Sheridan has called for a cultural shift to recognise irrigators who are chosing to walk off the land during this irrigation drought.

"It would be best to acknowledge that growers who decide to sell their water are making a very noble decision to exit the industry right now, it should not be seen that you've failed and are copping out," she said.

"The irrigators that decide to exit would be doing their neighbours and the river such a huge favour and they should be on the front page of the newspaper."

Sheridan has said that irrigators, who can currently access just 2% of their Murray River allocation, need to decide now if they are going to ride out another season and has advised growers to talk to their neighbours and bank managers about their future.

She has also encouraged growers to develop a flexible water budget now, so that they can concentrate fully on just growing their fruit during the season.

Sheridan will offer practical advice to winegrape growers at Some Like It Hot - the wine industry's premier wine conference for warm climate regions, to be held at the Chaffey Theatre in Renmark on November 6.

Registrations for Some Like It Hot will open next week.

Yesterday Liza likened her and I to "good cop, bad cop" on this site...guess which one I am.  My new annoyance of the day- yoga studios that call you to remind you to come back to the studio.  Like I need yoga telemarketers...  YogaWorks did it today at 4:30 while I was at work.  Unnecessary!  Enough said.

On a more positive note!

I have a weird thing for Irish music (which all started with my dad seeing Riverdance, a subsequent roadtrip through Ireland, and me, the little blond Jewish girl enrolling in Irish dance classes).  Isauro played some great Irish music in class this morning (Some Like it Hot), which I majorly dug.  2 points Isauro.

-Britt

Uh...I feel bad doing this, because I feel that I keep bashing yoga instructors, but- eh, I'm doing it.

This Saturday morning I went up to Some Like It Hot for their 11:45 vinyasa class that I usually go to. Isauro Fernandez, who usually teaches this class, was not there, and his substitute was the studio's owner, Yola Romeo. I was a little bummed, because I was excited to just sweat and move, which is always guaranteed with Isauro, but went into class with an open mind.

We started in frog pose (for those of you who have been wondering, I nixed the 30 day frog pose challenge- I decided pain sucks). I must mention 2 things a) I'm a runner and b) I have this mysterious hip/back injury that acts up from time to time and makes me writhe in excruciating pain. To start a class in frog is my hell and to hold it for 5+ minutes is essentially the worse layer of Dante's Inferno multiplied by 347 gajillion. But- open mind, I threw my ass up in the air and sank into my iron-clad, locked hips. Yola, noticing my hips were no where near touching the ground, came over to me and told me to move my hips wider. "They don't go wider," I gasped through my tears of pain. "I'm looking at your body and they do go wider, " she told me. Oh sage and all-knowing Yola...thank you for your words or wisdom. Believe me, they didn't go wider. She brought us through a series of poses (no flow) and corrected us, which was actually nice. I don't love pain-stakingly long explanation of poses, but every once in a while (even if it isn't by choice), its a good thing to do. And don't get me wrong- this was hard and I felt it the next day. As much as I like to move in yoga, I realize that holding postures longer can be great and strength building. So all was well. Until lizard pose.

As you can see, this is a difficult pose for people with tight hips. I for one, cannot put my arms down flat like this nice lady above- my arms are straight in this pose. Yola would not have this. I told her I had a hip injury. My injury is somewhat complicated, no one really knows what it is and I've had the problem for years. But I didn't feel the need to explain the logistics in front of the entire class- I know what is right for my body. But she continued to press me about it and came to her own conclusion about what my problem was in 20 seconds after years of doctors checking me out. For the rest of class, she kept on me constantly, telling me to lift my shirt in front of the mirror, that I was doing postures incorrectly, etc, etc. And with this majorly, self-righteous attitutude. Just what I wanted on a hot Saturday morning.

There was 1 guy in class, who Yola yoga-molested for the entire hour and a half. She laid on top of him, held his pelvis, and caressed his legs non-stop. At one point, while she was "adjusting" him, a woman in the back of class yelled out, "can we switch poses yet?" Yola had left us in some pose for an inordinate amount of time while she got her freak on.

Her speech at the end of class bordered on insanity...she talked about one thing, then another, none of which had any relation about it each other. She even mentioned at one point that there were a lot of people who came to her studio that had a lot of money and they were certainly not happy people. As if that is necessarily related... Though my mind may have not been all that open, hers was most definitely not and made for a VERY unpleasant class.

-Britt

Craig Russell as...Judy! Judy! Judy!

The lure of late-night theatrics at the Insomniac Cinema at the Regency Theatre inspired me to snap up a couple of tickets for the transgender road-trip feature - "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".

As Terrence Stamp and Guy Pearce camped it up on the screen in full drag, I was inclined to harken back to the old days when the "art" of cross-dressing was just blooming in secret out-of-the-way nightclubs in downtown Vancouver (B.C.) in the seventies.

One day, I was strolling along Granville Street (I was about 18) when a glamorous statuesque blond sashayed up and gave me a peck on the cheek. Huh?

"So, who 'ya been doin," the sexy siren joked.

When I stared at her with a puzzled expression on my face - say what? - she was quick on the uptake.

"Remember the blond kid that you used to say hi to on Yonge Street?"

My eyes just about popped out of my head.

"I crossed over," she cackled.

Yup, that was my first encounter with a female impersonator, that I know of!

Shortly after trekking out to the West Coast from the big-city environs of Toronto (known as Hog Town, to locals; I wonder why?) my acquaintance from T.O. started dressing up in women's clothing - and proceeded to promptly crown herself with the glorious stage name - Sandy St. Peters!

In about ten seconds flat, Ms. Peters was wowing the showbiz world with her uncanny, bang-on impersonations of Peggy Lee, Carol Channing, and Tammy Faye - to name a few.

Although Sandy was born in Germany, she grew up in Calgary for some inexplicable reason. Who knew a town brimming full of cowboys wrestling cows could conjure up such a dazzling gem?

For a brief time, Ms. Peters gravitated to Toronto (where she met moi!) but later felt quite at home on the comfy West Coast where she was well-received.

In fact, Sandy was crowned "Empress" by the Gay Community in 1973.

Later, Ms. Peters hit the road and toured western Canada with a sold-out show - the "Illusion Factor" - until November of 1983. In her wake, she left a trail of admiring fans.

Although the illness which caused her death was not related to an AIDS condition, and she allegedly remained uninfected, Ms. Peters dedicated herself to the cause nonetheless. Like the real showbiz pro that she was, Sandy co-organized and performed at the first AIDS benefit in Canada in 1981 - and in the process - helped raise over $10,000 at a time when the bucks were crucially needed.

As I penned this piece on her (and prepared to "paste" a photograph with the post) a shiver ran up and down my spine. Uh-huh, the grand lady is ever-present, in spirit, at least.

Of course, there was another giant on the female impersonator scene in those "heady" days of the pioneer drags.

Craig Russell!

