Maria Haukas Storeng chats at Stockholm Pride bout Melodifestivalen + New Album!

Magnus Carlsson's Mega Medley at Stockholm Pride

Thanks to G-Webb Tv & 3 minutes for PrideClips

Alexander Rybak LIVE at Stockholm Pride July 2009

The annual Schlager Pride, a Eurovision + Melodifestivalen music spectacle of the Stockholm Pride

held in Stockholm, saw a new concept with the show's host being non-other than Shirley Clamp. Shirley even performed in her original Blue 'Min Karlek' Frock! The full Artist Guest list of this event

are kept quiet until the Day of the event, also this year the Artists had a more extended set to perform.

Magnus Carlsson, Shirley Clamp, Sarah Dawn Finer, Anna Sahlene, Charlotte Perrelli, Alcazar,

Velvet and Lili & Susie Along with 3 international Artists Maria Haukaas Storeng,

Yohanna and off course Alexander Rybak all took to the Pride Park stage during

this fabulous Schalger Tastic Event for 2009.

Be sure to hear Alexander's change of Lyric in

Funny Little World'

Body Paintings - Dreaming

In this body paintings, the naked boobs was used as a dream cloud.

Photo: CanvasAlive.com

EMD- Danny Erik & Matte- What they all got up to in the Hotel Room !

Perhapes one of the BIGGEST Names of Melodifestivalen 2009 - EMD
3 idol Boys, on this Vid-Blog we become a fly on the wall in their Hotel room.




Svenska translation anyone? (meanwhile just enjoy the slap!)

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Rant #58: Pigeons Like My Car

This has become a daily routine.

I wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower, get dressed, and eventually go to my car, whether to drive to work or to drive on the weekend.

And what do I find on my car?

Bird crap!

This seems to happen each and every day. Sometimes it's a lot, sometimes it's just a sprinkle, but seemingly each and every day birds leave their nastiness on my car.

The way our street is aligned, I have to park under a tree. I think that is the problem. Birds look at trees like humans look at water closets--one is in view, and you have to go.

Anyway, the good thing today is that it is raining, and without effort on my part, it should be gone by the time I get out of work.

However, I have noticed that sometimes, I get the industrial strength kind, and it doesn't come off so easily.

Well, less outlawing the rights of pigeons to fly near my car, what can I do? Is there pigeon repellant that you can spray on cars so that birds stay away? Should I bag my car, and thus the crap will be on the bag, not on the car?

I can't park anywhere else, as our street is full of cars.

I guess I am stuck with this crap, day in and day out.

At least my dog craps on the ground, and I can easily pick it up.

Birds should learn to do the same.

BWO "Right Here Right Now" Vid & Fantastic NEW Skyylab Mix

'Right Here Right Now'

A follow up to 'You're Not Alone' from Melodifestivalen 2009- BWO are Back..& have an excellent new album called 'Big Science'
out now and as always BWO are coming up with the goods with some terrific Songs +Dance mixes.
I like this 2nd single from the Album

1978..And then there was Figaro' Brotherhood of Man's -son of Angelo & Fernando

Brotherhood of Man found Eurovision glory in 1976 by winning for the UK

with No:1 "Save your kisses for me" two years after Abba's ESC win. They were in the 70's constantly compared to Abba, yet as you see in the last post- was it any wonder when 'Angleo'

was released in 1977 hot on the heals of the Abba '76 Classic 'Fernando'

But wait there was more ... just 6 months later in 1978 'Figaro' was born- another dose of latin lover pop-schlager from Brotherhood of Man. 'Figaro' was a bit more bouncy & became the third UK No:1 following this same latin lover theme. The follow-up to this was not so successful - only peaking at No:15 the title was 'Beautiful Lover' Hold on, its got that same theme in the lyrics only this latin guy "-she don't need to know his name.."

Brotherhood of Man's run of Golden Hits came to an end with a final flop single in 1978 "In the Middle of the Night" their whole career ended bit like a Brit 2-week package holiday in Belidorm or Cotsa Del Sol lol

Yet Brotherhood of Man still perform today as the orginal 2 girl, 2 boy line-up.

or more like 2 uncle, 2 auntie line- up! Still 'Figaro' was the best, struting around in his

trunks down at the beach.

Rant #57: Michael Jackson Will Not Alter My Eating Habits

I just read that comedian/social activist Dick Gregory has said that he will fast until the truth comes out about the death of Michael Jackson. He will fast for 40 days, only drinking water, "until the truth is uncovered, not just another story, about the sudden death of Michael Jackson, one of the world's most brilliant and talented people."

On first glance, I would say this has to be a joke, but Gregory hasn't made anyone laugh in more than 40 years, so I know he will go ahead with this. He has fasted before; he will do it again.

Perhaps he can get Rev. Al to follow him on this crusade. And what is the crusade?

Does he want the authorities to say that Jackson was murdered? Would that put him on the road to his next soy burger?

Well, it got Gregory's name in the paper. You know what they say: "No press is bad press."

As for me, it's easy as A-B-C.

Give me a hamburger!

My Review of Dollhouse's 1x11: "Briar Rose"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Dwight Little

Kepler/Alpha: �I was nursing a tender throbbing hope that you�d give up, yeah.�
Paul: �Well, I�m not.�

Determination. The root of all good. Paul wants so badly to make a difference, take down the Dollhouse and rescue the girl. Unfortunately, one of the many things that Paul seems to lack is common sense and this is deadly obvious, even after he finally decided to take some affirmative action to actually find the Dollhouse itself.

All season long, Paul has been in an obsessive mode to bring the Dollhouse down but instead of focusing on the fact that there�s so many victims, all he�s bloody yapped on about is Caroline. Yeah, Paul, we get it, she�s in dire straits but so are the other poor sods that are stuck in the Dollhouse too.

