What You Can Do In The Life?

Rudd-afied

2007-11-25T15:14:00.000+11:00

Yays forevers! Howard is gones! Oh happy day etc and so on....

Last night I stayed at my parents so we could watch K-O'b sit there trying to contain his joy as Labor romped it home. All week I was saying to people at work and at home how exciting it was because next week this guy:

Whoops, wrong Rudd, I mean THIS guy:

Was going to be the PM. Everyone was like: 'Stef, don't say it, don't get my hopes up!' But it was pretty clear that Ruddy was going to win, the big dork.

And while I joke (and for sure, the highlight of evening was watching Kerry O'Brien try to keep cool, and have a mental at The Chaser's antics) there was a moment during Rudd's speech when I looked over and my mum was crying, and I realised what was happening, and I held her hand.

It was as if all the pessimism she and I had been living through was finally beginning to clear a little. Its not all the way lifted, but I can see a light in the distance now. Howard running the country was slowly over 11 years breaking us down, breaking our spirits. When I saw things happening in our great country that I thought only happened in the third world or in dictatorships, and when I knew the people in my community voted for it, it was hard to see the future.

Mum an I held hands and we knew that, while not out of the woods, we would no longer be shaking our heads in disbelief and despair every weekend at the state that our home was in. He is gone now, and it is time to fix the damage.

I even feel a bit better about my own little life.

Positivity

2007-11-18T12:33:00.000+11:00

OK, so after slipping into a sort of....funk (No, I'm NOT going to say the D-word, even though it may be appropriate, I'm not going to go there here, give me some credit). I'm TRYING SO HARD to see the bright side of things. Because happiness follows positive actions and vice versa etc, you know what I mean.

Phew, it's tiring.

So this post is to go through some of the great parts of my life. It is Thanksgiving today, so I'm going to be thankful for all of the wonderful things in my life right now. In no particular order:

I live in a pretty cool share house in suburb de jour, Brunswick.

I just got a kind-of promotion, where I get a pay rise and more challenging work. On top of that, my workmates are all pretty cool people who I respect and get along well with, and I think they might even like me too, which is cool.

After a slow start to the second season, my serial TV show of choice, Heroes, is beginning to pick up some speed, with Hiro back in the present, Peter regaining his memory (and hopefully some balls - Peter needs to seriously STEP IT UP this season and do some Sylar-Adam arse kicking), the revelation of Adam's identity (can't believe I missed that), and a bit of sexy looks between Mohinder-Nikki-Nathan. Me likey! Oooh, and Matt's powers are growing. All good stuff. Keep up the pace Tim Kring, and thanks for listening to the fans.

My housemates have pointed me towards Empire Cafe on Sydney road - good organic coffee, yummy food, a non-pretentious non-threatening atmosphere, and..... FREE WIRELESS!!!! I shall live here now.

I finally bought some super cute capri pants and when I wear them with my red flats it is very Audrey Hepburn and I love it.

I'm surrounded by some pretty wonderful and supportive friends and family. Truly, I'm very very fortunate.

Sleep is getting slightly better.

I have pretty great hair (I was going to add it needs a cut but, no, positive) and it can pull off pretty much any colour, its currently burgundy and I love it, but it is also comfortably blonde. How lucky am I? (I'm aware that this and the capri one are very superficial, but beggars-choosers etc)

So....yeah. I'm a pretty lucky person, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Blogging on a Saturday night while watching Dr Who...

2007-08-18T19:33:00.000+10:00

.... Has my life come to this?

I remember when I used to spend all my time on Rotten Tomatoes, arguing why Magnolia was pretentious shit and creating my top ten hottest US actors under 30 (Adrian Brody and Joaquin Phoenix featured heavily, if memory serves). I was friends with American film fans called The Kid with the Helmet, and The Blue Bomber. I don't speak to them anymore. I don't go there anymore.

Back then, it was a pretty shameful thing to do, spend all day on an Internet message board, talking about stuff with people you never meet. I did it for three years. Now, all my friends, even the cool ones....especially the cool ones, either are on Facebook or have a blog or both. Talking on the Internet about stuff with people they have not met. I guess MySpazz and Facebook enable pre-existing physical relationships, but sometimes I miss the mystery and discovery of bonding over the shared love of a hobby comparing tastes and making jokes and arguing.

And somehow I still feel like the biggest nerd on Earth.

Last year I ventured away from the Internet off into the 'real word'. And today I'm finding myself home on a Saturday night blogging watching Dr Who...hmmmm....

Apologies, but I'm finding I'm tired and scattered a lot. I just thought I should blog.

***************

Edit:

Well, I just read something to blog about.

Tell us how you really feel, Deveny.

I mean...Jesus. Do you think she lives in Eltham? You know: hippy non-materialistic, but quietly loaded so they possess that ugly combination of guilt-fuelled preachiness and just a hint of snobbery over all those vulgar masses. Those...bogans.

Now, I don't watch Border Security or McLeod's Daughters or Sea Patrol. I don't like Eddie McGuire. I'm leftist. I was raised by a Broadmedows-Greek dad and a Preston mum. I went to school in Eltham and did and Arts degree at Melbourne Uni. Basically: Reformed bogan.

I mean, why does every leftist in the media come across like a crazy person shouting obscenities on a sidewalk? The annoying thing is that I agree with Deveny on the show and on most issues, but she always comes across like a bitch from hell with a serious superiority complex. What is she trying to achieve? Enlighten the few bogans who read The Age, or further the class divide between the broadsheet-readers and the rest, those uneducated, ugly, bigoted, sheep-like bogans? Those idiots, they sit there unwillingly laughing at themselves with Kath and Kim. Oh save them Catherine!

How am I supposed to solidify myself with the left when I hate their smug guts?

On a side vote, The Sideshow is on... hmmmm, everyone in the audience were late teens/early twenties... people trying to live Good News Week. Much like the performers.

My, I'm being quite the bitch today aren't I?

Where are all the funny girls?

2007-06-26T17:23:00.000+10:00

Here they are!

Vanity Fair...What Gives?

2007-06-07T20:53:00.000+10:00

This makes me want to vomit. Violently. Do you get the complex metaphor Bono and his band of 20 superhero mega-people are 'putting out there?' You know, that we're all connected and shit. I have one question: Where's Kevin Bacon??? Sigh. Honestly, you're not even trying Bono.

So does this:

Source: Vanity Fair

I love my 'best of' The Police album....why do you do this to me Sting? Why?!?! YOU ARE HOLDING A LUTE.

Fates Worse Than Death...

2007-04-12T18:38:00.000+10:00

Kurt Vonnegut has died.

I think I'll go read something of his.

Peace.

Pick ups...

2007-03-29T16:00:00.000+10:00

So I've had my fair share of weird pick-up-like experiences...

My first memory of a man's sexual interest in me was when I was 12 and walking to the shops after school in my uniform polo shirt and netball skirt. While crossing at the lights a man stuck his head out of his window and wolf-whistled at me. I was mortified.

Being in a brass band I used to get heaps of lecherous old men telling me how pretty I was over their Carlton Draughts. I was always mortified.

I remember once at a bar a guy bounced a tennis ball at me. I was mortified.

Having a slight disability makes you a target, I guess: Once on a dance floor a guy lifted his pants leg, showed me a giant scar and said "I was in a car accident. I nearly died." And then pointed at my abnormality I was mortified.

Once at the wake of my dad's friend a young man was reintroduced to me after many years (I couldn't remember him) and he said to my dad, in front of me, "You didn't tell me your daughter was so beautiful." We were at a wake. I was mortified.

Last year, the boy I ended up adoring said to me in a drunken stupor that we should bathe together, right there and then. We had barely shook hands at that point. I was mortified!

And then this morning, at the train station as I was quickly running to my next train, I was stopped by a young man who told me he had seen me on the train every day and wanted to ask me out, but didn't know how. So he handed me a book, and said his phone number was in it. I could see my train arriving. He handed me the book. I said thank you and ran to my train.

Yep, you guessed it.

I mean, who does that? The guy left the receipt in the book. He spent $21 on a perfect stranger. Now I feel totally obliged to contact him, just out of courtesy to thank him for the book. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. I'm taking a break. It tires me just thinking about it. Maybe I'll send him a message and say that I'm happy to chat with him on the train, but a date would be a little full on right now. I found him on MySpace (I hate it but I love it too). He's not my type at all, but he doesn't seem freakish. I guess I'll talk to him.

Just the other day my friend and I were saying how unreal sitcoms were, that strangers do not ask each other out after bumping into each other at the cafe. But I guess they do...

I don't think I have a normal pick-up story. Come to think of it, the whole pick-up thing is pretty weird. Do tell, readers. Do tell.

*********UPDATE***********

So I texted him something along the lines of "Hey ****, its Stef from the train. Thank you very much for the book, I'm flattered. I think going out might be too full-on for me right now, but I'm happy to chat on the train. See ya!" I also started reading the book. He didn't reply. (What's with that? He buys me a book but doesn't reply?)

This morning I saw him get on the train, the look on his face when he saw me was of a kind of embarrassed sadness. I smiled. We shook hands and introduced ourselves. He was shaking, obviously nervous. I smiled again, I wanted to put him at ease, but at the same time didn't want to be flirty. I thanked him for the book and said I'd started reading it and I was enjoying it, I said it reminded me of Bret Easton Ellis (it's actually a deliberate p/m reference to him, with a nice healthy dose of sex-and-the-city commercialism thrown in for good measure. Kind of like Chuck Palahniuk writing chick-lit). Anyway, he told me about himself. I told him very little, and reiterated that I was not interested in dating because I was just out of a really intense year/relationship and was quite enjoying my time alone. This was 100% true. I told him it was very nice to meet him though, and that it took a lot of guts to do what he did, which was great. I had to run to my train. Maybe I'll see him again next week. I'll probably try to avoid it. Its weird, I feel I should talk to him, as he gave me a book. But we didn't click, and I don't want to lead him on, nor do I want an early morning train friend: I quite like dozing.

Yes, he was harmless and sweet. I feel bad because it was all kinda wasted on this old cynic.

The End.

A post inspired by a quick little splinter...

2007-03-15T19:45:00.000+11:00

I would like to write about my 'real life' and blog friend (well, lets call her a friend; I certainly like her and hope she likes me back, even though we haven't really ever 'hung out'), Rachael.

I first met Rach at the beginning of 2006 in our Honours class, and to be honest, I felt quite reserved about her at first. Here was this incredibly outspoken, intelligent, articulate, fairly open, slightly androgynous, chick from ANU who marched straight into my Melbourne Uni classes and was stealing the show. After a year off uni I was expecting to be a little out of it, but Rach outright intimidated me with her manner and opinions (not on purpose, I know Rach). As time went on, and I got to spend more class time with Rach, I started to learn more about her personality. There was definite substance behind the confidence, she was very witty and quick, and quite self deprecating. She was also generous and gracious about her intelligence and knowledge, and absolutely open to discussion. Of course, it turned out I was intimidated because of my own insecurities, not because of Rach.

I quickly learned that Rach had a blog, and around the same time I started this craptastic endeavor. Rach's blog has always been a great read. Apart from her accomplished writing skills, her blog is consistently funny and insightful. through the Internet I learned the cyber-Rach, who coexisted with uni Rach. Through both, I came to hold ach on quite the little pedestal throughout the year. Her results and subsequent admission for a PhD is a good confirmation of her position in my mind.

Okay okay, where is all this mundane arse-kissing going, you ask? No, as dishy Rach is, I'm not trying to get into her skinny jeans... She once told me she was 'the worst lesbian ever,' meaning, I gathered, that she does occasionally go for those boy-things you see around the place. I have to confess I'm not even a little bit lesbian, I exclusively go for those boy-things.

I'm writing this because within the last month an on-off heterosexual relationship I was in ended, just like Rach, I got a job at the same company as Rach, and I graduated from my degree, sitting right next to Rach on the night. I also just read this post, which moved me to respond. It has all inspired a post.

She wrote:

It's amazing how quickly love can turn you into someone you didn't want to be.

Lately I've been thinking of getting another tattoo, some words from the Great Gatsby. I can't find the exact quote right now, but it was something like 'there is only the loved and the loving, the busy and the tired.' A neat little aphorism, but one of those things that seem so true it aches. Which one are you? Which have you been? What's next?

Aches is right, Rach. I'm the loving type. I'm sure. And I was someone I didn't want to be. And my experiences over the past year have scared me... I think its how I will always be. I've been consoling myself with the hope that one day I will be in a relationship with love flowing both ways... Isn't that what it is supposed to be like? Rach says in her comments that she is becoming increasingly cynical about the nature of heterosexual relationships... I hope she is wrong, but there is a part of me that understands her completely, and that dreads the upcoming years: the pain, the mistakes I will make. But it does all feel inevitable.

Putting on my graduation robes, cracking it at my mother for playing with my hood, sitting through the ceremony... I realised how much my degree meant to me. I'm the first person in my father's immigrant side to gain a degree, and I did something I really wasn't sure I could do. And my year was both enriched and diminished by one person who in January 2006 I wouldn't have known from Adam, but by May was like a drug.

I've got so much I need to do before I become that inevitable woman Rach mentions. I have things I've got to get out. Because I will be loving, I need to give myself the time before 2 or 3 people take all my energy and I become 'tired' again.

And Rach, it was my honour to sit next to you last night at graduation, you ruled our year. My sincere congratulations, and good luck for your upcoming research. What you wrote really affected me, thank you. And if its any consolation, remember: you communicate. From your sophisticated writing to your cod tattoo, you give out messages, and that's a great advantage. And its pretty cool.

