02.
03.
(haha, I removed this one in the end)
xxx
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
How could Bung be so heartless?
Even though I'm addicted to the show, quite a lot about Britain's Got Talent pisses me off. In the show, as in life, one of my ultimate bête noires are people who try to get votes through sympathy rather than deserved talent. So, feeling bitchy, I made a few scathing lolcats. It's probably not in the best humour, but you should have noticed by now that I'm a bit of a goon, so... :)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Who's watching you.
I won't get to do my report
Sunday, May 24, 2009
My Thoughts on the 8 Performances on Britain's Got Talent tonight.
01. Diversity
Absolutely stunning. I loved the fusion of music, and the homage to Mission Impossible was truly innovative. The part where they threw that lad across the stage could have so easily gone wrong, but as a result, it paid off. The whole sequence was edited horribly by ITV producers, but for the awesome sequence to still show is a testmament to how amazing it was. 10/10.
02. Sue Son.
I wasn't bowled over by the piece she chose. The performance was OK, though Escala did it better, and with more people, plus Sue has an embarrasing lack of stage persona. I don't hold it against her for dropping her "friend" (and think Amanda made a good point asking what kind of "best friend" the crap keyboard player was to not support her), but there is a shifty quality to Sue that makes me think she's the kind of person who's a bit of a goon. 4/10.
03. Darth Jackson.
What a pile of shit! 2/10.
04. Natalie Okri.
Despite her being a represent of the SE London massive, I have no time for Natalie Okri, who, I feel, epitomizes the whole glory-hunting, playing the cute-card aspect of Britain's Got Sob Stories. Her voice didn't project enough and the song didn't test her vocal range. How she got into the final three is beyond me, and I am disgusted that Amanda Holden gave her her vote. Also, those tears she shed at the end made me larf so hard, as if crying ever got anyone anywhere. Hope I never see her ever again, lil' princess. 3/10.
05. Julia Midenko.
Amazing bod, but this was very inferior to her audition performance, which geniunely was rather sizzling. It's quite difficult to belly-dance to Lady Marmalade, and Midenko just ends up sliding around the stage instead. 4/10.
06. Nick Hell.
EWWWWWWWWWW. I'm sorry, but drilling holes in ones' nose is not, and never will be, my idea of talent. Mate, go home. 1/10.
07. Faces of Disco.
Crap song, the dance moves were never in synch and there was nothing new to the dance moves. Nice to see the bodies of the boys though. :) 5/10.
08. Susan Boyle.
9/10.
Absolutely stunning. I loved the fusion of music, and the homage to Mission Impossible was truly innovative. The part where they threw that lad across the stage could have so easily gone wrong, but as a result, it paid off. The whole sequence was edited horribly by ITV producers, but for the awesome sequence to still show is a testmament to how amazing it was. 10/10.
02. Sue Son.
I wasn't bowled over by the piece she chose. The performance was OK, though Escala did it better, and with more people, plus Sue has an embarrasing lack of stage persona. I don't hold it against her for dropping her "friend" (and think Amanda made a good point asking what kind of "best friend" the crap keyboard player was to not support her), but there is a shifty quality to Sue that makes me think she's the kind of person who's a bit of a goon. 4/10.
03. Darth Jackson.
What a pile of shit! 2/10.
04. Natalie Okri.
Despite her being a represent of the SE London massive, I have no time for Natalie Okri, who, I feel, epitomizes the whole glory-hunting, playing the cute-card aspect of Britain's Got Sob Stories. Her voice didn't project enough and the song didn't test her vocal range. How she got into the final three is beyond me, and I am disgusted that Amanda Holden gave her her vote. Also, those tears she shed at the end made me larf so hard, as if crying ever got anyone anywhere. Hope I never see her ever again, lil' princess. 3/10.
05. Julia Midenko.
Amazing bod, but this was very inferior to her audition performance, which geniunely was rather sizzling. It's quite difficult to belly-dance to Lady Marmalade, and Midenko just ends up sliding around the stage instead. 4/10.
06. Nick Hell.
EWWWWWWWWWW. I'm sorry, but drilling holes in ones' nose is not, and never will be, my idea of talent. Mate, go home. 1/10.
