There's this crude graffiti somewhere on my way to work which always makes me laugh (well, ok, I'm down to merely giggling now). It says:

"Rebecca, Liam fancies U! Yes! U!!"

The other day my itsy bitsy world became complete when I noticed that on the three Bottom DVD's I bought, ooh, about half a year ago and still haven't unwrapped, there is the beloved Bottom Fluff collection. I have nearly worn out my old Fluff VHS, so that was very lucky. It's a smashing 45 minutes of outtakes and extended scenes from the three series. *le sigh* I also noticed, since I simply had to unwrap the first DVD to watch the first two and most brilliant episodes, that the intro features what must be the building site for the shopping centre I now walk through on my way to work. Took me a bit of time figuring out which way they were facing, but once I spotted the tube station it was pretty easy.

I'm going to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra tonight. Bad planning, though, as the Jubilee Line is partly closed (the part I use), which means what would have been a quick trip home after the concert, now has turned into an all-nighter. Well, I may be exaggerating a little bit there. Still, after a long day at work I just hope I can stay awake through it all. I happen to know that the symphony in the second part (Mahler's first) can be both relaxing and exciting, so that's going to be interesting.

Labels: comedy, concert, humour, rik mayall, TV

Maybe I'm in a bad mood today (I didn't think I was), but I just didn't find today's Wulff Morgenthaler to be any kind of fun. People who know me are very well aware of the fact that I can joke about anything, but at the same time it has to be funny. If it's just vicious, for instance, I don't deem it to be humour. So for some reason the above strip was just...not funny. Informative, yes; funny, no.

I was very pleasantly surprised yesterday when I got home at around eight to find a couple of "new" episodes of Whose Line (UK) waiting for me. Yes, I have unfortunately reached the point where it's more unusual to find any episodes I didn't already have. Of course, this makes the so-called "new" episodes even more welcome. OK, so I had seen yesterday's episodes before, but that doesn't really count. One of them contains one of my absolute favourite bits (and quotes); Steve Frost and Greg Proops sharing a prison cell; it's hilarious. Perhaps I can find it on YouTube somewhere...

OK, I didn't, but I found some other clips:

A particularly frustrating Party Quirks game for Tony Slattery (UK)
Press Conference 1 (US)
Press Conference 2 (US)
Film dubbing (UK)
Superheroes (US) - one of the best
Newscasters (US) - the perfect couple

In other news (this is rapidly turning into my most used expression, and it's a contradiction, as there hardly ever follows or indeed precedes any real news), I got my bathroom lighting back in working order last night, after having lived without since the Neighbours' Leaking Bathroom incident just before Christmas. I can finally see my bath! Unfortunately this also means I can see how long ago it was I last cleaned it.

I may also have managed to reduce the amount of taxes I have to pay to Norway. I seriously don't understand why I have to pay them anything, since I get absolutely NOTHING back (I don't get any pension points anymore), unless they count the immense privilege of being allowed to carry a Norwegian passport. If anyone wonders, this is one of the many reasons for Norway's immense wealth. Calling the tax office people was a good move, as I got answers to some other questions I've had for a few years. So now I feel educated and rejuvenated! I even slept rather well last night, after three consecutive almost sleepless nights.

Ooh, and for anyone out there who enjoys a good romp of toilet humour (and I know you all do, just admit it), this coming weekend will feature "nothing but Bottom" on Dave (the channel). You have to watch it or Eddie Elizabeth Hitler will come and fart in your face.

Just because he can.

OK, I honestly don't know what it is about Bottom that makes me laugh hysterically. It's not really the kind of humour I would normally fall for. But then I look at my favourites and they are rather diverse, so I suppose Bottom fits the bill. FYI, I actually loved that series before I became a fan of Rik Mayall's. And I quote it from time to time. "Half past eight and all's crap" is a favourite, for instance, and can be used in any context. The top favourite, however, is screaming "Gas man! Gas man!" followed by a rather more quiet "Do you have anyone who looks after you?" - and I am pretty sure that's not very funny at all to anyone who hasn't seen that particular episode.

Then again, random quoting is da bomb. If only I wasn't so white middle class I would probably even know what that actually meant.