New Job...

2007-03-09T16:49:00.000+11:00

So I found a new job. This is noteworthy for a number of reasons:

- It is my first job in 7 months.

- I am an Arts graduate. <<---- *Twilight Zone music*

- It is full-time.

- It is media-related but not "in the media" (my ideal).

- It is not advertising or marketing or sales.

- It is full of young people (albeit some kinda weird), unlike old work.

- I have to get up at 4.15am, 5 days a week. <<---- Yes, true.

- It is kind of what they call "a foot in the door."

I'm pretty happy, I'm single and working on a new wardrobe... All I need now is a share house with friends and this blog may will turn into copies of "The Secret Life Of Us" scripts.

I promise it wont.

Oscars Watch

2007-02-26T15:34:00.000+11:00

I just wanna say that last night I was thinking that all the predicted acting winners will win, except Eddie Murphy - Arkin will win that one.

So far I'm right, actor and actress have not been announced yet - but lets face it, those two awards are super predictable this year, Mirren and Whitaker. There's no way of proving it, but I know I was right.

A full wrap-up tomorrow when I get to watch the whole tape - I have to tape it because I have tap class tonight.

Go Helen Mirren, she's super cool.

I am afraid of big things in the ocean

2007-02-20T12:50:00.000+11:00

Ships, and also whales.

*shudder*

I'm so not cool with it.

Jeremy Piven...The Wiki Issue

2007-02-17T16:26:00.000+11:00

This is Jeremy Piven:

Here he is at the 2005 Emmys with his mum (she is always his date):

Here he is playing his (deserved) Emmy winning role as Ari Gold on HBO's Entouage:

Here's the thing...Wiki thinks he's gay:
"He is a noted spokesperson for GLAAD, and is one of the more prominemt gay actors in hollywood."

Now...Jeremy Piven may wear a rug, he may be a complete sleaze bag, and he is definitely a bit campy, but is he gay? Recently I spotted some paparazzi pictures of him with a woman at Starbucks or something...He also said in this week's OK Magazine about taking his mum to award shows: "Even if I had a girlfriend, I'd still take mum....there's something about parading a girlfriend in front of the press that seems wrong."

Either its all an elaborate scam to cover up his relationship with his "best friend" John Cusack, or Wiki's got it wrong!

Anyway, here's 9+ minutes of more Ari Gold magic if you liked what you saw. Its pretty great stuff.

Gay or not gay...? You decide.

Bloggn' in '07

2007-01-21T15:54:00.000+11:00

From Thailand with...

This was the view from our balcony on Koh Tao in Thailand. Quite spectacular, yes. Here and Now: CFT, apart from having the best location and views on Koh Tao, was quite an unpleasant place to stay. The staff were outwardly unfriendly and unaccommodating, never displaying any sense of consideration or concern for guests - strange considering that was basically, you know, their job. For a place that was supposed to be all new-age positivity promoting good energy, the energy was pretty bad. Then again, it has been my general experience with new-age types that they are not the most moral of creatures, despite their self-proclaimed on-to-it-ness. But overall, Thailand = good.

And so a new year begins. While there are a million things I could blog about - new tap dance classes, job searching, new friends, relationships, how much I love "What Goes Around" by JT, the prospect of FINALLY moving out of home - I prefer to blog more about popular cultural issues I know about, like Joss Whedon leaving Wonder Woman (seriously, I wrote a thesis on Internet fan communities in Cultural Studies and I STILL DON'T GET THIS GUY!), and Oscar Nominations. You know, the real important stuff.

I'm still deciding whether to morph this blog into a cultural critique blog or to just start up a more "professional" one. Once I've made my decision I'll let you know. I will be starting a Flickr account though - Yay!

OK, that's enough.

OMG! How long has it been?

2006-12-22T09:53:00.000+11:00

December is a BIG month for me, especially this year.

- Results came in. Just off the average I wanted, but not so bad that I can complain and be depressed. Really, I'm kinda just proud for finishing and doing it without any major breakdowns. Some minor ones, though. My thesis got a good enough mark though, and that was my baby. So, I feel content and a bit frightened about the future as I've redefined slack about the whole "making something out of that almost pointless but oh-so-stimulating Arts degree" thing.

- Turned 23 on the 12th. Yay. My friends got me Arrested Development Season 2. Love em.' I do feel a bit older this year, like the age is significant. I guess it's that I'm well into my 20s now and its full-on life stuff.

- Dad's birthday on the 15th, two cousins on the 18th and 20th...it's madness.

- Christmas.

- Thailand. 3 weeks. Leave on Christmas Day. Ugh. It's my first time overseas and I swing from being super giddy with excitement, scared out of my wits, and so over it within the space of an hour. I will read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (because I never got round to it and apparently someone dies), Siddhartha (to get me in the mood for some enlightenment), and, if I have time, Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis (because sex, drugs and rock 'n roll's my bag baby). I am visiting Khaosan Road, Koh Pha-Nang, and Koh Tao. I will sit on the beach and drink and get sun burnt and have fun.

- I've had to say goodbye to a dear friend who's going to Canada for a year and had some heart-to-hearts with him, who also left for Brisbane for a month the other day. Draining. Thailand's going to be reflective and rejuvenating, I think.

- None of this is easy when Melbourne skies look like a sign of the Apocalypse. I just want to sleep.

- Its been a big year what with the thesis and the falling for someone I shouldn't pretty tragically and Bobby Flynn and all. But, you know, I probably wouldn't change a thing. It wasn't as bad as last year when I crashed my car or 1995 - the year the devil controlled my fortune. Next year's goals are to get a job in "the industry," move out, and start to repair my increasingly fragile emotional state to become more emotionally independent and resilient. My moods need less extremes, methinks. Its funny, Sagittarius apparently has a great year ahead, but I recently discovered that my moon (moods) is in Cancer and my ascendant (how you project) is Pisces, two really emotional, sensitive, water signs. I'm pretty classic Sag on the outside, but that realisation has really made sense. I'll try to keep it in mind.

Thanks very much for reading this (pretty lame) blog this year. I may post an entry from Thailand, but you never know. The blog culture is really quite awesome and next year I hope to be more prolific and interested in it. Thanks to all my readers who comment (all 4 of you or so) and thanks especially to Susanne, Rach, and Amy for being new friends and "honours-sistas" - cool chicks they are indeed.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Damien...

2006-11-26T22:22:00.000+11:00

Edited: 5th December 2006

OMG, when I published this post, my post count was 666!!!!!

Ahh...hahahahahaha! See what I did there? I've put a picture of Damien from The Omen instead of this Damien (the actual subject of this post):

That's called an intertextual reference, kids, and I hope you write that down. It is oh so clever of me to do. You see, by making this intertextual reference I'm drawing attention to the double meaning inherent in the name "Damien." Apart from being a common boy's name it was also used to name the son of the devil in The Omen and has since been associated, in pop culture at least, with all things evil. And therefore by drawing attention to this particular reading of the name "Damien" I am making a connection between Australian Idol and Satan.

Pictorially it would look like this:

Except, as you would have hopefully gathered by now, I don't culturally or symbolically equate Idol with Satan. In fact, I really like Australian Idol and I don't really like Satan (well, you know, except at certain times, like Christmas). So what's with little evil Damien? Nothing. I just like that image, wanted you all to know that I know who won Idol, and wanted to seem all pop-cultural and intertextual. There, you got me.

OK, on with the wrap-up.

Very interesting year. Let me begin by saying THANK GOD IT WASN'T AS BAD AS LAST YEAR. I think that the four seasons of Idol have taught me one thing: Australian Idol voters generally vote on voice. Pretty much every year they've voted for vocal uniqueness and ability over "packageness" (Kate deRough kinda counts, it was an all-round dud year). I mean, really, they say its a singing contest, but because a) being a pop star isn't about singing, some of the biggest pop and rock stars can't sing, and b) being a reality show that shows more than just the stage performances, we are asked to judge them as 'people:' its not really just a singing contest. But it seems that that's what 'the public' want. They've voted the blandest, most unmarketable people as Idols pretty much every year, people that would NEVER GET A RECORD DEAL:

Christian, 'ethnic,' Fro, weird, No Personality = FULL MONG*

Socially stunted, 'ethnic,' overweight, didn't even want to be there really = FULL MONG

Overweight, bland, just...nothing = FULL MONG

Moves like a epileptic, foreign, bad teeth, bland = FULL MONG

Why? Because they can sing. And that's why I like Idol.

You see, Idol didn't wreck the music industry. It doesn't herald the pathetic consumer-driven post-capitalist state of modern culture that permeates into the decadent doomed nation of losers we all are. No, that's been happening for ages. The 'culture industry,' yes Adorno, has been operating for quite some time, and culture has been commodified for, I dunno, only MILLENNIA. Audiences have always been voting for their idols: by buying albums. With Idol, however, instead of getting to choose from a preset of choices determined by record executives, audiences get, to an extent, to pick people at grass-roots levels. And it seems they like the underdog with talent over pre-packageness. Predictable to an extent, but also kinda sweet.

Now, before you all start with the "But Stef, like, its a TV show, with its own agenda and how much control do we really have and its all still part of the system and, like, what about true artist who do it outside the system and make real music, blah blah blah..." Well, to that I say, each to his own. I don't believe that mass-produced music is overly damaging to other sorts of artists. Youth culture latches to all sorts of trends, mainstream and/or counter-cultural, and I don't see any of these practices dying-out. The only form of music I worry about is classical, which youth do seem to be rejecting. It's sad, because its my favorite, really.

Anyway, it was a funny night because all the past Idols and not-quite Idols sang (except, you know, the fat one) and they were lame and then Klancie rode a horse and there were medleys and stuff. It was ace:

Yo Yo Yo we's the Young Divas and we REAL girls with REAL curves. Bootylicious y'all!

Is it still a secret that he's gay? I can't keep up.

BAAH HAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!! HA!

Shannon loves his fans. Wouldn't you?

His guitar fretboard says "Lynyrd Skynyrd" for you kids playing at home.

Oh Bobby. Ahem. Excuse me for a moment...

You were robbed, Ricky. ROBBED I TELLS YA!

"Damo, has anyone ever told you you look like Pippin the mischevious hobbit from Lord of the Rings?"

"Yes, yes they have."

"You're even Scottish too!"

"Kill me."

So all in all, a good Idol year. We got Bobby Flynn, after all. And my deepest apologies (God, as if ANYONE gives two hoots) for only covering half the Idol year and also the lateness of this post. Its been a stressful few months, what with thesis and essays and boys and friends and Thailand. I promise soon I will be back to normal.

* Courtesy Kyle Sandilands

Robert Altman

2006-11-23T20:32:00.000+11:00

I was going to write a post about Altman, who was one of my very favorite filmmakers. He was consistently great; Gosford Park was a masterpiece made so late in his career. Instead, I'm going to just show this clip, which I think speaks for itself. Popeye was not a critical success, like many of Altman's films, but I grew up watching it over and over again. RIP Robert Altman.

I really am liking embedding YouTube vids now that I know how.

You annoy me to no end!

2006-11-21T16:16:00.000+11:00

To all the commuters who press the buttons on button-controlled train doors before the beep sound and flashing light with that stupid bloody perplexed look on your face like "ugh, there's something wrong with this door, stupid door, I'll just keep pressing this button and look angry:"

See post title.

Idiots.

Ahem.

Anyway, on Saturday night I saw an independent theatre group, Actually Theatre, perform The Eggman Cometh. It was written by my friend Jesse and starred some peeps from my High School. It was staged in an allyway behind the Troika Bar. It was about these two characters, Mummy and Daddy, who lived in a 50's suburban cage. They were visited by The Eggman, a showman who rewarded them when they produced eggs and punished them when they rebelled. Mummy and Daddy were battery hens, but they were also 'the worker,' and the Eggman was the 'capitalist industry' who exploited them. It was all very postmodern. In fact, when it was over, I said to my friends "well, that was all very postmodern, wasn't it?"

Today, Trumpet played me a song by The Bedroom Philosopher.

This song:

Sigh. I think he's trying to tell me something.

It's all very postmodern, isn't it?

Boobies

2006-11-15T10:25:00.000+11:00

Last Wednesday, I went for my annual physical (well, I had to get my shots for Thailand, so I got a "once over" while I was at it). I had my blood and urine test (cholesterol still going down, take THAT genetic disposition), a smear test, and a breast check.

The breast check was by far the most awkward part of the appointment. Lying on my back topless while my doctor got to second base with me was kind of weird. She didn't even stroke my hair first or cuddle me. The closest I got to dirty talk was "any breast disease in the family?" It was the least physically intrusive of all the tests, and yet it seemed the most intimate. What is it about tits?

Then three things happened at the weekend:

1. Belinda Emmett died

Awe man. This really upset me. And I'm not a huge fan of Rove or anything. I mean, I was like everyone else of the belief that, you know, he got shit pretty quickly. But, you know, he married her when he knew she was going to die. That's so beautiful, really. And as sick as she had been looking over the past three years, it was still a bit shock to me when she passed away. It was hard to concentrate on my Doctor Who essay, despite David Tennant's dishiness.

2. Kylie Made Her Comeback

Get it?! She's a fighter! Get it??! Get it??!!!! "Meow!" Get it!!!???

