I read that Peter Jackson is really keen on having Jack Black as one of the stars in his King Kong remake (not the big monkey).
The BBC report can be found here...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3582065.stm
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Shaun of the Dead
Yes you did read right, Shaun of the Dead, is a new movie out classified as romzomcom (romantic zombie comedy). It comes from the pen of Simon Pegg who was one of the creators of the wonderfully quirky series Spaced.
Check out the fun web site of Shaun of the Dead at...
http://uip.co.uk/romzom/
Check out the fun web site of Shaun of the Dead at...
http://uip.co.uk/romzom/
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Green fingers...
Most of this weekend was taken up with the allotment, spring is a busy time for us gardeners.
We have planted most of our potatoes (again I over estimated the quantities and so I am going to borrow some space in a neighboring plot for the rest). We wanted to get them in now because we will be away on holiday (going to visit friends in Washington DC).
Quite a few new tenants have started at the site which is great to see. Everybody helps each other out with advice or physical assistance. I few of us helped a couple of blokes move their shed into place, someone else lent a mower and strimmer out so the paths could be tided up, and I was offered the space for my spuds.
I also tried my hand (now blistered) at DIY (Sue believes I should practice this away from the home). I scrounged some scrap wood and made a small cold-frame for seedlings. Looks quite good I think too.
We have planted most of our potatoes (again I over estimated the quantities and so I am going to borrow some space in a neighboring plot for the rest). We wanted to get them in now because we will be away on holiday (going to visit friends in Washington DC).
Quite a few new tenants have started at the site which is great to see. Everybody helps each other out with advice or physical assistance. I few of us helped a couple of blokes move their shed into place, someone else lent a mower and strimmer out so the paths could be tided up, and I was offered the space for my spuds.
I also tried my hand (now blistered) at DIY (Sue believes I should practice this away from the home). I scrounged some scrap wood and made a small cold-frame for seedlings. Looks quite good I think too.
Monday, March 29, 2004
Piccadilly
Sue and I went out on Friday to see a film called Piccadilly. This was not your typical film nor was it in a typical film venue.
I had heard of this production on the local radio. A composer, Neil Brand, was talking about a piece of music he had been asked to write by the BFI National Film and Television Archive for a 1929 silent movie called Piccadilly to be shown at the Barbican.
I though the idea of seeing a restored silent movie with a live seven piece band interesting, so we arranged to see it.
The movie had another claim to fame. The female lead was the alluring Anna May Wong in the role of a night club dancer who becomes involved in a fatal with the club owner. This was probably one of the first occasions an oriental woman had played lead, and in a mixed race romantic role too.
It was an absolutely stunning production. The artistry of the camera work and lighting was thoroughly modern and very evocative, especially in conjunction with the superb jazz inspired score.
A great night out.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/collections/release/piccadilly/
I had heard of this production on the local radio. A composer, Neil Brand, was talking about a piece of music he had been asked to write by the BFI National Film and Television Archive for a 1929 silent movie called Piccadilly to be shown at the Barbican.
I though the idea of seeing a restored silent movie with a live seven piece band interesting, so we arranged to see it.
The movie had another claim to fame. The female lead was the alluring Anna May Wong in the role of a night club dancer who becomes involved in a fatal with the club owner. This was probably one of the first occasions an oriental woman had played lead, and in a mixed race romantic role too.
It was an absolutely stunning production. The artistry of the camera work and lighting was thoroughly modern and very evocative, especially in conjunction with the superb jazz inspired score.
A great night out.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/collections/release/piccadilly/
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Gollum sings the Candyman…
I usually listen to Danny Baker’s morning show…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/dannybaker/index.shtml
…on the way into work and this morning he had an interview with Andy Serkis…
http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_cast_andyserkis.html
…who plays Gollum in the Lord of the Rings.
Danny Baker has adopted the theme tune and persona of the Candyman for his show and it was one of the most amusing things to hear Gollum sing the Candyman song. It really set me up for the day.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/dannybaker/index.shtml
…on the way into work and this morning he had an interview with Andy Serkis…
http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_cast_andyserkis.html
…who plays Gollum in the Lord of the Rings.
