The Boat That Rocked (2009)

The Boat That Rocked (2009 - Richard Curtis). IMDB 7.6/10 - nonsense. Rubbish movie, but with an awesome soundtrack of 60s' hits:

Elenore - The Turtles
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells
Ooh Baby Baby - The Temptations
Hi Ho Silver Lining - Jeff Beck
I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy - Paul Jones
The End of the World - Skeeter Davies
and more...

Murdoch goes to war...

The Boss (pic by Annie Liebovitz for Vanity Fair)

Interesting article in Vanity Fair, Nov 2009 edition, in which Rupert Murdoch expounds his vision of paid-for content. He's out on a limb, but isn't that what he does well?

"Rupert Murdoch is going to battle against the Internet, bent on making readers actually pay for online newspaper journalism—beginning with his London Sunday Times. History suggests he won’t back down; the experts suggest he’s crazy. Is he also ignoring his industry’s biggest problem?

War is Rupert Murdoch’s natural state..."

Genius - Tim Minchin and Jamie Cullum

Sydney Harbour Bridge Brekkie

Photo: Charles Brewer for News.com.au (The Australian)

6000 picnickers sat on 10,000 square metres of specially-laid turf for Sydney's inaugural Breakfast on the Bridge, part of 'Crave Sydney', a month-long festival showcasing the city's entertainment, food and art. 

Original and extraordinary, but where was Australia's legendary sunshine?

Mercedes heads for the Highlands

Times Online reports on the retirement of 27-year-old Mercedes, Britain's only polar bear, to her new home in Kingussie. She joins her former fellow Edinburgh Zoo residents, the red pandas and the Amur Tigers, who are all enjoying the colder climate of the Scottish Highlands. The new polar bear enclosure, which is the size of four football pitches, is the largest in the world by bear-to-space ratio. Canadian-born Mercedes has a life expectancy of three more years in which to enjoy her new-found freedom (of sorts).

Olde-worlde Google map

Witty, very witty. Complete with 'Hilltop View', search, advertising links and map markers. I would credit the source of such wit, but I can't find out who actually thought this up...

View it larger here.

Trippy Alice

Click here to go tripping with Alice...

YouTube API shark

Cool use of the YouTube API feed from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Sadly, it's no longer live, but it featured constantly-refreshed videos made at the aquarium, pulled in via API then formed in the shape of a shark, which swims gracefully through an ocean. Mesmerising - and an intelligent, creative use of technology by Asahi Advertising Inc.

Using the Google Japanese translation toolbar brings the following unique insight into Asahi's world of Japanese advertising: If the media instrument, the content inside. Help stimulate communication and interesting content, cross-media era effectively move people and goods. We provide a variety of content developed according to the needs of consumers and society.

Whassup?

Free Rice.com

Be as smart as Stephen Fry, by knowing the definitions of obscure words and donating free rice through the UN World Food Program at www.freerice.com

Fraktur, Flabelliform, Katzenjammer, Cockalorum, Melilot, Propaedutic, Nullo, Grampus, Pung, Kop, Klieg, Asseverate, Scute, Entelechy, Kampong, Rial, Suttee, Lavolta, Piassava, Discerption, Partita, Pitchblende, Saury, Stromuhr...

How to write right

The Times Style Guide is an invaluable guide to 'correct' writing - or, at least, to the way that The Times does it. For example: 


* apostrophes with proper names/nouns ending in s that are singular, follow the rule of writing what is voiced, eg, Keats's poetry, Sobers's batting, The Times's style (or Times style); and with names where the final “s” is soft, use the “s” apostrophe, eg, Rabelais' writings, Delors' presidency; plurals follow normal form, as Lehman Brothers' loss etc

Note that with Greek names of more than one syllable that end in "s", generally do not use the apostrophe "s", eg, Aristophanes' plays, Achilles' heel, Socrates' life, Archimedes' principle; but note Jesus's (not Jesus') parables. Beware of organisations that have variations as their house style, eg, St Thomas' Hospital, where we must respect their preference. Also, take care with apostrophes with plural nouns, eg, women's, not womens'; children's, not childrens'; people's, not peoples'.

