what they could mean.

Lost
Of course, Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Sonya Walger (Penelope) are living, breathing embodiments of Lost. Both actors played characters linked to Desmond Hume. During the show’s third season, the ex-Hatchman became super-charged with The Island’s electromagnetic energy and began having flash-forwards of Charlie’s death. He also went back in time and tried to change his destiny. David Goyer—a big Lost fan—slipped a billboard for Oceanic Airlines into the pilot, inspiring fans to wonder if both shows exist in the same universe. At the very least, they may share a similar philosophical idea: that no matter how much you try to change predestined events, fate will get what it wants.

“Across The Universe” by Rufus Wainwright
Like Lost, Cold Case and so many other shows, FF has a penchant for episode-ending slow-motion montages, set to rousing score or a thematically loaded pop song. One of my faves was Wainwright’s cover of this classic tune by The Beatles, heard in the Oct. 29 episode “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.” In the 1999 Robert J. Sawyer novel that inspired the series, the blackout/flash-forwards are caused, in part, by an anomaly in deep space—literally “across the universe.” Coincidence? Nay! I say: Synchronicity! As in…

“Ghost In The Machine” by The Police
Agent Benford is a fan of the band and wore a T-shirt featuring this album’s artwork to an undercover operation—infiltrating an underground club catering to “ghosts,” people in the FF universe who didn’t see anything in their flash forward and thus believe they are destined to die before that date. According to band lore, the album was inspired by Sting’s fixation with Arthur Koestler, an egghead who postulated that people, events, and time are psychically linked via the concept of Synchronicity described by Carl Jung. (The Police song “Synchronicity,” from the album of the same (also inspired by Koestler), is a FlashForward theory unto itself; check out the lyrics here.) Koestler’s books include The Ghost In The Machine, The Roots of Coincidence (a book that has had a big influence on sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book writers), and Janus: A Summing Up, an exploration of systems theory that says that a larger whole or “holarchy” is make up of individual components called “holons” that also contain systems within themselves, or something like that, or maybe nothing at all like that, and yes, I don’t have any clue what any of this means. Bookmark that Janus name—we’ll be coming back to it in a minute.

Jericho
In FlashForward, Jericho is a military contractor that provides private armies to the highest bidder. Their soldiers apparently played a role in the attempted killing of Aaron Stark’s daughter, Tracy, in Afghanistan. I also suspect they are providing goons to the conspiracy that perpetrated the global blackout. Of course, Jericho was also the title of the short-lived, intensely loved cult drama that imagined the aftermath of a cataclysmic nuclear attack on the United States.

David Baldacci
Trying to make sense of Jericho’s treacherous attack on his daughter, Aaron likened the situation to a “Baldacci novel.” David Baldacci is the best-selling author of hugely successful books like The Collectors and Absolute Power, political potboilers that usually involve elaborate government conspiracies. Application to FlashForward: I’m thinking President Segovia (played by Peter Coyote)—who is (or was) tight with Assistant Director Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance)—knows much more about the global blackout than he’s telling. And remember Senator Clemente (Barbara Williams), the congresswoman who was leading the subcommittee investigation into the flash-forward event? She was no friend to Segovia and Wedeck, yet the president made her his new vice president—presumably to stifle her persecution of Wedeck’s Mosaic team. No, it’s not very realistic that a president would appoint a hated political rival as his No. 2—unless, of course, Segovia and Clemente aren’t the bitter enemies they appeared to be. I’m thinking that yes, Senator Clemente is in on the conspiracy, too. So what’s the conspiracy? Here’s the clue that sketches the big picture:

“D. Gibbons”
The “bad man” from little Charlie Benford’s spooky vision and one of many cryptic clues gleaned from Agent Benford’s flash forward. The name undoubtedly refers to Dave Gibbons, co-author of the subversive superhero saga Watchmen, whose intricate mystery plot concerns (SPOILER ALERT!) a conspiracy to encourage world peace by staging a fake alien invasion. And like FF, Watchmen stuffed coded clues and tell-tale non-sequiturs in the margins of its story. I’m thinking that the power players behind the global blackout were attempting to do something similar—usher in a new era of world peace by staging a global cataclysm designed to cause everyone to rethink their lives, the way they live their lives and the political, religious, and philosophical barriers that divide us. The bipartisan union of President Segovia and Senator Clemente is symbolic and representative of the narrative the conspiracy was/is trying to promote throughout the world. The two-faced, double-edged nature of this scheme to engineer planetary rebirth via planetary catastrophe is reflected in our next clue…