Kylie - botox, waist, bum and all - made her triumphant return to Australia's mid-size stadiums, complete with perfume and ugly Vogue cover. Now, far be it for me to bag Australia's Very Own Pop Princess, I mean, I sure don't look that good in an old Cats outfit. But I generally like my Pop Princesses to be able to at least lip sync properly if they can't sing in tune. That goes for my Rock Kings as well, actually:

3. Move over, Skeletor

Hi, I'm Sarah Murdoch. I'm rich, beautiful and in a happy relationship with Rupert Murdoch's son. And I care about things. I'm very involved in the world around me.

Eddie made some calls. He's replaced Jessica Rowe with the Patron of The McDonald Foundation, a Director of The Australian Ballet, an ambassador for The Murdoch Children's Reseach Institute, and the patron of The National Breast Cancer Foundation. She's also a mother of two (Kalan and Aidan - FFS), and a devoted wife. She obviously wants to 'give back.' She's also a Wonderbra model and Bonds Girl. Just to make Jessica feel ever so secure and not threatened at all. *NOW* I FEEL SORRY FOR SKELETOR. The depression, the laugh, the husband - nup. Sarah Murdoch? LEAVE JESSICA ALONE EDDIE! FFS! HAS SHE NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH??

Why am I blogging like a little bitch? I dunno. It seems breast cancer and high-profile Australian girls-next-door (Livvie, Jane McGrath, Janelle Kidman, Raelene Boyle, and of course, Janette Howard) are inexplicably linked...

But wait!

I'm a high-profile (stay with me) girl-next-door! I'm the quintessential girl-next-door! I'm fucking Joey Potter!

Lucky I had a breast check.

What the fuck is with this cancer man? Its its nature's way of keeping populations in check? Whats with the breasts? Is it because breasts are so... evocative? So integral to the common concept of the beautiful female form? So prevalent? Whatever it is, breast cancer is in vogue and its not going away. I'm going to continue feeling sorry for little Rove, hanging shit on The Kylie, and hating Sarah Murdoch. And I predict Bec Hewitt, Melissa Doyle or Johanna Griggs gets it next.

OK, don't ask me what this post was about. I guess its just a collection of thoughts on loosely connected stories. I'm finished Uni! OH MY GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE?!

Haircut tomorrow. Yaya's Birthday today. I slept for about 15 hours straight on Monday night.

Glass House Shattered*

2006-11-01T12:33:00.000+11:00

Oh yeah.

Well, it's finally happened. The ABC's most once-kinda-funny show, The Glass House, has been axed. Sorry, not axed, just not renewed...yeah.

The Age links this ~~axing~~ to the current bruhaha surrounding the ABC's political bias content issue. Apparently The Glass House was "at the centre of a storm over allegations of anti-Howard Government bias."

And yet Courtney Gibson, head of ABC Arts and Entertainment, has maintained there is no link:

She went on to say that comedy and satire is exempt from the new editorial
policies and assured listeners that satirical program The Chaser will
return and that Wednesday night timeslot will be reserved for Australian-made comedy. the age

I'm in two minds about this. There are a few issues here.

The first is that I wasn't sure about comedy being exempt from the bias issue:

Insiders complain that the reach of the strict guidelines is too wide. They
include programs on the arts, education, history, Aboriginal affairs, lifestyle,
science, health and even comedy chat shows. the age 16/10/06

These "strict guidelines" and the so called bias watching going on with The Glass House could be different things, but I smell a panic-station response from Gibson there.

On the other hand, I tend to go with Gibson on this because, lets face it, Corinne, The Glass House lost it two years ago and you're beating a dead horse. The ABC knows that and that's why they're not renewing. And don't tell me about the ratings being good this year. Its the ABC, you think they care?

Maybe its a combination of the two issues: content and quality. Maybe the ABC will tolerate biased stuff if its of good quality . Take this excerpt from an interview with the Chaser guys from year ago when they were promoting The Chaser Decides:

Reucassel believes Denton’s absence will be felt in their dealings with the
ABC.
"Denton has the status of a god around here and that helped, and I hope
that they trust us in the same way."
The answer to that question may be found
in fact that the ABC has appointed Rehame to monitor all of the ABC’s election
coverage.
The national broadcaster says that net covers everything, including
The Chaser Decides.
"I think that’s quite ridiculous," Reucassel says. Firth
agrees, describing the move as absurd.
"It’s all in the voice," he says,
before declaring loudly: "John Howard is the greatest," in a tone that probably
impressed a Canberra staffer reading a Rehame transcript, but doesn’t exactly
leave the listener convinced.
"We are claiming we have the most unbiased
coverage in the history of the universe," Firth adds.
"We’re going to ignore
all that, because you have to. The ABC has its own little layers of management
to deal with that."
That said, Reucassel points out the ABC has historically
been "very sensible" about understanding the difference between satire and
straight reportage.
"They recognised there were different standards for
satire than news. As there must be when you’re dealing with comedy. It’s very
different to news. It’s very different to reporting." The Age. 16/9/04

The Chaser, Andrew Denton, Kerry O'Brian, Media Watch etc... all get away with it (and always have, content watching is clearly not new) because they've earned a reputation for having a certain quality. I'm afraid eluding to a sexual relationship between Bush and Howard in between double entendres about Dave Hughes buying sex is just not worth renewing.

The Glass House never really cut it. I watched it because it was on after whatever BBC comedy program they had on and before At The Movies. Sometimes they have funny guests on.

Put The Chaser's War on Everything in that timeslot PLEASE ABC! That way I wont miss it on Friday nights!

* Forgive me. Come on, I had to.

Ways to know you're uncool...#106

2006-10-23T16:16:00.000+10:00

Scroll Down

Spelling/Grammar mistakes: >3

Months I've been out of the band: 4

Time it took to write and work up courage to send: 1/2 Hour

Procrastination out of doing thesis: Priceless.

Seriously...cute

2006-10-20T13:19:00.000+10:00

This is to lighten the mood of the blog, and is a gift to all my honours friends entering the final week of hell.

When you're feeling low, watch this and all tension just melts away. Like a lava lamp. Makes sure you have the volume up.

Seriously...

2006-10-18T11:49:00.000+10:00

Man, talk about a downer. Sniff. Animal stories always get me.

9 more sleeps till thesis no more! Argh! Yay!

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #6

2006-10-16T20:41:00.000+10:00

To honour the severity of this unforeseen tragedy* I will not post a round up this week. Its too hard.

This is right up there with the Ricky-Lee debacle of '04.

* And also because I can't be arsed.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #5

2006-10-15T10:54:00.000+10:00

What is it you groovy bloggers say? Ahh yes, "Le Sigh."

Its a week late so the moment has passed. I'll quickly blog some random thoughts on the action of the last week's events:

- James and "G" wore the same jacket but in different colours. I would make a gay joke here, but, you know. Meh.

- Overall a really strong night. Highlights include Chris performing what I think was his best performance yet, "Play That Funky Music." Confident vocal and appealing tongue-in-cheek vibe. Also strong were Dean (complete with acrobatics) and Jessica (complete with animal print).

- Lavina looked super fat. BAD DRESS.

- "G's" body language towards Dean is super-telling. BUT I'M THE PRETTY ONE DAMNIT!

- Ricky, you keep letting yourself down with song choice. I'm afraid you're not very well liked. This is a shame because I really like what you do vocally. I do like that song though.

- The night was quite strong, apart from two disasters.

1) Lisa singing Blondie. Now, if she had attacked the song I would've let it slide that its not strictly disco. Instead though she continued to act like a spoilt, attitude-sprouting first class bitch. The thing is, Lisa, if Bobby wasn't up there kickin' it every week, using the talent he has to manipulate the music to his liking, you might be able to get away with the whole "this is so, like, not my thing, like, I need my guitar, like, totally" thing. And if Jessica wasn't up there being sweet, gracious and down-to-Earth, you might be able to get away with that rotten attitude. But as it stands, I hate you. You seriously need to go. Your original stuff wasn't even that good.

2) Damien singing "Celebration."In case you missed it, words can't really describe this performance. Instead, I'll use the magical powers of YouTube:

Obviously that's not quite accurate. Damien wasn't as good as that.

- Bobby Flynn. Bobby. Flynn. Flynn of the Bobby. Flynn. Bobby. Bobby. Flynn.
See, its all because of this guy:

The whole alternative vs mainstream debate. In the circles I travel in, its only cool to like Idol in a postmodern-ironic (Did I just link to wiki for postmodernism? Can you tell I'm going insane this month?) way or as a "popular cultural phenomenon" to study way. I like it in both these ways, aren't I cool?, and also genuinely. But generally, its not cool to like Idols. Especially if they are 'mock alternative,' as Lee is. And I agree, last year was a joke. The talent was rank. A couple of good voices with bland personalities and a few posers.

It would seem the producers (and their accountants) of this year's Idol agree, and so they decided to let 'real alternative' acts into the competition. And by 'real alternative' acts I mean people with guitars. Who were willing to enter. Now, people like Lisa and Dean and Damien I would've expected - corny singer-songwriters who really just want to be pop stars. But in amongst it came a real talent. Someone who clearly just thought, "I'll give it a go." They weren't snobby or too cool, they just wanted to try. Kind of like Casey Donovan. Or Guy Sebastian (who, when we think about it, is hardly mainstream). What I've loved about Australian Idol is the way voters haven't gone the predictable way (except for season 3 - maybe Kyle had something to do with it) and have supported all kinds of "wrong" acts. Lets hope Bobby Flynn is the next success story. Wouldn't that be something? It may even break the divide between alternative vs mainstream which is, of course, not as solid as some people think. After all, there are lots of people out there like me, who read things lots of different ways. Ken Gelder thinks its because if some sort of musical ability that's kept Bobby popular. this may be true, but I like to think its more that Australians love a "genius full mong."

Results: Chris, Ricky and Lavina in final 3. What a joke, Lisa needs to GO DAMNIT!

Bye Lavina, it wasn't that nice knowing you, you're as up yourself as your sister and you annoyed me. But whatever, you were never going to win.

Watch this space...

2006-10-09T22:40:00.000+10:00

I will add my Idol round up sometime this week. It was a great episode and I have lots to say...but you know.... busy busy busy.

Don't fret.

Convoluted and tired...

2006-10-06T20:03:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

Thought I should give a quick 'life update,' as I've been neglecting this blog lately. Apart, of course, from the wonderful pieces of literature I've been writing in response to Australian Idol, which I'm sure will one day be studied alongside The Bard.

But all in all, life's...uneven.

The big news is 'the thesis.' Its coming along. I'm at about 13,000 words and I have some more to write. I also have a lot to cut, so I think word count will be ok. My supervisor is happy with my theoretical work, she said it was "rigorous and robust," so that's encouraging. My major problem is my sloppy, convoluted writing style and bad use of grammar. This is no surprise to me. I'm terrible at basic level literacy and writing's never been my strong suit. I can formulate arguments, successfully analyse and scrutinise work, and research well. I'm a kick ass public speaker too. But getting my thoughts on a page...I find it difficult. So I will be taking my thesis to some proofreaders to work me through that, and it should be fine. Its OK my supervisor said "look, it's not so bad, it doesn't read like English is your second language." WELL PHEW!! That's a relief.

My personal life is ok. I'd like to state that I have some wonderful friends. They have been so super supportive over the past year. Including the boy who I've had dramas with - he's always at the other end of the phone for me. We've both been pretty stressed lately and we seem to be leaning on each other a lot for comfort...not probably the smartest thing to do, but it feels good. we're quite good for each other. He calms me and I cheer him up.

My hair is looking super hot, despite needing a cut. I've spent a fortune on:

Redken Fresh Curls
My hair is less frizzy and so nice and soft. Worth every penny. Now I need to cut it.

OK, well I'm off to visit my special friend to hang out. <----- Read into that what you will, sickos.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #4

2006-10-01T17:15:00.000+10:00

Note: This may be the worst wrap-up ever. Its a day late, my video isn't original (Damn you Rach!) but I sware I found the video on my own, I couldn't be bothered doing the video links, and yeah...its just crappo. Enjoy!

This week's Australian Idol - The 4th Judge is brought to you by...George Washington.

The Show (The Year You Were Born):

Damien Leith
Its like the George Michael version. I love this song, its one of my favorite Elton John songs - but the arrangement was weak. It was very daggy, he looked very uncomfortable. Not his best.

Ricky Muscat
He's singing "I Come From the Land Down Under" with a Jamaican/American accent. Stupid. Great vocal otherwise. Good choice of song in terms of vote pulling. It could go either way. Ricky is showing that terrible ignorance when it comes to music before 2001.

Jessica Mauboy
She seems to breathing shallowly. And the tempo seems a bit stagnant. She's distracted. And yeah, she's holding back a bit. Oh well.

They're getting longer time to sing. And the theme of the night is crappo.

Bobby Flynn
Ooh! Eye makeup! I LOVE YOU BOBBY FLYNN EVEN THOUGH YOU LOOK LIKE LURCH FROM THE ADDAMS FAMILY! The pointing thing is funny. He's great. I think he is both a full mong and the biggest star in the world.

Lisa Mitchell
The cute thing is not doing it for me anymore. She over plucks her eyebrows big time. Nuh, I'm totally over it. Joke's over, go away. Kyle's right about the ballet flats, not stage wear. She needs to grow up.

Dean Geyer

sings

BON FUCKIN JOVI!
Its all just so right: I rock, but I have great hair.
If this guy wins I'll be totally upset.
He's not shouting "SHOT THRU THE HEART," he's singing it. Its laking energy.

