Just a short but very delightful post before going into greater detail on my holiday in Portsmouth and two job interviews:

Wonderful news for Quasties out there, as the rumours we've been hearing for many months now have been confirmed and I'm off to the box office as soon as humanly possible! This turned out to be a great day after all (mind you, that's before I've had a look at the Oscar nominations, but nothing's going to ruin my day after the brilliant Evita news). I'm off to do the dishes before heading for the pub.

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: evita, musicals, philip quast, theatre

So after six months I am called to my first second interview...only at this point I have been applying for anything I can lay my hands on, really, so it's basically a job which doesn't pay enough for me to fit in on my budget. Oh, well, it's a start. I'll do the interview and we'll see.

I shall be going on my only holiday this year on Monday, it's going to take most of the day and I have decided it's going to be fab. I've actually postponed an interview because of it, that's how fun it's going to be. And tomorrow my flatmate and I will be celebrating someone's birthday (not mine) so I'm looking forward to a great meal and some drinks in a nice bar somewhere off Oxford Street.

Current track: Nothing but the buzzing sound the hard drive emits.

Labels: personal

I have been fascinated by RADA (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) for years now, and if you want to understand anything at all about where I'm coming from (and what and whom I keep referring to on this blog), perhaps this site could help you out when it comes to recognising these people. Wait...Joan Collins??? :-)

Current track: Franz Ferdinand - This Boy

Labels: name-dropping, theatre

OK, so after having seen Brokeback Mountain I must say I will be rather sad (and yet not at all surprised) if it gets a lot of Oscars. Too bad, because it could have been a lot better. Oh, well.

Some good news for you...well, for me, anyway: I just finished updating my film database and have uploaded the new lists here. Turns out it has been one year to the date (wow!) since I last posted an update of it. Unfortunately it has been expanded with only 95 films, but there you go; that's unemployment for you (ha ha!).

Current track: Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours

Labels: film, lists

Chris Penn was found dead in his flat yesterday/this morning (all depending on the timezone).

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: film

I'm a semi-supporter of Arsenal, but Wigan's advancement to the FA Cup final was just too good to let pass my praise. The winning goal in the last minute of the second half of the extra time...brilliant! Just the kind of underdog we like.

Went to see The Constant Gardener today and thought it was very good, if a little too slow about 3/4 into the film, but well worth it! Then we watched The Terminal while having supper; it was even worse than I had anticipated. I honestly don't know why Spielberg and Hanks got involved in this project. The idea was intriguing, but the result was pretty crap. Tom Hanks was, for once in his career, totally unbelievable as the protagonist, as it was mainly just Tom Hanks with a supposedly Russian accent.

In between these two films we went to the pub for the first time in many months, and the landlord recognised us. Three drinks later (and yes, we started at 3:30!) we stopped by the Chinese takeaway.

I've been very busy playing both of the X-Men Legends games this past week and after having watched both the X-Men films back to back I was deliriously delighted when I saw the X-Men 3 trailer twice this week. I can hardly wait!

Current track: Something on BBC 6 Music.

Labels: film, gaming, ralph fiennes, sport

I'm having pink food for supper. I made the same dish last week (because I have no imagination), and we both stood there "eww-ing" when we saw the slush I was supposed to marinate the chicken in. Turned out it tasted absolutely delicious.

I would like to know what the song in this advert (play the ad video) is called, because it has been driving me mad for about four months now, ever since having been used in the trail for Sir David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth.

We went to see Jarhead yesterday. The film was really good, but as with most other films about the American armed forces it made me even more opposed to the military and the idea thereof. Those guys they parade around in the streets whenever the US has been involved in a "military conflict" somewhere are more often than not violent morons. Which could be what you get when the army is being praised, I guess. And from diabolic recruiters who con rednecks, criminals and idiots into signing up. Look at what the results are; all those atrocities they've been doing through the last few wars (coming to think of it, through most wars, really), and we still let them do it. Perhaps we're the ones to blame as they clearly fall into the category of "should be institutionalised" and we're supposed to have more sense. Can you tell this is frustrating to me?

Current track: The six o'clock news.

