all things workprint

OK, before you read any further, please note these two points :

* There are NO LINKS TO FILMS IN THIS POST OR ON THIS SITE. sorry, Google again.

* There are going to be *** BIG HUGE MASSIVE SPOILERS *** for a number of films in the words and pictures included here.

right, got that? on with the article which i am of a mind to write, then....

**********************************************************************

for those not in the know, and this would be difficult to be with the major film news story of the last week, a "workprint" is a rough, unfinished version of a film, assembled mostly to let the film maker see how his (or her) vision is looking and to see what still needs to be done and what needs to be removed before the "finished" version is released. there are many cases of these being seen as "better" that the final release version, as is or was the case with Alien 3 and the cause of much debate around American History X.

however, up until midnight on March 31 2009, the two most famous, or if you will infamous, workprints of movies known to exist were Apocalypse Now and Blade Runner. in the case of the latter, the only "bootleg" copy was off a video camera at the back of a cinema which happened to be showing it on one of the three occasions it had been seen in public. Ridley Scott was finally in a position to release this version on the magnificent 5 disc Blade Runner box set, but rather undermined the point of the workprint idea by cleaning up the print and editing the music before releasing it!

the legendary 5 odd hour workprint cut of Apocalypse Now remains the most infamous of them all. Francis Ford Coppola still denies it exists, no matter how many bootlegs surface of it. sadly, i've never been able to find one, but the screenshots below substantiate the fact that it is out there somewhere....








why on earth, even in the "ultimate dossier" version of Apocalypse Now, he insists on not letting the world see Scott Glenn's part in the film or Dennis Hopper's much fabled death scene is beyond me and most film fans. it would be great if he would make this footage legally available; failing that i guess the quest for this holy grail of bootlegs shall continue.

anyway, as of the time and date quoted above, the most famous / infamous workprint of a film was all of a sudden Wolverine or, if you will, X-Men Origins : Wolverine. as i am sure you are aware by now, somehow the workprint version of this film has leaked far and wide over the internet, a full month before the cinema release.

exactly how this happened remains a mystery. some say it was a disgruntled employee of the film maker, Fox. others, and this is rather bizarre to say the least, claim that it has been leaked as an "act of revenge" because Fox Films tried to disrupt the release of some other comic book film, Watchmen. the former is likely, the latter impossible, as it implies that the internet junkie geeks who were all excited about the dull three hours of Watchmen actually have enough of a life to go out and do something.

a third theory is that Fox have leaked this rough version of the film themselves in order to generate some publicity for a film that, for no apparent reason, was getting a bad word of mouth before anyone has seen it.

in that regard, it should go without saying that Fox Films are furious about the leak, threatening everyone and anyone with all sorts of things if they are in any way linked to this mysterious leak. if you leaked it or downloaded it, apparently the FBI will hunt you down, you will get a virus all over your PC, etc, etc. this is perfectly understandable, since they have invested many millions of dollars into this product, but by the same margin it's somewhat less understandable to see how Fox News could then run a review of this workprint, written by a regular journalist for them who made no secret of the fact that he had downloaded it.

the point of this post is not how justifiably angry Fox are, however. it's rather to look at the "workprint" concept, and ponder on whether or not this or any workprint are worth laying your eyes on. the short answer would be yes in general, no in the case of Wolverine.

let's go back to the two infamous workprints i mentioned. in the case of Blade Runner, the workprint was valuable as it was the intended vision of the film. the released version had slight changes which made a huge impact - a narration was added and a happy ending was tagged on it. the presence of the narration made it clear that Harrison Ford's character was a straightforward, human detective chasing down the replicants in the film. the workprint was ambiguous in this regard; there was a sense of doubt as to if Ford was just a human hunting or if he was too a replicant; seeking and destroying his own. the "director's cut", released in the early 90s, at last brought this vision to the screen. i would suggest that all fans of Blade Runner should try and see the workprint at some point, but in all fairness if one has seen the director's cut, you've seen the best version of it out there.