Mutto
This guy is just so lame. I don't get it at all. He looks like a married guy. You know those guys...they're all like, married and shit. What a crap song choice. I'm so over mid-tempo rock ballads.
As much as I hate Kyle and everything he stands for, what he said about Triple J listeners holding onto their youth is almost right.

Lavina Williams
She's nailing it better tonight than ever before. Awesome. She's a bit annoying and lacks a warmth. "Getting Mutto to paint on your tats before the show..." That's funny. Damn you Kyle.

Chris Murphy
Good song choice. Best song choice of the night. That scream he does is killer. Did he just sware? HOW'S THE FUCKIN' BAND???!!!! I'll tell you: They consistently are lackluster.

Love Actually is on next. I'd rather pull my own hair out strand by strand that watch that sexist rubbish. It astonishes me that this movie is popular, it is the most transparent piece of misogyny I've ever seen. In a movie full of women, the only two women with any agency are Linney and Thompson. And they don't get a happy ending. To be a chick who gets a happy ending in that film you have to be: 1) Incredibly but effortlessly beautiful, 2) Passive, 3) Have no job, or if you have one be a servant to a man. Yeah girls, take your boyfriends. Its a great date movie, if you're Ike and Tina.

ROMY AND MICHELLE IS ON!!!!!! Love Actually, take note bitches. Keira Knightly...gross, give me Mira and Lisa anyway.

Pretty shit night, mostly due to a crap theme.

Verdict:

Wasn't home last night, so I know this because a girl in my cinema studies class told me. Thanks to her...don't know her name - isn't that terrible.

Mutto, Lisa and Jessica in the final 3...

...YES! MUTTO THE LAMO - MUTTO DRESSED AS LAMB - SUCKO MUTTO IS GONE!!!!

Hooray!

Go Bobby. The girl and I were sharing our love for Bobby. He seems so out of it, like he's wandered onto the set from outside or something.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #3

2006-09-24T19:37:00.000+10:00

This week I was thinking of writing a bit about high/low cultures, left-wing subcultures, and Australian Idol...

.....I couldn't be stuffed. But trust me, it would've been great.

Show (#1 Hits):

Klancie Keough
Ugh, weak vocal entry, quite pitchy and too breathy. Mr Myagi is playing guitar. She looks preggers! This performance is really laking oomph. Just really crappy all round, and I really don't like her. Terrible song choice. There is nothing more daggy than her. God I love Mark. God I hate Marcia and he-who-shall-not-be-named.

Damian Lieth
"If Tomorrow Never Comes." Diction's not the best. He's breathing the ends of phrases. My friend and I had a discussion about Damian, she reckons he's ugly and his teeth are "fucking bad." I don't think they're "fucking" bad, and the addition of the 5 o'clock shadow is working for him. His speaking voice is that of a jockey. Sad for him.

Lavina Williams
Lavina is looking very Missy Elliot in her rehearsal getup, its a terrible look. Mehates it. Her song choice is too "disco," and "Marcia Hines" - what will she sing in the disco week? Its also dated and she's laking the intensity and oomph of previous weeks. Stupid key changes for the sake of them really annoy me. MARCIA STOP IT WITH THE JIVE TALK! Everyone goes on with how good is the band is - they could be better, they can be seriously bland.

Chris Murphy
Pretty good song choice, "Against All Odds" is a guilty pleasure song for me. Its a pretty lackluster arrangement, and I'm not feeling it from him either. His voice is thin by nature, but I'm feeling it's not really enough. Phil Collins is a very emotive writer and singer. Its lacking. I hate how Marcia thinks a singer can "defend" themselves by saying how they "thought is went." Hello? Who gives a shit what they thought?

Dean Geyer
I really don't like this kid. I really don't like this song either. I feel a bit cheated by him. He presented very 'real' in early auditions, and he's turned into Anthony Callea v.2.0 - "Mr Slick." However, this was his best performance. Well done Dean, I gotta hand it to you. Except I really hated the dance moves. Everything else I can't fault. Damn.

"Mutto"
I'm sorry, did you sing something?

Jessica Mauboy
OH GOD PLEASE LET THIS BE A TOUCHDOWN! - before performance
No, no it wasn't. How so not a touchdown, the band are so lackluster - After performance
Or maybe it was - After Mark
She may now win. TDs do great for the win factor. And it was a great comeback to the "jelly belly" comment. Good on you Jess, still my favorite.

Except that dress made her look fat.

Bobby Flynn
Great song for him. You Rock Bobby. He's mumbling a bit. He's doing it "Bobby Style." As much as it's fun being done Bobby Style, its not working. It wasn't Bobby Styled enough.
Marcia, you are not a therapist. I wouldn't talk to you if I was on an deserted island and the only way I could get off said island was to decipher your talk and relay it through a transistor radio. Same to you Kyle. As if Bobby's going to talk on national TV about his personal problems.

Ricky Muscat
Hate the keyboard. I really like his ends of phrases - its different. There's really not much to
fault there. I disagree with Mark. I thought he controlled it pretty well.

James just mentioned "Idol Bloggers." Yay.

Lisa Mitchell
My mum calls her: "the one like every other 16 year old girl in Australia who talks her way through songs."
GREAT SONG CHOICE FINALLY MOTHERFUCKERS!
Still hate the way she doesn't finish words. She's just so apathetic. So "Hello Kitty."

All in all, Mutto should go. Or Klancie - she's crappier than crap. dean improved this week, as did Jessica and Ricky. I hope Bobby is safe.

Verdict:

Doing this from Uni so I'm relying on the message boards for info.

It seems Lavina, Dean and Klancie are the final 3.

And Klancie has gone. The hooker-with-a-heart-o-gold, poster girl for the Nationals, has been rejected by the Aussie public.

*single tear of pride/joy*

Good. Very good indeed. Thank you and goodnight.

Silly how Dean had a good week and was bottom 3 and Mutto and Lisa are safe. Not cool.

Its hilarious how quickly this idea is running out of steam. It reminds me of my childhood and everything was started enthusiastically and then ran out of steam. In fact, nothing has changed.

Next week: Song from year of birth. Wow, Lisa can sing Groove is in the Heart. Awesome. I bet she WROCKS it.

Bye bye for now.

See! Preggers.

Source: Australian Idol Website

I'd like to meet someone who watches "Cold Case"

2006-09-23T20:47:00.000+10:00

Yeah, the title kinda says it all.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #2

2006-09-17T19:42:00.000+10:00

Source: Telegraph

I reckon Idol's got it tough this year. It has to follow Meerkat Manor. On Meerkat Manor, I get to watch baby meerkats run around and cower from owls. That's pretty hard to beat.

Tonight is rock night. I predict Mutto and Chris will do well, and hopefully Bobby and Ricky will perform well. I also hope little Jessica shines. The rest could die from syphilis, I wouldn't notice.

As a tribute to this show's superior lead-in, I will be grading tonight's performances out of 5 Baby Meerkats:

Show (Rock):

Ricky Muscat
He looks good, I like the T-Shirt. He's very strong on stage, and he's got a really cool voice. He's also showing a good level of versatility. But he should watch his dynamics. He starts at about 8-9 and has little to go. I think he was told that in the semis. He overkills at times. But I really like him and it was a good start to the show. Nice song choice too.
4 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Lisa Mitchell
"My style is...um...like...cute and stuff. I dunno. Like, folky and stuff."
Did she miss her entry? It was a very timid first few bars. She has a goofy "this is so embarrassing guys, OMG!" look on her face while singing. So immature. I really don't think this girl is up to this competition. Metamorphasise? Marcia, please, I could be wrong, but that's not a word. Don't start with this crap. God she (Marcia) annoys me. Lisa can't take this criticism, she's acting like a spoiled brat up there. "Well, what can I do?" she asks, defiantly. The answer is nothing. She's really too immature. Its not happening.
2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

"Mutto"
Why is he singing another mid-tempo rock ballad? He should've taken this week by the balls. Just because Mark says you're intense and vulnerable doesn't mean you should do that all the time. Oooohhh, he can't make the pitch up high. Yikes that's ugly. Bad stage movement at the end. He's likable. Don't make excuses for him Marcia! I'm really going to be hating Marcia tonight, she's really shitting me more than usual. Did he just "God bless" the audience? I disagree with the judges, not the best song choice, too safe. And I'm not crazy about the vote grabbing.
2 1/2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Klancie Keough
Ahh, my favorite. What kind of a name is "Klancie?" Singing "Keep Your Hands to Yourself." She sounds breathless, shaky, bad eye contact with audience. Isn't breaking her voice strongly enough for me to be convinced it's intentional. And she still looks cheap. I think she will always look cheap. Great song choice. Pity the band sound crap! Mark is right about her not being contemporary enough. I'm really unconvinced with the true quality of her voice. She's picking safe songs for her and only just scraping through vocally. She'll crash and burn. I hope.
2 1/2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Bobby Flynn
Cool! He' a werewolf! Oh, no he's not. Damn, that would be cool. Like this arrangement a lot. Wow, I actually really liked that. I liked that better than last week. He's not hit top for me yet, but I like contestants who are really gutsy arrangers (unlike Mutto who rearranges very predictably).
3 1/2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Reigan Derry
She looks dead inside tonight. Sounds a bit Christian rock. What was that at the end? Damn, that sounded crapola. I feel like an idiot, because I don't know that song. She was a little pitchy, but she looked great. Mark's right, she didn't nail it. And it was a pretty crap song choice.
2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Damian Leith
GREAT SONG CHOICE FOR YOUR VOICE DAMIAN! Why are you slurring into the chorus? You're lucky you're so well suited vocally to this, because you're not performing your best. You didn't need to falsetto that last bit. It's getting tired. Mark's right, he's holding notes for too long. Kyle, why do you feel the need to be the style council, you're a tool.
3 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Jessica Mauboy
She's a cutie. A bit of a safe choice, and she's mimicking the sound of Clarkson's voice. She's doing that thing I hate and singing just like the record, showing no musical initiative, aside from the old vocal run. But I still like her, and she nailed that high note, unlike Reigan. In fact she was quite on pitch the whole way. I HATE when Marcia talks jive. GO JAMES! GO ANDY G! Defending that puppy fat. They're puppy fat knights! Jess was good but safe.
3 1/2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

~~Jack Black~~ Chris Murphy
Good song choice. Not liking the left hand out flat like that, though. He's so Jack Black. He should sing "Tribute" one week. Yeah, he's good and all, but IS IT ENOUGH?? We'll see.
3 1/2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Lavnia Williams
She looks hawt. Interesting song choice, too bad I fucking hate Evanescence. She is so much cooler than Emily. I liked that, balls to the wall sound. She did seem to strain a little. But she did it, she got it done. I don't like her "mm hmms" though. So fucking cliche. I reckon she and Marcia could have a whole conversation without using vowels. "Mmmhhmm Dhhrrrlnn."
3 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Dean Geyer
Why are they ending with this guy? He's so "meh" musically. Oh that's right, they've been shoving him down our throats BEFORE THE SHOW EVEN STARTED. HE WAS ON THE BLOODY ADS SINGING HIS CRAPPY LITTLE SOFT ROCK. He's practically already won. He looks a bit like James Marsden. PITCHY! He's fucking pitchy. For Christ sake (heh, quite literally), he's almost out of tune. Liked how he pointed to the drummer, though. Mark and I agree again on the pitch. Marcia's a joke.
2 out of 5 Baby Meerkats.

Generally, a weaker night than last week. I would've liked some more ROCK. None of this soft indy stuff of the last 10 years. No one rocked. Not even Chris, he chose rock parody. Ricky's still my favorite. I like Jessica and Bobby's improved in my eyes, I hope he continues too. Still can't warm to the bush trash loser that is Klancie. Dean's an idiot, so's Mutto. Marcia's a tool.

Once more:

Verdict:

I wonder if they will sing another medley tonight. I love those medleys, they're that really embarassing type of entertainment that makes you kinda cry.

This backstage preview is making me really like Bobby and Chris. James Mathison swings for me, sometimes he's ok, sometimes he's really annoying. He screams "scruffy boyfriend of a friend," one you know wont be around for long.

Yay! Guy. The original Christian Virgin (TM) and the best. Dean should bloody watch and fuckin' learn. Even though he's a Christian and, even worse, a virgin, and he verges on the preachy, he's still my favorite ever. I wonder if he's still a virgin?

Group performance is really showing the weakness of the girls. Dean, stop pointing at that goddamn camera. Yep, tears are swelling it's so uncomfortable. What's funnier: Bobby trying to dance, or Lisa trying to sing? Bobby, methinks. But in a good way.

"Oh Lord, give me the strength to not sleep my way to the top."

Source: Australian Idol website.

Reigan's out. That's too bad, she had potential. But she was never going to win it. What is fucked is the final 3: Mutto, Reigan, and RICKY. My favorite, one of the best performances of last night. What a joke. My bottom 3 would've been Dean, Lisa and Klancie. That result scares me a little bit, I hope the voters wake up. They pick favorites early on and are hardly swayed. Yikes. That song of Reigan's was pretty bad.

No. 1 Hits next week. How ironic (in the Morrisette usage) Reigan misses that. I hope it's better than this week.

Australian Idol - The 4th Judge #1

2006-09-14T20:59:00.000+10:00

Well, the finals have begun. Australian Idol Season 4 has, so far, appeared an improvement on the 3rd season disaster of these as the final 3:

Source: SMH, Australian Idol Website.

