Curvy

This is interesting, the city I grew up in (Mississauga) is getting a very 'sexy' new tower built, the Absolute Tower. Its a very interesting design, thats all I have to say about it for now.

March Tracks - Time to Rediscover House!

This month has been much better for music following a truly dreary February. A lot of good records out and the monthly track listing is expanded from a top 5 to a top 10 as a result.

10. Corrine Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

I cannot think of a sweeter sounding, more summery track; Corrine is set to be the female equivalent of James Blunt this year, a genuine break out artist. A classic in the making.

9. Crazy P - Sun Sceince

Their follow up to the ever so funky Lady T, this soul house track is one of the first of many dance records charting this month.

8. Orson - No Tommorow

I had the tv on a music channel in the background the other day, and to my surprise I found myself knowing all the lyrics to this track. Not sure how this happened, but it may have to do with the fact that its one of the catchiest rock songs I've heard since the hey days (umm, like last year) of Franz Ferdinand.

7. Ashlee Simpson feat Missy Elliott - L.O.V.E. (Jared Jones Mix)

Ok, I admit it, I am a closet Ashlee Simpson fan. I can't stand the Newlyweds, but give me a tub of ice cream and some chocolate and sit me down for a marathon viewing of The Ashlee Simpson Show and I can be very content. She's not the greatest singer but this song is really catchy, and the remix makes works incredibly well, with one of the best faux-lazy raps from Missy Elliott in quiet some time.

6. Sara Jorge- Beautiful World (M Factor Mix)

One of those dance tracks with a sweet sounding female singing something uplifting and pretty. It will be frogetful in about 3 months time, but this follows the Angel City blueprint to great effect.

5. MYNC Project feat Abigal Bailey - Something On Your Mind

This was #2 on my February charts but it has remained on heavy rotation on my itunes all month long. Watch for MYNC Project's Strobelight (with Danny Rampling) to make an appearance on next months listing.

4. Shapeshifters - Incredible

Another hold-over from last month, the Shapeshifters second follow up to the massive 'Lola's Theme' cements their status as the real deal on the dance scene. I thought this track was a bit dull on first listen, but the MK & MTV and Denis Menace and Ropero mixes more than save it from itself.

3. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Set to be massive when released in the UK next week, this song has a hybrid dance/soul/blues sound that is very unique and memorable. Fantastic.

2. Bob Sinclar feat Steve Edwards - World Hold On

This follow-up single to Love Generation treads the same waters but to much greater effect. Wheras Love Generation was sickly sweet, this is sweet but with an edge; a much deeper sound and an edgier vocal from the fantastic Steve Edwards following up on his great turn on Axwell's 'Watch The Sunrise'

1. Sex Machine feat Shena - Friday Night

Ok, this song is very much a cross between a Freemasons track and Michael Grey's 'The Weekend' but thats not necessarily a bad thing. With massive support from Pete Tong and a chorus that you can't shake out of your head this is set has the potential to be overplayed to death by summertime, so I am going to enjoy it for the time being.

No Rest Indeed

TimeOut has chimed in on how Sunday is the new Saturday; something we in queer land have known for a long time now. Thanks to Bart and scene-out for the photos of the Vogue Ball. The photo above is of my dear friend Nick as one half of the Darling Bears who helped out with the show. I was on stand-by to be a Darling Bear (the other half was in danger of being a no-show) last night if needed but alas I still remain an understudy!




















Luke Howard channels Grace Jones .....

The fabulous Neil as 'Tina Comedown'

The Chatterley Affair

If you missed it this week, I urge you to catch The Chatterley Affair which being re-aired tonight on BBC4. From the BBC4 website :

Is it a book that you would even wish your wife or your servants to read?" In 1960, prosecutor Mervyn Griffith-Jones tried to persuade an Old Bailey jury to ban DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover.
All the details of the trial are on record. Except for what the jury said, thought... And did.
Andrew Davies' new drama offers a fictional account of the jurors' experience. It is seen through the eyes of Keith (Rafe Spall) and Helena (Louise Delamere), two of the jurors who fall in love under the influence of Lawrence's prose.