Such as Mellie for instance. Paul decided to outright cruel and break up with her. Okay, while it made sense that by doing that, she would lead him to the Dollhouse; it did actually make hate Paul for it as well. Something tells me that this isn�t the first time he�s dumped a girl harshly.

Anyways much sympathy goes to Mellie for the simple fact that she genuinely believes she�s done something wrong to make Paul want to ditch her so coldly. I know she�s a Doll but, I don�t know. I think this episode did more harm than good for Paul�s character in the long run. Especially given how cold he was later when opting not to save her from the Dollhouse as well.

His determination to save Caroline I think is one big drawback for Paul � why Caroline? What makes her any more deserving than Victor, Sierra or November or any of the other Dolls we have yet to be properly introduced to? It also doesn�t help that Paul�s physical attraction as well as a lack of connection to Caroline are also factors in this whole scenario.

Getting help from environmental consultant Stephen Kepler also seemed a touch suspect. Paul�s been hitting so many brick walls in his continued search that as soon as he managed to contact Kepler, there was something about that that seemed to be too good to be true. Let�s face it; Paul is pretty crap at his job.

Alan Tudyk deserves a medal for this whole episode. I absolutely bought into him as the nervous, jittery, extremely paranoid Kepler. Especially for the comment where he said he hated buddy cop movies. Yeah, I�m not too big on them too but the banter between Kepler and Paul certainly added some humour to proceedings.

As for the Alpha reveal. The timing of the season did make it extremely perfect for the psychotic Doll to come out and play. There are times when I wish I hadn�t read spoilers and given that I knew weeks in advance that Alan Tudyk was going to be playing Alpha, I loved that we got fooled with the Kepler persona for a while.

Tudyk can also turn very quickly. The way he went from Kepler to Alpha, almost in a flash was downright impressive. Even physically there was a noticeable difference and while we should�ve seen more of the Alpha persona in this episode, the stuff we got was of quality.

Slashing poor defenceless Victor�s face was certainly a nice way of showing us how chilling Alpha could be (not that we needed it, given the bloodbath he caused all those months) and his scenes with Claire were equally creepy. I�m gonna say that Claire was a Doll called Whiskey because basically this episode confirmed that all too well.

We had Dominic in Victor�s body immediately refer to her as Whiskey prior to her sedating him and Alpha immediately didn�t recognise her as a doctor. The way Alpha taunted the truth out of her not always wanting to be a doctor was pure chilling. Alpha certainly is one scary bloke.

However if there is a flaw with Alpha, it�s that he follows a growing trend of people acting like Caroline/Echo is the centre of the universe. Yes, we know Eliza Dushku is the leading lady but Victor, Sierra and November still usurp Echo in being overall interesting and that�s not something that�s going to change over night.

With Paul and Boyd slugging it out, Alpha didn�t exactly have the most difficult of tasks in retrieving Echo, though he imprinted her with something before they left. What was it � a former lover? Are we going for a Bonnie and Clyde type of dynamic with Echo and Alpha? That might not be the best of routes to go on with this character.

As for Boyd and Paul, I really should�ve felt conflicted during the big fight scene but I wasn�t. I wanted Boyd to knock Paul into the middle of next week and I absolutely loved that Echo chose to help Boyd rather than Paul (Kepler�s right, stairs without risers are bloody dangerous, I don�t like them too). What does that say about me, other than my dislike for Paul being cast as the valiant Prince, who�s not that charming when you think about it?

I even got a kick out the confrontation scene with Adelle. I don�t particularly see Paul meeting his maker and I think that the Attic can be ruled out for him too. Seeing Paul as a Doll would be a good way of giving Tahmoh Penikett something else to do but Adelle would have to pull some strings to get him to sign a contract for five years.

Other interesting thing, other than Alpha finally stepping out of the shadows was Echo�s assignment of the week. Using the Sleeping Beauty story to help the damaged young Susan might have been more than heavy handed but it was a good template for the episode and it made me look at the story differently.

Paul is the Prince and the Prince isn�t that altruistic about his motives about saving the girl. You could argue that Boyd�s are when it comes to Caroline and Echo. Susan�s anger about Briar Rose being unable to save herself could be a post feminist jab but there�s some truth behind. Sometimes the only person who can save us is ourselves. That may end up being very applicable in Echo/Caroline�s case during the series duration.

Also in �Briar Rose�

Briar Rose is the original title of Sleeping Beauty and yeah, the allusions in this episode did come at us from all sides.

Mellie: �Stop being so cruel. Can�t you see this is killing me?�
Paul: �You�ll get over it.�

Imprinting Echo with bits of Susan (they even had the same name) was clever. We need more altruistic missions next season.

Topher: �Everybody wants to be righteous when they can afford it.�
Ivy: �Even Topher Brink?�
Topher: �This feeling... It is not unlike pride.�

Echo: �Are you keeping that book?�
Susan: �I�m fixing it.�
Echo: �I see that. It�s called editing. You can make a living out of that.�

Was this the first time we�ve seen Mellie�s handler? Sierra also got to be a forensics expert in this episode. Very CSI of her.

Victor/Dominic: �Whiskey.�
Claire: �He wants a drink.�

Kepler: �We go in there, then we're in there. There's? There's more people in there. I'm not good with people.�
Paul: �They're not people.�
Kepler: �I'm not good with that sentence either.�

The real Stephen Kepler was killed by Alpha, which meant that he must have expected Paul to lead him to the Dollhouse. Couldn�t Alpha have gone there himself or was Paul needed as a distraction for Adelle?

