Wordle...

Check out this blog in random. Wordle - the best word messing up thing - ever!

Hong Kong Phooey...

"Hong Kong Phooey, number one super guy. Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye."

Mind The OAP...

Clever Advert...

Can you guess what this advert is really for? Subtle and clever as it dawns upon you.

It's Saturday night madness!...

A few weeks we had a go at Dance on Broadway (Wii). I hang my head in shame along with Mark Ashley, Stuart Archer and Mark Maguire.

Dracula...

Last night Stu, Paul, Simon and I went to the world famous Hackney Empire to watch Dracula - the remastered 1931 b/w classic starring Bela Lugosi. It was being screened as part of the Blaze festival with a live score composed by Philip Glass and performed by the Kronos Quartet.

We really enjoyed it. It was perfect mix of the live... and the undead.

Hair...

Stop me if you've heard this one before.... The first proper date Stu and I went on was to see a revival of the 1967 hippy musical Hair at the Gate Theatre in 2005. Twelve years earlier than that coincidentally we'd both seen the same 1993 production at The Old Vic starring Sinitta and John Barrowman.

We are both big fans. Obviously.

So naturally we went to see the Broadway revival at the Gielgud Theatre with the original New York cast a month or two ago.

And we just couldn't keep away so few weeks ago we went again.

And guess what? We still couldn't keep away. So we went yet again last night. Still at the Gieldgud Theatre and still with the original New York cast.

Well, you would wouldn't you?

Hair is undoubtabably a great musical. A rock musical no less. The first of its kind. It explores dramatic themes throughout, most of which are displayed right there on stage; swearing, drug use, overt sexuality, anti-war, anti-racism and nudity. What's not to like?

The songs are great too; Aquarius, Donna, Sodomy, Ain't Got No, Hair, Be-In (Hare Krishna), Good Morning Starshine and of course the seminal Let the Sun Shine In.

This production really does the material justice. It is active, energetic and enthusiastic. Simply staged it allows the great singing to come to the fore. Last night the audience were involved from start to finish being encouraged to join in as the action on the stage bled into the auitorium. Climbing over the seating the cast sang, danced, handed out posters and passed round flowers. By the finale the audience were so involved they flooded onto the stage to join in the fun. Naturally we just had to join them (again).

We probably liked it even more the third time of viewing. I wonder if we can sneak in a fourth and final time before it closes on 4th Sept?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10...

I've recently got myself a new toy. A Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10. I did a lot of research; speaking to friends and checking out forums, reviews and comparing specs.

• LUMIX Super Zoom Digital Camera
• 12.1 megapixel, 25mm Wide-angle 12x Optical Zoom with LEICA DC Lens
• Intelligent Resolution Technology and 16x Intelligent Zoom
• HD Movie in AVCHD Lite and HDMI Compatibility Featuring VIERA Link
• Travel Mode with GPS for Easy Organizing Images of Travel
• P/A/S/M Mode for More Creative Shots
• iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)

Sweet Charity...

Last November Stu and I went to a preview of Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory and had felt at the time that a West End transfer would be coming. Sure enough, last night Paul, Allegra, Suzie and I went to see the show at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The transfer itself wasn't a surprise as the creative team behind this show has propelled Little Shop of Horrors and La Cage aux Folles in the same direction.

So did it travel well across the river? You betcha.

The show follows the misadventures of love encountered by the gullible and guileless Charity Hope Valentine, a dancer at a dance hall called the Fandango Ballroom in New York City, who always gives her heart and her dreams to the wrong man. Again and again.

And it was just a great production. Tamzin Outhwaite made a simply superb Charity - she can sing, she can dance (and I guess we knew this already) she can act. The rest of the cast were spot on too. Bob Fosse would have been proud. It was funny, entertaining and energetic. As at the Menier, the staging was simple but affective.

Best songs of the night: I Love To Cry At Weddings, Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now and There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This.

Highpoint of the night: The Rhythm Of Life

Go see.

Ginger Discrimination...

Isn't it discrimination that gingers only have two lifelines on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Japan Ad...

Can you guess what this is an advert for?

OK Go - End Love...

Those OK Go boys are at it again - producing fecking impressive videos.

Dickens World...

The other Friday I took Stu for a birthday outing to something he's been wanting to go to for years: Dickens World.

DW is a Dickensian theme park built on an industrial estate in the lovely town of Chatham - well, half an hour's walk out of Chatham to be precise - down by the old docks.

