ROBOTS

The Times goes all big kid with their 50 best movie robots, c3p0 and Johnny 5 are my personal faves.

Check it out here

Hours of Fun

Sean O'Hagan of the Observer has a lovely chat about the bbest of youtube here, including stoned Bob Dylan and Neil Young busking,

ker-azy

In Honour

of Anoraks and Sopranos fans everywhere....especially Damien,

South Park as Gaeilge!

Holy moly!

Kenny might be dead, but the Irish language is set to live on as Connemara-based Abu Media prepare to launch the global phenomenon South Park as Gaeilge this September.

The highly-popular and profanity-laden cartoon sitcom, which has just finished up its 11th season in the US, is set to get the TG4 treatment this autumn when it, along with children’s television programme Sesame Street, begin airing completely in Irish. Casting is currently under way for voice-over performers for both productions.

Established in 2000, Abu Media is an award winning television and film production company which produces a wide range of media content, including feature films, dramas, documentaries, and light entertainment, both in English and in Irish.

Located in the heart of Connemara, the company is one of the leading ‘dubbing facilities’ in Ireland, producing more than 250 hours of material each year.

From the Galway Advertiser

woohoo!

Kanye West's new Video!

Lol! this video is brilliant! check it out here

Rednecks for the win....

The Times are also talking about it.

It's by Donovan

D'oh, how long have i been watching that bulmers ad, with my flatmates asking who is that, and i was like i dunno....it's Donovan, that old hippie, anyway here we go!



i admit that is very weird..all i wanted was the song,

Buena Vista Social Club

I was just reading an article in The Irish Times informing me of the fun at the Galway Arts Festival. The atmosphere in Galway is always super mega deadly (i want to start using new descriptive words instead of my usual). Anyway there’s always cool stuff going on, and i seem to have had a flourish of interest in arts, and arts related stuff this week, so i’m say Galway Arts Festival...Yeah!

The article by the way was about Eliadas Ochoa (I had to learn the spelling of that!) He was in the Buena Vista Social Club, who really are an alltime great band...further to that here’s some youtube-age,

Anyway, getting back to my story (my attention span is actually going to pot, i was lying in bed last night, thinking about blogging about how bad it is....)

So Eliadas Ochoa played in Galway on Monday night, and then did a mini post-gig set in Tigh Neachtain, you know just for the craic. Full fun trumpet, guitar singing, in this tiny little room, Cuban rhythms on a Monday afternoon in July....it doesn’t really get better than that. In fact Cuban music anytime really....

Floridita in the old Irish Life centre in dublin is well worth a visit, if you’re looking for decent Latin hhey have a live band, proper cocktails, and seriously impressive dancing.



The covers are a bit...strange,

but Chan Chan and all their originals are gems.

The Muppets are being donated...the the Centre for Puppetry in Atlanta. This sounds absolutely cool. I've always loved the muppets, and puppets in general. In fact in a regular conversation of who would play me in the film of my life, I picked Janeane Garofalo, or a muppet...i don't think i mind which one, Animal, or Big Bird maybe.

However, I didn't Quite get as far as appearing on The Works with Mary Kingston (i'm laughing) like my cousin did!

Muppets bring back great childhood, teenager, and grown up memories for me, "I'm not a shrimp, i'm a king prawn!"

Jim Hensons puppets were also in Labyrinth! it's not in my top 5 but i do love it.

Centre for Puppetry Arts

Hubba Hubba

I only started watching Grey's Anatomy very recently, but i like it! I think this picture reflects why though...


I feel quite ashamed that i've put that massive picture up, but I didn't have a choice did i?

Haus Der Musik

Haus Der Musik

Told you I was going to have to talk about Haus Der Musik. It is truly blog worthy, even thought i visited it going on 5 years ago. It actually sticks out like a mad thing in my head even after these years, and all the other things i saw on that trip!

The Haus Der Musik or Sound Museum is in the gorgeous city of Vienna, n Austria. If you have never been to Vienna I would highly recommend it, it’s beautiful, the people were really nice, and they have all these cool things, like break dancers busking (is that the word for dancers?) in the street next to 4 piece string ensembles and Baroque choirs.