Kepler: �They told me this was going to be a new Eden.�
Paul: �Eden wasn't a prison.�
Kepler: �What, are you kidding? The apples were monitored. Plus they didn't have a steam room that could recirculate human sweat and put it right back ��

Kepler: �All right, would you look at this place! I mean, first of all, feng shui up the ying yang. Also, I designed parts of it, but I did not design the stone-cold foxes in the small clothes, and the ample massage facilities. I mean, don't get me wrong, I heart my porn, but this is cool.�
Paul: �This is a bad place.�
Kepler: �Bad people, maybe. Good place.�

Alpha discussed quite freely about the scars that he puts on people. I think that he also said that Victor�s would be different from Claire�s as well.

Boyd: �Sorry Agent Ballard. You don't get the girl.�

Echo: �I remember something about you.�
Alpha: �I remember everything about you.�

Chronology: No idea. How many months has it been since Alpha�s last attack on the Dollhouse?

At first the episode didn�t complete reel me in, probably because with �Briar Rose� so much does seemingly happen all at once, you need to process it. Once doing that, though it becomes a stunning episode that will also hopefully lead to an equally stunning finale if we�re lucky.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Rant #56: The Lucy Show Is Back!

This post is more a rave than a rant, but in keeping with the way I have been doing things, we will keep it as a rant.

If you fondly remember The Lucy Show--the series that Lucille Ball did after I Love Lucy and her marriage to Desi Arnaz ended--than you are in luck! MPI Video has just released the entire first season of the show on DVD.

No, this show was never, never up to the comedic standards--and trailblazing techniques--of the I Love Lucy show. The Lucy Show--and later, Here's Lucy, which is also being released in the season by season format by MPI at a later date--were basically off-shoots of the character Arnaz and Ball created for Lucy on I Love Lucy--the scatterbrained lady with ultimately, a heart of gold.

In The Lucy Show, Ball and during the first three seasons, her ultimate comic foil, Vivian Vance--Ethel from I Love Lucy--go it alone without steady males in their lives, and looking at this show nearly 50 years after the first season was produced, they carry it off very well.

They get into similar comedic scrapes like they did on their previous series, and yes, the ladies are a bit older here, but the show is corny, dated and very, very funny, all at the same time.

They certainly don't make sitcoms like this anymore!

The Lucy Show was a virtual family affair for Ball, as the show was not only executive produced by former husband Arnaz (she married comic Gary Morton during these years), but both Lucie Arnaz and Desi Jr. can be seen on the show from time to time if you look hard enough.

The one drawback is the kids on the show. They are cloying, annoying, and can't act at all, but I guess you get the good with the bad here. I will bet that Lucy realized this when The Lucy Show ended its run, because on Here's Lucy, her kids co-starred with her.

All in all, a fine package. For Lucy fans who have been stuck with third-rate DVD versions of these shows in the past, this release is a revelation.

By the way, there are many extras on the DVD, including a wide-ranging interview with Lucie Arnaz where she talks about everything from her participation in show to the uneasiness she felt with her mom, father and stepfather on the set at the same time. And Lucie looks terrific, by the way, as she talks candidly about many things, especially about here mom.

Also, you get to see an early Dick Martin, who played Lucy's next door neighbor--and quasi love interest--on the show.

If there is one DVD for you to get that's out right now, this is it!

So now that you are done reading this entry, scoot over to http://www.mpihomevideo.com/ or amazon.com and pick this DVD up. You will not regret it.

The only regret that I have is this: why did it take so long for this to come out?

Salwar Kameez | Online Salwar Kameez Wallpapers

Salwar kameez which also been called as shalwar qamwwz. This is traditional dress mostly been wear by Men in marriage function. Girls and Womens can also wear this dress. This is very common dress in Asia. Especially in India and Pakistan.

Here i have posted some pictures of Salwar Kameez.

Click for Salwar Kameez Photos

Rant #55: I Now Need a New Watch

I have been pretty snakebitten lately when it comes to electronic stuff.

First, my son's computer went bye-bye, now my watch is on the fritz.

Heck, it is a cheap watch. I bought it at Wal-Mart for $18 about two years ago. It is waterproof and has a lighted dial, although I found out that in a dark movie theater when I want to see what time it is during a crappy movie, it doesn't help me, because the clock hands are not illuminated themselves.

Anyway, the darn thing was starting to give out last week, but once I put it on my wrist, I think my pulse (I do have one) sparked it and got it going again. Now, the pulse isn't working on the watch, and it stopped dead last night at about 10 p.m.

It may need a new battery, but I haven't had much luck with watch batteries in the past. Once they are put in, they last a few months and then the watch is useless again.

I think I will get myself a new watch. It is the only jewelry, so to speak, that I wear, and I have worn a watch since I was about seven years old. I feel naked without one.

So I will have to buy a new one. And hopefully this one will be totally illuminated, so I can see how many minutes are left in the next cruddy movie I see.

Friendship Day Cards | Happy Friendship Day Cards

Friendship Day Cards | If You love your friends and cares for them, send them nice friendship day cards and show how much you love and care for them

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Friend Ship Day | Friend Ship Day Greetings | Friend Ship Day Wallpapers

Friendship Day Wallpaper - Nice Collection of Friendship Day wallpapers for Laptop and Desktop Computers. Celebrate Friendship Day with sharing Friend Day Wallpapers to your friends.

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Tags: friendship greeting card, wallpapers of friendship, friendship birthday greetings

Sony Ericsson | Sony Ericsson W350 Wallpapers

Sony Ericsson | Leading Mobile Company. Sony Ericsson has just launched new Mobile Phine W350. Looks very cool. Having nice features. I have posted some wallpapers of Sony Ericsson W350 Wallpapers.

Click for Sony Ericsson W350 Wallpapers

Rant #54: Angels, Devils and Meet the Mets (and Press)

If ever there was a time that professional sports collided with sports journalism, yesterday was the day.

