A 20-year-old convicted rapist had his sentence reduced yesterday to one year. The judge thought the victim hadn't expressed enough objection during the rape. My suggestion? Castration. Castrate the rapist as (s)he's going in to serve their sentence, then issue an official warning to the whole city once they get out - this warning should follow the convicted rapist for at least ten years after (s)he is let out. Rapists have taken away so much from the victim(s) and should be punished accordingly. Basically, they have no rights as they have so clearly violated the rights of someone else. "She said no, but I just thought she liked it rough" - well, tough shit. Take no for an answer, no matter what, or you'll pay the consequences (in my dream world, that is, although in my dream world there'd be no crime).

Current track: Dido - Don't Leave Home

Labels: current affairs, personal

These days I'm celebrating my 15-year-old anglophilia. It all started when I was watching the third episode of Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days on Swedish telly. Sounds weird, doesn't it, that I know exactly when it started? That happens to me a lot. Sometimes feelings come creeping up on me, but most of the time I recollect the exact time and place for the catalyst of any life-alterning emotion I've had. So that's how I became an anglophile. It hasn't been easy being an anglophile in Norway, although it seems like I've probably been luckier than most non-English. Our TV channels import a lot of British programmes. We don't dub anything other than children's films, and those are usually shown in the original version as well. We're situated pretty close to the British Isles, so even though it costs a bit to get there, Norwegians are often to be found wandering the streets of London and Manchester (the latter being due to the enormous interest of football among Norwegian neanderthals sport fanatics). It's very difficult to find a Norwegian who hasn't been to England at least once. This is why the blatant ignorance about English culture among Norwegians baffles me. Even those who consider themselves to know a lot about English daily life are surprisingly clueless when it comes to politics, current events, well-known TV presenters, stand-up comedians, writers, local dialects and traits and especially the (sometimes very weird) English customs. I had a dreadful English teacher in sixth form who thought she was very up-to-date on everything English. We fell out during the first month and were on unfriendly terms for two years, when I graduated. We were always quarreling and unfortunately she was one of those teachers that give you bad marks if they don't like you. (Luckily our final exams counted quite a lot and were graded by someone else, phew!) I decided that I did not want to become like her; a behind-the-desk globetrotter who still looked back on her travels during her early twenties as the most glorious time of her life. She was in her late fifties, early sixties when she taught us.

Fifteen years into my anglophilia and I feel like I've only just started. There's a lot to learn and discover about those Isles and their inhabitants. I won't ever reach the end of it, but at least I'm doing my best. Of course, it'd be a lot easier if I was actually living there, but at least I've got the Internet to help me out.

Current track: Queen - I Was Born to Love You

Labels: michael palin, personal, sport, TV

I have a history of cheering for the underdog...or rather find the wrong team to back. I started following Sheffield Wednesday while they were in Premier League. A few years later they were to be found in Second Division. My hometown's team finally dissolved a couple of years ago and was resurrected in another division and with another name. As I don't live there anymore, this was very confusing and so I just gave up on the team. Last year, when I started playing Championship Manager 4, I chose the American team D.C. United as the team I wanted to manage. I knew nothing of any players or teams from the US prior to this. Now I feel connected to D.C. United. Everton was my team for many years, though, just because I was put on that team when we were playing a Saturday game in year one - the parents thought it'd be fun to name our teams after English ones. I also always cheer for Arsenal whenever they're playing against anyone other than Wednesday (which may only happen during the cup these days) - simply because David Seaman used to play there. Duh. Anyway, my current Norwegian team just secured their second season in the top division this weekend, so yay!

I have recently discovered I'm in love with the comedy series Green Wing. I would like to marry that series, actually, but it's not very likely that'll happen so I'll just have to settle for the weekly watching. It's just that every time an episode ends I want it to go on for at least another hour. Woe is me.

