Happy Halloween

I don't like Halloween particularly. As a rule I don't have a great deal of reason to dress up as a witch or something, last time I went to a Halloween party I wore flashing devil horns and Ratboy wore Dracula teeth. But then we did have to travel quite a way by tube.

I also don't get Trick or Treating. Why send your kids begging around the streets?

This, however, I do like. I like eating pumpkin, especially roasted but most supermarkets seem to sell carving pumpkins, which seems even more pointless (unless it is a virtual one of course), I am a bit haphazard with sharp impliments.

The X-Factor - Week Three

Philip kicked off the show tonight and carried out his promise to do Rock 'n' Roll with a lively rendition of Johnny B Good, which is a song which you don't need to be a good singer to perform well. His enunciation was bad and he danced like a spasticated plank. When you do a performance like that then are followed by the likes of Brenda singing Midnight Train to Georgia whilst looking fabulously young and glamorous then you know that you don't deserve to be in the show.

Shayne was up next with Summer of '69, he needed to do a more upbeat song but I am not sure that this was the right one for him. His voice was not deep enough for it, it just didn't suit him. Chico followed with a poor performance of Living La Vida Loca, vocally he was weak, but he danced well and confirmed his position as chief Cheesemeister by leaping of the stage and dancing with a little girl. Simon described his performance as like "The Armenian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973" which was quite apt. The Conway Sisters then did an interesting version of Total Eclipse of the Heart, the lead singer has a good voice, but it is not a good song for four voices.

Chenai did a very weak version of Mariah Carey's Hero, her lisp was very much evident and she hit a few dud notes. Andy then showed us all how it was done with Unforgettable, his voice was faultless, and it was like listening to a recording as there was none of the dodgy missed notes that we had with Chenai. Journey South then covered Angels of Harlem to a mixed response, which I feel was fair. I am not sure what their target market it and, as talented as they are, can't get over the idea of them as gigging pub singers.

Nicholas then did Let's Stay Together and it was commented that he was not living up to his potential, which I think is fair. I would like to see him do a more contemporary R'n'B song in the style of Lemar or someone, rather then big soul ballads that are older than he is. Maria was the final act with an excellent performance of Take A Little Piece of My Heart, which is probably more suited to Brenda, but she did it very well. Simon said he would like her to do something contemporary next week, and I think this can be said for a lot of the acts, they are playing safe with known classics that appeal to all age ranges, without allowing their acts to show their versatility.

The worst acts for me were Chenai, Phillip and Chico, so it was no surprise when it was revealed that Chico and Philip were in the bottom two. In both instances their second performances were better and Simon Cowell was left with the deciding vote. Wisely he chose to send Philip home.

Strictly Come Dancing - Week Three

This week Zoe and Ian kicked off with a Jive to Part Time Lover, which was described as a cute routine, and it was observed that Zoe struggled to keep up with Ian's fast pace, which I thought was a fair comment and getting their worst score of 29. Bill and Karen did the first Tango of the night to Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, which I thought was quite good, but Arlene criticised them for having no passion, to which Bill argued with her. They scored a disappointing 20 points. Dennis and Izabela then did a Jive to Jailhouse Rock and generally got positive comments, but still only scored 22. Patsy and Anton then stole the show with their 34 point scoring Tango which was very dramatic and had all the features that a good Tango should have.

Will and Hanna then Jived to the odd choice of Man, I Feel Like A Woman (originally by Shania Twain). Will looked good showing his pecs in a low cut see through shirt, but the judges wanted him to dance better, though I thought he did quite well and they had a good routine. Colin and Erin were no doubt disappointed with their 26 points for their Tango to Geri Halliwell's Ride It. It was not 'acted' and the Tango is a dramatic dance, that cannot just be walked through. It did lack the polish of their previous routines, and Colin was told he needed to be more dominant.

Gloria and Darren jived quite well but I can't get over comparing them to an enthusiastic nephew, dancing with his spinster Aunt at a wedding, neither could the judges who gave them 19 points. James and Camilla then Tangoed to Mein Herr, which I think is from Cabaret, and told a story of a puppet which was quite interesting, and earned then 28 points, which they were pleased with. Fiona and Brendan were next and although their Jive was better than some of their previous dances, it was still a bit awkward as Fiona is just not up to the job. Again, they got the bottom score of 16 points (but still their highest score). The last dance of the evening was a Tango from Darren Gough and Lilia to From Russia With Love and was highly praised as Darren took the lead and he was very enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed this dance. They got the second highest score of the evening of 33.

