"Put on your suit and tie, put on that killer smile."

 

Life  Much better day today.  Slept in on purpose and didn't have the same anxiety as yesterday, mostly because I was going to the cinema to see Steven Soderbergh's new one, Black Bag.  Finally offering us his slow burn spy film, we're in and out of the story in 90 minutes.  I've haven't wanted to be Cate Blanchett in a film this much since Ocean's 8.  The trick each day seems to be to give myself a reason to get out of bed, and mores the point go outside, even if it's just to wander up to the local Spar shop to buy a paper.

Meanwhile, the promo for the Sugababes' Jungle is out and its a blessed chaos, Siobhan trapped in a shop front on a travellator like an extra in Jacqui Tati's Playtime, Keisha's in the demo pod of a Bose shop and Mutya's hungover outie dancing in a lift from Severance.    Watch out for the poltergeist creating chair structures and the male model making the interesting career decision of having the Sugababes logo tattooed across his shoulders.  At least it'll guarantee him some work going forward if the album's a hit.

The song itself is growing on me.  The brevity helps.  It's a tight 2m 42s that still manages to demonstrate the strengths of each of the vocalists and their sweet harmony.  The similarity to Smells Like Teen Spirit must surely be unintentional but it's there and not in a bad way.  Jungle is a bop which should work well live.  Somehow manages to feel like the Sugababes of One Touch but with some extra decades and still of now.  Roll on the album.
on Friday, March 14, 2025 0 comments Labels: ,

Welcome to the Jungle.

 

Life  Sometimes, when anxiety hits, I have days that just don't start well. I manage to get my brain working to some extent by mid-afternoon, and then I have about eight good hours before bedtime. My alarm clock is at the other end of the room, which forces me to get up and turn it off. This morning, when it rang at 7 a.m., I did just that, went to the loo, and because it was a bit chilly, jumped back into bed to listen to the news headlines. At which point, I fell asleep again.

At 9 a.m., I woke up again, and my anxiety really kicked in. My whole body felt tight, and I had the most immense pain in my stomach, which felt like it was weighing me down like a medicine ball, or if one of those cartoon hippos from a Disney cartoon were sitting on top of me. At which point, I spiralled. Sometimes anxiety happens because there's something in your subconscious which is freaking you out, and you have to work out what it is. Sometimes it's just anxiety about having anxiety and not knowing why you have anxiety.

After about half an hour, I managed to convince my body to get out of bed. I cooked some porridge and watched this slightly patronising YouTube video about Dua Lipa's capabilities as an interviewer and one of those Star Trek theme videos this time for Enterprise, Trip's reaction giving me a good giggle.   By then, I'd taken my anxiety medicine, which often makes me drowsy. So I fell asleep again, this time in an armchair for another hour and a half, waking up again at about midday. It's not until about 1 p.m., after I'd had a chat with my Dad and made a sandwich, that I felt more like myself again (whatever that is).

Why am I telling you all of this? Because something which has gone missing from me for years is writing this blog. It's been spluttering along, but actually writing something which is actually about my own life disappeared about a decade or so ago, at about the time when I had my first anxiety attack. So perhaps by putting some of that pain into words and shouting it out into the world, it'll help me come to terms with it a bit more. Why not just keep it as a personal journal? Because it'll force me to make it into something consumable by others.

This does, of course, fall under the genre of blog post "apologizing for not posting more," for which the obvious response is "no one cares, just post more." But at least I'm not starting a podcast. For one thing, I tried it once, and no one should have my speaking voice imposed on them, especially if it's unscripted, and also because it'll give me a moment to stop and think about what I'm about to write and even if I want it to go out into the world or just leave it in draft.

Also the Sugababes have a new single out.
on Thursday, March 13, 2025 0 comments Labels: ,

26 National Art Library

 

Books  In Eric Rasmussen's catalogue of Shakespeare's First Folios, the 'manuscript annotations' section typically covers about half to three-quarters of a page. However, this copy features two full pages of dense text and a separate paragraph of general notes.  That’s because a previous owner took it upon themselves to correct the text in red pen, going through four history plays, changing every comma to a semicolon, underlining any artillery terms in King John, and sporadically ‘correcting’ modern English spellings to more contemporary versions (‘marlemas’ written above ‘Michaelmas’).  

