Told ya so

Simone Denny's new single "Cliché" is now #20 on Billboard 'Hot Dance Club Play' this week.

Way to go Simone.

This upward tread will continue.

He made me an offer I couldn't refuse

I recently came across 15 Sinatra songs (that fell magically from the sky, ok?), and I have to admit, most of them are excellent.

For someone of my generation, Sinatra epitomized all that was not cool, an unpleasant left over from the time of Swing.

Now, old Frank may not have been the nicest of people, and the original "Ocean's Eleven" still makes me cringe, but in these recording from what seems to be from the 1940's & 50's, his reputation is completely understandable.

He has a phrasing that weaves in and out of the musical arrangement, and he is not afraid to stand back and let his excellent orchestras come to the fore.

Gad, socks & sandals, here I come.

Fuck you Yahoo

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Let's all say it again. Fuck you Yahoo. Fuck you Yahoo. Fuck you Yahoo.

I enjoyed that.

And I can still say it (for now) without any knock at the door (yet), though this post may go into a database somewhere, for (future) reference.

Just look at those happy smiling faces! They should be happy, they are getting rich.

I'm sick of the West's dance around China.

Just because they have a huge standing army and nuclear weapons, the potential to become a major world market...and the best lips in Europe.

Sheesh.

Seems our old friend Yahoo has been accused of being "a police informant for the Chinese regime", following allegations that information supplied by the company helped jail a journalist.

This follows reports that Microsoft had aided the Chinese government in repression as well.

"Human rights watchdog Privacy International has called for a worldwide consumer boycott of Yahoo.

"A boycott would send a clear message to Yahoo shareholders and other companies which cheerfully sacrifice human rights in return for a cut of the Chinese market," said Privacy International director Simon Davies.

That's very nice, but are they kidding? No one will do a thing, least of all Yahoo and Microsoft.

" Yahoo has recently made its commitment to the Chinese market clear, buying a $1bn stake in China's second largest e-tailer Alibaba."

My shock knows no bounds. Hope that billion doesn't influence Yahoo.

" Microsoft is yet to respond...for comment on the issues it faces in China."

Would you believe...

...we'll miss him..by that much.

RIP Don Adams

Rome V

Yee-awwwn.

Having to refresh everyone at the top of the show with scenes from earlier episodes, Rome doesn't going until six minutes after the hour.

Because of its episodic nature, it again went from event to event with no highs, no lows.

More domestic goings on.

Who's in who's bed? Who's writing all the (anatomically correct) graffiti? Does Octavian really paint the best toe nails?

Last week Atia is worried about his masculinity, and this week she is congratulating him because she thought he was sleeping with Caesar (for political reasons of course).

The portrait they paint of Octavian is strange, a pale little boy who enjoys torture and beating men to death. Why is he helping Pullo torture and kill Lucius's wife's lover?

So for me, I have no characters to root for. Comparing "Rome" again to "I Claudius", very early on in IC, Liva was brought out as a main focus of the first half of the series, and she was fun to watch.

Here, no character is close her. I knew Liva, and Atia you are no Liva.

I stepped from the room near the end of the episode, and suddenly Lucius is in some temple being painted with blood, looking very grim.

What the hell happened?

Anyway. Best line: "I'm a solider, not a peace keeper."

I wish the show was more focused on the political struggle. Ciaran Hinds (Caesar) is a fine actor, and it is fun to watch emotions play across his stretched, arrogant face.

Will I get to Rome VI?...yes...damn damn damn.

Long Ago

Where are they now?

I only have two

Whimper.

Read all about it

And another thing...

Those ringtones.

I am surrounded by them. Screeching hawks, hidious midis of fragmentary classic themes, Avril fucking Lavigne.

Make it stop!

"I have no taste."

"Really?"

"Yes, call me and see!"

Enough of this infliction of your audio errors on me.

Now I'm off to play some Jethro Tull. There be trannies to crush.

Something about this bugs me

Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain

Italy, home to the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, have outdone themselves.

"An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years.

...the bunny is not just for walking around - they are expecting hikers to climb its 20 foot sides and relax on its belly.

The giant rabbit is expected to remain on the mountain side until 2025".

Hummm, what about a giant wooden badger?

You big Superstar you

A big congratulations to Simone Denny, and her new song "Cliché" entering the Billboard 'Hot Dance Club Play' at #33.

It will go up. Count on it.

Visit simonedenny.com for all the latest.

You should have done that 'Fish Heads' remix Simone...

;)

Lord of the Earth

Hardly.

Look, no Russia, no Africa, no Antarctica.

This won't do. No, it won't do at all.

Rome IV

Episode IV of Rome was aired this evening, and though is is not perfect, I am beginning to enjoy the series.

The ancient Rome recreated here is at once more dingy and more brightly coloured than the standard Hollywood version we are used to. Walls both inside and out are brightly painted, yet the streets are narrow and dark. Rich woman sport vivid fabrics and multicoloured wings (the source of this information is unknown to me. Though a student of that period, I was unaware of the punk streak in the Roman aristocracy. Perhaps it's just HBO fucking with me.