Russell was President of the "Mae West Fan Club" when he was a teenager - and the experience, without doubt - influenced his ideas about persona for years to come.

By 1971, he was topping the bill in Toronto gay clubs, as a lusty female impersonator with a burgeoning International following.

I caught him perform at the Manitee, a boy-toy hot spot, back in his glory days in Toronto.

Craig starred in the feature film - "Outrageous" (1977) - which catapulted him to stardom and recognition in the mainstream; something that eluded many "drags" prior to the advent of shows like "La Cage aux Folles".

The film was one of the first North American features with a gay theme to receive widespread distribution. In it, Russell played Robin Turner, a gay hairdresser who wanted to be a drag queen.

Craig's signature style was to speak and sing in the voices of the celebrities he was impersonating, which included the likes of...Carol Channing, Bette Davis, Mae West, Peggy Lee, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Midler, Anita Bryant, and Judy Garland.

One day at Studio One in West Hollywood, I passed Craig in the hall on the way to the back room, and shouted across the heads of the crowd,

"Heh, Craig! I'm from Scarberia, too."

That was the affectionate name given the suburb of Scarborough by the kids who managed to escape its lethal grasp.

He rolled his eyes and shouted back, "Good to see 'ya, dahlink!"

Unfortunately, shortly after that, he was appearing on a popular American talk show when he suffered an emotional breakdown. The show's producers had to cut to commercial break for a moment (if I recall correctly) so Mr. Russell could collect himself.

At the peak of his success, Russell was unable to cope with the pressures of fame. In fact, substance abuse and psychological problems increasingly affected his performances - so much so - that his career faltered.

In 1990, at the young age of 42, he passed away in Toronto of a stroke as a result of alleged excesses.

In recalling his gift, some noted how overwhelming it was to hear him go from an impression of Carol Channing in "Hello Dolly" one moment, into a gravelly-voiced Louie Armstrong timbre, the next.

Some claimed that if an audience closed their eyes when he "did" Connie Francis, they'd swear afterward it was the legendary singer who performed on stage that night.

But, Craig could be a hoot, too.

One impression that often whipped up audiences into a frenzy in the late 1970s was his rendition of Anita Bryant singing an old-time favorite - "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

In sum, Russell's satirical impersonation of the anti-gay crusader established to many - an astute political awareness and commitment on his part - which stood him apart in the early years of the Gay Civil Rights movement.

In the final analysis, it was tough for Craig Russell to inhabit the skin of a "female impersonator" twenty-four hours a day, in the glare of the International spotlight.

Yeah, I expect it's tough being a drag Queen!

Maybe there is an identity crisis that goes along with the territory.

Which reminds me of one of the most embarrassing experiences of my entire adult life!

Back in the old days, when bottle clubs - like the infamous "Faces" - were prevalent in Vancouver, I used to bump into this tall exotic woman with a flair for dressing in a chic flamboyant way.

One day, I spied her on the nude beach (Wreck Beach at the University of B.C.) and was quite stunned by her exquisite perfectly-shaped breasts.

But, a little voice inside of me whispered for some unknown reason,

"That's a man, a sex change."

After kibitzing a bit with "her" for weeks at "Faces", I finally got up the gumption - prompted no doubt by a couple of strong whiskies in my gut - to lean over and jokingly chide,

"So, are you a real woman?"

Well, I was flabbergasted by her response, to say the least!

Without skipping a beat, she suddenly pulled up her dress (I understand from onlookers that she wasn't wearing any panties) and shouted at me,

"Look, I have a pussy!"

Everyone in the room stared at her crotch in shock, while I looked away in embarrassment, in desperate search of a quick exit.

I wanted to fall through the dance floor!

Fortunately, a friend standing nearby, retorted on my behalf,

"Well, if you're a lady, then why don't you act like one?"

Ah, that was the crux of it, really.

The young beauty just recently had a sex change operation. And, although her body had been transformed into the feminine ideal, she was still thinking like a man!

Her desperate need to prove herself was a typical male response.

In contrast, a woman might have teased,

"Well, if you don't know now honey, you never will."

Or, something confident, witty, or clever like that.

The psychological "stuffing" is the key, I guess.

Sandy St. Peters was well-adjusted, and sure-of-herself, both onstage and off.

A class act!

On the other hand, Craig Russell needed to exorcise a couple of ghosts from his past.

Dame Edna?

Well, she's a different silk stocking, altogether.

Catch her act, if you can!

Dame Edna...hails from down under!

Craig Russell...awash with rapt fans!

Ca faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas mis ce blog à jour, mais vu que j'ai 2 bonnes heures de libre (temps de pose de la superbe coloration au henné que je suis en train de me faire tout en écoutant les Seo Taiji & boys^^) je m'y colle.

Sujet de l'article : I Like It Hot
film coréen
Année : 2008
Réalisateur : Kwon Chil In
Cast : Kim Sung Soo (Seug Won), Lee Mi Suk (Young Mi), Ahn So Hee Kang Ae fille de Young Mi), Kim Min-Hee (Ah Mi), Kim Sung Soo

Tout d'abord je tiens à préciser qu'il ne s'agit en aucun cas d'un film de cul malgré le titre (on m'a déjà posé la question) Il ne s'agit même pas d'un film hot, même si l'affiche vient surenchérir sur le coté sexy du film. Mais ce n'est pas ce qui m'a attiré donc tant mieux. La présence de la Wondergirl qui m'agace le plus (Ahn So Hee) et celle du sexy Kim Sung Soo (Yoo Min hyuk dans Full House) ne m'ont pas non plus fait flasher.

Ce qui m'a attiré c'est la phrase qui tient lieu de synopsis "Il y a trois choses qu'une femme ne doit jamais révéler : ses infidélités, ses rides et ce à quoi elle pense réellement." Tout un programme n'est ce pas ?

Pourtant... Je suis resté sur ma faim ce film est incomplet il développe longuement la vie de la looseuse principale qui a la fin du film n'a pas avancé d'un pouce selon moi, à part bien sur sa coupe de cheveux je ne vois pas en quoi elle a changé à la fin c'est toujours une pro de la loose.
Par contre le rôle de la wondergirl aurait pu être beaucoup plus intéressant ainsi que celui de Lee Mi Suk qui joue sa mère, l'une découvre sa sexualité et l'autre se bat contre le temps qui passe après l'annonce de sa ménopause prématurée; il y a de la matière a développer quand même ! D'ailleurs la petite So Hee se débrouille très bien (elle m'agace toujours mais j'avoue qu'elle a assuré mieux que je ne l'aurais cru) malheureusement, elle n'a pas pu donner tout ce qu'elle avait (j'aurais voulu du drame et du pathos dans les moments de doute au lieu de cela c'est plat :( )
Le réalisateur a préféré se raccrocher au rôle d'Ah Mi certainement plus facile à développer... En plus j'aime pas la tête de Kim Min Hee, elle est trop... fausse.
De plus l'affiche, comme le trailer, laisse entendre qu'il y a une ambiance très "fraternelle" avec beaucoup de connivence entre les trois femmes, ce qui aurait été parfait si ça avait été vrai. Mention spéciale pour le son du trailer "Hot Deugga" de 1Tym qui ne correspond pas à l'ambiance du film XD

Ca n'en a pas l'air mais j'ai beaucoup aimé ce film ^^ Il manque de profondeur mais il reste très agréable a regarder , vu les thèmes abordé il aurait pu être soit très vulgaire soit très ennuyeux, loin de là le film conserve toujours une note d'humour et ne traîne pas en longueur. Comme vous avez du le comprendre j'ai beaucoup aimé les rôles "secondaires" sans eux le film coulait c'est certain. J'aime particulièrement le personnage froid et distant de Lee Mi Suk, elle se croit tellement forte, alors qu'en fait elle se révèle être la plus fragile des trois.