Rasmussen suggests these annotations were the work of John Forster, the biographer and literary critic who was the final private owner before bequeathing his library to the National Art Library (now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum). However, the man who gifted it to him, Joseph C. King, a schoolmaster best known for educating two of Charles Dickens's sons, was the only other known owner.  Purely fantasy, probably, but it’s easy to imagine him poring over the text with the same zeal he applied to his students’ scripts, tutting and shaking his head as he proofread Henry VIII, writing ‘confessions’ above ‘commissions’.  That’s probably why these pages were chosen for display—they’re the least scarred.

Ticking this folio off the list was a happy accident.  For the past six months or so, I've been travelling down to London again thanks to Avanti Superfare, with mixed experiences.  The cheapness of the tickets has the caveat that because they're seat filling you don't know what time that will be.  Almost every month it's been the 11:45 am from Lime Street which means not arriving at Euston until 2:00 pm, with a return ticket at about 7:45 p.m., not so much a day trip as an afternoon 'rager' (if you can compare being overwhelmed by the intellectual brilliance of others in ancient buildings to drinking five Jägerbombs and chundering in a strangers garden which in my post-alcohol world you certainly can).  

What with that chronological uncertainty, this was my last trip down to London for a while (or at least until the price become low enough  for me to be able to afford an earlier journey) so I decided to return to the Theatre & Performance galleries, which were the site of my first visit.  The space has changed considerably in the past nine years.  Originally it was somewhat chronological with models of the original playhouses in the first section and sense of beginning at the beginning.  Now its much more thematic and based in crafts, with costume, set design, props and the rest given their own sections.  Fortunately Kylie's dressing room is still present and correct with its good luck lipstick greeting from Dannii on the mirror.

But still, right at the beginning, is Shakespeare's First Folio, and I surprised and delighted to find it wasn't the same edition displayed in 2016 and featured on television but the aforementioned volume last owned by Forster.  As you can see from the photo, it's displayed against a black background, mounted with a fair gap from the protective glass and for some reason parallel to a join so that it's impossible to look at it straight on, let alone get a picture of it.  You can just about make out that it's the second two pages of A Midsummer Night's Dream (146 & 147), the kids deep into the initial explanations of who loves who at that point.  If I'd known about the red "corrections" at the time I would have looked for them but they're not obvious from the photograph.

In terms of physical differences from other copies, Rasmussen notes in the First Folio catalogue that the authorship of a couple of plays is also questioned.  The title page of Cymbeline has "Not Shakespears, any part of it" written across it (don't tell Michael Blanding) and Titus Andronicus says "Not Shakespeare; scarce a word" even though Henry VI is right there.  Recent research from Brian Vickers (well, from 2002) suggests it could have been co-authored with George Peele so perhaps the statement might be partially correct.  Once it came into the National Art Library's possession they stamped it with 'Department of Science and Art 1876' in block capitals, along with 'Forester Bequest'.  It's also incomplete.  The preliminary pages (introduction and so forth) are 'poor-quality printed facsimiles'.  Every copy is different.  Next.

on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 0 comments Labels:

The 231163 Diaries:
Charlton Heston


History  Charlton Heston was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction films and action films  In the 1950s and early 1960s, he was one of a handful of Hollywood actors who openly denounced racism and he was also an active supporter of the civil rights movement. 

Some context: at this moment he's between jobs.  He's signed on for Major Dundee but isn't happy with the script - he says the female role is artificial and contrived.  On November 12, Heston visited Stan Laurel at his apartment in Santa Barbara talk about him collecting a Screen Actors Guild Award but the comedian's health prevents this and Danny Kaye accepts in his stead.

In this moment he's also still a Democrat.  He wouldn't join the Republicans until 1987, when he founded a conservative political action committee supporting Ronald Reagan. Heston was a five-term president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), from 1998 to 2003. After announcing that he had Alzheimer's disease in 2002, he retired from acting and the NRA presidency.

November 22. I was in Walter's office, on the phone, when one of his staff ran in, stammering, "I just heard Kennedy's been shot!" It's a blind, brutal, pointless act, and because of it we're much less than we were, or might have been. If you believe in our system, then you have to believe it won't fail because of this, but it will falter. Today, surely, we're all faltering. 

