It started small. I saw him sing "Fame" on Soul Train, and I wanted the record. I saw him on the cover of Rolling Stone. I saw the videos for "Heroes" and "DJ." "Ashes To Ashes" was shown a million times on different video shows. I broke down. I bought a Bowie greatest hits album called ChangesOneBowie.

On the album, I got "Fame," "Space Oddity," and the riff-o-rific wonder that is "Rebel Rebel." I thought that the songs sounded other-worldly, strange, and rockin'. It excited me. Even though I couldn't verbalize it at the time, I liked the variety of styles and arrangements of the songs on the album. It was a real fun and musically challenging listen.

Then there's "Changes." I was going through a lot of emotional changes when I first dropped the turntable needle on this track. I had just lost my two heroes; my grandfather and John Lennon. I heard Bowie sing:

I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets (and)
Everytime I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet

I started crying. I felt mad, hurt and alone. I felt changed. I was mad as hell, and I felt that no one understood and that no one cared. Turns out that "Changes" signaled my puberty. How's that for irony?

Getting back to the Bowie album, what really cemented David Bowie for me was the one-two combination of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Suffragette City." Mick Ronson, Bowie's guitarist, made a huge impression on me as a young guitar player. I wanted to get good enough to play like Ronson. His work is artistic, creative, and moving in this song pairing. I couldn't stop listening to those two songs, and to this day I cannot listen to one without the other. ChangesOneBowie is a great beginner's guide to the man and his music.

(Weird sidebar: I greet nearly everyone I meet by imitating the "hey, man" that's very prominent in the verses. Strange how that stuck to my brain.)

If you want an interesting listen, dig a pre-Space Oddity Bowie track from the summer of '67 called "Did You Ever Have A Dream." I haven't seen a lot written about this cool B-side issued with "Love You Til Tuesday," but it's one of my guilty pleasures. Give it a spin, and let it make you smile.

(Lex Neon is the musical mastermind behind the music of indie sunshine pop / rock band Poppermost.  For more info, go to http://www.poppermost.com/)

Currently listening : Changesonebowie By David Bowie

]]> http://ninablogg.wordpress.com/?p=276 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:49:25 +0000 Nina http://ninablogg.pt-br.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/dags-for-marknan/ Styr kosan mot Hälsingland i helgen. Årets hälsingemarknad går av stapeln i Hudik, och trots att man sett & gjort allt där förut, och att allt ser lika ut, så måste man ju gå. Om inte annat för att gå arm i arm med mamma och se till att hon får sin kålsoppa - som de traditionsenligt serverat där sen typ 1920-talet eller nåt (eller säkert längre tillbaka.. vem vet?). Kommer tillbaka på tisdag eftersom jag har jobb på onsdag... 7.20 på morgonen.... eller på "möööran"... som vi säger dit jag skall nu. Vilket betyder att jag måste kliva upp klockan 5 (FEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) för att hinna vakna till och bli klar. Aja. Join the real world, Nina.

Har spenderat dagen med att tvätta & kollat på säsong 1 av Svindlarna (aka Hustle). Naturligtvis missade jag själv det andra avsnittet av Tell Me You Love Me, det program som jag puffade för i förrförra inlägget, både onsdagssändningen och torsdagsreprisen... :-/ Sen har jag nu också beställt säsong 1 av Life On Mars (eftersom jag såg första avsnittet av BBC-uppföljaren Ashes to Ashes i söndags och blev FAST). Lyckades ju missa Life On Mars när den kom och hajpades som mest. När saker hajpas brukar jag alltid akta mig. Då kan jag inte titta på saker. Ofta. Jag måste liksom upptäcka programmen och serierna själv, sådär o-hajpat och i lugn och ro. Annars går det inte. Därför tittar jag således inte på Lost (fast den tittar jag inte på för att den _är_ dålig och för att skaparen JJ Abrams övergav eminenta Alias till fördel för skruttiga Lost, vilket gjorde att Alias TOTALSJÖNK och hela säsong 4 och 5 är oförlåtligt pajasstrunt. oförlåtligt.), Prison Break, Entourage, Sex and the City och nya Dr. Whoo. Om tio år då alla andra har slutat att titta så kommer jag kanske att göra det. Däremot tittar jag på Spooks/M15, Svindlarna/Hustle och Ashes to Ashes nu. =) Suveräna underdog-serier som ännu inte blvit mainstream-hajpade... ah! =D 

