The most memorable thing about the otherwise neither-here-nor-there Only For You is the coloration of the cast's cheeks. Never before have I seen so many excessively rosy red cheeks in a film before. Either the makeup artist was seriously inept or there was a dangerous level of carbon monoxide on the set.
At least the makeup is interesting. The rest of this flashbacky one-that-got-away love story doesn't leave much of an impression. Lovely Dana (Shea Curry), a young divorced actress plying her trade in Portland's local theater scene, has a short fling with the already spoken-for Jack (Michael Buie). There's an attraction, but he's already got a girlfriend, and as years pass he gets engaged, so that's that. Or is it? Jack confesses that he's "going through some changes," and Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" plays somberly in the background.
As Harry and Sally once debated (in a far more entertaining way): can a man and a woman just be friends? Apparently not in this little world, where Jack finds himself going nuts for Dana despite the fact that we, the viewers, are given little to no evidence that she's worth dumping a fianc� for. She does like dogs, so I guess that's a plus. Dana is the noble one, proclaiming again and again that "No, we mustn't!" And she's right. They shouldn't, especially since Dana is about to move to L.A. to audition for a sitcom, and she has no intention of getting into another marriage where she sacrifices too much for some flaky guy who admits he may be in love with two women at the same time. And by the way, he's not exactly exhibiting Daniel Craig-like charisma while all this is going on. He's just some guy, so really, what's the big deal?
And so on and off, up and down we go, with a pointless detour into a subplot about Dana's wacky friend Tina (Kate Albrecht) and the birth of her baby. Both women find it hilarious that Tina can't figure out which of two men the father might be, but harumph, is this really a laughing matter? Where's Maury Povich when you need him?
You know much more interesting people than these folks. Turn off the DVD player, and go spend some time with them.
See Also
Friday, 27 June 2008
Only for You - 6/24/2008
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
David Oistrakh - Violin
Artist: David Oistrakh - Violin
Genre(s):
Classical
Discography:
Andaluza, Op. 37 No.5 (Abram Makarov - piano,arr: F. Kreisler)
Year: 1948
Tracks: 1
Romance in A minor, Op.94 No.2 (arr: F. Kreisler)
Year: 1947
Tracks: 1
Passpied from "123"
Year: 1946
Tracks: 1
Beau soir ( (Abram Makarov - piano,arr: J. Heifetz)
Year: 1946
Tracks: 1
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Celine Dion - Dion Shamed Over Water Usage
Canadian singer CELINE DION has been named and shamed by water authorities in Florida after she used over 6.5 million gallons (29.5 million litres) at her home in the state.
The figure - enough to fill a large bathtub every four minutes - was taken from her utility bill records for last year (07) for her Marin County, Florida home. It is the highest figure for a residential property in the U.S.
Most family homes in the area use just 120,000 gallons (550,000 litres) over a year.
Golf ace Tiger Woods was also named as a major drain on water supplies in the state, with the sportsman's Miami, Florida estate using 3.7 million gallons (16.8 million litres) in a year.
See Also
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
Evil Ferris Wheel Attacks "Hannah Montana"
The new Hannah Montana movie suddenly became an action flick when a freak ferris wheel accident on the set left several extras in bad shape.According to witnesses on the set, all hell broke loose when high winds blew a giant piece of lighting equipment into a ferris wheel full of people on the Tennessee movie set. Miley -- the star of the film, for all you out of touch people -- had just wrapped a scene on the stage next to the ferris wheel when the accident occurred.
We're told the collision caused a few cables on the ferris wheel to go haywire, striking several of the people on the ride. Medics on the scene quickly took the injured people to a local hospital -- where they received treatment for minor injuries.
See Also
Sara Cox gives birth to baby boy
Radio presenter Sara Cox has given birth to her second child - a boy named Isaac.
Cox, 33, who is a DJ with BBC Radio 1, already has a three-year-old daughter, Lola.
Isaac, her first child with advertising executive Ben Cyzer, was born weighing 7lbs 12oz at a London hospital yesterday. A spokesman for the presenter said: "Mother, baby and dad Ben are doing fine."
Cox's first marriage to DJ Jon Carter, Lola's father, ended after four years in 2005.
The Bolton-born DJ now lives with Cyzer in north London and is due to return to her Radio 1 lunchtime show in September.
Cox was the station's breakfast presenter from 2000 to 2003, before being replaced by Chris Moyles.
She recently said of her life: "I think all my priorities have changed. I appreciate calmness and feeling secure, being looked after. I enjoy my role as mum and caretaker of the house. I really relish those roles and I think I'm good at them."
Cox, 33, who is a DJ with BBC Radio 1, already has a three-year-old daughter, Lola.
Isaac, her first child with advertising executive Ben Cyzer, was born weighing 7lbs 12oz at a London hospital yesterday. A spokesman for the presenter said: "Mother, baby and dad Ben are doing fine."