November 23. New York. I was given a purpose to carry me through this dark weekend, which I seized on eagerly. ABC called me this morning to fly to New York and take part in a memorial service they're rushing to air tomorrow. I spent the flight poring fruitlessly through my Shakespeare concordance looking for meaningful lines. In a meeting with ABC at the apartment, we chose some Psalms, and tentatively, some Frost. Kennedy liked Frost. 

November 24. I spent the morning redacting four Psalms . . . the nintieth, the ninety-first, the one hundred and twenty first, and the twenty-third . . . into one whole, which seemed apt. I also read "Stopping by Woods" and "Fire and Ice," from Frost. The poems seemed to me to say something. The program was . . . worth doing, I think. It's all we can do. 1 was one of the lucky few in those first numb days. I had something specific to do that could be called a response to the shock we all felt. 

November 25. New York/Los Angeles. I watched the caisson roll down Pennsylvania Avenue on TV while I dressed to go to the airport. Before we took off, there was a minute of silence there, and then we flew west, ahead of the sun, across the land he led, well or ill, but strongly, for less time than he deserved. Now we have to do, as all men must, the best we can. 

November 26. Los Angeles. The world, or at least my experience of it, slowly began to return to normal, though the waste of that tough man's death still stabs as you pick up the threads you dropped on Friday. I read through the second version of MAJOR DUNDEE which is . . . not much better, I guess, and did, really, not much else. I played with my son a little. We're building a model of an archaeological dig. This seems very important.

[Source: The Actor's Life, Charlton Heston : Journals, 1956-1976.]

[via Farran Smith Nehme on Bluesky.  You can read a review of the diaries on Neglected Books.]

on Sunday, February 02, 2025 0 comments Labels:

A Chronological Viewing Order For All of Lucy Worsley's Documentaries.


TV   In the past couple of weeks the latest series of Lucy Worsley Investigates has been released on BBC Two and the iPlayer.  Not knowing what to expect, I headed into the first series, starting with The Witch Hunts and was struck once again with Worsley's ability to present difficult subjects with intellectual rigour but in an inclusive style that doesn't patronise the viewer.  

Until recently, every morning I'd watch a documentary of some sort, but age and tiredness have meant I've strayed instead into drama or "whatever's on YouTube".  I'd like to try to get back to that place and after completing the Witch Hunt (so to speak) wondered if Lucy Worsley could be my guide.  She hasn't produced that much, I thought, so it would be a good way back in.

But as her Wikipedia page revealed that she's created quite a large body of work in the past decade or so across various periods of history and BBC networks.  So, I then thought, perhaps I could just do the Investigates series and see where I go from there.  Then the part of my brain which wants to put everything in chronological order decided to take over and ...

Find below all of Lucy Worsley's appearances in history programmes, either presenting or as a guest in chronological order based on subject.  The years are what appear to be when the stories begin or the date of the particular event she's covering based on the programme synopsis or else googling around and squinting.

You'll notice I've arranged them around royal houses.  So much of her work is about the inner workings of court so this seemed appropriate, although it's also irrelevant in the 20th century.  At the bottom are all of the shows which couldn't fit easily into the main chronology because they're so thematic it would be impossible to try and slot them in anywhere.  

Also because I'm a masochist, I've also linked to each episode's programme page.  Quite a lot of what's here is available on the iPlayer and if it isn't, BBC Four will probably repeat it in the next twelve months anyway.  Otherwise there are probably various nefarious ways of finding them in the places you already know where to look.

* - Lucy was just a contributor
** - Portion of a programme

NB:  I've removed Lucy's name from the titles for the most part to stop this looking monotonous.

The Wessexes


The Normans



The Plantagenets



The Tudors


















The Stuarts















The Hanoverians




































The Saxe-Coburgs


1903    Suffragettes






The Windsors




1940    Blitz Spirit







Thematic









on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Predictions 2024.


That Day We reach the time when I assess how well I predicted the ups and downs of the year and look forward to the next. Here we go again:

The Sugababes release an whole album of brand new material.

Not yet. although there is evidence they've been in the recording studio and there'll be an announcement next year.  No marks.

