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As a pretty big DC Comics geek, so I went to see The Dark Knight on opening day. I've been eagerly awaiting the film since Batman Begins and it just felt forever for the film to finally make it to the movie theaters. What made it worst, was I picked up the Batman Bluray and saw the first six minutes of the film, which made waiting for the movie even more unbearable!
So after watching it, I definitely wasn't disappointed. I thought maybe at the end, there was an over usage of sweeping orchestral music that seems to overpower the dialogues spoken. Maybe even Christian Bale's Batman voice is sometime over dramatic and the Gotham mafia is a joke, the movie is still pretty awesome.
By the way, I'm actually kind of surprise that with all the violence in the film, it was still Rated PG-13. I guess the rating board have laxed over the years, but if this movie was released in the 80s, it would've been slap with an R.
I'm sure all the critics will tell you what a wonderful villain Heath Ledger's Joker was. He was pretty frightening in the role, and I'm kind of sad that this will be his last role. In some ways, I hope they don't bring back the Joker in future films, especially if future actors won't be able to carry on the craziness of what Ledger brought.
Anyway, before I let spoilers slip, I'll just keep this short and sweet. Here are some Batman music.
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A couple of comments: I've previously mentioned Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman before, so check those out. The "Batman TV Theme" was redone, possibly in the late 60s by an outfit called The Dynamic Batmen. I've always loved this surf theme song, but it doesn't seem to suit the seriousness of what Batman should be. It is a fun song and I guess reflect the feel-good theme of the Adam West show.
Prince's "Batdance (Vicki Vale remix)" and had heavy sampling from the 1989 Batman movie. It is, as they say, funky, I didn't think belong in the "grim" and "gothic" Tim Burton film. However, Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Face to Face" fit quite well in the sequel Batman Returns. What a great single! Rounding out is R Kelly's "Gotham City", from the disaster that is known as Batman & Robin.
Links: thedarkknight.warnerbros.com
hans-zimmer.com
oingoboingo.com
This is a story of my grandparents, Emil and Antonia. They were first generation Australians. Their own parents had sailed to a new life in Australia as children from Germany. Emil was from a Lutheran family and Antonia was from a Catholic family and so were forbidden to marry by the parents of my grandfather. They relented only when Antonia became pregnant.
They married and lived on the property that belonged to Grandfather's family. His own father had died so as the youngest who had not yet made a life for himself he had stayed to run the family farm. His mother considered herself the boss though.Great-grandmother spoke mainly German and kept a photo of the Kaiser on her bedroom wall. Family history is that she was always very hard on Antonia, but that Emil always took his wife's side...most of the time, anyway.
Their first born child was a boy. When he was two years old, their second child, a daughter was born. It was not until after this story that their third child, my mother was born. The boy would follow his grandmother about the farm as she fed the animals and did her daily chores. Emil had a retired race horse grazing on the farm that was very frisky and somewhat wild which few could ride. Emil himself only rode it once or twice a year. This horse was down amongst the dairy cows where the boy went often with his grandmother. Antonia asked her mother-in-law on many occasions not to take the child in amongst the animals but the older woman thought she knew better.
One day the boy was in the dairy yard with the animals and Emil's little dog came into the yard too. The dog was Emil's special pet and went everywhere with him. The dog ran amongst the animals and spooked the horse, which reared and its hoof struck the boy child in the head.
The year was 1922. They took the child to the doctor in the nearest town, which was a very small village in those days. He appeared to be alright and they took him home, but as the days wore on the child became sicker. Eventually they took him back to the doctor who was of the opinion that an abscess must had formed inside the child's head. In 1922 in small rural areas of Australia medical care was very rudimentary. The doctor advised that they should take the child to a hospital about 90 minutes train ride from their small town. Grandmother could not go as she had a small baby, my aunt.
So my Grandfather made the long train journey to the hospital with his small son....but it was all to no avail. The little boy died shortly afterwards and so he made the return journey with a small coffin.
Grandmother apparently never spoke of the pain and sorrow she felt, and went on with her everyday life. She did want to get rid of the horse, but Grandfather refused and kept the animal for years. It must have pained her everytime she saw that animal, even though it was not its fault. They were stoic German people and got on with life.
