Finally a non-Snape film starring Alan Rickman. And a pretty good one, too! I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Didn't even want to pause the film once (I often do). Both funny, sad and very interesting. I would recommend Snow Cake.

I would also recommend The Queen. All-round brilliant performances from the whole cast. I am also slowly becoming a fan of Roger Allam's.

Labels: Alan Rickman, film, roger allam

Pelican's diet changes slightly.

Labels: animals, humour

Blasted microchip manufacturers. And blasted game developers. I really, really want to buy a new, top-notch computer but of course I do not have the money for it. And in order to get any of the mouth-watering new games to work, you need a state-of-the-art machine. Bastids. This means I will actually have to make do with the 300+ games I already have! The nerve. ;-)

Labels: computers, gaming, technology

I found this email to be rather funny:

Dear All,

The guillotine has been removed from the post room on the first floor. If you have removed the guillotine could you please return it as soon as possible as several people need to use it.

Also, read more about the opening of Monty Python's Spamalot in the West End here.

Labels: humour, Monty Python, theatre

This is probably wrong on every level, but I can't help but feeling sorry for McDonald's (and Coca-Cola) in this case.

Labels: technology

Really not a good idea to pop half a sleeping pill on Thursday, as by Friday evening at 9:30 I was still so tired I had to go to bed. Talk about wasting one's time. It's amazing I got through a whole day at work at all.

We tried the new fast food place just across the road from us yesterday; the food tasted good and the portion was just about right. They seemed to be a nice bunch, too. I think I'll definitely go back.

Tonight will be pancakes, though. I even bought blueberry preserve yesterday! I think I'm getting into the autumn mood.

Labels: food, personal, time wasting

I stole it from Heather, who stole it from Carly.

45 of the most random things you probably never needed to know about someone.

What's your name spelled backwards?
Dlivgni. Just about as difficult to pronounce as the other way.

What did you do last night?
Made a bacon and mushroom omelette while doing the dishes, then watched The 4400, Extras (which was exceptionally painful to watch last night), That Mitchell and Webb Look (must love Numberwang) and Mock the Week.

The last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
The pilot of Twenty Good Years.

Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery?
Ermm...no...should I have?

Last time you swam in a pool?
When I was about 12, 13.

What are you wearing?
Underwear and socks, shoes, a pair of Levi's that definitely has seen better days, a black jumper and a few rings.

Type of music you dislike most?
Possibly "experimental music", like wind chimes or such things.

Are you registered to vote?
In Norway: Of course. In the UK: Not allowed.

Do you have cable?
I have lots of cables. None of them give me any extra channels, though. I do have Freeview, does that count?

What kind of computer do you use?
Whatever comes my way at work, and at home I have a customised desktop from 2002 and an Acer Aspire 1694WMLi laptop.

Ever made a prank phone call?
Ooh yeah. Long ago now, though.

You like anyone right now?
"Like", as in...?

Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Weeeeeeee...vertigo. No thanks.

Furthest place you ever traveled?
New York, New York.

What's your favorite comic strip?
Nemi and of course The Far Side.

Do you know all the words to your national anthem?
All the words of the first verse and then a couple of lines from some of the others.

Shower, morning or night?
Morning, as getting up in the middle of the night to shower would be silly. ;)

Best movie you've seen in the past month?
The Departed, I think. Nope, change that to Little Miss Sunshine, of course.

Best movie in the last year?
Possibly The Sentinel? I have no idea--I watch (too) many films.

Favorite pizza toppings?
Satay chicken, cashew nuts, lots of cheese.

Chips or popcorn?
Crisps.

What cell phone provider do you have?
O2.

Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
Why would I do that?

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
See the previous answer.

Orange Juice or apple?
Orange juice. Freshly squeezed.

Who were the last people you sat at lunch with?
The people who happen to be around as I eat, but we don't actually eat together.

Who is your longest friend and how long?
Among those who still speak to me? Anita, I suppose! (Hei, hei!)

When's the last time you've eaten a home grown tomato?
Many moons ago.

Have you ever won a trophy?
Lots upon lots, for ballroom dancing.

Favorite arcade game?
This will be very difficult for you to understand, but I have never, ever played a real arcade game. I have played a few converted and emulated ones, though, and my favourite would then be Arkanoid or anything like that. Poing, especially, from the Amiga days.

