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I actually saw Ferrell's Tallahgeda Nights at the weekend - Thoroughly enjoyed it. I went expecting a rather silly piece of fluff with inane humour and nothing to add to my understanding of life. That's exactly what I got, so no disappointment, and I was able to enjoy it for what it was. Meaningless, silly and very, very funny.

Carol, That's excellent - A wonderful milestone, and kudos to Chaotica and the families for all they've done. I've just been on to my doctor today, and my six monthly tests are all clear, so it's celebrations all 'round hopefully. I know there's a long road ahead for you, but I'm sure with your spirit and the love and support of your nearest and dearest, you can travel it with confidence.

QUOTE (treeduck @ Sep 26 2006, 04:22 AM) QUOTE (Jack Aubrey @ Sep 25 2006, 06:51 PM) I refuse to have anything to do with Mel Gibson ever again. What did he do again? I somehow missed all those Mel flashes and if I look them up I'll just- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Threatening and hurling anti semitic abuse at cops as they tried to arrest him for driving while mouldy drunk, validating the post ' "Passion of the Christ" concerns of Judaism with a level of reprehensible stupidity that beggars belief. However, that said, I can't help thinking if we were to regularly boycott films or gigs on the basis that the actors/performers were hypocritical assholes who were acting like complete pricks, the cinemas and theatres could became very empty. Having said that, I'll probably wait for this one to hit TV.

I agree with Tick's two - The Shining The Shawshank Redemption I would add The Green Mile Carrie Maximum Overdrive (actually.....no)

QUOTE (treeduck @ Sep 19 2006, 02:51 AM) I really want to join in here but it's way too much typing for a mere duckling... I'm with you guys though... In spirit C'mon Treeduck - If you're posting at ten to three in the morning, you have plenty of time . If I can figure out how to do this, anyone can!!!!

The Fratellis - Costello Music Tool - Lateralus (I've never heard Tool, so seeing as this appears to be the most recommended album here, time to give it a whirl). Spock's Beard - V (I've been meaning to get this for ages) Alabama 3 - Exile On Coldharbour Lane (Ditto)

Good to see all is going well Carol - I've got my six monthly tests next week. Should be a breeze. Keep the spirits up

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Easy Star All Stars - Radiodread dEUS - Pocket Revolution

This is obviously the day for Invasion threads. Perhaps the producers have been to the lake and are now on an island training for armageddon...

I must confess I was very taken with Invasion, and am somewhat perturbed to see that as of yet, a second series is not on the cards. Why didn't it take off?. It seems to me there are a lot less worthy programmes out there.

http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/lost/pics/eko.jpg

I went to see 'Horslypse' in Omagh last night. They're a Horslips tribute band with an average age of 17, all of whom got into the band through their parents' record collections. What made last night's gig special was the fact that three members of the original band joined them on stage for a few songs. First of all, Barry Devlin came out to sing Guests of the Nation and Furniture, then Jim Lockhart and Johnny fean came out for the big finish - Trouble with a Capital T, Sword of Light, King of the Fairies and Dearg Doom, and an encore of Shakin' All Over. BBC preview of the gig Here

Carol, CeeJ is spot on. I remember talking to my surgeon in April when the histology on my tumor came through, and I asked him "Does this mean I'm clear?". "No", he said "It means there's no evidence the tumor has spread". Surgeons will always hold back and cover every possibility. They can't foresee what will happen, so they'll present you with the worst case scenario, partly so if something happens that they don't warn about, they don't get their asses sued!!. Be careful with the driving though. You've been through enough without broken bones from a car wreck to deal with as well.

QUOTE (Slime @ Jul 27 2006, 07:22 PM) rsqbpotn Rush Sing Queen's Bo-Rhap, Peart's On The Nose fgithudh

I used to be confused, but now Regh has explained it all to me, so that's alright then......

Two shows I vaguely remember as a kid are 'Sky' and 'Children Of The Stones'. I remember thinking they were the strangest and most compelling things on TV. I also loved the 'Battle Of The Planets' cartoons.

Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love Medieval Baebes - Mirabilis Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country

Just back from Oxegen. No pics yet, but here's some ramblings on the music we saw. Started off with Emm Gryner. We were heading for the Spinto Band, ducked in to see Emm for a minute, and her set was so captivating we stayed. Then out for a shimmy in the rain to Republic of Loose, an Irish soul/gospel/funk collective. Then over to see Dave Couse and his band, including a fair few old 'A House' songs, including an updated Endless Art commemorating a host of deceased luminaries from Hunter S.Thompson and Chris Penn to Rory Gallagher, Nina Simone and The Ramones. Next up was Regina Spektor. My first experience of her, and what can I say?. A whimsical amalgam of Bjork, Tori Amos and PJ Harvey is about the closest I can come to describing her. Superb. A quick blast of The Magic Numbers in the rain followed by a detour to the Green Room tent for Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Country never sounded (or looked) so good. Hard to believe we saw her fronting Rilo Kiley last year Half way through the set, rain started cascading through two holes in the tent. Not many performers get to play in tents with built in waterfalls!!. Gomez were Gomez, a nice mixture of new stuff from 'How We Operate' mixed in with the classics (No 'Here Comes The Breeze' though which was a shame). Caught about 15 minutes of the Arctic Monkeys outside at the Main Stage, where high winds joined the rain to severely compromise the sound. he crowds didn't seem to give a shot though. Back in the tent, The Futureheads followed with a blistering set. Tighter than a three sizes too small pair of shoes, they concentrated on the new album, but suffered from iffy sound quality where we were standing, meaning new ones like 'Area' and 'Cope' didn't come across as well as they should have. Hounds of Love and Carnival Kids more than compensated though. We went down to The Strokes, where I left Brendan after a bit so I could take in The Automatic. Monster is this year's indie summer hit, and brought the small New Bands tent down, but the rest of the set suggests this is no flash in the pan. Back outside, the rain is subsiding, and reunited with Brendan, we catch a little bit of The Go Team before taking our places for the main event of the evening, and finally answer the question...........Can Pete and Roger still cut it?. Yes is the short answer. A brilliant set from The Who with Roger swinging mics and Pete flailing for all he was worth, the set started with I Can't Explain, then second song in came the riff I've heard Alex play much more then Pete recently..The Seeker!!. Great version. The set finished with an extended My Generation (oh, the irony, but they pulled it off) followed by Won't Get Fooled Again. The encore was Substitute followed by a Tommy medley. Absolutely brilliant show, and any TRFers with lingering doubts, all I am saying, is give Pete a chance!!!!!!!. It's now past midnight, so time for a quick run around the stages to catch a bit of Kasabian (last minute additions - brilliant version of Cutt Off and some really tasty new songs from forthcoming album 'Empire'). This is followed by the end of Richard Ashcroft and a bit of James Brown on the main stage before the 1.5 hour drive back to Bren's place and a lovely warm and comfy bed. The drive's a pain but Thank Christ we weren't camping. I'm too old for that shit anyway. Sunday started with a vast improvement in the weather and a stunning set from Wolfmother. After a quick blast from Mumm-Ra in the New Band tent, Maximo Park were next and they were superb. Apply Some Pressure had the Main Stage crowd bouncing. Then, with thanks to Moonraker and Feelwithyourskin for the recommendation (and I always listen to what these august individuals tell me), it was back to the New Band Tent for Cut Copy. Brilliant. Absolutely f***ing brilliant. The bastard love children of The Human League, Orbital and New Order, they were defintitely the discovery of the weekend for me. Back to the Main Stage for Manu Chao. A scaled down show with only six musicians on stage with him, La Primevera, Machine Gun and Peligro suffered a bit from the iffy sound but it was a stormer nonetheless. After the obligatory feed of Japanese noodles, we hightailed it over to The Divine Comedy followed by The Zutons, both of whom played storming sets. A quick taste of Corrine Bailey Rae was followed by The Kaiser Chiefs on the main stage. A blistering set with a smattering of new songs that suggest the next release will avoid any symptoms of second album syndrome. Only problem was some of the more drunken twats in the crowd (30,000ish) became a little too exhuberent, and I Predict A Riot threatened to become a self fulfilling prophecy, with shite being thrown by idiots suffering from a serious dose of missing the f***ing point. Then Goldfrapp, complete with some of the sexiest dancers this side of the Moulin Rouge, although their set was severely truncated because Alison had a severe throat infection. Back to the Green Room tent, where Rodrigo Y Gabriela played an incendiary gig that had a Rio like crowd reaction. It was a seriously difficult choice as to whether go to this or Sigur Ros, but I think we made the right choice. It appears to have been recorded for a DVD release. Who knows, I might get my ugly mug on TV yet. If you've never heard of them check out their web site Here . BTW, the video on the front page was shot in the same tent at Oxegen last year!!!!. Then out for a half hour of the Chillis (looked and sounded good, By The Way and Californication were the best of what I saw) before the long drive home. Great weekend!!!!.