There is some interesting arguments being made, and the film captures the struggle people had over sexual morality during that period. The scenes in the jury room are played out nicely and in a realistic fashion. One of the jurors just refuses to accept any of the testimonies about the legitimacy of the novel as a great piece of literature, simply choosing to dismiss it as a 'dirty book'.

Just as compelling is the affair that emerges between Keith and Helena. Keith is married and smart if not very well-educated; a 'bit of rough' as he describes himself at one point. Helena is very bright, independent and the more sexually experienced of the two. Their affair starts to mirror that of the book and juxtaposes quite nicely with courtroom drama that is unfolding. Helena finds love and companionship that she has longed for, while Keith is sexually awakened from both the novel and the affair itself. Spall and Delamere are note perfect in their performances. Also new Doctor Who David Tennant appears briefly as an expert witness in the trial.

This film is engrossing and very well paced. The only thing that was a bit jarring was clips of interviews with the real Keith and Helena in the present. It is nice to see who they really are and the interviews themeselves are interesting; but I would have liked to imagine what happened to them after the trial was over rather than be told it. A bit of mystery would have made the conclusion much more powerful. Still its only a quibble.

Trust Issues Pt II

Ok, so the other night I run into an acquaintance who is friends with the guy who stole from me last weekend. This acquaintance (lets call him Sucker for now) just became friends with TheifBoy for less than a month and it is clear that he is very infatuated with him. This is how the conversation goes:

Sucker: Hey how are you ?

Me: Good thanks, how have you been ?

S: Good thanks, (TheifBoy) is on his way down soon

M: Oh, I don't speak to him

S: Yeah I know

M: Well, its because he stole from me

Its at this point that Sucker rolled his eyes and excused himself to go to the toilets. Who knows what the guy who stole my money has been saying about me behind my back, but I get the sense that its not very nice AT ALL. In the end he didn't show up at the pub, he was probably warned of my presence. Oh well, I hope that Sucker is careful with his wallet, he seems like a nice guy.

A few links

This is the scariest picture I've ever seen in my life, I mean honestly what has happened to Sharon Stone, and why all the hair. I saw her on Parkinson the other week and not only was she completely dull but she kept interrupting the very witty Stephen Fry with some inane stories and observations. I loved that after a while Fry just started speaking over her like she wasn't even sitting next to him. Well done.

Some great dvds have hit the shops, and I can imagine just buying them and not leaving my flat for a month. This Life is absolutely one of my favorite shows of all time, and I credit it for making me fascinated with British culture. I remember staying up late at night (it came on at like midnight in Toronto) just to watch it. I am really glad its finally getting the dvd release it deserves. Also, there is a great dvd boxset of five Pedro Almovodar films and a box set of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy.

Finally a very interesting article in discodamaged about some gay clubs starting to employ 'gay only' or 'gay majority' policies at the door. I can totally understand that this is discriminatory, and its why I sometimes prefer going to men-only clubs because you just wanna be around other guys and not have some well-meaning straight girl hanging about. Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

Funny!

I found this link on another blog and found it funny, best 100 por*n* titles of 2005 ( i don't want to get all those Google hits, hence me typing in por*n*) ...

Door Whore

I have just been asked to be the new guest list doorwhore at MegaWoof, starting from April. The club is on once a month and its good to make a bit of extra cash doing something I would normall be doing anyway that night (i.e. hang out at MegaWoof). With this and my loan being approved, my financial situation is finally looking up. Hopefully it won't be too manic, and I've already decided I can't be too nice to guys trying to blag their way in for free, unless they are supercute of course.

Oh Dear !

This was such a fun quiz, my score is probably higher than it should because of the weekend.

You Are 48% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

What The F*&!$ ?

