K.I.S.S.I.N.G.S.E.X.I.N.G.C.A.S.I.O.P.O.K.E.Y.O.U.M.E.I.

[alexsarll]

So, tonight - are people going to Stay Beautiful? On the pro side, I really enjoyed the last one, the live act looks like she might be fancy promising, and I'm possibly missing April on account of a Cambridge engagement. On the con - aside from previously stated issues some people have with the current venue and incarnation, this month's guest DJ is a kn0brash of cosmic proportions. But then, if I miss it on account of that, is it Letting The Tosserists Win? Decisions, decisions.

I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself, but in a very Theatre of Blood moment I saw somebody take a small dog to the press performance of Resurrection Blues. They ended up having to leave it in the cloakroom.
The play itself...well, since I checked in last, I've also seen a very early performance by Marilyn Monroe, in All About Eve (why did nobody tell me this film was so good, and so gay?), so it's odd to have that juxtaposed with her ex-husband's last play. And it is quite clearly a last play - I described it to one of the theatre employees as Arthur Miller's Henry VIII moment. He seemed quite miffed, which is a bit much given I was implicitly comparing Miller to Shakespeare. Given a polish, a couple more rewrites, a few months more life, this might have been another great work, but as is it's an interesting mess. The set-up doesn't quite ring true, some of the dialogue sounds like guide dialogue rather than final versions, and the tone's all over the place. Not that director Robert Altman's wholly blameless, or the actors for that matter...a role as big as the General does not allow for fumbled lines, or an accent so strong it obscures some of them.
It's an Arthur Miller play, so it could never be entirely without moments of greatness. Nonetheless, I think it's destined to be remembered as a curio rather than canon.

I'm not entirely sure about Bob Fossil and Dixon Bainbridge's Snuff Box - the sketch-show/sitcom hybrid makes me uneasy. But then, I thought that about Green Wing and League of Gentlemen for a time, and now I can't wait for the former's new series, and am greatly looking forward to making a start on Jeremy Dyson's novel, so I'll give it time. Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe, on the other hand, only needed 25 seconds to establish itself as my new favourite television programme. My new favourite television ad, while we're about it, is the one with all the wonders of the natural world soundtracked by Sigur Ros, and my new favourite billboard ad is the D&G one, for obvious reasons.

That new LL Cool J song might be really sexy if only he'd duetted with somebody other than JLo, who is possibly the only woman on Earth as sexless as Anthea Turner.

Comments

[kiss-me-quick.livejournal.com]

Well I'm going.

[hospitalsoup.livejournal.com]

Nooooooo, don't go and scrap with mentalist DJs, come out with meeeeee.

Today is the day of MANY VOWELS. And what's that acronym all about?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

It's from the Hot Chip track. I tried to get a current mood from there too, but 'like a monkey with a miniature cymbal' wouldn't fit.
What are you doing?

[angelv.livejournal.com]

LL Well Gay if you ask me. I don't rate the new one at all but maybe it's because I find him slightly embarrassing now and, of course, JLo is a bit sh#t.

We might be going to see graylord DJing somewhere later if you're looking for an alternative. On the other hand, we might still go to SB because I want to flyer.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

The last thing I remember hearing by him was his track on Adam F's Kaos, and that wasn't bad. And this one, I was thinking "hey. he's still got it"...until Lopez turned up like a cup of cold sick.

[darkmarcpi.livejournal.com]

Luckily for me the dilemma was solved as I had no intention of going anyway. Why don't you go, but take a big Israeli flag with you, or something? And constantly request 'Killing An Arab?'

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

If I do go, I am definitely wearing my "BOMB THE B@ST@RDS" badge.

[my-name-is-anna.livejournal.com]

I just wrote a similar sort of thing, but not about DJs?
Why are they a kn0brash? Isn't that part of the point of guest DJs? Generally they play a load of really boring songs in order to impress everyone with how complicated and sophisticated their music taste is.
Who is it, anyway?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

His name's John T, his club is called bigs3xyland, and mash-ups aside its playlist doesn't look too bad. But he's been on the SB messageboard and...to put it mildly, we didn't get on.

[thermaland.livejournal.com]

There has been a giant scrap on the Stay Beautiful message board over Ken Livingstone / Middle-East issues etc... Personally I don't think the guy comes across so badly. People have been known to be pathologically arrogant online and quite pleasant in real life. It's been known to happen... *whistles, looks at nails*

I'm more concerned with his alleged fondness for mash-ups...

[offensive-mango.livejournal.com]

Wow, I just heard that song in your post title for the first time yesterday, and commented on it in ultraruby's journal where she was asking about favorite songs with spelling in them! I thought it was "B.O.K.E." but "P.O.K.E." probably makes more sense.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

So did I, at first, but then initially I also thought it was 'C.H.S.I.O.' which makes no sense whatsoever. Those vocals are a bit clearer on the Baking Horse Mix, which helped - it wasn't 'til I heard that that I worked out he was saying "Laid back? Laid back? I'll give you laid back." either.