Danny Baker has adopted the theme tune and persona of the Candyman for his show and it was one of the most amusing things to hear Gollum sing the Candyman song. It really set me up for the day.
The battle between the generations…
The IF series currently running on the BBC dramatises possible disturbing trends in our society today. The episode shown last night was about the Ageing population.
Some facts behind the fiction (from the BBC):
By 2040, the number of people over 64 in Britain is expected to grow from 9.5 million to 15 million.
In 2000 there were 11.2 million people under the age of 15 in the UK. By 2040, this will have decreased to 8.7 million.
In 1999 the working population amounted to 47.8% of the total UK population. By 2030 it will be 44.5%. This could mean a shortfall of two million workers.
There are currently 11 million people in the UK between 45 and 60, the so-called 'baby boomers'. They own 70% of the nation's wealth. In 20 years time they could own 85-90% of disposable income in the UK.
When pensions were introduced in the early 1900s there were 22 people of working age in Britain for every retired person. In 2024 there will be less than three.
Over 50s buy 80% of all top of the range cars, 50% of skincare products, 80% of leisure cruises.
Over the last two decades, consumption by Europe's over 50s has risen three times as fast as that of the rest of the population.
People aged 60 and over already outnumber children under 16 in the UK for the first time.
For more information go to the BBC website at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/if/default.stm
Some facts behind the fiction (from the BBC):
By 2040, the number of people over 64 in Britain is expected to grow from 9.5 million to 15 million.
In 2000 there were 11.2 million people under the age of 15 in the UK. By 2040, this will have decreased to 8.7 million.
In 1999 the working population amounted to 47.8% of the total UK population. By 2030 it will be 44.5%. This could mean a shortfall of two million workers.
There are currently 11 million people in the UK between 45 and 60, the so-called 'baby boomers'. They own 70% of the nation's wealth. In 20 years time they could own 85-90% of disposable income in the UK.
When pensions were introduced in the early 1900s there were 22 people of working age in Britain for every retired person. In 2024 there will be less than three.
Over 50s buy 80% of all top of the range cars, 50% of skincare products, 80% of leisure cruises.
Over the last two decades, consumption by Europe's over 50s has risen three times as fast as that of the rest of the population.
People aged 60 and over already outnumber children under 16 in the UK for the first time.
For more information go to the BBC website at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/if/default.stm
Monday, March 22, 2004
Doctor, Doctor...
I’ve heard that Christopher Eccleston has been announced as the new Doctor Who for the upcoming series for the BBC.
His has also been in Shallow Grave, eXistenZ, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Our Friends in the North and The Others.
I have heard arguments about whether this will make him the 9th or 10th Dr. (Did you include ALL of the movies too?)
For more information visit the BBC site at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/
His has also been in Shallow Grave, eXistenZ, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Our Friends in the North and The Others.
I have heard arguments about whether this will make him the 9th or 10th Dr. (Did you include ALL of the movies too?)
For more information visit the BBC site at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/
Sunday, March 21, 2004
up and down...
Things are quite changeable at the moment. As I sit here contemplating what to write, the weather has gone from bright sunshine to gloomy drizzle, and back again, it has been like that all day.
Sue had another bad week at work and actually handed in her notice. She went into town the following day to talk with the HR department at head office and decided to give them 3 months to sort their act out. Needless to say it has all been at bit traumatic around here.
I didn’t feel great Thursday evening and ended up taking Friday off. I tried my hand at DIY again (I really should learn my lesson). We had bought a pot rack to try and create more space in the kitchen. It took me several goes to finally get it on the wall (and much huffing and puffing – Sue sensibly stayed out of the way). I then had a go putting a magnetic knife holder up, which had to be fixed by screws through the wall tiles (I can tell you I was not enjoying the prospect of drilling through those tiles). Surprisingly (at least for me) it went up first go without any major tantrums.
I also had to take the car to have two new tyres fitted (I had a blow-out on the motorway going into work on Thursday). There is something wrong with the suspension or steering as both front tyres were worn through to the wire on the inner side. I will have to send it into the garage next week.
