American Idol Winners' First Auditions

a bit of a stroll down memory lane ... for folks with cable :p includes my all time fave idol winner, Taylor Hicks - god bless his bank clerk shirts. quite like that last boy, too. lovely lush tones.

and yet ...

more from This Week In Canberra

Mr Rabbit's Govt

If the Whitlam Sacking made the kids dance like this in 1975, what's going to happen following our current political woes?

...From the'Concert for Bangladesh' in Melbourne 1975, we have Ross Wilson and Daddy Cool doing some Eagle Rocking with the funky Sharpies. A friend posted this on facebook, and it made me very very happy. As fellow bogan researchers i knew y'all needed to share the love. Keep an especial eye out for the Dad in the suit. I feel like chicken tonight....

Well frankly I think they're DISGRACEFUL

..with the exception of Albanese, who looked to me to be weeping some of the most genuine political tears we've seen in a long time. And well may he weep. Those stupid idiots. Prize moron awards for Simon Crean, Wayne Swan and Nicola Roxon. Special 'Two Face' award goes to Roxon, who following the 2012 coup apparently went to the trouble of stopping Therese Raine at an airport and saying to her 'Therese, I've never had any trouble working with Kevin'....Crean gets dickhead award for pushing it all to the point where Kevvy felt the need to resign. And'suicide bomber' of the year goes to Swan, for such offensive and ugly trashing of a former friend and a pm who actually got his party into govt. These people! They all need jobs in the real world(and after the next federal election some of them may be looking for one) Most of us have had psycho bosses at some point or another. Why would you put your firm out of business whilst dealing with someone you disliked? grrrrrrrrrrrr they ALL make me cross.

This week in Canberra

et tu, jules? or is that kev? or mr rabbit? or .... I dunno ...

Who is Mr Rabbit?

Tim and Debbie-Politics Of Time

Gotta go to work, ladeez. But once upon a time, HAwkie ruled the roost and we all knew we were Standing In Itxxx

Help me I'm becoming Political News Tragic

- All I've done for the past 24 hours is trawl newsites to get new info and read differing analyses
-I'm bringing politics up with people in normal conversation
- I'm disappointed because Annabel Crabb has started a COOKING SHOW WITH POLLIES FFS the week that Kev is making his run, and so so far we seem to have been denied her views on the drum website via ABC, because she's busy eating with Christopher Pynes and Amanda Vanstone. I kid you not.
-it really is like one big soap opera. And we'll all sitting in it.

archeology

how I'd love it

since there are no men here now ...

just lifted this from Another Place

A woman knows all about her children. She knows about
dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

Flight of the Conchords: Business Time

would be my fave...

"We're Both In Love With a Sexy Lady" - Flight of the Conchords

For Betty And the rest of us God love 'em..

the gritty history of valentines day

Forget roses, chocolates and candlelight dinners. On Valentine's Day, that's rather boring stuff -- at least by ancient Roman standards.

Imagine half-naked men running through the streets, whipping young women with bloodied thongs made from freshly cut goat skins. Although it might sound like some sort of perverted sadomasochistic ritual, this is what the Romans did until A.D. 496.

Mid-February was Lupercalia (Wolf Festival) time. Celebrated on Feb 15 at the foot of the Palatine Hill beside the cave where, according to tradition, the she-wolf had suckled Romulus and Remus, the festival was essentially a purification and fertility rite.

Directed by the Luperci, or "brothers of the wolf," the festival began with the sacrifice of two male goats and a dog, their blood smeared on the faces of Luperci initiates and then wiped off with wool dipped in milk.

As thongs were cut from the sacrificed goats, the initiates would run around the streets flagellating women to promote fertility.

Finally, in 496, Pope Gelasius I banned the wild feast and declared Feb. 14 St. Valentine's Day.

But who was St. Valentine? Mystery surrounds the identity of the patron saint of lovers.

Indeed, such was the confusion that the Vatican dropped St. Valentine's Day from the Catholic Church calendar of saints in the 1960s.

There were at least three men by the name Valentine in the A.D. 200s, and all died horrible deaths.

One was a priest in the Roman Empire who helped persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius II. As he was imprisoned, he restored the sight of a blind girl, who fell in love with him. He was beheaded on Feb. 14.

Another was the pious bishop of Terni, also tortured and beheaded during Claudius II's reign.

A third Valentine secretly married couples, ignoring Claudius II's ban on marriage. When the priest of love was eventually arrested, legend has it that he fell deeply in love with his jailer's daughter.

Before his death by beating and decapitation, he signed a farewell note to her: “From your Valentine.”

Apart from legend, the first connection between romance and Feb. 14 goes back to Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400), the English poet and author of The Canterbury Tales.

In his poem "Parliament of Fowls" (1382), Chaucer suggested that St. Valentine's Day was the time when birds chose their mates.

"For this was Seynt Valentyne's Day. When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate," he wrote.

Some 33 years later, Duke Charles of Orleans wrote what is considered the oldest known valentine in existence.

Imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured by the English, in 1415 the French nobleman wrote to his wife, Bonne d’Armagnac, a rhyming love letter, which is now part of the manuscript collection in the British Library in London.

The first two lines of the poem were:

"Je suis déjà d'amour tanné. Ma très douce Valentinée." (I am already sick with love, My very gentle Valentine).