a very different story, of course, is the case of Apocalypse Now. this film must surely be seen as the one with the most controversial, soul destroying and demanding making of story behind it (do try and find Hearts Of Darkness : A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, it's brilliant), and so anything linked to the delivery of this Conrad epic is going to cause interest. if you have any interest in Apocalypse Now, well, i imagine the images above and the description of what footage still hasn't been seen in any official sense has got you wanting to look for it anyway. i've been looking for some 15 or so years now, and haven't had a sniff - hope you get better luck than me!


the workprint of Wolverine, however, is a different case. is it really worth spending hours downloading it, irrespective of how seriously you take the threats from Fox? my answer would be no, not really. and this has nothing to do with it being "illegal" or any great anti-piracy crusade.

whereas Apocalypse Now and Blade Runner were bold, ambiguous artistic statements of great merit, the whole intention of Wolverine would appear to be to entertain an audience for 90-odd minutes with a good dose of action and special effects. whereas there is reason and logic within wishing to see missing or alternative footage from the other two films, exactly what is there to gain from watching a special effects, science fiction fantasy film with the majority of the special effects apparently missing?

and the special effects are, apparently, not even "normal" effects. i haven't seen this leaked workprint, but NY MAG has, and have obtained some pictures of it to show the problem with watching this leaked version. as NY Mag ran these pictures, i can only assume there's no problem with me posting them here to prove this point. Behold, a film free of effects :













erm, yeah, does anyone really wish to sit and watch a version of this film with the footage looking like it does above? if you do, then rather get a copy of the script and a video camera and then make your own version, it would be the same difference. i can only imagine that Fox somehow "allowed" the above screenshots to prove how pointless this leaked version is.

one could argue that hopeful or potential filmmakers might have an interest in this version to help them learn their craft. that said, this is the DVD era, and films released on DVD are often so filled with extensive documentaries on how the film was made that it's difficult to understand how anyone could learn anything from this.

at best, this leaked version has to go down as a mild curiosity. it's along the lines of the alternate ending from something like Fatal Attraction, really - interesting, but not something one should really go out of their way for. with all the news and fuss of this leak, i dare say that the DVD release of the film later in this year will include the workprint, just for the added publicity.

my advice, then - buy the workprint of Blade Runner. (ahem) find the workprint of Apocalypse Now. ignore the workprint of Wolverine. if i am wrong and in 20 or so years time Wolverine is regarded as one of the greatest artistic endeavours of the 21st Century then i will post some sort of apology here. barring that, if a film is intended as being a special effects loaded bit of entertaining fun, one would then suggest that waiting until they have added the special effects might be a jolly good idea.



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to show from where i came

hi everyone

well, as part of his trip, my Dad was able to go and see our good and dear friend Tony in Brisbane. Tony hasn't been too well of late; if you are reading this we all hope that you are feeling better, and certainly trust that my Dad popping in for a bit was a good and welcome surprise!

whilst in Brisbane, Dad decided to take his camera along and get some pictures of the two places we lived whilst living in this magnificent city. first up, then, was a drive along Dargie street to go and snap away at the beautiful house we lived in there.





this looks exactly like i remember it some 27 or so years later! although, truth be told, i don't remember there being two garages, but i am sure Dad would have mentioned it if one had only been built recently!

ah, now this next one is ace...





that swimming pool was ace! i remember that on one April 1 we decided to wake Dad up at 6am to tell him that it was on fire. he kind of staggered out of bed (in his pyjamas, of course), and looked at a pool that wasn't on fire whilst we stood their laughing. i also recall that Richard and i re-enacted the opening credits of the ace Aussie TV children show Boris The Bear around the pool. erm, this more or less just involved falling into the pool, but it was still fun! at least i think that was the name of the show - help, Richard & Gillian?

you may be pleased to know that Dad sought the permission of the current owner of this fine house before taking the pictures. this is a rather good thing, since that last one involved climbing on their perimeter wall to take!

sadly, no such permission was required to be granted when my Dad visited Springfield Crescent to take pics of our last home in Brisbane......