Friday evening we went to the movies and a meal with our friends Chris and Carole and saw the new Starsky and Hutch flick. It seemed to us that if you were under 30 or had not seen the original series, you would not get half of the gags. The actual story line was quite weak, but it was more than made up for by the great period and filmic piss-takes. I love the scene where they are eating fondue and listening to hippy music on the four-track player.
Saturday we spent a good few hours at the allotment, testing the soil for PH, preparing the ground, planting some parsnip seeds and digging the celery trench. It was quite busy down there with several new tenants making a strong start to the season. One the new guys gave us half a dozen duck eggs (he keeps ducks at home). We had a couple each for lunch and they were delicious.
We went out later in the day to a local market and a garden centre. We bought a few gifts for friends and family (birthdays and the like) and a few presents for Sue’s mum.
Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK and Sue’s mum has a great garden, so we bought her some bits and pieces for it. We went out for a drive about this morning, originally intending to go to Wisley Gardens to see the spring flowers, but because of the changeable weather we just went around the countryside for a while.
We watched a borrowed copy of The Third Man in the afternoon (well I did, Sue had a nap). I enjoyed it a lot, I loved the backing music. Jamie came down later and gave Sue a pot plant and a card.
We are off soon to have our evening meal out with the family to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Oh look! The sun has come out again.
Sue had another bad week at work and actually handed in her notice. She went into town the following day to talk with the HR department at head office and decided to give them 3 months to sort their act out. Needless to say it has all been at bit traumatic around here.
I didn’t feel great Thursday evening and ended up taking Friday off. I tried my hand at DIY again (I really should learn my lesson). We had bought a pot rack to try and create more space in the kitchen. It took me several goes to finally get it on the wall (and much huffing and puffing – Sue sensibly stayed out of the way). I then had a go putting a magnetic knife holder up, which had to be fixed by screws through the wall tiles (I can tell you I was not enjoying the prospect of drilling through those tiles). Surprisingly (at least for me) it went up first go without any major tantrums.
I also had to take the car to have two new tyres fitted (I had a blow-out on the motorway going into work on Thursday). There is something wrong with the suspension or steering as both front tyres were worn through to the wire on the inner side. I will have to send it into the garage next week.
Friday evening we went to the movies and a meal with our friends Chris and Carole and saw the new Starsky and Hutch flick. It seemed to us that if you were under 30 or had not seen the original series, you would not get half of the gags. The actual story line was quite weak, but it was more than made up for by the great period and filmic piss-takes. I love the scene where they are eating fondue and listening to hippy music on the four-track player.
Saturday we spent a good few hours at the allotment, testing the soil for PH, preparing the ground, planting some parsnip seeds and digging the celery trench. It was quite busy down there with several new tenants making a strong start to the season. One the new guys gave us half a dozen duck eggs (he keeps ducks at home). We had a couple each for lunch and they were delicious.
We went out later in the day to a local market and a garden centre. We bought a few gifts for friends and family (birthdays and the like) and a few presents for Sue’s mum.
Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK and Sue’s mum has a great garden, so we bought her some bits and pieces for it. We went out for a drive about this morning, originally intending to go to Wisley Gardens to see the spring flowers, but because of the changeable weather we just went around the countryside for a while.
We watched a borrowed copy of The Third Man in the afternoon (well I did, Sue had a nap). I enjoyed it a lot, I loved the backing music. Jamie came down later and gave Sue a pot plant and a card.
We are off soon to have our evening meal out with the family to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Oh look! The sun has come out again.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
St. Patrick’s Day
How could I forget?
Everything is green today (including the Guinness). Anyone with links to the Emerald Isle (and many who have none – but want an excuse for a drink) will be wearing shamrock in their button hole, singing Danny Boy and dancing around like Danny Kaye.
I was reminded of this, not by the numerous references on radio and TV, but by Johnny Castaway. Any of you who have had a computer for more than 10 years will probably remember a screensaver about the antics of a poor little fellow abandoned on a desert island. Well around special days the screensaver features little extras, and near St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks grow on the island.
