- My Blogger profile
- My film collection (Updated 10 Mar 2012)
- Frequently Accessed Search Queries (Updated 11 Feb 2007)
- Music I am listening to
- Games I play (Raptr)
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- All-time Favourite Quotes (Updated 21 May 2005)
Laugh at these
- Advanced Anagramming
- Chris Barrie (official)
- Colin Mochrie (official)
- Comedy at the Beeb
- Engrish.com
- Greg Proops (official)
- Julian Clary online
- Kiss This Guy - misheard lyrics
- Llewtube (Robert Llewellyn's Carpool - interviews)
- Nemi (Norwegian)
- Nemi - in English!
- Not Always Right (The Customer Is)
- The Onion
- The Rik Mayall Website
- The Scripts of Red Dwarf
- Wulff Morgenthaler
Computer/Gaming Links
- Home of the Underdogs
- Lemon - Commodore 64 Heaven
- The Little Green Desktop (Atari ST)
- MobyGames
- My game collection
- Playstation.com
- RPGPlanet (GameSpy)
- scene.org
- Textfiles.com
A Bit More Sensible
Things That Matter
- Action on Elder Abuse
- Alcohol Concern (UK)
- Amnesty International
- The Animal Rescue Site
- Comic Relief/Red Nose Day
- Dogs Trust
- GALHA
- The Pro-Choice Forum
- The RSPCA (UK)
- StammeringCentre.org
- The Trevor Project
- Violence Begins at Home
- Please contact me if you've got any episodes of the Aussie TV series Corridors of Power and/or Mercury.
North American Comedy Favourites
- 3rd Rock from the Sun
- 8 Simple Rules
- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
- Arrested Development
- The Big Bang Theory
- Cheers
- The Class
- Dharma and Greg
- Ellen
- Just Shoot Me
- The Kids in the Hall
- Ladies Man
- Less than Perfect
- M*A*S*H
- Mad About You
- SheTV
- Whose Line is it Anyway?
- Will & Grace
British Comedy Favourites
- Absolutely Fabulous
- An Actor's Life for Me
- The Armstrong and Miller Show
- A Bit of Fry and Laurie
- Believe Nothing
- Big Train
- Black Books
- Blackadder
- Bottom
- The Catherine Tate Show
- Citizen Smith
- Coupling
- The Comic Strip Presents...
- Dead Ringers
- The Fast Show
- Fawlty Towers
- Fear, Stress and Anger
- Filthy, Rich and Catflap
- French and Saunders
- Gimme Gimme Gimme
- Girls on Top
- Goodness Gracious Me
- Green Wing
- Happiness
- Hippies
- The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Kevin Turvey
- The Kumars at No. 42
- KYTV
- The League of Gentlemen
- Little Britain
- Look Around You
- The Mighty Boosh
- Monty Python's Flying Circus
- Murder Most Horrid
- My Family
- Not the Nine O'Clock News
- The New Statesman
- The Office
- Psychoville
- Red Dwarf
- Rhona
- Ripping Yarns
- Smack the Pony
- Spaced
- That Mitchell and Webb Look
- The Thick of It
- tlc
- The Vicar of Dibley
- Waiting for God
- The Young Ones
Archives
- November 2003
- December 2003
- January 2004
- February 2004
- March 2004
- April 2004
- May 2004
- June 2004
- July 2004
- August 2004
- September 2004
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- July 2007
- August 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007
- November 2007
- December 2007
- January 2008
- February 2008
- March 2008
- April 2008
- May 2008
- June 2008
- July 2008
- August 2008
- September 2008
- October 2008
- December 2008
- January 2009
- February 2009
- March 2009
- April 2009
- May 2009
- June 2009
- July 2009
- August 2009
- September 2009
- October 2009
- February 2010
- March 2010
- April 2010
- October 2010
- December 2010
- March 2012
- May 2012
- November 2012
- May 2013
- June 2013
2,000 hamsters can't be wrong.
31 December 2004
Soff gottinår, nyta mi!
Top This!
