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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Malena's 'La Voix' Dress is revealed in Stockholm
My Review of Ashes To Ashes 2x02: "Episode 10"
Directed by Catherine Morshead
Gene (to Alex): �You and me, Bolls, we�re a team. Fighting the rot together.�
I�m sure that�s a line that will satisfy many viewers but essentially, here is an episode that has Alex questioning her partnership with Gene all the way through as the nagging possibility that he�s not a figment of her imagination.
This week�s case involved a Romany man, Jed Wicklow being pursued by the team, which led to him being killed in an accident. Alex might have been all for the trouble but there was no surprise that Gene would be more complicit with having Mackintosh fob the press off with something different.
For all Mackintosh�s talk of wanting to run a less corrupt force, it was already established in the previous episode that he�s not to be trusted. His hostility toward Alex is certainly something that she needs to be vigilant of.
There was an interesting scene where he told Gene that she was trouble and he wasn�t particularly all that helpful when she asked him about Kevin Hales�s location. Alex may want to take Gene�s approach if she really thinks that Mackintosh is a rotten apple in the police force.
As for Jed Wicklow, apart from the fact that another human being died, he was pretty much just a run of the mill scumbag. That creepy old lady had no problem telling Alex and Gene that he gave Romany tribes a bad name and his use of drugs was hardly shocker of the century.
It also pretty clear that the young girl Alva was being abused by him but the suspicions into his death did quickly veer to Dr Battleford. Joseph Millson from The Sarah Jane Adventures was a nice piece of guy candy but there was no doubting from the off that he was responsible for Wicklow�s death.
He seemed stereotypically too friendly and his desire to help out the Romany tribes did have a certain element of falseness to it as well. Plus he slipped up when casually talking to Alex.
With all this, the question then became how long would it be until they were allowed to nail Battleford? Mackintosh certainly did his bit to try and derail Alex from getting a conviction and even Gene seemed to change his mind about Battleford amidst a secret handshake.
I have to admit that my knowledge on Masons is pretty hooky at best but Gene joining one certainly could lead to an interesting path. His claim to Alex is that he wants to keep Mackintosh closer and I certainly believe that but there�s also the fear that Gene will either be quickly caught out by his new superior or become corrupted himself.
Most of the scenes between him and Alex this week did feel more cat and mouse than usual. As a viewer, you want Gene to be the good guy but you also see why Alex might have her faith in Gene challenged so to speak. Gene�s belligerence often doesn�t help matter.
It made no surprise that Alex would employ Chris into her attempts of getting Battleford arrested at first and that she�d be reprimanded but I did like that Gene filled her in on what he was attempting to do and that he also knew that Mackintosh wasn�t trustworthy. There was certainly something in those scenes to make shippers happy I think.
As for the main story, well it didn�t work all that well really. It was nice that Gene was able to find a loophole in the Mason loyalty in order to arrest Battleford that even Mackintosh couldn�t challenge but the character of Battleford did come across as a bit too pathetic to care about.
Plus this episode did help to reinforce Ray�s inherent racism as well. He was more than happy to participate in personally moving the Romany tribe and he also enjoyed his role in the Mason gang far more than Gene pretended to. I hope the writers don�t devolve Ray even if he is the most susceptible character to corruption on the series.
The birth scene with Alva was strictly played for laughs. When Gene decides to retire from the force, he�d make an excellent mid-wife. Because of his words of encouragement, the baby got to be called Eileen. It was a really funny moment in a mostly serious.
Another fun moment was Chris�s many attempts to propose to Shaz, only for him to keep getting dismissed by the girl. Fortunately he did succeed in the end but it certainly took him a while to successfully get there. I wonder if that means that Chris and Shaz have gotten further on this series than Sam and Annie in Life On Mars?
Shaz hasn�t really had a lot to do so far this season but seeing as there are six episodes left, I�m sure that�ll change in due course. I liked that Alex showed some remorse for yelling at Shaz for no reason though, during the whole computer debacle. That of course led to the strongest points of the episode.
Alex talked about the possibility of Gene being real and after the whole thing with the first season finale; I�m glad that�s being addressed. The writers have been promising us that everything that Alex assumes about her world is wrong and hints about that are certainly being dropped around the place.
Her mystery little stalker/abductor asked her to trust him (I�m really assuming that it�s a him and possibly Sam) and she admitted that she couldn�t. He didn�t take it well and buggered off and I doubt that will be the last that Alex sees of him. He�s a persistent so and so, I�ll give him that.
Also Alex seemed to be making more of a conscious effort to try and remember things. The fact that she was struggling to remember what Molly looked like and her daughter�s own name cannot be good at all, though it certainly adds another layer into this whole saga.
Also in �Episode 10�
Was it me or did anyone else slightly think of The Ring during Alex�s dream of Molly?
Alex (re Jed): �I�m 90% certain he was on something.�
Gene: �90%? How very modest of you.�
It was pretty obvious that the Tyler comment from the fortune teller would mislead Gene (it was a pseudonym of Ray�s) but I�m still hopeful that Sam will appear.
Gene: �A quick reminder, Drakey. I�m one of the good guys and you are on my side.�
Alex: �This�ll never be my side.�
Gene (to Alex, re Romany tribe): �They�ll tie you up as a sex slave and make a rabbit trap out of your knickers.�
Alex threw in a fairly funny reference to Desperate Housewives during one of her scenes at the station and also about choosing when she comes.
Battleford: �Cop psychology.�
Gene: �Cop psychiatry.�
Alex: �It�s psychology.�
Gene (to Mackintosh): �I have to warn you, I�m not very good in clubs. I�m serving a lifetime ban from the scouts.�
Shaz mentioned her mother and also that she had Romany blood in her family. Chris mentioned it again prior to actually proposing to her.