07. Faces of Disco.
Crap song, the dance moves were never in synch and there was nothing new to the dance moves. Nice to see the bodies of the boys though. :) 5/10.
08. Susan Boyle.
9/10.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I just watched Obsessed...
And I think it deserves a lot better than the pejorative reviews and meagre 3.3/10 IMDb rating that it's acquired. Obsessed is about honest family guy Derek who finds himself stalked and the object of fixation from temp worker Ali Larter. As with most things in life it's not flawless, but it definitely had things going for it.
What I didn't like
- The final third of the film, which definitely slipped into farce.
- 90% of the dialogue written for Beyoncé Knowles' character, which consisted almost entirely of cliches and stereotypical things one would expect her to say.
- Ali Larter's performance.
- It all got a bit OTT towards the end.
What I did like
- The tension, which built up very well.
- The whole Fatal Attractionesque set-up, and the fact that it was the woman-stalking-man and not vice versa.
- The chemistry between Idris Elba and Knowles as the happily married couple.
- High entertainment factor.
All in all, deserves more recognition.
What I didn't like
- The final third of the film, which definitely slipped into farce.
- 90% of the dialogue written for Beyoncé Knowles' character, which consisted almost entirely of cliches and stereotypical things one would expect her to say.
- Ali Larter's performance.
- It all got a bit OTT towards the end.
What I did like
- The tension, which built up very well.
- The whole Fatal Attractionesque set-up, and the fact that it was the woman-stalking-man and not vice versa.
- The chemistry between Idris Elba and Knowles as the happily married couple.
- High entertainment factor.
All in all, deserves more recognition.
Friday, May 22, 2009
HI EVERYBODY.
I wish you could see me now, I'm literally crumpling paper and punching walls and bouncing around the place, completely over-caffeinated haha and I'm still gonna fail Stats 2!!!! Wake me up before I gogo rememeber. x
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
How to turn a 15 into a 12A.
From the bbfc entry for Angels and Demons -
So there you go.
This reminds me a bit of 2006 actually, when The Da Vinci Code came out and it got a 12A, but had to be cut. However, in The Da Vinci Code, it wasn't blood, but the music that scared the censors, something truly unprecedented:
Source
Personally, whilst I know the film made a lot of money and the 12A/PG-13 ratings played a part in that, I would have probably enjoyed it a bungload more had I not watched it with 10 year old chavs in the audience. So I'm quite curious as to what the 15-rated version was like. For now though, enjoy the amusing warning -
This film was originally shown to the BBFC in an unfinished version. The BBFC advised the company that the film was likely to receive a '15' classification but that the requested '12A' certificate could be achieved by making reductions in four scenes. In particular the BBFC suggested that sight of blood splattering onto a character's face, sight of a character screaming in pain as he burns, sight of a wound being injected and sight of a character self-immolating and burning should all be reduced. When the finished version of the film was submitted, all these reductions had been made satisfactorily and the film was classified '12A'.
So there you go.
This reminds me a bit of 2006 actually, when The Da Vinci Code came out and it got a 12A, but had to be cut. However, in The Da Vinci Code, it wasn't blood, but the music that scared the censors, something truly unprecedented:
The BBFC told executives at Sony, who are distributing the film in Britain, that unless significant changes were made to the film's audio content they would end up with a restrictive 15 certificate, which would have had a serious impact on the film's box office prospects.
A move to turn down a film's certification on the basis of its soundtrack is virtually unheard of. Normally, film producers have to cut only visual scenes to get the certification they require.
"It was when the movie was viewed again with the soundtrack that the problems emerged," a studio source said. "Everyone was full of praise for the score but the BBFC felt that the way it was being used to build up the tension was simply too much for very young children.
"The BBFC also thought that the film had a very high 'crunch factor'. You didn't just see the fight scenes, you heard the bones break."
Aware that anything other than a 12A certificate would have undermined the film's commercial prospects, Sony was forced to moderate the audio content for the finished version of the film. Last week, it was finally granted the desired 12A certificate by the board.