About Daniel Auteuil, I have been checking my collection and found out that I've got quite a lot of films starring him. I bought another one this week, Le Bossu (The Hunchback). I was minding my own business at work when suddenly this scene from a film I had seen not long ago popped up in my mind and I thought "didn't Daniel Auteuil have a part in that one?" So I paid IMDb a visit (as you do) and soon found out which film it was. With the emergence of the Internet it's become (far too) easy to buy stuff (you don't necessarily need) and it didn't take me many seconds to order the film from Play (which of course stocks all sorts of wonderful things). Watched ot yesterday, and it was as good as I remembered it to be. I've become quite the fan of Auteuil's this past year. It all started with The Girl on the Bridge and the fandom was definitely sealed when I first saw The Closet. The good thing is thanks to Amélie and Daniel Auteuil I have rediscovered French film. I used to watch whatever they threw at me on the only three TV channels we had when I was younger, but as the number of channels increased, my scope decreased and for a while there I was watching only English-speaking films, with the occasional Norwegian and Swedish ones thrown in for good measure. Seems like I'm back on the right track now, though. Lots more independent films and a lot less Hollywood trash.

Current track: Eric Prydz - Call On Me

Labels: comedy, daniel auteuil, film, gaming, online shopping, sport, TV

Quite literally; there is a bloody version of Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman being performed at the National here in Oslo (as not to confuse you and thus sending you to London) - and I went to see it last night. We didn't actually know much about what to expect, other than that it was supposed to be a very modern play and that our national diva no. 1, Wenche Foss (aged 86) left the theatre during the intermission when she went to the première. She just didn't like it. I, on the other hand, quite liked it. I liked the fact that they mixed real-time filmed performances (usually off-stage or at the back of the stage) with the on-stage acting, and bringing both classical and modern music into the play was innovative. Parts of the second act was played outdoors; they were standing next to the tram lines, and one of them was really bloody (make-up). The passers-by looked a bit confused.

Anyway, brilliant acting; I was thinking this must be an actor's dream, it brought out so many different kinds of acting from everyone that every performance must feel a bit like being back in drama school. I know I would have loved it. I wouldn't go see it again, because the first act was rather difficult (i.e. long) to get through, but it was worth a look, that's for certain.

Current track: REM - Leaving New York is Never Easy

Labels: theatre

It's that time again; the Friday photo (it's actually every-other-Friday photo). This time it's of a sight that met we as I was walking home yesterday. These are chairs of that kind they use in community centres, modern churches etc.; those that are soft enough to sit on for about an hour - I'm sure they're constructed this way so that you eventually end up helping out in the kitchen, serving coffee and so forth. These four chairs, however, have been put out in the forest, just out of sight from anyone down on the road, by some lazy bastards who couldn't be bothered to go to the waste disposal area themselves.



Current track: The intro theme for Green Wing

Labels: humour

Operation Clark County through The Guardian. Swing a vote!

Current track: Nothing

Labels: current affairs

Fortunately, the outrage expressed by other nations shows that opening up for seal hunting as a tourist attraction wasn't such a good idea. What the f**k is going on with these people? Personally, I have a zero tolerance stance when it comes to violent people, and this category definitely contains people who'd like to go hunting for seals. Anyone who is able to look at that beautiful creature through the scope of a rifle and pull the trigger is a sadist. Anyone who goes up to the seal and kills it with an icepick should be left behind on that iceberg, left to defend himself against any wildlife, unarmed. This goes for Norway as well as Canada.

Anyone entering the bull run of Pamplona should be run over. Anyone paying for being allowed to watch the so-called bull fights (I so wish the bulls would actually mame a couple of those bloody (but not bloody enough) toreadors every season) should be locked in for at least a fortnight in a padded room, wearing nothing but a straight-jacket.

Anyone thinking of getting a pet, any pet at all, should attend a mandatory course and pass a strict exam before being allowed to do so.