Alex: �You drugged me.�
Mystery Man: �I needed to know who you were. You were forgetting.�
Gene (to Alex): �You have a very pretty face but you go on longer than the Eurovision Song Contest.�
Gene made the conscious effort to call his predecessor and was told by him not to call again.
Alex: �Metaphors all over the shop.�
Gene: �Clever, isn�t it?�
Gene (to Alva): �Come on, Eileen.�
Alex: �Who�s Eileen?�
Gene: �I don�t know.�
Standout music: I�m a sucker for Phil Collins�s �In The Air Tonight� and I think it was greatly used in this episode.
Alex: �What if you�re real?�
Gene: �What if you�re quiet?�
Chronology: Obviously still 1982 but I�m not sure how long has passed since the last episode.
Another solidly engaging episode, this season is certainly upping the mystery to a delightful new pace. I can�t wait to find out the identity of Alex�s mystery stalker or how things will eventually escalate between her and Mackintosh.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Muziek Tip Van De week
Manic Monday Wereld Team
Monday, April 27, 2009
Body Painting - Faces
FLASHBACK Olivia Newton John 1974-'Angel Eyes' would have been better than 'Long Live Love' winner of that year?
Its been no secret that Olivia was not a big fan of Song For Europe Winner of 1974 'Long Live Love' althrough
it went on be gain 4 th place at Eurovision Song Contest 1974. Here is Olivia on The Cliff RIchard Song singing
the runner up song. 'Angel Eyes' another worthy winner, I aggree it would have been a better choice at the time.
Still a sounds fantastic- just the orange frilly jump suit is outa place
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Bench of Nails: Recycled Metal Art + Furniture Design
A bed of nails conjures mental images of extreme asceticism, potential pain and times past. This bench of nails inverts that association with a smooth, curved and rippled surface for comfortable seating and an extremely contemporary look that shifts and changes from each angle of view.
The underlying wood is cut, smoothed and scorched to fade it to the background while the nails on top are ground down to reveal their inner silver shine and stand out visually against the dark wooden surface below.
Although technically intended as works of art and not necessarily functional furniture, it seems logical that designers could extend this approach to all kinds of ordinary household designs. With the nails spaced closely enough and sufficiently smoothed there is no reason not to make everyday furniture like this.
Body painting - Cyclists
Related posts:
* Body painting - Jockey
My Review of Dexter's 3x01: "Our Father"
Directed by Keith Gordon
Old Man (re Oscar): �Did you know him well?�
Dexter: �Not as well as I thought.�
After reading the first four books over the last couple of weeks, I was really looking forward to a brand new episode of the series and FXUK�s decision to air the third season earlier than usual couldn�t have happened at a better time as far as I was concerned.
Things certainly felt a lot more different here than usual. Dexter talked about evolving and things changing and his murder of Oscar Prado was certainly something unexpected. The reason for that being the fact that Oscar wasn�t Dexter�s intended victim for that particular evening.
No, it was the rather unpleasant drug dealer Freebo that had the honour of making it to Dexter�s hit list and Dexter�s sense of vetting took an interesting. Pretending to be a jittering junkie made sense as Dexter needed to get close and in spite of Freebo�s protestations, Dexter seemed to gain his trust rather quickly.
The problem was that when Dexter went to actually kill Freebo, he made the cardinal error of killing Oscar instead. This is probably the first time that Dexter has murdered an innocent person so to speak and his inability to react in a way is worrying. He realised his mistake (albeit too late) but aside from some initial shock, he wasn�t exactly overcome with guilt.
However he might not have to be either as Deb learned pretty quickly that Oscar wasn�t at Freebo�s place during the night of his death for noble reasons. Oscar being a junkie might not be a massive surprise but it�s not exactly the kind of thing that absolves Dexter either.
Killing Oscar was certainly a moment of bad judgement but researching him at work was another sloppy move on Dexter�s part. With Doakes out of the picture, every other regular has no reason to suspect Dexter of not being quite what he seems, so I guess that�s a good reason why Miguel has been drafted in.
From the moment they met at the crime scene, Miguel Prado (good casting with Jimmy Smits) seemed very suspicious of Dexter but the latter didn�t pay any attention to it until he got summoned by Miguel a second time to the crime scene.
I have to admit that Miguel even caught me off guard with the quick fire way he asked Dexter about researching Oscar online. Miguel also seemed utterly unconvinced when Dexter told him that he wanted to understand more about Oscar. That�s a shame because Dexter�s usually very good at getting him out of tight spots.
Miguel could be a very formidable threat to Dexter if the writers have the stamina to keep him going all season. Being the older brother of Oscar and a prosecutor was enough to have him even more determined to nail Oscar�s killer. Dexter�s really going to have to watch himself with this guy. Miguel pretty much has trouble written all over him with a capital T.
Of course Miguel and Oscar weren�t the only issues that Dexter had to deal with. Deb had good reason to be pissed with him as well. It might be a brother�s prerogative not to notice when their sister�s cut their hair for the first time in a long while (very long in Deb�s case) but not showing up for a commemorative piss up for a dead parent, yeah I can see why Deb would be less forgiving about that.
Dexter�s issues with Harry played out over the episode but unlike other shows who tend to practically bludgeon viewers with main characters having parental issues, I liked the way the show dealt with them. Dexter was right about Harry�s code needing to evolve but spontaneity is not Dexter�s best of bedfellows. I guess some people do need to be control freak.
Rita�s pregnancy reveal at the end of the episode made a lot of sense. I�m not big on baby plots but I think the idea of Dexter fathering a child could raise some interesting issues. What if on the off chance that a child parented by Dexter doesn�t wind up becoming a sociopath? Stranger things have certainly happened, I�ll give you that. Also was it me or were there a lot of sex scenes with Dexter and Rita? I�m not complaining mind.