You can still find this screensaver and down load it for free at:
http://store.yahoo.com/screensavers1/johnnycastaway.html
Everything is green today (including the Guinness). Anyone with links to the Emerald Isle (and many who have none – but want an excuse for a drink) will be wearing shamrock in their button hole, singing Danny Boy and dancing around like Danny Kaye.
I was reminded of this, not by the numerous references on radio and TV, but by Johnny Castaway. Any of you who have had a computer for more than 10 years will probably remember a screensaver about the antics of a poor little fellow abandoned on a desert island. Well around special days the screensaver features little extras, and near St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks grow on the island.
You can still find this screensaver and down load it for free at:
http://store.yahoo.com/screensavers1/johnnycastaway.html
Just for Blogs sake...
Silent is an anagram of listen.
We have become a little obsessed with certain subjects at the moment. Being on a diet and feeling hungry much of the day has tended to make us food nazis. We can estimate the points in a packet of crisps at 15ft (it is always too much). We watch the Good Food channel on Sky, read recipe books and drool, and discuss the various merits of low fat ingredients with anyone who will listen. Actually we a not quite that bad, but it feels like it some times. The benefit, apart from the obvious weight loss, is that we are both in the kitchen at mealtimes (I'm not sure if Sue thinks of that as a benefit). Jamie is not very happy with some of the meals, and to be fair even Sue says some of the recipes require more work to bring them up to her usual standard (why is the really tasty stuff just so bad for you?). The big success has been the Cajun jumbalia - which was top-notch tucker.
The allotment is also a big part of our lives at the moment. Spring has sprung and we are busy preparing the ground and planting. We are still enamoured with the novelty of growing our own food. I don't otherwise do much exercise, I never have, but I do get a feeling of satisfaction from a day of manual labour out in the fresh air. We have now planted the last of the many hundred onion sets and the remaining garlic bulbs (I may have overestimated our needs just a tiny bit).
Our back garden has been neglected so far this year. Apart from a little trim nothing much has been done. We picked a few of the daffodils that are in bloom and brought them indoors (I love these flowers both for their colour and form).
Saturday we had our close friends Chris and Carole come around with their three girls. It can be a shock to the system when young children are around, we forget, with Jamie being older. Don't get me wrong their energy and enthusiasm is delightful. Chris gave me a few pointers on HTML (a recommended site is http://www.htmlgoodies.com/). I have started to read 'HTML4 for dummies’. ‘For dummies' have their own site at http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/.
We spent the afternoon on Sunday reminiscing with Marc, which at times was quite moving. H was not feeling 100% and needed to concentrate on her studies so she didn't come along. That evening I decided I would try out this blog thing and set up this page. I also set up some free web site hosting so that in future I can do my own thing there too.
We went to IKEA on Monday after work, to pick up some storage solutions (we have accumulated way too much stuff for our little house). For those of you who don't know Ikea is a chain of large furniture & home furnishing supermarkets from Sweden. They specialise in lower cost build-your-own flat-pack furniture. The store near us is huge and very popular (especially during the weekend) and is built on the site of an old power station (it still retains the two tall chimneys as local landmarks). We haven't been for a while as it is often heaving with folks so we were a little surprised at the changes they have made (not least of which is the café has been increased to become a 600 seat restaurant! - you gotta like those Swedish meatballs though).
I had the guys over for our regular Tuesday night StarWars RPG saga. They are progressing well and I am just about able to keep up with them (the adventure is not so much planned as improvised on the fly).
On the subject of role playing games - who remembers Paranoia? Well I've had the following transmission from the Computer: PARANOIA XP ANNOUNCED Cult Role-playing Game to Be Revitalised for the Digital Millennium.
The Computer says that failure to feature this announcement prominently is treason. Treason is punishable by summary execution. Thank you for your co-operation.
Mongoose Publishing of Swindon, Wilts, UK (www.mongoosepublishing.com) announced agreement with the creators of the fondly remembered tabletop role-playing game Paranoia, to develop and publish a new edition of the game, Paranoia XP. The new version will be written and produced by legendary game designers Allen Varney and Aaron Allston, with participation by Paranoia's original co-designer Greg Costikyan.
