Goodbye Peter Graves

Goodbye Peter Graves

Peter Graves, best remembered for his role as Jim Phelps in the TV series, Mission Impossible passed away on Sunday 14 March 2010. Peter Graves would have been 84 this week. He died from an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home.

We say a very sad farewell to yet another icon, star, hero that formed the golden tapestry of our growing years.

One of the most famous and best known TV catch phrases came out of Mission Impossible: "Good morning Mr Phelps."

Some things I never Knew about Peter Graves till today

Peter Graves's real name was: Peter Arness. His brother was James Arness, the marshall from the iconic TV series Gunsmoke. And surely a most admirable fact: Peter Graves was married to the same woman for over 60 years.

Gordon Ramsay vs Tracy Grimshaw

Gordon Ramsay vs Tracy Grimshaw

"A new form of low life" says Kevin Rudd, Australia's Prime Minister, in describing Gordon's latest rant and rave outburst.

Really Gordon, even if one wanted to be on your side, you do make it hard. Kevin Rudd's description, though harsh, is perhaps well deserved for you.

I first saw Tracy Grimshaw's response to Gordon's tirade and now not only has Gordon re-launched an attack in the guise of "victim" but in looking through the news coverage regarding this whole new furore, honestly I can only say that Gordon really asked for this. Is this another of your outrageous, uncivil stunts Mr. Ramsay?

Tracy's response, I must say, seems very civilised to me. Even appropriate and I applaud her for her response. He (Gordon Ramsay) does not deserve one but he required one. I thought Tracy did a good job in her response - not too over the top, but displaying admirable self-control and good sense.

I am not a follower of Gordon Ramsay (nor of Tracy Grimshaw) but I have seen him a few times on telly (and who doesn't know this foul mouthed but talented celebrity?). He did seem like a nice man but with an incorrigible twist to his personality that does not respect, does not want to know, does not recognize where the line is on what he can sprout from his loose mouth.

Good on you Tracy!

If I Cant Have You by Adam Lambert, American Idol

Oh I just can't wait. American Idol on April 21, 2009 with the top 7 contestants still has not shown on Australian telly. It will air this evening for us Aussies.

But I hear good things. One of my favourites, Adam Lambert apparently has wowed everyone again. (Well, okay ... not everyone coz there will always be people with opposing views as evidenced in this instance by this comment "This was the one performance where I didn't agree with the judges so much, since I thought the song was so slow that it lacked much spark..." ~ Claire Zulkey ~ )

I am hanging out just to watch it tonight. Don't anyone dare come visit at the wrong time this evening otherwise I will have to put on my witch's garb and my big and nasty broom to whack unwanted visitors!

Tonight will be "Disco night" on American Idol. Adam Lambert will be singing "If I Can't Have You" by the Bee Gees. And since I am not able to "see" anything yet ... not even on the internet ... here are the lyrics for those of you who want it to sing along tonight ..

If I Can't Have You

(by Bee Gees)

Don’t know why I’m surviving every lonely day
When there’s got to be no chance for me
My life would end and it doesn’t matter how I cry
My tears of love are a waste of time
If I turn away am I strong enough to see it through
Go crazy is what I will do

If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody baby
If I can’t have you ah ah, I can’t have you
I don’t want nobody baby, if I can’t have you ah ah

Can’t let go and it doesn’t matter how I try
I gave it all so easily to you my love
To dreams that never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through
Go crazy is what I will do

I do confess it is very biased of me to concentrate solely on Adam but to date, he is my top favourite and has more than wowed me every time. And though I am blown away by Susan Boyle and 12 year old Shaheen Jafargholi from Britain's Got Talent, 2009 ... if they were all in the same contest, I think I would still choose Adam Lambert at this stage.

Unfair as it seems, he does have all the "star-look" but much more than that, he seems to have what critics used to call, the mysterious "it" factor. And maybe it has something too to do with the ghostly experience of seeing Elvis Presley peek out of Adam's persona once in a while.