Dexter playing Dad with Cody and Astor has always been one of his endearing parts and often has given the character a degree of humanity that he would probably casually dismiss himself. The parent day segment was mildly touching as Dexter faced his toughest crowd yet: ten year olds who are not really impressed with the delicacies of blood spatter.
When Dexter wasn�t getting all the interesting moments (like having to attend Oscar�s funeral, listening to Miguel talk about being broken, etc), Deb also found herself in demand by both Quinn and Yuki but for different reasons.
With Quinn it seemed to be relentless flirting, though he did give her a lead with Anton but Yuki seemed more interested in getting Deb to become a snitch. As much as Deb protested that she couldn�t spy on her friends, I have a nasty feeling that she�ll be taking up Yuki�s offer within the next few weeks.
Another noteworthy point with Deb this week was her getting kicked off the Oscar Prado case. Okay, so she really should�ve applied tact when telling everyone in the office about Oscar being a drug dealer (I thought Miguel was going to rip her a new one, never mind LaGuerta) but seeing as Deb was the only to have any kind of advancement on Oscar�s case, maybe Angel made the wrong decision on that one.
Also, what the hell happened to Tegan? If we didn�t see that bit of flesh cut off at the end of the episode, I would�ve been convinced that it was Freebo who murdered her but I just don�t envision Freebo surviving beyond the next episode in order to become a season big bad. Given that Lila was more or less the baddie of last season, this new killer has a lot to live up to.
Also in �Our Father�
I loved the opening and ending with Dexter at the dentist. For a show that largely deals with dismemberment, the sense of humour is always spot on.
Dentist: �How was your summer?�
Dexter: �I went to the carnival. I even won a prize.�
I wasn�t really surprised when it was revealed that Maria and Miguel once had a thing. Props to Maria for mentioning it to every one else though.
Angel (to everyone): �When this is official, when I trade this in for a gold badge, drinks are on me.�
Dexter: �More interested in scoring tar.�
Freebo: �Another yuppie turned to the dark side.�
Angel got promoted to detective sergeant in this episode. Deb also talked about getting her shield as well.
Deb: �What is it you think Quinn did exactly?�
Yuki: �You don�t get to blow me off and still ask questions.�
Rita: �What happened to �do not call�? It�s three in the morning.�
Dexter: �Not in India.�
Freebo � Fred Bowman who killed two college girls. Possibly three if he did actually murder Tegan but I�m not convinced that he did.
Angel (re dog in the car): �Man�s best friend, eh Dex?�
Dexter: �Not today.�
Miguel: �Some people say the soul lives on forever.�
Dexter: �I hope not.�
Miguel: �That makes you a cynic.�
Dexter: �A scientist.�
I noticed in the cast that no-one has been added and that Michael C. Hall is now a co-executive producer for the series.
Dexter (re LaGuerta): �She�s been in better moods.�
Deb: �Yeah, I didn�t exactly brighten her day.�
Angel (re Deb): �If I bounce her, she�s gonna hate me.�
Maria: �You�re her boss, not her friend.�
Deb went on a spree of giving up smoking, drinking and men. She already gave up on abstaining from the booze so the others will undoubtedly follow suit.
Miguel: �Losing my brother is going to leave a pain in my heart that is never going to heal. Do you have a brother, Dexter?�
Dexter: �Just a very loud sister.�
Rita (to Dexter): �All I want is chocolate pudding and you. Not necessarily in that order.�
Chronology: Hard to say but it did seem like a good few months have passed since �The British Invasion�.
For an opening episode, we�ve had better but �Our Father� was certainly a good opener no less. Some moments were intriguing, some were sweet and most importantly, there�s another serial nutter to challenge/amaze Dexter for the duration of the season.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Body Painting - Portrait of Marilyn Monroe
Related posts:
* Body painting - Mona Lisa
* Body painting - Obama - Brazilian Carnival
* Body Painting - Face
Friday, April 24, 2009
TNS National TV Ratings: April 21 - 23, 2009
April 21, Tuesday
Daytime
1. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 25.7%
2. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 24.4%
3. Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 24.1%
4. Pieta (ABS-CBN) - 22.4%
5. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 20.1%
6. Hot Shot (ABS-CBN) - 17.1%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 16.8%
8. Daisy Siete: Kambalilong (GMA-7) - 16.2%
9. Mr. Bean Live (ABS-CBN) - 16%
10. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 15.8%
Primetime
1. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 39.8%
2. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 37.1%
3. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 35.9%
4. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 35.4%
5. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 29.1%
6. Zorro (GMA-7) - 27.9%
7. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 26.5%
8. Hole In The Wall (GMA-7) - 26.1%
9. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 23.4%
10. Pinoy Bingo Night (ABS-CBN) - 22%
April 22, Wednesday
Daytime
1. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 27%
2. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 23.6%
3. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 23.4%
4. Pieta (ABS-CBN) - 20.6%
5. Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 19.6%
6. La Traicion (ABS-CBN) - 16.6%
7. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 16.2%
8. Daisy Siete: Kambalilong (GMA-7) - 15.7%
9. Hot Shot (ABS-CBN) - 15.5%
10. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 15.4%
Primetime
1. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 39.4%
2. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 37.2%
3. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 35.2%
4. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 34.9%
5. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 28%
6. Zorro (GMA-7) - 27%
7. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 25.8%
8. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 22.7%
9. Hole In The Wall (GMA-7) - 22.4%
10. Pinoy Bingo Night (ABS-CBN) - 21.1%
April 23, Monday
