August 2005 Archives
My friends told me they went to Moshi Moshi, our new favourite sushi restaurant, yesterday and staff asked: 'Where's your friend?'
Bwah! The chefs at Zushi, a sushi bar I frequent on weekends, usually say 'See you next Sunday'.
I wonder if I can get a discount if I increase the frequency of my visits.
I've just booked a flight to New York for my trip Oct 6-12. It's funny how they can turn a 350 euro ticket into one that costs 535.
So... New Yorkers... where's the cheap sushi in your town?
I am a lucky bastard, I get to go to the Dutch premiere of Serenity on September 6. United Pictures have been very generous.
Cast members Nathan Fillion (Mal) and Summer Glau (River) will be attending too, but I'm more excited about seeing the film again. I've wanted to ever since I saw it at the private screening two weeks ago.
I have absolutely NOTHING to wear to a premiere. And I'm not joking, I'm all casual all the time. I also have no idea what to ask the cast if there's a Q&A. I think I'll stick to wielding my camera.
If things work out with the mail service, I'll probably be donning a Whedonesque.com 'staff' t-shirt. Front: 'Who is flying this thing?' Back: 'Oh right, that would be me.' Design similar to the regular Whedonesque.com t-shirts we've just made available.
More music. That's the main reason why I'm ordering UPC digital TV, eventhough they don't have the greatest range of channels. It ain't Sky digital, that's for sure. Still, it's got 60 TV channels (pdf) and 55 music (radio) channels, films on demand, games and 35 'interactive sites'. All at Euro 9,95 a month.
A lot of the 60 TV channels on it are also available through my analog subscription (which I cannot cancel), but at least I'll get threeo extra MTV channels (that actually broadcast music), VH1 and VH1 classic, as well as the VPRO digital music channels, which are also available streaming. I'll also get BBC Prime, next to the usual BBC1, 2 and World.
What I really want is all the other British channels and the Sci-fi channel, but that's just not going to happen right now.
Ten years ago, when I built one of my first websites, it got mentioned first in the Irish Times, then in The Guardian. It was featured on the BBC, as well as appearing in most Internet magazines and books on the shelves at the time.
I've come a long way since then. Everybody I knew online back then has gone on to bigger, better, greater things. But none of them can boast this, I'm sure:
Six Feet Under went out with a good one. I felt a little iffy about this final season, but the last three or four episodes were stunning. Ever since (major spoiler) that major character died. It's almost like the character stifled everybody else in the series. I almost applauded when they finally kicked the bucket. Narm. Heee. (end of spoiler)
I haven't got the exact quote here, but Brenda said something in, I think, the penultimate episode that sounded completely new to me (as in an 'original' observation) yet so totally recognisable.
It's when she tells her still unbelievably creepy brother Billy (Spoiler)(And, CHRIST, Brenda, don't touch his unbelievably creepy penis. Not even in dreams, ok?)(end of spoiler) that she always thought that as she grew older there'd be more people, but that's not how it works.
How true is that.
I saw the movie Serenity this weekend. This is my 'review'.
Serenity is the Joss Whedon film based on the shortlived Firefly TV series. Last Saturday, I joined the fans at browncoats.nl, for a very special screening at the UIP office here in Amsterdam. It was the perfect way to see it. The film hadn't been subtitled yet, there was no intermission and the audience didn't talk or cough or kick my chair or munch popcorn or neck. So that was fab. There weren't any cast members, like at many of the USA screenings, but that's ok, I wouldn't know what to say anyway.
I'll post my non-spoilery thoughts here and then spoilers after the break and I'll probably invisitext them too, so you'll have to highlight them with the cursor.
First of all, for those reading this that do not know, I was a big Buffy & Angel fan and I run Whedonesque.com, a website dedicated to all things Joss Whedon, the writer / creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel. Having said that, the people that post on my site are the real fans. I can name some episode titles, but not all and I have no idea which writer wrote which episode. Basically, I was heavily invested in the whole watcher/slayer thing and Scooby friends/family vibe. That spoke to me.
Unfortunately the Buffy series didn't explore that enough and became more about 'who is doing the Slayer today' and 'female empowerment' (barf), so I really didn't care much for the final two seasons. Secondly, I liked Firefly, but didn't love it like I loved BtVS and Angel. So yeah, I'm a fan, I run the website, but it isn't life or death to me, you know what I mean? (Those with no experience in any fandom at all will have NO idea what I'm on about.)