En gros : Film marrant et intéressant qui est resté inachevé. Et de la publicité mensongère inutile. Après tout ce film est bien malgré tout, pourquoi exagérer à ce point ?

Don't know what to watch?  Have no fear!  West Palm Beach Public Library has a huge collection of DVDs, including many selections from the American Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Movies,"  which includes the best of the best across all genres.  You can take them home for seven days, and there's no cost!

Want something lighthearted and musical?  Pick up Singin' in the Rain (#5), The Wizard of Oz (#10), or Some Like It Hot (#22).

Perhaps you're in the mood for an epic.  Lawrence of Arabia (#7), Spartacus (#81), and Ben-Hur (#100) all made the list.

Maybe you'd like to pull the blinds, turn off the lights, and watch something scary.  Try Vertigo (#9), Psycho (#14), Rear Window (#48), Jaws (#56), The Silence of the Lambs (#74), or The Sixth Sense (#89).

Dramas like Citizen Kane (#1), The Godfather (#2), Casablanca (#3), Apocalypse Now (#30), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (#33), make up a large portion of the list, but several comedies are included, such as Annie Hall (#35), Tootsie (#69), and Toy Story (#99).

Science fiction fans might want to check out Star Wars (#13), 2001: A Space Odyssey (#15), E. T. The Extraterrestrial (#24), or Blade Runner (#97).

Some of my personal favorites from the list are All About Eve (#28), Cabaret (#63), Raiders of the Lost Ark (#66), The Shawshank Redemption (#72), Forrest Gump (#76), and Sophie's Choice (#91).

Still not sure what to watch?  Check out another "best of" list, then either search our online catalog, or ask a reference librarian if we have it in our collection.

• The Internet Movie Database's (IMDb) Top 250 Movies
• Best of Rotten Tomatoes
• The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made - The New York Times
• The Best 100 Movies Ever Made - Movieline Magazine
• The Best Reviewed Movies of 2000-2007 - Metacritic
• The Complete List: All-time 100 Movies - Time Magazine
• The Official Academy Awards Database

Do you have a favorite movie that helps you forget about the heat?  Let us know what it is.  If we don't have it in our collection, tell us why we should consider purchasing it.

If you want to get out of the house for a free movie, join us for iCINEMA: Independent and International Films @ Your Library, on July 20 and August 17, from 2 to 3:30 PM.

**Britta**

Mai mult decat doar o alta bomba sexy, cu un talent comic adesea subapreciat, cu un farmec aparte pe ecran si mai ales in fotografii, puterea de seductie exercitata de aceasta nu a fost inca egalata de nici o alta diva.

Pentru fane recomand DVD cadou Some Like It Hot / Unora le place jazz-ul una dintre cele mai bune comedii ale lui Marilyn, film premiat cu un Oscar si nominalizat la alte 5 (nota 8.4 pe imdb).

Disponibil la mymovie.ro

Pret 29.9 RON

The hotel has undergone many changes in the past decade, including a $57 million renovation.  Ironically I preferred the hotel in its pre-renovation days, as many of the original areas of the Del are now gone.  When I was a little girl, the original men's cigar room was still intact, but it was gutted a few years ago and is now a restaurant.  The lobby piano bar was a favorite of my parents, but it was recently turned into a gift shop.  The hotel's original dining room, the Crown Room, used to be a magnificent 156 foot long restaurant with 30 foot high arched ceilings made entirely of Oregon Sugar Pine, but it is no longer open to the public and is now only used for special events.  My parents actually threw me a surprise 21st birthday party in the Crown Room, so it holds a special place in my heart.  While the hotel truly is still a magical place, sadly it was much more enchanting in years past. 

Hotel Del is now and has always been a celebrity mecca.  Hundreds of celebrities, dignitaries, authors, and almost every single American president of the past 20 years have all been guests of the hotel.  Thomas Edison, George Burns, Harry Truman, Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra all stayed at the Del at one time or another.  L. Frank Baum, who lived on Coronado, was a frequent guest of the hotel, and it is rumored that the Del was his inspiration for Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz.  He also designed the crown chandeliers that still hang to this day in the Crown Room. 

Countless TV and movie productions have been filmed at the Del - including My Blue Heaven, K-9, Mr. Wrong, The Stunt Man, The Married Virgin, Simon & Simon, Ghosts of California, Baywatch  and, of course, the 1959 Marilyn Monroe classic Some Like It Hot, where it was used extensively as a Miami resort.  Interestingly enough, Billy Wilder chose to shoot Some Like It Hot  at the Del because at the time the hotel was in an economic decline so the owners let him film there for minimal costs.  He also wanted to shoot at a place where Marilyn Monroe could stay on location - due to her numerous on-set antics, he did not want to take the risk of her not showing up to the set due to transporation problems.  The picture to left is of the stage where Marilyn and "the girls" performed their concert in Miami.  Also, the book Bid Time Return, on which the 1980 movie Somewhere In Time  was based, was written about Hotel Del Coronado.  However, producers chose to use the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan for the filming of the movie.

Movie memorabilia and photographs used to line the Del's long hallways and as a little girl I would walk the corridors looking at all of the old time movie photographs, completely mesmerized.  At the time, being at the Del was the closest I ever got to being on a movie set.  Today, the memorabilia has been moved to the Coronado Museum of History and Art, just down the street from the Del.  For a $4 admission fee, you can enter the museum and learn the history of the island and the hotel.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  :)

Stalk It: Hotel Del Coronado is located at 1500 Orange Avenue on Coronado Island in San Diego.  You can visit the hotel's website to book a room here.  While at the hotel, be sure to visit the Est. 1888 gift shop - they sell photos and souvenirs from the many movies filmed at the Del.  The Coronado Museum of History and Art is located at 1100 Orange Avenue.  They are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm.  You can visit their website here.