The annual Oxegen is on this coming weekend. Over 100 acts on the line-up, so as usual , I've isolated my must sees, and then we'll see what we can fit in around these, timetable permitting Saturday The Who The Strokes The Futureheads Gomez Jenny Lewis Republic Of Loose The Spinto Band Emm Gryner Sunday Red Hot Chilli Peppers Rodrigo Y Gabriela Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Pretty Girls Make Graves The Zutons Manu Chao Wolfmother Leya Full Line-Up Here I'm hoping o catch the Arctic Monkeys and at least some of the Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand. I also want to see at least some of Maximo Park, We Are Scientists, Delays, Animal Collective and The Magic Numbers, but that'll depend on how fast we can run between 'Different Stages' (OK, just shoot me now!!!!!!!!).

An old classic which deserves to be dusted down and re-circulated - Two builders (Phil and Eric) are seated either side of a table in a rough pub when a well-dressed man enters, orders a beer and sits on a stool at the bar. The two builders start to speculate about the occupation of the suit. Phil: - I reckon he's an accountant. Eric: - No way - he's a stockbroker. Phil: - He ain't no stockbroker! A stockbroker wouldn't come in here! The argument repeats itself for some time until the volume of beer gets the better of Phil and he makes for the toilet. On entering the toilet he sees that the suit is standing at a urinal. Curiosity and the several beers get the better of the builder. Phil: - 'Scuse me.. no offence meant, but me and me mate were wondering what you do for a living? Suit: - No offence taken! I'm a Logical Scientist by profession. Phil: - Oh! What's that then? Suit: - I'll try to explain by example... Do you have a goldfish at home? Phil: - Er... mmm . well yeah, I do as it happens! Suit: - Well, it's logical to follow that you keep it in a bowl or in a pond. Which is it? Phil: - It's in a pond! Suit: - Well then it's reasonable to suppose that you have a large garden Phil: - As it happens, yes I have got a big garden! Suit: - Well then it's logical to assume that in this town if you have a large garden then you have a large house? Phil: - As it happens I've got a five-bedroom house, built it myself! Suit: - Well given that you've built a five-bedroom house it is logical to assume that you haven't built it just for yourself and that you are quite probably married? Phil: - Yes I am married, I live with my wife and three children. Suit: - Well then it is logical to assume that you are sexually active with your wife on a regular basis? Phil:- Yep! Four nights a week! Suit: - Well then it is logical to suggest that you do not masturbate very often? Phil: - Me? Never. Suit: - Well there you are! That's logical science at work! Phil: - How's that then? Suit: - Well from finding out that you had a goldfish, I've told you about your sex life! Phil: - I see! That's pretty impressive...thanks mate! Both leave the toilet and Phil returns to his mate. Eric: - I see the suit was in there. Did you ask him what he does? Phil: - Yep! He's a logical scientist! Eric: - What's that then? Phil: - I'll try and explain. Do you have a goldfish? Eric: - Nope. Phil: - Well then, you're a w*nker.

In a recent poll on the Coen Brothers' best film, it was predictable that Fargo and The Big Lebowski garnered most of the kudos. On that occasion, I went for Hudsucker, and having watched it again recently, my decision has been reaffirmed (although Oh Brother....runs it close). Tim Robbins is brilliant, Paul Newman deliciously evil and Jennifer Jason Leigh also shines. I think the mention of Brazil in Milty's thread brought this to mind (probably because of the similar dystopic representation of the bureaucratic workplace). Discuss

I'm now going to offend everyone and suggest that 12 Monkeys is better than Brazil. I'm the opposite of Milty - 12 Monkeys is in my Top 5, Brazil is Top 30.