At the end of the show it was Gloria and Will in the bottom two (who votes for Fiona? I think people feel sorry for her as she has such a hard time with Brendan.) and it was Gloria who left.

Top Ten iTunes

To date (from June 2004), these are my Top Ten iTunes.

1. Paul Weller - You Do Something to Me
2. Snow Patrol - Crazy in Love
3. Sugababes - Killer
4. Supergrass - Moving
5. The Lightning Seeds - Marvellous
6. Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop
7. Lise Scott Lee - Lately
8. The Cure - Love Cats
9. Barenaked Ladies - One Week
10. Blu Cantrell feat. Sean Paul - Breathe

Designer Sky + Boxes

I love Sky +. It is great to pre-set it to record an entire series and God knows what else at, quite literaly, the tough of a button. It is not good when ratboy deleted the concluding episode (and last in the series) of Waking the Dead before we've watched it, but I digress.

It appears that they have brought out exclusive designer ones that are available for a limited period last month. I think we'll stick to our silver one all the same.

What is your Irish Name?

Your Irish Name Is...

Avril O'Sullivan

What's your Irish Name?

I've Just Joined a Gym

I must be fucking mad.

Goodbye Lenin

I had heard good things about this rather different, and original German film. It is set over the days that the wall came down and the months that followed. Alex and Ariane's mother collapses with a heart attack and lies in a coma for eight months during theis period. She is a dedicated Socialist and upon her coming round, the doctors warned against any excitement. Thus, Alex and his sister decide to keep the latest developments from her and keep her in her old room in the dark with the help of rigged news broadcasts by Alex's would-be film director colleague and a taxi driving astronaut.

Of course, things don't run smoothly, and you have to suspend your disbelief just a little, but it is such a good tale set against a real life backdrop that you don't mind in the slightest. There are some funny moments and some sweet moments also.

8/10

Roman Forum

Roman Forum 2
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

Much better than the Colosseum, lots of ruins to wander around, decent signage and it was free! Jan 2005.

X-Factor: Week Two

For the second episode of the live part of the series, Andy kicked off with You To Me Are Everything and did it very well, although possibly not as good as last week. Bizarrely the judges claimed it was a Kareoke number. Chenai was up next singing Young Hearts Run Free and was not as good as Andy, nor her performance last week. 4Tune sang I'll Be There, which was quite good vocally, but left me uninspired.

Sharon's next act was Chico who sang Funky Music, Simon said he was quite entertaining, which was a turnaround as Simon had hated him before. Louis' next act was Nicholas, his performance of Let's Get It On could have been better I my opinion, although Simon raved about it. Simon's next act was The Conway Sisters who sang Raise Me Up and did it a lot better than their song last week.

Maria was Sharon's next act and did a very good version of Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel, again, it was not as good as her performance last week, but was still one of the best performances of the night. Philip sang Wind Beneath My Wings and it was dire. Out of tune and way to big a song. He said he'd like to do a rock 'n' roll song next week and demonstrated a bit of his dreadful shoulder movements. Ick. Journey South did a very good version of Desperado, even though it was a song I was not familiar with.

Brenda then belted out Rescue Me and the show ended with Shayne doing a fantastic version of If You're Not The One.

In the results show Chenai and 4Tune found themselves at the bottom. Sharon found herself with the deciding vote and took 4 minutes to send 4Tune home. Probably the wrong choice.

Last FM Update

The Top Ten artists I have listened to since Feb, according to Last FM:

1 Madonna - 59
2 Paul Weller - 58
3 Stonebridge - 45
4 Wet Wet Wet -43
5 The Beatles - 41
6 Will Young -36
7 Thompson Twins - 35
8 Stevie Wonder - 34
8 Kylie Minogue - 34
10 Go West - 32

Strictly Come Dancing: Week Two

This week it is the Quickstep, which is my favourite ballroom dance, and the Rumba, my least favourite Latin.

James Martin and Camilla started up first with a good Quickstep to Luck Be A Lady, which was praised by the judges, earring them a respectable 29 points. Jaye and Andrew did not fare so well with their rumba which was rather dull and quite poorly danced. Dennis and Izabella's Quickstep to I'm So Excited was quite lively and energetic, although the judges claimed Dennis was more clumsy than I had noticed and gave them a lowly (and harsh) 18 points.