So here goes, in no particular order:
Coolest Villain of the year
Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2
Norwegian Album of the year
Sivert Høyem: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Opposition
Album of the year
Morrissey: You are the Quarry
Funniest New Series
Green Wing, Channel 4 (UK)
Most Anticipated Film of the year
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Most Anticipated Game of the year
The Sims 2
Best Game of the year
The Sims 2
British Film of the year
Shaun of the Dead
Best Play or Musical of the year
La cage aux folles, Oslo Nye Teater
Best Live Concert of the year
Fra Beatles til ABBA, Oslo Konserthus
Would Have Most Wanted to See
Nathan Lane in The Producers, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Most Hilarious Roman Outfit of the year
Philip Quast's in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Olivier Theatre
Funniest Book of the year
Ricky Gervais: Flanimals
Funniest Teenage Book of the year
Louise Rennison: ...and That's When it Fell Off in My Hand
Most Annoying Yet Strangely Catchy Song of the year
O-Zone: Dragostea din tei
Worst Idea of the year
Oslo Nye Teater producing Victoria starring Herborg Kråkevik
Scariest Moment of the year
The US electing George W. Bush for another term
Best Moment of the year
At around half nine on the evening of February the 25th
Current track: The Bluebells - Young at Heart
Labels: comedy, concert, film, gaming, humour, lists, literature, music, musicals, theatre, TV
We Are Family!
(I think they're in chronological order, even!)
- I made you short? (Robin Williams)
- Where does this young man come from, Barbie...ra? (Dianne Wiest)
- What is this, sludge? (Robin Williams)
- Yes, it's sludge. I thought it'd make a nice change from coffee. (Hank Azaria)
- I hurt my thing. (Robin Williams)
- Your what? (Nathan Lane)
- How about those Dolphins? (Nathan Lane)
- What? (Nathan Lane) (uhmm...well, this is from where he's dressed up as Val's uncle)
- I never wear shoes, because they make me fall down. (Hank Azaria)
- Agador! (Robin Williams)
- Spartacus! (Dan Futterman)
- Agador Spartacus! He insists on being called by his full name. (Robin Williams)
- Oh, tange you. Tange you all. Dinner...is served. (Hank Azaria)
- May I take your purse as usual, or...for the first time. (Hank Azaria)
- I don't really drink. (Gene Hackman)
- Yeah, but now is the time to pretend. (Hank Azaria)
And that's all from me for now. Tomorrow I'm going to wrap up 2004 with my own favourites this and that. Until then...good tie! (Little Britain, anyone? Dust, anyone?)
Current track: Nada.
29 December 2004
I Beat Sauron!
So...is there anyone out there who'd like to buy the game? ;-)
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: gaming
28 December 2004
Christmas Fun Disorder
Christmas Eve was very nice indeed; excellent food and drink all around, nice cup of coffee afterwards, then the presents (handed out by me as usual - not quite sure when it all turned and I had to do all the Father Christmas things) at around eight or nine in the evening (starting later every year), and finally chatting till past midnight. Lots of sparkly things flying about all evening and well into Christmas Day, as someone in the family had bought sparkly wrapping paper. Oh, well.
On Christmas Day I got up past noon (!) and we got around to having breakfast at around one thirty. Snow had fallen during the night (so much for a green Christmas for once) and my father had gone outside to plow the surrounding street as well as our garden (back and front). Eventually persuaded them to watch Love Actually with me (didn't have to work too hard; my mother noticed Colin Firth's name on the cover of the DVD and said "press play!"). We then went to this year's family get-together, which was very nice indeed; some of those people I hadn't seen for three or four years.
Boxing Day was spent watching films and helping my mother ordering some books from Amazon, as well as trying to out-do each other in laziness. Ended up watching three films. In the midst of everything the tragic earthquake and following tsunami in Asia caught our attention and so the rest of the evening was spent watching the news.
Got back home yesterday. The train was actually full by the time we reached Oslo. I sprang home to a highly anticipated event, indeed the highlight of this Christmas, namely a truly yummy Philip Quast appearing in this year's Midsomer Murders Christmas special (which was actually shown in Australia a few months ago). There couldn't have been a better way to celebrate Christmas than with a nice, wholesome murder and a gorgeous Aussie on telly. And to top it off, lots of Christmas specials of my favourite shows: The Vicar of Dibley, AbFab (with a brilliant Nathan Lane this year), Q.I., Dead Ringers, The Kumars at No. 42, My Family and a bit of Outtake TV (unfortunately not with Paul O'Grady any longer) as well as a one-off comedy starring lots of the current comedy stars of Britain; The Flint Street Nativity. I am overwhelmed.