Janice/Janus
Janice is the name of the FlashForward character who saw herself having a baby on April 29… even though she’s a lesbian who is currently not in relationship and had been deeply ambivalent about even having kids until recently. Janice sounds exactly like Janus, the two-faced Roman deity of open gates and closed doors, of beginnings and endings. Janus is a deeply ironic, very paradoxical dude—both hopeful and ominous. That’s very Janice. Speaking of double-sided clues…

Beilby Porteus
Mosaic’s search for “D. Gibbons” led him to Pigeon, Utah, where he encountered a mystery man, coined “The Chess Player” by fans, in an abandoned doll factory. Before escaping, the chess player said, “He who foresees calamities, suffers them twice over.” That’s a famous quote from Porteus, an 18th-century English clergyman and noted abolitionist. His other major claim to fame was introducing something called “The Sunday Observance Act,” a “blue law” that regulated the ways people in England could spend their recreational time on Sunday. This is could be a double-faced clue. On one hand, we have an ostensible bad guy, quoting a guy linked to a righteous cause (ending slavery) and famous for forcing a righteous way of life on society (the Sunday Observance Act)—another possible proof on the aforementioned world peace conspiracy. But is The Chess Player part of The Blackout Conspiracy—or working to subvert it? The Porteus quote is darkly ironic. And coming from The Chess Player, it sounds like a warning or threat. Possibilities: If The Chess Player is trying to promote the conspiracy, he might have been trying to tell Benford that trying to solve the mystery of the blackout calamity will only produce another calamity—the ruin of its peace-promoting effect. But if The Chess Player is trying to fight the conspiracy, he might have been trying to tell Benford that flash-forward event had backfired—or will backfire when it reaches its fulfillment on April 29. FYI: Porteus is associated with another ironic quote that could be applied to FlashForward and my “Conspiracy of Peace” conspiracy theory: “War its thousands slays; peace its ten thousands.”

White Queen
The Chess Player left behind some clues for Mosaic, including a chess piece—the white queen, which provocatively intersects with all sorts of fantasy and geek pop. The White Queen is a character from Through The Looking Glass—a scatter-brained figure that lives her life backwards and struggles to live in the present. (“Jam-yesterday or Jam-tomorrow, but never Jam-today.”) That’s fitting for a show whose people got mind-scrambled during the global blackout and are now playing out futures that may have already come to pass—who are constantly being reminded and challenged to bravely defy fate by “living in the now.” However, “White Queen” is the handle of several prominent characters in comic book land, including the morally ambiguous X-Men foil Emma Frost (who can see into other people’s heads) and another baddie, Sat-Yr-9, an unhinged femme fatale from an alternate reality Earth. Yes, it is unlikely FlashForward was deliberately trying to forge a connection to the latter character. But she does embody a high concept theory in quantum physics that was explicitly referenced by Dominic Monaghan’s Simon Campos character: the idea that all possible realities actually exist. (See: the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment, used by Campos to seduce the blonde lady on the train.) I won’t beat this dead (Schrödinger’s) cat further by bringing this full circle and explicating the link between Alice In Wonderland and quantum mechanics, or how the whole notion of white and black chess pieces illustrate the binary either/or dynamics of alternate reality logic. However, and fittingly, I will ask you to entertain at least two possibilities: 1. That what everyone saw in their flash-forward was actually a peek into an alternate reality; and 2. That per the implications of Schrödinger’s Cat, which says that reality isn’t created until directly observed by the viewer, that the future sketched by the flash-forwards is now locked into place as a result of being directly observed by everyone in the past via the global blackout. Got that? Thought so. Also see: A Christmas Carol SPOILER ALERT! David Goyer says Charles Dickens’ classic novel—about a grinch who’s shown a vision of his (possible) future—looms large in the Dec. 3 episode.