Going to the Improvathon on Saturday night I met some of my flatmate's drama school classmates and one of them asked me what I do for a living. "I'm a...err..." (always a good start when you desperately try to sound cool while describing your rather mundane job) (I quickly gave up on that project) "...a helpdesk operator. It's boring." / "So what do you REALLY wanna do?" That's a proper artist, that. Finally someone who looks beyond the exterior. Usually people just say "oh, well, that sounds...interesting." Do they think I am some sort of a git who thinks it falls to their lot to spend their days trying to reason with ungrateful punters? Do they really think that I consider myself to be worth nothing more than this? Wankers.

Yes, I enjoy using the vast English profanity vocabulary. At work I sit there swearing in Norwegian (or Dutch; whatever is more fitting in that particular situation--with Dutch there is more saliva involved) more or less because then people around me wouldn't know what I was saying. Sometimes uttering "oh, poo" simply isn't enough when you deal with borderline idiots on a daily basis.

Labels: comedy, greg proops, humour, linguistics, Norway, personal, rik mayall, time wasting, TV

...although it is very tempting, at least for a short while. Like, two days. Which is as long as I can do without London these days.

By the way, my hair looks almost like his in the picture linked to above, simply because it should have been cut long before Christmas. I guess I should have taken the hint when I went to the hairdresser's downstairs to book an appointment for my flatmate and the hairdresser said "Anything else?" / "No, thanks, that'll be all." / "Are you sure?"

So today I bought a different type of wax than the one I sometimes use. And my hair looks terrible whatever I do, so I'm ONCE AGAIN desperately considering becoming a skinhead. Not to worry, this notion comes creeping up on me every time I've been lingering too long outside the hairdresser's without actually entering, and it hasn't amounted to anything yet in the last ten years that the idea has reared its ugly head.

*puts on some old Bee Gees instead*

Think it's about time I watched some of my unseen Daniel Auteuil films, by the way. Some of them I've had for a year or so. Shame on me.

In other (Norwegian) news, Lommemannen ("The Pocket Man") seems to have been caught after more than 30 years of molesting boys, which is good news indeed. And since he is defended by notorious lawyer Tor Erling Staff, he must be guilty. I seriously don't understand why people would let themselves be "defended" by that guy. It's always a sign of extreme guilt. If anyone had ANY sympathy for you before you were arrested, it vanished when your defence lawyer was presented to the press. For f's sake, Staff managed to say live on telly (I actually tuned in to the webcast of tonight's news on NRK) that being molested couldn't possibly have harmed these under-age boys much. Just because he was molested himself (and let's face it, he is one freaky character), he seems to think everyone will have the reaction he had.

The only other news I'm managing to follow these days is the presidential election in the US, for some reason. Probably because it's more exciting and important than ever. For being the world's third largest country they certainly have too much power over the rest of us! Truthfully, when did you last hear anything from the second largest country, Canada, about invading nations they didn't like and imposing their political beliefs on everyone?

OK, I must admit I have always had a VERY soft spot for Canada. And Australia. And New Zealand. And I was obsessed with India for a while when I was about 12. Hmm...I think I can see a pattern forming in the periphery...

I've also had some extremely good news about a favourite film of mine today, but am too afraid to jinx it and will let you know tomorrow (heh, as if you'd be interested.)

Anyway, very happy to see La cage aux folles being featured in tonight's Newsnight Review (thanks to the PQ Board for the heads-up, AS PER USUAL) (loved the fact that they played quite a bit of one of the songs featuring Quast (have a look!)) and that they chose to show the Bill Bailey: Part Troll show again on Channel 4. His take on the intro music to the BBC News is a classic in its own right.

Well, guys, I don't want to go to bed, but I think I may have to. I see Madness (one of my favourite groups since I saw them perform House of Fun on The Young Ones the first time I saw that series back in the summer of 1998) (i.e. 16 years after it aired. Duh) is one of the guests on Jonathan Ross tomorrow. Maybe I'll tune in. Once upon a time I taped every show (and yes, I do regret not having catalogued each episode, meaning I now have to listen through 14 CD's and DVD's to find out who his guests were...although I am pretty sure I have no one "interesting" in there, if you know what I mean *s*), but I haven't done that since I moved here, really. Never listened to all the shows, anyway, so found it easy to just NOT restart recording the show once we finally got our internet connection up and running over here.