AND I've got chocolate!
Current track: Howard Goodall - The theme for Q.I.
Labels: Christmas, comedy, current affairs, film, food, holiday, musicals, philip quast, TV
22 December 2004
Norwegian Nationalism anno 1905
Actually...perhaps we shouldn't count those five years during which the Nazis took control of the country. That means we're actually just 95 years old.
Current track: Nothing, sorry.
Police Dogs Victimised in Work Conflict
In other news this morning, another convicted murderer is on the loose. I wonder what on earth possessed the lawmakers to allow for any prisoner to get weekends off. I mean, for Bob's sake, what kind of a punishment is this, when you get a holiday from prison now and then? Why isn't anyone doing anything about it when it obviously doesn't work (whatever they're trying to do)? There is a fundamental wish in this country to help those that are less fortunate. In cases like these, I think perhaps (and I say this in the most sarcastical way) that the less fortunate party is the victim's family, not the murderer. The mother of the victim stated in a brief interview that this was the worst piece of news she could have got just before Christmas, and that it ruined everything now that she knew her son's murderer would be out there somewhere.
I've still got this Danish "commercial" in mind when things like these pop up. The snippet is of someone sitting in a white room, looking very much like a cell, and while the camera slowly zooms out the text on the screen says something like "Peter has been inside for four years because of an act of violence." Then you realise this Peter character is sitting in a kitchen, as the camera pans around, and the text reads "The offender is still out there somewhere."
Merry Christmas!
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: animals, current affairs, Norway
21 December 2004
Yesteryear's Technology
Anyway, the computers they were talking about (and showing (off)) were one of the Spectrum (Speccy) machines (that year's bestseller), the Commodore 64 (C64) (that year's runner-up), the BBC Micro B and one of the Atari machines (the 800, I presume). I've been fiddling around with emulators ever since I realised they existed back in 199x, simply because I love all that older technology. Also, there are programs and games for these old systems that you can't find anywhere else anymore. One of my all-time favourite games is one for the C64 and is a pinball game (Magic Pinball). Due to the fact that the C64 only had a 320x200 maximum graphical mode, there was a very limited number of sprites (graphical icon or figure, basically) allowed on screen at any time. That also meant that the ball could only follow certain patterns every time, and after a short while of practice you would know exactly where to hit the ball in order for it to go where you wanted it to.
I am, however, looking for a game for the Commodore 16/Plus 4. It was a text adventure game and the only thing I remember about it was that there was a rope featured at the very beginning. I played this when I went to a summer course in England in '89 and have never seen it since (especially since I never owned one of those machines; I went straight to the Amiga 500). Doesn't really matter that much, I just find myself remembering it now and then. We stayed at a school which was closed for the summer, and they had a computer lab there with about...ooh, I'd say roughly three and a half machines. ;-) Three of us sneaked around to the other rooms and gathered power supplies (I remember scaring one of the maids that way once, as I was hiding behind a door, clutching the power supply and pretending not to be doing anything wrong) before firing up one of the Commodore 16's they had there. We didn't actually do anything with the computers, because they had very few games and we didn't really know enough English to play around with the programs (thankfully).
Another game I've played a lot is Tracksuit Manager, on the C64. It's possibly the coolest sports management sim ever, and believe me, I love the (first four, full) Championship Manager games! It's just very simple and easy to learn and it's basically about winning. I know CM has got so much more to offer in way of micromanagement, that's why I love it, but still, TM is lots of fun.
Oops, just remembered I have to watch the last two episodes of Himalaya (eith Michael Palin) tonight, before lending it to my parents over Christmas. Guess that means I've got to go.