I mean, it wouldn't take much. Yes, I do believe this season is on the up. The producers seem to have got what we mindless plebs want: more "stupid" auditions at the start, but not include them in any further episodes, less "semi-finals" with the shit top 30 where we already know who we want to vote for anyway because of advertising showing us our "favorites" before they've become our favorites, and more "quirky" contestants, and by "quirky" I mean guitar-playing songwriters. Of course.

So despite the presence of James Mathison, Andrew G, Marcia Hines, and Kyle Sandilands (I love love LOVE THAT IDIOT MARK HOLDEN! I want to make him my lady) I'm watching this series with guarded apprehension. There's still a chance it could run out of steam, and I was a bit disappointed Chris Graffiti didn't get in, but there's enough there for pointless good blog fodder.

On with the judging!

Show (Contestant's Choice):

Dean Geyer
Dean Geyer is a Christian Virgin (TM) and South African. That means he talks funny. He also is a weak singer-songwriter, and one of the weakest vocally. But he's also pretty. Too pretty. Its like the producers said "Hey, you know who was cool? Guy Sebastian. But he was ugly. Lets get someone pretty this time." He sang a song that was well suited to his image: soft, solo male pop-rock. Teddy Geiger. His voice sounded thin and he had pitch issues. But boy were those eyes pretty. At this stage I'm predicting top 3 at least. Less class than Sebastian.

Joseph Gatehau
He's gone. He shouldn't even be there. He can sing, but not mature enough. Richard Marx deserves better. Poor poor Richard Marx, so misunderstood. <----that's a joke.

Jessica Mauboy
Sung "Stickwitchu." What a beautiful title for a song. I know when I'm writing a song, I like to pretend I'm writing a text message with limited character space. She's got a nice, solid voice. That's promising. She's a bit too "cute." And Kyle was right, she did look Target. I predict a middle-of-finals exit.

Damian Leith
U2 (get it? He's Irish!) "With or Without You." He's got an amazing voice, with great falsetto, but he should watch for the overkill. He wont win. He may get top 4. He's not nearly as ugly as Kyle and Mark say.

Ricky Muscat
My brother's favorite. This kid's got a strong vocal talent and a nice energetic presence, but he can overkill a little on the "R&B Coolness." Nevertheless, he's a strong contender and has a likable style, and I'd like him to go far. Not sure, he's not quite pretty enough for me to predict a top 3 position, but we have to wait and see. Downside: he did sing Craig David.

Lisa Mitchell
The downside to promoting singer-songwriters is that you'll attract immature performers who are unable to break away from what they know and adapt their talents to a mass media form. Talents like Lisa need to work up their own narratives slowly so they gradually mature into fame. She's got limited vocals and an annoying (Missy Higgins anyone) diction habit, which she admirably holds onto but may alienate viewers after a while. Crowded House was a smart choice, but "Fall at Your Feet" was not. Casey Donovan got away with her awkwardness by being able to sing, Lisa may crumble.

Lavinia Williams
Not nearly as incredibly infuriating as her nasty (seriously, what a mean looking girl Emily was) and predictable sister, she has a class about her that I dig. Great song choice, I actually think Alicia Keys writes strong R&B pop, and has a shit-hot band but is not a good enough singer for them. Alicia's voice weakens under pressure. So it was nice to hear a confident, solid black voice sing her songs like they're meant to be sung. She wont win this competition, but she'll provide some nice renditions along the way. And kudos for the "puffin muffin" comment Holden. Comedy gold. Its so predictable who Kyle's going to rip into for style disasters, too.

Chris Murphy
I didn't like how the band and Chris inserted a snatch breath before and landed hard on the chorus of "Wish You Well." Mathison said the same joke that Jay and the Doctor said to Fanning at the Top 100 party earlier this year: "Why did you give up on Miso soup?" It wasn't funny then, and its still not. I can't believe that won top song of the year, I mean, its cute and whatever but not the best. Ahh Triple J, how I hate you more than ever lately. Still, a safe choice for Murphy, who I like with his Jack Black shtick and all. But he wont win.

Klancie Keough
Beware super harshness:
I HATE her. Hate hate hate. Here's the thing: I love country music. Love it, its one of my favorite genres. Its not a guilty pleasure because I actually think its a fucking kick-ass musical landscape, with some really beautiful artists and songs, one being "Jolene" and Dolly Parton. Klancie, you are a wet fish. You looked like a hooker with your flat stringy hair and $20 dress. You seriously looked totally trailer-trying-to-be-classy and I hated it. Cheap and dirty. Your voice lacks the resonance for pure country singing, and you just held it together pitch-wise. Unstable, ugly and annoying. I hope you're out next week. But you have the whole Australian-rural-land thing happening and I'm scared you'll attract the Shannon Noll crowd. Hate it all.

"Mutto"
I like you but you shouldn't be on Idol. Too old. And you're gutsy in a really safe way. That Eskimo Joe song you did a while ago was good but in a really un-risky way. I don't really get your appeal with the judges.

Reigan Derry
You're cute and you have some ability. But this is the second time you've chosen a song that you like to sing along with in your bedroom. Sometimes that's ok, but 1) you should remember that you're on a TV show, and 2) YOU AIN'T NO NOONAN. Seriously, Casey Donovan only just got away with it, and her voice was naturally suited (plus that song really resonated with her personal struggle), but I can hear your technique working really hard. Noonan has natural talent and technique, and she's very hard to match. Kyle, you make me sick. The fact that you don't know "Breathe in Now" or "Diamonds on the Inside" is beyond pathetic. But you are continually shot down from many angles so that's ok. Reigan will not win.

Bobby Flynn
Weirdness, you are. While you clearly can sing and write and have a lovely stage presence, and clearly have the maturity and cleverness for this competition (cf Lisa), I'm unconvinced of your genius. I like you, I like your open mind to the competition, your honesty, and you're sunny nature (Brisbane boys are cuties!), but the whole trying to coolify the competition and daggy songs thing may start to get old. Jury's still out, we'll see.

Frontrunners: Dean, Bobby, Damian, unfortunately Klancie.

Personal faves: Ricky, Jessica.

Embarrassment: Lisa, Klancie, Joseph, Dean.

Verdict:

Source: Australian Idol Website

Joseph's out. Thank God. He was so incredibly uncomfortable it was painful. Glad I don't have to sit through another one of his performances.

I think next week's theme is "rock". Gee, can't wait for Klancie and Lisa to shine.

See ya then.

___________________________________________________

In other news, meeting with my supervisor wasn't too bad. Phew.

Happy Birthday cutie!

No Comment!

2006-09-12T11:50:00.000+10:00

After many failed attempts my homo sapian brain has learned that I cannot post comments on non-beta blogs. Classical conditioning has finally worked; I have associated commenting with not-working. So all y'all out there with just Blogger blogs, that's why I haven't been commenting. I thought it was a log-in problem, but I can't seem to get it working even when I'm logged in. Its very annoying as I've had many a thing to say in a few blogs. I think Blogger are working to fix it.

Bloody Google! I'm totally, like, a part of the Matrix now. Better watch my bank accounts.

In other news, I have lots of work to do. I've been spending too much time with a certain person I probably should not be seeing (although I've been relieved of their presence for the next two weeks, phew!) and I've been watching too much Australian Idol. Bobby Flynn...jury's still out. Still, I agree with most that the allowance of older-singer-songwriters into the comp has meant a higher standard of talent. This year's better than last year, which I barely watched it was so bad. Actually, I might start an Aus Idol round-up each week. I love my opinions on Idol. I'm fucking ON when it comes to Idol, man. Its my time to shine. <--- Please note the new low, people.

Although, for the next two months I think I'll be fairly scarce on my blog. Thesis crunch time is setting in.

So my apologies to Steph, Susanne, DelightfulJen, Audrey etc...everyone on my links list, for not commenting. I'm sure if I put more effort in I could figure out a way of commenting, but its probably best for my thesis if I don't. I'll be around.

There's a Boost Juice boy at Melbourne Central who flirts with girl customers. Much like the girls who work there flirt with you. Yesterday he went off on his break while I was waiting for my berry-crush-without-apple-juice-with-watermelon-juice-instead-if-that's-alright-please, and he came back to the counter, took the lid off the straw dispenser thing and CHECKED HIS HAIR IN THE REFLECTION OF THE LID. He then asked me "Is this ok?" I said yes, it looks fine. Except it wasn't fine. The hair looked crap and he'd just checked it in a Boost Juice straw dispenser. It was pretty far away from fine.

Finally, check me out. Its pretty scary when an informal e-mail I sent gets quoted as my "argument." It is essentially my argument, but it's so casually written it's a bit embarrassing. I never thought it would be picked up like that.

Even though no-one tagged me...

2006-09-08T16:38:00.000+10:00

I haven't been tagged, so chances are you don't care, but I haven't written about myself too much. These things are far from being truly illustrating, but they're fun to read, I guess.

So, for a bit more about me:

Three things that scare me:
Whales
Rejection
Loosing my family

Three people that make me laugh:
My friend Becky
GOB from Arrested Development
Trumpet

Three things I hate the most:
Middle age men who patronise me
Feeling boxed in a slow moving crowd
Environmental damage

Three things I don't understand:
How somebody could actually kill someone else intentionally
Other languages
Foucault (shhhh! Don’t tell anybody!)

Three things I'm doing right now:
Not feeding my nagging cat
Listening to the radio
procrastinating

Three things I want to do before I die:
Live somewhere else, preferably alone
Have children
Watch the sunset with someone I love, spend the whole night with them, then watch the sunrise (I know, I know, indulge me this one thing please)

Three things I can do:
Play the euphonium
Public speak
Read maps, know where I’m facing and direct people places

Three ways to describe my personality:
Outwardly confident, inwardly insecure
Very warm and affectionate one minute, very reserved and blunt the next
Over-analysing over little things, impulsive and laid-back over big things

Three things I can't do:
Paint or play as well as I’d like
“Pick up”
Be “cool” - although I think through accepting this I get cooler

Three things I think you should listen to:
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Bach
Marvin Gaye

Three things you should never listen to:
current affair programs
Wagner – ugh
Anyone who doesn’t listen to you

Three things I'd like to learn:
the guitar
How to fix my guy problems
To make the most of my hair

Three favourite foods:
anything berry
Anything fried
I dunno, chocolate. I hate this question, I like all food.

Three beverages I drink regularly:
coffee
Water
Beer

Three shows I watched as a kid:
You can’t do that on television
Fraggle rock
Full House

Last thing you burned while cooking?
Sometimes I burn the coffee in the percolator…

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Affectionate, reserved, insecure

How long does it take you to get ready for your day?
Generaly 15-30 mins. Never more than 45 mins. If I’m getting ready for a very special occasion, then maybe about an hour.

Are you a health freak?
Not at all.

How many people have you thought were The One?
None, and I’m not sure I believe in that whole thing. But I fall in love easily. Quite deeply. Commitment is anther issue.

What turns you off about the opposite sex?
Ignorance, dullness, no connection, too much effort into following fashion trends.

What kind of car do you drive?
My mother’s Toyota. I had a corolla, but I totaled it. One of the worst moments of my life.

Favourite thing to toast to?
Another person.

What celebrity would you have coffee with?
John Mayer. I’m so his bitch. Or maybe Steve Martin. Older flirty me love me.

What celebrity would you not have sex with?
I dunno. Puff Daddy? Or maybe Oliver Stone. Ewwe!

What is the main ringtone on your mobile?
The Goonies R Good Enough. I’m NOT joking.

What were you doing at midnight last night?
Watching Ch 10 Sex and the City Rerun.

Last tv show you watched?
Oprah was just on, and it was one of her “favorite things” episodes. She was giving away new washer and dryer sets to the teachers in her audience. Oh, and cute cute CUTE track suits for them to look cute while they do their washing. Soooooo GRRRREEEATTTTT!!!!!!

Who is your best friend?
No one person. I have favorite people and people who know me very well and love me. I’m very close to my brother, mother and father. I have a close group of about 4 girls, and my ex, who I’m very open with.

Who in your family do you get along with?
See above. I have a large extended family, I’m close with one of my uncles and my two aunts.

What is your top 5 hollywood hottie list?
Easy: Kiefer Sutherland, Mos Def, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, and Nick Stahl. Runner up? Jake Gyllenhaal.

Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Michael, you don’t know him

When/where was the last place you travelled?
Easter, BrisVegas

Sinful snacking weakness?
Hmmm, probably chocolate or chips. I love chips. Pretty un-weird

Best clothing style?
I wear a lot of skirts, but I’m quite un-stylised.

Ever run out of gas?
No

Worst date ever?
We went to see “The Aviator,” but accidentally walked into “Meet the Fockers,” which he’d already seen.

Personal records?
Most “likes” in a sentence, I guess.

What would you do if you could be the opposite sex for a day?
Hmm, be arrogant and a slob and get away with it. Sounds terrible, but it would be great to not feel under so much scrutiny.

Total jail time?
Well, there was that time in Mexico...

Have a crush on anyone you work with?
No, no cute boys at any job.

In your cd player right now?
Nothing, I tend to listen to the radio. Wynton Marsalis I listened to the other day.

What is something you believe in?
Myself, ultimately, I know nothing else for sure.

What is something you fear?
Whales, quite badly.

Big or small?
What? Big. Whatever.

Worst physical pain you ever experienced?
Physical pain? Coral poisoning in my foot. Pain shuddered up my leg, terrible.

Tell us something about your childhood?
I would torture my poor brother. The worst thing was not playing with him. He used to beg me to come play legos with him. I’d go and start something, then get bored and just walk away. He’d be so devastated. Now I compete for his attention.

