Renée Fleming!

Neil and Palma's Kilimanjaro Challenge
Neil Perryman, co-editor of Behind The Sofa and his friend Palma Carter are doing a charity climb up Mt Kilimanjaro to see the roof of the world in aid of UNICEF and they're looking for sponsors. You can make a donation here. Given the date, I think Neil's just looking for a way to avoid the next series of Torchwood.

Ada Lovelace Day.
Have you signed up yet? 24th March some of us bloggers will write about a woman in technology who is unsung. I think there's still time to pledge. I haven't decided who I'll be writing about, but I suspect selecting Suw herself would be missing the point, even though she deserves it.

Renée Fleming to sing at Obama's inauguration
And some other people, but still -- Renée Fleming! I just hope we get to see some of it, though I suspect the BBC coverage will be the likes of Justin Webb talking about the US economy whilst Shakira sings in the background.

Neko Case track. Free download.
And because I'm linking to it, the record company are sending $5 to an animal welfare charity. Just because I'm allergic to cats doesn't mean I can't help them out once in a while.

Catherine Zeta Jones is Cleopatra in Steven Soderbergh's 3D musical Cleo!
I don't think there's anything this man can't at least try to direct. Jones was about the only thing which made the film version of Chicago watchable. Secretly I hoped she would be the next Doctor Who, which seems terribly unlikely but consider her performances since High Fidelity. Not that (the royal) we could have afforded her.

Sarah Beeny is in my generation.
It hadn't occurred to me that Sarah Beeny was thirty-seven, just two and a bit years older than me. Which isn't to say I thought she was older, it's that I forget sometimes (as we've established) that I'm not in my twenties. It makes her more approachable somehow. Before this becomes too inappropriate, I should mention that this interview from last weekend's worth reading for the opening few paragraphs were the Guardianista forgets what she looks like...

Is it Little Boots?
Production company actively looking for crap dancers for a video shoot. Will only say that they're one of the BBC's fifteen musicians to watch. Lady Gaga? La Roux? Remember when singers had names which sounded like someone you'd meet at the shops, like ... oh ... no ... erm ...

Heather Higginbottom reacts
Donna Moss. "She's a fine lookin' woman." etc.

Barack paraphrases an Alanis Morissette song. Probably not.
"Enough about me, lets talk about you for a minute / Enough about you, lets talk about life for a while / The conflicts, the craziness and the sound of pretenses / Falling all around... all around." I still can't quite believe that by next Tuesday evening, this man is going to be the US President. In this video, without pretension, he offers what amounts to an advert for the inauguration describing the various media outlets and websites that will be carrying the event, including a kids version on Disney with Michelle and Joe and then goes all Capraesque with suggestions on how people can help serve their country.

Amanda describes the plot of Star Wars from the tiny amount she’s seen.
Genius. And strangely close to Lucas's original synopsis.

Friends of Dorothy
Health warning: Contains Bobby Davro and the phrase: "Take it away kids, here we go."

Girl comforts friend whilst studying.

Danielle Steel has been translated more than Shakespeare
That's horrifying if understandable. I'm yet to here reports of Shakespeare having been translated successfully, verbatim, into any other language and that includes Klingon.

Jessamyn's my year in cities and towns, 2008
Amazing collection of photographs of the guestrooms she's stayed in. That I couldn't compile a similar collection underscores why I need to get away and soon. Any offers?