Though Some Like It Hot is often regarded as simply “the greatest American comedy of all-time” (AFI – which should be taken with a gigantic grain of salt) or a Marilyn Monroe sort-of-skin-flick, it turns out that it really is a great film. (If someone else had said so – say, the BFI – then we might not have hesitated at the claim.)

Throughout the film there is a remarkably adept use of deep-focus photography by Billy Wilder and whomever he hired to shoot the film. The first scene perfectly sets the tone, theme, and style of the rest of the film. By having the gangsters pose as pallbearers accompanying the casket of a beloved friend in a hearse, the audience immediately believes in a certain situation that is momentarily to be proved quite false. Once another car emerges from the edge of Wilder’s camera behind the hearse, so also does emerge the hint that we have been momentarily misled. A gunfight ensues, leading the pallbearers to pull machine guns out and begin firing back. In the gunfire, the casket is pierced and liquid pours out. As if to confirm our suspicion – and to assure us that the liquid isn’t anything too grotesque – a gangster opens the casket to reveal booze; lots of booze. Enter the subtitle: “Chicago, 1929”.

The perfectly symmetrical shots from inside the car contain the entire interior of the vehicle and extend our view through the windshield (or back window, as the case may be), giving the viewer a clear field of sight and capturing all of the action relevant to the scene. Initial shock on the viewer’s part is replaced by suspense, which is followed by comedy. All three elements are crucial to the rest of the film, and each element in this scene only hints at the more expanded manifestations in the story to come. Incidentally, this opening scene is also (almost?) completely without dialogue, wonderfully exploiting the potential of camera and mis-en-scene as well as doing homage to silent film, typical of Wilder.

The opening scene also alerts the audience to the theme of “things-are-not-as-they-seem.” Lemmon and Curtis’ romp as a couple of musical dames forms the central predicament of the film. They become the deceivers, taking the place of the gangsters of the opening scene. The deceived become said gangsters, along with the rest of the diegetic world, corresponding to the deceived audience of the opening sequence. The audience, who was gradually let in on the joke of the opening scene, is now in on the joke of the transvestite men from the beginning. In the beginning, then, Wilder explicitly distinguishes the film as it is (comedy) from what it could have been (mystery/suspense). He simply does this by allowing the audience to know the protagonists before they embark on a spree of deception. And granted, the premise is a bit more worthy of comedy than mystery.

Things aren't as they seem.

Similarly, shortly into the film we see a funeral home which is a front for a bar, where our heroes work as musicians. An undercover federal agent sits casually at a table until the timed bust. The bar’s unknowing patrons even order scotch using the word “coffee,” bringing the film’s deception to a semiotic level. This “it-isn’t-what-it-appears” theme is prevalent throughout the film, as even the supporting and seemingly superfluous details complement the theme as it is in the main plot.

Insofar as the above can be described as “irony,” it is shown us again in the film’s main characters. Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are introduced to us with two immediately revelations: (1) they play instruments in a band and (2) they are desirous of attractive females, not above letting their eyes wander to the nearest pair of clean-shaven legs. This example and other comments by the secretaries at the musicians’ talent agency foreshadow the coming gender-reversals by reminding the viewers of the obvious: these are two men, and not just men, but men shamelessly and wholeheartedly devoted to the chase of beautiful women.

Before they begin their transformation, Joe and Jerry are mistaken for something they are not: gangsters or feds. In the same scene, the gangsters holding the men hostage brutally murder rival gangsters. The massacre is quite brutal for a film of this sort, apparently serving to remind the viewer that even though this is a comedy, something big is at stake, which just might warrant the sort of actions that Lemmon and Curtis’ characters would otherwise utterly refuse to do.

The first shot of the guys in drag focuses on their legs, connecting them with their opening scene when they admired the legs of a nearby woman. Their fixed gaze on “Sugar Cane’s” (Marilyn Monroe’s) backside (“like jello on springs”) sweetens the irony. When Suger and Joe are in the bathroom talking together, she begins to look straight at the camera as everything about her hypnotizes Joe (and therefore many of the viewers). The short scenes on the train are framed by brief exterior shots of the locomotive, connecting the revved engine with the fast-boiling blood of our main characters.

Shot composition equivocating Monroe with a bouquet; a balancing effect.

Later, Joe steers a boat backwards to comic effect, a detail which again emphasizes the backwardness of the film and its characters. On a final note, one of the funnier lines came from Jack Lemmon after Tony Curtis begins giving what the rest of us know is a pretty good Cary Grant impression: “Nobody talks like that.”

Nice legs.

This post is long overdue...it should have been the first thing I ever put up on this blog. I've been to many, many studios in New York and have found that there aren't a whole lot of classes that I like. Initially I was turned off by Some Like it Hot, for 2 reasons- its on the Upper East Side (I live in the West Village) and its expensive.  A drop in single class is $25. But eventually I made it over there and found my little yoga utopia.  First of all, there isn't a bad teacher on the schedule- I prefer a few, but I have never taken class there that hasn't been challenging.  Secondly, they play music! And not just Krishna Das (who I love...but not all the time), but modern music. The studio is also has a sort of hippy arts and crafts vibe- there are yoga-ish murals on the walls and a shrine set up in the front of the room. There are also big windows which let in great light- something that I have always appreciated. And when you get down to it, the classes are much cheaper when you buy a series, plus they give you towels for free (many NY studios do not), and clean and store your mat.

The room is hot and temperature definitely varies depending on the teacher. Generally the classes are a good flow, they usually include some type of inversion practice, and a limited amount of stretching. They aren't super focused on form, which I guess isn't great if you are a beginner, but for those who have a solid practice, its a nice change to not have to constantly listen to explanations of poses. There are 3 teachers that I really like, although as I said before, there isn't a bad teacher there. Kristi Clark is a total rockstar- she teaches a hard class and has an amazing practice. She is light hearted, but knowledgeable and always puts together a great flow. Isauro Fernandez is also great- although be warned, he has his own style that takes a little getting used to. He assimilates martial arts into some of his poses and borrows certain breathing techniques, which I found to be a little harsh when I first starting taking with him. He also has the tendency to play some bad 80s/90s music, but he usually makes up for it with some really eclectic and cool world music. His classes are challenging though and I think he has a very sweet demeanor about him so his classes are definitely worth a try. Lastly Erica Gross is also great. She's the kind of girl you would be happy to go to brunch with, but in fact, has a strong Baptiste background and is always pushing the limits with new things she has learned.

Some Like It Hot's owner Yola and her dog Romeo are often at the studio and offer a sense of community and caring that is lost at many New York studios. Yola makes it a point to introduce herself to new students and really interact with the regulars. Some Like it Hot also offers classes at many different times, another downfall for most New York studios. And for all of you who work late like me, there is a 9pm class that is both challenging and relaxing!

-Britt

Some Like It Hot (1959)

On the 23rd of April I attended a screening of Some Like It Hot. The film was as funny and sharp as I remembered it, perfectly paced and performed amidst its rich narrative, effortlessly shifting from authentic gangster picture to masterful comedy.