Best time to catch you in a good mood?
Honestly don’t know. I could be having a shitty day and still be upbeat. I generally try to be cheery all the time.

If you could be anything for a day, what would it be?
A great musician

Most prized possession?
My eupho, this computer

Would you ever sell it?
Yes, yes

What is one of your pet peeves?
Slow walkers taking up footpaths.

Favourite actor/actress?
Nup, don’t do favorites. I hate a few though. Like Natalie “I went to Harvard, listen while I use big words ever so quaintly” Portman.

What song are you listening to right now?
Madonna’s on the radio. Crappy.

If you could sucker punch someone right now who would it be?
Who cares?

Any secrets?
Yes, plenty.

Unhealthy addictions?
Nervously biting my nails. Saying “sorry.”

Unhealthy fascinations?
Yes, but that’s a secret.

Favourite sexual position?
Depends on the type of sex one is having. What works best physically is not always what you want all the time.

What do you notice first about the opposite sex?
Centre of circle, part of circle, or out of the circle. Out of the circle is the best.

Favourite physical part of the opposite sex?
The neck, hands and upper chest.

What physical part would you change about yourself?
I’d like my legs and torso to be a bit longer. My shoulders less round, and my boobs just slightly smaller so I can wear singles without big bras in summer and shirts don’t gape.

Soft sensual sex or porn star sex?
Both.

Would you go on a date with someone you met online?
No, I can barely go out with someone I know for real.

Work attire?
Currently don’t work, but it wouldn’t be grey suits. Boring.

What is your best physical feature?
Depends who you ask. My hair, boobs and eyes tend to be the frontrunners. One of my girlfriends envies my legs, but they’re a bit chunky on top.

Do you think anyone actually has read this far?
Yes, because people are idiots.

THANKS FOR READING KIDS! YOU THE GREATEST!

Ways to know you're uncool...#54

2006-09-01T09:34:00.000+10:00

Your mother offers you her __________, insisting she really really doesn't mind if you have some. Really.

Quick Update

2006-08-30T17:43:00.000+10:00

Feeling pretty good this week for no particular reason, thought I'd do a quick check-in with my blog.

School - Still procrastinating, have postponed my supervisor meeting till next week so I can give her more to slam. But feeling good about the little I have written. Gave a presentation in one of my classes this week that seemed to go down well.
Fancy dress party was ok. It was cold and outside so I stood by the fire. The old Eltham crowd and a few bogans. I ended up putting on my grandma's old velvet cape, some too-light foundation, very black eyeliner and dark red lippy and went as a goth. I thought I looked hot. Kinda Suicide Girls but without the airbrushing. I bought my friend a Toni Childs CD, as part of an ongoing joke CD gift tradition we've got (I bought it from the used CD stand at uni along with The Best of The Supremes and george's Polyserena; the former because I dig old Motown stuff, the latter because the person at the centre of my next dot point is involved with that album and I figured it would be a cool memento).
Received last Thursday night a (in my own words) "glorified booty call," which consisted of being invited to the Great Ocean Rd to "be free" with him. Apparently I need to lighten up because I work too hard, and a romantic weekend away with him is what I need. Yes, what a lovely thing to do IF I WAS STILL HIS GIRLFRIEND! Don't worry, he got yelled at big time on Friday...but we parted on good terms. Sneaky monkey.
The best news this week: walked into Esprit (shut up, I hate shopping and I don't have time to go anywhere cool) to buy some jeans...spotted a cute black skirt I had eyed months ago but they was too pricey. It was now half price and I fitted (comfortably) into a size...6!!!! Oh. My. God. I was excited when I went down to a 10 in jeans earlier this year. I don't feel like I've lost that much weight, but maybe sizes have gone crazy because the population is getting fatter. Who cares, the tag says 6. I bought a stripey light cotton knit as well.
I think David Tench is voiced by Tim Furguson. You know, the one from DAA who was actually kinda cool because he had a kind of Steve Martin thing going on and 1) Didn't EVER sing "Throw Your Arms Around Me" badly, or 2) Didn't play the guitar.
I love Chas from The Chaser so very very much. He's my second favorite after Chris.
Djoymi was my tutor two years ago. I love how the mainstream media think that us crazy media/film/cultural studies people are an oddity. We just write about contemporary texts, big deal.

Hope all you bloggers out there are kickin' it. See ya!

Snakes on a Plane - Review

2006-08-25T13:06:00.000+10:00

Last night I went to see Snakes on a Plane (SoaP).

"Hello ladies..."

At the risk of sounding like Harry Knowles, I'm going to give a quick back story: I'm doing my thesis on the Internet phenomenon of SoaP and I've been waiting for it to come out forever. I was actually getting quite over the whole thing. What I think about the film doesn't actually matter, but its fun to write about. My brother, his gf and I went to dinner and then went to a 9.30pm session at Melbourne Central. Thankfully, we got good seats.

It was one of the best cinematic experiences of my life. The audience was rowdy and raucous and completely appreciative of the cheese they'd been given to eat. It was just so silly.

Yes, it was cheesy, B-turned-A movie that very nearly wreaked itself from too much hype...but it was a good cheesy B-turned-A movie. I had a blast.

First of all, it was scary. The first "Snake Attack" scene in the major cabin area was incredibly violent, graphic, claustrophobic and distressing. I was quite scared. THE SNAKES WERE CRAZY!

Second of all, the actors were all really, really good. Julianna Margulies, Bobby Cannavale, Todd Louiso, David Koechner, Rachel Blanchard - these are the best of the best B-but-should-be-A actors out there!!!! I mean, Todd Louiso and Bobby Cannavale doing the whole cop/expert thing - please, I would've seen it just for that scene!

Third of all, Samuel L. Jackson owns. His three best moments:
3) Picking up that yellow snake and just slapping it on the railing.
2) Taking the gun calmly off the crazy rapper. Very Jack Baur.
1) I'm not even going to say the line....you all know it. It was awesome. The theatre erupted.

I'd like to praise the filmmakers for not letting the hype carry the film too much. Sure, it was still a B-level script, but it could've been a C-level script with the amount of hype. There were genuine moments of humour, suspense, action, and a few attempted moments of pathos that weren't too cringy. There were a few missed opportunities. I would've loved to see the kick boxer guy kick some snake ass. I thought the cinematography could've been a little better, but I was still in the space created.

It played very predictably, but since the surrounding kerfuffle of this movie has been anything but predictable because we've never seen anything like it, that's ok.

If you go in wanting a thrilling action horror - you will be adequately fulfilled.
If you go in wanting camp tongue-in-cheek - ditto.

Have fun with it, kids.

Sequel idea: Cheetah on a Bus. I wouldn't want to meet one.

Man, I really suck at writing reviews.

Snakes on a Plane!!!!

2006-08-24T14:09:00.000+10:00

I'll be seeing SoaP tonight with my brother and his lovely gf. I'll report on my thoughts on the film once I've seen it.

I'm actually writing my thesis on Internet Movie Fans, the websites they visit and the phenomenon of SoaP. This week I wrote to Henry Jenkins, the major theorist regarding convergence culture and consumer groups, about the film's response on the internet and he has quoted me on his blog:
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/08/snake_eyes.html

Needless to say, I am quite chuffed! Check out Henry's blog, its really quite interesting for anyone interested in media studies.

Intimate Conversation...Ooh La La!

2006-08-21T22:47:00.000+10:00

Oooh, I can't wait for the "intimate conversation" between Jessica and Karl...HAWT!

I bet it goes something like this:

J: You know Karl, IVF treatment was...*weep*...so hard.
K: I know Jess, I know...
J: As the woman, you feel so bad...."is there something wrong with me?" That's what you think.
K: No no Jess, there is nothing wrong with you....I bet it's your bastard husband Peter who's shooting blanks.
J: You think?
K: Yep. Absolutely! He's as barren as the Sahara! Look at you! Look at your feminine soft features, child-baring hips, and soothing cooing voice! I'm surprised you haven't already got up the duff from just using the toilet after him or something just as seemingly nonsexual.
J: Oh Karl! Peter an I are rarely...sexual.
K: WHAAAT!?!?!
J: He can't stand to touch me!
K: That bastard! What a fool! Why, even Eddie said he'd "bone" you. That's quite an endorsement!
J: Oh! I'm hideous! I'm a failure! Everyone hates me! Eddie wants to bone me, Ten want to sue me, everyone hates my laugh, I stuffed up that interview with the general, I fell down the stairs, my Mum has bipolar, I'm married to a nuff-nuff,...and now I can't get pregnant! Everyone hates me!
K: No!
J: Yes!
K: No!
J: Yes!
K: No!
J: Yes!
K: No!
J: Yes!
K: No!
J: Yes!
K: I'm telling you woman! I like you! Richard Wilkins thinks you're ok-ish. You're hot!
J: Oh Karl, this is quite...intimate.
K: Yes, it is quite...intimate.
*End of hour long interview*

Meanwhile, Meerkat Manor is starting on Ten this week. YES! Ten continues to be the only network with their priorities straight.

Its a great time to be alive, people. Great time.

Yes, I have gone quite insane. Its great!

Emo angst time has begun...

2006-08-19T12:07:00.000+10:00

"Hellllllo?"
"Hi. Where are you? Are you at home?"
"No, I'm at work."
"Oh..."
"I thought you weren't speaking to me?"
"I...I think I'm having an anxiety attack."
"What?"
"Yeah. Yeah...I think..."
"Where are you?"
"Umm...Brunswick St."
"How are you getting home? Are you driving?"
"No."
"Tram?"
"Uhh, yeah. It doesn't matter..."
"Why don't you call your brother and get him to come get you?"
"No no no no....I'm alright. Don't worry about it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry to have rung you at work..."
"No don't go. What did you do today?"
"I was at Uni. I was at Uni all day. I was at Uni."
"Oh good. Did you get lots of work done?"
"....ahhh yeah. Look, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about it, don't worry about it...I'm sorry to ring you at work....Bye."
"...Bye."

I feel I'm constantly resisting cliche, and constantly failing and then rearranging the situation so it all looks intentional.

Fancy Dress

2006-08-18T14:29:00.000+10:00

One of my closest friends is having her 23rd next Saturday and is insisting on a fancy dress party. Not really like her, but whatever.

What should I go as? Do I take the easy route as hooker/slut/"promiscuous girl", which is a stable for most girls these days? Its an easy look for me too because I have kinda big kajungas.

But so many girls do that! Its boring! I want something original. But I don't want to actually put effort into it either.

Seeing how my blog is overrun with comments lately (!!) I thought people might have some ideas. My friends are not really "fancy dress" regulars and I'm a bit out of the loop.

Any suggestion is a good suggestion. Thanks!

RIP Bruno Kirby

2006-08-17T11:34:00.000+10:00

Familiar character actor Bruno Kirby died on Monday from leukemia.

Here's a link.

Its weird, these actors who we know from those pivotal character roles in films; I don't consciously remember them but when I know that their face will be gone forever, I get really sad. Kirby often played obnoxious, smarmy characters and I often didn't like him in films, but that's a sign of a good actor. And here's a sweet story from a talkbacker at AICN:http://aint-it-cool.com/tb_display.cgi?id=24175#1248480 So he was a good guy.

He was very funny too. He was great in This is Spinal Tap (one of my very favorite movies) especially the deleted scenes. And he has some of the best lines in City Slickers. Like when Billy Crystal is trying, very patiently and considerately, to explain how to work a VCR to Daniel Stern, and then Bruno interrupts with great intensity:

Kirby:"Shut up! Just shut up! He doesn't get it! He'll never get it! It's
been 4 hours! THE COWS CAN TAPE SOMETHING BY NOW! Forget about it please!"

*Beat*

Daniel Stern: How do you do the clock?

Kirby: You're dead. You are dead.

That brought on a lot of laughs to my early viewings. If you have any favorite stories to share, please do.

Yikes!

2006-08-14T12:31:00.000+10:00

Sagittarius
Nov 23 - Dec 22
Your big challenge now is to integrate your faith with reality and to do it in a pragmatic positive way. It is time for you to make the commitment to whatever education is necessary for your professional aspirations. Get clear about what you want from the privilege of this life. Get clear about the order of your priorities. Get away from people, places and things that aren't any good for you.

Yikes... I'll say.

Meanwhile I just watched Animal House for Cinema Studies and laughed WAY TOO MUCH at all the wrong places. Tom Hulce was such a cutie.

Booked!

2006-08-12T15:27:00.000+10:00

On Thursday I made the spur of the moment decision (the only way to properly decide something) to accompany one of my dearest friends on the first leg of her Asia trek - 3 weeks on Koh Phangan!!!!!! That's a backpacker paradise island in Thailand!!!!! My friend and I are very excited, as we will be there for New Years and their famous Full Moon Party.

I can't remember the last time I had a proper holiday, and seeing how this year is turning out super stressful, I will really have a relaxing, fun time. Culture, parties, beach...Yay!

Nothing much else to report: thesis still crap. Went out for drinks with a friend I haven't seen for a while last night, and that was lovely. Then caught up with my ex, he wanted to see me, who is really stuffing me around. You don't want the story...yes you do! what else are blogs for??!! Shut up!
******You know, I posted it all, what happened and how I felt, and then felt instantly bad. So I deleated it. It wasn't that it was really defamatory or anything. Just...nah, it's not right to post. I never wanted this blog to be that. Sorry everyone. I must have some Libra in my charts or something. I change my mind a lot.*********

In movie news:

The much anticipated Halo movie being produced by the hobbit from Down Unda, Peter Jackson, has been given a director. He's untested, but the geeks are still excited.