When Firefly first aired on TV, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. There were so many, I didn't have an immediate favourite and I didn't fancy any of them either. Since then, I've watched the series a few times and I've grown quite fond of it. But still not in a 'oh god, I adore these people and they're telling my story' kind of way.
Shortly after seeing the film on Saturday, I posted to Whedonesque about it and the minute I posted, the site and most of my other sites went offline. Which completely sucked for all the obvious reasons, but also because it meant I couldn't talk about the film when I was still completely pumped up about it. So here is what I wrote:
Well, let's put it this way. I went in with a lot of real life stuff on my mind and a pretty low mood.
I forgot all about it when the film started and I didn't think of it for one second during, and for about 30 minutes after it ended I was still blissfully forgetful of said real life stuff. I was in a different world for the entire film.
That Joss. He brings the funny. And the scary. And the sad. And the poignant. And the relevant. All in one 'big damn movie'!
So if you liked scifi, Star Wars, etc... you'll be surprised, because this film has real acting, real dialogue, real emotions. If you don't like scifi, you can still go see Serenity, because this film has real acting, real dialogue, real... you catch my drift. Go see it on opening week. Take your friends. Because when enough people show up for opening week... we'll get sequels. God knows, we may even get a 'cancelled' TV series back on the (not so) idiot box.
Continue if you don't mind spoilers... (highlight to make the text visible)
More Rock Star: INXS. I can't help it.
An Interview with co-host Brooke Burke. She's asked what her favourite INXS song is. She anwers, wait for it...
'Make you sweat'.
Another good one, from one of the earlier episodes, came from the mouth of Neal (Mick Jagger lite). To show more of his vocal range he's asked to pick a more melodic song. Given the choice of 14 songs he's lost:
'Melodic? What is melodic? I don't even know what that means!'
The latest talent show to grab my attention is the utterly tasteless 'Rock Star: INXS', in which the five remaining members of INXS (Kirk Pengilly, the three Farriss brothers and Gary Garry Garrrry Beerrrrrs) seek a lead vocalist for their band. The winner will record an album and go on tour with them.
Just so we're clear on this, INXS aren't INXS without Michael Hutchence. I doubt anybody would have taken notice if the band had tried to conquer the world with their brand of Aussie pub rock if they hadn't been blessed with one of the most charismatic frontmen in the history of rock music. Without Hutch, they're just pointless.
I understand their point of view. They did not choose to end the band, they did not split up, they just lost a mate and they want to continue doing the only thing they know how to do. But honestly, guys, a reality audition show?
It's as tacky as the 'rock star' clothing that never really sat right on Tim Farriss's brickie physique. Tim (and to a lesser extent Kirk) used to be my favourite, actually, but I don't recognise him these days. He looks like André Hazes now. Which will mean nothing to you if you're not Dutch. English equivalent: Jo Brand in tacky leathers, without the education. Anyway, I think the whole idea pretty much defiles Hutch's memory. -- EXTENDED BODY:
Now that we've got that lofty standpoint out of the way, I'll confess I have no scruples at all. I'm hooked. I'm watching the show (three per week: clinics, performances and elimination) and reading the boards, and I have one or two favourites to win the competition. Because here are a bunch of people who can actually sing and already have a career in music or music theatre, and they are given some top material (The Who, Nirvana, R.E.M., Beatles, etc) to arrange and perform live with the house band. They had me at 'can actually sing'.
The band invited both boys and girls to their auditions, which surprised me a bit, but apparently INXS sort of prefer a woman because it would eliminate the otherwise inevitable comparisons to Hutch.
I was even more surprised to hear that most of the women invited were typical rock chicks. You know, lots of hair, lots of skin, some collagen. Their voices sound very metal / AOR. The male contestants mostly sound like they're auditioning for a grunge band. I suspect it might be a concious decision NOT to appeal to the Idol demographic. So they have Brooke Burke (some 'model' I'd never heard of) as MC and Dave Navarro is co-hosting the show. It might as well have been Paul Abdul, he's pretty much critique-less. But hey, he's a rawker. This is a rawk show. Rawk, rawk, rawk. Get it?