Varför döpte de orkanen till Gustav av alla namn? Lite lustigt att sitta och zappa fram CNN och höra jänkarna snacka om "Hurricane Gooostaph". Vadan detta svenska namn på en amerikansk jävla orkan? Kom den ursprungligen svischandes från Sverige, eller??? Kom den inte från Kuba?!?! Varför detta så svenska namn? Varför inte Harry, Tim eller George?! Eller ett isländskt namn som Eirikur eller Helgí? "Hurricane Helgí" tycks aldrig bli aktuell. Känns som att vi svenskar borde ta detta personligt. Och sluta dricka Coca Cola eller nåt.

Men varför måste de överhuvudtaget namnge orkaner? Sådär höll de väl inte på på 1950-talet?! Varför har de börjat nu? Tänk vad många orkaner som klarat sig innan, utan namn...! Grrr!!! Störande. Ytterst störande. Fast lite roligt att den sen bara kom upp i orkanstyrka 1-2 och folk hade flytt sina hem förgäves. Som en liten fis-bris blev det bara i orkanväg räknat. Och allt detta ojande och red alert-ande för nästan ingenting. Den där Gustav hade humor, han.

We loved season 1 of Life on Mars. It was awesome. Brilliant writing, brilliant acting and a compelling story. TVNZ in their wisdom didn't show series 2 for what felt like a decade and K and I almost became rabid waiting for it. Then it screened and it was ... ho hum. It wasn't so compelling and Sam Tyler was just a dick. There were great moments and a couple of good episodes but it just felt like an average meal that you've bought in a restaurant. You've paid for it so you feel compelled to eat it.

Ashes to Ashes sounds okay, and Gene Hunt makes it ALMOST worthwhile watching just to see how he copes with the 80s. BUT, I lived through the 80s and they were just, well, naff. I guess that's the point but I want something more. I guess I've lost confidence in the creators.

Well, too bad for the rest of America, but not bad for me if I'm being selfish--I still get to see him play small clubs, where he routinely tears it up.

Escovedo is simultaneously a journeyman and that geeky nineteen-year-old kid scouring thrift shops for vinyl--he revels in his roots, which are easy to know by the covers he does live and on record: Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople, the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, the Stooges.

There are no covers on Real Animal, but those influences suffuse the album. The majestic "Golden Bear" consciously echoes the haunting keyboard of Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes," and I doubt it's a coincidence that Tony Visconti, frequent Bowie collaborator and producer of T. Rex's Electric Warrior, was behind the boards.

But influences do not equal pastiche, and this is Escovedo's album all the way. It's a sort-of musical autobiography, covering his time in "Chelsea Hotel '78" and paying tribute to his first band in "Nuns Song." I'm not going to decipher the whole thing (you can read some about it here), because the album would still be highly enjoyable if you had no idea who Escovedo was, where he'd been, or who he'd played with.

Whenever someone gets around to putting together an Escovedo box set, it's going to be epic. In the meantime, there is plenty of catalog to explore, and Real Animal is a great spot to start or continue.

Here's "Sister Lost Soul." It's accessible, catchy, and heartfelt. In a just world it would give Escovedo something he's never had but richly deserves--a hit.

As entertainment news sources reported in the last couple of weeks Gretchen Mol is the new Annie, and Harvey Keitel is the new Gene Hunt.
The picture you find as the startup from this post is a promo pic featuring the original people cast in those roles.
After having watched the original version of the pilot episode for the US remake, I had a strong point for really being bothered by what was done, and as you'll see below, when I reproduce segments from a review I sent my friends a while ago, and an excerpt from a relevant Whedonesque post.

This is what I said about the original pilot episode:

Well, now as someone who did watch the first version for the US remake pilot, definitely the most noticeable element lacking in the show is the cast, which lacked the personality that the Original one had. And the first episode, was mostly an almost identical reshoot of the original first episode of the UK, version, only set in Boston, and with other people playing those same characters. I don't think they even bothered changing the names, like The Office did. I'm so glad they're recasting, but still something is missing. And I shouldn't even mention that what bothered me the most, is the unavoidable fact, that despite Jason O'Mara's (who happens to be another european import) strong presence, he just ain't John Simm.