General election called, Tories lose power.

They did!  One mark.

Overhaul of Disney "content" for better or worse.


Trump jailed.

Ha, nope.  No marks.

X (formerly known as Twitter) sold again.

Ha, nope.  No marks.

Two out of five which looks bad but is better than most years.

Choosing predictions for the following year is difficult at the best of times, but 2025 already feels like it's going to be absolutely horrendous.  But let's have a go at something positive and in keeping with the usual themes.

There won't be a nuclear conflict.

Doctor Who gets another season either from Disney or the BBC or both.

The Sugababes release an whole album of brand new material.

I finally finish reading Empire Magazine.

The BBC opens official accounts on BlueSky.

Good luck, 2025.


on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Review 2024: Films

Film  Christ in a crib, it's been a while.  How are we all?  Time for my annual list of favourite films, which I seemed to have completely forgotten to do last year amid the whole link diary thing which haunted my every hour in 2023.  To an extent, the whole thing is a bit pointless.  Do you need me to tell you how good The Holdovers is (The Holdovers is excellent) or give you a spicy take on Megalopolis (which wouldn't have had nearly as much vitriol if it had been projected on a wall via a Raspberry Pi at the Liverpool Biennial)?  Here's an aggregated list from the usual publications if that's the sort of thing you need. 

If you want to see what my year in film was like, just take a look at my diary on Letterboxd.  Some of my favourite viewing experiences weren't even released this year (The Wolf of Snow Hollow) or even a film (Douglas is Cancelled).  Unfortunately, I didn't reach my usual goal of 365 films (one per day) due to the Olympics, binging Taskmaster and a change in my work hours which I'm still trying to get my head around.  But nature abhors a vacuum and so here's a list instead of ten films which I've enjoyed this year which aren't featured in that aggregated list.  In no particular order and with a short justification beneath:

Carry-On
Contains one of my favourite fight sequences of the year in which Danielle Deadwyler fights an assailant while the car in which they're travelling in tumbles out of control, glass and limbs flying everywhere and it all plays out in a single shot all the while the frame keeping parallel with their faces.  However it was done, I really don't care, it turned the movie from being a pretty good thriller into something one of the best action films of recent times.

Fly Me to the Moon
The cat moment.  If you've seen the film, you know the one and if you haven't I won't spoil it for you but I YELPED.

My Old Ass
An excellent example of how to employ your concept sparingly.  Aubrey Plaza doesn't appear as much as the poster would indicate (perhaps she was only available for a few days) but her presence is felt throughout as the protagonist wrestles with the inevitability of time.

Damsel
Arguably this premise was done more convincingly, albeit on a much smaller scale in The Princess (which Disney+ have deleted since its 2022 debut but is available to rent at the usual outlets).  Like Carry-On, this is Netflix resurrecting a genre which theatrical companies are either ignoring or only supporting if their tied to an existing IP.  Also like Carry-On, reviews have missed this and often branded it as "Netflix slop" when there's a lot of talented people working here at the best of their abilities to create entertainments that audiences are otherwise missing.

Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara
The world of para-social relationship laid bare.  I've always had enormous sympathy for smaller scale celebrities who just want to live life like the rest of us, keeping their professions separate.  They owe us nothing but their creative endeavours.  I don't really care much about their social lives unless they're going out of their way to hurt people.  

A Quiet Place: Day One
The central casting suggested that this wasn't going to be just a cash-in and instead, like the best prequels, of which there are few, it provides depth to the series.  Although the horror aspects are present and correct, I wasn't prepared for how romantic yet sad it would be.

The Contestant
Best seen without much prior knowledge, this is deeply troubling exposition of the extremities of "reality TV" and its psychological effects on participants and viewers.

Anyone But You
It's been reported that Sydney Sweeney agreed to make Madame Web on the understanding that Sony would greenlight Anyone But You.  One of them has made her a much bigger star and it's not the one in which she was barely recognisable underneath a massive pair of glasses.  This was a much bigger hit largely due to a witty script and Sweeney and Glen Powell being just so damn charming.  This is an old school romcom of the kind which needs our support.