O cantor dos The Police diz que não acredita em coisas paranormais mas que na antiga casa, onde vivia com a família, chegou a ver o fantasma de “uma mulher em pé, a uma canto, com uma criança”, confessou Sting.
Sting diz que “racionalmente” não acredita em espíritos mas que nessa casa aconteceram coisas fora do normal como objectos que voavam, ruídos e vozes: “nunca acreditei em fantasmas até ter visto um com os meus próprios olhos”, contou em entrevista à BBC Radio.
Sting pormenoriza o episódio, diz que acordou às 3 da manhã e viu uma mulher que o “olhava fixamente” mas que não queria acreditar até que a esposa, que também viu o fantasma, perguntou: “quem é esta?”.
O cantor diz que estas experiências foram apenas vividas na casa onde morava, explica: “aconteceram ali muitas coisas estranhas. Quando se vive em casas antigas sente-se essa energia”.

I’m going to pretend that the last few months haven’t happened – just assume that the extended hiatus of this blog is a figment of your imagination. Yes, I’m a slacker. I’m also a stupidly busy student/journalist/trouble-maker.

OK, poor excuses over, let’s crack on with the music. One of my favourite albums of last year was Vampire Weekend’s eponymous debut – not only because it was a smart, concise album of intelligent and fun pop music, but also because it was pretty much the soundtrack to my first year at university. Having seen them open for Blur at the Hyde Park gig, during which they treated anyone who could muster a smile to a selection of new tracks, it was evident to me that their follow-up might be riskier and bit more grown-up, but would still provide maximum enjoyment.

On the evidence of the new single, “Cousins”, taken from the album Contra, fans of the band will have very little to be disappointed about. The song is snappy and catchy; it has frequent frenetic breakdowns; Ezra Koenig’s famous wit and skills of observation are still very much intact. More intriguingly, the song reminds me of early Police – there’s something about the punky tone of the guitar and the fluid bassline that had me hearkening back to the delights of “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Message In A Bottle”.

“Cousins” displays a fondness for experimentation, too: the bells at the end certainly do little to link the band with the Afro-pop of their first record. It would appear that the band’s searching for innovative and fun sounds have taken them further afield than Africa, this time round, and this was probably crucial, lest they continue to be considered in thrall to a singular sound. Furthermore, the frantic twin-guitar interplay that fills every chunk of air in the song shows off some fascinating echoes of Arabic music.

The evidence so far suggests that Contra is going to be a bit of everything, musically: the opener, “Horchata”, is heavy on twinkly keys, tribal percussion and programmed beats; live favourite “White Sky” is like a supercharged Afro-pop hit of yesteryear, with call-and-response backing vocals recalling tropical adventures. Now, we have “Cousins” – a brave stab at poppy punk that sees the band unafraid to fill the space that so characterised their debut effort, with chaotic percussion and delightful fretwork. Hopefully, the album’s release will excite and amaze existing fans, while drawing in a new batch of pop music lovers. Because when you cut through all the global/world-music hype, Vampire Weekend excel at making truly special popular music.

La polizia ha detto che non si incazza piu’.
La polizia ha detto che la barca è affondata.

Al giorno d’oggi, qual ‘ è il problema piu’ serio dei poliziotti?
I soldi che gli mancano persino per fare benzina? MA PER FAVORE!

Scartiamo questo problema; negli ultimi 5 se non di piu’ anni non ho mai visto così tante forze dell’ordine in giro per le strade (che comunque non è un gran dire rispetto ad altri paesi ndr) … diciamo che la presenza sul territorio è migliorata considerando che fino a prima la polizia sembrava essere come quella dei primi NEED FOR SPEED, cioè appariva solo se facevi davvero casino.

Il problema REALE è che con le forze politiche in carica non si ha piu’ a che fare con crimini seri, depenalizzati come se niente fossero.  I nemici seri della legge sono gli stessi che danno loro lo stipendio per permettere alle proprie famiglie di tirare avanti.

E infatti la polizia la vediamo sul territorio….

MA

gira, rigira… si annoia… con ogni scusa burocratica che gli viene in mente dal codice o basata sulla loro fantasia FERMANO, PARLANO, tergiversano il tempo a chi cerca il quieto vivere a volte rovinandolo definitivamente per delle stupidaggini, perchè quella sera il poliziotto di turno si sente particolarmente bulletto…

cercano UN COLPEVOLE, nascondendo a se stessi il fatto che sopra alle loro teste c’è la risposta.

