Award!

Thanks to Fear Street! My first ever award, how exciting. And if being versatile means talking too much about old and daggy movies and books and also whinging about life occasionally and posting too many foster pictures than I'm your girl!

Award Rules:

Share 7 things about yourself.
Pass the award along to 15 who you have recently discovered and who you think fantastic for whatever reason.
Contact the blogs you picked and let them know about the award.
Thank the person who gave it to you.

7 Things:

• I hate peas and corn
• I don't like tea or coffee. I live on diet coke, even though according to Paris Hilton, only fat people drink diet coke
• I just can't get into the Harry Potter books, though my boyfriend has forced me to watch the films
• I work in the finance industry but I didn't enjoy or complete any maths units past the age of 15 (except for that maths unit in university but it was aimed at an early childhood education level)
• I attended my parents wedding. I was 8 months old.
• I follow my Australian rules football team religiously and am a member. They get mocked in the competition because they have purple as their primary colour. Also they have the most female members out of all the other teams in the competition. Coincidence?
• My first kiss was from a french schoolmate when I was 11. It wasn't a real french kiss, mostly I remember it being kind of slimy.

I haven't named any other favourite blogs as we all seem to run in the same blog circles (?) and I don't want to be doubling people up. If you're on my blog roll, feel the love.

Eh and I changed the blog name. Again.
And to keep up the trend of foster photos, here is Spock my current Maltese cross boy - about a year old. He's from a country pound and already been through 2 families who both had kids and didn't want him anymore. Obviously I'm trying to find a cheap groomer for him before he finds a new home.
And after being informed by the vet that he has tapeworm I now have the greatest of fun looking through his excrement for tapeworm which looks a bit like long rice! Don't tell me I don't teach you guys stuff.

Little Darlings

My introduction to this movie was on one summer day when I was home sick from high school, this was playing as the midday movie.

It is my opinion that they never play good movies on at this time but my mum said this was a good movie from her childhood (my mum was 17 when this came out, cool huh). I was intrigued. What kind of movies did my mum like? Guaranteed to have a happy ending I would have thought now, but if it was from her childhood it may be more interesting and teenage centred. And as I found out, awesome as it is set at a summer camp, the stuff Australian children dream of.

So I viewed Little Darlings (1980). The opening is a bit of a cracker, some random chick with major hair flicks, kicks some guy in the balls for harassing her. Okay with me.

Basic story:

Angel (ball kicker played excellently by Kristy McNichol) and Ferris (completely random character name, played by Tatum O'Neal) are two very different girls both attending summer camp. Angel is kind of a bad girl, wrong side of the tracks etc while Ferris is poor little rich girl who thinks it's beneath her to be attending the camp.

So early on the two girls clash and somehow a bet is formed: who will be the first girl to lose her virginity? The camp is divided on who it will be and place cash on the girls. The girls each choose their 'target'. For Ferris it is the swim teacher Gary (played by my old mate Armand Assante, he of the coolest alliterated name) and for Angel it is the random guy candy they meet at a public restroom while trying to score condoms, Randy (played by a floppy haired Matt Dillon). By the way Randy and Angel seem to have matching haircuts. Ahh the 80's.

Both have very different ideas of what their first time will be like. Angel sees it as "no big deal", presumably an attitude inherited from her skanky mother, while Ferris is all about the romance and the "making love". Unfortunately for both of them the reality is vastly different while Ferris learns the true repercussions of a 15 year old trying to seduce her teacher and Angel learns that sex is actually a big deal.

This film is different because so many of these types of movies about 'losing it' are based around guys. To show from a female perspective is interesting because of course they are going to approach it differently.

I think Ferris's attitude was a bit over the top but maybe the result of her upbringing. While Angel who is used to having guys in and out (insert obvious joke) at her mom's place is more cynical.

From discussions with my friends at that age, I don't think any of us were under any illusions that the first time would be any good/incredibly romantic but we weren't of that it's 'no big deal' mindset either.

Regardless this is a good movie with like able leads (and a cute early role for Cynthia Nixon as hippy girl, Sunshine) and a somewhat realistic view of sex and teenagers. Also some good (not stereotypes) supporting characters who actually look like teenagers. It's no American Pie for hilarity or hi-jinks but it has some nice moments.