Use the apostrophe in expressions such as two years' time, several hours' delay etc.

An apostrophe should be used to indicate the plural of single letters - p's and q's

* management-speak do not succumb, for example, to describing an organisation as meaninglessly as what was suggested in a press release: "interested in non-face-to-face, high-volume, low-unit-cost solutions that would require the front-loaded investment the voluntary sector cannot acquire". See 'jargon'.

* News International Rupert Murdoch is chairman and chief executive of News Corporation (second mention, News Corp), a name changed in November 2004 from The News Corporation Limited after incorporation in the United States; it can be described as "parent company of The Times".

A subsidiary of News Corp is News International (its full title is News International Ltd; was News International plc until June 2003), a British company that owns Times Newspapers Holdings. The operating subsidiary of Times Newspapers Holdings is Times Newspapers Ltd, publisher of The Times and The Sunday Times. Times Newspapers Holdings is chaired by Mr Murdoch and the board includes the independent national directors of The Times and The Sunday Times. It is thus the controlling company.

News Group Newspapers, another operating subsidiary of News International, is the publisher of The Sun and News of the World (and Sunday Magazine).

TSL Education Ltd (formerly Times Supplements Ltd) was another operating subsidiary of News International which published The Times Educational Supplement, The Times Higher Education Supplement, The Times Literary Supplement, Nursery World, TES College Manager and TES Primary magazine. Worldwide Learning Ltd, a subsidiary of TSL Education, is a provider of global distance learning solutions. The Times Literary Supplement is still owned by News International.

The Times Educational Supplement is now better known simply as the (l/c, roman) TES; what was The Times Higher Education Supplement is now Times Higher Education and branded as the (l/c, roman) THE. Both publications, with Nursery World and other publications, are still owned by TSL Education, but that company and its titles were bought from News International by Exponent Private Equity in 2005.

News Ltd is the Australian arm of News Corp.

Twentieth Century Fox (or 20th Century Fox in logo form), Fox News, Fox Sports etc are part of the Fox Entertainment Group, which is 82.1 per cent owned by News Corp.

Mr Murdoch does not "own" any of these companies, though his family is the largest single (though not majority) shareholder in News Corp. See BSkyB, Murdoch, Rupert, The Times

* BSkyB News Corporation, parent company of The Times, owns 39.1 per cent of BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting Ltd). So use the formula: BSkyB, in which News Corporation, parent company of The Times, has a 39.1 per cent stake ... Sky can also be called an associate company of News International, or of News Corp. See News International, The Times

* Brummie (not Brummy), Geordie, Scouse etc, people and dialect, all capped. See Cockney

* breastfeed(ing) no longer use hyphen

* e-mail but note E-Stamp, a registered trademark; note e-commerce

* jellybean one word

* poppadum

* possessives do not use inelegant "geographic possessives" such as London's East End, Colorado's Breckenridge ski resort: write the East End of London, Breckenridge, the Colorado ski resort. Similarly, do not use the possessive in phrases such as BBC One's Panorama programme: write the BBC One Panorama programme, or simply Panorama on BBC One


and much, much more pedantry...

ILT #1 Tunnock's Tea cakes

I Like This #1: Tunnock's Teacakes - simply the best teatime treat. Childhood memories in every bite of chocolate and marshmallow. 3m of them made every week (great 'Engineer' TV ad here) and only 106 kcal per 'biscuit' .


Tunnock's site. Click on the News link and you'll see that nothing newsworthy has happened - excellent (and just as it should be - leave 'em alone). There's an excellent Snack Hunt retro game here.

Frankie said Relax (on the River)

The Thames in the rain, free booze, alcohol-soaking fodder and those glorious 80s' disco sounds - Frankie said "Relax", so we did, ending with a quick rendition of the Kings of Leon Sex on Fire.