for some reason (my Dad didn't have that much time and thus couldn't really find any information) our old house, number 62, and the two that were either side of it, have been removed from the face of Brisbane! you can at least see the driveway (there's a pic somewhere on this site of us stood on it) and guess where the house was, but otherwise, nothing!





this is actually rather sad to look at, really. there's nothing but fond memories of our home there from me, and it's a shame that there is not another family there right now, enjoying a beautiful home in a fantastic area of the world.





oh well, what can i say? if by some miracle you are reading this and know why the three houses on Springfield Crescent were destroyed or demolished, please leave a comment!


right then, let me sift through the thousands of other pictures and see what i can find to post here! yes, Gillian, some will feature you lot! and sheep!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pyjamas on tour.....

hi everyone

well, a very warm welcome is due. two actually. first, welcome home Dad, glad to hear you had a good time away and delighted to see you home, even though they tried to lose some of your luggage! secondly, and perhaps most importantly for the enthusiasts of this site, it's a welcome back to this page of pictures of my Dad in his pyjamas...





as you can see, New Zealand offered my Dad the perfect platform to perform his preferred ways of relaxation, which these days seem to involve wearing an ace hat and having a nice cup of tea whilst hanging around in his pyjamas.

Gillian, Grant, Katie and Daniel were also kind enough to let Dad bother certain appliances in the kitchen whilst he was over there, much as he did in the Harland kitchen on his relatively recent trip to glorious Middlesbrough....





are there any more pictures of my Dad's trip to follow these? the answer, readers, is oh yes indeedy! today i was presented with a folder on his laptop that contained over 9 (nine) GB of pictures from his trip. Dad is wondering if that is "a lot". well, let me give you a clue, Dad - a DVD of Apocalypse Now or Where Eagles Dare, or any other 3 or so hour film you could name, would usually take up about 7 (seven) GB of space......


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!

Terminator Timelines explained....

....well, sort of





yeah, that makes sense now. for more, go and visit this site for a full rundown of all ten alternate timelines for this magnificent film series!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!

art in a time of laryngitis

hey everyone

well, not the best start to a weekend we have ever had! to start things off, those irrepressible retards at Johannesburg Water somehow managed to cut a major power cable whilst fixing (yet another) burst pipe, so we can look forward to a "random factor" being applied to electricity supplies this weekend. does anyone know the best place to get a few bucket loads of electricity to help tide us over?

on a far more serious note, James had developed a bit of a temperature over the last two days, which in turn served as a platform for a croaky voice and a bit of a cough. the doctor confirmed that the young Master has a bout of laryngitis. oh dear, that means a weekend at home with some treats and some Star Wars films.

James is becoming quite the committed artist, and he was not going to allow a bout of laryngitis stop him making an artistic statement whilst at the doctor today. behold, for James performed his art on the chalk board whilst waiting for the doctor.....





now, i appreciate that this is a little abstract, but James assures us that this is a picture of a Stormtrooper out of Star Wars. erm, when you look at it, yes, i suppose it is! i am not sure exactly what the heart on the helmet is for, but no great artistic masterpiece can ever be truly and fully understood i guess.

and, just so that you can see that being a little bit poorly isn't going to stop Master James being a happy young fellow, here's the artist stood proudly next to his work!





righty-ho, posts this weekend are dependent on me doing nursing duties (Michele is not too well either; no i do not wear a nurse outfit) and how Johannesburg Water get on with working out that water pipes invariably have water in them, and should thus leave any non-water carrying pipes alone.


be excellent to each other, unless you are stood next to a complete and utter doilham that is employed by a certain outfit mentioned above.

my mate Nassie and his interesting new look direction

hey everyone


well, i simply could not share this with you. my good friend Nassie, he of interesting conversation, exceptional stereo installation skills and "ambiguous" lifestyle choices, proudly unveiled his new hairstyle today. see what you think of it...





i am not certain that it will catch on, but who knows? Nassie sees himself a bit like "the Elton John of the Southern Hemisphere", so it may well become rather popular. at the moment we don't have a full name for the style, but calling it "the gay sumo" seems rather popular.





the important thing is that Nassie is very happy with this look indeed!





many thanks to Michelle for taking up valuable space on her phone camera thingie to help bring these pictures to an audience as wide as those who read this site!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Journal For Plague Lovers

hey everyone


well, after the somewhat disappointing Send Away The Tigers, let's hope that the upcoming Manics album is the kind of event it should be! the story behind it is certainly interesting enough!