Cox's first marriage to DJ Jon Carter, Lola's father, ended after four years in 2005.
The Bolton-born DJ now lives with Cyzer in north London and is due to return to her Radio 1 lunchtime show in September.
Cox was the station's breakfast presenter from 2000 to 2003, before being replaced by Chris Moyles.
She recently said of her life: "I think all my priorities have changed. I appreciate calmness and feeling secure, being looked after. I enjoy my role as mum and caretaker of the house. I really relish those roles and I think I'm good at them."
Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79
» Discuss Article
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died today after months of ill health. He was 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.
The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.
Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.
The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview.
"I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.
His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.
The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.
Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century."
Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."
Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away."
The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."
Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself.
"He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006.
Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.
Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.
"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."
"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.
Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near Gainesville in north Florida.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died today after months of ill health. He was 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.
The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.
Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.
The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview.
"I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.
His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.
The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.
Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century."
Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."
Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away."
The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."
Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself.
"He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006.
Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.
Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.
"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."
"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.
Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near Gainesville in north Florida.
Condi may not be a rocker, but Kiss likes her
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have attended just four rock concerts in her life, but the rock band Kiss apparently thinks she is pretty cool.
After a day-long international conference on Iraq, Rice was dining Thursday evening with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt at a 19th-century villa when a call came in that Kiss was in the Nordic capital on a tour and wanted to see her, aides said.
The U.S. group had heard Rice was in town.
"It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons," Rice told reporters on her plane en route to Iceland on Friday.
Simmons, who sings and plays bass, is famed for posing while wagging his long tongue.
Rice and her entourage returned to their hotel and gathered with the rock stars in a conference room where photos were taken of the occasion -- without the band members wearing their trademark black-and-white facial make-up.
Rice, who plays the piano and considered a career in music before turning to Soviet studies, told reporters she enjoyed "the whole range of music" but had only been to four rock concerts. She proceeded to list them.
At age 10, she saw Paul Revere and the Raiders. At age 16, on her first date with an Air Force cadet, she saw Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Later Rice saw Earth Wind and Fire, and she said she has also been to a U2 concert.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell via Stockholm newsroom, editing by Mary Gabriel)
After a day-long international conference on Iraq, Rice was dining Thursday evening with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt at a 19th-century villa when a call came in that Kiss was in the Nordic capital on a tour and wanted to see her, aides said.
The U.S. group had heard Rice was in town.
"It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons," Rice told reporters on her plane en route to Iceland on Friday.
Simmons, who sings and plays bass, is famed for posing while wagging his long tongue.
Rice and her entourage returned to their hotel and gathered with the rock stars in a conference room where photos were taken of the occasion -- without the band members wearing their trademark black-and-white facial make-up.
Rice, who plays the piano and considered a career in music before turning to Soviet studies, told reporters she enjoyed "the whole range of music" but had only been to four rock concerts. She proceeded to list them.
At age 10, she saw Paul Revere and the Raiders. At age 16, on her first date with an Air Force cadet, she saw Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Later Rice saw Earth Wind and Fire, and she said she has also been to a U2 concert.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell via Stockholm newsroom, editing by Mary Gabriel)
'Grand Theft Auto IV' Guest Star Ricky Gervais Pokes Fun At The Overweight
With the immense success of "Grand Theft Auto IV," it's clear that players are having a great time wreaking havoc throughout Liberty City. But if you'd like to take a break from the action, well, enjoy some dry British humor via funnyman Ricky Gervais, who makes a cameo in the game doing standup in the Liberty City Comedy Club.
The "Office" and "Extras" creator surprisingly needed a bit of convincing to be part of the GTA world.
"Well, they called up my agent, and like [I say for] most things, I went, 'Nahhh,' " the comic revealed recently to MTV News. "And then they said, 'Are you mad? This is the biggest thing in the world. You're crazy.' "
I went to New York and they put me in Lycra for the day. ... I assume that was necessary [and not] them just having a laugh. They put little things over me," he said, gesturing to his body. "[The designers] showed me what it would look like, and it was incredible. They made me thinner.
"And it did about $20 billion on its opening minute," he laughed in amazement. "People queuing around the block. Some of them don't even have anything to play it on! Some of them don't even live in houses!"
For the few minutes of material Gervais performs in the video game he decided on a controversial target: the overweight. "I suppose it had to be sort of quite out there — it's not, like, prime-time TV, so I chose some of the, uh, more offensive bits," Gervais said.
"It had to be sort of, like, quite universal, because it's played all around the world. So, no parochial cultural references, so, uh ... fat people. Got 'em everywhere, haven't you? Got fat people everywhere. [The UK's] got some ... America's got a lot — I saw one on 'The Jerry Springer Show' and he was about 1,000 pounds, which was incredible. They had to take the side of his house off to get him to the hospital. Which is fine, and I felt sorry for him, but my first thought was, when he got to, say, 500 pounds, didn't he go, 'That's ... a lot, isn't it? For a human.' Didn't he then go, 'You know what, I'm only going to have eight breakfasts today.' "
See Also
Motel Connection
Artist: Motel Connection
Genre(s):
Ethnic
Soundtrack
Discography:
Do I Have a Life?