A year or so later Grandfather went to town one day, and when he came home...he found that his dog was dead. My grandmother had taken an axe and killed the dog. Its body was in fact scattered across the house yard, She had reached her breaking point. Her grief had burst forth like a torrent.
Grandmother never mentioned her son. It was only in the last few years of her life, before her death at the age of 95 that she said anything about him. My mother learned the story from her own aunt, my grandfather's sister. Grandmother always kept a small black and white photo of him, in a silver frame, on the sideboard in the dining room. I knew who it was because my mother told me, but we did not ask questions.
In time Grandmother had to care for her mother-in-law as senility overtook her. The woman who was the cause of her son's death. Grandmother went on to give birth to 11 children in all. 8 Girls and 3 boys. The last of the 11 was a girl, born when Grandmother was in her 40s and she died at birth. She is buried with her brother. My Grandfather died in 1965, and he became a Catholic just before his death...I think it was his final gift to his wife.
My mother suspects that the marriage of her parents was never a happy one after that sad day. It was as though a light went out in her mother, and the sadness and the fear that the tragedy brought to the family impounded the lives of the children that were born long after the event. My mother has many fears, as do her siblings, and I do think they absorbed the tragedy from the sadness of their parents. My mother said that her father would 'sulk" for weeks on end - he would speak to the children but not to my Grandmother. From the description my mother gives, I don't think he was sulking I think he suffered from severe depression. She says he always "suffered from nerves" too. I think my grandparents internalised their pain and lost each other along the way.
My granmother died in 2000 and I gave the eulogy at her funeral. It was the proudest moment of my life to honor that women. As I spoke with the parish priest before the service he told me that he had checked the church records and we were farewelling my Grandmother on her wedding anniversary. She had been married in the very same church all those years ago and now we were saying goodbye to her on the same date...
The sadness of this tragedy is within the family to this day. It has created anxious, and fearful people, frightened of the world, and with a strong need to control. It has gone form gerneration to generation, and I think it is only now, that the great-grandchildren are growing into adults that the shadow of sadness is lifting.
I don't know why I am telling you this story. I have no lesson to share, no moral to impart. It is just that over the last few weeks it has been haunting me. The sadness and the pain that my Grandmother and Grandfather must have suffered must have been horrendous. I don't think that I could have survivied it. It is the thought of my Grandmother's pain and how alone she must have felt that hurts me and haunts my thoughts and I can't shake it. It is silly, to be involved with an event that happened so many years ago, and for which all the participants are dead...Maybe telling the story to others will free me of it too.
Thank you to everyone for being so supportive, generous and kind to me over the past few days since my derailing by MegaBossBitch. I am over it now. Wiser too. It is her problem not mine so I am not going to waste my life hours over her nastiness. Worse things have happened to me, and no doubt may still, so I have got my perspective back. I couldn't have done it without all of you though, so thank you kind blog friends, for your wit, sympathy and sound advice. I am the richer for knowing all of you.
I took myself out to the garden today and planted my Honey Gem and Coastal Dawn grevillea. The coastal Dawn burst into bloom over the past week sitting in its pot so I can share it with you
Not far from where I planted it the lime tree is in full flower....last season we got so many that we were all taking large shopping bags full of them to our workplaces and giving them away...everyone loves lime in their corona beer!
and the nasturtiums have self sewn and are mutant this year - HUGE.
Prior to the gardening I went grocery shoping with Daughter1 who did indeed survive the school camp and we had coffee and citrus tart at Gloria Jeans before we commenced the trolley trek. Daughter even put all the groceries away and made us chicken and corn soup for dinner while I gardened. A pretty terrific way to get your groove back!
Onward, ever onward!
I'm slightly wired. I'm on the pseudoephedrine. I think its easier to buy an ecstasy tablet here than it is to buy a cold tablet. You have to hand over your license to get a packet of codrals. I guess if something happens to this pack and I go and try to buy another pack tomorrow I'll have the swat team smashing down my front door looking for a cooker. So I started the day with a pseudo and a coffee. So I feel slightly wired, yet still unwell. And dehydrated. I wonder when they say on the pack to avoid alcohol do they really mean it. I'm supposed to be going out tonight.