Questi casi, ma anche altri meno al limite e piu’ vicini alla nostra quotidianità dimostrano una realtà sotto agli occhi di tutti.. La frase piu’ retorica EVER italiana si riempe dunque di nuova banalità:

Ma non hanno niente di meglio da fare che prendersela con me?

AgainstAllBlogs conferma, la risposta è NO.

E’ questa non è l’idea che la stampa bolscevica dà delle forze dell’ordine, ma la pura realtà provata nei fatti recenti di amici e colleghi… Per quanto un qualsiasi sodoMITICO simpatizzante di B. possa arrivare qui e commentare sostenendo il contrario.

e comunque vada, per quanto la noia sia forte, qualcuno gli trova sempre dell’attività fisica da fare per tenersi in forma…
Saluti e baci da CINISELLO BALSAMO

MINCHIA! (come potrebbe pensare un collega a noi vicino)

againstallblogs

Soundtracks, we all have our favorites and some of us refuse to acknowledge their existence all together. I, on the other hand, have a good relationship with soundtracks, depending on the movie/television show/web series it comes from. These are pretty good choices that I just happen to own, interested? Read on.

#A – Girl Interrupted.My first glimpse into WILCO, a lovely little band that may see a bit on the pretentious side but really have some amazing songs. One of those bands that make you love every song, sound, word, vibe. They start off this semi-depressing group of misfit songs that work well with the movie of the same description. Title works fantastic with the motif of this album, “How to Fight Loneliness”, this first glimpse was not the end of my relationship with Wilco, they are still alive in my soul to this day. This album also has one of the greatest bands and one of my favorite songs from them, Jefferson Airplane with “Comin’ Back to Me”, such a beautiful song, really beautiful is the one perfect word to explain this song, and most of their music as a whole. Other artists include, Aretha Franklin, The Band, The Mamas & The Papas. Take a listen why don’t you?

#B – The Craft.

Witches who just so happen to be a bunch of bitches, makes for a great soundtrack, well its more of a sentimental one for me with a couple good songs that make me reminiscent of the first viewing of the movie. Great pop song with Letters to Cleo’s “Dangerous Type” and some heavy grungy hate music with Sponge’s “All This and Nothing” and a surprisingly good song by Our Lady Peace with “Tomorrow Never Knows”, (you can tell I’m obviously not their #1 fan). A not so good cover of a Harry Nilsson song, Tripping Daisy’s “Jump into the Fire”, I’d rather” they have put the original but they never asked my opinion on the subject. Some other good jams, like Spacehog’s ”Horror” & Love Spit Love’s “How Soon Is Now”, but the gem is Matthew Sweet’s “Dark Secrets” which made me want to own it to begin with, it pleases the ear gods for sure.

#C – Jawbreaker

Yes, pranks that turn deadly mixed with pretty girls who look nothing like the regular high school student, proves great for a rockin’ soundtrack. (Plus, Julie Benz, a young vampire on BTVS, classic). Songs to get you pumped and sent back into the 90’s like a whirlwind. I’ll start of with the favorites, The Friggs ”Bad Word for a Good Thing”, those Frigg girls can belt and rock, plus rock while never becoming famous, some hardcore girl power going on with that song. The icing on the cake? Imperial Teen’s “Yoo Hoo”, again the reason I even wanted the album in the first place, an amazing jam with the most intoxicating sound, voice is prime on this one. Ending it out with one of the most depressing songs I’ve ever heard in my life, The Transisters “Flow”, its beautiful and sad and painful, if I ever needed to be heartbroken with a theme song, this is it. Having a bad breakup? Lost a person close to you? Listen UP.

#D – The Wedding Singer

Get ready for some 80’s! This soundtrack has the “good shit” from the 1980’s, and its a double disc-er! Unfortunately I only have one half the album but that’s alright by me.  The half I have has bands like, Billy Idol, David Bowie, New Order, Musical Youth, Elvis Costello, The Thompson Twins, The Police, Culture Club, The Psychedelic Furs, and so on. If your in an 80’s mood, then stick the sucker in and enjoy your weird flashback that ensues.

yeah, tricked you. I know its not a song, but Buscemi rocks.