In a truly New York moment that ended up making national news, Omar Minaya, the general manager of the New York Mets, fired Tony Bernazard, the Mets' vice president of development, after word had leaked out through a column written by New York Daily News beat columnist Adam Rubin that Bernazard, among other indiscretions, ripped off his shirt and challenged one of the Mets' minor league teams to a fight. He also had verbal sparrings with several Met players, and all of this behavior, added to the recent failings of the Mets, led to his firing.

That would have been all fine and good, but during a press conference, Minaya insinuated that the reason Rubin wrote these accounts was ... to get Bernazard's job for himself.

Evidently, Rubin very casually spoke to owner Fred Wilpon some time ago about the possibility of "how to get a front office job." The question was very off the cuff, was done away from the Mets and Rubin's focus of business--the team's new Citifield ballpark--and was asked very innocently.

Minaya claimed that Rubin's more direct line of fire was to "get" Bernazard in his column, and when that was accomplished, move in for the kill--get Bernazard's former job.

As you can expect, Rubin was taken aback by this accusation, as he was now the focus of the story, not Bernazard and not the Mets. Did he write his columns to "out" Bernazard?

Of course, anyone who knows the Mets' situation knows that this is bunk of the highest degree. In fact, Minaya later held another news conference, where he said he still backs his accusations but agreed with others that the way he presented them really wasn't professional.

To use Rubin as a scapegoat for the Mets' mess is deplorable. Obviously, Minaya, Mets Manager Jerry Manuel, and the coaching staff are on the hot seat, and if the Mets don't improve they will be gone by season's end.

That is the obvious. The less obvious facet of the entire episode is this: even if he asked the question innocently, why was Rubin asking the owner of the Mets about future job opportunities--and more importantly, why are Rubin's sportswriter brethren sticking up for him as if he were a martyr?

I read one columnist today who said that with the recent fate of many newspapers--some of which have gone under in recent months--it was a smart move for a sportswriter to be asking about future employment. Also, so many sportswriters have gone into the front office in the past--former commissioner Ford Frick is one--that it is a "natural" move.

I say that Rubin should have known better. Heck, I am a writer. If I went to a competing publication, or one of our advertisers or companies that we deal with, and asked a similar question on the side, and word got out to my boss, my rear end would be on the carpet immediately, and I would surely be at least reprimanded if not fired.

It is totally unethical to ask the owner of the team that you are reporting on about "job possibilities." In fact, Rubin initially hedged when asked about whether he had made such inquiries, but he later admitted to it.

The Mets are under a tremendous amount of pressure to be competitive this year. They have a new ballpark and they are the perennial second team in town, behind the Yankees--who also have a new ballpark and are currently making the most of it. The Mets have been killed by injuries to major players this year, and someone has to take the blame ...

And Omar Minaya has elected Adam Rubin as his blame representative.

How infantile. Minaya should be out on his tush soon too.

But Rubin--if I were the Daily News, I would call him on the carpet too. He is the proverbial cat who ate the canary, and the feathers are beginning to stick out of his mouth.

Rant #53: It Isn't Even August Yet ...

For me, at least, we are in the dog days of summer.

This happens each and every year. It isn't even August yet, and the days are beginning to drag.

It has a lot to do with my place of business. We are in our busy season--we have a tremendous issue of our publication to get out--and I have been working real hard to make sure it gets out in a timely fashion.

There's lots of writing, lots of data entry, lots of statistics lots of fact checking, and lots of questions to be asked.

It is so huge that I feel like I am constantly running in place, even though I am sitting down.

Not only that, but my family's vacation this year, not even a month old, is just a distant memory right now. We watched some movies of what we did the other day, and boy, I wish I was down there in Florida now.

As I said in a previous post, the weather hasn't been that summer-like in this neck of the woods, although this week it looks like we will be in the 80s.

I think this issue that I am working on gets my goat every year. I think I am getting too old to be doing this ...

I guess I got the "Summertime Blues." (Thank you Eddie Cochran and later, Blue Cheer.)

But like clockwork, I will bounce back after this stuff is all done. I always do.

I guess everyone is allowed to feel down at times during the year, as long as you can pick yourself up. I am happy to say that I can do that, so my temporary depression won't last long.

And the Yankees won again. Of course, I was not there (they played the Rays in Florida), so that will always bring my spirits up! I should have known they were going to lose the game that I went to--I later found out it was Family Day for the players, where they can bring their families and play on the field with them after the game. Never go to a ballpark that has Family Day for the players--it means a lot of first-pitch swinging, and an attitude of "Let's get this over with so we can be with our family."

It's like many years ago, when I went to a local racetrack (one of the few times I ever did), I heard an old codger tell another oldster, "Never bet on a horse that takes a crap on the turf right before he is set to run," or something to that effect. It's the same thing--never go to Family Day unless you are prepared for a long afternoon of baseball on the down side.

Anyway, writing this has made me feel up! Now I can get back to work! Hooray!

BRAZILIAN FILM FESTIVAL & PARTY

Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil-NY
August 2-7, 2009
Brazilian Cinema�s Top Films
At the Tribeca Cinemas


If I Were You 2


Also...

Opening Day Kicks Off At Central Park�s SUMMERSTAGE
With A Spectacular Brazilian Party Including A Performance
From Sizzling Singer S�lvia Machete
And Screening Of The Most Successful Film
In The History of Brazilian Cinema�
�If I Were You 2"



Silvia Machete
Headlines the Brazilian Film Fest Opening Party
Here in a performance clip from YouTube.
Link to More Machete on YouTube.

Opening night kicks off on Sunday, August 2 at 7:00pm with an extravaganza at Central Park�s SummerStage featuring a concert by leading singer/entertainer/acrobat/pin-up S�lvia Machete, followed at 8:00pm by a screening of Daniel Filho�s comedy, �If I Were You 2,� the most successful film in the history of Brazilian Cinema.