Memories from Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle with "Memories" and Through Semi-Finals

After the disappointment from seeing Adam Lambert so not-deservedly lose American Idol 2009, I thought I would keep myself away from all these competitions for a while to let my sadden heart revived. But Susan Boyle's news caught my eyes, and my fingers followed suit shortly after.

You can catch the act at this site: Susan Boyle singing Memories in Britain's Got Talent semi-finals.

I know there have been criticisms made already about criticisms already made about Susan Boyle's performance. And I am certainly not on a witch hunt. Because how can one be when the talent is so undoubtedly there.

However I was say, and I do confess it could be my inadequate sound systems, I personally was not as impressed by this her second performance as I was by the first. Especially the first half of the rendition. And I am fully conscious that it could be that the gobsmack factor is less since we now know only too well how well she can sing. But for whatever reasons, I can only confess to lessened degree of enjoyment as compared to the first time.

In my defense, and though I freely admit it could be that I am past the gobsmack factor hence no longer so taken by surprise when she displays her remarkable audio talent, yet I do remember that almost every time I saw Adam Lambert, I could still feel my jaws drop open unbecomingly but definitely in gobsmacked awed admiration.

Have a look yourself and judge for yourself. Judging can be fun. Why just leave it to Simon Cowell to have all the fun?!

Moon - Personal Movie Review

Moon: Personal Movie Review

Was delighted to have seen the movie "Moon" yesterday. My hubby had to drag me out of the house. I was wearing a very bad-tempered, disgruntled, unhappy face as I had to rush and my internet connection had gone down to zero speed. But I am so glad to have been dragged to the movies.

Moon - released 2009
Gengre: Science Fiction (sci-fi)

"Moon" is one of those hard to find films where the story plot is tight and good. It makes you think and it makes you feel with the main character as each personal shock and surprise is revealed.

Original story was written by and movie was directed by Duncan Jones - who also incidentally happens to be the son of David Bowie. As a trivial aside, Duncan Jones was also the best man at the wedding of his dad to Iman.

The main character was Sam Rockwell who did a very good job indeed.

The other main "character" was GERTY the computer. Voice by Kevin Spacey. One could almost see the face of Kevin Spacey when listening to GERTY.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes a strong good story plot. It is not a high-end, gimmicks and Hollywood fancy-gadget movie but that is what makes this movie such a good watch. The scenes, atmosphere, and story-line are the real winners and the acting is impeccable.

Congratulations and thank you to Duncan Jones for a very good thinking yarn. So hard to find these days.

Movie Review: The Road

Movie Review: The Road

Just seen this movie and that is my advice to you moviegoers - hit the road and give this movie the flick.

Or more succinctly, as my partner put it on our grateful exit from the cinema: "Dull and Boring".

Rating: 1 out of 10

The Road the movie, was based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name (2006) by Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country for Old Men, which incidentally was, unlike The Road, brilliantly adapted for the movies). The movie The Road was directed by John Hillcoat, and features famous names like Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce.

However the lead roles are carried by Viggo Mortensen (father) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (son). Viggo Mortensen was deliciously masterful as Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian child actor. John Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia. And Guy Pearce (who is virtually impossible to spot in The Road - in large part, due to the small and unimportant part he played in the movie) is also an Australian and normally, a very good actor.

The Story

The story is about the survival journey along an endlessly bleak and dangerous road after an unspecified world-wide apocalypse that has left the world barren of fauna and flora and left in its wake, a diminishing handful of straggling, starving survivors and ruthless, hungry gangs of cannibals. The Road focuses on this father and son team which given their unimaginable but believable plight in a post-apocalyptical world of bleak hopelessness and unremitting funereal landscape, should have been fertile soil for deep pathos, heart wrenching scenes, and copious, uncontrollable tear jerkers. And yet despite the great potential for a bigger-than-life masterpiece in both cinematic and emotional terms, the biggest overriding emotions that the movie could evoke was sheer, unremitting BOREDOM and bone-itching IRRITATION.