[darkmarcpi.livejournal.com]

Oh, and JLo - yeah, I've just never understood why she is so feted. Unsekksy, no talent, never made a great song, or been in a brilliant film. Just boring, frankly.

I frustratingly fell asleep before the Brooker show - and was recording Downfall. I hope they repeat it.

I think 'Hoppipolla' has gone on the list of sogns I want played at my funeral.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I would be very, very surprised if it weren't repeated on 4 and subsequently on 2.

JLo - concur. Mediocre looker, actress and singer who is somehow rated highly in all three fields. A great puzzle to me.

I'm not to be had for the price of a cocktail and some nuts

[perfectlyvague.livejournal.com]

When HAVEN'T I gone on about All About Eve? I live my life by Bette Davis' spit-your-drink-out-they're-so-dry one-liners!

Because he is an actor, he will continue speaking for some time.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's entirely possible that you've been quoting it all along and I never realised.

[shewho.livejournal.com]

we're off to the seaside tonight, so no. i keep forgetting to check out the row on the sb board.

[perfectlyvague.livejournal.com]

Some of us have no home internet and an SB site embargo - heavens I miss all the fun.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

You're really better off that way.

[perfectlyvague.livejournal.com]

As for SB, I shall give the Saturday format a go (lack of time to dress up properly and dreadful Friday desire to drink everything after a hard day at work has made the current arrangements difficult to live with) it also means that we are more likely to have fresh blood from out of town attending which might swell our crowd a bit...

[diamond-geyser.livejournal.com]

re: Charlie Brooker

Yes! Yes! Exactly! The thing with the coathangers! I came home and cackled for a full half hour, thankyou kindly BBC4...

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Now how's this for odd - at the other end of my journey, I discovered the friend who organised the tickets has just moved to your neck of the woods!

But yes, as a judgmental nincompoop who almost exactly shares Brooker's TV tastes, it was pretty much made for me.

[setting-sun.livejournal.com]

The Charlie Brooker show was as splendid as I expected it to be. His bit on Jeremy Kyle was absolutely marvellous, and his turn of phrase borders on the spectacular. Must try and catch The Wire one day.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

The Kyle material was among the stuff he was recycling from his column, but so what? It became twice as funny with the illustrative clips. And the turn of phrase...you can see why Chris Morris works with him, can't you? They have that same grasp of language which would make them hilarious even if they weren't also master satirists in spirit.

Of his recommended shows, The Wire is the only one I've never seen, but if time and money were no obstacle I'd buy the DVDs right now.

[alexdecampi.livejournal.com]

Jaysus, was Schell STILL dropping lines when you saw it? I saw it on the 16th, and he had to be prompted THREE TIMES for the same line. I could hear it all the way back in Row K. And Fox just let him swing - didn't improv him out, or backfeed him a line. Fox, you b1tch.

I thought RES was a piece of shit, frankly. I have little patience for Miller - as schoolchildren, we have SALESMAN and (gukhh) CRUCIBLE shoved down our throats too young. Altman can't direct stage for toffee, and I am rapidly losing my ability to give him the benefit of the doubt AGAIN. God, it was so overdone and stagey! Neve Campbell's first monologue - talk about "not waving but drowning" - she was making hand motions and throwing lines around and the poor girl had NO idea what her motivations were. She was just saying stuff. And, oi, Matthew Modine: NO.

On the other hand, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF is syuuuuperb, and Bill Irwin is my new hero. I always had a mad pash for Albee - who else can take four actors and one setting and make something so visceral, funny, and heartbreaking for two hours? It just shows how much a good writer can do with very little. Plus, Kathleen Turner in "born to play boozy, domineering middle-aged terror" shocker!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Fox was having enough problems of his own, so far as I could tell. He seemed to remember his lines, but his emphasis was all shot - though to be frank, with some of them I just don't think they were ready to be spoken aloud yet. I initially thought that Schell's fumbles were in character - like when his gun didn't go off. Turns out that was another cock-up.

And yes, Neve at the beginning...until she came back for the final act, I was genuinely puzzled why they'd even bothered getting her in.

Altman...I've enjoyed some of his films, The Player most, but he's not someone where I'd go and see a new film just because it's him - and even when I do like the cast he sometimes doesn't grab me, as with Gosford Park.

I think getting people into Miller too young is a problem over here, too, but I was lucky enough not to go anywhere near Miller (or Albee) 'til sixth form, when I was in a state to appreciate them, and have since been a big fan of both.