Soft & Sweet

Just got my second Roxy Music CD. My, how I love the voice of Bryan Ferry. 'Oh Yeah' is one of my favs:



I came across Bryan Ferry & The Roxy Music watching '9 1/2 Weeks' - a movie I quite enjoyed, a book that shocked me. BTW, it's good to see Mickey Rourke up and alive again :-)

Gilmore Girls Quotes - Season 7.19

There are two things I really appreciate in this high-tech world: MP3 players and DVDs.

When I'm completely stressed out, I take a walk with my iPod shuffle (love this cute little thing) or settle down in front of my PC and watch my favourite TV series - Gilmore Girls.

I've just enjoyed one episode of the seventh (and last) season of GG. It's episode 19 ... It's Just Like Riding a Bike

Lorelai and Luke were friends for a long time and became lovers, but it didn't work out. They're trying to restore their friendship, and as Lorelai's Wrangler breaks down, Luke tries to help her to buy a new car. Lorelai being Lorelai, that's quite difficult ... and it is not very helpful that L&L act way too polite instead of their usual argy-bargy.

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Lorelai (on the phone, talking to Sookie, her friend):
Jack Bauer should torture his suspects by making them go car shopping with their exes.

You have to be an expert in music, movies and TV series to decode GG jokes and hints - how I do love that :-)

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And here's what it is like to buy a car with Lorelai. In her world, car's got personality. Mind, she's quite a crazy woman (just have a look at the picture - that explains it all) ... and my, how I appreciate her views *g*

Luke: Here's a news flash for you, okay. Sports cars don't think they're better than other cars! Okay? Hatchbacks do not have SUV inferiority complexes!

Lorelai: Heh. Now who's ridiculous.

Luke: Yeah, and sedans aren't afraid to get dirty!

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Lorelai does not buy a new car. She simply doesn't get "the feeling".

So Luke looks for a used Wrangler and suggests - against all rational thought - to put the engine block into Lorelai's broken down Wrangler. Which is perfectly okay with Lorelai :-)

[H]OUSE M.D FanSiTe

Seems like my daughter's been busy, too :-)

That's her new fansite, have a look:

[H]OUSE M.D FanSiTe

Gilmore Girls & Hybrid Cars by Toyota & Volvo

Just watched five sequels of Gilmore Girls Season 7 on DVD, feeling kind of GG-stoned :-)

Noticed a nice product placement ... Rory's driving a Toyota Prius, one of the first affordable hybrid cars.





The system is quite intelligent IMHO, please have a look: hybridsynergydrive.com





And for Volvo fans like me there are good news:


Volvo shows at the IAA Motorshow in Frankfurt the brand new C30 hybrid. This Volvo C30 hybrid can drive on bio fuel but it’s main source is electricity. You can plug it in the wall and fully loaded the car can drive 60 miles. Loading the electricty will take 3 hours. The Bio fuel will only be called upon when it is needed.

The fuelcosts of a C30 hybrid will be 80% less then having a “normal” car and the CO2 emission will be 60% less then the most efficiant cars available on the market right now.

The main difference between the Volvo Hybrid and hybrid cars like those of Honda, Toyota and Lexus is that Volvo C30 uses the electricty as it’s main source of power as the others use it as a short assistence for normal fuel.

And it's developed in the US ... seems like Al Gore had some impact after all ... just a wild guess!!!!

Surf's Up

Hey dude, hang loose ... and go with the flow!

"Surf's Up" is a surfers' story, told with penguins and other animals (including Chicken Joe).



Followed by a camera crew to document his experiences, an up-and-coming surfer, Cody Maverick (paying homage to Top Gun, huh?), enters his first pro competition on Pen Gu Island.


The movie "Surf's Up" is pure fun, with great animations, a well told story and good music. If you're in need of a good laugh, you should watch it.

Dr. House

As we are waiting for the new GG season we've switched to Dr. House. Hugh Laurie as Greg House is really cool. I love his cynical, black humor. The stories are quite enthralling and there are lots of witty dialogue sequences.