Daytime
1. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) / Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 25.8%
2. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 23.7%
3. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 21.6%
4. Pieta (ABS-CBN) - 18.8%
5. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 16.9%
6. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 16.8%
7. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 16.1%
8. Hot Shot (ABS-CBN) - 14.7%
9. Slamdunk (GMA-7) - 14.4%
10. La Traicion (ABS-CBN) - 13.7%
Primetime
1. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 39.5%
2. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 38.9%
3. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 34.4%
4. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 32.7%
5. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 27.9%
6. Zorro (GMA-7) - 27.2%
7. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 26.6%
8. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 25.5%
9. All About Eve (GMA-7) - 22.9%
10. Fated To Love You (GMA-7) - 21.5%
Source: TNS via PEP
AGB Mega Manila TV Ratings: April 21 - 23, 2009
April 21, Tuesday
Daytime
1. Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 29.9%
2. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 22.9%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 21.2%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 20.6%
5. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 19.9%
6. Daisy Siete: Kambalilong (GMA-7) - 17.9%
7. Pieta (ABS-CBN) - 15.4%
8. Gokusen 3 (GMA-7) - 15%
9. Slamdunk (GMA-7) - 14.8%
10. Hot Shot (ABS-CBN) - 14.2%
Primetime
1. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 33.9%
2. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 32.8%
3. Zorro (GMA-7) - 31.4%
4. Hole In The Wall (GMA-7) - 31.2%
5. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 29.9%
6. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 27.6%
7. TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN) - 27.3%
8. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 27.1%
9. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 26.9%
10. Fated To Love You (GMA-7) - 26.8%
April 22, Wednesday
Daytime
1. Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 26.4%
2. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 24.9%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 21%
4. Daisy Siete: Kambalilong (GMA-7) - 20.3%
5. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 19.9%
6. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 19%
7. Slamdunk (GMA-7) - 14.4%
8. Pieta (ABS-CBN) - 14%
9. Pokemon: Master Quest (GMA-7) - 12.4%
10. Chil Princesses (GMA-7) - 12.3%
Primetime
1. Zorro (GMA-7) - 30.4%
2. 24 Oras (GMA-7) -30.2%
3. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 29.4%
4. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 28.8%
5. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 28.3%
6. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 27.1%
7. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 27%
8. Fated To Love You (GMA-7) - 26.9%
9. Hole In The Wall (GMA-7) - 26.6%
10. All About Eve (GMA-7) - 26.4%
April 23, Thursday
Daytime
1. Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin? (GMA-7) - 27%
2. Paano Ba ang Mangarap? (GMA-7) - 24.5%
3. Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) - 23%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 19.5%
5. Daisy Siete: Kambalilong (GMA-7) - 18.4%
6. Slamdunk (GMA-7) - 15.9%
7. Kambal Sa Uma (ABS-CBN) - 14.5%
8. Lalola (GMA-7) - 13.2%
9. Gokusen 3 (GMA-7) - 12.3%
10. Pilipinas. Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) / Chil Princesses (GMA-7) - 12.3%
Primetime
1. Zorro (GMA-7) - 32.5%
2. 24 Oras (GMA-7) - 31.4%
3. Totoy Bato (GMA-7) - 30.9%
4. Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN) - 29.3%
5. All About Eve (GMA-7) - 28.8%
6. Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang (GMA-7) - 27.7%
7. I Love Betty La Fea (ABS-CBN) - 27.5%
8. May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN) - 27.1%
9. Fated To Love You (GMA-7) - 27%
10. Hole In The Wall (GMA-7) - 25.1%
Source: AGB Nielsen Philippines via PEP
Best Friends Forever (BFF) - Trailer 2
Best Friends Forever (BFF) is the 16th year anniversary presentation of Star Cinema starring the Megastar Sharon Cuneta and the Comedy Queen Ai Ai delas Alas.
Sharon and Ai Ai will be playing as best friends in this comedy film helmed by box-office director Wenn Deramas of Tanging Ina and Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat.
Included in the cast are John Estrada, Candy Pangilinan and Chokoleit.
Best Friends Forever is set to hit theaters on May 13, 2009.
Watch the 2nd BFF movie trailer below:
Carmina Villaroel Stars in MMK Mother’s Day Presentation
Co-starring with Carmina is Jodie Sta. Maria, another celebrity mom. The said episode is going to be shown on May 9, 2009.
When asked how she feels being chosen by the producers of Maalala Mo Kaya for the special episode, Carmina said:
"Indescribable ang aking feeling dahil sa lahat naman ng mga mommies or stars na ABS kami pa ni Jodie yung napunta dun sa Mothers’ Day episode ng MMK."
Carmina is currently hosting GMA’s morning program SiS together with Janice de Belen and Gelli de Belen. She is also seen in the Philippine version of All About Eve.
Her guesting in MMK is a one episode project only and it does not mean that she will transfer to the kapamilya network.
Breast Painting - Dog
Shirley Clamp goes from Tesco's check-out to Tv Commentator !
�� � � � � � � � �Just a few days ago in Stockholm. Our Schlager Diva Shirl' after her wonderful performance in Melodifestivalen 2009 singing 'Med Hj�rtat Fyllt Av Ljus' �We were shocked to find Shirley back at the check-out �in Sweden's own Tesco's...But Thankfully she finally got back on the SVT payroll as she will be one of the Commentators for the broadcast of Eurovision Song Contest 2009.�
SWEDENs MELODIFESTIVALEN TOP 12 CHART-24 April 2009
1 (2) � �JOHAN PALM �
EMMA-LEE
LA VOIX
LOSING YOU
STAY THE NIGHT�
AYO TECHNOLOGY
LOVE SEX MAGIC
HOPE & GLORY � � � � � � � � � � � ��
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Piolo Pascual's "Manila" to be Screened in 2009 Cannes Film Festival
The film stars Mendoza regulars Coco Martin and Julio Diaz. They are joined by John Regala, Jhong Hilario, Lauren Novero, Benjie Filomeno and Maria Isabel Lopez.