A BBFC spokesman said: "We advised Sony that, as things stood, the film would receive a 15 certificate unless changes were made. A good score is obviously there to build up the tension. But in this case, we felt it was making things too tense for a very young audience.
''The sound mix was also accentuating the violence to a degree which was unacceptable for a young audience."
"You do have to wonder if just turning down the sound is going to help matters that much," he said. "Even after the sound has been adjusted, you are still left with the problem of the violent imagery and it's this kind of imagery which really worries people."
Sue Palmer, an expert on child development and the author of Toxic Childhood, said: "It is an interesting response by the BBFC. The soundtrack is another dimension which reinforces what we see without us being very aware of it. However, children will still be seeing scenes of violence that they cannot deal with.
"We seem to assume that children mature at a faster rate and can handle more explicit material, but they can't. They are as emotionally vulnerable as they ever were."
Source
Personally, whilst I know the film made a lot of money and the 12A/PG-13 ratings played a part in that, I would have probably enjoyed it a bungload more had I not watched it with 10 year old chavs in the audience. So I'm quite curious as to what the 15-rated version was like. For now though, enjoy the amusing warning -
Eurovision 2009 - My Thoughts.
Last night was the date of annual cheesefest that is the Eurovision Song Contest, so, out the window went everyone's musical senses and in came bright dresses, over-the-top dance moves and political statements. Wey!
The show was held in last year's winning country, Moscow tonight, opened with a big and bombastic show on stage, which included a random kid tied to balloons and sent across the stage. We're then treated to a performance of Believe, last year's winning song, by Dima Bilan. He does this bizarre "walk" across the stage, which includes him colliding with a fake wall. Poor.
This year marks a new type of voting - the telephone votes are collated 50/50 with personal panel picks, 5 people from each country. Bung.
Anyway, my thoughts on the performances:
01. Lithuania - Love - Sasha Son
Pretty piano intro, though the line "I've done it all as a little child" was bound to raise a few eyebrows, hee. Dodgy falsetto in the background. 5/10
02. Israel - There Must Be Another Way - Noa & Mira Awad
Melodic. For the most part, the duo could actually sing in tune, which was a welcome change. Quite liked it. 6/10
03. France - Et S'il Fallait Le Faire - Patricia Kaas
"I would turn out the light to let you rest" was what I was guessing her to be singing in French. Anyway, with the lighting and stage set, the song really thought itself a throwback to black and white cinema, and Kaas clearly fancied herself a husky Edith Piaf, what with her hilarious jaw-jutting when the song got emotional. Instead, she just seemed a bit Knightleyesque. 3/10.
04. Sweden - La Voix - Sweden
Graham Norton comments that, for all the E37,000 spent on the dress, he wished they'd spent more money on make-up, and he's right. The song's OK, though I was paying more attention to the fancy masks.
05. Croatia - Lijepa Tena - Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea
I'd like to think (and I'm probably right) that the song's singing about a woman named Tena, and not the incontinence pads, though I s'pose this is the Eurovisions, so anything goes. The man who sings truly fancies himself. There's also epic overusage of the wind machines. 2/10.
06. Portugal - Todas As Ruas Do Amor - Flor-de-lis
The intro on the guitar was nice and the singer has a good voice but the song didn't escalate out of the mediocre for me. The set also gave me a bit o' a headache. 4/10.
07. Iceland - Is It True? - Johanna
I enjoyed this song a lot! Johanna + the set all looked positively etheral, plus a dolphin jumped over the clouds at one point, so, yay! 8/10
08. Greece - This Is Our Night - Sakis Rouvas
A lot of thrusting and pelvic action, complete with cheesy lyrics, "Stronger now, you will survive." Some of the dance moves were shamelessly horked from Smooth Criminal. 5/10.
09. Armenia - Jan Jan - Inga & Anush
The line "Fixed like a tree to the holy ground" made me chuckle, and I enjoyed the tonality at "Everybody move your body". Everything else was a bit fairground ride-ish. 6/10.
10. Russia - Mamo - Anastasia Prikhodko
Ooooh, repression. According to one of the people I was watching this with, "Mum, you're telling me not to desire" is a masked political message. Thoughts? At any rate, the song was dry as.