Will the recasting, save the US' Life on Mars? Don't know. I'm curious about the recasting and the new pilot. Whether they'll still keep the script that David Kelley worked on, or they'll change more things (names could be changed, I'd feel so much more comfortable if Jason wasn't playing Sam Tyler). Though, there's a lot more in a tv show, than just the cast, the writing and producing team behind it, must also be taken into account. Guess, we'll have to wait and see.

I went further, when I shared my views of it with a few friends, as I gave details about how the pilot, was a pretty close at times to a shot by show re-filming of the first episode from the original series, but the fact that the series has at this point, potentially no endpoint, and if accepted well, might even have a longer first season, that's longer than both of the British original series combined.

Anyway, after reading about those recasting news, I finally realized what's really bothering me about this remake. They're only changing the setting from Europe to America, but they're sticking with the names, who are so intimately linked with the original cast who gave birth to them. Yes, the new showrunners, are saying that they're going to develop another storyline, or at least develop it in a different way, so the ending result will be somewhat disparate from the source material.

But as they're doing that, why keep the names? Why not change them, even if it means the most silly change (life Tim to Jim from the UK Office to the US Office), even if the archetypal character is still the same. It does get them even more leeway to play with the characters, as their only come from the same root, so they could change and develop them anyway they want, without being compared all the time with the original show's characters, especially for the most iconic ones, like Sam or Gene.

Another thing that bothers me from the non changing name situation, It's the fact that most of the characters from the original show aren't gone, as most of them continue to live on in the sequel for "Life of Mars", "Ashes to Ashes".

I'm curious if the new cast will have any effect to the remake, but I'm in one of those rare occasions, that I'm actually hoping that the show will fail. Let's wait and see...

in the same way that i had trouble waiting for the sex and the city movie, i'm impatiently awaiting the second series of ashes to ashes. january 2009, i'm assuming.....aaaaargh!

now, opinion is divided on whether there should be a 90s version. i'm going to weigh in on that particular debate - HELL YES. gene hunt grappling with loved up cheesy quavers on the early 90s rave scene? genius. if it has to be named after a david bowie song...loving the alien? i have never heard it by the way, i just had a look at a list of his singles.

the railway arms is a great place to discuss all things mars and ashes related. if i'm feeling brave i might post the following theory about a2a series 2...

alex didn't return to 1981 to save her parents, she returned to find her brother/sister who was the child of caroline price and evan. or even gene, there was definitely some tension there...her brother/sister , will be grown up, but stuck in the past, like she is.

the reason it is so important, aside from the fact that she has a sibling she was unaware of as she grew up - the sibling was responsible for the death of molly's father, in 1995. if alex can change his/her fate then she can save him.

there.

and here's a soundtrack for that third series, set in 1990...

download here

adventures of stevie v - dirty cash

bassomatic- fascinating rhythm

deee-lite - power of love

electronic - getting away with it

en vogue - you don't have to worry

family stand - ghetto heaven

happy mondays - step on

ll cool j - around the way girl

m&m and rachael wallace - i feel this way

maxi priest - close to you

neneh cherry-  heart

propaganda - heaven give me words

Pulled out Samantha Mumba's Body II Body, something that brings back great tweenage memories of watching MTV (when Britney's sober and sane 24/7 and Justin Timberlake still has his ugly mop of orange hair) and drinking Britney-endorsed Pepsi on a hot pre-global-warming-hype summer day. Those were the days. Something jumped out at me, and instantly I could hear the strains of Ashes To Ashes in Body II Body. I wasn't particularly fond of 'Body II Body'. It dawned on me in a split second that I fell in love with David Bowie way before I discovered him amongst the glam rock gems of the 70s. Maybe, I'm an old soul at heart after all. And I'm proud to not have succumbed to the poorly conceived sounds of today. Yes, hit me, here's a music snob talking.

[dailymotion id=x11svu]

Video Clip : Ashes To Ashes

Singer : David Bowie

Manny with Elaura Niles's Some Writers Deserve to Starve!, Michele Lang's Netherwood, Jeff Somers's The Electric Church and The Digital Plague, and the Hotter than Hell anthology.