I Am: Celine Dion
Having had a soft spot for Celine Dion since reading Carl Wilson's Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, it was crushing to see what's happened to one of the most beautiful singing voices of our time.  A companion piece to Pablo Lorrain's Maria (they share similar moments in which the singer strains to return to their original strength), this at least could have a sequel in which we see  Celine triumph from adversity at the Olympics opening ceremony.

Argyle
Having found the Kingsman films pretty tiresome, I didn't enter into this with much hope but came out the other end absolutely beaming.  It's just so fricking weird with gonzo action sequences and Bryce Dallas Howard at her most adorable.  I'm not entirely sure what you were all complaining about.  

* * * * *

If it looks like I haven't watched much contemporary non-English films, you'd be right, but that's largely because so much of the material picked up for release in the UK this year has been on the dark side or already in the aggregated list.  But I am going to use that same list to try and catch up in the new year.  

As for my worst, here are the films released this year which I gave one and two stars.  I'm very forgiving: 

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver
Madame Web
Late Night With The Devil

I've noticed Last Night With The Devil is on some best of the year lists despite ultimately being a total wash because after being an incredibly tense, mysterious film for much of its run time, it saps all of that energy at the end by dropping an infodump.  I might have been willing to give it three stars anyway, but the pointless deployment AI artwork, however limited the capacity is an ass move, whatever justifications the filmmakers may have.  So not that forgiving after all.
on Monday, December 30, 2024 0 comments Labels: ,

Christmas Links #26


Troupes take to the streets for 195-year-old play:
"Troupes of performers are set to stage a 195-year-old traditional folk play in streets across the island."

"While shopping in Yorkshire one December, the photographer came across a group of very merry Santas."

"In most cases, deluxe albums are intended as a chart-focused second wind for their parent albums, and usually have just a handful of extra tracks — remixes, leftovers, maybe a hot new single to give an extra boost — while the artist is saving the more-promising new material for their next proper album."

"Helen Czerski and Tom Heap celebrate the urban trees of Britain."

"Today at the BBC Proms: music, monsters and a few familiar faces from the BBC’s universally popular sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’."

"Take a break from Mariah Carey and the holiday tunes and get into the Christmas spirit with streaming audio of four vintage radio shows featuring Orson Welles."

"Over the last five years, director Jeff Fowler and his team navigated fan backlash, a pandemic and a strike en route to unexpected success."

"It's a hot night before Christmas and an eerie figure is perched on a hilltop, gazing over Gija country."


"Cathedral Films produced dozens of Christian education filmstrips in the 1960s using live actors and on-location photography (though the "location" is likely northern California). Unique to their Story of Jesus series, of which the Christmas story The Nativity is part, is the inclusion of two soundtracks for each filmstrip. Each soundtrack record was marked "this side for teaching" on one side and "this side for general use" on the other."
on Saturday, December 21, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #25


"These photos show how much life in the city has changed."

"Strawberry growers in West Sussex have developed new technology which has increased production in time for Christmas."

"This year I am adapting my own rituals – and with them, hopefully, the landscape of my brain - as the ultimate gift to myself."

"Our festive viewing habits reflect Yuletide’s carnivalesque nature, a time when eccentric choices are celebrated."

"The Full English is a much-celebrated British breakfast tradition in pubs and restaurants, but how did these particular foods make it onto the English plate?"

"Sophie Law has been speaking to Great Western Railway about the changes to the timetable between Christmas and New Year."

"The true (scientific) story of Christmas (lights)."

"Courage’s Marina Khouzam and Ethan Gans discuss Colonel Sanders’ historic connection to holiday records, and what it took to turn the brand’s famous bucket lids into working vinyl records, writes LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt."
on Friday, December 20, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #24


"Just before Christmas, let's hope this doesn't screw up the deliveries of the North Pole's most famous resident.."

"But corporation says Santa will still read those mailed by Dec. 23."

"A new town centre Christmas market has been heavily criticised by residents."

"A term’s worth of techno clubs and afterparties at university in Glasgow didn’t do much for my education or my choice of Christmas gifts."

The Collection Season 7 on Blu-Ray:
"The first Jon Pertwee season will be the next to be released on Blu-ray as part of the Doctor Who Collection series."