Body Painting - Gold Dust
Mary Kate Olsen
Mary Kate Olsen
Whatever Works Opening night at The Ziegfeld
New York City, NY
Wednesday, ?April ?22, ?2009
Red Carpet Photo
My Review of Ashes To Ashes 2x01: "Episode 9"
Directed by Catherine Morshead
Gene (to Alex): �No-one knows anyone, Bolly. The greatest lie in life is we pretend that we do.�
After being forced to wait longer than usual for its return, it�s nice that Ashes To Ashes is more or less the same show that we last saw. Whether or not this is a second of a third season or the last has yet to be decided by the BBC but either way, things are off to a very interesting start for everyone.
First off all, a good chunk of time has passed since Alex was unable to prevent her parents� death and she�s thinking that her time in the 1980�s is drawing to a close. She even asks an elderly woman on the street at one point if she knows her, which certainly made the lady in question look at Alex as if she was possessed or something.
There�s a good element of surreal moments in the opening episode to the new season. It was around the second year on Life On Mars that Sam was showing familiarity with being stuck in this time line while retaining his desire to go home. With Molly popping up in this episode, Alex�s motives for returning to her own time are always going to be stronger.
Of course the opening episode also needed a fairly strong case and the death of fellow officer Sean Irvine in Soho strip during a sex game that went wrong is sufficient in rounding everyone up on different opinions. Alex once again had to be the one to explain the delicacies of auto-erotic asphyxiation to her bemused colleagues.
The fact that Sean was an actual copper rather than a mere punter wasn�t revealed until the introduction of �Supermac� Mackintosh, the station�s new superior and someone for Alex to admire as well. Reasons for Alex to hold such respect for her superiors are undoubtedly similar to ones that Sam would have.
She admires the fact that he seems fair on fellow workers and that he wants to smite out any form of corruption or backhanders (the look on Ray�s face was priceless during that scene, though it was Chris who shoved a betting slip into his coat) but also because he seemed to be the only male character in the station to use the word, �love�.
Mackintosh�s declaration of love was revealed when he was forced to confess that he had been sleeping with Irvine�s wife, Ruth. Ruth�s reaction to her husband�s death seemed all over the place though Gene�s unsympathetic nature towards her (even before learning that she was cheating on he husband) probably didn�t help matters.
Irvine seemed to be liked by all of his colleagues but it was Kevin Hales, whose comments on Irvine getting in over his head with the girls at the Soho club that raised alarm bells. It was sort of obvious that Kevin was going to factor in Irvine�s death from the moment he lost it with Shaz in front of everyone. No-one speaks to Shaz like that in my opinion.
More interesting was his questioning with Gene and Alex. For all of Gene�s brutish tactics, there�s usually some validity when he�s extra venomous towards someone and while his nastiness towards Ruth didn�t later reveal her being involved in her husband�s death, it was becoming clearer as the episode progressed that Kevin killed Irvine.
The motive for doing it seemed to be that it was an accident. It didn�t excuse him from killing Sally in the episode and it certainly didn�t excuse him from aiding in Alex�s kidnapping as well. What the hell did he mean when he said to Alex that she was �everywhere�?
When we weren�t dealing with Kevin and his feigning of drunkenness, there was all the cryptic stuff with Alex and it certainly added to the episode in my opinion. For all the appearances of Molly, Alex now seems to have a stalker on her hands and it�s hard to determine their motives.
On one hand, they did truss up Alex (in a scene that wouldn�t have looked out of place on an episode of Dexter) and frightened her into getting Gene and company to come to her rescue but on the other hand, there was the leaving of roses (one at her office, another in her flat), the pictures of Pont d�Alma and constantly telling her that she doesn�t belong in this time period.
What does it all mean and how or why is the mentions of Lady Diana so significant to things? We know that Alex�s mystery is supposed to be bigger than Sam�s ever was and we certainly know that along with Alex that nothing everything about this setting is merely a construct as well. We also know by now that Alex is supposed to be meeting a character from the Life On Mars.
If this is possibly the last season, it�d be excellent if it was Sam. Having John Simm on this show as well as having him back as The Master for David Tennant�s last two episodes of Doctor Who would certainly fulfil a few fan boy/girl�s dreams this year. Other than that, it�s going to be interesting to uncover who Alex�s mystery stalker is.
If I had to hazard a guess, I�d almost go with Supermac. He certainly soured towards Alex by the end of the episode (but I suppose when Alex snooped around in his office and uncovered that he was the last person to talk to Sean alive, that would do it) and we also know that Kevin was following instructions (snatching Alex, pretending to be drunk, etc).
Still it wasn�t all drama in this episode. There was some mild flirting with Gene and Alex, jokes made at the modern girl�s expense and also Chris going to talk to her about wooing Shaz after admitting that he couldn�t control how he felt about strippers. We even had some moments with Alex asking Gene about his wife, getting a family meal from Luigi and Ray making his disdain for Chris being in love pretty well known.
Chris can be a bit of a gobshite from time to time but I do think that him and Shaz make an interesting pairing (especially given how it highlights Ray�s jealousy) and his Full Monty routine to get back into her good books was something of a treat. Needless to say that both Gene and Ray were less impressed with Chris getting his kit off than Alex or Shaz.
Also in �Episode 9�
The credits have changed a little and Alex talked about fighting, searching and staying alive during them as well. They sound less cheesy than the first season.
Chris (looking at tunnel): �Not 69.�
Gene: �I�m sure DI Drake knows what a 69 is.�
I�ve never watched Grange Hill as a child (don�t shoot me) but I was aware of Mrs McCluskey during that scene with Molly.
Ray: �What�s it worth?�
Madam: �I�ll toss you both off.�
Chris: �No thanks.�
Mackintosh: �Irvine was supposed to clean up Soho. Instead he got corrupted by it.�
Alex: �We�ll sort this out, sir.�
There were some nice references to Harrison Ford/Blade Runner in this episode, mostly by Chris of course.