It was an intense but unfortunate love: Bonne d’Armagnac may never have seen him again. She died before Charles' return to France in 1440.

boganry du jour

the return of the mullet.  is it just me?  or rather, is it peculiar to the plains of sorrow nearest my lofty perch?  please add your own mullet experiences of recent weeks, and we'll see if we can't rustle up a bit of a vox pop pie chart.

since we're in the deep past ...

I just love this clip. the song ain't bad neither :p speaking of which, this and "a little bit me, a little bit you" are my faves. hmmm ... might have to blog that one too ....

a roundabout RIP for whitney

I'd like to crow a bit here ... mr darth and I had the very great pleasure of seeing Dolly live, many moons ago, and this song was one of the highlights. not to mention her very fine brand of witty banter betwixt numbers :)

travels through kidhood

is it weird to have liked peter tork the best? when all the other preteens were hearting wee davey jones?

I can blog

whoopy-au-go-go !

Hugo 3D

Been reviewed yet?
This will be more of a rant than a review. God knows how anyone finds the discipline to do a serious review. i have a theory that many of the people who review frequently end up bagging most of the shows they write about because the discipline is no fun. Where was I. Hugo, 3D

Look, you know, there's art films, and then there's Hugo. Which is not an art film, but is certainly a film about visual art, imbued with the directors deep love of film and film history (referenced throughout, both straightforwardly and subtley), and a moving sense of the relationship between the film maker and the audience. If you take kids to it a lot will fly over their heads, but older kids will love the story anyway.
I've only ever assumed 3D films are gimmicky (well, of course they are), but Hugo manages to use the 3D element to expand the characters, (2 kids- 2 little heads, bent over pages of a book together-the physical presence of them tangible) and that's a whole new experience. I was exhilarated by this film; it seems to me that Scorsese has stepped into a completely new place. I walked out feeling much as I did the first time I really listened to Sargeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. So did hubby. Happy Valentines Day all and you must see it in 3Dxxxx

What the Hey

I'm away for a week, I get back, all of the posts are archived and I need to say Welcome Bumhead.
How goes it?

glorious george

the sublime mr formby. uke hero, and master of the double entendre. watched this one again last night ... happy me :D

the lastest in my 40's festival

with the impossibly beautiful veronica lake. and the dialogue ... oh the dialogue!

the words don't matter .. what matters is that he's talking to camera :p

say ...

what's happened to our parade of hornbags?

chuck

ahhh ... sigh, who doesn't love a bit of charles? more, what kid (actual or overgrown) doesn't love "boum!" ? we even noted a sly reference to the song while watching "horrible histories" the other day. the faux king louis was heard to announce "tick tack boum!" when pulling his pantaloons down for the amusement of his guests. as you do :D

the other one

mr miller's second and last flick. more fabby hoofing at end.

recent viewing #1

in the past week or so I've revisited Mr Miller's only two flicks after a decade long hiatus. this one and ... the other one :p some excellent hoofing twards the end for betty, some noice brass for the noice brass fanciers, some awesomely smooth vocals for wilms, and some stonking frockage and hair for moi :D

If I remember correctly...

...the whole point of Big Brother was to have two contestants 'rooting' on national televsion... as I understand in Australia, this did not happen. What is the point of this post then? I get these crappy emails from Channel Ten telling me about their crappy programs, and the subject of one deleted email was; 'love is in the air for tonight's episode of Biggest Loser'. "Aahhh" I hear you say, which means you are with me. What if Australia's reality TV cherry is popped tonight during tonight's Biggest Loser? The other unimportant questions are; will contestants be penalised, by engaging in sexual activity not conducive to weight loss, such as swallowing and premature ejaculation? Will Channel Ten start creating more disturbing subject titles for their emails, 'See tonight's contestants pounding, pound for pound' etc etc By the way, how is everyone?

We've only just begun...

husby, being a teacher and all, was back at school this week, and there was much rejoicing. Kid A starts Prep next Wed. Kid B has started family day care, along with Kid A. Transition has been marvellously smooth with no tears and he calls it his 'school'. Very cute. I have a new job which is where I've been all week. Exciting new job. My brain is full. Will discuss when my brain and my mouth reacquaint themselves.

In other news. WE HAVE MET AN ANGEL FARMER WHO IS PROMISING TO SOLVE MUCH OF OUR SFM WOES hurray!
A friend gave us the farmer's number as a source of raw milk, but she is so so much more. We can buy shares into a herd, thus ensuring a supply of organic milk from pasturefed cows, plus free range meat (pork, lamb, beef)- all for much the same price as a SFM. Very happy to have found this coop. Food politics! yeah!

tales from the Hall of Sorrow

or ... the view from the Vale of Tears. both of which (either or used .. depending on the mood du jour) are the names I've bestowed on our nearest Big Fat Shopping Mall. betty's reports from within the dark catacombs of retail hades have inspired me to shout out my own hola on the topic. * nail salons. possibly right at the apex of the cone of damnation. * 'variety' stores, after the fashion of wakmart. ie, bigfat w, targot & the k place. all damned. * my-er. flogging a dead damned horse. * smeegle. stationery heroin for the under 15s. why pay $1 for something at gow-low when you can pay twenty five damned bucks for it here. * phone stores. policy dictates that there is at least 70,000 in any one hall of sorrow. damn. * fatso boutiques. where the normals shop, god damn it. * hairdressers. apparently a few folk still pay to have their hair cut. just like in the olden days. damn funny watching them sit there with foil on their head. * food hall. where the normals eat, damn you. feel free to add your own pet retail peeves.