Ok, what the hell has happened to the O.C., I used to love this show so much, but last night's episode just showed me how awful this thing has become. The main plot point centered around charity bar-mitzvah for Ryan in order to raise cash for Johnny's (aka, cheapo Ryan) surgery. Huh ? Ok, the scenes of Seth's own barmitzvah were appropriately hilarious but come on. So far this season we've had so many dumb plotlines and stories that fail to make any sense. Sadly, this show has become something of a car crash, the worse it gets the more I'm compelled to watch.

Trust Issues

Ok, I had a pretty terrible thing happen to me over the weekend, some guy I went on a date with ened up stealing some money from my wallett, not a lot but still it felt horrible. I am not going to go into all the details but needless to say I wasn't feeling that great on Sunday after it happened. Its thrown me for a loop and dented my confidence in people and my hope that one day I will meet someone who wants me for me. I say dented not shattered because I will get over this and soon. Some people are just scum, plain and simple, I have come to accept that.

Thursday Already

Have you had one of those weeks where you wake up and realize 'Oh shit, its already Thursday' , this has been one of those weeks. I have been really busy lately but I feel like I've got nothing to show for it, even though thats not really true. Its just part of my genetic make-up, I am always surprised whenever I acheive something. For example, I have gotten about 4 reports out this week alone for various reasons and created a new template that will cut down my workload significantly at month end, but it just doesn't feel like I've done enough, oh well. Time to go hit the pub, the day is OVER.

He's back

After a fairly lengthy hiatus, my best friend Ben Addict's blog is back online, he is the one who inspired me to start my own. In my opinion he is a far superior writer, but I am the pretty one, so it balances out.

Vogue Ball

Oh, I am getting really excited about this, here is a shameless plug for what is bound to be the craziest, wildest, funnest night of the year, Horsemeat Disco's Vogue Ball on 26 March. The last one held in November was the maddest night of the year; some pics here.

Press Release from HMD Newsletter:


VAUXHALL IS GURNING II

After the run away success of last December’s vogue ball extravaganza set tongues wagging across the disco spectrum Horse Meat Disco is proud to announce the second coming! Vauxhall is Gurning returns for another evening of high gloss drag and dressing up shenanigans. So to all you future legends we’re asking you to put your thinking bonnets on once again and come down and WORK!!!



HMD

Just testing out the picture function ....
Goldfrapp

The Why? Factor

I like to think of myself as an environmentally concious person. I turn off the tap when I'm brushing my teeth; I turn off lights when I leave a room, I used to recycle but Hammersmith Council still haven't sent me my recycling bags even though I've called them about a hundred times. I also take public transportation even though at the moment I have access to a company car. I like taking the train, I really do, all the stress associated with driving is gone and if I'm feeling particulary self-congratulatory I will think to myself 'well at least I'm helping with the environment.' I feel at ease when I walk into a train station, especially one that I use day in and day out.

Over the past two weeks however, my tube riding jolly adventures have been disrupted by an anamoly that has truly made my evening trips out a nightmare, The X-Factor Live Tour concerts were in town playing in London. Now I am used to concerts letting out of the Hammersmith Apollo, but its usually punky /rocky stoners and their big titted girlfriends that clutter up the station, but they're cool, and they are usually in small units of 3-4 people who are more or less self-contained. The demographic for the X-Factor tour is markedly different, as its all about family units that cause nothing but disruption to my journey within the station. They usually consist of a hard looking dad, lots of tattoos, shaved head (which, hello, is like hot so I usually wouldn't mind); a mom with big hair, big boobs, too much makeup, cigarette stained fingers (you know the type) and about three or four very bratty children who will more or less grew up to be like either dad or mum, sometimes a charming loud uncle will be thrown in the mix, all of them holding onto their X-Factor posters for dear life. They will be walking and then all of a sudden stop right in front of you, making me have to manouver around them and bump into a fellow disgruntled traveller. They will take forever discussing their ticket needs with each other while at the actual ticket counter. They will stand right in front of the turn-styles completely oblivious to the fact that people need to use them, all the while yabbering away at how 'Brenda was wicked, I loooooooved Journey South', SHUT UP! SHUT UP AND MOVE OUT OF MY WAY (and get some taste in music while you're at it).