"The pair also talk to The Hollywood Reporter about casting Nicola Coughlan and pitch a Whovian farce."

"For years, Starbucks was the dominant coffee chain in China. Now rivals offering local flavors and cheaper prices are crushing the company’s bottom line in its second-largest market."

"And why so many of them are shot in Vancouver."

"Singer and model team up for visual revolving around 1973 Christmas single."

"Christmas songs are a beloved part of the holiday season, but some lyrics can leave us scratching our heads. Who exactly is “Parson Brown,” and what in the world is “figgy pudding”?"

"The ancient Old City comes alive with lights, music and joy, Syrians talk about their their hopes now al-Assad is gone."

"From the holiday armadillo to Phoebe's classic Christmas jingle, here are the best festive offerings from Friends."
on Thursday, December 19, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #23


Keely Hodgkinson voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year:
"Luke Littler secured second place, while Joe Root took third in the race for the prestigious award."

"From shops to events, people and more."

"As kids for generations have done, Landon Tennant looks longingly at a streamlined Lionel Santa Fe engine as it chugs around a tiny display with houses, mountains and bridges at TrainLand, a hobby shop on Long Island, New York."

"Knitted nativity figures including Mary, Joseph, a donkey and the angel Gabriel have been offering commuters "signs of the Christmas story" throughout December."

"Studio says ‘many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline’."

"How has Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland, become a global hub for the Christmas economy?"

"There are actually a lot of Christmas songs I like, if you can even believe. But there's way more that I find cloying and cutesy. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer?" Run me over instead."

"A bold and controversial statue of a Christmas icon, blending adult undertones with playful humour, stands year-round in a traffic circle."

"From launching with an inexplicable Christmas show to wowing the public – and then being widely derided, the meta-cartoon changed TV for ever. Now, some say it’s back to its best."

"With a legacy that includes six UK No. 1 singles and millions of global sales, Sugababes’ vinyl-icon place in pop history is unshakable. Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with them ahead of their return to Australia."
on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #22


In the Bleak Midwinter - the world's favourite Christmas carol:
"Ashutosh Khandekar heads back to a particularly bleak midwinter in the early 20th century, as he traces the chilly history of one of today’s most beloved carols."

Why Switzerland is busy fixing up its vast network of nuclear bunkers:
"Most homes have Cold War-era bunkers, but they’ve been turned into wine cellars and storage units."

"From soft, buttery cheddar to crumbly caerphilly, here’s our pick of cheeses that will benefit you, the animal and the environment."

"I'm gonna hold your hand when I tell you this: some of these movies aren't as good as you think they are."

"Hungry for in-person interaction, Gen Z and millennial players are joining old-fashioned chess, mahjong and backgammon groups."

"62% of mums say they find Christmas at least fairly stressful, compared to 44% of dads and 45% of women who do not have children."

"Here is the charming original CBS promo for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" from 1965."

"Charles Dickens' timeless classic about a bitter old man who has a Christmas epiphany. Read by Sean Baker. Produced by Anne Bunting."

"Many will remember the city as it looks here."

"Our festive traditions are constantly evolving - Christmas trees remain popular but mince pies and carols appear to be falling out of favour. Historian Dr. Kate Williams explains why that is and what makes a modern Christmas."
on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #21


School nativity play gets the hump:
"Live animals have starred alongside children at a Wokingham school's nativity play."

"Farmers say good growing conditions will result in a bumper crop, with the average sprout 30mm in diameter."

"Behind the scenes with the teams designing the London store’s festive windows."

"Don Quixote may sally forth again, but this time in a manner that does justice to filmmaker Orson Welles’ vision."

"From Tracy Emin at The Connaught to John Galliano at Claridge's, we take a look at the creative collaborations that have been brightening up luxury hotel lobbies over the years."

"Italy's most atmospheric city proved the ideal choice for a solo, festive break, with plenty of surprises."

"What was your favourite British TV show this year? From Doctor Who to Wolf Hall, Slow Horses to Baby Reindeer and more."

"On Christmas Day in 1921, a Swedish immigrant quietly wheeled his hot dog stand to a street corner in Boston’s North End and distributed 500 free hot dogs to hungry children."

"Dave Gorman spends each December dressed as Father Christmas."