Once there (on a half-priced Fagin's Earlybird Friday deal) we were treated to A Christmas Carol haunted house, an animatronic theatre show "featuring all your favourites", a "4D" cartoon film biography of the great man, Oliver Twist being acted out/mimed and an Old Curiosity Shop to buy all the tat quality mechanise we could wish for.

Well, Stu enjoyed himself.

Salome...

Last Friday Paul and I went to the Royal Opera House in London's glitzy Covent Garden to watch Richard Strauss's Salome - a music drama (OK, opera) based on Oscar Wilde's play. The production was really quite shocking: blood, nudity, gore and sex. The acting was great, the singing sublime and the set moved around like a stately galleon. Naturally we loved it.

I'd never been to the ROH before and I must say it was very impressive. Just what I'd expected. We had great seats too - access all arias.

One thing did make me smile though. As we were descending from the roof-top bar where we'd had our pre-performance drinkies I overheard one man say to his glamorous female companion, "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be much better dressed in the stalls."


Click here for slide show.

Gross Indecency...

Duckie Gets Raided by the Police from Tim Brunsden on Vimeo.

A brilliant night of Gross Indecency but a bit of trouble from the Police

La Bête...

Last night Stu and I went to see La Bête at the Comedy Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

Starring Joanna Lumley (The Princess), David Hyde-Pierce (Elomire) and Mark Rylance (Valere) the play is a pastiche of a 17th century French play in the style of Moliere. Oh, and it is written entirely in rhyming couplets.

The action centres around a spitting, farting, burping, shitting street entertainer Valere who The Princess, a patron of the arts in the Languedoc of 1654, takes a fancy to. Current high-brow favourite actor-playwright Elomire is then commanded by the Princess, to his great annoyance and ire, to make Valere a member of his acting company. Low brow tackles high brow to the ground.

Rylance was excellent - in full flood and very funny - especially in the twenty-five minute opening egotistical monologue. Hyde-Pierce was given rather less to work with but was admirable in his first disdain and then anger at the pretentious cuckoo. Lumley was given the least to work with sadly. She did manage bring out the shrewdness in The Princesses shrewishness though. We laughed and laughed.

So Purdey, Niles and Rooster done good.

Gay Pride March...

Last Saturday around one million people took to the streets of London for the annual Pride parade. It was probably the biggest I've ever seen it and one of the best.

Alan Carr: Chatty Man...

Last night Andy, Darren, Mark, Mattie, Fabio and I went to see Alan Carr: Chatty Man being recorded at the Thames Studios on London's glitzy South Bank.

Alan was on top form, the studio was rather chilly though.

Guests were Grace Jones, Gok Wan and JLS (Lily Allen who had been due to perform was a no-show - again).

Grace Jones was weird, surreal and yet totally disarmingly honest. I wonder if her anecdote about Roger Moore and a black and white dildo will get broadcast?

Gok Wan was in uber-gay mode being rude, crude and funny as hell. He was obviously horny too.

JLS made very little sense - just giggling at everything Alan said. Their new single - some kind of Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music thing was lame.

Thanks for the ticket Andy.

Wimbledon Men's Singles Final...

Stuart very kindly bought me two tickets to go to Wimbledon Men's Final Day last Sunday. Centre Court no less. And brilliant court-side seats (Block 101, row D). Just perfect.

As Stu himself doesn't really like the tennis I took Mark (who's a big fan). We had a smashing (sic) time; the sun was shining, we had a picnic on the lawn and the tennis was excellent.

Gross Indecency...

On Saturday night Stu, me, Paul, Andy & Tim, Andy, Andrew & Tim, Darren & Mark all went to Duckie's annual anti-Pride shindig. This year it was called Gross Indecency and was held at Camden Centre next to Camden's Town Hall in the Euston Road.

We had a great time - 1960s music, a secret password to get in, a police raid...



Snaps below and more here.

Hair...

The first proper date Stu and I went on was to see a revival of the 1967 hippy musical Hair at the Gate Theatre in 2005. Twelve years earlier than that coincidentally we'd both seen the same 1993 production at The Old Vic starring Sinitta and John Barrowman. Four months ago we even went to the opening night of the new production at The Gieldgud in London's glitzy West End.

We are obviously both big fans.

So it was with more than little joy that we went to the The Gieldgud last night to see the original New York cast (with one or two changes - such as a now obviously British Claude) do their stuff again.

Hair is undoubtabably a great musical. A rock musical no less. The first of its kind. It explores dramatic themes throughout, most of which are displayed right there on stage; swearing, drug use, overt sexuality, anti-war, anti-racism and nudity. What's not to like?

