Vernisage?

I keep forgetting that no one in Ontario knows what a vernisage is, what I attended this evening was called an "opening reception".

Michel Dauda, already a talented photographer, has launched an exhibit of "photo based digital art" at Apostolis Gallery in Toronto until February 18th, with the original flowers supplied by Suzanne Garnder.

It was jammed. All the beautiful people were there, along with international celebrities Chester Wong and Simone Denny plus representatives of the media, the art/leather community as well as one or two members of the Russian Mafia.

By 9 pm, he had already sold two works. Now wonder he's smiling.

What were you thinking?

Canada Conservatives win election

To my fellow Canadians: fuck fuck fuck!

People really are as stupid as they seem.

Say "Cheese"

Friends and I watched the opening episode of season 2 of "Battlestar Galactica" on Saturday.

I was no fan of the old show, as at the time it was seen by all viewers but 4 year olds as a blatant rip-off of "Star Wars", without the wit and talent.

(my dislike has another reason as well..in 1978, 2 episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" were released theatrically outside of the U.S. as a "movie", to cash in on "Star Wars". Of course audiences weren't told they were paying for a television show, but it became painfully obviously once the "film" rolled. Not in widescreen, with substandard effects, the "movie" conveniently rapped up one storyline mid way, only to begin a new story...just like as if we were watching 2 episodes of a tv show...hummmm)

Well, those 4 year olds are all grown up, they see BG as some classic of American television (where we all know that honor must go to "The Beverly Hillbillies")

Now, to give the show credit, it is the best of the line-up of Sci-fi shows currently on-air. The space battle effects are the best on TV, ever.

But, and it's a big one...it is so damn depressing (no less than a baby and little girl have to die in the series opener...oh yes and most of humanity...).

No one, not one character cracked a smile. No humour, nothing.

It is all dark dark dark. Dark=profound in many people's minds (the latest Batman for example), and this show must be seen by them as Biblical Profound.

It takes itself *so* seriously, but it's message (for all the protestations otherwise) is very simple. Life sucks but we are noble, they are out to get us, trust no one.

No wonder it's a big hit in the U.S.

It's the Mother

There's a trailer up for an indie version of Beowulf called "Beowulf & Grendel".

I can't decide if this lower budget affair will be worth the watch, or be closer to Lee Major's classic "The Norseman".

Well duh

While checking my site's stats, I came across a blog that was discussing Orson Welles' famous Findus Foods commercial outtakes (something The Psychotic Hour has used since the beginning), and had linked to Tph's dance version:

Norway V2

There is also a site that tries to prove the connection between The Brain and Orson Welles, not something that needs much proof.

Yes.

Coming Soon

The Psychotic Hour, International Podcast Sensation™, is nearing completion of the first shows for its new season.

Notables such as Arms Akimbo, Thompson's Gazelle and Miss Anne Thrope join special guests Simone Denny, Wayne Mitchell and Lorne Wise, as well as Judth Bauer, Chris Gobeil, Chris Hand, Paula Hughes, Andrew McLelland, Dagmar Morgan, Alan Rhodes, Morgan St. Clair, Paul Ward, Erika White, Mack Wyman

and Mike Wyman

The first new show will be broadcast in January, so stay tuned.

For a Job Well Done

"Couldn't have done better myself"

Nixon vs. Bush

Smith, that's right, George Smith.

Oh alright Mr. Smith, you can go now.

Iraqi security forces captured the most wanted terrorist suspect in the country last year, but released him because they didn't know who he was, the Iraqi deputy minister of interior said Thursday. A U.S. official could not confirm the report, but said he would not dismiss it. "It is plausible," he said. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- the al Qaeda in Iraq leader -- has a $25 million bounty on his head, and is accused of being behind many insurgency bombings and kidnappings.

Who is in charge?

Recent Viewing

On Friday, watched "The Fantastic 4". Yawn. Guess you have to be a teenage boy, a fan of the comic book.

Humm, then why did the film makers find 10,000 ways of undressing the Flame...interesting.

Speaking of undressing, I then tried on Sunday to watch "The Passion of the Christ". Some find this uplifting? Whatever, when it got 10 minutes into the beatings, I bailed.

Christianity can be a wacky religion. Wack wack wack.

Shame on Ford

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Ford Motor Co. faced sharp criticism from gay and lesbian advocacy groups for agreeing to stop advertising in gay-themed publications in the face of a boycott by the conservative American Family Association, according to a report Tuesday.

"We reserve the right to advertise our brands and products wherever we think it makes business sense,"

Isn't that what you said when you were selling parts to the Nazis?

It's not hard to see the seething hatred in the now removed American Family Association's Ford Boycott Pledge page. Even Ford could see that, couldn't they?

"If one looks for the company which has done the most to affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle, he would be hard-pressed to find a company which has done more than Ford Motor Company. While this is hardly known to the general population, it is well known by numerous homosexual organizations. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign (a national homosexual organization whose goal is homosexual marriage) gave Ford a 100% corporate rating.

Ford makes not only Ford, but also Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.

From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to support homosexual groups and their agenda, to forcing managers to attend diversity training on how to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, to sponsoring a “commitment (marriage) ceremony”, to sponsoring Gay Pride Parades, Ford leads the way.

The goal of every homosexual organization supported by Ford is to get homosexual marriage legalized. The information below provides just a glimpse of how broad Ford’s support for the homosexual movement is."