#E – Garden State.

We’ve got some good ones on here folks. Of course their is the “what lead me to own it” song, which we’ll begin with. Frou Frou’s ”Let Go”, a very graceful sound and is a basic recap of the movie itself. Jump in, what are you waiting for? Date Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, just DO IT! But any who, next up is another great jam, that I didn’t come in contact until long after I had the Cd, but when a friend of mine did it in a talent show, another song full of beauty, Bonnie Somerville’s “Winding Road”, pretty voice meets pretty sound, good good. The entire beginning of this Cd gets me in a crazy odd mood, I used to listen to it on my Ipod walking through the halls of high school, very surreal. First, Cold Play’s “Don’t Panic”, and No, I am not a cold play fan or freak, its the only song I dig, so get over it. Following it, is The Shins with “Caring is Creepy”, great sound, goes right through to the bone. And after that? Zero 7’s “In the Waiting Line”, one of the other songs I am in love with on this soundtrack, a main reason you might as well just go out and get it right now.

#F – Once More With Feeling – BTVS

A musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs on this list, if not dominating it. Joss Whedon, the entity himself, wrote the songs, music, all of it. Which would be good reason for me to love it so, and I do. Its addictive to the highest extent. These actors, just people, who yes, famous, but normal; not singers, (well not all of them, James Marsters, Amber Benson, & Tony Head), just people, made beautiful music together. I probably listen to it at lease a couple times a week. I don’t think I would have the power to actually say out loud, or type, my favorite song from this album. I’ll just go through most of them for you to decide.

So, we start with Buffy complaining shes lost her mojo for her job, we can all sing a long as the demons agree with her and she diss’s the gentleman in distress.

Then you’ve got a group jam with the gang, which turns ugly with Anya, the demon, yelling about bunnies, and ending with a who-even-gives-a-crap attitude brought along by sad-sap Buffy.

A song about Mustard being removed from clothing.

A lesbian love song between the 2 most believable, non-skanked-out-for-the-sake-of-MALES-everywhere lesbians on television ever, and probably will always be. You just gotta love Willow & Tara, for ever, and ever, and so on.

Then we have the couple, demon and construction worker, Anya & Xander, talking about the things they can’t stand about each other that they could never say out loud, without song of course, which leads towards the end with Anya “dancing crazy!”. You have to love a song  that has a line about penis diseases, classy.

One of great writers of the show finds herself singing about a ticket she’s getting for parking in front of a hydrant, which has become one of my favorites to sing in the car.

Then the addictive song of Spike, the whiny love ridden fool song, he even admits he’d be Buffy’s slave, talk about being whipped. Just let him rest in peace, Buffy. Just let him be buried and go get Angel to sooth the pain. Sorry…

Next, a snippet of dawn’s voice before she gets kidnapped, pretty voice while its lasts.

Pretty Ballet instrumental leads to the dancing demon, Sweet, singing out with his great deep man singing voice trying to hit on 15 year old Dawn, Hawt.

A big hit in my car sing-a-long, the Giles song, sad but upbeat and lovely, he doesn’t want to leave Buffy, but needs to, sweet slow-mo scene with some kick-ass dodging of sharp things while pulling off some gymnastic moves, go SMG.

Here we have 2 songs emerge which is a high on the list for me, putting together the two amazing voices of Tony Head and Amber Benson, wonderful actors and brilliant singers. Such a beautiful addition to the already amazing track listing.

Up next, everyone joins in while wanting to walk through the fire, another great song, with some awesome lines, “things are turning out so dark”, “No, I’ll save her then I’ll kill her!” &  “I think this line mostly filer”. The best part is when the scooby gang chimes in and does their little part, is the slayer too far gone to care?

Then us listeners get something to sing about, a glittering world, and a dancing almost-to-her-death Buffy ending with dropping the heaven bombshell.

And to help finish it off, sweet rubs it in all our faces that things didn’t quite go our way with the whole dancing thing, that lead to the death thing, and the “aw we all have so many secrets!” thing.