Season 1, Episode 8 (Poison)
There is an old lady (Georgia) who does not behave her age, due to syphilis (her sexual pleasure center of the cerebral cortex has been over-stimulated by spirochetes).

Georgia: I notice colors more. And music. I- I'm really hearing music. I'm eighty-two, and I'm supposed to be playing canasta with the other old ladies, but... now when I see a guy with a cute butt...I just can't stop looking at him. [looks at House] Or a sexy beard.

Dr. House: And you figure that enjoying cute butts is a sign of disease?

It's not the main storyline of this episode, but I simply love it. Especially the parts where the (grown up) son of this old lady is shocked by her queer behaviour ... and her confession that she slept with someone else, before she came to know his dad ...

Mark: But Mom; you said Dad was your first love.
Georgia: He was. We're talking about sex.

LOL

And Now For Something Completely Different ...

Yes, it is Monty Python. I found some sketches on YouTube ... here are two of my favourites:

The Dead Parrot


You might know the plot, a man (John Cleese) wishes to make a complaint concerning a dead parrot.

The salesman (Michael Palin) does not acknowledge that the parrot is dead.

Cleese: "This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! [...] It's stiff, bereaved of life, it rests in peace. If you wouldn't have nailed it to its perch it would be pushing up the daisies! [...] This is an ex-parrot."

I saw it years ago on the Austrian TV, in combination with the Lumberjack Song. It was kind of a running gag, e. g. a salesman saying "I never wanted to be a salesman, I always wanted to be a lumberjack ..." and then the song begins. There is also a YouTube video available of that.

I especially like the second verse: "I am a lumberjack and I'm okay [...] I put on women's clothing and hang around in bars" (the reaction of the choir, who repeats the vocals, is priceless).


Flying Sheep


Ah, this one is great. It's about clever sheep, trying to learn how to fly and live in trees.

Farmer (Graham Chapman): "Observe for example that ewe in that oak tree. She's clearly trying to teach her lamb to fly. Talk about the blind leading the blind. [...] Trouble is: Sheep are very dim. And once they're getting an idea into their heads, there's no shifting it."

Tourist (Terry Jones): "But where did they get the idea from?"

Farmer (Graham Chapman): "From Harold, he's that sheep over there on the oak. He's the most dangerous of animals: A clever sheep. He's the ringleader. He's realised the sheep's life consists of standing in the rain for a few months and then being eaten."

A Preference for Scotland?

I seem to have identified a preference for scotland. Fascinating, I've never been there and still ... I like Simple Minds since I've been a teenager and - as mentioned in previous posts - Fairground Attraction and Salsa Celtica.

But there is not only Scottish music I like, there are some quite interesting men coming from Scotland, like Sean Connery (since he's a grown up man, not as James Bond) and Gerald Butler (300).







While looking at some pictures of Gerald Butler (who wants to blame me for appreciating good looking men, huh?) I found out that he played in "Beowolf and Grendel" in 2005. How come I've missed that movie?? That's one of my favourite stories!

I've read quite a lot of stuff like that as a child and I still love these stories. The Song of Roland, the Nibelungenlied, the Illiad and the Odyssey ... talking about movies I liked Braveheart as well as Rob Roy.

Seems like I'm holding out for a hero ... quoting Bonnie Tyler ;-)

I think I have to go to Scotland, visit the country, get to know some people over there. One of my favourite retirement plans is to live by the sea (guess where ... yup, Scotland) writing books. But as I am a little bit too young to retire I might spend a holiday there first of all. Let's see whether I really like it.

Perfect Stranger Vol. II

Referring to my own post from February ... I've watched 'Perfect Stranger' now. It's not the best thriller ever made, but it's okay. There are even some unexpected twists and turns in the end.

I've read some devastating film critics, but I think that's just because people think a movie has to be most excellent when starring Halle Berry & Bruce Willis. Uh oh, never make this mistake, because it is one.

