4 posts tagged “humor”
Long before there was American-Singapore-Turkmenistan-Timbuktu Idol, there was...the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1956, European countries would send their blandest, emptiest, most commercial pop groups to compete, in a great celebration of how letting the masses choose leads to...crap.
Like previous champions Abba (1974). Or Bucks Fizz (1981). Or (thought she was Canadian?) Celine Dion (1988).
The only real controversy was in 1998, when Israeli entrant Dana International - a transsexual - won.
Until now. Because this year's winners are - from Finland - LORDI!
As my wife said, it's a band of singing Uruk-hai...
Some background info : the song is titled Hard Rock Hallelujah, and the Finnish PM tried to get them banned before the competition, to avoid 'embarrassing' Finland. Truly, this is a great day for music, isn't it?
Technorati Tags: eurovision, humor, music, popculture
I recently bought the DVD of a classic 1978 production of Macbeth, starring Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench as the titular couple. Haven't watched it yet, but it was pretty funny seeing the back cover blurb, which mentions that "the porter" is played by "Ian McDiaiarmid (Star Wars : Return of the Jedi)" and Macduff is played by "Bob Peck (Jurassic Park)".
Fortunately, the blurb didn't see the need to explain who McKellen and Dame Judi are, but once again it brings to mind how painful it must be for these serious Shakespearean actors sometimes. Those who had already achieved acclaim as stage actors probably don't feel it so much, but it must still be rather frustrating to know that you will end up being remembered as Ian ("Gandalf", "Magneto") McKellen, Dame Judi ("M") Dench, Patrick ("Jean-Luc Picard", "Professor X") Stewart, Alec ("Obiwan Kenobi") Guinness or Ian ("Darth Sidious") McDiarmid.
Work is work, I guess...
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Just started watching the DVD...it's one of those productions where the director - Trevor ("Cats", "Les Miserables") Nunn, no less - has 'reimagined' the setting. It takes place against a featureless darkness, and everyone is wearing an odd mishmash of costumes, that bring to mind Blake's 7 or Dr Who.
Maybe it isn't so bad to be Ian ("Gandalf", "Magneto") McKellen after all...at least you have a decent costume budget, and won't be embarrassed at how you looked 20 years later...
BTW the actor playing Malcolm looked really familiar, and after imdb'ing him, I figured out why : he's Roger Rees, who played Lord John Marbury in West Wing.
Technorati Tags: humor, movies, RSC, shakespeare
First there was Ruud and Fletcher...now Kobe and Cookie are at it...
Yeesh. Of course, Luke is laughing, 'cuz now the heat is off him for this photo...
In case you can't tell, that's Karl "I'm hunting little Mexican girl" Malone and "Ho" Grant doing the kissing. Whatever. Some PR guy really should've been fired for that.
And while I was looking for the Luke photo, I found Basketbawful, a blog about the best of the worst in basketball.
Hey, Lakers are 2-1 up on the Suns, with game 4 tomorrow morning...I can afford to laugh.
Technorati Tags: basketball, humor, kobe, lakers
this is ridiculous...some local inventor has made Merlion-shaped flutes.
even more cringe-inducing is that the flutes come in 38 different colours, symbolizing 38 different Singaporean 'values', including being 'adorable', 'cool' and 'superb'. those are VALUES?
disappointingly, being kiasu isn't one of the Singaporean values listed...