Recorded in Rockfield studio in Wales with Steve Albini, all 13 songs on 'Journal For Plague Lovers' feature lyrics left to the band by Richey Edwards covering topics that include The Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Marlon Brando, Giant Haystacks, celebrity, consumerism and dysmorphia.

Tracklisting

1. Peeled Apples
2. Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
3. Me and Stephen Hawking
4. This Joke Sport Severed
5. Journal For Plague Lovers
6. She Bathed Herself In A Bath Of Bleach
7. Facing Page: Top Left
8. Marlon J.D.
9. Doors Closing Slowly
10. All Is Vanity
11. Pretension/Repulsion
12. Virginia State Epileptic Colony
13. William’s Last Words



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Damned United

hey everyone

well, at last, something other than Terminator Salvation to get excited about at the cinema this year!

The Damned United will feature less intimidating cyborg robot things that Terminator Salvation presumably, but will feature someone considerably more scarier than any machine from the future - Brian Clough.





Brian Clough left behind a fantastic and large visual record - the amount of interviews and recordings of him could fill any library. it's brave of any film to try and capture the legend of the man, but i wish them luck. at least they are focusing on the most notorious 44 days of his career!

Dad, no i don't have it, it's only released on March 27. don't worry, i will be ordering it as soon as it's available!

for those of you unfamiliar with Cloughie, i suggest you google away, or seek out any book or documentary about the man!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy birthday Neeharika!

hey everyone

well, there have been quite a few birthday parties this month for James. not to put too fine a point on it, June is a rather cold month in our part of the world (do the math), and the season has just finished then!

anyway, moving along from your pondering of the above, on Saturday i took James along to Neeharkia's third birthday party. it was at the place we went to a party last year, i think it's called "Little Wonder" or something. whatever the name of the place, it really is great fun!

and didn't the birthday girl just look adorable? here's one of the few pics that i was able to take - sorry for the low quality, only had my phone to snap away with!





Neeharika is truly one of the most adorable children you could ever wish to meet. she has such an infectious smile and personality that you just can't but help smile yourself whenever you see her!

although she is a fragile, delicate little child in appearance, she's always keen to get into the rough and tumble of playing with James! for the most part she was kept away from playing too much, lest she make a mess of her elegant dress before pictures and what have you, but she was mostly having none of it and charged after James, Aryan and all the other play friends!

with a massive jungle gym, bouncy castle and lots of sand, James was of course in his element!





the above picture shows exactly how James manages to pick up little bumps and bruises on his way through life. he approaches most new toys and play areas with a sense of caution, but once he has done something once safely, he starts to work out how to inflict damage with them. trying to run down slides, or going down them backwards head first, is a perennial favourite!

the same would apply to climbing frames or jungle gyms too. he doesn't really fall off them as such, and thankfully he also doesn't get stuck in or on them like his Dad used to!




believe it or not, James didn't want to go across this next one at all, as his arms didn't reach to hold both sides. i showed him how to walk along it sideways and then there was no getting him off it!





well, we had a very busy and very fun afternoon! thank you very much indeed to Neeharika and her wonderful parents for the exceedingly generous hospitality and good time!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

memories can't wait

hey everyone

well, for those of you unsettled by seeing worrying images, you may wish to check out the fine album by Talking Heads that the title of this post is taken from instead of looking at these pictures!

for those of you brave enough to have a look, let me take you on a trip down memory lane! sorry, i suppose i should have put these in chronological order, but i am rather tired after a rather involved weekend and thus they appear here exactly how blogger decided to upload them!