They also have the Ferris Wheel made famous in the Orson Welles film The Third Man. ‘He’ll have you in a dither with his zither’! Anyway apart from being so excited, about the Ferris Wheel, which did not disappoint, i was delighted by the Haus Der Musik.

The museum is set in a former Palace which gives you a nice indication of how fabulous it is! The ground floor holds an old style exhibition about teh Viennese Philharmonic ho held world famous concerts here.

You can also conduct your own virtual orchestra which really brings out the inner child, (who tends to enjoy the whole museum as much as your grown up self). The best bit is probably the New Year’s Concert Experience, which I always remembered my mam making me watch on tv when I was small.

You then pop upstairs to the womb room. This was a very weird but very interesting experience. You sit in a room which has been designed to recreate the feeling and sounds of being inside the womb. Well since i can’t remember it the first time, it seems to be what i imagine it to be like!

After that there are a series of the funnest interactive gamey toy music sensory things ever! With names like Polyphonium, Sound Gallery, Evolution Machine, Instrumentarium, and Sea of Voices. These ARE as good as they sound. If you’ve got kids, bring them, if not go anyway! So much fun.

In a "prenatal sensory rush", visitors relive their first musical experience many years after their birth. here is the Sound Gallery, in which noises and sounds from the fields of microcosm and macrocosm, environment and the human body are listened to individually and are being mixed with one's own voice and well known melodies to then be recorded on a CD with the Evolution Machine.

It's amazing how many really really famous and influential composers lived or were from Austria - including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Mahler. This is just what i'm talking about, being in a place with so many humbling historical figures is really amazing, I know how clichéd that sounds but i don't care.

The museum continues upstairs into the brain opera, and the mind forest! maybe you just need to see it!

I'm getting close to the end of my fairly pointless rant, just go, Vienna is gorgeous, and the Haus Der Musik is something really special.

My worst

Nightmare

I'm actually very uncomfortable about this.

A VIKING ship made from ice cream sticks has set sail across the Netherlands' IJsselmeer lake in a test voyage.

Mother Nature Endorses Gore for President

Surely, now that's a note-worthy headline if ever there was one...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Vice President Al Gore has been endorsed for President — by Mother Nature herself!

“Al Gore will be our next president, if I have anything to say about it,” Mother Nature told Weekly World News. “More than any other non-candidate, Mr. Gore has shown that he has the planet’s best interests at heart. I mean, who else could take a power point presentation and turn it into an Academy Award-winning film about global warming?

“I backed Gore in 2000, and we all know what happened then,” Mother Nature said. “I’m not making any threats, but need I remind Florida at the onset of hurricane season — it’s not wise to fool Mother Nature twice?”

Taken from the Weekly World News, which is sadly closing down

Heroes

The 4nine£ gang were chatting about Heroes *thumbs up* and i found this about Hiro coming to Ireland

Critics visiting the set of "Heroes" Tuesday had a very informed, very lively tour guide: Masi Oka. The Emmy-nominated breakout star reveled in his duties, keeping up a running commentary that offered clues -- some real, some bogus -- about next season's story lines. He led writers into a makeshift Irish pub. (One real clue: Ireland will be the setting for at least part of the action.)

"I can tell you that next season Hiro goes back in time and saves 'The Black Donnellys,' " he quipped, referring to the defunct NBC series set in an Irish pub.

Two pieces of news

1. I finished Harry Potter - a few days behind millions of other people, but sure what harm. I thought it was great, i;'m not gonna put anything up here, 'cos I'M NOT DOWN WITH SPOILERS. But i thought it ended well, as well as can be expected anyway!

I'm just sad it's all finished with....think it's time to re-read the Dark Materials books.

2. I'm going to see he Super Furry Animals! Woo! They are playing in Vicar Street 16th October... o/

Leonardo Da Vinci,Harry Potter, and rashers with pancakes

More reviews

I had a very packed weekend, i really did, but i couldn’t get around to finishing off the whole thing yday so here goes.