S�lvia will perform songs from her latest release, �I�m Not a Saint,� in a show that mixes music, circus and theatre performances.

Silvia Machete

At last year�s kick off Opening Night event, over five thousand people partied through the day and night, and proved that Brazilian culture is undeniably contagious and wildly fun.

Then for the next six days and nights, the Tribeca Cinema will host five daily screenings showing the best of Brazilian filmmaking, all of them eligible for the 2009 Audience Award.

Among the highlighted films being screened during this annual festival:

The documentary �Simonal � Nobody Knows How Tough It Was,� directed by Cl�udio Manoel, portrays the life of the famous 70�s singer.

Director Jos� Alvarenga Jr�s, comedy �In Therapy,� deals with the pleasures and challenges of modern life.

Actress Let�cia Sabatella makes her debut as a co-director with screenwriter Gringo Cardia in the documentary �Hotxu��, a poetic view of the Indian tribe Krah�, a very smiley group that chooses a high priest of laugh.

Internationally famous cinematographer Walter Carvalho presents his latest film as a director, �Budapest�, based on the homonymous book by Brazilian singer Chico Buarque.

Many of the filmmakers and cast from the VII Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil-NY film presentations will be in New York to attend the festivities and participate in Q & A sessions following the films.


PROGRAM OF THE VII CINE FEST PETROBRAS BRASIL-NY

FEATURE-FILMS � TRIBECA CINEMAS

The Ballroom --- (Drama), directed by La�s Bodanzky, unfolds during an old-timers dance night in a ballroom in Sao Paulo and follows the dramas and joys of five couples attending the dance. The film mixes comedy and drama, while dealing with love, solitude, betrayal and lust in an environment full of music and dance. Note: The Ballroom, originally scheduled, has been replaced by THE CHILDREN'S ORCHESTRA (See below.)

Budapest (Drama), directed byWalter Carvalho, tells of Jos� Costa, a Brazilian ghost writer. Returning from a ghost writer�s convention, his airplane is rerouted to Budapest, where his life is also rerouted when he meets Krista and with her help, learns "the only language in the world which, according to the tongue-wagers, the devil respects�.

Children's Orchestra
Children's Orchestra (Drama), directed Paulo Thiago, Mozart Viera, a 25-year old humanist and dreamer, creates a children�s woodwind orchestra in the poor dry Northeaster region of Brazil to play Mozart, Bach, Villa Lobos, etc. To help the orchestra, a governor creates the music and Life Foundation. Local leaders and the political mob ruling the region become envious of Mozart and try to manipulate him, but Mozart will not be controlled. Their hatred leads to the demoralization of the Foundation and finally its end. But with the strong reaction of the artist and the Church help end the judicial proceedings so that the Foundation can be reopened.

Favela On Blast (Documentary), directed by Leandro HBL and Wesley Pentz (DJ Diplo), is a documentary that shows the culture of funk carioca, a musical rhythm that merges the American electronic funk from the 1980s with several Brazilian sounds. Probably one of the most interesting musical movements in the world, the baile funk, has its roots in one of the most violent and poor places, the shanty towns in Rio de Janeiro.

The Herb Of The Rat (Drama), directed by Julio Bressane. He and She walk through a cemetery by the sea. Their names are just like the pronouns. They don�t know each other and they are the only living beings on site. At a certain moment She slips in a lose rock, tumbles and is saved by He. She is a teacher, her father died three days ago and now she is alone in this world. Since she is facing such a predicament, He offers to take care of her for as long as he lives. And this is the beginning of a strange relationship.

Hotxu� (Documentary), directed by Let�cia Sabatella and Gringo Cardia, is a poetic record of the indigenous Krah� tribe, a smiling people which designate a high priest of laughter, called the Hotxu�, to strengthen and unite the group through joy.

If I Were You 2 (Comedy), directed by Daniel Filho, takes place after a first experience of exchanging bodies. Cl�udio and Helena decide to divorce and, to make things worse, they find out that Bia, now a 18 year older, is about to get married � and that they will be grandparents. In the middle of the crisis, they exchange bodies once again.

In Therapy (Comedy), directed by Jos� Alvarenga Jr.,tells the story of Mercedes, a forty-some year old woman that is dealing with the pleasures and challenges of modern life, decides, without being quite sure why, to start visiting a therapist.

Loki - Arnaldo Baptista

Loki - Arnaldo Baptista (Documentary), directed by Paulo Henrique Fontenelle, is a biopic of musician Arnaldo Baptista, ex-member of the Mutantes, told through the strokes of a painting done by the artist himself. The spectator is brought into his life through the painting and historical images that show the most important moments of his artistic career, showing how he became one of the most famous Brazilian rock stars.

Romance (Drama), directed by Guel Arraes. Is it possible to have a happy and reciprocal love? Theatre actor/director Pedro and actress Ana aren�t able to reach that conclusion before a new man enters her life and creates obstacles.

Saens Pena Square
Saens Pe�a Square (Drama), directed by Vin�cius Reis, tells of high school teacher Paulo, his wife Teresa, a manager of a local foodstore, and their schoolage daughter Bel, that live in a rented flat in Sans Pena Square, the heart of Tijuca, an old and traditional suburb in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. An unexpected and alluring job offer may have a profound effect on the routine of this family and even jeopardize a 20 year marriage.

Simonal � No One Knows How Tough It Was (Documentary), directed by Cl�udio Manoel, Micael Langer and Calvito Leal, portrays the impressive trajectory of a former army private, that reigned sovereign in pop culture and ended up being ostracized for a crime he swore innocence. Was Simonal an informant during the Brazilian dictatorship? Was he friendly with the military? Or was his greatest crime being black, millionaire and a sex symbol in a country and time where racist was latent in the society?