first up, Christmas in Australia, i think 1982 but it could also have been 1981. not sure, i am sure someone in the family will correct me! i do remember it being rather strange having Christmas in summer!





aah, that was the life! Richard and i happily playing the greatest ever video game machine, the Atari 2600, whilst Dad gets busy making my ace Millennium Falcon for me! how James would have loved that one! note too the state of the art VHS machine on top of the big sized TV; having 3 (three!) videos back then was to be considered to be having a rather extensive library!


from the same Christmas is a picture Richard rather likes of him with an ace new bmx bike!





i rather like how all he felt he needed to go off riding was a pair of very 80's shorts and some gloves!

next up is Uncle Colin from his school days, heading home to the old School House!





he looks like a bit of a lad, as it were, in this picture, doesn't he? erm, Andrew and Christopher, if you are reading, Colin was always, always, always a very well behaved, modest and polite young man right throughout school, and of course you should follow suit! no doubt Colin has "Cliff Richard" written in big letters on that school bag!

back to Richard, and here we are at Scotta House farm celebrating his 3rd birthday!





on the left is the unmistakable baby Elizabeth sat on the knee of her Mummy, our dearly loved Aunt Susan. i suspect Susan was just coming to terms with her "liking" of Slade being a full blown addiction; a rather healthy one which prevails to today. to the right is my dear Mum making sure that baby Gillian doesn't fall over, and it looks like i am going to have a go at blowing the candles out for Richard whilst he is busy staring and smiling somewhere other than at the camera!

taking a leap forward, and here is a picture of me that i can say with certainty was taken on May 16 1990. it was our Dad's 40th birthday party. i was given the task of barman, which i did wearing my Alex out of A Clockwork Orange bowler hat from an earlier fancy dress party. whilst it was my job to serve drinks, as you can see Richard appeared to have taken on the task of drinking that which i served!





there's not a great deal of pics featuring me in the 90's for some reason. i do not recall, for a start, taking any for the three years i lived down in Cape Town. and we were far too busy studying / drinking to take any at college or University. ho hum!

back to the great 1980's, and here's me and Dad bombing down a waterslide somewhere in Portugal!





i think we were in Portugal in 1987, i must confess i do not recall the exact year. i do remember going to the cinema to see The Karate Kid Part II about four times whilst there, if that narrows the date down? i rather like the approach the water slide place took to safety - there's no way that parks these days would let two people go down at the same time, and i do fondly recall overtaking a lady on one of the slides!

now then, here's possibly the greatest picture ever take of me. it is, at the least, in the top ten!




no idea where or when this was. it looks like an airport going on the tell tale orange-yellow sign in the background, but whether it's too or from Malta or Portugal i couldn't say! i would hazard a guess at 85, and i was clearly dressed, set and ready to go if Michael Mann decided that Don Johnson wasn't doing the business in Miami Vice and felt that i could make the show better!

this one is easy enough to place - Oxford, 1986. we watched a certain event being held in Mexico on a black and white tv on the canal barrage (boat?), and i picked up Madonna's True Blue album - on fancy, la-dee-daah cassette - at one of the stops as we navigated the canals.





here you can see me and Richard opening up one of the many locks, lochs, waterways, keys, keyes or whatever the correct term may be for getting the boat from one part of the canal to another! i do recall this holiday being tremendous fun. i remember Mum kept a "captain's log" type journal on the holiday, i wonder whereabouts it is?

backwards in time, but forwards to Rhyl, Wales! erm, "between 78 - 80" would be the best answer i can give you as to when this pic is from. that estimate is based partly on Gillian being in the picture, but mostly on the ace Star Wars shirts we were wearing!





the majority of memories prior to us moving to Australia in 1981 are sketchy at best. i don't think it's Australia's fault, and i certainly don't have any bad memories of Rhyl! as it was by the coast, i shall wager there was an arcade there somewhere that Richard and your humble narrator wished to go and play at all the time!

now, here's an absolute gem of a picture of Richard, Gillian and me!