Mel hath no fury...

Mel, what the hell has happened to you?

Remember the good old days, when you still sounded kind of australian even though you were only ever partly ours, and you were in awesome movies like Mad Max 1, 2 and not so much 3? Plus Gallipoli, the Lethal Weapon movies. You used to be charming and have a sense of humour. And remember that glorious day when I blogged about your young hotness? Truth be told you're still not bad for a 54 year old.
When did it all go so wrong? Also food for thought: maybe playing an anger management therapy patient in an uncredited role in Paparazzi in 2004 was not the best move due to your now apparent issues (and how you're "...capable of it.")
You should never have left your adopted homeland. Or like divorced your wife and started screwing around either.
"When all's said and done, I did a pretty good hatchet job on my marriage. I'm to blame, if you're inclined to judge." Heh just found this quote, maybe all is not lost completely.

At least Whoopi still loves you.

Boy Crush #2

'As you wish'. Spoken by the irresistible Cary Elwes as Westly in The Princess Bride, never has my heart fluttered so much as to words spoken by a lowly farmboy.
Seriously hot. I don't know what else to say, just look at the picture a bit more. Elwes was 25 when this movie came out, so totally age appropriate for me right now, but in real life, he's the same age as my dad. Why, why did I have to work that out?

You know Robin Wright as Buttercup was luminous in this film too.

Basic plot line if you haven't heard of this movie: Westly is a farmboy who works for Buttercup. Just as they realise their love for each other, Westley decides to leave for the seas to make his fortune and news comes back that he is killed by the Dread Pirates. Buttercup is heartbroken, but 5 years later decides to marry Prince Humperdink but she does not love him.

While out riding one day she is kidnapped by 3 outlaws, the boss -Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Fezzik a giant (Andre the giant) and Inigo Montoya - a fencing master (Mandy Patinkin, his full name will be become important in the quotes section).
They are tracked by Prince Humperdink and a mysterious man in black. And I won't say anymore in case there are people who haven't seen this marvellous movie. In short it is funny, dramatic and romantic all in one and features many great characters and one liners my family will quote for days after watching the film.
Wallace Shawn is one crazy little man, while not having a huge role, he makes his memorable.
Andre the giant's thick accent sometimes makes what he is saying incomprehensible but it adds to the fun (fun personal fact, he was only 13cm taller than my boyfriend).
I love Mandy Patinkin in this, I'm not even sure why but he does have a good role with the most meat (he is trying to avenge his father's death by a 6 fingered man).

Favourite quotes:
Inigo Montoya: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up] Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains. Man in Black: You're that smart? Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Man in Black: Yes. Vizzini: Morons.

Buttercup: You mock my pain.

Man in Black: Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something

Prince Humperdinck: She is alive, or was an hour ago. If she is otherwise when I find her I shall be very put out.

Girl Power

So it's all progressive, historic and what have you, that Australia now has their first female prime minister. It's just too bad it had to happen like this.

As usual the media has focused more on her hair (and the fact that she is unmarried, no kids and has a hairdresser for a boyfriend) than any other aspects but it doesn't help when she also proclaims to be the first redhead prime minister. Double standards for women sucks.

By the way the woman on the left is Julia Gillard the new PM, the one on the right is Quentin Bryce the governor general of Australia and she has the power to fire the PM*. It's only happened once. How fricken weird is Australian politics?

*simplified version, I may or may not know what I'm talking about.

On the Beach

So in between all the ups and downs that goes with fostering animals I was also reading this depressing book (Neville Shute) I've been wanting to read for some time. Why? I'm not sure, doesn't everybody like to read about humanity's untimely end? The way disaster movies gross millions of dollars maybe they do.

Basic plot line without giving too much away:

Set in the not too distant future (for the time) the world has been rocked by some kind of war where nuclear weapons were used in the northern hemisphere. The last few countries with the population still alive is Australia, some of South America and Africa, but the global air currents are slowly sending the fallout down to the southern hemisphere.

The only hope the navy is clinging to is that there is some unexplained Morse code transmitting from Seattle. The Australian navy organises for the American submarine to go and check it out. In the meantime people are coming to terms (or living in delusion land) about the nuclear fallout reaching them and the end of life as they know it.