Just imagine how far the human race would have got if we didn't have intelligence. We would have been extinct at around the first generation. We have no natural armour so we make lethal weapons to eradicate everyone else; animals as well as humans, because for some reason we've decided to appoint ourselves to the position as leader of the world (and President Bush has made himself our leader, apparently, even though most of us didn't vote for him) (leader of the world would probably be something similar to "god" for those who believe in that) - and as leader of the world it's crucial that the human race expands rapidly so that those vicious animals and plants don't get the upper hand. Sigh.

Current track: Dia Psalma - Atomvinternatt

Labels: animals, current affairs, Norway

The architects at Snøhetta, known for designing the (new) Library in Alexandria as well as our new national opera building, have won the competition of who gets to design the World Trade Center Museum in New York City.

I heard earlier today that Oprah Winfrey and Tom Cruise will host this year's Nobel Peace Concert in Oslo, but as it hasn't been confirmed online yet, I'm not entirely sure it's not just a rumour. Last year it was Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Current track: Aerosmith - Misery

Labels: concert, Norway

Here's the ad in today's Washington Post expressing the Norwegian majority's view on the US' foreign policy.

Current track: Brian McFadden - Real to Me

Labels: current affairs, Norway

Poor chap Alfred Nobel may not have known what he was doing over a hundred years ago when he gave a lot of his money to a fund in his name, a fund meant to sponsor different people doing something good for mankind. He decided there was to be six prizes: Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Economy, Medicine and...uhmm...Peace. All of these were to be awarded by a Swedish committee - except for the latter, which honour was to be bestowed on little, peaceful Norway, that country that never seemed to happen upon trouble. Please bear in mind this was quite a few years prior to a couple of world wars and the creation of NATO. Ahem. So, anyway, earlier today a Norwegian professor named Finn E. Kydland and his American associate Edward C. Prescott (even I've heard of him) won the Nobel Prize in economics. Congrats! Of course, what I find funny about this, is that they keep saying Kydland studied at the Norwegian School of Economics, and not my boss' old school, which he claims is the most prestigious and the one that graduates the most successful businessmen (yes, never women, he is a male chauvinist) in this country. Yay!

Then I have to mention three British comedy shows that I have noticed only recently (sorry about that) that quickly became favourites of mine: Look Around You, Green Wing and, earlier today, Little Britain (which I didn't think was going to be that funny). Look Around You is absolutely amazing in that it looks and feels so much like an Open University programme of the seventies that if I didn't know any English (or at least not well enough to understand all the sarcasm) I would have thought I was watching an OU special. Well, apart from a few minor things, that is. Like, the talking brain. ;-)

Last, but not least: We're in the middle of the hunting season for elks, therefore there is (expensive, of course, this is Norway after all) elk meat to be found in the stores.

Never tasted elk.

Probably never will.

Current track: Little Mouse (from "Look Around You")

Labels: animals, comedy, current affairs, Norway, TV

The air traffic controllers are on strike again. No, sorry, they're "ill". How childish can you get...

In other news: Congratulations to a well-deserving Nobel Peace Prize winner.

And who said listening to P4 before lunch was boring? *grins*

Current track: Kjartan Salvesen - What I Am

Labels: current affairs, dennis storhøi

News from Northern Norway; a four-year-old boy was found living in a bathroom - he may have lived there his whole life. The mentally ill mother may have been told by her ex-husband that it would be dangerous to seek help as she could be kicked out of the country (she is a foreigner). So she kept her son locked up in a very dirty bathroom for what could very well be four years.

I lost my appetite completely when I heard about this. How about some more funds for the mental health services?

Current track: Queen - I Want to Break Free

Labels: current affairs, Norway

Violence rocks Gaza for seventh straight day - and the US vetoed the UN Security Council's proposition, against all the other council members.

How about locking the US out of the UN for a while? They're obviously not interested in discussing important matters anyway, as long as any of the member countries has a different view than themselves. I think vetoing a proposition that could save lots of innocent people's lives because there's a presidential election soon and they may lose votes is pretty low.