looking at Gillian, i would have to guess that this is mid-to-late 1977, possibly around the time that The King went into his rather extensive time of hiding. is it me, or does Richard have something of a cheeky Rod Stewart look in this picture?

now then, for years i have believed that the below picture was of me in Spain in 1974. i do remember my Dad telling me that it was not in Spain, but i do not recall exactly where he said it was taken! i do hope that i have remembered that it is indeed me, it doesn't really look like Richard!





no matter when or where the picture was taken, you have to admit i looked rather dapper in that gown and improvised hat!

now then, Dad does get rather quizzical when i do a picture update and he doesn't feature as much as he could in it. well, then, as the final picture, let me hand you over to a very class picture of my Dad at his stylish best!





it is little wonder that my Dad often gains more respect and admiration amongst my friends than i do if he can look as cool as this! my good friend John "Payney" Payne recently commented that he looks like he should have been managing the king of bands Cream in this picture. i disagree - he looks like he should have been in Cream!!

the pic is taken in the courtyard of Scotta House Farm, and that car probably took my Dad, my Mum and various chums to go and see the likes of the Stones, Hendrix, The Who, Cream and just about any other band from the 60's you can name. the only band my Dad said he never saw that he wished he had was The Beatles; that pretty much tells you he saw many of the great groups around in the days when music still mattered!


right then, i think that will do for now! i have a few more pics here that i might add at a later stage, and Mum & Dad have thousands more that i hope to get the chance to scan and preserve eventually!!!

hope you have had as much fun with these pics as i have!!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Land's End

hey everyone

a couple of pictures from family holidays some 30 years ago!

now, i really wish i could conjure up some ace, Billy Connolly style stories about holidays in Cornwall, but alas i cannot. i really don't remember too much about the holidays these pictures are from. i do recall a not too far away holiday in Torquay in 1983, but that one has been spoken of often on this site, i think!

anyway, first off, an image from 1976, with the sign (in miles, for my more cosmopolitan and decimal readers) point off to where we lived on Longbeck Lane...





that's me and Richard with Mum and Dad. i do wonder what the gent with the binoculars was looking at? looking at the sign posts, it seems he's under the impression that he would be able to see the east coast of America in that direction!


and then here's a pic from the same place in 1978 when, as the more astute of you will note, there were then five of us.....





Gillian would be about one and a bit in this picture! the sign is interesting - apparently in two years New Marske had moved two miles closer to the end of England! Richard doesn't look all that happy in this pic, no idea what had caused him distress, but it was probably my fault!!!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Rock N Roll Years - Lyla

hey everyone


well, it seems that Richard and Erika have been out and about updating Lyla's wardrobe! i am sure that they also got some nice, practical winter clothes whilst they were out and about, but thus far they have only sent images of Lyla taking a shine to some very cool and very rock n roll outfits!

first up, who but the best? Lyla seems rather impressed with the works of Mick, Keith and the lads, and seems to have some of their attitude too!!





and you can't argue with a bit of AC / DC every now and then, can you?





and finally, a tribute to Nirvana, that fine band which first gave a home to the immensely talented Dave Grohl.





nice t-shirts, everyone!! i am sure that Lyla is very popular at school with those on!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

home

well, after being a home to three generations of us for many years, there's not much point in trying to describe Scotta House Farm as anything other than home for me. the actual farm house is the building at the bottom in the middle, although in my lifetime it featured white walls.





there are many tales that this old building could tell. the one of the New Year's Eve party i held there probably won't be referenced on this site other than this sentence, even if it was so good that people caught a taxi back to it after requiring some medical attention at the hospital......

moving on, to the bottom left are the trees where every Autumn Richard, Gillian and i went over to gather conkers. i believe the fine art of conkers is now banned or at the least frowned upon in schools in England, which is a great shame. just thinking about it, i can feel the crisp brown-yellow leaves crackling under my feet.