11. Azerbaijan - Always - AySel & Arash
There were many a contortionist on stage. Aysel Teymurzade is rather stunning, and she had good chemistry with the man she was singing with. 8/10
12. Bosnia & Herzegovina - Bistra Voda - Regina
The line "Give birth to me at dawn" raised a few chuckles. The song was alright. 5/10.
~ Interlude ~
13. Maldova - Hora Din Moldova - Nelly Ciobanu
I shan't so what was nicknamed of this song, for it's kind of politically incorrect. But nah. Too bright, too brash. 3/10.
14. Malta - What if We - Chiara
Chiara, who has come second and third but never first, goes for a power ballad. She's got a good voice on her but the lyrics are too unspectacular and with her just standing on stage, the performance is rather stagnant. 3/10
15. Estonia - Rändajad - Urban Symphony
Singer had a seriously severe haircut. Good song though. 6/10.
16. Denmark - Believe Again - Brinck
This is the one with the Ronan Keating on Denmark! 6/10
17. Germany - Alex Swings Oscar Sings! - Miss Kiss Kiss Bang
This song (and the campness displayed) just reminded me of this song -
That said, dubious kudos for bringing out Dita Von Tees in something that made her waist look non-existent.
18. Turkey - Düm Tek Tek - Hadise
Terrifically catchy, my second favourite song of the night. The girls on stage were great dancers and singers and I enjoyed this song a lot. 8/10.
19. Albania - Carry Me In Your Dreams - Kejsi Tola
Forgettable. 4/10
20. Norway - Fairytale - Alexander Rybak
AMAZINGNESS PERSONIFIED. Alexander Rybak is so, so, so sweet. And the song has a wonderfully simple quality to it. And the violin tune, oh!!! Orgasmic. I loved the song so much I tried playing it on the violin this morning. A wee bit o' a fail, but good for the lulz -
I'm in love with a fairytale, guys!
21. Ukraine - Be my Valentine! (Anti-crisis Girl) - Svetlana Loboda
Very, very sexed up, with what could only be a weird amalgam of Spice Girls and Chicago on stage. 5/10
22. Romania - The Balkan Girls - Elena
I loved this song as well. This Elena girl loves the stage and at points blocked her backing dances (someone wants the song to be The Balkan Girl...), but it was a pretty ditty regardless. 8/10
23. UK - It's My Time - Jade Ewen
Obviously I'm biased, but I was really proud of us this year. Jade Ewen had a spectacular voice and Andrew Lloyd Weber went about his business on the piano nicely. Fifth was a fair ranking I felt for what was an unspecial song but a brilliant execution. 8/10
24. Finland - Lose Control - Waldo's People
lulz. 2/10
25. Spain - La Noche Es Para Mí (The Night Is For Me) - Soraya
Spanish, when sung, can sound so lovely. Pretty. 6/10
As if I was gonna let you miss it -
The winning performance: -
The show was held in last year's winning country, Moscow tonight, opened with a big and bombastic show on stage, which included a random kid tied to balloons and sent across the stage. We're then treated to a performance of Believe, last year's winning song, by Dima Bilan. He does this bizarre "walk" across the stage, which includes him colliding with a fake wall. Poor.
This year marks a new type of voting - the telephone votes are collated 50/50 with personal panel picks, 5 people from each country. Bung.
Anyway, my thoughts on the performances:
01. Lithuania - Love - Sasha Son
Pretty piano intro, though the line "I've done it all as a little child" was bound to raise a few eyebrows, hee. Dodgy falsetto in the background. 5/10
02. Israel - There Must Be Another Way - Noa & Mira Awad
Melodic. For the most part, the duo could actually sing in tune, which was a welcome change. Quite liked it. 6/10
03. France - Et S'il Fallait Le Faire - Patricia Kaas
"I would turn out the light to let you rest" was what I was guessing her to be singing in French. Anyway, with the lighting and stage set, the song really thought itself a throwback to black and white cinema, and Kaas clearly fancied herself a husky Edith Piaf, what with her hilarious jaw-jutting when the song got emotional. Instead, she just seemed a bit Knightleyesque. 3/10.