On this occasion all eyes were on the performance of Tony Curtis, and the closer you watched him - particularly his Cary Grant impression as a millionaire oil tycoon - the more convinced you became of his skillful comic timing. In essence he played it straight against Jack Lemmon’s more explicitly comic performance (broad gestures and faces). Indeed, Curtis hardly smiles throughout the whole film.

The atmosphere of the gangster opening is so convincing that if it had continued as a gangster movie I'm sure it would have ended up as a classic of the genre. Of course director Billy Wilder dominated such a variety of genres with films such as The Lost Weekend (1945), Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), and he could have clearly made a killer gangster film if he had wanted to.

He certainly had a love for the gangster films of the 30s, as is evident in the knowing casting of Pat O’Brian as the police chief - who had starred alongside Cagney in 1930s films such as Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) - and also George Raft as the mob boss Spats, an actor made famous by one of the templates of the genre, Scarface (1932). In that film Raft famously flipped a coin menacingly; in Some Like It Hot he comes across a young guy in the hotel lobby flipping a coin and he asks, ‘Where did you learn that cheap trick?’

The chemistry between Lemmon and Curtis is so natural, and Marilyn sparkles. She had an acute understanding of how to use her face, body and voice to induce a sex appeal that seductively permeated through the screen; men certainly connected with it. And no more than in this film in which she drapes herself over Tony Curtis’s duplicitous character, kissing him with a soft and delicate passion, and is found on stage singing ‘I Want To Be Loved By You’, punctuating her lines with an enticing vocal shrill.

Tony Curtis On Stage

After the movie ended there was excitement. We were offered two scenes from other films, one from The Defiant Ones (1958) and the other from The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) (bottom). The crowd stirred, talked loudly, and when it was announced that the evening’s guest was on the way the audience held their breath. He was emerging from the door by the stage when the spotlight hit him and the room erupted instantly into applause that quickly transformed into a standing ovation.

It is certainly a unique experience watching a young man on-screen, as vivid and alive as if he were in the room, and then to be confronted by the very same man, now older, and in that same room. For a moment it was difficult to connect the two images of Tony Curtis. One was boyish, handsome, with his trademark thick black hair; the other was an old man who moved slowly, who no longer had any.

But it was the moment he began to speak that the two images came together. He was a very articulate speaker who was also fresh, funny and enthusiastic, and he did not need a cue from the interviewer to speak. He was more than happy to reminisce freely about the movie stars he worked with, and about his memories and experiences, all in his famous husky New York accent.

Marilyn

He talked a lot about Marilyn Monroe, about how he knew her around 1950 and was her lover for three years. He recalled how he picked her up and drove her through Hollywood in his open-top car, adjusting the rear-view mirror so that he could see the red-haired Marilyn in the backseat. They were essentially each other’s first love, and he talked of the thrill of discovering women for the first time through Marilyn. A love affair with Marilyn Monroe is now an almost abstract concept, but it was a very real one for Tony Curtis. 

He described the first time he and Marilyn spent the night together. He had taken her to a friend’s beach-side house where the waves were constantly lapping and he cooked her steak on the outdoor grill. She didn’t say a word about the sand on her steak, and neither did he. He paused the flow of his story, almost sidetracked by a far more powerful and succinct thought. All he said was, ‘I loved making love to Marilyn.’ This received a round of applause from an audience who almost did not know how to comprehend such a blunt yet powerful statement. The applause was triggered by the thrill of hearing that line coming from someone who could say it and mean it, but it soon transformed into a kind of congratulations on the audience’s part, as if to say, ‘Well done.’

Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Cary Grant

He was asked about his mentors and contemporaries Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. He spoke affectionately of Lancaster and how he brought his powerful real-life personality to his on-screen roles. He was asked about Douglas, but also how it was to work with Stanley Kubrick. ‘Kirk Douglas is tough,’ said Curtis, ‘but Stanley Kubrick was tougher.’ He really meant it when he told us that Kubrick really made them work hard on Spartacus (1960).

Cary Grant was his idol. He had watched his movies as a young man and observed the way he moved and spoke, how he handled props and especially how he handed women. In later life Curtis had the chance of working with him and he was very aware of the circle that his life had taken around Cary Grant. At 16 he had headed into war on a submarine. He said he did so because of Destination Tokyo (1943), the Cary Grant submarine movie. He used to sit on the submarine and imagine Cary Grant coming around the corner. Then when time went by and he ended up in the submarine movie Operation Petticoat (1959) (below) Cary Grant actually did come around the corner. 

Cary Grant was very supportive of him when he began in movies; Curtis took down a poster of Cary Grant off the wall outside a cinema and took it to Cary Grant to sign. In recalling the supportive message that Grant wrote for him Curtis was clearly moved, having to pause his story for a brief moment.

It was entirely Curtis’s idea to imitate Cary Grant in Some Like It Hot, and it was only something that they began working with very close to shooting, if not on the set itself. Curtis was happy to repeat his Cary Grant impression for the audience, who were naturally thrilled. When Billy Wilder screened the film for Cary Grant his verdict was: 'No-body-talks-like-that!'

Elvis and Sinatra

Curtis was asked about Elvis, who had modeled his famous hairstyle on Curtis’s. He recalled how when walking through the studio lot one day Elvis suddenly pulled him into his trailer. The ‘boy’ talked excitedly:

Elvis: I just want you to know how much of a fan I am of yours, Mr. Curtis.
Tony: Don’t call me Mr. Curtis.
Elvis: What should I call you, then?
Tony: Just Tony.’ (pause) What should I call you?
Elvis: Mr. Presley.

It sounded like they were good friends and that they enjoyed each other’s company. Curtis added that they would ‘share’ girls, though did not clarify what this actually meant.

Curtis revealed that Frank Sinatra had the greatest music system money could buy - ‘Well he should, he’s Frank Sinatra’, he added, and that music would play all day at Sinatra’s place. Except it was Sinatra’s own records that would play. Even when with a woman he would continue to play his own music. Curtis relayed how Sinatra then once asked a lover, ‘So, how was it?’ She replied: ‘Well, the music was good.’

Universal, leading ladies, and some very good advice

Curtis painted a really vivid portrait of how it was to work during the 50s in Hollywood, mentioning an early role as a bellboy on a Barbara Stanwyck movie. Although it was a one-scene, one-line role, the director gave him advice that would stick with him throughout his career. Talking of the bellboy character who was to hand Barbara Stanwyck a letter, the director confided: ‘All you want is a tip.’ When Curtis entered the hotel room he had all the motivation he needed to give a really authentic performance.

Curtis revealed something that was very interesting to me: Universal was inferior to the other studios, and was perceived so by the industry and by those actually working in Universal pictures. They did not have a powerful head like the other studios and they produced movies cheaply for a quick profit. Generally we do not see movies as the product of studios, nor do we categorise them by studio. But studios are probably more of a defining factor of a film’s look, feel and story than we think.