Spent mucho time watching the videos at Bring Me My Hookah! (aka Lauren Dane & Megan Hart), and I so want to vlog. Do you need a webcam, or any kind of recording video camera? If so, what's a good and cheap one? And what kind of video editing software do you need? Anyway, check out Lauren and Megan and their summer hijinks - they're a lot of fun :-)

Adje komt misschien niet naar Midi

Anaphylactic Shock niet op Ashes to Ashes

Is de wasbeer de nieuwe poema?

Over-hyped, over-acted and under-written makes for a very poor combination.

Time Team meets Indian Jones, CSI and The Da Vinci Code makes for an even worse combination.

What makes the whole sorry offering more baffling is that the writing team is the same that created Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Spooks, Hustle and a few episodes of This Life?

The cast, on paper at least, is impressive - Hugh Bonneville and Adrian Lester are more than capable of putting in a good turn, whilst Gugu Mbatha-Raw is fresh from a stand out performance in Fallout on C4 last week.

Julie Graham isn't a strong enough lead, but that's not the show's major fault.

Bonekickers just isn't very good. It is up there, competing hard alongside ITV's The Fixer as the worst show of 2008.

The fact that Rachel and I spent almost the entire programme coming up with less than flattering alternative titles to Bonekickers - Sh!tflickers seemed to be the winner - is not a good sign.

Last week the BBC served up a rarity in Criminal Justice, a genuinely impressive prime-time drama that was superbly written, directed and acted and which managed to hold attention for five nights in a row.

Bonekickers barely managed to get beyond the opening first couple of minutes without incredulous looks being swapped on our sofa and then snorts of derision.

What made this debut episode even harder to take was the startlingly graphic beheading scene. It was gratuitous, completely out of keeping with the rest of the episode and went for very dubious and cheap shock value.

Was the fact that the victim was a Muslim student and the killer a Christian zealot designed to merely ramp up the shock value even more?

Even the flashbacks to the deaths of the Knights Templar - the flimsy plot was laughable at times - who we were told were "hacked to death" did not match the student beheading scene for sheer visceral brutality. So why show a modern day execution in all its gruesome gory, but not the blood-curdling events of the Crusades?

Amongst the hilarity at the poor quality of just about everything to do with the show, the beheading was plain offensive.

The writers might describe Bonekickers as a series of airport novels brought to the small screen, I'll stick with utter rubbish. And some of the first impressions on a fan site created for Bonekickers are less than enthusiastic. 

There are plenty of examples of poor, misguided and ill-judged TV shows down the years. We might have a new contender.

Competition is very strong these days, but I'll go out on a limb and say Bonekickers is the worst TV show of 2008.

[Update: There seems to be fairly widespread condemnation of the quality of Bonekickers, with a lot of people mentioning the words "licence fee" and "refund" in the same sentence. Will it survive the planned six-part run?]

[NOTE: I have slightly revised my opinion of Bonekickers, read my second thoughts here.]

I directed/designed this a year ago, as well as writing an original score. It starred Rebecca Siegel and Daniel Joeck.

I have now begun work on shows for next spring. I will post the information regarding those tomorrow, as well as photos from "La Dispute" (the play before KVETCH).

(click the pictures to see them bigger)

~ General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army

Entropy can be defined as “a gradual decline into disorder.”² It’s a term typically associated with thermodynamics, but it has application in other areas, as well. It means that things naturally tend to deteriorate unless someone or something intervenes. If you don’t believe it, take a look at the house you live in, the car you drive, the roads you drive on, your manly physique… They’re all in a mad rush to return to the dust. You step in from time-to-time to do a little maintenance, but you’re only slowing the downward progress.

“Spiritual entropy,” then, describes how our spiritual walls tend to deteriorate without upkeep. You can’t coast in your Christian walk. It’s not a Christian “ride.” You have to put more work into it than that. If you stop building your walls, they start to erode. In other words, if you’re not growing spiritually, you’re dying. There is no status quo. That means that you have to develop your spiritual disciplines into habits.

I love the above quote by General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army. He’s saying that if you want to stay on fire for God, you’re going to have to keep feeding the fire. Keep stirring it up. You do that with spiritual markers and spiritual disciplines. He also says that you have to get rid of the ashes – the impurities that are left over after God has put you through the fire. Remember, after the Valley Gate comes the Dung Gate.

*****

Hit the fast-forward button. We’re going to pick up the speed as we look at the next four chapters and a blueprint for getting back on track after we’ve sinned.