Smoking I Wait (Documentary), directed by Adriana L. Dutra. In the attempt of quitting the addiction, a smoker decides to study the subject and produce a documentary where she will show her worries and the different aspects of what is considered the most lethal industry of the twentieth century.


Threshold
Threshold (Drama), directed by Rafael Conde, narrates a story of love and mystery which takes place in an old house inhabited by the young Maria, whose fame as a saint extends well beyond the mountains of the interior of Brazil. The arrival of two new characters has a disturbing affect on Maria: a traveler, for whom �Holy Maria� develops an intense passion, and Aunt Emiliana, an elderly lady determined to prepare for the great miracle.

Veronica (Drama), directed by Mauricio Farias, is a public school teacher going through difficult times � childless, with an ailing mother and an ex-husband seeking reconcilliation that she�ll have none of. Everything changes when one of her students is left at school beyond hours and catch both up in a web of action.

Wandering Heart (Documentary), directed by Fernando Grostein Andrade, intimately follows acclaimed singer Caetano Veloso from S�o Paulo to New York and Japan, during the release of his first album recorded solely in English. It takes considerably more than a week-long series of shows at Carnegie Hall, accolades in the New York Times, or the admiration of friends like Pedro Almod�var, David Byrne and Michelangelo Antonioni to make Caetano feel comfortable outside of Brazil.

Tickets are on sale at http://www.ticketweb.com/ and are $10 for each film. The VII Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil-NY full program, schedule, film descriptions and ticket information can be found on http://www.brazilianfilmfestival.com/ or by calling 646-827-9333.

Rant #52: Of Course, I Pick This Game

This weekend, my family and I finally went to the new Yankee Stadium to see a game--and to see the new stadium, of course.

The Yankees are red hot right now, in first place by 2 1/2 games over the Boston Red Sox.

The team completed their homestand at 9-1 with a win yesterday against the Oakland A's.

But, of course, we went to the Saturday game, the only game on the homestand that they lost.

Oh well.

As for the stadium, it really is beautiful. If anyone remembers how cramped the old stadium was, especially in the aisles leading to the field, this one is the direct opposite. Everything is wide open, and you can still see the game if you are at one of the concession stands.

We sat all the way up out in left field, and even though the temperature was in the mid 80s, we really didn't feel it, as we were in the shade for the entire day. And we had a great breeze throughout most of the day, to the point where one or two times my Yankees hat almost blew off my head.

And yes, the prices on everything are through the roof. I bought two hot dogs, and three chicken finger platters, and one beer, and it cost me more than $50. Add that to the food I bought later for my son--ice cream and a hot dog--and I spent close to $70 on food alone.

And that does not include parking, which cost $19.

Although the game was not a good one for the Yankees, I must say again that the new stadium is a site (and a sight) to behold. They have really made it into a beauty. It has everything one could ask for in a stadium ...

But in my eye, it isn't Yankee Stadium. It is a fantastic replica, but it is not Yankee Stadium. Yes, it is nothing more than a clone of its former self, a carbon copy, a Xerox. But nothing more.

What it is is a wonderful, modern stadium for the newest and succeeding generations of Yankees fans and baseball fans in general. But for me, who attended dozens of games at the old place since 1965, it is simply a replica of the grand old lady, which sits covered in mesh right across the street. I was so sad when I saw how it was covered up. It looked dead, but it was such a lively place. I know I wouldn't want to be the one to take the wrecking ball to this facility, which to baseball fans was our cathedral, a place of grandeur and history, even though it was cramped and maybe not as versatile as the newer stadiums are.

And as an addendum to what I said, getting to the new stadium was pretty good, took us a little more than an hour, even with the problems associated with the recent fire at the Throgs Neck Bridge. However, getting home was a nighmare. We were diverted through the streets of the South Bronx, which in the old days was like getting diverted through the streets of bombed out places in Europe during the height of World War II but is now just a horrible way to see the decay of the once proud borough of the Bronx. Not only is it horrible, but it took about an hour to get to the highway--about the same amount of time it took us to get to the Stadium!

Otherwise, even though the Yankees lost, it was a fine day.

Will we go back? Sure, but we will do it next year. I have to save up for tickets!

ERIN BURNETT ON AFRICA

Erin Burnett (who may have the nicest, most enigmatic, and most persistent smile on television) did an extraordinary report on Africa on CNBC.

The focus of the show (at least the title) was investment in Africa; the coverage itself was actually far broader.

Reporting in the US is mostly local, some national, a bit about Europe, a little about world terrorism, some reports of wars, and an occasional mention of a celebrity doing something somewhere else in the world, perhaps Africa. Erin's program and her other daily reports while she was travelling, may have had more broadcast time about Africa than all other reports on Africa, cumulatively, on all channels combined for months or years.

Flitting around from topic to topic, and country to country, and wearing outfit after outfit, looking cool and comfortable even while talking about 102 degree temperature, the report was coherent, visually interesting, intellectually honest, and as comprehensive as you can be when talking about a whole continent and dozens of countries in an hour.

Aside from the script, the opportunity to see Africa and Africans (in a context other than Wild Animals or Superstar Dramatic Films) was revealing.

The biggest opportunities in Africa include tourism, a wealth of natural resources (including oil, diamonds, and special minerals needed for manufacturing), agricultural exports, and the need to build infrastructure.

The problems for Africans and investors include the lack of infrastructure, crime (including corruption, violence, kidnapping, and the diversion of resources), illness (including AIDS and malaria), wars, unstable governments, and unemployment.

Several people interviewed pointed to job creation as the major need, one that could itself help alleviate some of the other problems, and pointed out that certain kinds of aid (eg gifts of food, and medical assistance) do not attack job creation.