It was revealed that Curtis’s favourite film as a child was The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn. When asked who his favourite leading ladies were he named Janet Leigh right away (which received a round of applause); of course Curtis was once married to Leigh. 

He also mentioned Natalie Wood who he worked with on The Great Race (1965), a film in which he was re-teamed with Jack Lemmon. This turned about to be his favourite performance of all. He particularly loved the fencing sequence in which he swordfights with his shirt off, as well as the pie-throwing scene in which he did not get a single pie on his perfect white suit during filming (because of this they had to recreate the set and reshoot him being splattered individually).

He also gave us some really great advice: 'don't believe the stories you hear about the movies, make up your own minds'. Curtis told us how so much that has been written on Hollywood has been made up by writers and journalists. And he must know from experience and from what he has read about himself and his contemporaries. This is important advice for us all: question who is writing, for what purpose, and keep a critical mind, particularly with film history and criticism.

Tony Curtis was full of life. During the evening he had clearly loved making the audience laugh and effortlessly played off the rapport he had created with the audience. Funny, charismatic and very appreciative of the audience, it took him a while to leave due to the incredible power of the applause during the final standing ovation.

I admit to not being a huge movie snob and unlike a few of the aforementioned I don't think that "they don't make 'em like they used to" when it comes to comedies. Having said that, they really don't make comedies like Some Like It Hot these days. In an age of gross out comedies and all of those horrible spoof movies (Date Movie, Scary Movie, Epic Movie) this one is pure comedic gold. Comedy that is actually funny and not stupid humor. I don't know, maybe I am just getting old and jaded but holy crap I was rolling around the floor laughing at this one.

I had totally forgotten how great this movie was. The first time I saw it was in drama class in high school. No, I wasn't a drama dork, I just heard that there were always pretty girls in drama. Come to think of it I have to thank my teacher from that year. She was responsible for two of the very few things I really remember taking away from high school that I keep with me to this day. One was how to juggle, the other being a fan of Some Like It Hot.

We built an I Love Lucy mock Bedroom set, it was awesome. took apart a lot of school furniture and dragged it to the studio. We weren't technically suposed to do that...but we put it back...both school beds, all five of the bookcases and the sixteen milk cartons from behind the cafeteria. It was amazing.

Built up the wall, did the wallpapering (sort of cheated with that) lose the tree and that's the set. It was epic.

Today I had a twelve page research paper due, it was due on a director, I picked Billy Wilder, so I watched a lot of movies on Sunday and wrote the paper yesterday. ANYWAYS, time for MOVIES!!

Double Indemnity (1944): Film Noir, My very first Film Noir. It was AWESOME. Loved, just LOVED the lighting. Story was fantastic. Set during the Production Code era, so for anyone who knows what that means, you basically know the ending...I love Venetian blind lighting...it looks soo cool. Absolutely amazing.

Sunset Boulevard (1950): I am buying this movie. Blockbuster isn't getting it back. NEVER. I am going to keep it. That's how awesome this movie was. It's about a down on his luck writer in Hollywood who comes into contact with an old Silent Movie actress whose career is over. The writing is very much in the style of Film Noir, but they didn't light it that way. There are some fantastic lines in this movie, it's a fantastic movie.

Stalag 17 (1953): A War movie, WWII. Set in a POW camp, kinda like The Great Escape. Despite the very depressing surroundings, this movie is actually really funny. I feel like they did a great job making each of the characters an actual character with his own personality etc. I'm very tempted to buy this one too.

Sabrina (1954): An Audrey Hepburn movie, cute movie. Didn't feel that original, but it was done very well. Loved the intro, the way it unfolded, the lighting the costuming. All very good.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957): Honestly, I was a tad distracted watching this one, didn't pay full attention at the begining but DUDE the ending was EPIC. LOVED IT. I can't speak of it any more, it's a secret.

Some Like it Hot (1959): Marilyn Monroe, I have never seen a Marilyn Monroe picture before. I mean, I know who she is. I've just never seen something she has been in. This was very good. Lots of really fun predicaments and I said to myself, how the heck are they getting out of this? and it was funny, very funny.

[Scrubs] Season One (2001): Dude, yay for Scrubs. This show is awesome. I think the Janitor is almost my favorite character. It's like...Modern Day M*A*S*H soooo basically, it rules. Brendan Fraiser was in two episodes, thats fantastic, especially for a show in it's first season...someone has connections.

[Scrubs] Season Two (2002): Also great. Fun character development from Season one, yay for the Janitor again. He is still my favorite. Mostly, I was most excited about the development actually, looking forward to the next season.

Shaun of the Dead (2004): I've always loved this movie. Love LOVE LOVE the editing. This group always does an amazing job. Great dialouge, great everything.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951): One of the early early science fiction movies, it was very similar to the begining of War of the Worlds, but after they come out of the spaceship it's all different. Still a fun movie, I can see its influence in more recent movies.

Somelike it hot, Billy Wilder, 1959

Sunset Bvld, Billy Wilder, 1950

28. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)

I have long had a fascination with the macabre. The first thing I remember loving was hockey, and particularly old hockey players. I remember becoming obsessed with Terry Sawchuk when I was about 6. For those who don't know Sawchuk was the best goalie in NHL history, setting numerous records during his 20 year career(1950-1970). I admit it is unusual for a 6 year old to idolize someone who died 10 years before he was born, but I will elaborate. The thing I wanted to be most at the time was an NHL goalie which despite the handicap of not knowing how to skate was a dream that lingered until I discovered baseball at age 10. Sawchuk was the best, so I decided I wanted to be Terry Sawchuk. Moreso than his greatness though, the things I found compelling about him was his death at a young age, and the mysteriousness of it. Basically he died in 1970 while still active as an NHL player, after having an argument and fight with a teammate over back rent. Sawchuk fell into a BBQ pit and died of internal injuries. But when I was 6 I didn't know the whole story. The story I read was that he got in a fight and died in hospital. It didn't say what happened, so my imagination wandered, and I always wanted to know how he died. Even now with the full story his death still seems pretty bizarre.

When I was about 7 or so, I found out Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash. This knowledge lead me even further into my fascination with famous people dying. There were only so many hockey players who died young, so discovering whole other industries with numerous famous people dying young was a boon to me. This combined with my new first love of baseball provided me with new and increasing bizarre stories to learn. So my interest in how people died was in full bloom by about the age of 10.

One other event occurred around this time that crystallized my fascination with dead famous people(and eventually a fascination with scandal of all kinds): I witness a landmark in television history, the debut of "Hollywood Babylon". The show was a compilation of seedy Hollywood history shown in epic reenactments featuring the worst acting this side of my grade 10 drama class. It was also hosted by what I presume was a down on his luck Tony Curtis (who happens to be the star of this film). The show was usually made up of 3 ten minute segments each chronicling some shady event in Hollywood's history. I used to stay up late on the weekends to watch it, I think I even used to tape it.