]]> http://tezmilleroz.wordpress.com/?p=1538 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:43:46 +0000 Tez Miller http://tezmilleroz.pt-br.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/the-10-books-i-read-in-may/ Jennifer Armintrout: Ashes to Ashes: "Plenty of vomit and severed digits to satisfy gore fans, witticisms to appease the humorous and alternate history for those not impressed with the real world." Review Buy

Rachel Cohn: You Know Where to Find Me: "This is intense, emotional stuff, with characters I wish I'd had in my life...Thought-provoking, emotionally draining and forces (unintentionally or otherwise) readers to undertake personal reflection...Powerful and memorable in a way that very few novels are – put simply: a must-read." Review Buy

Anya Bast: Witch Fire: "The author has some interesting ideas, and I look forward to learning more about the elements and what they do...The world-building is interesting enough that I'm already reading the sequel." Review Buy

Anya Bast: Witch Blood: "A step up from its predecessor...Anya Bast is doing what all authors should be doing: improving with each novel. I'm really looking forward to reading The Chosen Sin, future Elemental Witches instalments and whatever else the author has in store for us." Review Buy

Jennifer Rardin: Once Bitten, Twice Shy: "An urban fantasy featuring the CIA and a sense of humour...Quite interesting. Indeed, Chapter Twenty is memorable, so keep your eye out for that...Jennifer Rardin is an author to watch." Review Buy

Jennifer Rardin: Another One Bites the Dust: "Ever experience blackouts, and regain consciousness to find yourself holding a gun to your own head? This makes for fascinating reading..." Review Buy

Jennifer Rardin: Biting the Bullet: "I have much respect for the author featuring some creatures not usually found in current fiction. Top marks for originality..." Review Buy

Laurell K. Hamilton: Blood Noir: "The relationships between Jason, Anita, the Schuylers and the Summerlands' various guards and spin doctors is really quite interesting – sometimes it's understandable why the author is a bestseller." Review Buy

Kelley Armstrong: Personal Demon: "Gobsmacked me with its brilliance and sheer originality...It really justifies the author as my favourite." Review Buy

Sydney Bauer: Gospel: A good read, but it felt too long.

Puta que me pariu, é a primeira coisa que Tom pensa ao chegar em Purgatório. Um calor do caralho e um cheiro de esgoto a céu aberto que lhe embrulha o estômago depois do ar parado da nave que acabou de pousar depois de semanas no espaço.

-         Count your blessings, Major Tom – é o que lhe diz o Homem Azul ao seu lado, como se tivesse lido seus pensamentos. – A coisa sempre pode ser pior.

De fato, podia. Purgatório foi construída para ser uma cidade-dormitório, nos arredores do Teleporto provisório, a fim de abrigar apenas algumas centenas de pessoas, algumas décadas atrás. O planeta de Dama Rigel por pouco não ficava fora da Faixa de Habitabilidade de seu sistema estelar; a temperatura devia ser mais fria, segundo o pouco que ele aprendeu na escola, mas era um mundo pequeno, quase um planetóide, e a quantidade de humanos ali já superou qualquer previsão de boas condições de vida há tempos. Hoje a cidade abriga duzentas mil pessoas e não há nada de provisório ali, a não ser os barracos do grande favelódromo, que parece estar sempre em vias de desabar.

O Homem Azul parte na direção da cidade a passos largos. Tom o acompanha; não há outro jeito. O sujeito foi o único que se dispôs a ajudá-lo quando ele foi abandonado no espaço.

*

O nome oficial atual do Homem Azul é Azul-de-Krishna. A certidão de nascimento original, perdida num cartório que já deve ter deixado de existir há séculos na Velha Terra, diz outra coisa, mas ele jurou que nunca mais pronunciaria esse nome.

Ele parte do princípio que a maneira mais segura para se esconder é se destacar no meio da multidão como quem não quer se ocultar. É por isso que seu corpo inteiro é azul – tintura nanodérmica – e ele não tem um pêlo no corpo. Veste calças de um modelo muito antigo, de metafibra imitando jeans preto. uma camiseta branca de algodão com gola em v e uma jaqueta de aviador com gola de pêlo completam o conjunto. Coturnos pretos de solado alto, que o deixa no total com dois metros e treze centímetros, a pessoa mais alta em Purgatório no presente momento.  Mesmo assim, ninguém olha para ele. Neguinho sabe que não se encara desconhecido em Purgatório.

