Reading a very interesting article about the upcoming (and highly anticipated) RPG Dragon Age: Origins, I noticed some graphics at the bottom of the page, innocently putting it all into perspective by mentioning which older games this one is more or less based on: Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights and Eye of the Beholder. I just about slipped off my chair.

Now, if I could only concentrate long enough to actually finish all those games (so far I've only finished Neverwinter Nights out of those four)...

Labels: gaming

Liz Smith and Michael Sheen receive an MBE and an OBE, respectively. Brilliant!

Labels: film, theatre, TV

In case you didn't know.

It's been a year since I realised Greg Proops was the best thing since sliced bread, computers and Erasure mixed into one. Well, maybe I could do without the bread. And what a year it's been! My poor DVD recorder has been on constant daily timer in order for me to quickly accumulate most episodes of both version of Whose Line is it Anyway?, and in usual Ingaroo-fashion it didn't take me too long to see him live even though the odds were against me from the very start, his living and working in LA and all that crap.

Other things have happened this year, too, but since I can't remember much of it, I'd rather save that for 2008's This and That list, due sometime within the next few weeks on this very site, and instead concentrate on things I can remember, such as this past weekend.

I spent much of my time revisiting Bullworth Academy (it's a game) and watching films. I got some excellent films for Christmas, thanks to Aug and his good taste, and managed to see a few European flicks not touched by Hollywood: Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven), La double vie de Véronique (The Double Life of Veronique) and the fabulous Vier Minuten (Four Minutes). I then quickly went on a mad shopping spree on Amazon and am expecting some nice additions to my film collection over the next few months (yes, some of them are not yet released).

Speaking of which; I decided I needed to do something about my film collection yesterday, and set about putting them in alphabetical order. I haven't done that since I moved here! It became quite clear to me that this was the only decent way to deal with the problem, after I nearly panicked on Christmas Eve when I couldn't find Love Actually anywhere. It took me about five hours to do it properly, but at least I got to listen to some music (The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, mostly) while doing so, and the end result was fantastic! Maybe it won't take me 15 minutes to find a certain DVD from now on!

I also finally bought the whole of Monty Python's Flying Circus on DVD! Yay me! This is quite extraordinary, but the thing is I've never actually owned all the episodes. For a through-and-through fanatic like me this is blasphemous, almost. I had the first series on VHS in different editions (two with Swedish subtitles, one with Dutch subtitles and one in the original version which cost me about three times as much as the others), but could never really afford buying the whole set when it was first released on DVD, and then after a while I sort of...forgot. But since I have so much of their other stuff (including just about anything remotely connected to any of the members, off telly and radio and so on), I felt it was about time I could finally access my favourite exploding Burmese penguin sketch(es) at any time (and in good viewing quality ;-) ). So what did I do when I gleefully got the boxset in the post? Why, put it on my shelf with all the other stuff I've been excited about buying and then never bothered to actually watch, of course!

Which reminds me I have promised myself to read a book today. Ta-ta!

Labels: comedy, film, gaming, greg proops, lists, Monty Python, music, online shopping, TV

For the past half hour or so, I've been reading through the list on Wikipedia showing the line of succession to the British throne. There are some very interesting entries there.

King Constantin II of Greece is number 424 in the line, and his wife, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece is number 232, because she is the sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who is much further up the line.

The Duke of Edinburgh (better known as Prince Philip, the husband of current ruler Queen Elizabeth II) is number 485 in the line!

The most interesting of all, to a patriot like myself, is that the first non-British on the list is our very own King Harald V of Norway and his descendants - and this means that we beat the Swedes again! LOL!

What's more annoying is that the antiquated British laws surrounding throne succession prefer males to females, so Princess Ingrid Alexandra, number two in line in Norway, is below her little brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, in the British line, even though he is number three in Norway. Silly! (Of course, I should probably add we had a similarly antiquated law ourselves until 1990, so I'll soon get off my high horse...)

This proves once and for all, if there ever was any doubt, that the European royal houses are basically built on in-breeding. Just goes to show what the class system does to you. ;-)

In other news, I paid my first visit to a proper off-licence on Christmas Eve; it was the local one and they had a nice selection and nice prices. No need to stand in line in Morrison's, in other words! Unfortunately the wine I chose tasted so nice I quickly finished half the bottle during my Christmas lunch yesterday, making the Christmas special of Doctor Who slightly difficult to follow, but all the more fun!

I started the day watching the original Miracle on 34th Street, which was more modern than I had anticipated (being from 1947 and all), and then continued with Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings, which I hadn't seen in years. Panic struck on the 23rd as I simply couldn't find my copy of Love Actually, so I had to settle for Freaky Friday (which I love anyway, so no matter, really) that night. I couldn't let another day without the festive Richard Curtis flick go by, though, and ventured back to the Shelves of Disarray on Christmas Eve to find Love Actually most probably exactly where I'd left it. There was much rejoicing.