The show covered famous incidents like James Dean's car accident and Marilyn Monroe (she's in this movie too) and her drug overdose. But it also had lesser-known stuff like Clara Bow ho-ing it up with the entire USC football team. Sadly I can make no reference to the film's other star Jack Lemmon as he was remarkably scandal free and suffered no career slumps that forced him to host poorly made cable TV shows about celebrity dirt.

The content was fascinating but what really made the show was the horrible re-enactments. I remember some greaser dude going all S&M on a James Dean with a cigarette. There was Sylvester Stallone beating Brigitte Nielsen all while explaining to her why she should take a part in "Beverly Hill Cop part 2". You had Frances Farmer getting a lobotomy or shock treatment. Bing Crosby beating his kids. Lana Turner's daughter shooting her mother's lover. It was all suicide, murder, sex, and drugs. It was all so sketchy and terrible that it was glorious. And life-changing. Here is clip about former Superman George Reeves 'suicide'(sadly the only clip of the show I could find):

Smell the class.

So even today I am interested in the shadiest things. Marty Bergen (a 19th century catcher who axed his wife and kids to death before slicing his own throat) and Johnny Ace (a popular R&B singer who offed himself backstage in a game of Russian roulette) still fascinate me. Ditto Sam Cooke (another popular singer who was shot to death while lurking outside a motel window) and Wallace Reid (a popular silent film actor who died of a drug overdose at the height of his fame). People who have been dead for almost 100 years still compel me.

On filmaffinity.com I gave the film a 9/10. Billy Wilder is amazing as both a writer and director. The film is legitimately hilarious, well-scripted, great performances, and a great showcase for Marilyn Monroe. She is really good in this film, and displays all the qualities that make her an icon even today.

But I've never let you down yet - so here are the best of the Photos from Thursday's 100% reading at Plug N Play and Saturday's 100% reading at 21 South Street.

I'm not a music critic and I generally stay away from commenting on the bands- But I 'd like to just say - The Noyze, One Dollar Peep Show, Hello Wembley - you are why I keep taking the photos - love all you guys so much!!!

Junkyard Scientist's, I loved it when you had the male lead vocal - very cool!

Lozza - without you there would have been no fabulous cd or 3 cracking gigs, so if you want to support the reading music scene, get out and purchase the double cd "100% reading" I think its a fiver for 36 tremendous tracks!! if you can't find it in the local stores ask http://www.myspace.com/100reading.

Regarding my piccies - I don't charge for their use currently, I do this for love of the scene - I do ask that you credit me when you use them, either by linking back to my blog or using my full name (adam ososki) or use the banner code on my myspace profile - www.myspace.com/adamreading - it seems that many of you are struggling to get the high quality 1200 res pics downloaded off Flickr, so my next blog will be detailed instructions on how to do all that, in the meanwhile enjoy these tasters, the rest are waiting for you at www.flickr.com/photos/adamreading:

PS I love feedback whether good or bad, I'm learning all the time....

100% Reading Part 1 at Plug N Play

The Noyze

Some Like It Hot

Mark Lyons and Jason Aplin

One Dollar Peep Show

Matt Tanner

Aisle 22

Best of the Spectators

100% Reading Part 2 at 21 South Street

Junkyard Scientists

Hello Wembley

The Bandinis

Spectacles

So much angry energy.  I wouldn't want to eat the food served off that kitchen. 

In the last 5 years, I've attempted to go vegetarian twice.  The first time was during our annual Prayer and Fasting at Victory Christian Fellowship.  I did a Daniel fast which is equivalent to vegan.  After the 7 day Prayer and Fast, I decided to continue with eating vegan.  I was able to keep at it for a few months, and then finished my "sabatical" by rejoining the work force as an employee in a broadcast network and there goes the lifestyle. 

There's something about being in a corporate setting (true blue corporate or mom & pop turned big) that squeezes your energy.   If you don't know how to get out of the kitchen...

The second time I attempted to go vegetarian is just last year.  I was with friends Vina Cipriano and Lelet Volfango when I just couldn't eat meat.  It was in front of me and I couldn't eat it.

After some time too,  I wouldn't want to eat with certain people whereas before I would.  I can't quite explain it but I just didn't want to commune with most of those I used to.

But then again, I've always believed that sharing a meal with someone is an act of love.  Breaking bread. 

Over the years, I see insight into the way people eat.  There are those who just stuff food into their mouths like mindless zombies.  Also noticed that there are more overweight Filipinos walking in public places.  Go to a mall, chances are you spot atleast three who are 20 pounds overweight.  Our culture is beginning to get unhealthy, sedentary, and off-balanced.

Going back, I ended up breaking my vegan way again.  This time as compromise to my injured right hamstring caused by doing the Hanumanasana.  (More about this injury in another post.)  Need the iron and protein to heal.

What added awareness to my awakening food consciousness is when my yogini friend Chona Sebastian invited me to the Vinyasa New Year/New Moon Party last January 12.  It's potluck so I volunteered to bring food.  I was thinking as long as everything is vegetarian, this food is going to be fine.  Chona educated me via text on what is sattvic.    "No onions, garlic, and pepper." 

What?!  How's this pasta going to taste like?   

"Also, Prabhu (Pio) does not eat food that is cooked by someone whose consciousness is not agreeable with him.  Or food cooked by someone he does not know enough to determine that person's consciousness."

Hu-wat?!  I can't ask Manang to cook this for me then, I have to cook it myself.

So I go to the supermarket and call up Chona to check up on the allowed ingredients.  It was fun!  There are so many interesting ingredients out there that are good for your body.  And shopping for them, taking your time reading the labels...it's a very relaxing activity.

Here's what was produced that day:

Spinach Spaghetti noodles cooked al dente.

Saute' in olive oil stewed tomatoes, diced fresh tomatoes (no seeds no skin), chopped basil, finely chopped cashews and almonds, sliced olives, capers, sliced oyster mushrooms, and sliced champignons.  Water and salt to taste.

I was happy with it.  It didn't taste like toothpaste (too many herbs fighting in the dish).  I told Chona that if no one eats it I will bring it home because I like it.

I brought it home   ...   what was left of it after everyone ate and had seconds.  For some strange reason I've never learned how to cook for just a dozen people or less.

Pio ate, but I think it's out of compassion for the cook.  Because after the meal, the table was talking about different yoga topics given Trin Panganiban-Custodio's Ashtanga Teacher Training experience -- and the sattvic diet came out.  Pio mentioned that mushrooms are not sattvic because it takes away consciousness or intelligence.  Hala!  Why did you eat the pasta when I already said that there are 2 kinds of mushrooms there.  

I almost used portobello to do some veggie steak dish but wasn't so keen on the potluck logistics.  Good thing I didn't since this is going to be too much mushroom for this circle of friends.

