Someone just really insulted my by saying I look just like Alan Carr.
I don't think I look anything like him.
Ok.. so we're both receeding a bit and wear glasses and we're both gay.
Not a case for saying "you look just like him".
bah.
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Fact checking an old story...
@ Thursday, Dec. 04, 2008 – 12:20:13 pm
I've taken down the AIDS/Banana/Gambia story whilst I double checked where I first heard about the story.
I listen to the BBC world service's podcasts and reckon I picked up the story there:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6323449.stm
I also then must have been so astounded I looked about for more stories to cross reference the post.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,470231,00.html
And here: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/03/15/koinange.africa/index.html
With so many people dying from misinformation around HIV & AIDS surely this is a story that deserves more press!
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Honourable mentions in the film year...
@ Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2008 – 11:11:40 pm
The Hello Dolly moments in Wall-e. (The song makes me cry so.)
The pencil trick in The Dark Knight.
The way The diving bell and the butterfly left me chatting in french on the bus. Totally turned my brain into french toast.
Sadly I can't seem to find the loom of fate clip from Wanted.
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Ben's top 5 movie moments of 2008...
@ Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2008 – 10:55:32 pm
In no particular order:
1- There will be blood:
"Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaage"
Milkshakes will never be the same again.
2: Juno
"Anyone else but you"
I totally believed in the reality of the end of the song where they kiss. Made me want to walk round and back into the film again.3: Waltz with Bashir
Pick a moment...Almost every moment in WWB was weighed correctly and served the film beautifully.
4: Doctor Atomic
"Batter my heart"
Ok ok... so it's not technically film. But I saw it on a cinema screen. This aria is something that gently haunts my dreams. A wonderful arrangement of a John Donne poem.
5: My Winnipeg
A strange, hallucinatory, half true mytho-autobiography of a film. By turns terrifying, funny, strange and beautiful.
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Nuts.
@ Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2008 – 08:57:42 pm
I picked up some lovely nuts from Tesco.
Mixed nuts- brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazel nuts.
And mixed fruit- cranberries, pineapple, ginger, berries.
All in a light cinnamon dusting.
Yum!
A light and yummy alternative to snacking on chocolate. Perfect for a winter evening.
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Proposition 8- the musical.
@ Wednesday, Dec. 03, 2008 – 07:20:34 pm
See more Jack Black videos at Funny or DieA star studded cast came out to show their support for gay marriage in a humorous way. I really enjoyed it, you might too.
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Albums of the year
@ Tuesday, Dec. 02, 2008 – 10:52:35 am
Guess I'm going to be doing lots of reviewing of the year...
Might as well start with music.
In no particular order:
1) Rosie Thomas- a very Rosie Christmas.
2) Martha Wainwright- I know you're married but I have feelings too.
3) Aqualung- Words and Music
4) Portishead- Third
5) Jim Moray- Low Culture
6) Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
7) Sigur Ros- Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
8) Death Cab For Cutie- Narrow Stairs
9) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
And my album of the year:
10) Elbow- The Seldom seen kid.
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Possibly the worst musical theatre act ever...
@ Monday, Dec. 01, 2008 – 11:13:55 pm
Oh my.
Was at the positively red concert this evening. Delightful.
Aside from one group- the Argosy Musical Theatre Group . I'm sure under normal circumstances they don't put on stuff as bad as they performed this evening.
Four performers in strange 70's getup. The sang a series of songs. At the end of one of them I thought the compère had come on to apologise for how awful they were- nope he was warming us up for their finale.
You know when something is so awful you sort of lose the ability to describe how awful it is because you end up saying how awful it is and not much else. That's where I'm at.
Bad costume, bad wigs, bad singing, bad harmonies, bad choreography, clichéd songs. Awful, awful, awful. And before you say "But hang on Ben, you probably couldn't do anything as bad as that..." No. I wouldn't ever get up on stage to perform that tripe because I know people around me love and care about my reputation than to let me step on stage and whore myself in such a blatant way. No doubt they thought the laughter and cheering was positive. It wasn't. I'm not even sure they are aware of just how dreadful they are. Sadly they didn't cross that line of "so bad" it becomes good.
I was so stunned by their awfulness that I couldn't even bring myself to waste space on my mobile phone filming or recording their singing.
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Neither sick nor well...
@ Monday, Dec. 01, 2008 – 06:05:08 pm
Just busy.
Hey everyone! *imagines people shouting back "Heeeeey Bennnnnnn!"*
Sorry for not being as on the ball as I usually am. I've been a busy boy.
What with social media-ing and my thanks giving party and then generally having a quiet weekend I've been letting some of the more obvious blog posts slide.
Things I would have blogged about if I'd had the inclination:
1) What comedy (specifically family guy) will do once George W Bush is out of office?
2) Things I'm thankful about. (in no particular order job, friends, family, Barack Obama)
3) Taking over the literature strand of the greenbelt festival. (And finally getting to free my feet a little)
4) Mumbai.
5) The cult of evicting people from their jobs that seems to have siezed this country.
6) The over the top reaction some students (and non students who've clearly drunk the cult koolaid too much) had to my blog post about toddling under Thatcher. It wasn't meant to be incisive political analaysis. It was meant to be fun and a little cutting in places.
So.. I might or might not pop back to some of these themes...
Oh. And you can check up on my twitter updates here: www.twitter.com/benjaminbrum
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My trip to Palestine...
@ Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008 – 10:51:28 am
One of the people I went to Palestine with has created a video on youtube.
It's been incredibly moving to vividly see again the things I saw.
Have a look and tell me what you think:
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Mike Whitby, Villa and rebranding.
@ Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 – 05:39:16 pm
Obviously I'm just pointing you to a particular news story I've seen.
No comment either way.
I am just a signpost.
http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/2008/11/mike-whitby-fool.html
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What I'm doing tonight...
@ Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 – 04:02:18 pm
Getting an early night.
*props eyelids open*
Am tired.
Busy week. Fun and very satisfying but tiring.
Going to switch off the phone unplug the computer and get an early night.
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Where's Ben tonight?
@ Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008 – 02:15:04 pm
Tonight is the big thanksgiving dinner with people from my current work and previous work.
Jojo said that she's tried to make a Barack Obama cake.
Pictures of that to follow.
And I'll also blog about things I'm thankful for tonight after my little speech.
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Where I am tonight.
@ Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008 – 10:44:02 am
Tonight I'll be at the Birmingham Bloggers Social media surgery and then at my flat getting ready for my thanksgiving extravaganza.
That is all.
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Where I am tonight...
@ Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 – 07:49:03 am
Tonight I'll be at my flat.
Probably reading. Might watch a DVD or two.
That is all.
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