I wanted to read this book ever since I saw the telemovie when I was in high school, according to IMDB it came out in 2000 so I must have been 16/17 which seems to be the age I view dooms day films (I must do a post on Threads sometime, that film will scare the shit out of any 14 year old). 

The things I remembered from the telemovie:

• some guy kills himself driving really fast and crashing in his Ferrari instead of waiting for the radioactive sickness
• the lead guy played by an American had a really cool name (Armand Assante)

So based on these observations from a decade ago, I'm still not sure why I wanted to read this. I know I am a sucker for post apocalyptic books/films (don't judge, there's a lot of us) but this one just really depressed me. Also the females came across as none too bright, seriously living in la-la land about the future and the possibility of having to murder a child with a government issued suicide pill or injection. I know I'd rather watch my daughter get slowly poisoned to death! I realise it is a coping mechanism to continually think ahead and just avoid the harsh reality but seriously? I think I would have just took a pill as soon as I found out instead of just sitting around waiting to die. But that's the human spirit isn't it?

My god even this review is depressing. I did like some things: the way it makes you question your own behaviour in a similar situation and the way that the dialogue in all old Australian novels still always sounds vaguely English.

My apologies for the sombre post, our latest foster puppy has just gone out on trial and I'm feeling a mite sad.

For the record the original movie came out in 1959 (2 years after the book was published) and had Americans playing Australians (Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins). Slightly worst than watching the dubbed version of mad max. Don't buy old Australian films in Bali, children.

My Brilliant Career

My Brilliant Career's (1979) heroine is Sybylla (Judy Davis) an outspoken independent young woman living with her family in Australia in the early 20th century. As she is now of a certain age, her mum wants to send her out to work as a servant much to Sybylla's disgust. She longs to be a writer and experience life outside of their home on the farm.
Fortunately for her it doesn't come to that and she is shipped off instead to her grandmother's to live there with her mother's brother and sister as well.
They live in relative luxury and it is here where she meets Harry Beecham (Sam Neill), a friend of the family's son. They share chemistry and though Harry has a reputation with the ladies it is Sybylla he wants. Sybylla won't commit to his marriage proposal though at the moment as she still wants to write and experience herself alone, which is the opposite of what her family want for her. They want to tame her wild side and make her a proper lady.
Unfortunately her father's bad business dealings lead her to move to a tiny house on a farm where she is working off his debt as a governess to 6 unruly children.
Luckily due to a misunderstanding with the eldest son and his parents (they think she's after him but as she owns no property they can't let them marry even though Sybylla had no intention to) Sybylla ends up home again with the debt lifted until they're in better circumstances. So she is back at the family home and helping a calf out of the mud when Henry shows up again and still wants to marry her. In a move which shocked me (surprisingly) she turns him down, at least for the moment. She still hasn't found herself and wants to keep writing. It's a bittersweet moment when Henry professes he still wants her but Sybylla explains she would 'destroy him.'
Henry leaves and Sybylla sometime later posts off her manuscript. The credits begin with the sentence that Sybylla's novel was published in 1901. And us true romantics can cling to the hope that maybe they will meet again and be together at a later time.

I always considered myself kind of a feminist, but I was surprised when the two didn't get together in the end. That damn film cover seduced me with it's picture of Henry and Sybylla embracing!
In the special features section there was a interview with Gillian Armstrong the director and she explained how back in 1981 this was particularly shocking and strange that the female lead turned her suitor down and that she's glad it is not so shocking anymore. I disagree to an extent not just from my own reaction but other movies I have seen recently, that don't seem to challenge this stereotype.

Okay characters: Judy Davis is perfect as Sybylla and I read somewhere that she actually can't stand to watch this movie anymore. Say it aint' so...she has this perfect flyaway frizzy hair and a great spirit that matches her character to the T.

Sam Neill's career I believe was also launched by this film, and he is pretty dashing in the film. One complaint was that I thought he should have had more character development although it is a testament to Judy and Sam's chemistry that they display so much just through facial expressions and their actions.

The scenery and set direction is really great, half the time I thought I was watching a period English film - the costumes were excellent.The contrast between the relative ease Sybylla finds herself living in, in her grandmothers house compared to the shanty little house when she is a governess is astounding.

