26 November 2010

Whales stuck in traffic

What do Cher and Christina Aguilera share, other than top billing in this double diva musical? Foghorn vocals, for a start: a large part of Burlesque sounds like whales stuck in traffic. Immobile faces, also: Cher's has been sanded into death mask perfection, while Aguilera's seems simply glazed with vacuity, frozen in a semi-pout, half-human, half-dolly, unshakably impassive beneath a permanently sunlit bouffant.

- Catherine Shoard, Guardian, 25 November 2010

25 November 2010

Salvador Dali

The legendary artist appears on the US TV programme What's My Line in January 1957. Blindfolded guests struggle to guess his identity, understandably.

22 November 2010

World's biggest Firefly fan?

With a somewhat obscure yet refreshingly specific taste in fancy dress, this lady has decked herself out as a person-sized version of Jayne's woolly hat.

I Liked Firefly Too, Lady...But Jesus...
[Via Poorly Dressed]

17 November 2010

Radcliffe sings The Elements

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe sings the periodic table in an arrangement by Tom Lehrer, on the BBC's Graham Norton Show:



[Via PodBlack Cat]

08 November 2010

Oh Superman!

'Time to clear up and clean up before Danny Aykroyd, Rosie Shuster and friend Margot Kidder drop in ... 'What a well-vacuumed house,' Danny comments. Danny and Rosie have come over on Laker's Skytrain, and say it's grim but cheap.

Margot Kidder is playing Lois Lane in the Superman movie (which is still shooting, over a year after they pulled out of Shepperton).

Apparently most of her work involves hanging in a harness alongside Christopher Reeve whilst people do strange things to them. They have to fight an eagle on the top of the Empire State Building. The first 'eagle' they got was from Taiwan and looked so un-eagle-like, with a funny red crop on its head, that it was sent home and it was decided instead to use large falcons. The falcons would only fly after chicken bones, so Margot and Superman were suspended, with wind machine blowing them, between one man hurling falcons towards another man holding chicken legs.

As Superman perspired heavily, leaving tell-tale patches around the armpits of his costume, one member of the crew was standing by to blow-dry his armpits.

The length and design of Superman's cock was the subject of much controversy, which culminated in Superman appearing at a photo-session with a large metal dong down his tights. Margot said she got so fed up with this thing digging into her leg that she took to flicking it with her fingernail, causing a light but noticeable metallic ting every time she touched his shorts'

- Diary entry for Saturday 6 May 1978, in Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979, London, 2006.

02 November 2010

DIY house-moving

Who needs pricey removal companies?



[Via Popurls]

01 November 2010

Mow in haste, repent at leisure

A neighbourhood dispute in Fairlie, in which police from all over South Canterbury were called out and one man charged, appears to have stemmed from a row over the use of a lawnmower.

Temuka, Timaru, Fairlie and Geraldine police all attended the incident, which is believed to have occurred about 1pm yesterday on Regent St in Fairlie.

Senior Constable Russell Halkett, of Fairlie, said the situation was "ugly" and involved at least five people. One man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and will appear in court later this week.

"People should have known better, they were all adults," Mr Halkett said.

Several people were questioned at the scene and there were further charges pending, Mr Halkett said.

A man was treated for injuries to his head and abdomen.

While he could not confirm the cause of the incident, Mr Halkett said the dispute may have been partly triggered by a lawnmower being accidentally taken from one of the properties.

"That's one version of the story," he said. "Tempers got frayed. It all seems to have started from something that seems pretty trivial. You get these egos involved and it blows things out of proportion."

Mr Halkett said he arrived on the scene to find a punch-up taking place on a driveway. He said he tried to defuse the situation, with police from Geraldine, Temuka and Timaru coming shortly afterwards.

- Timaru Herald, 1 November 2010