Ray (re Sally): �That�s our girl.�
Alex: �Someone gonna arrest her?�
Gene: �Why are you always in such a hurry?�
Sally: �I�m not a bad person.�
Gene: �No, you�re not a bad person.�
Sally: �Only wanted to be an actress.�
Gene: �You�ll be an actress so stop your croaking.�
In the hair department, both Alex and Ray don�t seem to as heavy with the perms as they were in the first season, Shaz�s hair is a little longer and Chris has got highlights in his.
Kevin: �Look, I�m not saying I�m a perfect copper but I didn�t kill my mate and I didn�t kill that girl.�
Gene: �Get out of my sight.�
Ruth (to Alex/Gene): �Sometimes love is very dark and dangerous and leaves you not liking yourself.�
I loved the little ads that the BBC were doing with the gang for the last week and viewers should really check out the Mackintosh reports on the characters (especially his one on Ray) on the site.
Alex: �Am I dead?�
Gene: �Not unless I�m Saint Peter and I find that highly unlikely, don�t you?�
Alex: �You�re not drunk.�
Kevin: �I�m just a pebble on the beach, babe. I�m nothing but you�re everywhere. Everywhere.�
Standout music: Some of the usual suspects but I did really enjoy Hot Chocolates �You Sexy Thing�. Also a soundtrack for the second season has been released this week.
Gene: �If Mac had something to do with Sean�s death, then everything in my world is wrong.�
Alex: �Welcome to my world.�
Chronology: It�s 1982 as mentioned by Alex in the credits and a few times in the episode.
For a season premiere, this was a very satisfying episode. Some of the stuff from last season has been toned down, but the mystery keeps on being interesting and well, after the atrocious Demons, it�s just nice to have Philip Glenister back in a worthwhile programme.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
My Review of Being Human's 1x06: "Episode 6"
Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Colin Teague
Mark (re bible passage): �What does it mean to you?�
George: �That it�s time to grow up.�
Big battles and matters of faith aside, did anyone really think that Mitchell would die and Annie would cross over? Not even a little bit? Then congratulate yourself because in less than five minutes, Annie ditched her flight and Mitchell wasn�t about to join Seth and Lauren anytime soon. Yay on both counts.
This episode of course opened up with the very moment two years ago in which George and Mitchell met. Unfortunately the flashback also included Seth as the sullen vampire and two of his mates made it their business to attack George.
Had Mitchell not have intervened way back when, then it�s easy to presume that George would�ve been a dead man. Watching that attack was unpleasant given how much the media are now discussing knife culture and other senseless killings in Britain nowadays.
Mitchell�s rescue of George wasn�t something that I would deem heroic of sorts. There was no epic fight to the death, it wasn�t really a moment where Seth realised that Mitchell was a good guy but it was important. Mitchell used simple logic to get Seth and his friends to leave George alone. Then he told George to leave without explaining why werewolves are loathed by vampires.
In the present day, the notion of fleeing is also present. Mitchell�s funky physiology was enough to baffle doctors and the lack of straight answers from George made Nina question their relationship as well. Getting Mitchell out of the hospital made sense but it was only Josie sacrificing herself that made Mitchell strong enough to be discharged.
I liked that we got Josie back in the finale and I even understood why Mitchell would drink from her. Josie wanted to die and she also wanted Mitchell strong enough to stop Herrick from plaguing the world. However because of her act, Mitchell has yet another person on his conscience and that�s not good if he wants to retain his humanity.
Surprisingly enough however is that the majority of confrontation that are with Herrick are ones with George. George became very protective of Mitchell and even got into a physical scrap with Herrick. Herrick continued to justify his plans as a step in evolution but anyone with half a brain could see that he was on the verge of wiping out the human race.
However for all of his smart arsed comments to George, there was no denying that Herrick posed a very potent threat to them all. He made no bones of telling George that he would kill him and Mitchell had to point out to Annie that Herrick could even hurt her by simply killing him and George.
Some viewers wondered if Annie�s presence had something to do with her attachment to Mitchell and George. This episode confirmed that. Annie herself was very territorial with the boys, first wanting to protect them and even considering fleeing as well. When George told her that he had to consider his own future, you could see that it broke Annie�s heart.
Herrick also had some brilliant moments with both Mitchell and George as the episode progressed. Mitchell�s rejection definitely left a taste given how determined Herrick has become in wanting him dead and even George couldn�t dissuade him into leaving them alone.
It�s actually a pity that we didn�t get early interaction scenes with George and Herrick earlier on in the season because both actors plays so well off each other that Mitchell almost becomes something that needs to be protected. Even the big fight doesn�t involve Mitchell.
No, instead we got George and Herrick locked in the same room prepared to do damage to each other. It�s interesting that when Herrick warns George that he�ll lose the remainder of his humanity by becoming a murderer that George didn�t start feeling guilty about it. Herrick needed to be stopped and George was the only one strong enough to do it.
I don�t think murdering Herrick should compromise George�s moral compass. If Herrick survived, then George and company would be picked off one by one but Herrick was able to point out that their attempts of trying to pass off as being human wasn�t that successful.
Then there�s the fact that Nina has now become aware of George being a werewolf. The scene where a wolfed out George recognised her was certainly telling. Has George made her into a werewolf by scratching her? If so, then he definitely will feel guilty about that.
Annie herself also had some moments to genuinely shine. Meeting up with one of the victims from last week�s episode gave her esteem enough of a boost to raid the funeral parlour and rescue the rest of the victims. It was also her conversation with Herrick�s crazed girlfriend that alerted her about George�s plot.
So with all these new skills of Annie, will we get to see her kicking more monster butt in the next season? She�s certainly more of a threat to evil doers than Mitchell and George are physically and she�s not even corporeal to put it mildly.