So viewers have also noticed a possible anachronism in the poetry reading, as it seems Virgil was quoted. Fine, expect at this period it hadn't been written yet...).

Earlier in the day and friend and I were joking that there had not been much male nudity so far. This oversight was quickly taken care of in the person of Marcus Antonius and the bath/interview scene.



The major drawback is the lack of any kind of arch in the episodes. There is no climax, no rousing endings. Things just happen, and the episodes vary in length accordingly (this and the rather pointless domestic storyline. North American audiences seem to need so called "real people" to identify with, thought I think I know where they might be going with the married soldier, Lucius Vorenus).

News is there is another season coming, but at this pace, the Ides of March won't be coming it the end of this season.

Fucking Brilliant

French aids ad. Ummm, tanline.

If it saves lives, more dick I say!

Turn it off

The Americans are out of their minds.

They have no idea, either do they care.

I have been more focused on American affairs this year, reading blogs, following events on cable news network, reading editorials. I was trying to understand a world power that would elect a President such as GWB.

They are out of their minds. All of them (or at the very least the ones that elected him a *second* time).

Never since the Romans has a country been so convinced of their own right to do what they want in the world.

One would almost think there is no escape.

But then a wonderful can happen. You can, if not get them to shut up, at least turn their incessant whining way down.

Just don't listen. Turn off Fox, stop reading frenzied blogs, ignore pseudo-christians promoting hatred.

Hear that....silence....the silence of a truly civilized country.

Canada

Hehe

The civilized human comes in many forms, and we didn't have to invade anyone.

Kiss Me, You Fool!

Executed Chinese prisoners skinned for collagen treatment

Yes, "Skin from prisoners executed in China is being used to develop cosmetic collagen treatments aimed at the European market, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper says that agents from a China-based company claim the skin, which is taken from prisoners after they have been shot, is being used to develop the collagen for anti-aging treatments such as wrinkle and lip-filling injections."

But, everything is ok because "Company reps reportedly described the practice to undercover reporters as "traditional" and nothing to "make such a big fuss about".

"A lot of the research is still carried out in the traditional manner using skin from the executed prisoner and aborted foetus."

At least they are thoughtful about it all as "The Chinese authorities maintain that any organs harvested from the bodies of executed prisoners are only taken with the consent of the prisoner and his or her family."

Too bad their lives weren't taken with the same consideration.

Media Whore

and how.

Here it is gentle reader, the semi official publicity photo for my website rhodesinternational.com

The Fall of Rome

HBO's Rome continues, and it has become the usual mix of high politics and low domestic goings on.

In this week's exciting episode, Julius Caesar marches on Rome, and our stern solider friend learns his wife has had a baby by another man, and that all woman have a clitoris (here appearing under the technical Latin term "button").

Thank you, domina.

L.S.D.

I've been visiting more and more audioblogs recently, finding rare and wonderful music.

Now, I don't have that large a collection of rare music, but I can offer this little gem, the opening of a 1966 recording called "LSD - A Documentary Report on the Current Psychedelic Drug Controversy".

Legend has it it is none other than Dick Clark narrating, though I can find no proof of this.



Enjoy

gadji beri bimba

glandridi laula lonni cadori

I've been editing together some of The Psychotic Hour's sound experiments for permanent display in the iTunes podcast listings.

gadjama gramma berida bimbala glandri galassassa laulitalomini

It's all be done before.

gadji beri bin blassa glassala laula lonni cadorsu sassala bim

Stoned Again

A Bigger Bang.

Who would have thought. The Rolling Stones have released a good album. Thank goodness some things sometimes never change.

Since the Stones lost the plot with "Goat's Head Soup", their albums have been hit and miss affairs. For every "Some Girls" there was a "Dirty Work" [which btw is the last time their photo graced the cover of a release].

Also, the waits between releases have increased. It's been eight years since the last, and that's longer that some careers.

To knowing ears, one hears echos and shadows of their long career in every song, but all sound remarkably fresh, if not innovative.

There is something reassuring in still having Stones albums released, an event I have followed since "Sticky Fingers", zipper and all.

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

MSNBC reporter Keith Olbermann has said "[the U.S. government] has just proved it can not protect its citizens from a biological weapon called...standing water".

The Bush & Co. must follow the same path as they did after 911.

1) Identify the Enemy

Clearly this was not the work a human agency. This was an act of God. One does not question the work of God, nor respond quickly to help the victims of God's wrath.

so

2) Seem to take action

Because it was an intelligently designed act of God, it was right and proper that it has happened. Not problem there.

No, the problem arises out of soft hearted Liberal types, making such a fuss on the airwaves, making it appear the government's lack of action was a bad thing and not what it truly was, a profound expression of faith.

Watch in the next few days as Bush Co. does everything it can to make it seem as if all are to blame but themselves.

They've done it before.

Update

Damn that was fast.

Bush to lead inquiry into Katrina

George Bush, you are a criminal

The is a piece from Fox News making the rounds, and ironically is it the most devastating piece against Bush and his government I have even seen.

May he be tossed from office.

Fucking Do Something