I have been doing some serious birthday party planning. My son turns 1 early in August. We don't usually throw parties so I think this one is getting a little out of hand. It started as an innocent BBQ party but now it has grown into a whole outdoor affair. Complete with jumpy things.
So far the amount of people invited is roughly 154 people. Yeah. I don't expect everyone to show since a few are out of state. It'll be a big bash anyhow. We're getting a huge cake and a slightly smaller one for the little guy to demolish.
In other news... can I say Baby T is not so "baby" anymore? Yep, that's right folks, he decided he wants to walk! It was mostly a nightly ritual - he would walk back and forth between my husband and I... and that was it. Now the distance between us gets longer and longer and if I don't pay too close attention I'm finding T launching himself off of whatever he's holding onto.
I'm getting my hospital bag ready.
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07/18/08 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Album Discography
07/19/08 Goshen, IN Elkhart County 4-H Fair 07/21/08 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah's Casino - Stir Concert Cove 07/26/08 Oakville, CA Robert Mondavi Winery 07/27/08 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 08/01/08 C Mesa, CA Pacific Amphitheatre 08/02/08 Primm, NV Star of the Desert Arena 08/03/08 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts 08/05/08 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery 08/09/08 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen 08/10/08 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak 08/11/08 Beaver Creek, CO Vilar Center 08/14/08 Silverton, OR Oregon Garden 08/15/08 Tacoma, WA Emerald Queen 08/16/08 Richmond, BC River Rock Casino 08/17/08 Coquitlam, BC Red Robinson 08/19/08 Medicine Hat, AB Esplanade 08/20/08 Regina, SK Casino Regina Show 08/22/08 ON Thunder Bay Comm Auditorium 08/23/08 MN Grand Casino Hinckley 08/24/08 Sault Ste Marie,MI Kewadin Casino 08/26/08 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino 08/27/08 Jim Thorpe, PA Penn's Peak 08/29/08 Lincoln, RI Twin River Casino 08/31/08 Bridgeport, CT Klein Memorial Aud 09/05/08 CA Chukchansi Gold Casino 09/06/08 Rancho Cucamonga, CA Lewis Family Playhouse
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I'm probably not qualify to write this article, as I thought I only knew a few popular songs ("Love is a Battlefield" and "Heartbreaker") from Pat Benatar, a pop singer who dominated the American charts in the 80s, but after giving Pat Benatar: Ultimate Collection 2-CD album a listen, I can tell you that I was familiar with a lot of her works!
Her songs, especially the early pop rock hits, reminds me a lot of Patty Smyth in Scandal, both having strong female vocals backed by a tight band, rocking out to music themes such as the heat of the night, children of the street, belonging to something, and promises of love.
There are many good songs on this collection, but I will only be mentioning a few stand-out tracks. "Heartbreaker", her major-hit debut single, originally released in 1979 from her album, In the Heat of the Night.
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot", I've always thought it was an Olivia Newton-John song. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this was a big hit for Benatar!
I was also surprise to hear "I Need a Lover", a John Cougar Mellencamp song! Her take on it emphasized more on her aggressive girl vocals.
"Love is a Battlefield", gives new meaning to synchronized dancing by runaways. I think the cheesy music video to this song, more or less, made the song really popular in the 80s. A little bit of trivia, this original release was on a live album called Live From Earth (1983). Out of this live album are two studio tracks, the battlefield song and "Lipstick Lies".
While the first disc covers most of her singles from her first five studio albums (1979-1983), the second disc covers the rest of her career, but only from her former record label, Chrysalis Records (1984-1993). What's interesting to note is her shift from rocker to a more mellow pop and even jazz, on such classic songs like "We Belong" (this sounds like a Journey song), and the jazzy "True Love" (lots of piano and brass instruments on this one).
It is kind of nice to see Benatar dipping into different genres outside of pop (she even does blues on "Payin' the Cost to Be the Boss"), I suppose it's a sign that she was growing up in those later years. We're talking about thirty year's worth of music, although looking at her discography, there are huge gaps after 1993 that suggests she's in semi-retirement of recording original music? Her last album, Go, came out in 2003, but perhaps with this latest tour and Ultimate Collection that was just released might spark some interest to get her back to the studio?