Stay unprejudiced, that's the best way to enjoy entertainment. Otherwise you are doomed to compare every thriller to 'The Usual Suspects' ... ;-)

300 - Leonidas & Gorgo

'300' tells the story of king Leonidas of Sparta and his doomed fight with 300 Spartians against the persian king Xerxes and his superior forces in the Battle of Thermopylae.

It is a most impressive story, no wonder it survived centuries.



Sparta was never famous for philosophy like Athens, but for its warriors and their extremely strict and forceful education. The word 'laconic' also has its roots in Sparta ... and although this seems to be contradictory, the women of Sparta were highly respected.

This is also part of the plot. The relationship between king Leonidas and his queen Gorgo might not be the most important part when watching a movie about war, fighting and killing, but it is - especially from the female point of view - most mentionable.

I loved the dialogue between Leonidas and Gorgo, when Leonidas had to decide whether to act according to the prophecy of the oracle - who forbade to send an army - or not.

Leonidas: Then what must a king do to save his world when the very laws he has sworn to protect force him to do nothing?

Gorgo: It is not a question of what a citizen should do, nor a husband, nor a king. Instead ask yourself, my dearest love: 'What should a free man do?'

Thank God they made the movie in a VERY different way from 'Troja'. I'm still getting extremely angry thinking of this ... crap.

But - given you like ancient war stories like 'Braveheart' or 'Gladiator' - please see for yourself. IMHO it's really worth watching, because of the plot and of the way it is told, with perfect technical effects and overwhelming pictures (and some quite laconic statements).

Music & Lyrics Volume II

I watched Music & Lyrics again, this time in English. Here's one of the most amusing quotes:

Alex Fletcher: The best time I've had in the last fifteen years was sitting at that piano with you.
Sophie Fisher: That's wonderfully sensitive... especially from a man who wears such tight pants.
Alex Fletcher: It forces all the blood to my heart.

I loved the explanation why lyrics are so important. Sophie Fisher compares it to falling in love. She says the melody is the attracting part, it allures you, fascinates you. But the real seduction happens while listening to the lyrics. To get to know the person behind, the meaning. That's when you get really attracted, or even enchained.

Seems to be quite a feminine point of view, given. But it's just too true. Remembering some discussions with a friend of mine (who also regards the melody more important than the lyrics) I could not have put it better, had I known the words.

Am Limit - Huber Buam

If you like climbing you have to watch the movie "Am Limit". It's about Alexander and Thomas Huber and their attempt to beat the speed climbing record onto the Nose.

"See all these rocks that are surrounding us rising 3.000 feet above our heads? Believe it or not, there are people on this world who like to climb on all these rocks. And the Yosemite Valley is considered to be the rock-climbing capital of the world. That route is the most popular route in the entire world: The Nose."
Tourguide im Yosemite National Park

The movie is in German, parts of it are in English. I was stunned by the pictures, the interviews, the message ... these guys are fascinating.

For more information please go to: www.amlimit.kinowelt.de

Music & Lyrics

My daughter and I watched "Music And Lyrics" today ... and we enjoyed it quite a lot.

It's the same successful concept ... Hugh Grant and a gifted actress, this time Drew Barrymore. And it works out again.

The plot is nice and romantic, the characters are congenial ... a simple, well done movie, just for fun. But what it wants to do it does - it's pure entertainment.

Especially for people like me, who really listened to the music of the eighties, it means nostalgia, too.

I blushed while watching the videoclip "PoP! goes my heart" ... remembering what I listened to at that time - and what I regarded as cool. Heavens.

Be warned: you won't get the songs out of your head ... it's like an eighties melody virus. Even my daughter wants to have the soundtrack ... so it IS catching! *g*

EBB, Queequec, Flash And The X-Files

When I was still married I made a flash site for my family, it is still online ... phew, how the times are changing!

Flash Trial Site

The name "queequec" which is used in the page title has got a certain story. At that time I was a X-Files freak, messing around on a Fox message board with this nickname.