Of course another interesting aspect of the finale was Owen. I wasn�t expecting him to appear in this episode but it was nice to see that justice prevailed and he was in an asylum of sorts. However as soon as he started talking to that doctor, I had a feeling of what was going to happen next.
Our medic friends seemed to be more than interested in existence of ghosts, werewolves and vampires and that can�t be good. It does however make sense and not just because Herrick made a point of mentioning that others would come after the gang. Besides, normality is never going to be a complete option for Annie, Mitchell, George and now Nina.
Also in �Episode 6�
I noticed during the run up to this episode that the BBC3 website conducted interviews with the cast members.
Nina: �Are you involved in this family thing?�
George: �I guess so � by association.�
Nina: �Which means I�m involved by association. I don�t like that.�
Both Toby Whithouse and Colin Teague previously worked together on the Torchwood episode �Greeks Bearing Gifts�.
Mark: �Jewish people pray, I�ve seen Yentl.�
George: �You�re very sarcastic for a vicar.�
Mark: �Yeah, so people tell me and I feel really bad about it and then I forgive myself.�
Herrick: �How do you think this ends?�
George: �I don�t know, we kiss?�
Did anyone catch the name of the canteen lady that Herrick turned? I�m not really sure why she spoke so inanely though.
Nina: �I need something normal now. Something kind.�
George: �You need me to choose between you and him.�
Mitchell (re Herrick): �If I beat him, if this works, this whole thing will fall apart.�
Annie: �But you won�t beat him, will you?�
Was it me or did Annie wear her top backwards when she broke into the funeral parlour?
George: �I won�t live forever. I don�t have time like you do.�
Annie (re Mitchell): �He doesn�t have time. Two days ago, you made me rescue Mitchell from Herrick. You said that if I didn�t do, I�d finally died.�
George: �Someone actually recruited an old woman?�
Herrick: �Well, you know what it�s like. You�re out and about, you get the munchies, you�ll eat anything.�
I�m surprised that at one point, Nana didn�t actually try to attack George, though she did look at him with disdain.
George: �There will come a time when you understand why I�m doing this.�
Annie: �Don�t worry, I get it.�
Victim: �Where am I?�
Annie: �I think you�re dead.�
Victim: �But I don�t want to be dead.�
Annie: �I know. Can you take me there?�
I forgot to mention in my last review that Herrick�s first name is William. He also spoke of Mitchell being more merciless than he lets on.
Annie: �Well, congratulations on mastering the whole �speaking like a twat� thing.�
Canteen Girl (re Herrick): �He�s gonna rip Mitchell�s head off.�
Nina: �Who are you?�
Annie: �Annie. I saw you at the house.�
Nina: �No, you didn�t. What are you talking about?�
Annie: �No, you�re right. I haven�t. I haven�t.�
With Mitchell joking about action figures, it�ll be amazing to see how long before ones actually surface from the characters in this series.
Herrick (to Mitchell/George/Annie): �So a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire decide to live like humans do. They get jobs, a house and a TV licence. They make friends they lie to, take lover they will infect. In fact, the only part of humanity they successfully adopt is it�s ability to deceive and destroy. All in all, I�d say your little scheme has been something of a failure.�
Herrick: �I realise now that was my role. If I�m going to hell, then I�m taking you with me.�
George: �Haven�t you worked it out yet? Humanity is about love and sacrifice. This doesn�t rob me of my humanity, it proves it.�
Standout music: Good selection here with Duffy�s �Mercy�, Bloc Party�s �Where Is Home� and Johnny Cash�s �When The Man Comes Around�.
Annie (re George): �Maybe he�s fine with it.�
Mitchell: �He killed someone.�
Annie: �Does Herrick count as someone?�
Chronology: Exactly where the previous episode left off.
For a first season with such a high standard of writing, the finale was brilliant. I know we�ve had better episode in the series but this was certainly a good way to end things while neatly setting up events for the next season. Here�s to 2010.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
My Review of Being Human's 1x05: "Episode 5"
Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Colin Teague
Josie: �Being human means being mortal. It means dying. You can�t rob people of that.�
Mitchell: �No-one is being robbed, don�t you see? It�s a choice.�
When you fall off the wagon, you�re going to leave a trail of devastation in your wake. Mitchell however thought that he would be the exception and would miraculously end up making the world a better place.
He really should�ve seen the hints lying in his wake. The fact that Herrick chose a funeral home and made a point of evading the fact that it�s got a lot of storage would�ve been a good case of setting off some initial alarm bells as well as the irritated look that Herrick gave Lauren when she pointed out that bit of information.
Lauren was also the other clue that Mitchell should�ve paid more attention to. For weeks she�s been doing nothing but trying to get him back into the fold. Last week I assumed that she was lying when she said she was going to let him go but this episode revealed that she was being truthful.
She looked pretty disgusted when Herrick was welcoming Mitchell back into the world and while Mitchell waited for Duncan to rise, she pointed out that he had become corrupted. Surely Mitchell should�ve paid more attention to her this time?
It was also worth pointing out that Mitchell also made some bad judgement in getting Herrick to approach his old flame Josie. It�s nice to get a bit more on Mitchell�s past but the dressing down that Josie gave him should�ve been the very thing to snap him out of it.
I know that Mitchell got demoralised by his neighbours thanks to the whole Bernie debacle but he was getting dangerously close to sounding like a dictator as well. Josie was right to point out that Herrick had no right to decide how people lived or died. She also made the point of noting that Herrick�s ultimate plan would stunt rather than evolve the world.
Thankfully though Mitchell did finally come around to realising that Herrick�s plan was too good to be true. There�s no way that you could have a whole of vampires and survive. After all, there needed to be some humans left around for eating and Mitchell discovered a few of them nearly drained and dishevelled to his horror.