Ultimate Collection is really meant for casual and new fans, but I think it will also appeal to hardcore fans, as it does a wonderful job compiling Benatar's hits with some misses. The forty songs on two CDs (and official digital tracks), with half of it were top 40 hits. For new fans, this is a great way of getting all these songs for a reasonably low price.
To coincide with the album release (June 24th from Capitol/EMI Records and can be found at all major record stores), Benatar went on tour since May. She's currently just finished up Knoxville, Tennessee, and probably heading to your town. If possible you should see her do live rendition of all her hits.
Links:
www.benatar.com
benatarfanclub.com
myspace.com/officialpatbenatar
Teenage girls. Aren't they sweet. I mean just look at those sweet little faces.
I just don't think we're taking full advantage of the natural resources teenage girls have to offer us. If we did, we'd never have to dig for coal again. If we could just find a way to harness all that attitude teenage girls produce, we could use it to produce enough energy to light the world. And there'd be a never ending supply of it.
Actually something funny - My eldest daughter - Kimba - has been so disgusting and bitchy lately that I wrote her this long email detailing exactly what I thought of her. Then I get up this morning and thought to myself she wasn't too pissed off about it and then I check my emails and there the bloody thing is - come back to me, unable to be sent it tells me for some bloody reason. Typical.
Little girls - I'm telling you, they're over rated.
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07/18/08 Ed Fest -w- Collective Soul Edmonton, Alberta
07/24/08 Les Saints -w- Missy Higgins Montreal, Quebec 08/05/08 Sudbury Arena -w- Avril Lavigne Sudbury, Ontario 08/06/08 Molson Amphitheatre -w- Avril Lavigne Toronto, Ontario 08/16/08 V-Fest UK Staffordshire, UK 08/17/08 V-Fest UK Chelmsford, UK 09/06/08 V-Fest @ Toronto Island Toronto, Ontario |
You wouldn't think The Midway State (MySpace) would be as good as they are...at least, not if you let some of the information provided on the one-sheet for their upcoming debut album, Holes, influence you. First of all, they were signed to Interscope Records, those wonderful industry giants who have brought you the likes of Soulja Boy and Queens of the Stone Age, by label president Jimmy Iovine himself. Strike one. They worked with "Stevo" from SUM 41 on the video for their second single. Strike two. Finally, they recorded their album with "multi-platinum producer" Gavin Brown, best known for his work with...Three Days Grace?! Strike three--get the hell outta the....
But wait. Have you actually listened to their stuff yet?
When you do, you'll find yourself kicking yourself in the ass for letting assumptions get the better of you. The Midway State are a great band, and if Holes is any indication, they've got quite a career ahead of them and, quite frankly, I'm glad they're signed to a label as big as Interscope, because they deserve to be widely heard. The world of mainstream pop/rock is in desperate need of an infusion of good, solid music that is both palatable to a wide range of listeners but is still creative and full of heart. The Midway State bring a refreshing shower of good ol' rock-n'-roll rich in melodies and sensitive lyrics to the desert of pop radio, but still evince enough "indie cred" in their music to attract the SXSW crowd.
In 2001, while still in highschool in Collingwood, Ontario, pianist/frontman Nathan Ferraro and longtime friend and drummer Daenan Bramberger teamed up with bassist Adam Beamish and guitarist Ryan Horning to form Midway State. After an inaugural tour that drew some well-earned attention, the four fellas moved to Toronto in hopes of Making It Big. After being noticed by producer Gavin Brown, the band replaced Beamish and Horning "after much debate" (read that however you like) with bassist Mike Kirsh and guitarist Michael Wise. The group then set out refining their sound, touring, and producing two EPs, 2006's Eponymous and 2007's Met a Man on Top of the Hill, the latter of which featured their first single, the incredibly radio-friendly "Change For You." Considering their history, it's very tempting to think of the band as just another "made for radio" Future One-Hit Wonder. But Holes, the band's first full-length album (which also features "Change For You"), is a legitimately good album that proves the praise the band's EPs have earned is more than warranted.