Fans might remember ... Scully had a dog once, called Queequeg after the tattooed harpooner in "Moby Dick". I spelled the name wrong when I registered for the board, that's why it's with a "c" ... :-)

My favourite signature was "Scully's eaten dog" because this dog met a sudden, unpleasant and presumably yapping death in the episode Quagmire.

I was famous on the board for my strict "noromo" attitude, which means I preferred the relationship between Scully and Mulder to stay platonic. They called me "QQ, queen of noromos" ... we had endless fun on this message board.

Mat, Sleepless, Detoured, Nic ... you made my nights at that time, I miss you.

Clint Eastwood vs. Hugh Jackman

Here comes pure trivia ... :-)

When I was a teenage girl, I fell in love with this guy:



















The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, 1966
Picture by doctormacro.com

When Tuco (The Ugly) dragged Blondie (The Good) through the heat of the desert ... heavens, my heart went out to this guy with his sunburned face, being so extremely cool no matter what.

And now have a look at this guy ...


















Phew. And it's not only these eyes or this really impressing body ... no, Hugh (as Stanley) fights for the right to live with his daughter in "Password Swordfish". Simply kills me.

That's part of why I love movies. It's not only the stories, or how they are told. You watch the characters, and sometimes you can't help but sigh like a lovesick teenie - no matter how old you are or how well you know the difference between fiction and reality.

It's nice to escape reality from time to time, watching "bigger than real life" characters on the screen.

End of Trivia ... ;-)

Perfect Stranger

I've just found something ... again a movie I'll simply have to watch. Coming up in spring in the US ... in Europe we will have to wait a little bit longer (for preview please follow the link):

Perfect Stranger

Halle Berry (gorgeous as ever) and Bruce Willis (phew, hot).















It's about secrets, infidelity, murder ... nothing new, so let's see what they make of it.

The Fountain (Movie)

I've just read in the German magazine "Cinema" that a new movie with Hugh Jackman is about to come to Austria:

The Fountain

Three parallel stories--about love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of existence--as told through the odyssey taken on by one man in his thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves.

His epic journey begins in 16th-century Spain, where, as conquistador Tomas Creo, he commences his search for the 'Tree of Life', the legendary entity believed to grant eternal life to those who drink of its sap.

As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife Isabel.

Traveling through deep space as a 26th-century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries of life that have consumed him for more than a century.

Sounds interesting!

Gilmore Girls Season 6

We (my daughter and I) watched Gilmore Girls yesterday - Super Cool Party People - excellent episode.

It's the one where Luke (damned, he IS good looking!) decides to give April a birthday party at the diner and Rory rushes to be with Logan at the hospital after he is seriously injured during a stunt with the Life and Death Brigade.

We did a "high five" when Rory phoned the father of Logan and told him to visit his son at the hospital, simply pure GG style:

Mitchum Hunztburger? Yes, it's Rory Gilmore. I just thought I'd call and remind you that Logan is lying in a hospital bed with a partially collapsed lung and a whole host of other potentially life-threatening injuries.

And I'm figuring a guy like you, surrounded by nothing but a bunch of terrified sycophants, might not have someone in his life with the guts to tell him what an incredibly selfish, narcissistic ass he's been.

So I thought I'd jump on in: swallow your pride, get in your car and come down here and see your son! Now!!

Needless to say that he came.

For more quotes follow this LINK ... have fun!

Deja Vu

Same woman, same haircut, double age ...
Let's see what the triple age picture will look like!

BTW - and that's why I've chosen this titel for my post - I watched the movie with Denzel Washington yesterday.

There are many movies playing with time and space, like "Terminator I" or "Butterfly Effect".

Especially "Terminator I" was tricky ... how Sarah Connor got pregnant ... number one topic for SF freaks in 1984.

:-)

The parallel time car chase in "Deja Vu" really impressed me, cool one.

And I was awake for 24 hours yesterday ... it was quite a long day!