What BP Could Buy...

Project Morrinho...

Project Morrinho is an ever-growing social project that takes the form of a miniature city built by young people in Rio de Janeiro from brick, paint and other found materials inspired by the landscape, architecture and everyday life of the favelas that span the city. Here it has appeared on the South Bank. More snaps here.

Trafalgar Square Maze...

This have a maze this week in Trafalgar Square. Cool.

Talking Carl...

There's an app on the iPhone called Talking Carl that repeats everything you say but in a higher pitch. Now what would happen if two of these apps could hear each other? FIGHT!

The Best Film Trilogy...

What's the best film trilogy of all time? The Toy Story trilogy? Think again.

I Love You Phillip Morris...

Image via Wikipedia

I love I Love You Phillip Morris and shall be queuing up to buy the Blu-Ray as it's out today.

It's had a checked past though. Released in Europe earlier this year it was moderately successful and has easily covered it's $15m production costs.

However there's still been no US release yet. Why could that be? Jim Carrey is a big star. Huge. As is Ewan McGreggor. And it's a comedy. A funny one at that. And it's proven that people will do and see it with it's European release.

Could it really be the legal wranglings of it's distributors, Consolidated Pictures Group that have caused the delay?

Or, as I suspect, it is because the film’s about a Christian man turning off the path and finding his salvation not in Jesus but in Phillip Morris’ arse.

Rum, Sodomy and The Lash...

Well, I'm not too sure about the last two but the first I can sort you out with. A mere snip at £599 a bottle.

Black Tot Last Consignment / British Royal Naval Rum

Bottled from the Last Consignment of stock of British Royal Naval Rum, which had been hidden in storage since Black Tot Day in 1970 - when the official rations ceased - Black Tot is a true piece of rum (and naval) history.

Paul's 50th...

It was Paul's 50th yesterday and he very generously treated Si, Charlie, Martin, Jan, Ian, Stu and me to dinner at Moro in Exmouth Market. We had a fab time ably assisted by a couple of bottles of Cava from the lovely Allegra and Suzie and the lovely Charlie. Paul is such a lovely man - the simple testament being... his lovely friends.

Pix below and slide show here.

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.