Phew.

Remember, everyone: 2,000 hamsters can't be wrong.

Labels: comedy, current affairs, daniel auteuil, film, greg proops, music, musicals, personal, philip quast, radio, rik mayall, theatre

First things first: La cage aux folles (it's in French, hence the lower-case...just work with me here) FINALLY opened the other day, after six weeks of previews, basically. Seems like the reviews are mostly positive. Since I can't be bothered to link to them all and this is my favourite board, I will send you to this thread for reviews, should you want to read any.

Unfortunately I almost forgot all about it on the day, and I see I missed the newspaper reviews entirely just because I was exhausted after work. Three days of chaos at work, not exactly helped by the frustratingly slow system and the fact that I was the only one there from my team. I also missed the reviews due to my refusing to accept copies of free papers around the capital. Darn. Still, it's a principle. Wasting the forests on gossip is just horrendous behaviour and morals.

In my prudish opinion, of course. ;-)

Yet, despite being exhausted after work, I've kept up with my Whose Line watching. It's all very annoying. I got the first US season in the post yesterday and am trying to steer away from the episodes with The Proopster in them. My PVR is 33% full of episodes thanks to both Five US and Dave showing the two versions every single day.

It will pass, it will pass. (Maybe chanting that will help.)

In other news, I was asked if I was "enough old" to buy wine at the local Morrisons today.

I am 29.

I flashed her my Norwegian debit card (which is in no way proof of age over here, but it was all I had) and she probably took a good look at my white hair sprouting all over the place lately and decided she wouldn't be fired if she let me buy a couple of bottles of wine...and some rum and Bailey's. Hmm.

Maybe if I stopped drinking my hair wouldn't turn white so rapidly. Then again, where's the fun in that? Besides, I am turning 30 in a few weeks and need to drown my sorrows, after all. ;-)

There are two things I feel I have to mention:

1. The new expansion pack for The Sims 2 seems pretty cool. Then again, so was the last expansion pack, which I played constantly for 12 hours when I first got it, then put it away for no good reason other than that I had played through all the coolest parts. Electronic Arts certainly know how to make money!

2. I have very, VERY high hopes for Thank God You're Here. I know I've mentioned it not long ago, but I just have to go down that lane again. You're probably thinking "ok, she's definitely gone overboard with this improv kinda thing", but the thing is I've been a fan of improv for more than 15 years. Why on earth do you think I become overly excited about any new comedy starring Anders Hatlo and Johannes Joner? When they (read: usually Anders) forget their lines, the improv is amazing. I remember watching Minus Manus or something equivalent on NRK or...uhmmm...we probably only had NRK of the Norwegian channels back then, coming to think of it.

Not forgetting my first real memory of Tony Slattery and Mike McShane is from them performing in their own improv show in the early nineties. It's kind of embarrassing watching the old episodes of WLIIA now, when Tony seems to think he is supposed to be the star and that the North Americans are merely guest actors there to humour him. Sometimes it's even cringing watching his futile attempts at humour. If I wanted purely lavatorial comedy, I'd watch a couple of hours of the brilliant series Bottom. And I do, from time to time (after all, I'm supposed to be a huge Rik Mayall fan). Still, I have a soft spot for Mr. Slattery. I have an issue with getting rid of my old favourites, and he's among the earliest ones (I have a looong list, believe me! *checking the list* 135 people in total, actually. My, my.)

Well, a few minutes to tonight's "new" episodes of WLIIA, so I'd better post this and get offline. My last post mentioning Greg Proops got me quite a few hits through Google's blog search engine for no particular reason, so I feel I must apologise to the poor sods who visited just to find my ramblings and droolings.

But I won't.

Labels: anders hatlo, comedy, gaming, greg proops, lists, musicals, Norway, personal, philip quast, rik mayall, theatre, TV, work

Yep, unfortunately the West End's best investment through the last decade has been cancelled. Kate Betts, an amateur playwright, wrote a play which was backed by one of the most successful producers in town and I thought the idea was absolutely brilliant. Theatreland itself is too scared to take a chance on new talent. There are too many musicals and too few proper and interesting plays in London.

I cannot believe I just typed that.