Ele está ali em busca de uma utopia.

O Coletivo Mahavira.

*

O Coletivo Mahavira foi uma das primeiras coletividades a se separar do continuum trans-humano.

As naves-geração já haviam saído da Terra havia quarenta anos. Os veículos gigantescos tinham capacidade para milhares de pessoas cada e muito material genético e de bioengenharia. Seções inteiras das naves eram dedicadas à pesquisa aplicada.

Mas as coisas não foram tão simples assim no começo. O caso da Polidori, por exemplo, foi trágico. Junto com ela, foram destruídas outras três naves, cada qual levando cerca de quatro mil pessoas em criossono.

Mas, na confusão, muita gente jura que uma das naves, a Avalovara, simplesmente sumiu. Não há provas de que ela não tenha simplesmente sido destruída pelo empuxo gravitacional da anã branca para a qual a Polidori liderou escrotamente parte da frota, mas lenda e lenda, e chega um momento em que lenda urbana vira lenda galática, por pura e simples ordem de grandeza da exploração humana.

A Avalovara era uma nave improvável desde o começo: um consórcio de indianos e lusobrasileiros, um coletivo carnavalesco que incentivou grande parte das naves com suas experiências de modificação corporal. Foi talvez a única contribuição da Avalovara para o continuum trans-humano.

Os anos se passaram e as outras naves seguiram o planejamento original: colonizar todos os mundos possíveis das Faixas de Viabilidade num raio de cinco anos-luz da Terra. Ao longo do século XXII, os astrônomos descobriram, com observatórios orbitais cada vez mais sofisticados, que mesmo num raio tão limitado, a quantidade de mundos terraformes originais era suficiente para uma colonização de primeiro grau. Só nos sistemas de Eridani havia quatro. Rigel e Centauri forneceram mais cinco. Era mais que o suficiente.

A Frota Frankenstein – como foi apelidada pela imprensa – partiu entre os anos de 2209 e 2222.

*

Azul-de-Krishna entra num mercado. É uma das poucas construções de alvenaria: tijolos de cinza hiperleves se entrelaçam a vergalhões de ferrosopor formando as paredes e tábuas de aramadeira para compor o piso. São três andares com o melhor que Purgatório tem para oferecer: comidas como arroz-de-cristal e fava-de-mar da Velha África (e subitamente o Homem Azul se lembra com carinho de seu último jantar na Terra, mas já faz muito tempo), humanware como explantes temporários para comunicação e tradução, medicinais como frankinina-B para aumentar a longevidade, e um catálogo cheio de coisas que teriam feito a alegria de Borges. Mas ninguém se lembra mais de quem foi Borges. Não no século trinta e um.

O Homem Azul paga por dois pratos pequenos de um peixe cru cortado em fatias finas que Tom identifica vagamente como arenque, e dois copos de cerveja (a única coisa que Tom consegue realmente identificar nesse emaranhado de culturas insuportável para ele).

Enquanto Tom come ou tenta, O Homem Azul conversa com um homem troncudo, peludo e bigodudo que parece o dono do estabelecimento. Conversam em um idioma do qual Tom não entende picas; ali, naquela cidade infernal que só recebeu o nome de purgatório porque algum burocrata não quis pegar pesado, a maioria das pessoas fala em algo que o Major Tom entende como sendo katalawn. O Homem Azul nem precisa consultar nenhum implante: ele conhece bem o idioma. Teve chance de aprender no tempo em que passou embarcado na Passus Plau. A mesma nave que recolheu Tom meses atrás.

Tom não entende porra nenhuma. Ele fala apenas inglês, e ainda acha difícil estar tão distante assim no futuro.

Pois ele foi abduzido por alienígenas.

Há muito tempo. Na Terra. No século vinte.

Naturalmente, ninguém acredita nele. Mais de mil anos colonizando a galáxia e, tirando um fungo aqui ou uma espécie animal incomível ali, ninguém ainda viu um puto de um alienígena.

Mas o Major Tom sabe o que foi que viu. E, de qualquer maneira, ele não tem nada que o associe a essa gente. Não tem um único implante no corpo branco, magro e liso feito um lagarto.