Sunday morning, was up early ish, and headed to town. Went to a lovely little spot on parliament street called The Larder. My friend Charlie had informed me that he was going to Greece, but as usual i hadn’t really fully understood the concept. But over a fab breakfast of pancakes, mmmaple syrup, grilled bananas, a slice of orange and (AND) rashers he told me he was just going on a working holiday type thing!

The breakfast was really amazing! Two black coffees later, and i was swinging out of the rafters. Well almost, went to McCullough Piggots, to fetch some music books, adn met with a very unfriendly and kinda rude staff member who made me feel stupid when all i wanted to do was ask about ukeleles.

Ggrrrr.

The big thing on Sunday was visiting the Leonardo Da Vinci Codex Leicester, Reflections on Water and The Moon. We had booked tickets weeks in advance and it was well worth it.

The room is laid out with a timeline of Da Vinci’s life and a collection of works that would have been a part of his personal library. There were books on everything from medicine, religion, physics, and art.

The Codex Leicester, an autograph manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) containing his observations on the nature and properties of water as well as other aspects of science and technology, is one of the most famous and important of Leonardo’s scientific notebooks. Composed circa 1508-1510 and consisting of eighteen loose double sheets in which Leonardo illustrated and wrote down ideas and observations in his distinctive mirror script, the manuscript is a lively record of the thoughts of the great Italian Renaissance artist and scientist.

The rest of the exhibition focuses on Leonardo’s own manuscripts, which are displayed with a small summary of their contents. Leonardo came up with all these realisations about water, such as that it ran like veins in the earth similar to the human body.

I love museums and I love things like this. On of my favourite places ever is the Haus Der Musik in Vienna (which I will undoubtedly talk about another day). I have to say though; it was really amazing to see pages written in Leonardo Da Vinci’s own hand, and quite humbling. If you get a chance you should definitely check it out.

I feel all-proper now after my museum trip. We had decided to go visit the new Harry Potter flick, it’s been a while since my last cinema visit. On the way nipped into Waterstone’s in the Jervis street centre, with the friendliest staff ever! They gave me sweets with my books, and gave some to my friends who didn’t even buy anything!

Got to the flicks and had a confusing interlude with a man who thought i was trying to steal his book, but I wasn’t!

I really enjoyed the film. I think they are getting better overall. Obviously i’ve read the books, and i’m not sure why anyone who hasn’t would go. The overall effect though is good, casting was mighty, it stayed as true as it could to the books, and all around good family fun.

I think i was more excited about the Stardust trailer beforehand. Now that is something to get excited about!

Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry, I think is very good. Hermione relies on her very talented acting eyebrows, and poor ron has two faces – happy and sad! Imelda Staunton is excellent, as are the rest of the fine supporting cast, Emma Thompson, and Ralph Fiennes (shudder) are great. In fact Ralph Fiennes scared the Bejaysus out of me. I'm not sure if they can be called supporting cast though, it is more of an ensemble picture IMO.

All in all enjoyable film, and a nice lead in to starting into the newest book when i got home...now if people would just stop putting spoilers everywhere....

Yum Yum Yum

So yummy! except...

A Fry's Cream sandwich is especially popular with some in the West of Scotland. The bar is chopped into small slices and placed between two slices of bread (with margarine/butter).

from the crazy kids at wikipedia

My new toy

Here's what my new Zen Pebble looks like...its way cool!

I'm so gonna have a few beers next time i'm looking for a bargain!

For an actual techie review visit here

Lovebox

Lovebox – a review!

I feel very proper the way i’ve titled this post. Well have had a very busy fun filled weekend, which i’m going to bore you with now.

Friday night, my friends arrived and we headed for my local. Where i managed to get a Creative Zen Pebble, it’s not even on the market here yet...and cost me 20 euros! So woop for that, my friend got that zen v5 or whatever it’s called for 55 euros...another great deal there,

it’s very weird that we scored cheap technology down in the pub on a Friday night, but you know o/

Saturday, up early (ish) to head for Lovebox at Malahide Castle, North County Dublin (probably!)

Anyway arrived in with our gentle stash of drink after a lovely Dublin bus trip, we passed a wedding on the way, giving our encouragement of course!

Arrived about half way through Toots and the Maytals, who are LEGENDARY. I had seen them before, but the crowd absolutely adored them. Damn right too! Don’t ask me to name songs because I didn’t have my journo hat on, but they did not disappoint.