But anyway, we went to see the aforementioned play, On the Third Day (previously known as Playing Jesus), yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually ruddy good! Interesting plot, great set design, wonderful actors and all-in-all an amazing effort. It made it even more annoying to find out that it had been cancelled, especially considering that most, if not all, seats were sold out when we were there for yesterday's matinee (matinees aren't exactly known for drawing a crowd). One more week to go, so if you have the opportunity, I would really recommend this great blend of drama and comedy. And it's only ten quid (or five, in some cases)!

Next week we're going to see Savages at the Royal Court and then, of course, I will return to the Adelphi for another (ridiculously expensive) performance of Evita. If only I would get back to my former self and dare wait by the stage door after the show. Oh, well.

I am currently reading Julian Clary's autobiography called A Young Man's Passage. I started reading Rik Mayall's autobiography, and believe me, I am a huge fan of his, but I have read about 40 pages and it is really crap.

I cannot believe I just typed that as well.

Clary's book, on the other hand, is very entertaining. Just so you know.

Labels: evita, julian clary, literature, musicals, rik mayall, theatre, writing

...for they have opened an HMV branch at our local shopping centre. I noticed it today as I went to buy a phone and wireless network card. I had a minor heart attack and then sprinted the whole fifty feet into the store. Aah. Fresh air. It's not the cheapest store around (the cheapest are online) but it's a good place to start if you just want to browse.

Our borough is among the lousiest in London when it comes to recycling. No wonder. When we tried to get anything useful out of our lettings agency and among other things asked them if there were any recycling skips etc. around, their answer was "nah, I shouldn't think so". WHAT??? Mind you, I come from a utopian country, apparently Norway and have been used to extensive recycling possibilities for about fifteen years. It hurts to throw away bottles (they don't have any return facilities here when it comes to plastic bottles, and I've been used to Tomra since before birth) and especially paper, when I know how incredibly stupid it is. Our waste disposal has quadrupled since we moved here and we both feel very ashamed. But there really is no recycling centre or even a bottle bank around here. Where I lived in Oslo there were six paper recycling skips and three bottle banks on my way to wok, which was a twenty-minute-walk away. I've said it before and somehow I don't think it'll be the last time: This place is an awfully backward one.

Still, they do make amazing TV. Personal favourite Rik Mayall is back on the screen next week and I can hardly contain myself. Rik in a fairly straight role - genius. That's how I first became a fan of his, you see. Fancy that; of all the things he's done I had to find a drama in order to be a fan of his. I had already been in love with Bottom for quite a while, but it was Remember Me? that did it for me. I'm also head over heels in love with Waking the Dead these days and am watching telly all day (well, it's on, anyway) just in case there's another trail for the programme. I will get over it (a few weeks after the last episode, I reckon) but right now I have nothing better to do. Speaking of which - we are planning on going downtown tomorrow; see a film (Asylum, please) and then go to a bar we were told about by one of the people from the AmDram group. Will tell you more about it tomorrow.

Right now I'm counting down to Wossy being back on the screen - I believe Catherine Tate will be there tonight and she has a really wicked sense of humour. Last week Gerard Depardieu went slightly overboard when he swore at the Beeb and lit a fag, but he's French, after all...

And yes, a little bird told me about Dennis being interviewed in Dagbladet this week, just in case you were wondering. I try to keep myself updated.

Current track: The BBC News theme. Hmm...

Labels: comedy, dennis storhøi, film, personal, rik mayall, trevor eve, TV

After watching the brilliant film Double Jeopardy (got to love Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Greenwood) yesterday I finally got around to putting my beloved Bottom Fluff tape into the VCR. Since I bought it in Antwerp in 98 I must have viewed it a million times or thereabouts (meaning approximately twenty times) but it's still great fun. In case you're living under a rock or you're just not interested (then what the heck are you doing reading this?), Bottom Fluff is basically a lot of bloopers/fuck-ups (pardon my French but it's such a wonderful word, really) by the blokes behind the comedy series Bottom. I suggest you have a look further down this page under "British comedy favourites" or whatever I've called it. While you're there, you should take a look at all the other programmes I've listed there as well.