I was pleased to read Davis was born and raised in my home town so maybe next time I'll review a movie with fellow Perth ite Melissa George. This may be a struggle, the only one I've seen lately was 30 Days of Night.
My Brilliant Career is definitely another Australian gem with a great central performance and not your usual ending or heroine.

Vote again...if you want

It's been a week so if you voted last week and don't mind doing it again please please click here on Ben's kitchen sucks. I promise I'll maybe only ask one more time!

Tomorrow My Brilliant Career and a dishy young Sam Neill.

Friends with Money and a cheap shameless self promotion

Did anybody ever actually see this when this came out (2005)? It seemed to slip under the radar and does actually have a few decent female actors in main roles. Christine (Catherine Keener), Franny (Joan Cusack), Jane (Frances McDormand) and Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) are good friends all with money quite obviously, except for Oliver who gave up her job as a teacher in a private school for a new job as a maid. While at first Olivia seems to be the screwed up friend who all the others want to help, they all really have all their own problems.

Christine's husband is a bit of a shit really, who doesn't ask her if she's ok when she hurts herself and she has to learn to not get worked up about the things he does. Yeah. Franny is the really rich one of the group (all her own money I forget why/how) but she needs to talk to her husband before she spends any of it and he comes across as judgemental about her friendship with Olivia.

Everybody thinks Jane's husband is gay (not that they say it to her face) and she has taken to not washing her hair and thinks it feels like she is just waiting to die (she turns 43 during the film) even though she has a successful clothing line.

Olivia is calling up some guy she had an affair with for a couple of months, smoking pot and using her client's vibrator. All we know about her previous job is that it wasn't her calling. During the course of the film she dapples with the idea of becoming a personal trainer, even though she is apparently the only one in the circle of friends who doesn't enjoy exercising.

I found Jane's story to be the most interesting, she also had the most understanding husband, gay or not (he probably was just a metrosexual-English combination) who handled all her suppressed rage and annoyance nicely. I found the scene where she gets angry at the store and runs into the glass door interesting and plausible. And McDormand is great actress who can express so much with facial expressions.

The casting of Aniston was interesting as she is about 10 years younger than the other actors. She is not bad in this, kind of similar disinterested longing as in The Good Girl but I enjoyed this movie more. I found the ending a bit annoying, the running time was only 88 minutes long I thought they didn't need to end it so abruptly and I am also not sure what it means that Aniston's new boyfriend also has money? Would she have not lasted much longer in the group without being well to do? Anyway if you feel like watching a vaguely entertaining film starring some talented actresses rent this one. And if that wasn't the lamest recommendation I don't know what is.

Because I know anyone who reads this blog is supremely nice for no good reason, could you please follow this link and vote for our kitchen to suck the most? Go to the link, clink on Kitchen Sucks and then it should come up as Ben's Kitchen Sucks and then you can vote for it. We entered this competition through Ikea to win a brand new kitchen for our very outdated house (hopefully they do a My Bathroom Sucks next!) and since we started late into the competition we need all the help we can get. I just don't have that many facebook friends people. Also there's the cheap thrill of seeing how crappy our kitchen is. Thanks!

The Year My Voice Broke

This is the film I should have watched before seeing Flirting. But for some reason (probably because Nicole Kidman is in the sequel) this movie completely flew under my radar and Flirting is what I bought.

Noah Taylor (18 at the time of filming) is Danny, local awkward outcast, his best friend is Freya played by Loene Carmen (17) a somewhat free spirit adopted to a local family. To complete the love triangle is Trevor played by Ben Mendelsohn (18) who is a regular feature in many Australian shows, and movies.

Danny and Freya are in high school, she is 16, he is 15 and have been best friends since they were little kids, he has always had a crush on her, which she acknowledges but doesn't really encourage. She then falls for local popular rugby player and small time criminal Trevor, much to Danny's disgust.
The story tells of their relationship progression, how she and Danny drift apart and as Freya is adopted, the story of who her parents are and what is the connection to the house on the hill which everyone believes is haunted by the prostitute who used to live there.
This is all set in 1962, but it doesn't style it as such in such an obvious way. Sure some of the songs are old  but it's the small town mentality which really gives the film character. Even if this was set in present time, the small town issues would still be there.