04. Sweden - La Voix - Sweden
Graham Norton comments that, for all the E37,000 spent on the dress, he wished they'd spent more money on make-up, and he's right. The song's OK, though I was paying more attention to the fancy masks.
05. Croatia - Lijepa Tena - Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea
I'd like to think (and I'm probably right) that the song's singing about a woman named Tena, and not the incontinence pads, though I s'pose this is the Eurovisions, so anything goes. The man who sings truly fancies himself. There's also epic overusage of the wind machines. 2/10.
06. Portugal - Todas As Ruas Do Amor - Flor-de-lis
The intro on the guitar was nice and the singer has a good voice but the song didn't escalate out of the mediocre for me. The set also gave me a bit o' a headache. 4/10.
07. Iceland - Is It True? - Johanna
I enjoyed this song a lot! Johanna + the set all looked positively etheral, plus a dolphin jumped over the clouds at one point, so, yay! 8/10
08. Greece - This Is Our Night - Sakis Rouvas
A lot of thrusting and pelvic action, complete with cheesy lyrics, "Stronger now, you will survive." Some of the dance moves were shamelessly horked from Smooth Criminal. 5/10.
09. Armenia - Jan Jan - Inga & Anush
The line "Fixed like a tree to the holy ground" made me chuckle, and I enjoyed the tonality at "Everybody move your body". Everything else was a bit fairground ride-ish. 6/10.
10. Russia - Mamo - Anastasia Prikhodko
Ooooh, repression. According to one of the people I was watching this with, "Mum, you're telling me not to desire" is a masked political message. Thoughts? At any rate, the song was dry as.
11. Azerbaijan - Always - AySel & Arash
There were many a contortionist on stage. Aysel Teymurzade is rather stunning, and she had good chemistry with the man she was singing with. 8/10
12. Bosnia & Herzegovina - Bistra Voda - Regina
The line "Give birth to me at dawn" raised a few chuckles. The song was alright. 5/10.
~ Interlude ~
13. Maldova - Hora Din Moldova - Nelly Ciobanu
I shan't so what was nicknamed of this song, for it's kind of politically incorrect. But nah. Too bright, too brash. 3/10.
14. Malta - What if We - Chiara
Chiara, who has come second and third but never first, goes for a power ballad. She's got a good voice on her but the lyrics are too unspectacular and with her just standing on stage, the performance is rather stagnant. 3/10
15. Estonia - Rändajad - Urban Symphony
Singer had a seriously severe haircut. Good song though. 6/10.
16. Denmark - Believe Again - Brinck
This is the one with the Ronan Keating on Denmark! 6/10
17. Germany - Alex Swings Oscar Sings! - Miss Kiss Kiss Bang
This song (and the campness displayed) just reminded me of this song -
That said, dubious kudos for bringing out Dita Von Tees in something that made her waist look non-existent.
18. Turkey - Düm Tek Tek - Hadise
Terrifically catchy, my second favourite song of the night. The girls on stage were great dancers and singers and I enjoyed this song a lot. 8/10.
19. Albania - Carry Me In Your Dreams - Kejsi Tola
Forgettable. 4/10
20. Norway - Fairytale - Alexander Rybak
AMAZINGNESS PERSONIFIED. Alexander Rybak is so, so, so sweet. And the song has a wonderfully simple quality to it. And the violin tune, oh!!! Orgasmic. I loved the song so much I tried playing it on the violin this morning. A wee bit o' a fail, but good for the lulz -
I'm in love with a fairytale, guys!
21. Ukraine - Be my Valentine! (Anti-crisis Girl) - Svetlana Loboda
Very, very sexed up, with what could only be a weird amalgam of Spice Girls and Chicago on stage. 5/10
22. Romania - The Balkan Girls - Elena
I loved this song as well. This Elena girl loves the stage and at points blocked her backing dances (someone wants the song to be The Balkan Girl...), but it was a pretty ditty regardless. 8/10
23. UK - It's My Time - Jade Ewen
Obviously I'm biased, but I was really proud of us this year. Jade Ewen had a spectacular voice and Andrew Lloyd Weber went about his business on the piano nicely. Fifth was a fair ranking I felt for what was an unspecial song but a brilliant execution. 8/10