The developers will conduct their discussions about the game on a blog hosted at www.costik.com/paranoia and those interested in the game are invited to comment and participate in the process. Upgrade to Paranoia XP
It's mandatory!
Remember...
The Computer does not lie.
The Computer is Your Friend.
I am going to stop here for the moment, more hopefully to follow…
We have become a little obsessed with certain subjects at the moment. Being on a diet and feeling hungry much of the day has tended to make us food nazis. We can estimate the points in a packet of crisps at 15ft (it is always too much). We watch the Good Food channel on Sky, read recipe books and drool, and discuss the various merits of low fat ingredients with anyone who will listen. Actually we a not quite that bad, but it feels like it some times. The benefit, apart from the obvious weight loss, is that we are both in the kitchen at mealtimes (I'm not sure if Sue thinks of that as a benefit). Jamie is not very happy with some of the meals, and to be fair even Sue says some of the recipes require more work to bring them up to her usual standard (why is the really tasty stuff just so bad for you?). The big success has been the Cajun jumbalia - which was top-notch tucker.
The allotment is also a big part of our lives at the moment. Spring has sprung and we are busy preparing the ground and planting. We are still enamoured with the novelty of growing our own food. I don't otherwise do much exercise, I never have, but I do get a feeling of satisfaction from a day of manual labour out in the fresh air. We have now planted the last of the many hundred onion sets and the remaining garlic bulbs (I may have overestimated our needs just a tiny bit).
Our back garden has been neglected so far this year. Apart from a little trim nothing much has been done. We picked a few of the daffodils that are in bloom and brought them indoors (I love these flowers both for their colour and form).
Saturday we had our close friends Chris and Carole come around with their three girls. It can be a shock to the system when young children are around, we forget, with Jamie being older. Don't get me wrong their energy and enthusiasm is delightful. Chris gave me a few pointers on HTML (a recommended site is http://www.htmlgoodies.com/). I have started to read 'HTML4 for dummies’. ‘For dummies' have their own site at http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/.
We spent the afternoon on Sunday reminiscing with Marc, which at times was quite moving. H was not feeling 100% and needed to concentrate on her studies so she didn't come along. That evening I decided I would try out this blog thing and set up this page. I also set up some free web site hosting so that in future I can do my own thing there too.
We went to IKEA on Monday after work, to pick up some storage solutions (we have accumulated way too much stuff for our little house). For those of you who don't know Ikea is a chain of large furniture & home furnishing supermarkets from Sweden. They specialise in lower cost build-your-own flat-pack furniture. The store near us is huge and very popular (especially during the weekend) and is built on the site of an old power station (it still retains the two tall chimneys as local landmarks). We haven't been for a while as it is often heaving with folks so we were a little surprised at the changes they have made (not least of which is the café has been increased to become a 600 seat restaurant! - you gotta like those Swedish meatballs though).
I had the guys over for our regular Tuesday night StarWars RPG saga. They are progressing well and I am just about able to keep up with them (the adventure is not so much planned as improvised on the fly).
On the subject of role playing games - who remembers Paranoia? Well I've had the following transmission from the Computer: PARANOIA XP ANNOUNCED Cult Role-playing Game to Be Revitalised for the Digital Millennium.
The Computer says that failure to feature this announcement prominently is treason. Treason is punishable by summary execution. Thank you for your co-operation.
Mongoose Publishing of Swindon, Wilts, UK (www.mongoosepublishing.com) announced agreement with the creators of the fondly remembered tabletop role-playing game Paranoia, to develop and publish a new edition of the game, Paranoia XP. The new version will be written and produced by legendary game designers Allen Varney and Aaron Allston, with participation by Paranoia's original co-designer Greg Costikyan.
The developers will conduct their discussions about the game on a blog hosted at www.costik.com/paranoia and those interested in the game are invited to comment and participate in the process. Upgrade to Paranoia XP
It's mandatory!
Remember...
The Computer does not lie.
The Computer is Your Friend.
I am going to stop here for the moment, more hopefully to follow…
Sunday, March 14, 2004
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