Ever ordered from an infomercial?
Nope.

Sprite or 7-UP?
Definitely Sprite. 7-Up tastes flat.

Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work?
No.

Last thing you bought at the pharmacy?
The usual; nasal spray.

Ever thrown up in public?
Yep. In London, in fact. Also many moons ago. It had nothing to do with the homegrown tomato, though.

Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love?
The One And True Love would suit me fine, thank you very much.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
Believe in it? Even if I haven't really experienced it, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be true for others.

SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON?
Yugi-Oh!

Did you have long hair as a young kid?
Only that kind of a semi-long type that was popular in the eighties. Whenever my hair grows to a certain length, it looks as if I'm trying to impersonate a chow-chow.

What message is on your voicemail machine?
Nothing, I think, but then again we hardly ever check it.

Where would you like to go right now?
To my Happy Place?

What is the name of your pet(s)?
I don't have any. I have lots of pet peeves, though.

What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it?
Black JanSport, bought for my NYC trip and it has been with me ever since. At the moment there's an empty thermos in there, together with my Gameboy, some loose papers, a few carrier bags, my wallet, my mobile (can't be bothered to turn it on), a pen and lots of little pieces of paper.

What do you think about most?
How to make myself happy.

Labels: computers, film, gaming, humour, personal, TV

Oh. My. God.

Labels: humour

As in "cartoon strip".

Labels: humour

This just about explains everything.

Labels: humour

I honestly don't know. That's how much I care about him, I don't even remember his name. Jeez. It should of course be Mark Heenehan, who still has a terrific voice but whom I would rather see somewhere else than in the role of Perón at the Adelphi.

Now, about Tim Morgan...

Labels: evita, musicals, theatre, tim morgan

Been looking forward to the tenth of October for a long time.

The day started with "a local grocery store" delivering groceries (duh) to us, so now I won't have to go shopping for a long time. ;-)

Then I did some housewifey things I seldom do, i.e. I ironed some clothes. Don't think I've done that in years.

At half four we left for the tube, by which we finally ended up at the Strand, where we had supper at a local Italian restaurant (with no Italian waiters, even though there were a lot of waiters--we had at least four during the 90 minutes we were there). I thought the food was nice. I even had dessert. Couldn't finish it, but that's not the point.

After supper we crossed the street and went to see...drum roll, please...yep, that musical again. I had been touching wood for six weeks every time I was afraid of Philip Quast not turning up, and I grinned broadly when I could see his name on the board in the foyer.

Still didn't believe it until I saw his understudy (the increasingly unpopular (in my circles) Mark Houlihan - but that's because he tried to out-sing Quast, a feat which will be neither forgotten nor forgiven) perform in one of the earlier ensemble scenes. I could breathe easily for the first time in weeks.

The point is, we had paid through our noses for these seats and up till tonight I have been unfortunate enough to miss Quast in 33% of the performances I went to specifically to hear him sing, so it was crucial he was there. Since I went with my flatmate I wouldn't have left if he weren't, but I would definitely not have sat through yet another performance with his understudy.

I know, I'm bad.

Well, the show was bloody brilliant again (my fourth performance so far), and even though we sat close to someone who stank from hell and back (think old gym clothes), that did not ruin the experience.

Just one thing--maybe I'm being picky here...or just creepy--unmarried men are usually supposed to not wear wedding rings, right? So, basically, for authenticity, actors should also leave their own rings behind when entering the stage to portray single people? ;-)

And now for something completely different. From one idol to the next, actually. I watched the Michael Palin special on BBC 2 during the weekend and as soon as it ended dragged my flatmate with me into the sitting room, where we watched his first (and, in my opinion, second best) travel series, Around the World in 80 Days (hmm, interesting to see that three of my biggest favourites have appeared in different "versions" of that story...and no, the 1989 film with Brosnan and Idle is not among those). I must have seen the series at least five times, but it is still a great watch and also brings back a lot of memories. It is, after all, the programme which made me a fan of Palin's. I actually know exactly where I became a fan...which is either sad, obsessive, creepy or all of the above.

Never mind that, I am going to bed. Been a long day and I have just one day left of my holiday. I need to land first.

It took me at least four times of hearing it before I realised that Madonna tried to say "Ik ben trouwig" in the intro to her song "Sorry". Duh.

