Bah humbug: merry Xmas to all!

Gah, I'm getting to be pretty damn rubbish at this online life malarky, what with all the - ahem - "real life" stuff intruding.

Still, let me not be accused of not making some effort: I gave you a Christmas card (hopefully some of you may have even had ones to your mail accounts), and I have TRIED to drop by to give some of you some continued Rullsenberg comments.

But by my own admission this last few months have been poor fare for regular readers and I spologise for that.

Still, just to bring to mind something more heartwarming EineKleine Rob reminded me of one of the most wonderful bits of Xmas TV.

You might think, after spending yesterday evening at a local cinema's packed small screen for a showing of "It's a Wonderful Life", that I would be all cried out. Heck, I even gave myself a headache from sobbing. It matters not: you can't be a good sob.

Now I am off to go and hang some Christmas decs (yes, the German in me decided that it had to wait till Xmas Eve*) and meet a friend for lunch.

Hugs to all and may I provide better blogging
Lisa of Rullsenberg

* I'd like to give credit to my semi-Germanic heritage: actually the delay was of course just from the overload of life. Meh.

Best use of an unlikely song on a Christmas Card

This has to be seen to be believed.

Care2 Cards have just made my day.

Thanks guys!

Development Hell in film land: Neil Gaiman and Joss Whedon

It's an old interview (dating from the release of Serenity), but I rather liked this exchange between Joss Whedon (JW) and Neil Gaiman (NG):

JW: I find that when you read a script, or rewrite something, or look at something that's been gone over, you can tell, like rings on a tree, by how bad it is, how long it's been in development.

NG: Yes. It really is this thing of executives loving the smell of their own urine and urinating on things. And then more execs come in, and they urinate. And then the next round. By the end, they have this thing which just smells like pee, and nobody likes it.

JW: There's really no better way to put it.

Pogues 'censored'??!!

Huh?

I run to the BBC News site for a quick gander at the world at large (its a rare treat these days to lift my head from the files and paperwork around me, let alone review what is happening outside the university).

This nonsense is what I find: "Radio 1 censors Pogues' Fairytale"

BBC Radio 1 has banned the word "faggot" from the Pogues' 1987 Christmas hit Fairytale of New York to avoid offence.

...
The BBC said: "We are playing an edited version because some members of the audience might find it offensive."

...
Another line, where MacGowan calls MacColl "an old slut on junk", has also been edited.

...
But the ban does not apply across the BBC. Radio 2 said it would be playing the full version of the track.

And again, I say: "huh?!"

UPDATED: Although the original story was updated at 15:50, according to a news item on PM, the BBC changed their minds (see the climbdown at 18:00). Maybe someone reminded them that they DO employ Chris Moyles... [as Stu rightly pointed out].

Slack readers

Norm points up a piece bemoaning 'unread books', and remarks that having unread books is perfectly normal for any book buyer/reader.

Thank heavens for that! The new acquisitions from Crockatt & Powell have only just made it from bag to shelf, and at present aren't even on the right shelves (as you know, I'm a bit anal about sorting and shelving).

My four purchases were:

• Martin Miller's Lonely Werewolf Girl (it just really appealed, especially as it has been a long time since I read any of his work - Neil has the first three novels he wrote, and they're all well read in this house)


• Catherine O'Flynn's What Was Lost (since C&P has raved about it all year)


• Jeremy Gavron's An Acre of Barren Ground (a history of Brick Lane: a fascinating place and one we visited on our most recent trip)


• Carlos Fuentes' This I Believe: An A-Z of a Writer's Life (for its broad-ranging essays on life, writing and ideas)

I am looking forward to delving into each.

Xmas Tennant Goodies

Before I sink beneath a weight of unread bloglines updates, emails, un-read forum posts and general online gabbery, just a few brief words:

1) yes, I have seen the new Voyage of the Damned trailer for New Who on tv (and online). My, these trailers are a feast of delight!

2) yes, I have my copy of [delete as per your query] Radio Times, Doctor Who magazine, and Doctor Who adventures. They are all in my bag of goodies for Xmas. See, I DO have willpower...

3) yes, I have spotted that spiffy recommended book, The Wooden Overcoat (see here) is being dramatised over the Xmas period. Yes, thanks to the Radio Times - which has been easier to have a 2 min flick through than getting online to keep up to date - I also know who is in the cast. And yes, I have set EineKleineRob and Joe's mind at rest by acknowledging I (now) know about this. Thanks guys...