I should also mention Kung Fu Hustle, which I went to see ("exclusive" preview one month ahead of the real première, apparently) this Bank Holiday weekend. It was absolutely amazing. It's a must-buy, even on my newly adopted and extremely tight DVD budget (which consists of buying one DVD every month, no more. *gasps*). Looking forward to the release already! The film is sheer craziness and would suit those who like kung fu, Hong Kong martial arts films, stupid comedy, Mel Brooks and the like, high-pitched Chinese voices, action-packed fun, cool CGI effects, and for those who laughed all the way through Desperado (I did) and for those who thought Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was too slow-paced but loved the fighting scenes - I'm guessing Kill Bill fans would like this film as well - and you would need a good dose of imagination. Also, do me a favour and don't bring your kids to see the film, even though it is your weekend and it's the last weekend the film is still running, like someone did when I went to see it. It's much too violent for them, and there are a few scenes that may be too similar to horror flicks for them to watch without any traumatic experiences being brought up much later on the shrink's sofa.

And, for the love of...something, could someone please explain to me why I watched the Sami news today? Twice??? (I'm not even remotely related to any Sami/Lapps!)

Current track: The Prodigy - Climbatize

Labels: comedy, film, rik mayall, TV

I have currently exactly 600 films on the Excel list of my film collection, which I don't actually consider a real collection, as it's more of a bunch of films that I personally appreciate, I don't just buy them because they're a must-have. However, I know there are a few films I haven't catalogued yet, must be about 25-40 in all. In other words, the collection is growing larger (and by the minute, I'd say - I just popped by Play to find a photo and two minutes later I'd ordered four films (well, they're Sir Alec Guinness classics that I don't have already.) Shame on me.

Actually, "personally appreciate" is a bit of a lie. I like most of the films, but some of them I bought because of some actor appearing in them and they turned out to be utter crap. So I guess from that aspect it's more of a collection; like I have to have all the films in which old so-and-so has appeared. Some of the films I've regretted (but still aren't as bad as Safe, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore - it has become the film I put every other film up against; we managed to sit through all of Safe but we were so bored it felt like it lasted for about four and a half hours, and I'm not exaggerating. It truly is pure boredom) are:

Alice - I generally hate Woody Allen films, but William Hurt (AKA The Actor of Which I Own the Most Films) was in it. Haven't managed to watch the whole film yet, and I got it eight or nine years ago.

American Buffalo - I like David Mamet and love Dustin Hoffman but this film was pointless.

The Beach - Not sure why I've got this. Because of Robert Carlyle, perhaps?

Caligula - Now this I bought merely because of Malcolm McDowell and because it's a cult film. Haven't watched all of it yet. Probably never will.

Cleopatra (the American TV version) - Bought it just because of Philip Quast (he's not appearing in that many films); have watched about 1/3 of it, but it's so Hollywood I can barely look at the cover without feeling a bit under the weather.

Eyes Wide Shut - I am really, really sorry, but even though I'm a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, I thought this film gave me absolutely nothing. It was part of a Kubrick collection, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.

The Fall - Another Philip Quast film. He's in four scenes. They're brilliant. The rest of the film is boring me to tears.

Fire, Ice & Dynamite - It's got a hilarious Simon Shepherd in it. The rest is very embarrassing.

Here on Earth - I have no idea why I've got this.

Little Noises - I think Crispin Glover is playing well in this, but I bought it because of Rik Mayall. Otherwise it's a pointless film.

Scorpion Spring - Because of Alfred Molina. He's cool, the film is...uhmm...have I used "boring" too much yet?

Current track: Erasure - Run to the Sun (Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun Mix)

Labels: alec guinness, alfred molina, dustin hoffman, film, lists, online shopping, philip quast, rik mayall, simon shepherd, william hurt

I just discovered that I share my birthday with a porn star. However, six years ago (oh, dear - have I really been a fan of his for that long?) I found that I am born on the same date as Rik Mayall. Woo-hoo. Today I also saw that I share that date with the great singer Ruthie Henshall and the actors Peter Sarsgaard (I will, unfortunately, always remember him for playing an evil guy in Boys Don't Cry), Rachel Weisz, Lasse Lindtner (he's Norwegian and I'm starting to think I already knew about our "bond"), plus singer Taylor "Tell it to My Heart" Dayne and author of American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis. Oh, bliss.

Current track: Venus Hum - Soul Sloshing

Labels: personal, rik mayall