the field to the bottom right will forever hold a special place in my heart. one winter saw Gramps take serious objection with a rental matter, and so he marched through that field, despite it being knee deep in snow. Gran and i stood at the top of the stairs and watched him walk across, puffing away on one of his beloved King Edwards. why he walked up instead of phoning i don't know - knowing Gramps, i would imagine that it was because it was cheaper to walk up!

the way in and out, up in the top left, provided the moment of one of the funniest things i have ever seen. as we were leaving after one visit, Richard decided to open the car door. he didn't fall or jump out, but he opened as we went through a puddle, and turned around to face us with a nice splat of muddy water under his eyes, giving us all a big smile!

i have been busy with the scanner and some old pics, so more images on the way. you have been warned!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what? let you do the dishes, son? well, ok........

hey everyone


well, every now and then, James gets a rather good idea, and will not relent until such time has he has fulfilled his self-imposed obligations to this good idea. today, for example, he was rather keen to paint the moment he woke up, and would do nothing else (except watch Star Wars The Clone Wars of course_ until he had done some painting.

earlier this week, a similar fancy did James take, and that fancy was an earnest and deep desire to do the dishes. we were just sat watching something when James announced that he wanted to do all the dishes, and off he went to climb up to the sink!





well, as much as i simply love washing up, who was i to stand in his way? he did a rather good job, mind, although i let the dishwasher (thank you Gillian and Grant) do its thing later when he had gone to bed!





his enthusiasm for dish washing refused to be limited to just the things that actually needed washing. that, apparently, wasn't enough for him, and thus he went on a mission to pull various things out of cupboards and drawers to wash!





i am sure that, over time, his enthusiasm and excitement for dishes will dissipate. in fact, it may well already have, since after the adventure of washing this week, he has not suggested that he would like to do it again!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tree Featured In 'The Deer Hunter' Dies

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, NC—The tree best known for portraying an eastern hemlock in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter passed away Monday morning on the steep, north-facing slope it called home.

The tree was 286.

After shooting to stardom in the late 1970s with its scene-stealing turn as a stately old-growth conifer in The Deer Hunter, the tree soon cemented its reputation as one of Hollywood's most dependable character actors.

According to its publicist, the woody plant and beloved fixture of nearly 40 feature films died of complications relating to adelgid beetles and lightning.
"It will be missed," Deer Hunter costar Robert De Niro said. "We took a shine to to each other immediately. That tree taught me a lot about acting and about life."





The veteran entertainer worked continuously throughout its 43-year career, winning respect in the movie industry for its stoic, graceful presence, its unassuming branches, and its deep commitment to the craft of acting. Much of the tree's success stemmed from its remarkable range across genres and its ability to convincingly portray a wide variety of deciduous and broadleaf North American species.

"[The tree] was a consummate professional that truly lived for its work," said filmmaker and friend Michael Mann, who cast the 98-foot-tall plant in its acclaimed role as an Adirondack black spruce in the background of 1992's The Last Of The Mohicans. "On Mohicans we would sometimes do 30 or 40 takes, and each time it gave us something totally different and interesting. This is a sad day for cinema."

Planted in 1722, the tree got its first taste of show business after a chance meeting with high-powered agent Sue Mengers during her camping trip in the summer of 1972. According to Hollywood insiders, Mengers was instrumental in helping the tree land its breakout role as a piece of riverside foliage in John Boorman's classic Deliverance.

"Even then, you could see this special sort of magnetism that it had," said Deliverance costar Jon Voight, who later reteamed with the Tsuga canadensis for a 48-frame tracking shot in the 1985 thriller Runaway Train. "I remember it seeming very nervous its first day on set. But after a few takes, it was just a total natural and a pleasure to work with."

A number of film and television projects followed, including a memorable guest appearance as a treacherous-mountain-pass fir in a 1974 episode of Gunsmoke.

But its most famous role was undoubtedly its portrayal of a melancholy but proud Western Pennsylvania hemlock in Michael Cimino's Oscar-winning epic The Deer Hunter.