In my opinion, the movie was a failure and credit for this is in no small part due to the acting by Kodi Smit-McPhee. Not once is one allowed to be drawn into the scope of the movie and their plight. At no point do you remain unaware that Kodi is acting - and acting very badly. If I had to give him a score between 1 and 10, I would have to say, in fairness and kindness, a negative 5.

As proof of how poorly the movie, and Kodi in particular, managed NOT to connect with the audience - my partner who can tear up over the least emotional tear-jerkers (which he did just watching the trailer of Precious prior to the commencement of this movie), could not even pull out the ghost of tear in the entire movie - not even when the father died.

And despite the good (not great) acting from the other actors, whoever did the casting - especially for Kodi - should be shot. In a world that is more than starving, the kid does not look as if he is particularly hungry. Certainly, definitely not starving. In a scene when he has to take off his shirt (for a bath), at no point do we get a clear shot that shows us that the skinny rib-showing body belongs to the head of Kodi. I think it would be an almost sure bet that the starving body we saw was not his body but that of a (street?) kid who is really starving - or a nameless, non-credited anorexic kid.

Kodi's acting is made much much worse by the fact that, according to the book, his character is supposed to be anywhere between 5-7. On screen, he looks 11 or 12. (In real life, he is 13). But what is grist for additional nausea on top of his overwhelmingly inauthentic performance is that, looking like a 11 or 12 and supposedly a child who has undergone unimaginable horrors and dead bodies and long-term lack of food, he (tried to) act like he is some pampered, girlie, useless, 4-5 year old twat. We ended up rooting for his early and hopefully horrible demise which, having read the book, we knew we would find no such satisfaction.

If you choose to Google some reviews on this movie, you will find a surprisingly number of (overly) good reviews. And I blame the "professional" reviewers (of which my partner is both a fan and part-slave of) that we even went to watch this most disappointing of films. And if not for all the hype around it and the non-secret rumours that this movie is headed for all kinds of nominations and the (surprising) fact that the book on which the movie is based, is a Pulitzer Prize winner - I will have to skeptically say that most people would not bother to waste their time on this movie.

But most people are such suckers for what is supposedly, the learned opinions from people who are "in the know" that at times, I am swear, they abandon their own good sense. If anyone deserves a 10/10 or an Oscar for The Road - it would have to be whoever did the marketing and hype behind this movie.

So if you have a few hours to kill (111 mins) and you don't think life is worthwhile, and you don't mind committing suicide slowly and painfully, then please go and watch the movie. Otherwise if you have a life - even half a life, please don't bother.

Susan Boyle gobsmacks the world with Cry Me A River

Susan Boyle, appearing in the third series of "Britain's Got Talent" on Saturday, 11 April 2009 has gobsmacked the world. The universal reaction to her appearance has ranged from smirking condescension to awed disbelief to almost silent tearful worship. And the word that truly captures it is exactly what Susan herself felt, "Gobsmacked".

Before Susan Boyle sings

47 unemployed never been kissed		wants to be as successful as Elaine Page (often called "The First Lady of British Musical Theatre")

Susan Boyle Gobsmacks the world

		singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables

As Susan Boyle sings!

Bravo! Bravo!

About Susan Boyle

Born in 1961 in Blackburn, West Lothian in Scotland where is still lives she had only performed in local shows, karaoke, and her local church choir. It is reported everywhere that she has never been kissed though there is at least one report that says that Susan did admit that it was only a joke. Drew Barrymore (star of "Never Been Kissed") has even offered advice to Susan Boyle!

There are even reports about Susan being a virgin. The Australian heraldsun.com.au has even labeled her as "Scottish virgin Susan Boyle" .. all of which has nothing to do with her talent but much to do with the additional fuel of gossip that has launched her globe-wide and made her the darling of millions around the world.

Susan is one of nine children and till recently, she has been taking care of her ailing mother who passed away in 2007 at the age of 91. And it is to her mother's encouragement that she attributes her appearance on Britain's Got Talent. It has been stated that Susan Boyle has "learning disabilities" and that she was bullied and tormented with name calling as a youngster. She says that signing for her was an escape from this bullying.