Tudo o que ele quer é voltar para casa. Mas o Homem Azul disse para ele que a Velha Terra é apenas um retrato na parede, o que o fez ficar mais confuso ainda, porque ele não entendeu o que o sujeito quis dizer com isso. Só entendeu uma coisa: tão cedo ele não vai pisar no solo da sua velha Inglaterra. E ele está com muito medo do que vem pela frente. Só espera que seja mesmo pela frente.

Faith Gilmore watched as the coffin was lowered into the dark earth. A part of her still could not believe what she was seeing. She glanced over at the two other women standing beside her. Monique Hardings and Shannon Carmichael were in the same daze of disbelief as she was. It was like they were all stuck in some sort of weird dream.

Order What a Woman Wants from Amazon for $9.99

Don't have Amazon Kindle? You can always purchase it from here
Or if you prefer to read the Print editions instead, you can get it from here

Other Kindle Books of Interest
Seduction, Westmoreland Style
Risky Pleasures
In Another Man's Bed
In Bed With Her Boss
Stranded With the Tempting Stranger

Oh good, you’ve been here all along. Great. Well thanks for waiting for me. I must say I’ve really missed you.

Let’s get to it with a traditional BMTV The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Oh, but first and foremost, I must big up Dave my new editor (ooooh, get her). Dave will be uploading BMTV from now on (so big thanks to him), as I am unable due to not having pesky broadband (or t’internet at all) at home. Yes, I know. First she doesn’t even have Freeview, now the World Wide Web has gone. How can she review (is that what I’m doing?) TV shows when she’s only got four channels and no iPlayer?

Ha I say. Ha!

The Good
Er… Actually, you’ve got a point. Because thanks to my New Single Lifestyle™ I’ve actually not been in to watch as much telly. (No, that is a Bad Thing where I’m from). Hence, I’ve caught snippets of The Apprentice on YouTube and have kept up with its happenings from the mighty Mothers (thanks guys) but have yet to see any full ep past episode two. Erk.

Another Good Thing on TV atm, has to be not-so-new-now companion Donna on Dr Who. Oh, how I ranted and raved when I first heard it’d be her traveling in the TARDIS and not Sally Sparrow. But… You know me, guys, I always admit when I’m wrong. No, I do. Rilly. And I was. Wrong that is. Wrong, wrong, wrong… And I’m sorry. Donna’s ace. Brilliant. Excellent. Not at all as shouty as I’d feared and actually really touching to watch. I love how she’s become the heart of the programme, always questioning; always challenging. She’s its conscience. We’re all too used to seeing aliens being blown to smithereens (or should that be Slitheens?) but Donna’s the first to go, “Hang on. This ain’t right,” and that is a Good Thing. Yes, she does cry every. Single. Episode. But hey, turn it into a drinking game (a shot for every minute into the ep she doesn’t cry) and it’d be grins all round.

Is she better than Martha? No. Just *different*, see? And she’s a refreshing change to the constant fawning and doe-eyes we’ve had of late. That scene on Saturday’s Sontaron two-parter where the Doc sacrificed himself but was then saved – Martha ran to him and hugged him. Donna ran over and slapped him one. Classic. And it sums it all up. Great stuff more please.

Oh, and I know I’m going on about it, but I *am* really sorry for slagging off the Tate-meister. After reading this about how Keeley Hawes felt after the mauling she got from Life on Mars fans, I’ve decided to keep my nose out of casting decisions from now on. Well… Maybe I’ll just not be so nasty. Sorry, Tate.

The Bad
Everyone’s going on about how Enders won four awards at the Soap Awards this week. Er… Can I just mention that Hollyoaks nabbed six? That’s more than any other soap at the awards. And no one gives a toss. Well, I do Oaks folk. Well feckin done. And well deserved I think. Enders really needs to step up its game atm. I can’t be arsed to go into it here – mainly because it’s been said so well here – but in short: they need to make up their minds about Stephen (is he good or is he bad? Who cares?); I don’t care about Ricky and Bianca and their hoard of snotty mini chavs (incidentally, wasn't Liam meant to have been Bianca's first kid? So why is there an older sister in tow?); I don’t care about Stacey, Claire, Sean, Tanya… Any of them. The only characters that actually engage me at the moment are the two tarts in the Vic. And that’s only because I’m waiting to see how long Janus can last with that constantly pissed expression before Enders chiefs realise that she’s not actually acting.