Current track: No Doubt - It's My Life

Labels: current affairs

If you ever wondered what happened to the von Trapp family after The Sound of Music you should learn Norwegian ASAP and get a ticket for Sound of Musvik at Centralteatret in Oslo. I am very biased when it comes to this one, but trying not to be I have to say that this show will probably be even more fun to watch in a month's time, when they've perfected the quick costume changes. Because yesterday...well, it didn't work. Too many dead spots. On the plus side: The rest. ;-) Especially when they completely lost track of everything that resembled a plot and started interacting with the audience. I want more of this!!! Fans of Norwegian popular music will love this show.

The weirdest thing happened, though. I bought my ticket last week. I then finally managed to persuade a friend of mine to join me yesterday (she decided after the first act that we need to see the show again, by the way), so she bought a last-minute ticket. I said it didn't matter because the seats were unspecified. Well, turned out they weren't. However - we'd got seats right next to each other! What are the odds? Spooky...

Well, I'd like to thank the creators/performers of Musvik for prolonging my life and giving me a very tired jaw already 15 minutes into the show from laughing so hard - AND for bringing a few elements from Mysteriet Myrna Vep into this...ahh, the memories...

I shall return at a few later dates.

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: anders hatlo, musicals, theatre

Jeez, they're at it again. There's not a mature politician in sight. Everyone's "dissing" everyone else these days. Yep, the government introduced next year's national budget less than an hour ago, and the opposing parties are at their throat already. For God's sake, get a grip! You can't possibly think they'd make a socialist move considering the fact our government is much bluer than that.

Wake me up when you're done rowing.

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: current affairs

So this is what Michael Palin's been doing lately!

Labels: michael palin, TV

In case you were wondering, I may not be quite normal. Saturday night I was watching the Last Night of the Proms on a Swedish channel and I was sitting there with tears in my eyes most of the time because the songs made me feel...I don't know...proud? Patriotic? Then I thought "what??? I'm Norwegian, for God's sake, no' Bri'ish!" - and there you have it.

Have you noticed how increasingly difficult it is to whistle all the songs during that show, by the way? Not just because of the lump in my throat, but because the tempo increases. Quite a challenge, but a nice one at that. I'm a capable whistler (good thing, too, since I wouldn't know how to strike a chord on the piano or any other instrument and I couldn't sing my way out of a cardboard box if I had to) so I like that sort of a challenge. I've been watching the Last Night of the Proms most of my life but never managed to outdo the orchestra. One day I will. *grins*

Current track: The Cars - Magic

Labels: concert, music

It's obviously that time of year when I start publishing my Lists(TM); could be because I had a delicious supper, or just because I was getting tired of people constantly asking me which films I've got. So here is my film collection. I keep a huge database in Excel with loads more info than this, but I decided on just listing the titles here. I have kept my four categories, though: Normal, where most of my films are kept - these films are not among my favourites, but they were good enough for me to keep in my collection; Classic - older films (often in black and white), also not my absolute favourites; Must-see - newer films that I adore; Champ - classic films that I absolutely love.

Having browsed my newly updated list, I discovered that my Top Ten list of actors appearing in most films (in my collection, that is) is as follows:

William Hurt - 24 films
Alan Rickman - 18
Dustin Hoffman - 18
Geoffrey Rush - 18
John Cleese - 17
David Niven - 16
John Lithgow - 16
Sir Alec Guinness - 16
James Garner - 15
Michael Palin - 14

Further investigations left me with these additions - these are the ones that appear in ten or more films within my collection:

Christopher Walken - 12 films
Kenneth Branagh - 12
Alfred Molina - 11
Kevin Kline - 11
Bruce Willis - 10 (What? Must be the Die Hard films.)
Eric Idle - 10

The first actress appearing on the list is right beneath Eric Idle with her nine films; Emma Thompson. We need more parts for women in the film industry!

