Usherette of the Day

And tell me do you feel like dying?
Tell me does it hurt just waking?
Tell me have you lost the reasons you ever wanted to fight?
Has it left you lonely? Tell me do you pray for morning?
Tell me does it hurt just waking?
Tell me have you lost the reasons you ever wanted to fight?
And you know it's all impossible.
And nothing feels the same,

Life is full now...

Usherette of the Day

Every day, as we countdown to the release of David Usher's new Strange Birds album, there will be an insightful lyric from David showcased. Today's lyrics are from the opening track of the Morning Orbit album, called "How Are You?":

Had the answer on my fingertips

'Til I lost it in the wind like a friend
I'll never find
Deep in the belly is a love so thick

And I thought I had it but makes me sick now

I'm imagining the fields so green

But I would settle for the the truth in anything
Where I'm floating I can't feel my skin

But I might get home

Hey, I might get back again...

Ushering in a new era...

Out with the old...in with the new David. Usher, that is. In anticipation of his new solo album due out on March 20th, here's a little reminder of the former Moist singer's influence on my life. I'm going to see him perform on April 13th, and that'll be a dream come true. Hope none of the gaggle of girls in the audience toss their knickers at him because they'll just get in the way...

"But I thought you should know,
That inside I've grown cold,
And I fight every day to lose control,
It's a Saturday, I'm coming down

For the first time, I've seen stars at night,
For the first time, I'm on fire..."

Paradise Reclaimed

Guess I’ve been working a little too hard
Need a vacation, I’ll send you a card
From Honololu, a greeting from happy Hawaii

It’s so exciting, why should I pretend
In a few hours the plane will descend
Hey Honololu, we’re going to happy Hawaii

I can imagine the beach and the sand...

(Andersson/Ulvaeus)

Boys that go bump in the night

Something startling to consider: there are reportedly 20,000 blogs devoted to the hit show Supernatural and its hot co-stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Can it be that there are more obsessed fans out there than me and my local band of Winchester lovers? Read more about these adoring fans and the development of the series in the brand new interview with Da Boys available here.

"Hey Sammy, driver gets to choose the music; shotgun shuts his cake-hole."

Make your lives extraordinary!

Have been meaning to fly the flag for the wondrous Dead Poets Society special edition for ages. If the truth be known, this film, starring Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard, just narrowly misses being in my Top 10 Films list. It's probably no. 11. It's glorious. Utterly glorious. Who knew that a film made by an Australian director in 1989 which replicates the life of academia in the '50s would become so timeless? So, forget your troubles, dust off your copy of Byron, evoke the spirit of Whitman, carpe diem and add this to your collection of the finest movies ever made.

"But only in their dreams can men be truly free."

(John Keating, Dead Poets Society.)

Mamma Mia: Francesca sings her heart out!

From the Swedish Press:

Now there will be a Mamma Mia! movie, with Meryl Streep in the leading part and Tom Hanks, who has seen the musical 8-10 times, as a producer. The music will be recorded once again, and some songs that aren’t in the musical will be added, for example "When all is said and done" [editor's note: this is the best post-divorce song the group recorded, in my opinion.]

A short while ago Benny Andersson was in New York together with Meryl Streep to pick the keys. [Bjorn]- "She wrote to us after having seen Mamma Mia! on Broadway with her children. It was a beautiful letter, hand written, telling how much they loved the musical. When we thought about whom to give the leading part someone pulled out the Robert Altman movie A Prairie Home Companion, where she is a country singer and sings very well. And it clicked. When the producer Judy Craymer asked Streep to do the leading part as Donna, she said: "Are you kidding? I actually am Mamma Mia!", and then she signed the contract.

*translation from www.abbamail.com

Start spreading the news

"Reality is something you rise above."

Liza Minnelli

"There is so much beauty..."

To commemorate my parents' 44th wedding anniversary, I shall review a film called The Bridges of Madison County.

What is it about this film that moves me so much? It could be the gorgeous scenery, the old bridges connecting us all, the masterful direction of Eastwood, the simplicity of middle-aged people falling in love in a time long since past, the exquisite performance of Streep as the Italian war bride, the poetic flourishes of Yeats and Byron, the heart-breaking score, or the story of a mother's secrets unearthed after death. It is all of these things, and more.

Eastwood has created a masterpiece, made more incredible by the fact I loathed the book. I was, like Streep, unimpressed with the novel. "It didn't carry me away," she has been quoted as saying. Nor me. It's very treacly. But the film is another story. It's the most beautiful thing I've seen. It's hard to be objective, but no film has come this close to capturing the essence of who I am: what I wanted out of life, what stirs my heart. Sure, it may be boring for those who do not believe in the transforming power of love, but to hell with that: I'm blown away by the power of this movie every time. Streep should have won Best Actress that year instead of Sarandon.

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=4846

It's Thursday, it must be Supernatural day!

For the first time ever, yours truly will have to miss the live transmissions of both showings of a brand spanking new episode due to a prior commitment which he can't get out of. Very distressing. Oh well, it'll be something to look forward to on the dreary bus home. Check out Da Boys in the "Tall Tales" episode airing tonight.

"And turning out the light, I must have yawned and
cuddled up for yet another night,

And rattling on the roof, I must have heard the sound of rain,

The day before you came."

A poetic affair of the heart

"'Twas was always thus, and always thus 'twill be."

Professor Keating, Dead Poets Society.

The Greatest Love of All

Everybody's searching for a hero

People need someone to look up to

I never found anyone to fulfill my needs

A lonely place to be

So I learned to depend on me...

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed

At least I live as I believe

No matter what they take from me

They can't take away my dignity...

And if by chance, that special place

That you've been dreaming of

Leads you to a lonely place

Find your strength in love.

(lyrics by Masser/Creed)

Two years ago tonight...

Two years ago tonight, yours truly was freezing his man tits off in Stockholm waiting for the arrival of Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha & the Goddess herself. For the first time in 23 years, all FOUR were in the same place at the same time. And the faithful were there to witness it all. Most of us nearly fainted when Agnetha arrived. The memories of this magical night will stay with me until I die, which may be soon, so here's a colourful reminder of that snowy February night at the Cirkus Theatre in Skansen. (photo courtesy of www.abbamail.com and www.raffem.com)

A thing of beauty is...

New episode of Supernatural tonight. And you wonder why I'm glued to this show???

Landslide

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, Ive been afraid of changing
cause Ive built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older...

Conquering the fears that haunt us

2007 appears to be the year for conquering my deepest, darkest fears. Since January 1st, I have rented The Ring, The Grudge and The Exorcist, all of which I had previously and resolutely avoided. In fact, just the trailer for The Grudge on television was enough to keep me awake with the lights on for years. Similarly, I had seen three seconds of Linda Blair in The Exorcist as a child, and run screaming from the room, vowing never to clap eyes on it again. Well, in the last month, I have rented and watched all three films. In the dark. Alone. And you know what? They weren't as terrifying as I expected. They're scary as hell, but I still find real life even scarier, so good horror films (which, like good romantic love stories take us out of the debilitating here and now) are hardly going to finish me off now. All that fuss for nothing!

So, with that in mind...having conquered my fear of flying hundreds of times, it's now time for me to give serious consideration to the one remaining fear which lurks beneath. As luck would have it, I depart for Hawaii on May 15th. How do I get my hands on Keanu's Point Break wetsuit?