The Ugly (well… more cringy)
*Hails bandwagon. Jumps on board* Have recently watched the first series of Gavin & Stacey (no, don’t ruin it for me!). Not since The Office have I fallen so deeply in love with a cast of characters. In fact, I’m not sure who I love more, Nessa or Uncle Bryn. That is all.

Thanks for bearing with me guys. It feels great to be back…

BM x

Pick of the Week: Skins Series 2 - Slim-ish pickings this week I'm afraid so Skins gets top billing. It's probably all worth it though for the first episode which features an amazing modern dance routine by Maxxie and Bill Bailey dancing with a dog.

Also Out:
Ashes to Ashes Season 1 - A moderately disappointing follow-up to Life on Mars which is really only worth it to again appreicate the irrepressible brilliance of Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt.
Charlie Wilson's War - Fumbled political satire with great turns from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Hanks but an embarrassingly bad one from Julia Roberts.
Shrooms - Irish rural teen horror movie. Looks pretty awful.
Bonnie and Clyde - A 40th Anniversary edition of the utterly-classic birth of New Hollywood.

Region 1:
The Orphanage - Solid and effective ghost story if somewhat overrated in the scare department.
Youth Without Youth - Francis Ford Copolla's indifferently received, ambitious work.

Antena 3 sigue apostando fuerte por el contenido de sus canales TDT. Si hace unos días os comentábamos que Antena.Neox iba a emitir en exclusiva The Big Ban Theory, ahora sabemos que además estrenará la serie británica Ashes to Ashes, spin-off de Life on Mars, cuya primera temporada ha acabado de emitirse recientemente, y con muy buenos datos de audiencia, en el Reino Unido. Además, la serie ha sido renovada, por lo que habrá también segunda temporada el próximo año.

Si Life on Mars se centraba en la vida de un policía de la actualidad que se despertaba tras un accidente en los años 70, el planteamiento de Ashes to Ashes es muy similar, sólo que esta vez la acción tiene lugar en el Londres de los años 80. La mayoría de personajes de la serie original vuelven a aparecer en esta secuela, encabezados por el ya conocido Gene Hunt y protagonizada en este caso por la inspectora Drake que, tras recibir un disparo, retrocede inexplicablemente en el tiempo.

Al igual que en Life on Mars, cabe destacar en gran trabajo que han realizado los responsables de esta serie a la hora de recrear la Inglaterra de los años 80. Las similitudes de ambas series no acaban ahí, de hecho Ashes to Ashes ha tomado prestado su título de una canción de David Bowie, como también es el caso de Life on Mars.

Aún desconocemos cuándo estrenará Antena.Neox la serie, ya que por el momento tan sólo emite pequeños anuncios calificándola como una de sus “series esclusivas”, pero es muy posible que la cadena espere a terminar de emitir Life on Mars para después emitir esta gran secuela.

What someone typed into Google to get to my WordPress: jennifer estep blind Huh? Is author Jennifer Estep blind?

Today's been a topsy-turvy day. Seethed in the morning (as usual). Received a mail that my library reservation of Jennifer Armintrout's Ashes to Ashes was ready for my collection, and I think it's on my bed right now. (But I've got to finish the book I'm currently reading first.)

So I go to the bank to withdraw cash so I can post something. Only "insufficient funds". Meaning there was not even $20 in my account, and I even tried two different ATMs. Anyway, the problem was that I didn't realise that my incoming PayPal payments don't go straight to my bank account - they wait in PayPal until I transfer them over myself, which I did this arvo. But it's made me feel really, really broke.

But more good points: a great friend asked me for plot advice. Which made me feel like my opinion is worth something, and that never fails to brighten my day :-)

And then I received an email from a paranormal romance fan in Zambia. I know I bitch a lot about how not every US/UK book makes it to Australia. If they do, it's because they're imported in by Australians who then sell them on their websites or eBay - which is why I've bought so many urban fantasy books on eBay Australia. Anyway, if I thought it's hard to come across my chosen books in Australia, the situation's even worse in Zambia. Which makes me realise how spoiled we are in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. And that we should help our foreign friends when they need us. Call it good karma, or whatever, but I do like knowing I've made someone's day or at least made them smile. Which makes me think that maybe I'm not such a selfish bitch after all, believe it or not ;-)