The songs are great too; Aquarius, Donna, Sodomy, Ain't Got No, Hair, Be-In (Hare Krishna), Good Morning Starshine and of course the seminal Let the Sun Shine In.

This production really does the material justice. It is active, energetic and enthusiastic. Simply staged it allows the great singing to come to the fore. Last night the audience were involved from start to finish being encouraged to join in as the action on the stage bled into the auitorium. Climbing over the seating the cast sang, danced, handed out posters and passed round flowers. By the finale the audience were so involved they flooded onto the stage to join in the fun. Naturally we just had to join them.

I think we might be going again before it closes early Sept.

More snaps here.

Mock The Week...

On Tuesday Andy, RVT David and I went to see a recording of BBC quiz show Mock the Week at the BBC Television Centre. The show starred Dara O'Briain and regulars Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard and Andy Parsons with guests Chris Addison, Ed Byrne and Micky Flanagan. Sadly Ben wasn't doing the warm-up that night.

On the way in we got a chance to take some snaps of a replica TARDIS. It would be churlish to say that this was the best part of the night - because the show was very funny. It's just the recording goes on for so looong. Nearly three hours.

The show is being broadcast tonight on BBC2 at 10pm.

Blondie at Kenwood...

Last Saturday night Paul, Simon, Tim, Andy, Stu and I went to watch Blondie perform an open-air concert at the picnic event at Kenwood House.

It was a lovely hot summer's day, the Carluccio's picnics were gorgeous and we had quite a good view from our premiem deckchairs.





The support act was Little Fish. Ok I guess.

Finally Debbie Harry and the boys came on stage - DH with her trademark blonde hair, diamanté studded sunglasses and more than enough attitude to belies her 64 years.

It was great show. They sang, we sang. They danced, we danced. They sang some more.

The set-list - as far as I can remember it - was:

D-Day
Hanging on the Telephone
The Hardest Part
Love Doesn't Frighten Me At All
Two Times Blue
The End, The End
Fade Away and Radiate
Picure This
Maria
What I Heard
Orchid Club
Atomic
Mother In The Night
The Tide is High
Uprising (a Muse cover)
Call Me
You're Too Hot
Rapture (a rather extended version)
No Exit
One Way Or Another
(Encore)
Break Your Heart (a Taio Cruz cover)
Heart Of Glass
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (a Michael Jackson cover)

More pix here.

Is Apple's iPhone4 homophobic?...

"Three Canadian scientists have published a study which found some connection between left-handedness and homosexuality" and "The problem is thought to be particularly acute for left-handed owners who naturally touch the phone in the sensitive area".

Bison...

On Friday night Darren and I went to see Bison at the Oval House Theatre. It was excellent. A painfully funny and painfully true exploration of gay life in the noughties.

They was no narrative as such - just a series of character studies and sketches about four gay men. Jason (Matthew Cavan) is a young gayer learning how the gay scene works. Tom (Jonny McMillen-Patterson) is a little bit older than Jason and a little bit wiser too. He is on a journey - quite literally - discovering all that the world has to offer. Simon (Christopher Sutton) is a bit older than Tom. He goes to the max, does everything to the extreme, particularly when it comes to sex (think fisting, blood and barebacking). Finally we have Richard (Miche Doherty) who is just plain old and really rather disillusioned. The four of them are linked only by their sexuality, each one at a different stage in life, and each facing their own worries and problems.

Tosca...

Last night Paul and I went to the London Colosseum in London's glitzy West End to see the English National Opera's production of Pucinni's Tosca.

Set in 1800 and against a backdrop of war the story takes us through an emotional journey of love, jealousy, deceit, lust, betrayal, revenge, murder, execution and suicide.

It was well sung, well acted and brilliantly staged.

Special mention of course goes to our heroine Tosca (Amanda Echalaz), her lover Mario (Julian Gavin) and the villain of the piece - the evil Scarpia (Anthony Michaels-Moore).

We had good seats too - access all arias.

Wolfgang Tillmans...

Wolfgang Tillmans has a new exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery which opens this week.

Here are two of my favourite photographs of his:

Dan (left) and Shiny Shorts (right)

Country Manor...

RIP Mr Tibbles...

Dear Mr Schrödinger,

Please excuse the open letter but we have been trying to contact you for some time. We are both pleased/sorry to inform you that Mr Tibbles is both fine/no longer with us. Please call if/when you get this message and come and observe him. Hopefully you'll be able to collapse him to a definite state.

Yours, Boots the Alchemist (Vet).

Richard Dawkins at TED...

From 2002 Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position - and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.