Things I loved (without giving much away)

• The 3 leads are so natural and cast to perfection. I have not seen Carmen in anything else but she is so earthy and just freaking great in her role. And the fact that they were all pretty close to the ages of their characters.
• Trevor's crazy little laugh he uses throughout the movie, you can just imagine the other cast members trying not to laugh
• not having a happy ending as much as I would have liked one
• the honest dialogue and Danny's struggle with his desire for Freya
• the scene at the dance and Danny in his Marlon Brando look. Just because I thought his and Freya's interaction was so sweet
• the scene where Trevor and Freya stick up for Danny in their own separate ways while he is being bullied
• the Australian scenery seems to be it's own character similarly to Picnic at Hanging Rock

I don't want to give more away as I really think it is a great film which should be seen by as many people as possible (I had to join Quickflix to watch it).
This film is part coming of age (although how I loathe that phrase) part drama, little drabs of comedy and a really great indie film.

It was released in 1987 and Noah Taylor reprises his role for Flirting in 1991 as do the actors who play his parents. Both were also written and directed by John Duigan who stated in the bonus feature of the DVD that he intended the story of Danny to be a trilogy and would like to make a third with Danny and Freya at the ages they are now which would make them early 40s and set in about the late 80s. I have no idea how he would do it but I'd love to see it.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) are high school friends who have been living together since they graduated.

Their ten year high school reunion is looming and while planning to go, they realise their lives (dead end job, no boyfriends) aren't looking too impressive.

After some half hearted attempts to find boyfriends, and find a job in Michele's case, Romy decides to just lie and say they are successful business women who invented post its. Yes, post its.

Things go awry on the way when they have a huge fight in the car about who is cuter out of the two of them.Then when they arrive at the reunion, Romy goes with the post it story and gets ridiculed by the horrible 'A' group. Michele comes to the rescue and they decide they don't care what anyone else thinks because they always have fun together. Or something. And then Sandy lends them the money to start their own clothing shop (Romy makes and they both design their own clothes).

The film includes a very long dream sequence, a completely random but I think hilarious 3 way dance between Sandy (Alan Cumming), Romy and Michele at the reunion, and some nice flashback scenes where the obviously 30 plus aged actors play teenagers.

Most of the movie is filled with overacting, some cliched characters (particularly the A group) but it's all done in such fun that it's enjoyable to watch. The bright clothes! The music! The 80's, ah it was my favourite decade. And they really are good friends to each other.

Lisa Kudrow is basically just reprising the role of Phoebe from Friends which isn't surprising as it was at the height of popularity at the time and she does it so well. Interesting side note, according to IMDB, Lisa was a virgin until she married her husband at the age of 31. How…refreshing is that?

Mira Sorvino, who I really only known as Paul's daughter and seen her in Mimic and At First Sight (sadly), also does a great job and for some reason I really love her voice. I wish I had that kind of raspy, gravelly quality in mine. Is that weird? For some reason I get her and Bridget Fonda mixed up..maybe it's the having famous fathers syndrome?

Alan Cumming plays Sandy Frik, the dork who loved Michele in high school and became a millionaire discovering some kind of rubber (used in tennis shoes not in condoms as Michele thought). I thought Alan Cummings was so cute in this and didn't know why Michele didn't like him. Granted the whole giant erection whenever she's around would get a bit annoying but that's just how he rolls in high school.

Janeane Garofalo plays Heather Mooney, the outcast who had a huge crush on Sandy. I just love her sarcasm, she has some classic lines:

Heather: Why don't you tell everyone I said to go fuck themselves for making my teen years a living hell?

Romy: Well, anyways, are you going? [to the reunion]
Heather: [referring to her cigarette] I'd rather put this out in my ass

Romy: [reading the customer paperwork] Heather? Heather Mooney? From Sagebrush High in Tuscon?
Heather: Yeah?
Romy:  It's Romy! Romy White!
Heather: You're shittin' me.
Romy: No! This is so weird - I didn't know you were living in L.A.
Heather: Well, now that you know, will we be getting together a lot?