Ending with the cast leaving confused, not knowing where to go from there. And a big sloppy wet one from Buffy & Spike, which I wish i could scrub from my brain.

If you’ve never see the episode, watch it. If you’ve never heard the soundtrack, listen to it. You’ll have to track it down like I did, since the boyfriend and I bought the only 2 copies in our area. Plus, if your REALLY lucky, like me, you’ll get to take a trip to Indianapolis and watch actors act out the episode, sing the songs, and dance the dances, an amazing experience, especially on the night before Halloween.

#G – Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog

How shocking, right? Another Joss choice, you get my love yet? Do you? Do You? Well you’ll figure it out eventually. Now, this sound track is Uh-Maze-Ing, seriously. NPH (For the less hip folks, Neil Patrick Harris) really shows us the talent that Doogie never really did, he sings, and he sings well. Fantastically well to be exact. He’s a villain looking for his big villainy break, to belong to the big-bad’s club, that’s of course ran by a horse, derr. Then we have the love interest, with a killer voice, no other than the beautiful Felicia Day, (who if you don’t watch the guild, START, I’ll explain more later), the helpless-helping-homeless-home-giving goddess that the villain is head-over-heels in love with. But in walks the bad guy, wait no, the GOOD guy. He just happens to be a prick, with a picture of a hammer on his chest. But he is played by no other than the mystical, magical, stud-man-guy Nathan Fillion. The guy crushes of the world surround this guy, which makes it easy for your Felicia, “Penny”, to fall for instead. (sad). So with this comes amazingly catchy songs that, yet AGAIN, Whedon is responsible for, also making it a family affair adding brothers and a sister-in-law. This is another Cd that is found being played in my car multiple times within a week. You’ve GOT to get this soundtrack, like now, LEAVE, GO!

#H – Pick of Destiny

Okay, Tenacious D is the best band EVER. Maybe this statement is not something you would agree with, and if it isn’t, stop lying. Seriously you know the truth, they probably ARE the greatest band EVER, why you ask? Because they have it ALL. What other band can use curse words like poetry, I mean really, “Mother Fucker” never sounded so good. If you haven’t had the chance to gander at the power that is the D, its time my friends. My passion for the D is forever deep, I was hooked the first time I heard them, saw them, and inevitably fell for them. “The Pick Of Destiny” is a movie and an album, and both are glorious. Watching Jack Black and Kyle Gas for 93 minutes straight has to be an experience, and sir, it was. But, the soundtrack that came along? GODLIKE, truly amazing music, which is not surprising from this duo. Another album i could not possibly begin the misery of deciding the best song on it, so you will have to venture out on your own and taste the taste that is TENACIOUS D.

be blown away by Rage Cage & Jables, KG & JB.

#I – Nashville

Great movie, wonderful soundtrack. Robert Altman is an amazing director and he did an amazing job on all the movies I’ve seen of his. They always have crazy relationships, and madness masked in innocence and he didn’t shy away from that with this one. Country singers, singing and crawling in drama filled situations; if you get a chance make sure to check this one out, i have a feeling you’ll be pleased if your in anyway cool, or hip, or happenin’ in the way I am. So rent it, steal it, borrow it, either way watch it, and make sure you listen to the songs you hear, it won’t be hard. I’ve leave you with a video of my favorite song from the movie that happens to be a great part of the film. Watch and aw.

So that’s it for now, I might come back and surprise you with more amazing songs that go with amazing movies/tv shows/web series, or I wont, don’t hold your breath. I leave you with a thought… Come back and see me, I mean read me, sometime.

sas

det har vært en lang dag, noe som har ført til at jeg er både trøtt og sliten her jeg sitter i sofaen. mamma og stefar er på julebord og jeg er barnevakt for bror, som du kan se på forrige innlegg. jeg sitter å skal jobbe videre på sosiologi innleveringen min, men kjenner det prikke i hodet og nakken er stiv. att på til har jeg utrolig vondt i venstre skuldra etter at jeg tok svinevaksina i dag, jeg sverger at jeg nesten såg et smil på legen min da jeg utbrøyt et halt minutt etter at sprøyta var tatt; “Den va låke den!”. ting går litt seint med meg av og til, og det tok visst en stund før jeg innså at den svidde litt den vaksina.

sukk. the police synger så fint om åndetagene mine, bror sitter og spiller “snake” på mobilen sin og spiser potetgull. Cartoon Network står stille på i bakgrunnen, men det er Sting og folka hans som regjerer lyden i stua.  i hele dag har jeg hørt på sånne nydelige, klassiske sanger. Det har gått mye i Frank Sinatra, Fred Astair, Edith Piaf og Luis Armstrong. Det er så nydelig å høre på! helt ærlig har jeg ikke så mye å formidle, det har vært en herlig fridag og jeg gleder meg mer enn på lenge til juleferien. I morgen er det jobb igjen, det skal bli koselig..