Fuck you Ford, and your so called family values.

Hockey Night in Canada

Dolores Claman (left) and Liz Tansey

While out tonight at an Irish bar here in Toronto, to meet up with local songtrist Liz Tansey and friends, I had the pleasure to meet the woman who wrote the theme to Hockey Night in Canada

You have to be Canadian to understand the impact Dolores Claman has had on our culture. I don't even watch hockey, but that theme is as familiar to me as anything.

The evening did have its frightening aspects though, such as ELO played on acoustic guitars by the bar band.

The Psychotic Hour

I have been very busy recently, with a new drawing series, and production in full swing on The Psychotic Hour's new season.

You can get all the latest (like you care) here. There are previews, and even rare images of Tph in action.

Scary.

Rome XII

I kid you not. This series' last shot was of Tweedle Dumb and his ex slave Dumbette walking hand in hand *into the sunset*

The writers must really think we care about their fictionalized creations as they intersperse shots of their wacky going ons with the assassination of Caesar, like it's all the same.

Blah Blah Blah

I will miss Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), the rest is just epic silliness.

Rome XI

You know, I've given up expecting great things from this series. It is not being producted by top of the line talent (at least where story and script are concerned), so I guess you either have to live with that or change the channel.

What "The Godfather" did in two hours, this series is still attempting to do in eleven (and counting).

Lots of blood in this one though.

Rome X

"I don't want my chariot stopped by giant turds" says Caesar

And who can blame him?

Unfortunately, Caesar's progress is constantly beginning interrupted by some big ones...the writers.

Why can't Rome make up its mind which story it wants to tell. I find when if follows the historical record (however loosely), it can be interesting, even fun to watch.

When it inserts its own plot lines other than than, such as The Tweedles, it is dumb and unbelievable.

Consider Tweedle Dumb.

"I'm a solider, not a murderer."

Buzzz. Sorry. Thank you for playing.

Call me old fashion, but are viewers really sympathetic to this character? He's a thug, but we are to care that he's been rejected by his old army unit and his slave, all in the same day.

Got what he deserved if you ask me. But no, the writers are setting up some sort of artificial tension between him and Tweedle Dee. Ooooo, the suspense!

They are not giving Ciaran Hinds enough screen time if you ask me. I would pay to see a movie version of the Last Days of Caesar staring Mr Hinds.

I leave a movie version of the Tweedles to those who miss Jim Carrey.

Discorama

She's back, the Disco Bimbo Slut. The Madonna we knew and loved.

I am even now hearing "Confessions on a Dance Floor" for the first time (of course the song "Hung Up" has been around for weeks).

Hooky as hell.

Song 4, wow. Song 5, Wow.

Abba, Pink Floyd, Donna Summers...wtf?

6..7..mellower, with a hint of Kraftwerk.

Humm, after that is just sort of fades out into strangeness.

Tracks 1-5, great, after that so so.

1001 Madonna butts

Gaydom must surely be aflutter today with the release of Madonna's video for "Hung Up".

Madonna subtly and tastefully prepares herself for a night of dancing, while her musical spell causes younger and better dancers to gyrate to the latest trends.

Later, under the cover of darkness, Madonna attempts to blend in with the 20 somethings, only later to appear playing video games.

The video lights up most when she is not in the shot.

Did I mention her ass?

The Lost Emperor

Brian Malin, an amateur treasure hunter in Oxfordshire, England has found a coin depicting an until now unknown Roman emperor.

Domitianus, known from Roman sources only as a rebel, now seems to have declared himself emperor for a few short months in A.D. 271.

Based in a area in southwestern Germany, he probably never saw Britain or even Rome, but the coin (one of 2 known, the other discovered in 1900, long thought to be a fake. It is now known to be genuine) ended up in a horde buried in Britain sometime in the 290's.

What else has been lost?

From a concerned reader

Hello

Feel that I must write to protest the fact that you are attempting to pass yourself off as Alan Rhodes.

Have known Mr. Rhodes for a number of years, going back to the days before we had silver highlights in our hair and you, sir, are no Alan Rhodes.

Anyone familiar with his eccentric and original spelling can see at a glance that the drivel you have posted has none of the characteristic letter selections that Mr. Rhodes has delighted friends and admirers with for over 4 decades now.

Should you continue to pass yourself off as Mr. Rhodes I will have no option but to post some of his recent scripts along with a linguistic and semantic analysis.

Be advised.

Rome IX

"You look like laundry"

With that line making me lol, I must say that Rome this evening wasn't too bad.

Ok, so it did jump, with no explanation, back to Rome, leaving the Cleopatra story line strangely forgotten. But look, puppets. Oh and, Octavian is back and stranger than ever.

And that's just the beginning.

The episode is filled with a wealth of detail concerning everyday life, which I found myself watching, sometimes ignoring the lesser threads of the plot lines.

There are many, to be sure. The writing here is more believable, and seems to portray all levels of Roman society as a kind of Mafia power struggle (which of you spotted the Godfather reference?).

Best moment: Caesar's surprise arrival at Tweedle Dee's house. I can buy this particular instance of "good luck" in the series, for at least it follows from earlier episodes.

But back to Octavian.

"You fucked your sister, you little pervert."

Can't say I like what they are doing to Octavian. The madness they are trying to portray in the Imperial family is one generation too early.

But then, we wouldn't get the lesbian/sister/brother action if we waited until Rome season II...

Good ending though, shocking, unpleasant.