"I actually didn't want to cast it at first, because the role was originally written for a hardwood sapling," said Cimino, who featured the tree prominently in two long exterior shots in the film's famous "last hunt" sequence. "But its screen test was just so fearless and so moving. It had that rare quality in a coniferous performer where you just believed everything it did."

Failing to capitalize on the success of The Deer Hunter, the tree endured some lean years in the 1980s, including a much-derided appearance in a 1987 Honeycomb Hideout commercial and a series of public service announcements for the Smokey the Bear campaign. It also attracted unwanted attention in 1989 following rumors of a love affair with actress Margot Kidder.

But the 1990s saw a series of high-profile comeback roles, and the tree won widespread critical praise in 1993 when it was leaned against by Harrison Ford during a wilderness escape scene in The Fugitive.

More recently it was cast as one of the trees glimpsed through the living room window in Monster's Ball, and in the HBO miniseries John Adams, for which it was briefly considered for the title role until disagreements emerged over the project's creative direction.

Attorneys announced Monday that, in accordance with its will, the tree will be carved into canoes for underprivileged youths

John Squire: 'I will never play with The Stone Roses again'

John Squire has told BBC Newsnight that he will never reform The Stone Roses.

Squire appeared live on the programme last night (March 19), insisting to host Gavin Esler that despite recent newspaper reports suggesting otherwise, the band will never play together again.

When Esler asked if there was "any chance" Squire would reunite with The Stone Roses, the guitarist answered: "None whatsoever."

The presenter then questioned whether never meant "absolutely" never.

"Yeah. I'd rather live my life than attempt to rehash it," Squire replied.

"It would be pointless. I find art far more challenging and rewarding."




Esler then asked Squire a final time if he was completely sure about his remarks. The guitarist paused briefly before giving his answer.

"Yeah. That's the whole point of the visit to your studio - I'm trying to stop the phones ringing."

Squire went on to reveal that he hasn't spoken to frontman Ian Brown since leaving The Stone Roses in 1996.

"Even if Ian and I were 'double-dating', as we did in our teens, then the prospect of a reunion wouldn't interest me at all," Squire said.

Referring to the sculpture Squire posted on his website today that featured a painted dismissal of the reunion rumours, he said: "I decided to post an image on my website to lay it to rest, and hopefully it will work."





Asked for his reasons for not wanting to reform the band, the guitarist said he is simply happy focusing on his artwork, adding that he is too old to play music these days.

"I think music is a young person's game and I don't think us old fogey's should get in the way of that."


well, then, that's that you would think! at no point did it ever look likely, and in all honesty i am not sure who exactly wanted to see it happen. for a brief moment in time, as the 80's merged into the 90's, The Stone Roses dominated the known world. if you've done that, how could you do it again and why would you wish to try?

best of luck to the former members of the band with their respective solo ventures, and cheers for the great music and memories!



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Joker?

hi everyone

well, this afternoon whilst having an obligatory screening of Star Wars, James fancied some strawberry cola. as he asked nicely, he got some! as he was drinking it, however, it left a red trace all around his mouth!





the photographs don't quite capture it, but with some luck you can see it led to him having more than a passing resemblance to The Joker out of The Dark Knight!!





not too much of a resemblance, mind. i would suggest that James is more polite, civil and lovable, less prone to blowing things up and only has a pencil trick that goes as far as drawing nice pictures!!





be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alien v Predator

hey everyone

well, in this world, there are some lame adverts, some OK adverts, some great adverts and some exceptional adverts. and then you get these!!





these are what you would have to call uber cool exceptional adverts! i believe they are for a screening of one of the Alien v Predator films on TV in, of all places, New Zealand. these are so great, i can't believe they didn't use them for the cinema releases!





i am, as far as the interwebnetthingie is concerned, in a bit of a minority really, as i really enjoyed the two Alien vs Predator film. an awful lot of sad cases who won't let themselves enjoy a thing seem to get very over excited when they complain about these two, but that's their loss!





look, neither of them are in the league of the first two Alien films or the first Predator, but then again very few films in this world are! no matter, whether you enjoyed the films or hated them, i hope you at the least dig these adverts for them!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!