Year: 2006
Tracks: 12
My Darkside
Year: 2005
Tracks: 3
Santa Maradona Ost
Year: 2002
Tracks: 12
P Samuel-Krakatoa Torino
Year:
Tracks: 1
Andata e Ritorno (cd2)
Year:
Tracks: 10
Andata e Ritorno (cd1)
Year:
Tracks: 11
Motel Connection are an Italian electronica and house jazz band from Torino, formed in 2000 by DJ Pisti and Subsonica's singer and bassist, Samuel Romano and Pierpaolo "Pierfunk" Peretti Griva. Motel Connection effectively kicked off their life history when director Marco Ponti asked them to compose the music for his 2001 make film Santa Maradona. The following year they released their number one album, Give Me a Good Reason to Wake Up, featuring eight-spot remixes from the film's soundtrack addition deuce fresh tracks, all sung in English. Among these was the arrive at single "Two," whose tV received all-encompassing airplay during 2002-2003. After a new soundtrack for some other Ponti film, 2004's A/R Andata + Ritorno, Motel Connection's irregular album appeared in 2006, under the title Do I Have a Life?
Acrostichon
Artist: Acrostichon
Genre(s):
Metal: Death,Black
Rock
Discography:
Sentenced
Year: 1995
Tracks: 9
Engraved In Black
Year: 1993
Tracks: 9
Good Angel, Bad Angel at the Opera Factory
A touring production of Lyell Cresswell's Good Angel, Bad Angel revealed just what can be achieved with a cast of three, a quartet of instrumentalists and a minimal set.Wellington's Not in My Back Yard company has come up with a workable alternative to big-budget opera in the grand style. Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson, this grim Yuletide tale involves the murder of a jeweller and its even grimmer consequences.Cresswell writes with precision and economy; there is a no excess fat on this score. Key moments, such as the villain's singing of a rosier future to come and the daughter lamenting her father's death, are unaccompanied. Craig Beardsworth and Frances Moore enhanced them with a combination of impeccable vocal technique and theatrical instinct.Accompaniments are ingeniously evocative, carefully moulded by conductor Justus Rozemond. Hadleigh Adams' jeweller contemplated his wealth over pizzicato strings, with mercurial descant from Tui Clark's bass clarinet.
The traditional Coventry Carol laces the score in various guises and instrumentalists often have to convey a character's emotional state - violinist Sanyuri Ando and cellist Paul Mitchell shone here.Ron Butlin's libretto is loosely based on Stevenson, but Cresswell finds inspiration in the original story Markheim, with Stevenson's "intricate chorus of [clock] tickings" caught in various scorings for pizzicato strings.The sure hand of director David Lawrence showed in the sustained intensity of the various character confrontations.Musically, Good Angel, Bad Angel offers approachability without compromise. The carol theme and a revellers' jig are frankly tonal; the jagged lines and metres of Moore's first aria not so far from Bartok. Throughout, the composer extracts a full range of emotional colours from insinuating chromatic lines.Vocally this production was unswervingly professional. Moore introduced the opera with caustic cynicism ("Christmas Day, my getting-the-hell-out-of-here day") flowering in her later coloratura. Craig Beardsworth had Markheim spring to life through the baritone's attention to nuance and detail. The rich-voiced Adams, though physically far removed from Stevenson's "little pale, round-shouldered dealer", made the eerie Visitant into the sort of chap nobody would want knocking at their door.
The traditional Coventry Carol laces the score in various guises and instrumentalists often have to convey a character's emotional state - violinist Sanyuri Ando and cellist Paul Mitchell shone here.Ron Butlin's libretto is loosely based on Stevenson, but Cresswell finds inspiration in the original story Markheim, with Stevenson's "intricate chorus of [clock] tickings" caught in various scorings for pizzicato strings.The sure hand of director David Lawrence showed in the sustained intensity of the various character confrontations.Musically, Good Angel, Bad Angel offers approachability without compromise. The carol theme and a revellers' jig are frankly tonal; the jagged lines and metres of Moore's first aria not so far from Bartok. Throughout, the composer extracts a full range of emotional colours from insinuating chromatic lines.Vocally this production was unswervingly professional. Moore introduced the opera with caustic cynicism ("Christmas Day, my getting-the-hell-out-of-here day") flowering in her later coloratura. Craig Beardsworth had Markheim spring to life through the baritone's attention to nuance and detail. The rich-voiced Adams, though physically far removed from Stevenson's "little pale, round-shouldered dealer", made the eerie Visitant into the sort of chap nobody would want knocking at their door.
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