Thankfully, last night was the last X-Factor concert, so the madness will end. On the upside, there have been large waits at the station McDonalds so I've avoided eating that junk, so you know, bright side and all.

Weekend Plans

This is from an email I got from a good friend of mine:

'(Boyfriend) and I are going shopping for cushions and coasters on Saturday and then going to his nieces birthday on Sunday in Kent, and scarily i'm quite looking forward to it - shoot me now'

Ok, this may sound really dull to some people, but sadly I've realised its the sort of weekend I'd get excited about if I had a boyfriend. Its the type of weekend that makes me want a boyfriend. Sounds like a very couply thing to do, and I imagine after a long week at work it sounds like pure bliss. What do I have to look forward to this weekend, a birthday party that will lead to lots of alcohol and pill popping and staying out til the early hours of the morning dancing with a bunch of half naked guys ....... umm what was the point I was trying to make ?

Don't Be Hatin'

Honestly, these people need to get a life, how could you boycott a film that has not yet been finished based on how you think an actor will pull off the part. Poor Daniel Craig, he's too damned cute to be treated this way.

Bits and Bytes

Things have been very hectic in ramification land so blogging duties have been severly lacking. A few bits and peices from around :

- To conclude my Oscar-related posts, I would like to point out that on Monday morning I woke up to the shocking news that Crash beat Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture. Nathaniel from the Film Experience wrote a fantastic article about how this unprecedented upset reeks of homophobia (before it even happened). I am not one to look for conspiracy theories, and as much as I enjoyed Crash, it was a good yet flawed film, on the other hand Brokeback Mountain fired on all cylinders from beginning to end without a single false note, a classic film that deserved much better than 3 awards on Sunday night.

- Reality TV: I have been a bit of a home body lately, and two shows that have clutched me with their claws are The Apprentice (UK edition) and Project Catwalk (UK version of Project Runway). Last night I was so irritated about crazy Jo not getting fired I was screaming at my TV; clearly she is being kept on because she makes a good tv personality and not because there is a chance in hell that she will win the contest. The same goes for Matthew on Project Catwalk. As much as I like him, I would guess he would have been kicked off long ago had he not been so cute and so inexperienced that you are compelled to see if he can pull through, although if I were to pick a winner it would be Kirsty or Chris.

- Work - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... thats all I can say about it.

- Love life: ...................................thats all I can say about it.

Odds and Ends , and Yes More Oscar Talk

How dull is it to type in that life is going ok and nothing seems to be bothering me much these days. Ok, work is a bit stressful and my monetary situation can be a bit better, but all in all, life is cool so no need to complain. Actually if I have one gripe its that the Oscars are being telecast on Sky Movies this year and I don't have Sky and its too late to subscribe. My efforts to find a bar somewhere in town that is doing an Oscar party have so far been futile. They used to show it on BBC1 and last year they switched over to Sky (I did see them because I was at a friends house, but I dont really go over to his place anymore). If I do manage to miss it, it will be the first ceremony that I haven't seen from beginning to end since 1988 (The year The Last Emperor won big).

Anyway, here are my predictions:

Best Picture : Brokeback Mountain
Best Director: Ang Lee
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon
Best Supp Actor: George Clooney
Best Supp Actress: Michelle Williams
Best Original Screenplay: Crash
Best Adapted Screenplay: Brokeback Mountain

There is a lot of talk about a Brokeback backlash, but I personally can't see it. If any big upsets will come they will be in the acting categories. Something tells me that Keira Knightley might surprise us all or maybe Catherine Keener will pull a shocker, but I am going to be safe with my predictions.