4) If you don't like David Tennant, I'd suggest locking yourself away* this Xmas because the boy is everywhere (NB the US had the Christmas Extras episode early? Huh?)

* In fact, lock yourself away anyway. Clearly you need a wake up call: the guy is HAWT! And that tuxedo... drool...

UPDATE: since I already confused Joe, I added a link to the 'Extras' remark...

Crockatt & Powell related stuff

C&P are on the move: it's all go to the Fulham Road SW10. Ken & Chel here they come...*

Recently described as "It's like a Waterstones where you've taken out all the rubbish", they really are a fine treasure trove of goodies. Heck, they've employed the goddess that is Marie Phillips - whose novel Gods Behaving Badly (in case you forgot) is coming to a small screen near you via Ben Stiller. Marie's move to work there was incentive enough for me; once visited it went straight on the 'when in London, must visit' list.

And mentioning Marie, for those who visited her much-loved Struggling Author site for discussion of boilers, shoes, encounters with famous people, countdowns and cancellations of housewarming parties promising encounters with David Tennant, and much much more... well, you've missed your chance. It went Members-Only on release of Marie's first novel and now has said goodbye. Sniff. Thankfully, Marie will continue to blog over at The Woman Who Talked Too Much. That's a relief: blog-life without Marie would be like no bloglife at all.... (speaketh moi who has virtually abandoned blogging of late - not intentionally of course, but by circumstance).

*I for one will be quite sad to see C&P move from Lower Marsh... I rather liked nipping in when I was on the South Bank. No chance of keeping C&P mark 1 and running mark 2 as an additional venture? Sigh.

UPDATE: Hurrah! C&P are STAYING at Lower Marsh and EXPANDING to Fulham Road! Phew, Wooo! and indeed WHOOOO... thanks to Marie for the update!

PS spare copy of The Observer from Sunday 16 December 2007 anyone?

Typical. I only rarely buy it so I guess missing this was inevitable when I'm not online much...

Douglas Henshall and Tena Stivicic talk about Christmas.

Awh, bless.

Treat of the Day: Dougie Henshall talks about Primeval

As if Xmas trailers weren't quite enough of a boost to my drained mind and body, hot in my inbox this morning was a link to this gem:



Thanks as ever to Dianne at the Douglas Henshall yahoo forum and website.

You'll be pleased to know I feel a tad better (this after a very frustrating day yesterday trying to sort the house out).

Gradual catch-up: Slow Boats in Rough Trade East

As Cloud said:

Tell them about the honey ... no,not the honey, tell them about someone wearing a Slow Boat Records shop tshirt to go to Rough Trade East. And that someone taking their coat off to flash said t-shirt. And someone else approaching the someone in the t-shirt to say "It's a great shop, isn't it?" expecting a Kiwi accent in response and being surpised.

Indeed. Though I was quick to still praise the Welly-based record emporium, on reflection the guy was probably hopeful of locating a fellow Kiwi. Sorry if I disappointed him!

All that AND seeing Stephen Smith from Newsnight (I felt like saying "you've done the A level now; you don't have to try and hang out with all the cool kids!")

In love with a song about a girl in a time machine

Thanks be to Neilie Cloud for this link to Harry's Place.

By gum, there is some mad stuff on the net.

Songs for Kylie, Time Machine noises, Christmas pop songs...its all fun.

Double Grrrrrr and Meh, Meh, Meh: posts I owe

What can I say people? It's been a tough few weeks.

I know that this autumn I have been rather erratic in providing blog posts: work has been considerably more chaotic and demanding and I have consequently been much more tired and disinclined to be online of an evening; the house has been in a state of upheaval most of the time since we returned from NZ; and despite these difficulties we've also tried to squeeze in some level of a social life.

So: what do I now owe you?

1) blog posts on our recent trip to London - which included a trip to Dulwich Picture Gallery (and a sighting of Timothy Spall in Dulwich Village), a visit to Tate Modern, an enjoyable rummage of Spitalfields Market and the Hawksmoor Church, an unexpected cello recital, an expensive trip to Rough Trade East, support of our favourite London independent bookstore, and much more besides.

2) A Hawk and a Hacksaw live at the Malt Cross Nottingham - this post will appear over at Music is Our Hot Hot Sex

3) update and photographs of the house (including Neil's fabulous book storage)

4) a music acquisitions list (will also be cross-posted at Music is Our Hot Hot Sex

5) my opinions on the first series of Heroes

6) my excitement at the prospect of a second series of Primeval and the return of Doctor Who

...and probably several other things I owe