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: computers, history, holiday, michael palin, technology, TV
Sweet and Sour
The bad news: Andy Bell, Erasure's singer, is HIV positive. However, he's known this for six years and doesn't fret about it himself, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried. It's just that I remember back in '92, when I became a fan of Erasure's (has it really been twelve and a half years?), I was scanning through some of my old magazines and found a small article about Andy which said that he couldn't get life insurance because he was gay. (I didn't know he was gay until I read that, but then again I hadn't seen them live...should have guessed it if I had ;-) ) I was infuriated, but years later I realised that insurance companies really are evil through and through.
Current track: Nothing. Can't be bothered to turn on the radio. I mean, after all it's 20 cm from my right arm.
19 December 2004
European Handball Champions! Or: We Beat Denmark!
The point is: Our team beat the Danish team and that's always been what matters most. So we're the European champions again, and about time, too! It's been too long since we've won any championships...hang on...the last time must have been around the time I stopped watching handball...
Is it all my fault? Have I turned into God?
Again?
Then why didn't I win the ten million jackpot in yesterday's lottery?
I did something much more fun than winning the lottery yesterday, though. I went to the theatre! Quélle surprise! (If you've paid any attention at all, you probably knew I was going.) It was fab! And sad! And then I ended up having a terrible headache! Argh. But despite the headache and the sadness I was very happy. And yes, we may have a wee split personality problem.
Today's bout of LotR playing has left me at 89% completed, and I have been cursing a bit during some of the fights. But now that I've come this far there's no way I'm going to put the game away until I've finished the bloody thing. So the neighbours will have to live with the sound of nazgul screams and troll growls emerging from my flat for another day or so. Mwahahahahaaah.
Current track: Still got "Somebody's Taken Maria Away" on my mind.
18 December 2004
Right, That's it!
Is it much too easy to order tickets online?
Current track: D-12 - That's How
Labels: musicals, online shopping, theatre
15 December 2004
Ups and Downs
The first one is about yesterday, when I discovered that Riget (that would be the original, Danish version of Kingdom Hospital; the American one I managed to avoid and will keep on doing so - it really annoys me when Hollywood has to "fix" something that isn't broken just because they think it's tedious to read subtitles) is out on DVD. I bought the two DVDs (both series) and as soon as it was dark enough (which was at around four in the afternoon; don't move here if you're used to "normal" day and night cycles, for instance if you live in southern California) I put it on. I was supposed to watch one episode only, but I just couldn't put it away and ended up with watching the whole first series; four and a half hours of the most surreal comedy horror series ever made (David Lynch, go home! Twin Peaks was mediocre compared to this!) I'm looking forward to seeing the second series this weekend (hopefully).
The second story is from earlier today, when we went for Christmas lunch at a fancier restaurant somewhere in the smart (some would rather say "posh") area of the city. It's up in the hills and the view is stunning. Usually. Thankfully I've seen it before and could visit anytime, but the poor busload of English tourists there today must have been very disappointed when they experienced the fog being so thick they could hardly see the nearest shrubbery. I felt sorry for them because I know how extraordinary that view normally is. I also felt a bit sorry for them because they treated themselves to the Christmas buffet, and I would imagine they were a bit perplexed. We were actually discussing this among ourselves, in Norwegian, saying they'd probably think the pinnekjøtt (which means "meat on a stick" - but tastes better than it sounds) would be spareribs because it looks a lot like it:
It is, however, made from lamb and therefore wouldn't taste quite as they'd expect. Plus, the garnish is different than what you'd like with your normal spareribs. We must have said "spareribs" once too many or they thought it up themselves, either way we soon heard them saying something about "the spareribs" and so decided to stop commenting on the food from there on. They looked very pleased when they were done, though, so hopefully they didn't think it was awful.
The third story is sort of a two-part one as it actually started last week. I went to see Sound of Musvik (it IS supposed to be a jocular name, not a misprint or a weird, Norwegian way of spelling "music") for the second time last Friday and apart from the fact that it was amazing and all that, I was also directly told off by one of the actors, much to my dismay and yet, at the same time, to my amusement, for not joining in. I concur wholeheartedly, but at the time I was just too embarrassed to do anything even remotely sensible. I got back at myself tonight, as I watched the
All in all, this last year has been supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (sorry, watched Mary Poppins the other day) theatre-wise and I've had such a jolly time I'm having trouble seeing it getting any better than this. Actually, I think I shouldn't live in a city where they've got theatres and brilliant actors...which would rule out most larger cities in the world. It gives me a headache just thinking about all the great plays I'm going to see in the future. Hopefully some of them will be my own.