This is such a frivolous fluffy movie that I can't help but like it. Released in 1997, I have fond memories from year 8, having slumber parties, eating junk food, talking about boys and thinking a high school reunion was a long time away.

Honestly watching it now, the idea of my ten year high school reunion scares me a little.

It will be ten years since I graduated next year and it's not like I have an awesome job/know what I want to do with my life, so I relate to the story in that way.

Also the whole facebook thing seems to make a reunion a bit pointless in some ways. On one hand it's not like anyone makes friends with people they once knew a long time ago old high school buddies other than to check out their pics (see how fat they got), and see how many kids they had with different fathers they're doing in their life.

Then again it would be interesting to actually have a conversation with some of these people instead of occasionally just laughing at their status updates. I'll be hoping for a contemporary dance off between some old classmates that's for sure.

New foster

Sabrina is our latest, completely different to Gizmo, she was only 7 weeks old when we got her and so tiny.
She took a couple of days to come out of her shell not like Mr Independent Gizmo but she's getting along with Ebs now too which makes it easier. I also got a nice email from Giz's new owner saying that he has fit in well in their home which makes the fostering easier.

Fingers crossed I do not get too attached...although I have already entertained thoughts of keeping her (again) as she doesn't seem to mind being an indoor kitten as much as Giz. Speaking of outside, my boyfriend went crazy with a chainsaw and our backyard now looks like this:

Just because I can

When I was little and being looked after by my grandparents predominantly since my mum went straight back to work, my grandfather nicknamed me Batfink. I wasn't sure what to think about this but I believe it was an affectionate term for when I was being a bit naughty. To this day my granddad doesn't really remember why the nickname started, I just looked like a batfink. Apparently at the time (mid-late 80s) Batfink the cartoon was pretty popular even though it was originally released as a spoof on Batman back in 1966, with memorable catchphrases. Anyway guess there are worst things to be nicknamed after than a superpowered crime fighting grey bat with wings of steel and super sonic sonar radar.

Now just to find my own vaguely racist Asian stereotype depicted muscle man Karate to get me out of trouble just in the nick of time. And drive me around in a cool batmobile-esque cars but that are pink naturally.

Logies

If you haven't heard of the Logies I wouldn't blame you. Sorry the 'TV Week' Logies, because we can't have an award show not sponsored by someone. I suppose the American equivalent would be the Emmys, as it is the Australian television industry awards and has been going since 1959, renamed the logies after Scottish man John Logie Baird who invented television as a practical medium. Who knew?

There is the coveted gold logie (amongst many other categories) for the most popular personality on television (how ambiguous is that?) and also the silver logie which to be honest I'm not entirely sure what that is for. The second most popular personality?

The reason the logies are a joke is that Australian television is generally not that great. We have great actors, writers and directors, but they generally work in film and/or overseas. There has been some past good television shows but we have nothing of the calibre (in my humble opinion) of some great American or British shows.
The unique thing about this awards ceremony is that the public vote on who wins. Hence the 'TV Week' logies as they distribute the voting coupons.
So not only do we have Joe Public voting for the 'best' shows in Australia, they're also the slightly dumb people who read a magazine devoted entirely to fictional TV characters.

Generally we also get an American or British singer/actor to be a special guest, as you can tell we need all the entertainment we can get, because obviously people aren't interested enough in the Australian guests and presenters. This year KD Lang did a few songs presumably (I watched about 10 minutes in total of the whole ceremony so I'm guessing), John Mayer was there (hurrah) and Johnny Galecki from the Big Bang Theory was a guest presenter. I heard an interview with him this morning and he seems like a really nice down to earth guy but it needs to be looked at why we need these special guests at all. Isn't that saying something about our industry?

There was a few Australian celebrities who were mobbed by reporters though and one of them was little Bindi Irwin. She cops a bit of flak, many think she was pushed into the limelight but seems to enjoy it a bit too much and doesn't have a normal childhood. Well when your dad was Steve Irwin you're unlikely to be normal in any conventional way and whether you agreed with him or not, he did do a lot for nature conservation.

Anyway back to Bindi. In the end I don't like mocking her - she's only 12 and she's a poor fatherless mite. Anyway she was at the logies (think she has a childrens program) and I thought she looked very nice without the khaki for a change.