24. Finland - Lose Control - Waldo's People
lulz. 2/10
25. Spain - La Noche Es Para Mí (The Night Is For Me) - Soraya
Spanish, when sung, can sound so lovely. Pretty. 6/10
As if I was gonna let you miss it -
The winning performance: -
01. Who is your favourite American president of all time?
02. Did you watch the Eurovision song contest this year? If not, why? If yes, who was your fave?
03. What is the most ridiculous statement you've put in exam?
04. Unfunniest "funny" film?
05. (self-centred question) What's the first adjective that comes to mind when you think of me? (be honest, I won't take offence.) :P
Friday, May 15, 2009
Bung's Playlist for the week.
... And why they've been tickling my aural senses.
Tambourine - Eve
Rather than revising diligently like I'm meant to be, I've been watching all the episodes of season three of Skins instead. Tambourine was played in episode 2, where on Cook's birthday, he gatecrashes a "classy" boat-party. Tambourine plays as Effy dances sultrily and Freddie watches, pining for her. Awesome song with a great beat, despite "Shake your tambourine and catch yourself a whistle" being repeated quite a few times and there not being any real meaning. Just embrace the catchy and dance along.
Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester
Cobra Starship are responsible for many of my guilty pleasure listens (Hollaback Boy, Billie Jean), but this one actually has a semblance of sounding like a song. It could very well be the song that Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass lives his life by, so, how apt that they've gotten Leighton Meester, star of Gossip Girl and my number 1 girl crush to duet with. And together, they are sugar, spice and all things nice. Simple, addictive fun, with the potential to be the Summer song of 2009.
Dragon Queen - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Strange, sexy, surreal.
Beautiful - Eminem
It seems awfully out of character for Eminem to release a song with this title, but he has done, and it's my favourite song from an otherwise disappointing Relapse. Personally, I feel it's one of Eminem's more accessible songs, and his most humane by far. The rapping is perfect and the chorus just ebbs melancholy, a combination last achieved by Kanye West and Chris Martin on... you've got it, Homecoming.
I Feel It All - Feist
It's been over a week since the last episode of The Inbetweeners season 2 has aired, and Bung is already feeling withdrawal symptoms. So, to make up for it, I've taken to saying "snatch" and "clunge" in a manner that would do Jay proud, as well as doing goonish things (as if I needed an excuse for that, hah!) In addition to this, I've also been listening to the "theme" from the show, that is, the song who's intro is played repeatedly in the background without them actually playing Feist's singing.
Four Women on One Man - Nina Simone
I had a nap one afternoon and had my iPod sat in the dock, playing away in the background. I woke up to Four Women, and... wow. It's one of the deepest, most poetic songs I've ever heard, as Nina adopts the voice of four different women in four verses, each of them having their own soliloquy. The song demands and displays the need for equality, both gender and racial, as well as the underlying want of freedom in our souls. Majestic.
My Love - The Bird and the Bee
I got into The Bird and the Bee after hearing their song "Fucking Boyfriend" on the Forgetting Sarah Marshall soundtrack and falling in love (the song does get played in the film, but in the background in the nightclub scene so blink and you miss it). The band really know about the many faces of love, and, whilst My Face celebrates the beauty of it for the most part, it also recognises the sadness involved, "sad clown". There is also one line of transcendence in the
song - "I'm not afraid of all the reasons why we shouldn't try", which I just love, love, love.
Bubbles - Dizzee Rascal
Bung hasn't been clubbing for over two weeks now, and she's missing the not-so-duclet tunes of her homeboy Raskit. As with my two Dizzee Rascal favourites Dance wiv Me and Fix Up Look Sharp, Bubbles is a terrifically cockney song, encompassing what it's like to be a black lad growing up in a crime-ridden area of London. Dizzee loves embracing the minutiae, and in this song he'll tell you how much his trainers cost. It's like the "99 Problems" of the L-D-N.
Mil Besos - Patty Griffin
Another love song to wrap up this eclectic playlist, this one an eligiac Spanish tribute what Bung can only guess was a lost love.
So they're the nine songs that I've listened to this week obsessively! How about you?