66: all the sixes, Clickety Click

The Conservatives plan to increase retirement age to 66 from 2016, 10 years earlier than previously planned. So, only 12 years to go until I get my hands on the government's free money (my money, actually - it will be payback time). The current government's plans also aimed to raise retirement age by one year each decade after 2106, so to 67 in 2036 and so on - so I'm looking forward to getting stuffed by any government, be it Labour or Conservative...

View partial source: Times Online

IWOOT #9 - Dent Big Ben Watch

Good enough for Simon Cowell, good enough for me (but without the diamonds, thanks). Happy Birthday, Mr Cowell.

www.dentlondon.com

The Johnny Otis Show - Hand Jive

The Johnny Otis Show, Three Tons of Joy demonstrate the Hand Jive.

The Treniers: R-A-G-G-M-O-P-P

The Treniers - jumpin' and jivin' with the best of 'em...

IWOOT #8 - Planet Waves

(left) Visions of J, inspired by Visions of Johanna (100% montepulciano grape), and (right) the round, fruity Planet Waves (75% montepulciano, 25% merlot), named after the 1974 Dylan album. (Below) Antonio Terni.

Inspired by Bob Dylan's autobiography and a CD of his Theme Time Radio Hour (a great showcase for Dylan's droll observations and little-heard, often off-the-wall early pop), I came across wine inspired by the great songsmith.

Dylan has an association with Fattoria Le Terrazze, the excellent producer in Le Marche (home of the ubiquitous Verdicchio wine), an undersung but rising region on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Le Terrazze is run by Dylan fanatic Antonio Terni, a yachtsman and former nuclear scientist who was profiled in Lawrence Osborne’s snarky chronicle, “The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World.’’


However, at 39 squid a bottle from Berry Bros & Rudd, it will have to remain in the IWOOT league...


View partial source: New York Times, Dining & Wine & Telegraph.co.uk: The vines they are a-changin''

State of Play x 2

Only realised after 10 minutes of watching the 2009 Russell Crowe/Ben Affleck film (IMDB 7.4/10) that it was the same, abridged story from the 2003 BBC State of Play series (IMDB 8.7/10). Both good in their own ways, but the 5hr BBC series had more depth in plot, even if it lacked the richness of the film. Bill Nighy as the newspaper editor was a classic part, not matched by Helen Mirren in the film. Russell Crowe was great as the unstoppable, long-haired investigative journalist.

Good to hear Creedence Clearwater Revival's Long As I Can See The Light over the end credits.

Laudate Choir concert, StJSS

To St John's Smith Square, one of the 'masterpieces of English Baroque', in Westminster for an evening concert by The Laudate Choir and City of London Sinfonia under conductor Howard Ionascu, with soloists Erica Eloff (soprano), Joana Seara (soprano), Robin Bailey (tenor), Rupert Reid (bass). Programme: Handel My Heart is Inditing, Gabriel Jackson Salve Regina and Mozart Mass in C minor K427. 

Fine singing and a fine performance, but just sad to see only around 240 audience in an 800-seater concert auditorium on a Friday night. 

Nice bottle of Viognier, though, beforehand in the Footstool crypt restaurant to settle the week's nerves and set the  mood.

Trounced by the Aussies

So, Ricky Ponting (111*) and opener Shane Watson (136*) blew us away in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Supersport Park Centurion (Verwoerdburg) with a nine-wicket win and 8.1 overs to spare. Indeed, they showed their ultimate superiority and should doubtless go on to win the tournament. Ponting joined India's Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka by being only the third batsman to reach 12,000 one-day international (ODI) runs.

Now who won The Ashes this summer? Let us ponder on that ... or we can let The Mail Online remind us here how they celebrated.

It's Samba time in Rio

It's Samba time for the Rio Cariocas, as they win the race to host the 2016 Olympics. Mr & Mrs Obama sure ain't happy...

Chicago lose race for 2016 Olympics

Barrack Hussein Obama II - not a man who likes to lose (or waste a transatlantic trip to Copenhagen).

View partial source: Times Online story & Google blog.