But you know who won our gold logie this year: an old codger from Home and Away, our second longest running soap. I'm guessing it was a bit of a pity win for him as he's the last remaining original cast member. Think I'm getting harsh in my old age.

One of the parts I did see during the night which was Shaun Micallef's speech which he self proclaimed stole straight from Sir Lawrence Olivier. Amusing. Rebecca Gibney telling everyone she was pre-menstrual was not. Ew.

Binky the clown

I became aware of a blog which truly captures everything I feel about clowns (namely they are evil) but because of this fear I cannot look around this blog too much as I am afraid random image/s will scare the hell out of me.
So thank you coulrophobic agnostic for sharing with the world the true evil of clowns when I can't.
If you need any more proof check out this article. My friend sent me a link to a different article, same story, warning me it had clown content. She didn't tell me the image was of the scariest clown ever. You know who I mean. Not this guy. When I opened the link I had a mini heart attack in my office chair.

Anzac Day

Yesterday we had a national public holiday and for the first time I attended the war memorial to commemorate this day.
Anzac (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day (April 25th) marks the anniversary of our first major military action fought during WW1. This day holds particular relevance regarding the Gallipoli campaign which was meant to be a quick capture of the Gallipoli peninsular and then capture Turkey for our allies. It turned into a stalemate lasting 8 months and with high causalities on both sides.
At this time, Australia had only been a federal commonwealth for 13 years and wanted to establish a reputation worldwide. At the end of 1915 they were evacuated with over 8000 killed. Although this mission was ultimately a failure it cemented a icon of the Australian 'digger' who cared for his mates, and hung in there.
During WW1, Australia had a population of fewer than 5 million and nearly 500,000 enlisted with over 60,000 killed.

While reflecting during the playing of the Last Post (which always sends a shiver), I tried to think of those I'd known who'd fought in the war. A man who lives around the corner was a POW in Asia, but none of my grandparents or great-grandparents fought in the war (most held jobs that were needed at home and some were stuck in Nazi occupied Netherlands).

I tried to imagine what it was like, going away at 18, never returning or even being one of those left behind to wonder and wait. Truthfully no one can imagine what it is like unless you have experienced it and I hope that is something that doesn't happen in my lifetime. Lest we forget.

Hoping to post a review of Gallipoli which has my old favourite Mel in it, and is just a really good story told beautifully by Peter Weir.

Visit www.awm.gov.au for more info.

Pretty in Pink

Not a full post, because I can't be arsed and most people have seen this film enough, but I bought PIP the other day (still no luck on Young Einstein) and watched it over the weekend and I have some random thoughts that always bugged/excited me:

-why does Blaine like Andie? She comes across as whiny, self obsessed and bossy
-James Spader wears horrible 'boat' shoes when he and Duckie fight

- Duckie is adorable but mildly stalkerish. After watching this I embarrassingly admit to then flicking on Two and a Half Men and gazing fondly at Alan

-we all love it (I hope): Duckie's lip synching/song scene is hilarious, in particular his crotch thrusting while on the stairs

- love the outdated computer and 'chat' Blaine and Andie use

-also love Annie Potts in the movie. Why does she change for the pet shop owner date? Her style was awesome as it was, instead of wearing that awful blazer and hairstyle

-I kind of creepily like the fight Blaine and Andy have at the locker. It's not pretty, it's not succinct it just...is.

- I still love the little conversation between Duckie and Andie's dad. Overall I think Duckie actually comes off as age appropriate (for the decade) and authentic while Blaine's friends were all one dimensional biatches.

- I get Andie is the 'responsible one' since mommy dearest left but seriously? Waking her dad up every morning, forcing him to get out on the job hunt trail, then rejecting his egg breakfast the one time he gets up early himself? That's just mean.