Current track: D12 - How Come

Labels: Alan Rickman, alec guinness, alfred molina, david niven, dustin hoffman, film, geoffrey rush, james garner, john lithgow, kevin kline, lists, michael palin, william hurt

Went to see a sneak preview of De-Lovely earlier today. This story about Cole Porter is filled with his songs neatly interwoven with the tale of his real-life experiences. Laughed quite a lot during the first half, but as we delved deeper into his life, especially his love life, I sort of lost the will to laugh. I started disliking this person that I've never even met. In the end I realised it was a very sad film indeed, and I loved it. Was humming to Let's Fall in Love all the way home, though.

Kevin Kline was his usual self - can I just say I must be getting very familiar with his acting skills, as I had a feeling I had seen it all before...but as I just checked his filmography and realised I've seen 21 of his films, most of them more than once because I probably own most of them, this isn't too unbelievable. Sidetrack: OMG, they're making a prequel to the Pink Panther films? It's going to be horrid! And Kevin Kline was on Parky last night? Why didn't I know this? Of course, since I don't get BBC that would probably have made me even more annoyed. I'll just look forward to seeing it in about...ten months' time. :-(

Anyway, back to the film. Lots of good actors there, for instance Kevin McNally and Jonathan Pryce, some semi-favourites of mine. Even Ashley Judd was good! I may have to start liking her. The music was brilliant and there were a lot of currently popular singers featured in the film. I'd say you'll like this film if you're 1) into musicals, and/or 2) gay and/or 3) a fan of any of the actors.

Current track: Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet

Labels: film, kevin kline, musicals

I'm just too daft sometimes. I bought A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (the film from 1966) a few months ago but didn't put it into the DVD player until today at around breakfast time. About two minutes into the film I thought "so that's what Michael Crawford looked like when he was younger...but...haven't I seen that guy before?" He looked a lot like the guy from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - a comedy series I know because my mother thinks it's funny. Personally, it's too much slapstick for me, but it ran for five series so it must have been a hit back in the mid-seventies. Anyway, I just had to turn on my computer to check IMDb, and turns out I was right; he did indeed play the protagonist of that series. How did I miss that completely when I taped a few episodes for my mother a couple of years ago? I mean, I always read all the credits on everything I watch!

Also, the first reviews of Sound of Musvik are out; I read the one written by Mona Levin and she didn't quite like it, as usual. I wonder if that woman ever enjoys anything in her life. AND I can't believe they let her write the book about Oslo Nye Teater for its 75th anniversary this year; she can't write (I'm not just speaking about her spelling; that's not half bad, but more about the fact that she writes very plainly) and it's probably filled with miserable stuff. Unfortunately (for all of us) she is one of those reviewers that make my theory even more firm: Most reviewers are just failed actors/directors/producers/writers/musicians/artists and want to get revenge on the scene that "unjustly ignored them" because they had no talent. Why on earth don't they just get another profession? Why does everyone have to be so damn negative all the time; it's like other people's happiness should be squashed at every opportunity.


Maria (right) and her vicious, lesbian twin sister Marina.
Photo: Bent Are Iversen, Aftenposten

I'm going to see Sound of Musvik next week no matter what. AND I know I'm going to love it. I don't care if Levin is actually right (for once) - that the story isn't too consistent. The fun part of that play is to watch them change costumes like a whirlwind and then lose track of the next (ten) lines. It's supposed to be fun, for God's sake! Loosen up a little, Levin; you may actually end up enjoying something sometime!

Or...is this a revenge for Mysteriet Myrna Vep when they made a gag about her; I'm pretty sure it was Hatlo that said to Joner that he had to be more professional and get back to the script or else he'd make sure Mona Levin would review the play! Aha!

I think I'm going to start calling her Sylvia. Regular theatre-goers probably understand why.