After Toots had a quick sconce around the stalls, the site was tiny but mighty, well laid out with straw laid to cope with the thunderous and ridiculous rain from all day Friday.

My friend ended up buying a nice blue wig which was pretty damn cool!

Kinda skipped out on Just Jack, wouldn’t be his biggest fan there now. Had a very enjoyable sit down on my 5 euro tesco poncho/floor covering/umbrella/drink hider/all around cool thing.

After each act finished the crowd dispersed fairly fast, so i trundled up the front with my gang for the Super Furry Animals who i LOVE. They are really one of my favourite bands. They weren’t on the bestest form, well i didn’t think so but they were still great, even if there was a weird incident with a packet of crisps!

Anyway i really loved them, i would whatever they were like. They played some of the great well known hits as well, which my friends were fond of.

Saw the Rapture too who rocked my world! They were really really good, and my friend Luara is now a huge mega fan of them, i dont blame her. The energy they had really got the crowd going, and nothing is better than dancing in a nice green field to the rapture in the middle of the day in July.

The night finished off with Groove Armada, who i’m not too gone on, but they turned out to be really good. I had seen them a few years ago, i think when the pixies were in the phoenix park, but can’t be sure, and they weren’t that great. But i guess since they organised it they were gonna put on a great show. I thought they were really good, and not even the completely wasted weirdo from waterford could distract me from teh dancing and great tunes!

They really packed in a great show on the day. The organisation was great with a really short walk between the bus and venue. They were prepared for the weather, the toilets, were about the best ive seen at an event like this,

i also saw the rapture dj set, and sasha, who were great, even if everyone in that tent were pretty much grinding their jaws to a fine powder.

I know i’ve said great a lot, but it was really enjoyable day. Im not sure if i woulda paid the 80 quid – a – roonies in (i got my ticket for 40) but ill def go next year. Especially if Sly and the family stone who played London will be back!

All in all i’d like to give it a nice round 4 out of 5.

***if you've made it here,o/
****Hopefully will grab some pics from somewhere soon!

Don't google it

Here are a few (sometimes) ridiculously difficult film questions, from The Ticket today

Which was the only one of Disney's seven dwarfs not named for an adjective?

Who was born Marion Morrison?

"I mean, this cat is like Charles Bronson in The Great Escape. He's digging tunnels." Who says this in which film?

What is the third rule of Fight Club?

Who comes next: Lulu, Carly Simon, Shirley Bassey, Sheena Easton?

According to very stoned people, which 1973 album will, when played at the same time as The Wizard of Oz, provide commentary and observations on the film?

Which is the odd one out: Dial M for Murder (1954), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Polyester (1981) and Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)?

Who's missing from this list: the Quaids, the Carradines, the Keaches?

Which is the odd one out: True Blue (1996), Shadowlands (1993), Chariots of Fire (1981), Iris (2001)?

What distinction did the writers of The Big Sleep (1946), Viva Zapata! (1952) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) all share?

"The continuing adventures of the worlds tallest man"

Is it wrong that I love this?

In the continuing adventures of the world's tallest man, Bao Xishun, our hero shakes hands with He Pingping, who is currently aiming for a place in the Guiness Book of Records as the world's shortest man.

The historic meeting between Bao, who stands 2.36 meters (7.9 feet) tall, and He, who only reaches 73 centimeters (2.4 feet) in height, took place in Baotou, in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.

From the Metro

Woohoo!

Castlepalooza coming up soon, with Sister Sledge!! and Neosupervital and Springbreak woo!

But before that, Lovebox is on this weekend in Malahide Castle, Dublin, Sly and the Family Stone are playing London!

Super Furry Animals for the win!

Rick is the best

I only just copped on about this,
Rick O'Shea did it here,

Like postsecrets, but slightly different!

i like it

Kings of Leon

This is so so so weird



and a nice interview:

I want fat people to be able to sit around and relate

Kings of Leon <3

How much do i...

Love the Times? Let me count the ways.