Vocalist and pianist Ferraro freely admits that he loves Coldplay and Snow Patrol (as well as Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, and even Carole King), and Holes captures the piano-driven sound of Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head without sounding derivative. In fact, though the Coldplay influence is obvious, The Midway State's sound is clearly inspired by the dramatic songwriting of the aforementioned Cat Steves and Carole King, and as such has a prominent '70s pop-rock feel to it--a sound familiar to fans of bands like Rooney and the Pernice Brothers. Each song is primarily built around lead melodies courtesy of Ferraro's expert piano riffs and Wise's catchy guitar lines, but regardless of the slick basslines and rockin' beats, Ferraro's gorgeous baritone voice and tender, personable lyrics are the main attractions, especially in songs like album-opener "Never Again" and the positively-beautiful "Nobody Understands." For some strange reason, I've heard The Midway State called emo...and though their songs are indeed built around melodies and lyrics that carry a lot of emotion (which gives them that magic authenticity that ensures listeners will relate to them on a personal level and therefore take them into their hearts), there is none of the overwrought hysteria and whiny melodrama that defines "emo" evident in even the album's most heavy-hearted numbers, "Nobody Understands"--which quite literally explains every relationship I've ever been in--and "Can't Stop Waking Up To You." Instead of crocodile tears and teenage poetry, Ferraro's lyrics capture the same artful truth of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," which is something that everyone from lovelorn teenagers to twice-married adults can identify with.
In fact, after listening to this album, I've become a fan of Gavin Brown's production despite his association with Three Days Grace. This is a perfectly-produced album. Unlike Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head, the piano leads do not sound weak and badly-EQed, but have the same robust sound you'd expect to hear live. The drums mesh seamlessly with the basslines, and the guitars are pristine. Best of all, Ferraro's vocals are always crystal-clear in the mix without dominating the music.
All-in-all, this is simply a great album that has songs to match every mood. I highly recommend it.
Oh, and here's a little interesting fact about the band: Nathan Ferraro, like me, is synaesthetic--that is, he hears colors and sees sounds. Says Ferraro, "Every song that really resonates with me comes coupled with a distinct colour palette. When I listen to any song on Holes I see a different shade. 'Nobody Understands' is dark rose red, 'Never Again' is a saturated royal blue. At least, I think so...the irony is I'm also red-green color blind, so who knows really!" Well, sir, you're absolutely right: "Nobody Understands" is indeed a lush, velvety red (shot through with tones of deep blue generated by the introductory synth-pad melody) and "Never Again" is definitely a deep blue, though my brain sees the lead guitar riff as a scintillant rusty orange. Needless to say, this is a great album for synaesthetes: the color/sound texture varies widely from song to song, which adds an extra dimension of pleasure for those of us with crosswired brains!
The Midway State are currently touring Canada, but will also be playing two dates in the United Kingdom this August. Check 'em out!
Editor's Note: Holes is on limited release July 22nd, a full official release in September. -Vu 7/17/08 10:06 PM
If there is one person in australia I feel really sorry for, it is the girl in the photo below.
Every time the media want to have a rave about how the teenagers of Newcastle are all binge drinking, violent ratbags, they drag out this photo to go with the story. And here she is again in todays newcastle herald. Always gives me a laugh when I wonder how many years she's going to have to face it. And I always think of her Mum. a proud moment for her to see her daughter like this. Over and over again. Give her a break guys!!
These are from our picnic near the beach in town. The friend we went with grew up in Wollongong so knew the best spots to go and where to buy the best fish and chips. We had originally planned to go and visit the science museum but the kids pretty tired from walking around the temple all morning so decided to save that for another trip.
Apparently, these cannons were put in to defend Wollongong from a potential Japanese attack during WW2. My friend remembered refusing to have photos taken of her astride the cannon back when she got married in 1985!
My daughter took this next photo of her friend. It really captures her friend's nature perfectly.
Perfect hills for rolling down.
No escape from WYD pilgrims even in Wollongong! This lot were from Santa Ana, Califorrnia and were pretty tuneless.
All tuckered out and ready to go home.