Current track: Armand van Helden - My My My (my current favourite)

Labels: anders hatlo, comedy, musicals, personal, theatre, TV

Began today by reading for a bit while listening to Jonathan Ross. At around noon I discovered I was getting hungry and needed food quickly...ish. Off I went to the tube, carrying my backpack full of empty bottles (for recycling), and I soon got off at one of the best possible grocery stores in the kingdom. The assortment in a usual store here just about outdoes any corner shop in London, but not much more than that. This store I'm talking about is huge and they're importing all sorts of stuff. Unfortunately it's quite an expensive deal, so I only go shopping there occasionally, but today I just couldn't resist going there. Didn't get much for the £30 I paid, but at least it was of high quality! And of course I had to buy a couple of bottles of Dr Pepper - it's a must whenever I go there. Why I didn't buy any to bring back home when I stayed in London a few weeks ago I don't know; would have cost me half the price. Oh, well.

Anyway, went back home after about half an hour of drooling, did the washing-up and made a cup of coffee before sitting down to read a bit more. The coffee was a new sort; reminded me a lot of Chocolát (yum!) because there was chili in it (among other things).

So now I'm sitting here, thinking about last week's Battle of the Britcoms on BBCPrime - voting Fawlty Towers upwards in the chart so that it finally ended up in first place is fine by me, but putting Keeping Up Appearances as the first runner-up is beyond me. And neither Red Dwarf nor The Office were even among the Top Ten! I was so shocked I couldn't speak about it here until now. ;-)

Current track: Some song by the Basement Jaxx.

Labels: comedy, personal, TV

That would be you. I asked you for your photos two weeks ago and you just couldn't be bothered. You know what that means - you're stuck with my amateur photography until you activate yourself. So, without much ado, here's this week's photo:

It's from last Friday. This Friday I've been busy watching telly. *winks*

Current track: Bertine Zetlitz - Fake Your Beauty (what's up with that girl's accent?)

Labels: personal

In my imagination!

Been listening to all sorts of analyses of last night's important debate between President Bush and Candidate Kerry. Since I didn't watch it - for two reasons: It was on during the middle of the night, and it's even more annoying to be watching a debate between two people I can't vote neither for nor against - I'll refrain from commenting (much).

However...(you knew I was going to say something; anything else would be preposterous) I bet you their two wives said "yes, better let the boys have a bit of a run around or they'll throw tantrums all weekend" at this point:

And here are the scenes the TV cameras weren't supposed to film:

A very annoyed and bored President there, as you can see. How professional and mature. Apparently Gore did the same the last time there was a presidential election and it may have cost him lots of votes; let's hope the same goes for Bush this time around. *fingers crossed*

I'm going home in order to read for a bit, play Broken Sword 3 on the PlayStation, hide from Ayman al-Zawahiri who's telling his followers to attack Norway again, and generally prepare for tonight's Beat for Beat on NRK1. Ahem.

Current track: The Streets - Blinded by the Light

Labels: current affairs, gaming, Norway, TV

Just heard that My Prerogative or whatever by Britney Spears and I thought "why do these superstars ALWAYS end up making songs about the paparazzi/fanatics surrounding them?" Why are they at all surprised? History repeats itself! It's been like this since Hollywood became a phenomenon! Tsk, tsk.

Then I'd like to point you to the direction of my game collection on Gamespot; simply because I want to share. Mind you, just about half of my games are in their database and of that I've entered about 60% of the games I've got. But it'll at least give you a picture of what kinds of games I like to play.

Finally, I've been wondering about something for quite some time now. As I may have mentioned, I'm currently studying a bit of sociolinguistics for fun. I'm very interested in dialects, always have been. Could someone please explain to me why on earth we're using English textbooks when we ideally should be using Norwegian ones? In other subjects, of more global use, like maths and European history etc., which language you're using doesn't really matter, but I find it awkward to be reading about North Norwegian dialects in English (even written in American English!)

Oh, and good luck to Jules when she's leaving the (BBC) Radio 1 lot for Manchester today!

Current track: Scent - Up & Down

Labels: gaming, linguistics, music, radio, studies