The best thing about Sundays, (apart from mass) is that lovely set of newspapers from the shop. My personal favourite is the Times, although I believe Prince's album is going free with today's Mail. I also have to read all the papers in order. Following on from that, i love the Times website, and a few others which are there listed on the right hand side.

They have a great bit about the 33 best Simpsons cameos, fairly fitting considering the movie and all.

Dylan Moran

The 4cs

From the culture today...

4Cs

The full article is here

Tunes

As usual,

Arcade Fire - Wake Up

Bright Eyes - Going for gold (I'd love if it was called going for old!)

Daft Punk - Human After All (Justice Remix)

Ray Charles - Let's go get stoned

Camera Obscura - Books written for Girls (Live accoustic)

Blackalicious - Deception

Rufus Wainwright - Instant Pleasure listen to this first!

In honour of Le Catch...

Bob Dylan - It ain't me Babe

and Magnet covering Lay Lady Lay

Manu Chao - Rainin Paradize

Hayseed Dixie - You shook me all night long

Reindeer Section - You are my Joy (Myspace)

All for now

I still

find stuff..on nihts out...

Zan Pan

Another night out

Well im just home from a niht out, was great saw colin murphy comedian man, was good fun!

saw springbreak last night...i may try to marry or clone them..

sigh

The funkster is making a comeback

Find out more here.

Playing Lovebox London next week...jealous, me?

How much

would i love to be here?

I'm a mega nerd but sure what harm?

I wanna celebrate star wars!

KT Tunstall exclusive

Shh, it's a Q exclusive as opposed to something from me!

but her newest song is available here, Thank you Q!

Old Diaries

I never really kept a diary per se, more like just random bits that i wrote then every now and again, anyway the BBC got people to send theirs in,

On the train this morning, one of those stupid people who put their bags on the adjacent seat because on a packed train no-one would want to sit down, would they? When I politely asked the gentleman if I could sit down I got a look as if to say that I was personally responsible for the invasion of Poland. Miserable so-and-so, I hope he eats something unpleasant and has the trots for a couple of days.

So true! and so irritating!

more http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Meme

I got tagged!

Go on Le Catch

ive been Memed (i never heard this word before, or in fact said it out loud)

so her goes:

Rules
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.

3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I have a fairly intense fear and phobia of wooden unvarnished sticks, like for stirring coffee, i don't really like talking about them now.

2.I LOVE that programme on Discovery called How it's made

3. I love tv detectives

4. my 4th finger on my right is crooked, and i have a scar on my knee from a toy tank incident.

5. i dislike that first stage of meeting people, cos i always think they'll hate me. (im sure sometimes they do)

6. i have tons of wrinkles from laughing too much

7. I love soundtracks, and cover versions

8. i can move one eyebrow and point it uppy

I cant really think of anyone to tag, i'll do Aidan, Garrett, and Magooo.

To be fair...

I thought this was quite funny,

The rather frightening antidote, the brothers say, has been the unifying power of golf. The Followills swing clubs whenever possible, the shared hours proving a useful way to relate outside the pressure-cooker that is the Kings of Leon.

Taken from the Indo online

Linkedy Link

Just another nice blog i found, here
hopefully i will have copped on how to link again!

and in other news, i had a dream the other night, that i was at Alice Cooper's studio (he does a radio show on a Saturday) and I had a banana, that i had written To Alice on (bananas take ink really well!) and I was trying to give it to him but the window was in between!

weird

It's Lou, how do you do!

Hey babe, take a walk on the wildside,

there's no reason necessary really!

Carbon footprint

'Cos Live Earth and all that deally is going on,

check our your http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Joan as Police Woman

Saw her last night in Vicar street, (Dublin)! She was really good,told us a random story about whales, and started talking about Madonna but she has a great voice, such control! really enjoyed it!

There was a weird crowd though. Support by the David Geraghty band was good enough.

*and i got in for free, woop!

This is a great pic!

It's Dutch Tiesto playing in the Lebanon, in the town of Byblos, North of Beirut

Daft Hands

I've been doing too much youtube lately!

Weird new Apple thing

This is the ad.

thank you unlaoised!

Dixie Chicks

go back to France?

Arcade Fire News

Courtesy of the good and great Jim Carroll's blog