Since her appearance on Britain's Got Talent

• She is now the current hot favourite to win the contest.
• It has been reported that Simon Cowell is lining up a record deal for her and she confirms that she has had a meeting with Sony BMG (Simon's record label), but no further confirmation of details.
• Video clips of her performance on the internet has risen to 18 million and rising rapidly.
• Since her appearance on Britain's Got Talent, she has been a guest on STV's The Five Thirty Show and has been interviewed on CBS's Early Show, NBC's Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, had a telephone interview on FOX's America's Newsroom, an appearance on Larry King Live, and an invitation to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. And she has been featured in just about every big news media.
• Of almost equal prominence as her appearance on Britain's Got Talent, is the unearthed Susan Boyle's version of "Cry Me a River", from a charity cd made in 1999 of which only 1000 copies were made.
  

Analysis: Susan Boyle

It has been reported that judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden have issued an apology to Susan Boyle for pre-judging her based solely on her appearance. And multiple comments in multiple blogs and news articles have been confessing to and/or criticizing everyone who has judged Susan on her appearance. Personally I think these critical comments and apologies are unnecessary. It is part of our human ability to function that we do have opinions based on a general concept of what something looks like. It is exactly by these means of having generalized concepts that we can navigate our world .. can differentiate a man from a woman (though admittedly, it does get harder these days), a dog from a cat, one's house from a stranger's house. It is precisely because of her appearance and what our initial appearance of her was and the contrast of that to her stupendous talent that has gobsmacked the world, celebrities, the judges, and prestigious TV shows.

For Susan Boyle, right now, her stars must really be in alignment. To have reached her age, to have been using her singing talents all along and yet to have remained undiscovered till now, must surely show that finally her stars (or fate, or destiny or whatever else one might want to call it) is truly in line. Truly, there seems to be a season for everything, and when it is your time, it can truly be remarkable.

I noticed that in the final standing ovation for Susan Boyle, that just about everyone was on their feet ... except for Simon Cowell (which, with regards to Simon, is not unexpected).

This observation is in no way a comment about Simon's obvious appreciation for Susan's talents. Rather it is a plug for Adam Lambert (from American Idol) in his performance of "Mad World" (8 April) where Simon did stand to give a standing ovation for that young star's immense talent.

On a final note on Simon Cowell: Woah, this man must be a flying (as well as flaying) machine. On 8th April, he is seen in American in American Idol offering a most unheard of standing ovation to Adam, and on 11th April, he is being gobsmacked by Susan Boyle in Britain.

Susan Boyle or Shaheen Jafargholi in Britain's Got Talent

Oh me, oh my. The Brits do have talent!! Another sensation has emerged - in the very same Britain's Got Talent contest.

Pundits are saying that the sensational newcomer and angelic charmer, 12 year old Shaheen Jafargholi from Swansea, England is runner-up to Susan Boyle. Some don't agree; of course.

Others are calling Shaheen Jafargholi a "fake" (Shaheen Jafargholi is FAKE! - 12 Year Old Singer - Britain's Got Talent 2009) though personally, I think that is the wrong word. Others have called Susan Boyle the same thing.

Have a look at Shaheen on YouTube at: Shaheen Jafargholi - 12 Year Old Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 Ep 2 and decide for yourself.

I certainly don't discount the fact that the appearance and what went on there might have been "set up". Same with Susan Boyle. Of course, to even be on the stage, as Susan Boyle was, she had already gone through the first rounds of audition and it definitely would not have been the first time the judges, or some of them, had heard her remarkable powers.

The same holds true for Shaheen and Simon's telling him "You've got it all wrong" does indeed seem stagy. Anyone who has seen any part of American Idol or any of the other performances on Britain's' Got Talent would know that it is not at all likely that a judge (not even Simon) would stop a performance when the singing of Amy Winehouse's "Valerie", though not as good Shaheen's second choice of "Who's Loving You", was certainly not bad at all.