Labels: current affairs, film, food, music, TV

Hah. No, there is no such thing as a moderate binge drinker. You're on a binge or you're not. It must be The Word to come out of 2005, I think. So we watched this documentary on the subject tonight (the reporter was rather annoying, actually) and it just confirmed what we already knew, with one twist. It's the first time that I've heard a medical doctor state that alcohol is a drug. Wow. That's pretty harsh. I loved it, of course. And celebrated with a drink.

I read a book today, it's a book I've had for eleven years but which I haven't quite come round to yet...until today. So amidst the washing up and doing the laundry I sat down with a cup of tea and started reading. Didn't really put down the book until around half seven, at which point I admitted to feeling a bit peckish (having nibbled on my nails for the best part of the last three hours). My flatmate suggested Chinese, an idea it took me three seconds to embrace wholeheartedly, considering my planned meal was canned broth and a couple of dry rolls.

Look, it's turned into Friday the 13th! Good luck, everyone!

Current track: South Pacific London 2001 Cast - A Wonderful Guy

Labels: literature, personal

I just heard Our Local Homeless Guy (TM) whooping outside the station. Ah, bliss, I've missed him these last few weeks. I wonder if he was on holiday?

We've finally started watching the second series of Doc Martin! We've been taping the show while frantically watching the first series on DVD, so today we celebrated by watching three episodes.

Last night's episode of Holby City was a good one. Didn't care about the wafer thin storyline, because I'm probably never going to see another episode again, but the Quast factor was bigger than first anticipated in that he appeared a whole ten minutes in all. There was much jubilation.

I believe I said good night to my flatmate twenty minutes ago, and since I'm trying to get back to "office hours" I'd better go to bed soon.

By the way, I had two suppers today. Let's call the first one "afternoon tea", ahem.

Current track: The Go! Team - Ladyflash

Labels: personal, philip quast, TV

Snape fan?

All the while eagerly awaiting tonight'e episode of Holby City (a programme of which I've never seen anything but outtakes).

Current track: Depeche Mode - I Feel Loved

Labels: humour, philip quast, TV

No, I haven't turned neo-nazi all of a sudden, it's a part quote from The Producers which we finally went to see (ok, so it's only been out for about two weeks, but I've been looking forward to it for so long) on Saturday night. I urge you to go and see it. It's not that good in itself, mostly because Matthew Broderick played the part of Leo on a surprisingly shallow level, but it will be worth it because of Nathan Lane (no surprise there, and yes, I am also highly biased) and especially new favourite Roger Bart, who took over this film as much as he did The Stepford Wives. I'm not one of the sad gits who've succumbed to the two great Hollywood Hypes of the last couple of years, Lost and Desperate Housewives, so I don't know what he's like in the latter, but I would nearly start watching the series just to see it.

I said nearly.

Current track: Metallica - ...And Justice for All

Labels: film, nathan lane, TV

Help! There's a Barrymore on my TV screen! I was sitting there, minding my own business, about to enjoy my lunch, when Michael popped up, sounding slightly slurry and talking about...who knows what. And then a trannie and Dennis Rodman, and I'm thinking "is this hell?". Turned out they're all part of this season's Celebrity Big Brother -- you know, the programme where wannabe has-beens (yes, they're that far down the list) do absolutely nothing together for three weeks and earn lots of money from it. And the shite that actually watch the whole ordeal...well, I was one of them for about ten minutes today, before turning to last night's strangely fascinating documentary about circumcision instead. And yes, that's when I started eating.

More important news, though: I found myself reading this article on Japanese customs last week and I have to say I'm glad I don't have to live with all of those traditions, even though some of them would be welcome. A little more decorum would be nice.

Current track: T-Rex - Children of the Revolution

Labels: TV

Now that we're leaping towards the UK premiere of Good Night, and Good Luck, could someone please tell me what's the correct pronunciation of the name David Strathairn? The David bit I get, the last name not quite so. So far in my 12+ years of being a fan of his, I've heard a minimum of four different ways of saying his surname. I have actually changed my own way of saying it twice. I know there are other more important issues in the world, but this is getting in the way of my doing constructive things.