An early (I don't think it's the first, but one of) test screening review of The Departed has been released. Its a remake of Infernal Affairs, directed by Scorsese and starring Leo and Matt. I'm really looking forward to it. Props also to Harry for the "foaming out the ass" comment. Nice. Pics.

Finally, this is kinda old (like from the comic con), but its fun. I'm linking to a Glorious Quicktime file because its better, but its also at YouTube if you want.
Do Snake on a Plane deserve to die? Anything Sam Jackson has ever said becomes a catch phrase. I love it. (The link wasn't working, so I linked to the JoBlo page, scroll to the bottom.)

Peace out bitches. Yay Thailand!!!!! New bikini!!!!

Gah!

2006-08-09T13:31:00.000+10:00

Makes. Me. Angry.

Note to Lindsay: Before Marilyn became a sex kitten pin-up (a wise career move that was purely her choice, of course, and didn't fuck her up at all either), she had a little thing called attractiveness. That doesn't include limp hair, squnity-eyes and malnourishment. She oozed sex appeal, not syphilis. Go snort some more coke. A lot in one sitting combined with alcohol, dehydration and, of course, some of your "asthma medicine" I hear gives you a real mellow high.

Lindsay's crew seem to think she's "talented" and will one day win an Oscar. The really sad thing is she probably will in 5 years for playing some junky hooker in her "brave" role.

So much crap, so little time

2006-08-06T23:12:00.000+10:00

So...yeah. What's been happening? I'll tell you...

- I AM PROCRASTINATION QUEEN! ALL MUST BOW IN MY EVER-PRESENT GLORY!!!

- My bro's GF's 21st on Saturday was not too painful for my mother and I. She LOVED the gift we bought her (a faux fir pink stole - it even worked with her outfit and she wore it all night) and seemed to have a good time. There was free sparking red and food so all was good. Although being the accommodating chatty soul I am I got to talking with an older generation woman, the type who's always smiling and sunny to people. These oldies always seem to talk to me, and then I hear them behind my back saying things like "Isn't she gorgeous! What a delightful young woman!" (I shine when arse-kissing baby boomers). Anyway I get the obligatory "And do you have a boyfriend?" Sigh. I don't know what to say. Do I say through a tight grin "No, no, single as an albatross! Ha ha! Yes, too busy for boys," or "Actually I just broke up with someone I love WHO KEEPS PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART"??? *cue Backstreet Boys* To top it all off when asked "what do I do" I have to also give the thesis story to people who don't even know what the internet is, let alone new media, convergence studies and film review sites. GAH! Idiots!

- Speaking of my thesis, did I mention I'm more fucked than Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct? In case you didn't know, that's pretty fucked.

- And as if my life wasn't complicated enough, Australian Idol has started. Like all programs it jumped the shark, but I'll still watch. Why? Because like my Jewish sugar daddy from my old work said: we're all shmucks. And I love idol. I love James' bug eyes and Marcia's total irrelevancy. I love Kyle's ugliness and Mark's completely staged "wackiness." The only time I've ever voted in a reality T.V. show was just once, in the season 1 final, for this guy:

Why? I'll tell you why. Because that little Christian can fuckin' SING GODDAMNIT! And because even though he's got the biggest tool potential since Paul McDermott, this kid is IMPOSSIBLE to hate. Because he doesn't care. Guy doesn't give a shit what you or I or anyone thinks about him, his virginity or his hair. This kid is the shit. It was the best text message I've ever sent.

Bring on season 4! Maybe it will be good!!!

Gretel's Time to Shine...Literally!

2006-08-01T21:47:00.000+10:00

Thoughts on Gretel's big night (Pictures are causing me troubles!!! I wanted pictures! Sorry!):

- There seemed to be an emphasis on the program's "social importance". The housemates (and the viewer) seemed to be reminded on more than one occasion that their bravery to appear on national television on a program that deliberately "confronts their fears and insecurities" and forces them to "reflect on themselves and their relationships with others" is highly commendable. This is because they, apparently, effectively act as a mirror for the wider society and so their confrontations and causes reflect our confrontations and causes. They were doing society a service. Big Brother showed clips of this occurring: Through David all gay citizens had their say on their right to have their relationships legally recognised by the state!!! Through Ash all...people with....lost siblings....got to...say how sad they were....yeah! Though Camilla all highly opinionated semi-intelligent red heads got to be "happy with who they are!" Through Anna all moles got their "game on!!!" Through John and Ash and Camilla all consent-shady sexual encounters got their due representation!!!

What a wonderful year!!!! So much social consciousness these seemingly simple housmates had. And here I thought they were all dudes and moles...

- Gretel looked like a character from Doctor Who. An inter-galactic queen.

"We meet again Doctor..."

"Yes...yes we do...What have you been up to, evil Queen Malmorga? Release your prisoners, your concern is with me."

- Gretel also seemed to speak for every viewer who was not a 15 year old girl when she constantly and relentlessly praised Camilla for being a wonderful housemate. It is a source of predictable dismay for me when I think that the only non-bland male to win this show was a lovable idiot who everyone loved to laugh at.

- I can't wait for Jamie and Katie to really get married a-la Marty and Jess. One word people: class.

- There was a point where Jamie was watching himself back and said to Camilla: "Listen to me speak! I sound like an idiot!" I have to admit, he endeared himself to me then. He also seems able and willing to laugh at himself. The boy's alllllright.

Not Dead Yet!

2006-07-27T14:42:00.000+10:00

To all my loyal readers (yes, all 6 or so of you):

This post is here to inform you that I , Stef, am not dead.

I have been neglecting this dear old blog (and by "dear old" I mean "crappy new") lately. This is due mainly to my full load of school and life and stuff and my general lack of motivation to reflect on any events that have occured. Lots of stuff has been happening (thesis, movies, news items, funny stories, life events) but I really haven't had the energy to write in a blog.

I can report though that I think I'm back on track. Being back at school I think is a good thing...being around other students is motivating. I'm feeling pretty good about myself again and am trying to build momentum back again after the rut I fell into a little while ago. Hopefully I can get my enthusiasm back (that's one of my strengths, I think, that I can be quite positve and pro-active when I feel excited and enthusiastic about something - not much can stop me once I get in that head space) and run full steam for the next few months.

So no, I am not dead. Just preoccupied. I wouldn't be expecting too many posts for a little while, but I will continue to follow my fellow bloggers lives intently and post the odd comment.

I shall return! Just like Superman, only hopefully with better pacing.

Bye bye for now.

Cheer up

2006-07-11T10:21:00.000+10:00

These past few weeks have been so up and down, I'm feeling so incredibly tired and rotten half the time. I got my arse royally kicked yesterday by my supervisor and really need to get back into my life.

To cheer myself up I've been watching Arrested Development clips on YouTube.

Here's one that should keep us all happy. Everyone's favorite illusionist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyyIVzX4l1w

"I will become my dead father's body!"

More here. Go nuts.

Round Up #1

2006-07-08T11:33:00.000+10:00

So I think I'll start a weekly round-up of events that capture my imagination. Hell, they capture the imagination of the nation. Yes, yes they do.

Sandi Thom's debut single I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)

Video: http://www.video-c.co.uk/videovaultwatch.asp?vidref=sand001
Lyrics
Chorus:
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late and to a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar, Not everybody drove a car,
When music really mattered and when radio was king,
When accountants didn't have control And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't? know everything

Chorus

When popstars still remained a myth And ignorance could still be bliss
And when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
When my mom and dad were in their teens and anarchy was still a dream
and the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

Chorus

When record shops were on top and vinyl was all that they stocked
and the super info highway was still drifting out in space
kids were wearing hand me downs, and playing games meant kick arounds
and footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

Chorus

I was born too late to a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

Oh Sandi, Sandi, Sandi...Sandi

So. Annoying. At high school Sandi overheard a "bad boy" she had a crush on say that "rock was dead", and something disparaging about The Smashing Pumpkins and Westlife. She then went home and dug up her parents old Sex Pistols record. Fast forward 5 years, now a music school graduate, and Sandi writes catchy songs about a "world that doesn't care" in her basement. She uses MY FUCKING SPACE to gain exposure and is signed because, boy, she's got spunk, she's pretty, and she can sing. So they release her song, film her in PROBABLY THE MOST GENERIC FILM CLIP EVER, the classic "walking towards the camera with cool hey-isn't-he-a-model followers". Yeah, you're one of a kind Sandi. Die now.

Hey so Big Brother is on this year, yeah?

Not much is happening on it, right? Honestly, I remember LOVING the first season of that show. Remember? Those were the days; with Sara-Marie, and Blair, and Ben, and Chrissie and Peter's "doona dancing". Sigh. Meeeemmmorrriiiess! Now, just...shit. Gretel is a complete embarrassment, what happened to her class? When she started to dress like an idiot I was OK, I though: Good for her, who says we should always look sober? Then she went out with that weasel-boy...name escapes me, must have repressed that. And I gave her the benefit of the doubt again.
The house is full of drop-kicks and the host is a witch. And yet I still watch it when I can. Who is the pathetic one? Me, yes.

TURKEY SLAP!

Number of times I felt like a slut this week:

1. While watching The Glass House, Elka "I'm a 'strong Christian'" Graham says to Corrine Grant (whom I'm not a fan of either, she's about as funny as Martin Lawrence on a good day, but I felt for her here) "is that how quickly you start sleeping over? Two months?" Ahhh...ahem. Shut up Elka! You were never a good swimmer either, so there! I wonder what's worst for the psyche? Being a slut or being a Christian?

Superman Returns

Cute!

Saw Superman Returns. The fact that this movie's plot and story weren't strong enough to really justify itself for existing, it counts as a failure overall. But there are some nice aspects of Bryan Singers "re-imagining" of Richard Donner's uneven 70's franchise. I thought Brandon Routh was really quite entertaining and charismatic. And my friend and I agreed that he's a cutie, despite enough make-up to make Dolly Parton blush. The plane set-piece was thrilling, and Sam Huntington and Kevin Spacy earned their pay cheques. Kate Bosworth was supremely miscast and, as I said, the plot was way too weak to warrant production. The film has relatively underperformed at the U.S. Box Office and I'm not surprised. The modern pre-existing fan base blockbuster is, I suspect, on its way out. All the best stories have pretty much been told and, aside from sequels, the films on the way are all fairly boring regarding subject matter. While I do like the Superman character - I guess the idea of an angel watching over us is incredibly uplifting - he's never had the best world to operate in. His love-life and alter-ego stories are boring. His villains are generally weak and Metropolis is a pretty "nothing" city. Batman and his world has always been way more interesting. Plus, Superman Returns had a pretty weak marketing campaign. So overall not too successful but you could do worse, especially on cheap arse Tuesday.

Ain't It Cool News turned 10 this week

Congratulations to Harry and Moriarty and the whole gang over at the geek centre of the universe. What an amazing institution that site is. They've grown from a little-read site for movie news and scoops to a full-on influential network of fan power. Go you sexless boys! GO! I've been reading that site since...I guess 2000-2001, and it has (along with other sites) kept me up on everything I need to know, and provided me with some of the funniest things I've ever read. Like the many talkbacks and Harry's revolting reviews. And don't say I didn't warn you.

Don't go changing boys!

Thing to ponder of the week:

Chris and Craig, Hamish and Andy, Merrick and Rosso, Martin Malloy, Adam and Will, or Jay and the Doctor.

I've had no sex dreams about any of these men. But I have a friend who has them frequently about Hamish. I went to a Today Today live recording in Melbourne last year and I SWARE TO GOD CHRIS WAS STARING AT ME IN THE CROWD. I MADE EYE CONTACT! BITCHES! BOW DOWN TO YOUR SUPERIOR!

C u losers la8er. :)

Be My Ex...But I don't wanna be an EX!

2006-07-02T21:37:00.000+10:00

There's a new movie coming out called My Super Ex-Girlfriend, starring Luke Wilson as a "regular guy" who dumps his clingy girlfriend (Uma Thurman, man, she would have to be PRETTY BLOODY CLINGY to dump) only to find out that she is in fact a superhero. She ends up making his life hell. It seems this film is part of the emerging canon of "original" comic superhero films being produced by Hollywood as a response to all the real ones. I'm talking about The Incredibles, Sky High, the upcoming Zoom, and the new drama on NBC this coming fall: Heroes.

Anyway, Fox has launched a sister mock-help site as part of the whole conglomorate advertising, interactive marketing deal, Be My Ex:

http://www.bemyex.com/

Now, if you read my last post you would have gathered that I am kinda going through what seems to be a break-up. I'm not enjoying it, and while the whole incident is still kinda occuring and (I guess) there was no official instigator, I certainly feel more like the dumpee than the dumper. Bemyex.com is parading as a break-up school. A how-to of breaking up with your partner. I read this site with interest, obviously, and I have to say it hasn't helped me. Firstly, according to the site's quiz, my relationship was in a pretty positive place, it says there's no chance of a break-up. Which is what I thought, which is why I'm so upset, which is what HE BLOODY WELL AGREED WITH! He said, after he told me he "thinks we're better as friends" that (this is not in order, but he did say all these things at some point) "we would've been great for each other", "I love you" and "I had a great time with you last night." WTF!???!!! I KNOW! THAT'S WHY I DON'T WANT TO END IT!!!!! Ahem. Excuse me. Secondly, in lesson 1 of the video lessons it outlines the normal relationship cycle. By this cycle I should've been in the "honeymoon period". The break-up was not due until the "twilight period" of the relationship.