And if any Norwegians out there wonder why haven't mentioned the death of Jan Werner Danielsen it is simply because I still cannot believe it. I read about it a few hours after they found him and I was in shock. I'm very fortunate that I saw him performing live at least twice. It is such a loss.

Labels: comedy, evita, film, food, linguistics, michael palin, music, musicals, online shopping, personal, philip quast, theatre, TV

Oops, totally forgot to tell you I saw The Devil Wears Prada and The Departed over the weekend. Both fine films. A little bit disappointed in the ending of The Departed, but the rest of the film was really great. I even liked Leonardo DiCaprio for once! And in Prada I thought Meryl Streep (no surprise there) and especially Stanley Tucci were magnificent. I am increasingly impressed with Tucci, actually. Anyway, all in all I would recommend both films, but if I had to choose one, it would have to be Scorsese's flick. Very well put together and of course a stellar cast, especially Jack Nicholson and dearest Ray Winstone.

Over to telly...what on earth is Matt Day doing with his phoney British accent appearing in Spooks? I'm telling you--and this has nothing to do with Matt (who, in my mind, is still 18 years old and running after Sophie Heathcote in A Country Practice)--this series is shifting its focus alarmingly fast from global terror to sickeningly mushy romantic side-stories and I don't like it one bit. If they're getting rid of yet another character (and I am talking about Harry here), they've lost one of their biggest fans for good.

Labels: film, nicola walker, peter firth, Spooks, TV

OK, so we have been witnessing Google steadfastily taking over the Internet for a few years now, and so far I have been welcoming them, but I am thinking, with today's major take-over of YouTube that we're sort of having a new Microsoft thing going on. I am not so sure anymore that this is for the best. Or it could just be the social-democratic Scandinavian genes in me rattling a bit.

Happy B to The Phantom of the Opera yesterday - 20 years is not bad! Still one year to go before you've caught up with Cats and Les Mis, though. ;-)

Labels: current affairs, Lloyd-Webber, musicals, technology, theatre

We've been waiting for it for a while now. But Les Misérables will crush Cats's record as the world's longest-running musical tomorrow night. I read this article on BBC News and must say--towards the end there--if you've seen the show more than 700 times, shouldn't you be able to know all the words by now, not just 90%? Maybe it's just me.

Labels: musicals, theatre

Behold the new film database! I consists of exactly 800 films and has taken me quite some time to collate (I started anew, using a new program and abandoning the trusty old Excel spreadsheets). It has got its own website. ;-)

Worth noticing is how many films I have starring certain people. My list of "10 or more films" is also present on the website, so please have a look.

Another thing worth noticing is the sheer number of films that I own but have not fully seen... Oops.

Labels: film, lists

Mmm...Apoptygma Berzerk. But I digress.

I suppose I should have written sooner. I just didn't. I thought I had, though. So, let's see...this edition will comment upon:

Mad people killing Amish schoolgirls. That's just despicable.

Little Miss Sunshine - a really good film. A must-see!

Do not read the message boards on IMDb. Sometimes they're well informed. Like about Spooks series 5. I am angry, but at least my number one reason for staying with the series still remains. :-)

If you can, you should get hold of Scum, the 1977 version (good luck, it's banned), as it is frighteningly good. And very young Ray(mond) Winstone, David Threlfall and Phil Daniels make appearances in it.

I have spent the last few days writing. The boring bit is that I have large parts of the story in my head, but I actually have to write them before being able to share. Shucks. Still, this makes the story change as I go along, which in turn makes it interesting. I feel I get to know this person from scratch. I bet they will surprise even me at some point. And that's when I know I've succeeded. Or should be admitted somewhere.

At the same time I am trying to cut down on the insane number of TV series I am watching. Too bad they keep coming up with new shows that I simply have to see.

And one last thing; I had this weird dream last night where I kept bumping into a Colosseum-style theatre wherever I went. They performed Evita and Christmas carols and arranged birthday parties and sing-alongs there 24 hours a day. I just couldn't get away from there, so I finally got a job. What I had to do? Sit on a chair or just walk around, while they were performing Evita. Aww, what rotten luck. ;-) Must stop being hooked.

Labels: current affairs, dreams, evita, film, music, musicals, nicola walker, peter firth, Spooks, theatre, TV, writing