Tambourine - Eve
Rather than revising diligently like I'm meant to be, I've been watching all the episodes of season three of Skins instead. Tambourine was played in episode 2, where on Cook's birthday, he gatecrashes a "classy" boat-party. Tambourine plays as Effy dances sultrily and Freddie watches, pining for her. Awesome song with a great beat, despite "Shake your tambourine and catch yourself a whistle" being repeated quite a few times and there not being any real meaning. Just embrace the catchy and dance along.
Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester
Cobra Starship are responsible for many of my guilty pleasure listens (Hollaback Boy, Billie Jean), but this one actually has a semblance of sounding like a song. It could very well be the song that Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass lives his life by, so, how apt that they've gotten Leighton Meester, star of Gossip Girl and my number 1 girl crush to duet with. And together, they are sugar, spice and all things nice. Simple, addictive fun, with the potential to be the Summer song of 2009.
Dragon Queen - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
My mouth you're touching
Your mouth is running
No loving for nothing
Nobody knock my body out
Strange, sexy, surreal.
Beautiful - Eminem
It seems awfully out of character for Eminem to release a song with this title, but he has done, and it's my favourite song from an otherwise disappointing Relapse. Personally, I feel it's one of Eminem's more accessible songs, and his most humane by far. The rapping is perfect and the chorus just ebbs melancholy, a combination last achieved by Kanye West and Chris Martin on... you've got it, Homecoming.
I Feel It All - Feist
It's been over a week since the last episode of The Inbetweeners season 2 has aired, and Bung is already feeling withdrawal symptoms. So, to make up for it, I've taken to saying "snatch" and "clunge" in a manner that would do Jay proud, as well as doing goonish things (as if I needed an excuse for that, hah!) In addition to this, I've also been listening to the "theme" from the show, that is, the song who's intro is played repeatedly in the background without them actually playing Feist's singing.
Four Women on One Man - Nina Simone
I had a nap one afternoon and had my iPod sat in the dock, playing away in the background. I woke up to Four Women, and... wow. It's one of the deepest, most poetic songs I've ever heard, as Nina adopts the voice of four different women in four verses, each of them having their own soliloquy. The song demands and displays the need for equality, both gender and racial, as well as the underlying want of freedom in our souls. Majestic.
My Love - The Bird and the Bee
I got into The Bird and the Bee after hearing their song "Fucking Boyfriend" on the Forgetting Sarah Marshall soundtrack and falling in love (the song does get played in the film, but in the background in the nightclub scene so blink and you miss it). The band really know about the many faces of love, and, whilst My Face celebrates the beauty of it for the most part, it also recognises the sadness involved, "sad clown". There is also one line of transcendence in the
song - "I'm not afraid of all the reasons why we shouldn't try", which I just love, love, love.
Bubbles - Dizzee Rascal
Bung hasn't been clubbing for over two weeks now, and she's missing the not-so-duclet tunes of her homeboy Raskit. As with my two Dizzee Rascal favourites Dance wiv Me and Fix Up Look Sharp, Bubbles is a terrifically cockney song, encompassing what it's like to be a black lad growing up in a crime-ridden area of London. Dizzee loves embracing the minutiae, and in this song he'll tell you how much his trainers cost. It's like the "99 Problems" of the L-D-N.
Mil Besos - Patty Griffin
Another love song to wrap up this eclectic playlist, this one an eligiac Spanish tribute what Bung can only guess was a lost love.
Te he de seguir amando,
te he de seguir besando
hasta volverte loca.
hasta que me devuelvas
el corazn que en besos
yo te deje en la boca...
So they're the nine songs that I've listened to this week obsessively! How about you?
10 Least Favourite Oscar Nominated Performances of this Millenium.
Some of them bland, some of them unintentionally hilarious. All, in my eyes, overrated.
01. George Clooney, Syriana.
02. Ruby Dee, American Gangster.
03. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road.
04. Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine.
05. Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland.
06. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider.
07. Naomi Watts, 21 Grams.
08. Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream.
09. Alan Alda, The Aviator.
10. Kate Winslet, The Reader.
01. George Clooney, Syriana.
02. Ruby Dee, American Gangster.
03. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road.
04. Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine.
05. Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland.
06. Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider.
07. Naomi Watts, 21 Grams.
08. Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream.
09. Alan Alda, The Aviator.
10. Kate Winslet, The Reader.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is a spoilt bitch?... Shocker!
Now, as you may have noticed, Bung here can't seem to turn down an opportunity to lay into Emma Watson. So much so, in fact, that I'm willing to believe sensationalist tabloids just because they're ragging on her:
Of all the "Harry Potter" stars, Emma Watson always has been the most "testy," according to a production staffer who has worked on most of the films based on J.K. Rowling's super-popular novels about the famous boy wizard.Source
But word coming from Wales -- where "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" is being shot (back-to-back with "Part 2") -- has the young actress being "more of a pain than usual."
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and the rest of the cast "are a dream to work with," said the source Wednesday, "But Emma is even more moody than usual. ... She's always complaining, showing up late and has upset both cast and crew members with her rudeness. ... She's really become a big diva. ... Everyone's sick of it."
• Based on the final book in Rowling's amazing publishing franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," is scheduled for release Nov. 19, 2010. "Part 2" will come out July 15, 2011. Before all that, of course, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens July 15
Yer hear? Rupertbung was a joy to work with, whereas Emma, apparently, was a right lil' madam. Figures.
Actually watching the DVD extras.
A conversation with good ol' Lukebung, my fellow cinephile over watching the DVD extras - or a lack thereof, coupled with dire, dire boredom from revising Java, got me curious as to exactly what was lurking on the second disc of Pan's Labyrinth SE DVD that I'd been given for my birthday. And there's a tonne of goodies, from Mercedes' Lullaby hummed/played on a variety of instruments, the film trailer, director's notebook and an interview for The Guardian. The two most visually features were the storyboards and film comparison, as well as a montage of the various posters for Pan's Labyrinth, and I thought I'd share 'em:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Life lessons from cinema #2.
“Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. If you don’t start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who’ll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I’m not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you’ll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven’t lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.”
- Meet Joe Black.
- Meet Joe Black.
Friday, May 08, 2009
"Isla Fisher. Yes or no?"
This was the content of a text I just received, and, rather than give a meagre 160-character text back, I thought I'd blog about the lovely lady.33 years old, pint-sized Isla Fisher is noticable for her large brown eyes and her stunning auburn hair. She is married to Borat/Ali G actor Sacha Baron Cohen and her dimiutive frame is accentuated when standing next to him in all his tallness, and the two make an adorable couple. Fisher could easily pass for someone half her age, such is her petiteness and innocent look. The two performances that I remember her best for are as psychotic Gloria Cleary in Wedding Crashers, whom Vince Vaughn misguidedly takes the virginity of - and then spends the rest of his time hiding from her, and as Becky Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic. The Shopholic novels are amongst my favourite in the chicklit genre, and I was extremely defensive when I first saw the trailer and saw how Americanized the film was, but, once I sat down and enjoyed the film with my friend in Bristol, I came to recognise that this was not so much a makeover as a complete reinvention of the Shopaholic franchise, and Fisher, a key part in that. The film takes Becky Blo
omwood's hedonistic shopaholic to new levels, but, in the casting agents choosing Fisher as the lead, you could never totally hate Becky, no matter how selfish her actions are. Fisher is an absolute star in the film, exhibiting her comic timing wonderfully. Her delivery during the "Yes... I did google" is classic.Isla Fisher has not really been tested with any overly-strenuous roles, but give her time. I like her, her bubbly charm and her screen persona very much.
And to close, I shall thank Paul Haine for the inspiration for this entry, and close with a rather lovely quote from her:
"I love acting, love it. It's the greatest fun in the world. I've always had no trouble feeling extremely grateful. So even though, comparatively, I wasn't doing so well, I thought I was on top of the world."
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Maybe we could start again.
Awww. ILU Philip Taylor!
And... tomorrow, I shall try to actually, y'know *write* something. It's just, revision, ya know...
"A joke."
He's got a mouth on him, but c'mon, so purdy!
Everything I love's being knocked out today.
*shakes head*
Everything I love's being knocked out today.
*shakes head*
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