Bemyex.com assumes a certain type of relationship, and I'm starting to think my relationship was never that normal. Therefore it is of no use to me in dealing with this most unpleasent experience. But it does have a few laughs, and is a fun way to advertise for a movie.

OK, bye bye now.

P.S. Uma Thurman is one hot mumma. I loves her, precious.

All Kinds of Mental Pain...and SPIDER-MAN 3

2006-07-01T13:15:00.000+10:00

I'm in all kinds of mental pain. It's romantically inclined pain, so I'll spare you all the sob story. I'm already dangling way too close to blog cliche to get into break-up stories. But I will say this: angry, pain-filled argument, bickering break-ups are better than weird loving-but-angst-issue-filled discussions about feelings. I wish we had fought, because then I might actually be able to understand what happened and I would want to get over it. As it stands now I don't know what to feel or what to do, all I feel is this weird loss. Its pretty bad. Not what I need right now.

Nevermind. Sigh.

Anyway, the Spider-Man 3 teaser has been released at Apple.com

http://www.apple.com/trailers/Sony_pictures/spider-man_3/ Ohhh! BLACK Spider-Man!

The Spider-Man Franchise has never been my favorite. I'm more of an X-Men girl (RIP quality X-Men films). The character of Spider-Man/Peter Parker is important in the history of superheroes as he was the first major hero that readers of comic books could directly identify with: a geek. Up until then heroes, like Superman and Batman, were these mythic visions of unattainable stature. The best a teenage boy could do was be a sidekick, like Jimmy Olsen or Robin. Spider-Man was a teenage boy. With teen angst issues and superpowers. This factor had a lot to do with that character's popularity and longevity. He's a classic for Marvel, so a film adaptation was inevitable. The films were widely well-received by fans, but not so much by me.

Sony played it safe, hiring an adept and popular filmmaker, Sam Raimi (mostly known for his Evil Dead horror/comedy series of films), which lead to comparisons to Peter Jackson, but I don't think he is anywhere near the quality of other big blockbuster directors like Jackson, Spielberg, or Cameron (shudder). Hired a predictable and uninspired cast, led by the wildly uncharismatic Tobey Maguire (and don't even get me started on the insipid Kirsten Dunst, whose publicist should be given a Nobel Prize for...Achievement in... publicising. OK, that joke bombed, my heart was never in it). Sure, they looked good on paper, but they're not that good at acting, and let the script dictate their enthusiasm. See Depp in Pirates for an A-List actor taking responsibility for entertaining a wide audience, or Jackman in X-Men, or Kilmer (he'll always be A-list to me) in Tombstone, or Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. Anyway, my point is Maguire phoned it in, should stick to support/occasional leads in indies, and Dunst should stop fooling herself in general.

The first film was OK, it got the job done. I thought the series might improve but I was supremely disappointed in Spider-Man 2. Honestly, why did Dunst and Maguire sign on if it makes them so miserable? They looked like they were delivering lines with guns to their heads. And the effects never really sold it for me.

So we come to the first glimpse of Spider-Man 3. The geeks are happy with it. The inclusion of Venom, Sandman, Gwen Stacy, and a new Green Goblin should make for an exciting (if cramped) drama. Looks like Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) will be the main villain for Spider-man, with the Venom/Black Suit/Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), Peter/Mary-Jane/Harry Osbourne (James Franco)/Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) love-square, and the emergence of Harry as the Goblin are the sub-plots. I could probably guess the plot right now, but you don't care. Church, Grace and Howard are all good actors (although, again, safe) and Franco was always ok, hopefully I can just watch them and ignore the boring twins.

Topher looking very Anakin Skywalker with his Eddie Brock blonde locks

The redhead playing the blonde who steals Peter's heart away from the blonde playing the redhead. Confused? Yes, why did they cast Dunst? Why?

Church as Sandman. Talk about comeback.

So yeah, bottom line: it looks ok because of the new bigger cast and interesting storyline with Venom, but I'm not holding my breath.

Saw Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, last night (after "honours drinks" which ended up being Amy and I bitching about various things, but it was cool to catch up) Very, very funny. Steve Coogan. He takes the piss out of himself often for being a brilliant-comic asshole, and so you think, "he must be pretty cool". But then you look at him and read some stuff and then you think, actually, maybe he is an asshole. He does kinda give off that vibe. But Rob Brydon was also super-funny. It cheered me up a lot.

I then went to see my bro play at the Paris Cat jazz club. It had a pretty old vibe. Not overly impressive. But bro played well.

Better get back to the thesis. Man, life sucks for me right now. I just wrote a whole post about pretty much nothing.

St Kilda, Borat, Superman and Me

2006-06-23T10:00:00.000+10:00

I'm a Brunswick St girl.

Now, I know that's not something I should be shouting from the rooftops. I'm not always into labeling myself in those sorts of "I only get coffee from these four places:..." or "I'm only into jazz fusion" ways. I'm pretty flexible and, I'd like to think, openminded about my practices. I like Justin Timberlake. I think Reese Witherspoon rocks (although she does look bitchy). But I'm going to have to make a categorical judgment based on very limited but potent experience:

I don't like St Kilda, I don't go there much and never plan to.

Its like Chapel St parading as Brunswick St. Its like Napoleon Dynamite. Produced by MTV but playing to the Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze audience: enjoyable at first glance, and funny and inventive even. Then you look around you at the cinema and you see the people who would normally be watching an Adam Sandler comedy going "this is really different! Cool!" and you think, well, no actually it's not that different at all: it's Rushmore meets Freaks and Geeks. Now I know that's all very snobby and elitist and wanker of me: "haha, these plebs who watch Adam Sandler, little do they know of Freaks and Geeks", and its the whole "things that are cool and underground loose their cool when they become mainstream blah blah blah" but seriously, St Kilda sux. Napoleon Dynamite has some funny one-liners, but to call it original and worth effort - not for me.

I was at this bar called Robarto on Wed night to see a friend play with his jazz combo. I was given the eye by this guy in a suit who looked about 35-40 while watching my friend, brother and Trumpet jam. I felt like such a boring groupie. There were heaps of young girls dressed either like the girls on Big Brother or like they were from 1995. Serena from Neighbors was there. I GOT I.D.ed!!! It was just like The Secret Life of Us. I never liked The Secret Life of Us because I didn't like the world. The friends were this weird mix of people who you knew would never really get along, all living this weird St Kilda lifestyle. With angst. Its too pricey to pass as Carlton/Fitzroy/Northcote/Brunswick student/bum area but it tries to create this air of edginess to give it some sort of cool. It did seem like the actor's town. You can tell why Dave Hughes lives there: its where non-cool people go to get cool.

Now, I know Brunnie isn't what it used to be. It's "sold-out" a bit. Boy, I'm sounding so emo. But its still scummy enough to feel a bit scared at night unless you're with a boy, and there are still a few freaks around there, and that's cooler than a few hookers will ever bring you, St Kilda.

Meanwhile, the trailer for Sascha Baron Cohen's (aka Ali G, aka Isla "I'm a writer too" Fisher's fee-an-say) Borat movie has been released here at Yahoo. Yeah, I'll see that.

Harry_Knowles over at AICN has published his review/rant of Superman Returns. Always a good read, old Harry. The movie looks pretty solid, but I haven't been impressed with trailers or marketing so much.

I'm starting to write my first draft of my thesis now, I'm feeling good. Not confident, per say, but good about finally starting.

The Footscray Yarraville City Band was on ABC774 Wednesday night. I'm in it. Listen to our performance and vote for us here. Sorry about sound quality. That's my bro playing "the rather big drum" and Trumpet playing the Queen of the Night solo on Soprano Cornet. What stars the boys are.

* I should apologise to anyone from St Kilda. I did have a good time (due to my company, mostly) and it was not meant as an attack on any individual. I'm sure you're all very nice. I'm more complaining about the Fitzroy St vibe as a whole. Feel free to bag Brunswick Street or my lack of coolness (i'm pretty use to it) if it'll make you feel better.

Brazil-2, Australia-0, Me-Glad to be Awake

2006-06-19T15:28:00.000+10:00

So my mother, brother, my brother's girlfriend, my "guy-I'm-involved-with" (let's call him Trumpet), and my good self had a mini Australia vs Brazil World Cup par-tay Sunday night.

Here's how the night unfolded:

- 8pm Trumpet and I get home from band. Mum had cooked a traditional roast (With GRAVY!), which we ate with vigor. I love my Mum.
- 9pm Trumpet and I played on the computer, I showed him my new blog, we listen to Miles Davis
- 10pm Trumpet and I watched a nature documentary with my mum
- 10.45pm We get word that my dad got a flat tire on his courier run and may not make it home before the game
- 11pm Trumpet and I retired to try and get a few hours of sleep (we got about 1 hour)
- 11.30pm Brother and his girlfriend arrived home from helping my dad on his courier run
- 1.45am Alarm goes off, I get up, expecting party zone - Mum is asleep on the couch. She says my bro and his gf PROMISED they'd get up. Trumpet and I eat chocolate mousse.
- 2am Game starts, I open the commemorative packet of cheese and bacon balls
- 2.15am Bro and GF stumble in. I tell them they are weak, reverse pikers
- 2.35am Bro, GF, Trumpet, and I discuss the FHM list of Sexiest 100 Women 2006. Michael Leslie is in the 80's, her picture makes her look worse than normal - if that's possible. Predictably, Jessica Alba takes top spot
- 2.40am Dad and helper arrive home for quick coffee, then leave
- 2.45am Half time, Brazil 0 Australia 0 - things look positive
- 3am Game recommences, brother opens the Brie
- 3.05am Brazil score, brother and Trumpet are devastated
- 3.15am Mum realises that there is a Brazilian player called KaKa - in Greek this means poopoo. Mum and bro's GF giggle uncontrollably whenever he is commentated on from that point onwards
- Time unknown - Harry Kewell nearly scores, bro and Trumpet nearly die, I'm getting sleepy
- Time unknown - Getting very sleepy, eat Brie and cheese and bacon balls to wake myself up
- 3.48am Brazil score again, brother and Trumpet are now a bit tired, dejected and grumpy. My Mum does an impression of the Australian coach slapping his hands in disgust and hits her own head, leaving a read mark. I laugh a lot. Trumpet and I discuss when to get up. I have to work at 9am, we mull over waking at 7am. I decide I will pull a sicky and wake at 10am
- 4.50am Game ends
- 4am Trumpet and I say our goodnights, retire
- 8.45am I get up and call work
- 10am Alarm goes off
- 12 noon We get up

Overall I had a great time. Pity we didn't win. Or just score. Or even draw. Oh well. Bring on Croatia.

Meanwhile, my dad brought home today THE BEST MAGAZINE EVER! And along with it he brought the first puppy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (see below, pics don't seem to be loading today). As far as I'm concerned, all people should be photographed with a wide-angle photographical lens. Then who'd win FHM sexiest? Probably Alba. Ah, the perks of having a father who delivers shit for a living! Free shit! And no, he's not a proctologist.

http://www.the-dog-collection.co.uk/graphics/puppies-graphics/toy-active/kc-spaniel.gif

Long Time Gone

2006-06-17T21:55:00.000+10:00

I know the four people who have viewed my profile and the 3 girls in my class who read this have been waiting with baited breath for my "sophomore effort". Yep, I've delivered my reservoir Dogs, my Donnie Darko...Will this be my "epic" Pulp Fiction, or my disaster Southland Tales?? Yep folks, looks like Richard Kelly has crashed and burned. Damn, and I was looking forward to that; it has Stifler (love that "jock" vibe SWS has going on - macho hot) and a cool official site. Although the outlook was bad when Kelly promised the world with the site and an accompanying comic - and nothing has happened. That sounds so like something I do: "Yeah, yeah, I'll do the band's newsletter - easy!", "Yeah sure I'll come to the BBQ, I'll make my famous quiche!" (note: there is no famous quiche), "Yeah sure I'll have that essay in on time."

Yep, I'm looking much more like Kelly than Tarantino, although I do a good Tarantino impression. It consists of me saying something about Charles Bronson, then saying "yeah man, alright..." Its gold.The Classic Pose

Who am I kidding? No one was waiting for this. Sigh. Well, my essays are in and so I have more time to do this now. Hopefully future entries will be better. Note the picture added. Its.....A Monet painting! I dunno why, I thought it looked pretty.

Kseeyabye.

Oooh! SBS are doing a Jarmusch Retrospective. I'll finally get to see Dead Man.

My New Distraction Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Blog

2006-05-25T12:21:00.000+10:00

Hi there.

Reasons for starting a blog:

1. Procrastination: This is a big one. My life seems to be one distraction after another as i sink into further and further denial about my honours work. They say denial is the first stage of grief. Yep, I'm grieving my sanity.

2. Relevancy: Considreing my thesis is about new media and the internet i figured it was getting rediculous that i didn't have a stable internet home. You can expect a post a couple of times a week. I used to have a film-review related one at RottenTomatoes, but got bored.

3. Subcultural Capital: Ahh yes, the wank reason. Lets face it, its getting cooler in the circles I travel through (the Arts student worlds, see links) to have one of these self-indulgent corners of the www. Hey, it could be worse, I could be an "emo" or jazz muso or something.

So yeah, I'll be back later to tell you more about little old me. I hope some will be at least remotely entertained, maybe even informed. It will probably be media-based critique stuff, but hey you might get lucky sometimes and get a rant about my latest argument or romantic escapade. Ha! "Romantic escapade." That was a good one Stef, write that down. Wait... but I aready did! Spooky.