It�s not surprising that Herrick isn�t a man that allowed people to have a choice. The people looked in that room were definitely captured and most of them were seemingly on the verge of death themselves. Herrick wasn�t all that worried when Mitchell discovered the people.
Josie deserved massive points for telling George about Mitchell�s descent. The scenes where George and Annie were trying to rescue Mitchell were both tense and dramatically funny. As a vampire, I really don�t find Seth all that threat and the belligerent way he spoke to both George and Annie didn�t alter my opinion on him.
However as silly as the initial fight between the three was, I did have to laugh. George punching him was nowhere near as effective with Annie�s expertise with a chair. Seth really should�ve learned to duck during that scene.
Seth was a bit more vocalised in this episode. His scenes with Mitchell indicated jealousy that�s been hinted at in earlier episode, his loathing of werewolves was blatant in his hostility towards George but he was surprisingly impressed with the fact that Annie�s a ghost. Oh and Lauren staked him as well.
By doing that, Lauren officially put a bull�s eye on herself. Herrick did look like he was going to kill her earlier on in the episode but having Mitchell do the deed seemed more personal. In fact that scene was more than a little similar to Angel�s �Lullaby�. Lauren wanted to die because she was losing the rest of her humanity. Unlike Darla, however, she didn�t leave a newborn when she was dusted.
As for Mitchell, he might have been able to get out of Herrick�s gang but it didn�t stop Herrick from staking him either. Unlike other vampire based shows and movies, the staking effect does get dragged out and the last minute of this episode had Annie being forced to cross over while George tried to phone an ambulance.
Annie�s crossing over was deliberately going to happen during a moment when her presence was more than required. Her attachment to Mitchell and George got beautifully conveyed in the previous episode and I did love how before Mitchell got staked, George was desperate for her to stay. The two of them have come a long way as friends and flatmates.
The other juicy plot with this episode was Annie haunting Owen. Her first two attempts were natural failures, even if they succeeded in conveying how much of an evil bastard Owen really is. He even managed to get Janey to believe that she wasn�t seeing Annie at all while finding more ways to stick the knife in.
However I did love that Annie did manage to succeed in getting her own back. The scene where she, George and Mitchell faced off Owen was by far one of the wonderful moments we�ve had. Annie even came across as authentically scary during those scenes and whatever she said to Owen did the trick. I�m sure he�s in some asylum and to be honest, I have no sympathy for the character.
As for how the finale will pan out, I�m going to assume that both Mitchell and Annie will factor in a big way. Previews from BBC3 have certainly indicated that both characters aren�t done with just yet. After all, who would make fun of George and his shrieking? I guess there�s Nina but she doesn�t always get a lot to do per episode. She certainly had a smaller role here.
Also in �Episode 5�
This is yet another episode where George didn�t go into wolf mode. He also narrated the opening scene for this episode.
George: �I wonder what it says about us that we need jam.�
Annie: �It�s a gesture. They feel guilty.�
George: �Yeah, so is writing �paedo� on the front door.�
I�m glad that we got some continuity on the neighbours from last week. At least they�re apologising.
Lauren (to Herrick): �Then you can explain something that�s been bothering me. A funeral parlour? Aren�t we skirting a bit close to a clich� here?�
Annie (re Owen): �I want to scare him. To make him cry and beg and scream. It�s not just about justice, it�s more jagged than that. Is that wrong?�
George: �It�s human. Not everything about being human is nice.�
I should note that a few days after this episode aired that BBC3 announced that the series would be coming back for a second season. How brilliant is that?
Owen: �Annie?�
Annie: �Not anymore. I am darkness. I�m death, vengeance and fury, fire and blood. Diamonds and bones. Sapphire and Steel. Confess, Owen. Confess.�
Owen: �I should�ve known that death wouldn�t be a match for one of your sulks. That�s what this is, isn�t it? It�s the Isle Of Wight all over again.�
Annie: �A sulk? You killed me.�
We found out in this episode that Owen was sleeping with Janey when he was still with Annie. Another reason to dislike him.
Owen (to Janey): �You know something? Annie would love this. She was always so bitter. All her life, bitter towards people who were cleverer than her, people who did something.�
George: �A wizard? That�s ridiculous.�
Josie: �Trust me, once you�ve dated a vampire you tend to have a different criteria for what�s ridiculous.�
Thanks to Josie�s comment, I do wonder if we will meet anyone (witch/warlock/wizard) who does practice magic. Does magic exist within the series world?
Seth: �You just hit me with a chair.�
Annie: �Yes. Sorry.�
Seth: �What�s wrong with you people? That totally fucking hurts.�
George: �That was pathetic. We�re the world�s gayest ninjas.�
Annie (re Seth): �I don�t get it. I hit him with a chair and nothing and you punch him with your girly arm and he�s knocked out.�
Seth called George �Digby� in this episode. I�m surprised he didn�t put a nickname on Annie while he was at it.
Mitchell: �You just wanna feed. You just wanna kill.�
Herrick: �But it feels so nice.�
George: �Who wants some of my chair?�
Annie: �Totally should�ve prepared something.�
Mitchell: �Run.�
Standout music: Some great stuff here with Scissor Sisters� �Comfortably Numb�, Kings Of Leon �Use Somebody� and Franz Ferdinand�s �Take Me Out�.
Annie (to Owen): �There�s a question you haven�t asked yourself yet � if I exist, what else does?You think you�re the big bad wolf, you should see George on a full moon. You think you�re a cold blooded murderer. Mitchell was killing eighty years before you were even born.�
George (to Annie): �If you don�t know what�s there, then why the hell are you going?�
Mitchell: �Because it�s an end.�
Chronology: A few days since the events of the fourth episode.
As preludes go, this felt way too much like a finale. Even when this show looks mundane, it still manages to feel really epic and the last fifteen minutes of this felt even more so. Looking forward to see how things are wrapped up.
Rating: 10 out of 10.