"As someone who doesn't really have a sweet tooth, the festive season seems to be my one downfall, so I was all too willing to give this simple yet tasty recipe a go."
on Monday, December 16, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #20

 
"Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain apologises for talk at Hampshire school after angry parents say he ‘ruined Christmas’."

"If you're unfamiliar with the Jezebel lore, I hate this holiday and have previously tried to figure out why. But this year, I'm going to do as Sheryl Sandberg said and lean in, baby."

"The singer visited Mercy Hospital in Kansas City days after the end of her Eras tour."

"Dachshunds sporting Santa suits, elf costumes and Christmas tree hats took to the streets of London in the annual Hyde Park Sausage Dog Walk."

"Westhoughton was filled with the joyful sound of bell ringing yesterday morning, Saturday, following a visit from Father Christmas, to raise money for a great cause."

"More than 100 scuba divers dressed in Santa Claus outfits are set to take part in a charity dive."

"Every year around this time, as people settle into watching their favorite holiday films, there is one big question that always seems to come up without fail: Just what kind of jobs did Kevin McCallister’s parents in “Home Alone” have to be able to afford that sprawling house and take a family of 15 to Paris for the holidays?"

Holiday Trek: The Motion Pictures (Captain Please Come Home):
"The Holiday Adventure is Just Beginning."

"The Dutch city of Deventer transformed Saturday into a pocket of 19th-century England, with 950 people in costumes bringing characters from Charles Dickens’ books to life."

"Get up close and personal with Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. We created this ultimate Snoopy Museum Tokyo guide to help you prepare for your visit. Here’s your chance to learn about the museum’s exhibitions, how to buy admission tickets, and things to do when you get there!"
on Sunday, December 15, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #19

   

Japan chooses ‘gold’ as kanji of the year in nod to Olympics glory – and slush fund politics:
"The character, chosen by public vote, has won in previous Olympic years but also reflects public anger at a damaging financial scandal inside the ruling Liberal Democratic party."

"Just in case you happen to be buying any books for loved ones and so forth…"

"Dudu Hadebe (28) from Pelham said that in all her 28 Christmas gatherings with her family, most ended in tears with the last being "nothing short of a disaster"."

"The sea snail-shaped piece was commissioned by the local government to celebrate the nature reserve it's on."

"Jennifer Love Hewitt talks about returning for 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' reboot."

"A COUNCIL under fire after telling residents to decorate its Christmas trees themselves has hit back at a former member who raised complaints."

"The ancient custom of ale conning is thought to have been taking place since the 1300s."

"Esther Walker loves Christmas. She plans every tiny detail, months in advance. This year she has just under a week. What will she learn?"

"Turkeys, geese, chickens and ducks from East Anglian farms will go under the hammer at traditional Christmas poultry auctions next week."


"And astronomers may have solved the mystery at the heart of it."
on Saturday, December 14, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #18


Schoolchildren take over county's quietest station:
"Schoolchildren brought festive fun to Essex's quietest railway station, making it possibly the site's busiest day in its 176-year history."

"A group of volunteer seamstresses in Caracas, Venezuela, is repairing toys to bring Christmas cheer to poor and vulnerable children."

"Learning how Bess of Hardwick might have celebrated Christmas at Hardwick Hall."

"Leslye Headland’s 2018 play makes for a tense and timely pre-holiday watch with a starry cast, including Shailene Woodley and Zachary Quinto, giving it their all."

"Tax-free list includes Christmas trees but not decorations, printed books but not e-books."

"Nigel Slater shares the flavours that for him make Christmas a truly delicious season. As we tick off the days and open our Advent calendars, Nigel shows us how to cook for both entertaining and self-indulgence, filling the kitchen with tastes and smells to evoke the spirit of the season and serving up food designed to bring comfort and joy."

"Many properties struggle with condensation and mould throughout the winter months. If left untreated, mould can cause long-term damage to the property, as well as potentially having an impact on the health of those living there."

"Hathaway talks returning as Mia Thermopolis in “The Princess Diaries" and Andy Sachs in "The Devil Wears Prada," serving as the face of Bulgari, and becoming a "Versace woman.""