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but despite INXS's pub rock roots, the band enjoyed their biggest success with songs that were pretty much Top 40 material. New sensation, Need you tonight, Never tear us apart... all pop songs a lot closer to Take That than to Aerosmith, if you ask me. You're not, but I'm giving you my opinion anyway, it's what people do on weblogs.
So who do we have applying for the job? I'm not going to spend much time talking about the girls. I don't like any of them. Not their screechy voices and not their fashion sense. The young one, Jordis, has potential but she is too young and too light weight for 'Our Band: INXS'.
I say 'Our Band: INXS' because this is what the show's script writers are making the band say all the time. When they eliminate one of the 'rawkers' (The writers have also decided the contestants should be called this. It's painful.) one of the Farriss brothers, Pengilly or Beers says: 'I'm sorry, but you're jess not roight fer ah bind: INXS.'
I suppose the show's producer wanted the it to have its very own catch phrase, like Donald Trump's 'You're fired'. The show's title suggests they think they have a potential series on their hands. Maybe they'll convince Queen to go next: 'I'm sorry, but you're just not camp enough for our band, Queen.' Or, if God forbid, U2 were to lose their drummer: 'We're really sorry, but you're not enough of a miserable bastard for our band, U2.'
Every reality show has to have an 'evil' contestant and judging from the forums, Canadian J.D. Fortune is the one everybody loves to hate. He doesn't play nice with the other puppies, he's apparently back stabbing his way through the rounds, he's devilishly handsome and he comes over a little 'crazy' and unreliable. I don't know of posters on other forums have ever dealt with lead singers, but J.D. is the ONLY contestant who comes near to having the right personality. He also seems to have the most talent re: songwriting, is a compelling performer (has the 'X' factor) and, unlike the other contestants, he's an INXS fan.
MiG (yes, that's how he spells his name) is the only Aussie in the group, of Fillipino descent. He's already has a career in musical theatre - I think he came straight from the London production of 'Queen, the musical'. I'm not sure 'Our Band: INXS' would put up with someone even prettier than Hutch, though he keeps delivering quite flawless performances.
Ty is the only black contestant and was seen crying over it a couple of episodes ago. Thinks he has to work harder because he's black. Whatever. He's good. Better at soulful ballads (he feels it) than straight forward rock (too stagey), but an accomplished performer. Very different from Hutch and I think it could work, but they'll have to break him down completely first, make him unlearn everything he learnt in theatre and start 'rocking' from the underbelly. Him and his little mohawk.
Marty is everybody's favourite. Too grungy for me, and his voice doesn't seem to have a lot of range, but Our Band: INXS seems to like him. Has a sense of mystery and quite interesting body language, but he doesn't seem to have the personality needed to front a band. Too demure. A little dull. Hasn't got the vision a frontman needs. But maybe Our Band: INXS welcome the thought of a singer they can knead into what they want. Who doesn't talk back. Who isn't unpredictable and dangerous and moody. It doesn't bode well... a band where the guitarist, drummer and bassplayer are in charge? Fuck me, but that's a recipe for disaster.
Who do I want to front Our Band? J.D. Who do I think will win? Marty, perhaps. Or maybe one of the girls, if Our Middle-Aged Band think with Their Dicks. What do I really think? Well, I don't want ANY of these would be 'rawkers' to front INXS. And it would please me no end if at the end of the series, Our Band says:
'We're really sorry, it's jess not roight to continue without Our Man: Hutch.'
The Mayor of Amsterdam intervened to give this year's canal parade (part of Amsterdam Pride) the go ahead -- there was some fuck up over licenses. I've watched the colorful boats 'n' floats go by before, but this was the first time I got a good spot at the barrier on Magere Brug. It's near the end of the parade's route through the Amsterdam canals, when the boats hit the Amstel River. All around me people complained that it wasn't as busy as last year (... that's how I got my spot!) and that the floats weren't as good... I really didn't care. It was chilly and I got rained on a few times, but I stayed glued to my spot for five hours, snapping away. Despite the fact that I was coughing my lungs up and couldn't see properly with my runny nose and teary eyes. One thing I learnt was that my gear isn't up to this kind of stuff. I used my Tamron 70-300 4-5.6 and the 85mm/1.8. The 85mm was too short and the Tamron is a piece of crap. Surprisingly, there weren't a whole lot of photographers around where I stood, but the ones carrying SLR's all had top range zooms on them. I am definitely going to get me that Sigma 70-200/2.8 for this kind of work.