Other comments on "aid" to Africa, separate from this show (for example in Bamako, a movie shown at the NYFF, and Stiglitz' book, Making Globalization Work) have noted other problems: including unfair contracts with western companies that extract resources, and stipulations by international agencies when giving aid that ends up doing more harm than good to education and health, and leaves a residue of debt.

It's a fine program. Erin did a great job as reporter and executive producer. More broadcast time should be devoted to Africa, and the rest of the world.

In addition to the program, CNBC has a website with addtional information about Africa.

COLD CEREAL PACKAGING

I do not understand why packaging for cold (dry) cereals (eg rice, corn, wheat... with various brand names and varying amounts of excess sugar) is so badly designed. It is usually hard to open, and much harder to close. It usually has some kind of waxed paper that can not be re-sealed, and an outer cardboard box that can not be closed at all: with an ineffective flap that can not stay closed even when the box is not twisted out of shape as it usually is.

The cereal in the box easily becomes stale, and can be attacked by various insects if it is left out. It can best be stored in the refrigerator, but is usually so big that it takes up too much room in the fridge. Moreover, after a bit of use, the remaining cereal occupies only a fraction of the box, just wasting space.

The only explanation for this lousy packaging is that the manufacturer wants customers to waste cereal, so they will buy more.

Perhaps they would sell more if the packaging were better.

Packaging could be improved by:

1- an easy-sealing inner bag (like one-zip or liplock);
2- making little (one-serving) boxes available for all cereals, not just the (mostly sugared) collections usually available;
3- making the product available in more sizes of boxes (not just big and little);
4- making the outer box more easily closeable.

Doctor Who/Torchwood At Comic Con 2009

Great, now the reasons for wishing I was at Comic-Con are now increasing. Yes, people your eyes are not playing tricks on you. That is David Tennant making out with a rather pleased John Barrowman (seriously who wouldn't be?) at the event.

Yesterday lucky viewers got to see both Children Of Earth: Day Five and Planet Of The Dead after both actors gave slashers a field day. I can only imagine what kinds of crazy fanfiction some viewers will write after this.

You can view the snoggage here ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfq5UAk1Bxc

Now I REALLY wish I had been there.

ETA: No Movie. I called it but we did get some other goodies.

Digital Spy write up of the event .... http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a167392/live-doctor-who-panel-at-comic-con.html

Trailer for The Waters Of Mars .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wA5J-RkVn0

So that trailer. I was having reservations about The Waters Of Mars but now I�m ecstatic for it. The Doctor�s impending death has been hinted for a while now and the moment in the trailer where he defiantly told Adelaide that he wasn�t going to die because he didn�t hear knocking, well it rang a little similar to Donna�s �I don�t die� speech to Rose in Turn Left. Adelaide even gave The Doctor an �I�m sorry� look before the four times a knocking a came. The Doctor looked very, very scared.

By the way, the BBC have definitely confirmed the return of John Simm as The Master (both blond and in a hoodie) and there was another trailer at Comic Con that had various images of him, The Doctor, Donna, Wilfred, Sylvia, Joshua Naismith, Ood Sigma and some snake faced creature as well, while this trailer is voiced by Timothy Dalton to boot who also mentioned people on Earth having bad dreams (RTD did mention something about nightmare sequences in the finale). Some people are saying that 4.18 is being called The End Of Time but I�d rather an official announcement before taking the title as serious.

Here's the trailer for the finale (apologies for quality) ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMEY43MlcRs

I know there so many things on TV but these last three specials are like the most exciting of the bunch for me as a viewer. I really can�t wait to see how Tenth Doctor is going to exit the series. I expect massive tears.

My Review of True Blood's 1x02: "The First Taste"

Written by Alan Ball
Directed by Scott Winant

Sookie: �You really don�t consider yourself human at all?�
Bill: �I�m not human.�

The first episode ended on the cliff hanger of the Rattrays beating the living daylights out of Sookie in the parking lot, so it made perfect sense to go to that moment in question. Another good reminder of how this is a HBO show is how gritty Sookie�s beating was.

With the Rattrays further proving they were the lowest of low in general, there was no way I even felt a tingle of sympathy for their demise. Watching the episode, it looked like Bill killed the pair of them after Sookie was able to just about get Mack away from kicking her any further. Couldn�t have happened to a more deserving couple if you ask me.

I�m not a sadist but I just can�t muster any compassion for the Rattrays. If you go around draining vampires and beating people up for no reason, then karma is going to catch up with you eventually. If it hadn�t been Sookie and Bill, it would�ve been someone else down the line.

Still Sookie was however in incredibly rough shape and quite possibly near death. Her injuries really did look fatal but I was surprised that Bill�s blood was the key. It�s interesting that as well as vampire blood doing wonders for your libido (something which Bill happily pointed out to Sookie), it can also heal. Good luck with keeping that one a secret, Bill.

The sexual overtones between Sookie and Bill were even more blatant than the previous episode. I�m not really a sucker for the vampire/human love interests and while Sookie and Bill aren�t totally unique, their chemistry is however electric and even I can see that.

Sookie initially freaked out about having to drink Bill�s blood but even after she did, it was nice to see the pair of them have an honest conversation. I think Sookie probably opened up to Bill more about her telepathy than she has to anyone in arguably a long time, if not ever.

Another fun element was the family meeting where Bill met the important people of Sookie�s life. Jason and Tara kind of reacted very predictably towards Bill. Jason was openly hostile and really annoying whereas Tara asked if Bill ever owned any slaves. A potential race matter aside, there might be more to that question in later episodes.