"Lisa Hamilton Daly takes us behind the scenes of the wholesome annual production and how Hallmark+ will grow the seasonal extravaganza."
on Friday, December 13, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #17


"Shuffling across icy ground on a cold December afternoon, lots of tourist groups poured into Santa Claus Village, a winter-themed amusement park perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle."

Lin-Manuel Miranda Reveals Why He Didn’t Return for ‘Moana 2’
"The songwriter received an Oscar nomination for "How Far I'll Go" from 'Moana.'"

"Artificial intelligence is already very impressive, with many AI images and videos so flawless that it can be difficult to tell what’s fake and what’s real. But as it continues to develop, will this become an impossible task.  Challenge yourself with this Christmas edition of AI or real!"

"Inflatable Santa Claus punctured and wires on Christmas lights cut in spate of Scrooge-like incidents."

"New festive stories center the many ways people celebrate the season, and each other."

"You may have noticed a few Christmas trees going up, maybe some twinkly lights? That’s right, It’s officially the holiday season. What does this mean? Festive cheer and mulled wine, for sure, and gift-giving. Don’t let this year’s gift-giving be stressful. To help, we’ve listed a few ideas to get you started, all feminist-friendly. "

"Long before the rise of online shopping, this footage captures Christmas during the golden age of department stores."

"What makes a terrible Christmas gift, from experience."

"One of the earliest accounts of a Christmas celebration in the young Republic of Texas was recorded in the diary of a young German traveler and businessman named Gustav Dresel in 1839."

"Christmas is a very special celebration for Ticos (Costa Ricans, as most of the readers of the Tico Times already know, are affectionately known as Ticos). Traditional food, gatherings with friends and family, presents, and decorations make this a fantastic season in the country."
on Thursday, December 12, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #16


 A rare interview with Juliette Binoche - the new President of the European Film Academy:
"Euronews Culture sits down with award-winning actress Juliette Binoche, in her first year as President of the European Film Academy, to talk about cinema and the importance of choosing your filmgoing experience."

"Latin dancing, Indian butter and American soldiers are some of the clues for this year's cryptic Christmas challenge set by the national spy agency."

"Charlotte Pugmire, her husband Mark and their two daughters have been living in a caravan near Cowes since July. It is temporary accommodation provided by the Isle of Wight council for the homeless."

"From stinky tofu to Oreo-calamari, there’s a method to their specialty-pie madness."


"The following guest post from media historian Taylor Cole Miller is part of our Vanishing Culture series, highlighting the power and importance of preservation in our digital age."

"Nearly 5bn lb of gift returns end up in landfills every year and yet there is a certain taboo around compiling a gift list."

"The Christmas ad season has been in full swing for a while now, and at this point we’re used to getting our heartstrings tugged at. Campaigns around this time of year are hard wired to evoke festive nostalgia, remind us of better times, and bring some magic into our day."

"The Oscar-winning director, who completes a trilogy of Christmas shorts with Disney+ film, jokes how he knows when something is a Christmas film: "It’s when Bruce Willis tries to save his wife.""
on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #15


"All over the world, Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions. The festivities can be startlingly different from country to country, focusing on different aspects of the nativity story."

"A group of knitting enthusiasts has transformed a shop window into a fun Christmas scene using knitted nude local characters."

"Bryn Terfel, Lucy Worsley, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Eleanor Oldroyd, Angel Blue, Charlotte Ritchie, Courtney Pine and more share their festive favourites."

"The beds are on sale now, but are unlikely to arrive before Christmas for those who order."

"The TARDIS returns to iPlayer and BBC One on Christmas Day - but can the Doctor save Christmas everywhere, all at once?"

"Add some quality, booze-free sparkle to your festive drinks list."

"St. Nicholas may have inspired Santa Claus, but the two figures were remarkably different."

"FoodCycle host a meal to bring people together every Tuesday at the Teams Life Centre."

"Art Kane’s “Harlem 1958” gathered giants of the music. Sonny Rollins, 94, looks back at the historic picture."

"On 3 December 1984, Wham! released a Christmas single that over the years would lose none of its power despite becoming a sonic monolith of the festive season. Ian Wade reflects on how the song has haunted his life, and the strange melancholy of a Christmas pop death."
on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 0 comments Labels:
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