But to say either of them were "fakes" ... it is ludicrous to hear either of them sing and think that there is anything fake about their talent.

Set-up or not, it is equally clear that cynicism aside, the reaction, pleasure, and enjoyment from most people and audiences - and even some of the judges at least, are totally congruent and sincere.

A commentator has said "I have a massive problem with that action by Cowell because it creates an uneven playing field for Susan Boyle. No one helped Ms. Boyle at all - not that she needed it - so why help someone else?" (in blog "Susan Boyle v. Shaheen Jafargholi With Simon Cowell's Help") I don't think Simon was helping either. He might have been helping both. It would not at all surprise me that Simon Cowell was "in the know" about these 2 very talented people beforehand. Afterall, he is the creator of the "Got Talent" series that has gone international. And snappy and mouthy he may be, but he is no dumb fool and certainly, there is more business acumen to him than just being a well-known judge on talent contests.

Shaheen Jafargholi - a name that is a bit hard to easily remember - is a beautiful name and rolls off the tongue once the mouth gets used to it. He certainly has made an impact and if you have not watched it, you are missing out on some very pleasurable moments.

Thousands of fans already for both of them and international praise from stars like Demi Moore; it really is a joy to know that these accolades have gone to these two inspirational talents.

Susan Boyles loses to Diversity

Susan Boyle defeated by Diversity

It was certainly a shock defeat. The 11 street dancers that form the troupe Diversity have been declared winners with Susan Boyle as runner up. Diversity did a remarkable performance and you can see Diversity on YouTube.

Given the craziness and heated fanfare over Susan and the inevitable pressure that comes with it, it is with sadness but also with compassion that we hear that Susan Boyle has had an "emotional breakdown" and taken to the Priory clinic. Southgate, North London in an ambulance, accompanied by the police.

Allegations of her having been behaving strangely at her London hotel are just that ~ allegations. But it does make one wonder how many of us could have withstood that amount of intense media frenzy in such a short period of time and been able to remain the same or even sane.

More can be seen here: "Diversity beat Boyle in Talent Show" from Telegraph.co.uk

This is Susan Boyle's performance in the finals. I wonder why she chose to sing the same song as she did that shot her to fame. I must say that Simon Cowell's speech to her did make me think that he was not being quite his harsh truthful self and almost seemed as if he had difficulty in looking her in the eyes while trying hard but uncomfortably to be "kind" yet cautionary. Whatever the reason, I wish her a speedy recovery and return to some clarity and normalcy for the sake of her health. And may her future be bright and melodious for her.

Virtual Assistants and Corey Haim

Oddity of Connections: Virtual Assistants & Corey Haim

I know how strange the juxtaposition of those 2 phrases are. Funny thing about life - it dies and it carries on independently.

I was just having a nosy peek at Google's hot trends and these 2 hotties at the moment caught my attention.

I don't know what sparked the current hotness of "Virtual Assistants" - people who are like personal assistants but via the virtual reality of the internet instead of the traditional face-to-face variety. Apparently these jobs have been around for a long while and thriving. I am quite attracted to it! As one member at the Virtual Assistant Forum said, "I happen to like typing (I'm a bit strange like that!)" ~ I say, "Me too. I am strange that way too."

But apart from finding this little tidbit out, I am still left a-wondering why "Virtual Assistant" was such a hot topic today.

Corey Haim

This being a hot topic I can sadly understand better. Like so many lost souls before him, (and don't most of us know what that feels like), Corey Haim, aged only 38, was found dead on Wednesday, 10 March 2011 from a suspected drug overdose. Despite his fame in the films like "Lost Boys" which he co-starred with Corey Feldman, he is said to have suffered for years with drug abuse and depression.

As a recovering depressive myself, it is always a reminder of how real and close that black hole is and how sad that so many people know it so intimately.

It was strange to find those 2 topics as being the hot items right now - no connection to each other apart from appearing on a Google Hot Trend list. We are connected in this life, this world ... even when it is through the most bizarre of connections, or in the consciousness of the person(s) you least anticipate.