Yesterday also featured a very welcome look back at the Blackadder series, filled with new interviews with the contributors, actors etc. Who'd've thought that one of the most memorable scenes in a comedy ever (the end of series four--if you don't know what I'm talking about, I seriously doubt we have anything in common), was actually quite shit in its original format and was made into such an iconic scene only due to some brilliant editors? Wow.

Labels: Alan Rickman, comedy, film, Norway, TV

This is bad karma.

Labels: current affairs

One of the best playwrights of the past 50 years (or ever, really) has died. Of course, this makes me want to read through all my Pinter plays again.

Labels: theatre

Local news web site sues NY Times for linking to them - how moronic is it possible to get? I think we may be scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

Labels: technology, time wasting

Finally found my favourite Green Screen Show bit on YouTube (not that I have been looking for it before now), and you have to see it: Click here.

Thank you!

Labels: comedy, greg proops, TV

Finally got to watch There Will Be Blood yesterday, and I have to admit Daniel Day-Lewis is a very good actor. And what haunting music! Of course, the end music was very familiar and to my great surprise I discovered I only have one song by Brahms, so naturally had to run out (i.e. go online) and buy his Violin Concerto in D on CD.

The film reminded me a bit of Lost in Translation; slow-paced and not too much happening, but compelling viewing nevertheless. Of course, There Will Be Blood had some action sequences and there was the matter of the increasing madness to follow. Oh, and of course it had Ciarán Hinds in it, which is always a plus.

Anyway, good to see Paul Thomas Anderson back on form. I'm still not quite sure what Punch-Drunk Love was about.

Labels: ciàran hinds, film, music

Everybody now: Mwahahahahaaah! The rebel in me quite enjoyed reading about Spore being 2008's most pirated game, as EA's rather brutal copy-protection system is very unfair on those of us who actually buy games. When I buy a game I want to be able to reinstall it as many times as I'd like. Sometimes, you see, I like to upgrade my computer, upgrade my operating system and reinstall my older games. But no can do with Spore. Three times is the maximum. This isn't doing EA any favours, but of course, they don't care as they're almost running a monopoly now. Thus the reports of pirates getting their own back are like sweet music to my ears.

Ooh, speaking of music...we went to Christmas in New York on the 7th. It was supposed to be...err...a celebration of...I dunno, really. To be honest it was so cheap and tacky and ludicrous I'm not going to spend more time thinking about it.

I will, however, have to mention La Cage aux Folles again. It moved to the West End earlier this year and has received raving reviews. As much as I love Denis Lawson, it should have been Philip Quast, and so I can't be bothered to go see it on the big stage. I did nevertheless see the excerpts at the Royal Variety Performance on telly last Wednesday, and...hmm...is it just me, or did they just do the show a disservice? OK, so Douglas Hodge belting out the show-stopping number I Am What I Am was good, but the dancing...well, in my opinion they just shouldn't have brought that rather noisy sequence with them. It's great in the show, but taken out of context, it may just seem whimsy. Plus, I miss Spencer Stafford.

OK, enough ranting for today.

Labels: gaming, musicals, philip quast, theatre

...and then two come along at the same time.

Thanks to wonderful 4OD, I was finally able to watch the third episode of H Side Story. Only took three and a half years. I have been browsing through Channel 4's morning programme schedule every weekday since late 2005, just in case. I think I have been patient. Anyway, so Twatty McTwat himself, Ian 'H' Watkins (Steps was mainly a British "phenomenon", so I hadn't a clue who he was until I saw him on Celeb BB a couple of years ago...or was it last year? Who cares?), is so fucking stupid he thinks choosing to sing Stars in front of Philip Quast is a good idea. 'H' has basically the twattiest voice ever, with no real knack for acting and so basically everything that comes out of his mouth makes him sound like a wanker. And then having the nerve to suggest singing PQ's signature song from PQ's most famous role, in front of PQ himself...I believe he may have been too stupid to realise what a huge mistake he made, so I shall give him the benefit of the doubt, but by Gog, who thought it was a good idea to let him into the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in the first place?

OK, calm down, it's only a bit of fun...no, wait, it isn't! He took the place from someone more worthy! Twat.

However, the main point was to see Philip Quast again. It's been too long! (OK, so he was in Silent Witness a few months back, but I am impatient.) Besides, 'H' wasn't twatty enough not to listen to EVERYONE ELSE, so he chose a different song at the last minute. Literally. Spineless git. ;-)

Labels: musicals, philip quast, TV

...and all I have to say is this:

- All I’m saying is, if they can cure yellow fever and malaria, why can’t they do something about lactose-intolerance?
- Leonard, you’re gonna have to let this go. You had a little cheese dip, you farted, I thought it was cute.

(Johnny Galecki & Sara Rue, The Big Bang Theory)

What a brilliant series. And I've overdosed on Star Wars recently. I blame evil, evil ITV. First they show five of the films and then I simply have to re-play both of the absolutely fabulous Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. Le sigh.

By the by; Obama won! And he's bringing in Hillary Clinton! Yay!

Labels: comedy, current affairs, gaming, TV