Current track: Tom & Mick - Somebody's Taken Maria Away (quite fittingly, coming to think of it)
Labels: anders hatlo, Christmas, food, musicals, personal, theatre, TV
14 December 2004
The Answer, My Friend...
Stayed indoors, then, and played that LotR game for hours. I think I've managed to finish 60% of the game, which is pretty good considering I'm hardly ever fascinated with a game long enough to complete it. The last one was Etherlords II and before that it was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, both great games that just kept me wanting more every time I'd finished a battle or got new gear or gone up a level. Same thing with the one I'm playing these days; the only reason I turned it off now is that 1) I thought I should get some sleep and 2) that last battle had me knackered by the end of it so my little brain needs some rest.
Phew.
Current track: Nothing.
13 December 2004
Despicable People
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: current affairs, Norway
Eww! That is So Disgusting!
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: computers
For the rest of the weekend I've been more or less stuck in front of the telly, playing The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age on PlayStation. I don't know what the fuss is all about; it's like the reviewers out there have all gone bitchy and moany. I've read reviews that have given the game 50% and reviews that have ended up on a 90%. I'm thinking the 50% people need a bit of lightening up to do. So what if it looks and feels a lot like Final Fantasy X? FFX is such a great game that another game based on that model certainly doesn't hurt. PLUS, some of the reviewers keep moaning about how strange it is that they've created new characters for the LotR universe that Tolkien never wrote about; these are stereotypical LotR fans, those that are mad because they discovered the trilogy long before it became popular - well, if it hadn't been popular there wouldn't be any films and you keep telling us how those three films rule and how there will never be any films like it and that anyone who doesn't think the films are the eighth, ninth and tenth wonders of the world must be stupid. People like that bore me; they have a one-track mind and are scared of other people. They try to be different by looking like everyone else among the LotR fans. Lack of imagination, I'd say.
The game is very good, though. ;-)
Current track: Nothing.
10 December 2004
Star-struck? Me?
I'm off in a few minutes in order to have dinner and go to the theatre (Sound of Musvik again, and a bit scared about our seats) but then I'll have the whole weekend at home doing as little as possible. I've got heaps of new DVD's I'd like to watch.
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: concert, name-dropping, theatre
Cool and Incredible
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: film
08 December 2004
Told You So!
If you look closely, you may think I actually killed this fly with a strand of my own hair.
Current track: Nothing. Watching telly.
Labels: animals
04 December 2004
I am So Proud (For No Reason?)
But first, back to my pizza and watching Dr. Doolittle. It was funnier than I remembered. The film, that is.
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: award shows, film, philip quast, theatre
You Will Die in My Kitchen, You Bastard!
And it will die in my kitchen, as it most probably won't fly outside into the cold weather.
Sitting there, by the dining table (which was meant to be an interim solution when I moved in nearly three years ago), reading in poor lighting, I eventually had to admit that at least the view is rather good:
And while out there, I also found this:
It's partially melted snow, which looks just like that phoney snow they use in Hollywood films because they can't be arsed to go anywhere colder than California and do some research.
I needed to take a break from my studying now, as one of the authors was annoying me beyond belief. It seems as if the authors whose first language isn't English tend to have this inferiority complex that involves having to write as elaborately as possible. Unfortunately, this particular (Greek) author made mistake upon mistake and also couldn't decide whether she was writing British English or American English. I soon got hung up in her shifts between s/z and ou/o within the same paragraph and just had to browse through the rest of the article. I hope her work doesn't come up on the exam.
Also, all through the day, I've been taking short breaks between chapters and have got through one-third of American Beauty that way. I haven't seen it for years and so had forgotten how brilliant that film is. Such wonderful actors. Such a great script.
Current track: Nothing.
Labels: animals, film, linguistics, studies
01 December 2004
Celebrating the 80s
Current track: Glenn Medeiros - Nothing's Gonna Change My Love