Sookie�s grandmother however was a hoot. I loved how at ease she was with Bill and even though she did hesitate, I do think that she trusts Sookie to make the right decisions with Bill. Sookie is definitely falling for him so that is obviously going to cloud her judgement with him.

A lot of scenes in this episode really played into the Sookie/Bill romance. The flirty banter, asking the other about their abilities (Bill also seemingly can�t put her under his thrall), revealing personal history to one another and what�s appropriate than a trip to the cemetery for a first date stroll, huh? I�m trying to look at this objectively but I do get the allure to Bill and not just because of Sookie�s inability to read his mind.

Of course, not everyone is pleased about vampires and the like. We had an interesting on air segment where Reverend Newlin couldn�t even manage dialogue with vampire rights activist Nan Flanagan because his devout beliefs forbade him from doing so. However it wasn�t much of a shock when he wound up dead by the end of the episode. That being said, I actually do hope that vampires had nothing to do with it.

As for vampires, the crazy porn star looking one that Maudette was with was there at that clearly uninvited party at Bill�s, which Sookie made the grave error of going to. I�m not worried. Either Sookie will save herself or Bill will. It would be more fun if it was the former though.

The episode also made sure that within the first ten minutes we learned that Jason didn�t murder Maudette. I�m still on the Jason hate train (which naturally means Ryan Kwanten is doing a great job) but it was really fucking cruel of that sheriff to hold him for half a day when he knew that Jason was innocent.

Again, I haven�t read the books but it does seem that the law in Bon Temps isn�t particularly nice to the Stackhouse family. If Jason isn�t being interrogated by them, then the sheriff is more than happy to tell Sookie what he thinks of her cavorting with vampires.

However Jason didn�t exactly lay low after his encounter with the cops. He went to Dawn for a sympathy shag and kinky stuff and she let him. Nice that she tied him to a bed but even still, Jason isn�t exactly the nicest of people in Bon Temps. Look how easily he blew off Tara as well.

Tara had more fun moments in this episode. I was in stitches when she blew off a potential date by telling him that she had a psycho husband and all the points in the world for her telling Jason that everyone knew he was an idiot. But more to the point, even if she was snappy with Bill, at least her concern for Sookie felt more genuine than Jason�s and that goes for a lot. Clearly Tara is a worthy friend.

As for the rest of the characters, Lafayette was there to get Tara away from her alcoholic mother and Arlene was hacked off when Sookie sympathised with her after reading her mind. Much as I understand Arlene�s anger for Sookie inadvertently invading her headspace, she might want to iron out those issues with Rene as well.

I liked the office scenes with Sookie and Sam, though he did visibly deflate when Sookie tried to put some distance between them. I take she does know that he�s attracted to her and that she�s trying to let him down firmly but nicely. Hopefully Sam will eventually get the hint, even though he does seem to be a nice guy and Sookie could do a lot worse but at the same time, there�s no point being with someone you�re really not that into.

Also in �The First Taste�

There was no reprise from the last episode; it just simply jumped into the Rattrays attacking Sookie.

Jason (re Maudette): �I didn�t kill her.�
Andy: �Well somebody sure as hell did.�

I noticed that there�s a song in this episode called �First Taste� by Fiona Apple, so are all the episodes (or just some) going to be named after songs?

Lafayette (to Tara): �What�s depressing is how often I get this phone call from you. That�s depressing. Why come you won�t Jason Stackhouse?�

Sookie: �Do I taste different from other people?�
Bill: �Yes. What are you?�
Sookie: �Well, apparently I�m not dead. What I am is telepathic. I can hear people�s thoughts.�
Bill: �Even mine?�
Sookie: �No. That�s why I like you so much. I can�t hear you at all. You have no idea how peaceful it is, after a lifetime of blah, blah, blah.�

This episode confirmed that Tara and Lafayette are cousins. Lafayette was right to tell Tara to move away from her drunk of a mother.

Tara: �I�m trying to watch my fool cousin hit on the straightest man here.�
Guy: �Alright but baby, I�m the straightest man here.�

Bill: �I look forward to meeting your grandmother. When may I call on you?�
Sookie: �I�m off work tomorrow.�
Bill: �Just after dark then.�

There was a funny headline about Angelina Jolie adopting a vampire baby. Maybe next season, Madonna will get in on the act.

Gran (re Bill): �Did you want to be alone with him?�
Sookie: �I don�t know. Maybe. Aren�t you gonna tell me to be careful?�

Jason (re Bill): �Well thanks for making me look like a fool in front of him, Gran.�
Gran: �Jason, you don�t need any help looking like a fool.�

Bill admitted that he knew some of the Stackhouse family way back when and also told Sookie that he lost his wife and children as well. Notably, Sookie also mentioned that her parents died in a flash flood before she was eight.

Sookie: �You�re gonna have to give me a minute here, Bill. I�m feeling a little overwhelmed.�
Bill: �Of course.�

Jason (re being an idiot): �Can I tell you a secret � I am too?�
Tara: �It�s not that much of a secret.�

That dog appeared to be watching Sookie twice in this episode. I�m beginning to think that it�s someone. Interestingly though, Sam has a picture of a dog in his office.

Bill: �Sookie, this is very strange.�
Sookie: �You don�t like not being able to control people, do you? It�s not a very attractive trait, Bill.�

Sam: �Remind me why I hired you again?�
Tara: �Affirmative action.�

Standout music: �How The Day Sounds� by Greg Laswell and �First Taste� by Fiona Apple.

Sam: �Might be surprised by what you find.�
Sookie: �Not all surprises are good.�
Sam: �Well, try sometime.�

Chronology: Straight where �Strange Love� left off.

�The First Taste� continues the exhilaration surrounding this series. I know it�s only two episodes so far, but damn, this show has gotten it�s fangs into me and is unlikely to let go anytime soon.

Rating: 9 out of 10.