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: david strathairn, film, linguistics

I frequent a couple of forums for fans of certain performers, and there's one thing that always makes me laugh. It's like there's this unwritten rule that no one should mention the performer's looks or sex appeal or anything like that, because that's something that's apparently supposed to be beneath us as real fans. I'll bet you my next ten years' wages that most of us became fans of the person in the first place because of their attractiveness! I know I did, in most cases, whatever weird attraction that might have been at the time, and then things just developed and I learnt to like other aspects of the person. But it's like saying 'I'm attracted to the personality -- looks don't mean anything to me'. That's a load of crap, really. Most of us notice other people by the way they look or sound, not by their personality, because we wouldn't get to know a complete stranger just by chance, like thinking "hmm...I think I'll go out tonight and talk to the first person I see, no matter what". I would give quite a lot to be able to honestly say I'm first attracted to somebody's personality, but it's actually more often their eyes, hair or walk that would make me interested.

I'm also very proud of my contribution to the world of telly by having entered a new series into the IMDb two years ago, and it's still going strong (even being updated)! Such is the fierce competition on IMDb, though, that whatever fact you can come up with you just feel compelled to have it added to their database. That is how I have actually entered two goofs (or "fuck-ups", as I like to call them, with affection, of course) for one of my dearest shows. Stupid girl, slagging off programmes like that! But hey, continuity is important!

And speaking of continuity...I watched both of the Kamilla & Tyven films a few days ago (let's just say it was New Year's Day and I felt like staying in bed throughout). The first film was surprisingly good! I (clearly) didn't think it would be. The second film, however... Well, I had a look at the extras on the DVD and they made a big fuss about the fact that they'd spent so much less time on the sequel than on the original, and seemed to think that this was a good thing. Erm...not so much, I can report from my bedside point of view, at least. The continuity was done poorly, the plot was rather thin and the dubbing was so annoying after a short while that it ruined most of the film for me. I don't know what they were thinking. The sound had worked fine in the first film, with some (in-sync) dubbing here and there, but the second seemed to be dubbed all the way through, and they were saying completely different phrases in many places. It was almost so bad I would like to reimburse my poor mother who bought me the DVD. I fart in their general direction.

Current track: Nothing.

Labels: dennis storhøi, film, personal, TV

Having trawled around my blog archives to find last year's list of favourite this and that, I have decided to use that as a template and add (or possibly even (gasp!) retract) categories as I go along. So, here is...(cue fanfare)...

My Top This and That of 2005!

Coolest Villain of the year
Ralph Fiennes, strangely enough for both Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit!

Norwegian Album of the year
Surferosa: The Force

Indie Album of the year
Gorillaz: Demon Days

Album of the year
KT Tunstall: Eye to the Telescope

Funniest New Series
Man Stroke Woman, BBC (UK)

Funniest New Spoof Series
Broken News, BBC (UK)

Craziest 19th-century Character of the year
Phil Davis in Bleak House, BBC (UK)

Most Disappointing Comedy Series of the year
Extras, BBC (UK) (there, the cat's out of the bag)

Most Annoying I-knew-this-would-happen-so-why-did-I-bother-starting-watching-it-in-the-first-place Moment of the year
The last ten minutes of Love Soup, BBC (UK)

Favourite Comedy Series Character of the year
(Much like last year:) Anne from Little Britain, BBC (UK)

Best Cliffhanger of the year
The series finale of Waking the Dead

Most Anticipated Film of the year
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Most Anticipated Game of the year
The Movies

Best Game of the year
Civilization IV

British Film of the year
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Best Play or Musical of the year
Talking to Terrorists, Royal Court Theatre

Would Have Most Wanted to See
Dennis Storhøi in Death of a Salesman, Oslo Nye Teater

Most Hilarious Roman Outfit of the year
Ciaràn Hinds's in Rome (HBO/BBC)

Most Anticipated Book of the year
JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Most Annoying Yet Strangely Catchy Song of the year
The Pussycat Dolls: Doncha

Worst Idea of the year
Producing Ben Elton's new autobiographical and very boring "comedy" series Blessed, BBC (UK)

Worst Idea That Led to a Very Funny Incident of the year
Inviting Gérard Depardieu to Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, BBC (UK)

Scariest Moment of the year
21 July, the second terrorist attack on London

Best London Moment of the year
6 July, when we beat the French and got the 2012 Olympics

Best Moment of the year
1 June, when we moved to London

Seems like the Beeb are responsible for both the ups and downs of the telly year!

Current track: Nothing

Labels: ciàran hinds, comedy, current affairs, dennis storhøi, film, gaming, lists, literature, music, personal, tamsin greig, theatre, trevor eve, TV