Certainly not these.

David Davis

I;ve seen a ghost

Sorry: the fellow is just beyond the bounds of ridiculosity – he does not even quite qualify as a properly-self-regarding prat.

His wife, bless the poor love, even jets around the planet saving it, while burning paraffin by the ton.

Un vídeo melancólico y elegante. Una joya, que hay que pararse a contemplar de vez en cuando. Una canción tan bien escrita e interpretada, que no merece presentación…

So my X and I have split now.  So whaddya I do.  I accidentally joined a swinger site.  Well, you know how it is, when your surfing the net, your libido takes over and suddenly you’re Victoria Wood’ing – ie lingering on pictures of fit men.  Wondering if love exists – this thought ejaculated in my mind.

I found a site, pasted my best “face” pic and hoped that amongst the penis and vagina shots people would gather I am – not a rock bottom slut.  eerrrr I’m trying to be a classy chic. lol.  Despite the torrent of emails, I recieved my ex-partner went into my account and supered all plans.  He really does my head in.  In any event, I decided to come off, as it was going a bit risky.  There are umpteen security checks that need to be in place for this site.  The site, unfortunately was poor.  I was afraid as a woman.  I think I’ll try match.com. lol.

Went to Police station yesterday.  I think I’m being tapped as a political activist.  Must make sure I’m understood clearly at the residents association, that I’m trying to make Brent a better borough.  I’m not talking the helm with council emails! YIKES

My worst fear is that I’ll be taken to prison in turkey and walk the plank as a muslim terrorist.  YIKES….I believe in intelligent design…thank the Lord.  Amen.

The steam went off this morning when I did a number 2.  Shit happens.  Taking pills again.  Slows me down into a zombie.

Llevamos un tiempo viendo como grupos veteranos de gran calado volvían a anunciar su unión en detrimento de toda esa nueva generación de promesas que salen de los concursos. Les hacen sombra, no se puede negar y es que la fama, a pesar de ser desagradecida, siempre queda en el recuerdo nostálgico.

Grupos que dieron el pelotazo en su época como Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys o la posible reunión aún no confirmada de Take That ponen de relieve este hecho. Sin embargo, no solo bandas a las que muchos podrían considerar oportunistas se quieren reunir, también otras que tuvieron un auténtico gran éxito como Queen (una reunión que de vuelta casi solo tiene el nombre, por cierto), The Police o Blur.

Sin embargo, a las alegrías, penas.

Pulp ya confirmó que no iban a reunirse mediante Jarvis Jocker (ex líder) quien negó que Pulp, uno de los grupos más conocidos de la década dorada del brit pop de los 90, fuera a reunirse.

El último grupo que ha tenido que desmentir la supuesta unión, han sido los legendarios Led Zeppelin. El grupo se reunió varias veces para ensayar sus viejos temas sin la presencia del cantante. Seguramente, también nostálgicos, llegaron a revivir sentimientos de una época que acabó marcando a varias generaciones hasta el punto de surgir la idea de retomar la formación.

Pero el cantante no estaba; Robert Plant estaba sumergido en su aventura musical con Alison Krauss (cantante de Bluegrass) y no quería volver con Led Zeppelin para ninguna gira a pesar del éxito de su última unión sobre los escenarios en el O2 de Londres.

Embriagados por la ilusión buscaron durante un año un nuevo cantante. Finalmente, será John Paul Jones quien desmentirá la posible unión. Claro que al estar sumergido de lleno en el proyectoThem Crooked Vultures (del que ya os hemos hablado) seguro que le ha roto la ilusión, pero no las ganas de triunfar.