There are mixed information on mushrooms being sattvic or tamasic.  Another debate. 

I must say that I only ever buy them those teeny, tiny eggs, and spend their egg money on something Easterish but which isn't going to mean spending a fiver on an egg and a thousand pounds at the dentist.  This is not actually because I am a good, health conscious parent.  It's more to do with the fact that eggs are so cheap that everyone buys children Easter Eggs, even if they only met them once at a bus stop, and if you buy them some too, and you have three children, you could actually open a branch of Thorntons in your hallway come Easter Sunday.  Somebody has to draw the line somewhere and it's me.

It's some kind of weird adult compulsion, this egg buying business.  I expect it has a lot to do with BOGOF's and Three for Two's actually, and nothing at all to do with a deep seated need to celebrate pagan fertility rites thinly disguised as Christian festivals.  It also has something to do with the fact that if you randomly get rid of the two eggs you didn't really want to buy, but couldn't resist because they were such a bargain, it saves you piling on four stone on your own in the house over the Easter weekend, compulsively watching Tony Curtis and Kurt Russell in Spartacus whilst wiping bits of creme egg off your chin.

As with most major festivals I am a bit of a bah humbug when it comes to such things.  I don't mind things like Easter bonnets, and rustled up a splendid one for Tilly one year. I got quite competitive about it actually.  She got bored rigid by the whole thing after twenty minutes of faffing around with some cardboard and ribbon.  I really got the bit between my teeth and three days later came up with what can only be described as a creation which was truly bonnetacular.  Philip Treacey would have been proud of it.  It was something you would expect to see Tara Palmer Tompkinson parading around a paddock in on Ladies Day at Ascot.  Tilly was, naturally, totally unimpressed, but I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to all my friends and got much kudos!  I was really looking forward to when Tallulah had to do the same thing, and had my design all planned out.  As it was they must have gotten bored of that idea by the time she hoved into view and nobody has ever asked us to make another one, much to my disappointment.  I really feel that it could have been my new forte.

Things I don't like about Easter are, a) the fact that it now starts in about November and ends some time in May, b) hot cross buns (urgh, currants and bread, urghhh!), c) Lent (???), d) Simnel Cake (looks great, tastes like crap.  Marzipan is evil, bad and wrong), e) hard boiled eggs (smell like farts).  The other thing is rabbits.  Why, why, why rabbits? 

Rabbits, unbeknownst to most of the population, are evil things.  My gran had a killer rabbit, just like the one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  It was forever leaping out of bushes going for people's jugulars.  It was called Peter, but it was really the spawn of satan with a bobtail.  It was a hideous little beast.  My brother and I had rabbits and all they ever did was scratch and bite us, crap on us and constantly escape from the garden.  The only thing we liked them for was the fact that they were good at starting digging bloody big holes that we could  continue with and not get into trouble for trashing the lawn with, because we could blame the rabbits.  Other than that, what was the point of them say I?  They also don't taste very nice.  Too sweet for my liking.  Oh!  I hate Spartacus as well.  Tony Curtis never did it for me. I always preferred Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot.

So, basically the only good things about Easter are chicks, hats and chocolate.  I'm also very fussy about my chocolate.  I will eat most types of chocolate, but if someone is going to go to the trouble of buying me an egg, then I want what I want.  Mostly what I don't want are Cadbury's Creme Eggs.  I can't help it.  I have tried and tried to like them.  I finally gave up on the regular sized ones a few years ago.  Last year I tried one of the little ones, and I hate those too.  Apparently they do vast ones as well.  I just can't imagine how tooth achingly sweet those would be.  I don't actually know if the giant ones are filled with that creamy goo or not.  If they were it would be compulsory to wear some kind of all in one protective suit whilst eating it surely?  Otherwise you would just end up welded to the kitchen cabinets with rotted stumps for teeth.  Urghh!

The best Easter Eggs, as any fule kno, are other peoples! I'd rather eat the children's when they're at school thanks!  I do remember the first Easter Egg I ever had though.  I was very small, must have been two or three at the most.  It was a Freddy Frog one, which had mini egg type eggs inside it and Freddies on either side of it.  I remember it so distinctly because the shell of the main egg was so hard that my dad had to bring in a hammer from the tool shed to smash it with and it was quite traumatising!  Another year I got a little willow basket with tiny eggs in.  I think that was my favourite of all time.  I had the basket for years and years.  It may even still be kicking around at mum's somewhere.  She hates throwing things out.  She's probably using it as a handy string holder or something.

Right.  So that's Easter covered, and March has only just begun.  I'm getting the marketing bug of discussing these things early.  On Easter Sunday I will probably be discussing what I'm going to do with myself on the longest day of the year, and by the time Whitsun rolls round I shall be making plans for my Fireworks party.  It's all a bit too scary really.

Talking of which, we went to Norwich today.  We're having a weekend going to visit the in-laws, before we jet off to Canada.  We stay in a hotel in Norwich because despite the fact that Jason's mother says she wouldn't mind our noise, her house is very small and we are very large and very noisy.  I am convinced that she says that she doesn't mind the noise because it has been so long since she has had kids herself that she has forgotten how much one does mind the noise when being woken from restful slumber at half past three in the morning because the entire rest of the household has had to get up and do what seems like a percussion and voices version of the Hokey Cokey in the hallway for several hours.

The children love staying in the hotel.  It has a guest suite with its own garden, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a lounge/kitchen type affair.  They think it's the height of decadence to get in their pyjamas and zoom around the garden, and then get up the next day and eat breakfast in the restaurant.  I have to say that I still think eating breakfast in a restaurant is a pretty exciting affair.  It was last time we went, mainly because Matilda emptied an entire fried breakfast onto her lap in a moment of critical absent mindedness.  I am almost sure that the staff will remember us from last time.  I just hope they don't hold it against us...

I had never seen this movie before and after seeing it, really liked it. When I think of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis I think of The Odd Couple. I remember watching this show on Nick at Night when both Lemmon and Curtis were older and were very entertained by their performances. I didn't realize that they were just as funny when they were younger. There were so many double entendres in the movie, my favorite was when the girls were piling into "Daphne's" bunk and someone asked them if they wanted any salami. Too funny.

For the most part the film served as a vehicle to exhibit Marilyn Monroe, which was not a bad thing. Jack Lemmon, posing as "Junior" of Shell Oil fame lured the beautiful Sugar Kane (can you make this stuff up?) to his yacht and convinced her that he was devoid of passion as a result of watching his former girlfriend plummetto her death at the Grand Canyon. Glad to see that Ms. Monroe was ready and able to convince him life was still worth living.

Overall it was an entertaining movie. The best part was when Spats and his boys caught a bunch of lead while at the Italian Opera Appreciation Banquet. If you have never seen Some Like It Hot, I definitely recommend it. Plus, any movie with Marilyn Monroe is worth the rental fee.