- it's been said before but her prom dress is fugly. She ruined 2 better looking dresses to create that monstrosity

- what does it say when the test audiences reject the orginal ending of duckie and andie becoming a couple? That we want to see a couple against the norm make it? That we believe duckie and andie would never be anything more than friends seriously? That one half of a couple should not idolise the other? These are questions I should not be pondering in a John Hughes movie (RIP)

Gizmo Update

For those of you following my fostering animals rollercoaster ride of emotions, it looks like Gizmo has found a new home. My mum advertised him on her work classifieds (accidently advertised as free! He has been sterilised, microchipped and vaccinated and we are a volunteer organisation, hence the $175 fee) and within a day someone expressed interest. Admittedly that may have been because of the free price tag, but luckily he turned out to be an animal lover and doesn't mind paying up.
At the moment is on a 2 week trial which is due to end this week, so fingers crossed. His feedback about Gizmo so far has been great, and he's even using the name and he is responding to it which is cute.
We are now looking at fostering a dog or another kitten (I do get sad looking at his scratching post).

Fade

This YA fiction By Robert Cormier begins with a photograph. Young Paul is fascinated in the early 30's by an old photograph of his father and his brothers, sisters and parents. Where his uncle Adelard should be there is simply a space. Uncle Adelard is a wanderer never staying in one place for too long and Paul always wants to ask him about the photo and what happened, was he playing a trick on everyone or is it something else?
Paul is 13 and learns he is a fader after 2 incidents where he is under stress and manages to 'disappear'. At this time his uncle Adelard returns to town and explains to him that he is also a fader (hence the photograph)and it is passed down generation through an uncle to a nephew.
At first Paul is excited by his new gift, then he begins to see things that he wished he hadn't.
Paul soon realises his gift has a strong power over him and after seeing his father get stabbed in the melee which occurs when other workers are called in to stop the work strike he is involved in, he does something he soon regrets. He soon decides to never use the fade again.

There was a huge section at the beginning of the novel where Paul focuses on his aunt and his 'forbidden' love for her. I was not sure what this was all about, and she never really reappeared in the novel. I was waiting for her to pop back up in the end and add some kind of enlightment...unless she did have another child and that child had a child. In that case he or she would be another generation's fader.
There were also 2 instances where Paul saw inappropriate sexual activity while faded, so I wouldn't be wanting children too young reading this book, even though it is young adult and if I'd heard of it back in the early 90s I would have read it. So that's me being a hypocrite.

The storyline also flits between years where Paul (now a very successful writer) tries to find his nephew who he believes to be the next generation fader, and to the 1980's where his cousin's granddaughter finds Paul's manuscript and doesn't know whether to believe if it is fact or fiction.

This book involves incest, violence and murder, it is interesting to see a YA book which actually delves into these topics, but it also got the novel onto the frequently challenged books list. Cormier's books don't seem to have a happy ending, and while this would disappoint my mum, I don't mind it. As nice and packaged as it is to have a happy ending, endings where the loose ends are still dangling are usually more interesting and leaves for more reader interpretation.

According to the all mighty wikipedia, the rights to produce a film on the novel were acquired last year in January with Richard Kelly named as a producer which fills me with some hope, although IMDB doesn't offer anymore info either.

BSC

Just in case you didn't see it on BSC Ridiculously, you may want to check out this article.

I love the random facts Ann gives us about the series and her experiences writing it.

She says that she relates most with shy Mary-Anne, yet Mary-Anne was the first to get a boyfriend. Me thinks a young Ann was projecting onto the character what never happened in her adolescence. And Claudia's crazy outfits were a result of looking through magazines/catalogues and watching TV to see what young people were wearing? Well holy crap but I wouldn't wear a lot of what the models wear in magazines and I'm guessing the TV series she was consumed with was Blossom and her crazy outfits and hats.

And her thoughts on what the babysitters would be doing now are classic. Poor Mallory is still getting shafted! No 'strong feelings' about Mallory and just that Dawn is permanently in California. She must have figured 'California casual' works a lot better in Cali.

Also this quote from David Levithan (editorial director at Scholastic): "This whole generation of girls who had grown up reading the Baby-sitters Club were now teachers, librarians or mothers..." [in reference to the revised release of the early books]. Isn't this a little sexist? Just because we grew up reading this series are we all destined to these career choices? Maybe I'm reading too much into a series I idolised more than 10 years ago.

Gizmo update:

He did not get along with the dogs :( One was actually a bit scared of him, but the other is a bit more boisterous and bigger and when Gizmo gave a warning swipe he did not like it.

Luckily my boyfriend and I were there to supervise so nothing got out of hand but it looks like we haven't found a new home for him yet.