Patsy Palmer and Anton had struggled last week and Patsy had been very nervous, I think she still was but their Rumba to She was quite good. Darren Gough had been criticised for his hands, and dance partner Lilia worked on them, so that they got a good score of 30 points for their fun, lively Quickstep to Let Me Entertain You. Last week's highest scorers (judges' scores) Zoe and Ian, danced a very good Rumba, earning them 30 points, although they acknowledged a mistake made by Zoe which possibly dipped their scores.

Will and his partner Hanna had some criticism last week but got 29 points from a Quickstep from You Can't Hurry Love, and he was much improved. Gloria was very nervous about dancing the Rumba with a man 30 years her junior, and they were described as 'regal', but only managed 17 points as the judges (rightly) felt she had held back. Bill and Karen did the Quickstep (with a dodgy ankle of Bill's) which I enjoyed, but was criticised for being too busy and complicated. All the Quicksteps were busy and complicated. I think that is the point.

Fiona and Brendan came bottom, last week and came bottom again this week with 13 points ( a two point improvement) after a poor, cringe inducing Rumba. Colin then took to the floor with Erin to do a fab Quickstep, which Colin ended with some box splits, getting the highest core of the night of 36 points.

After the public vote it was Jaye and Andrew who went.

Alexander McCall Smith - The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency

I had never got round to reading any of these before (there are now six in the series) so the first in the series seemed like a good place to start. The writing style is easy to read (without being trashy) and our heroine, Mma Precious Ramotwse, is an endearing character. Whilst the mysteries she solves do not involve hi-tech investigation like contemporary crime novels, and the outcome often predictable, she solves them with aplomb and they are always amusing to read.

I can't wait to read the rest of them.

Another music novelty

iBeat (whoever they may be) have developed illuminating headphones that pulse to the beat of the track you are playing.

The Manchurian Candidate

I was looking forward to this film, which had a good cast and I heard some interesting reports. It wasn’t really what I had expected; I was expecting a more realistic election scandal then what was given. The story is set in the run up to a US presidential election, and the new potential vice-president is a Gulf War hero called Raymond Shaw with an influential senator as a mother (Meryl Streep), the commanding officer of Shaw, Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), is approached by another former member of his team about strange dreams, Marco realises that they are all having strange dreams about the night that Shaw saved them all, and that something else happened that they don’t remember. The reason for the discrepancies (without giving it away) was a bit to sci-fi for that type of movie, for me, which let it down.

The acting and direction is superb, and there are lots of little details that make this a good film, but I can't get round the disappointing storyline.

6.5/10

Prague Castle

Prague Castle
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

View of the castle taken from accross the river. Augsut 2005.

Strictly Update

James Martin and Camiller Dallerup are apparently dating since being paired together on the show.

X-Factor: Week One

This is the first live studio week, as the twelve acts go head to head to see who the public votes for. It also beat Strictly in the ratings, but considering how poor the acts are this week, I don't suppose it always will.

First act up were London teenagers Addictiv Ladies who covered Jamelia's Superstar incredibly badly. There were so many missed notes it was embarrassing. The judges' comments were surprisingly average, where only Louis criticised them for not being ready for the big time. They were followed by Shayne from Louis' group who sang Right Here Waiting, although he sang it well it was rather a bland song for a man tipped to win the series. Chico sang for Sharon's Over 25s with a full on version of Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, his vocals maybe weak (but not as bad as Addictiv Ladies), his dancing was good and the all round entertainment factor was good. Simon hated it of course and there has been a lot of criticism of Chico's inclusion in the competition, and he is as risk of being made a joke. However, he was more entertaining than a lot of the bland ballads we had.

Simon's next group were the two brothers that made up Journey South who did a very good version of Something About the Way You Look Tonight to show that they were Simon's best chance of winning the series. Next was Philip, young, Irish and dull, dull, dull. He sang Amazed complete with laugh inducing shoulder movements. He was described as "Unexciting" by the judges, a sentiment that I thoroughly agree with. He'll get through on the Irish vote though.
Brenda was next, with a glam new look she belted out Son of a Preacher Man and was brilliant.

The Conway Sisters sang Abba's S.O.S, and inspite of some good harmonies they were not that good, and Louis in particular, was very negative (surprising as they were Irish as he was). Simon apologised that he gave them a bad song. Nicholas was up next, for Louis' group. He sang On the Wings of Love and, while he was praised, a lot of comments were made about how old the song was for him. Newlywed Maria took to the stage and sang Emotions excellently and was praised by all judges.

4Tune were the last band. Their rendition of I Want it That Way was OK. Chennai sand last for Louis with Closest Thing To Crazy and I have to join the other judges in their puzzlement at the bland ballads that Louis selected for his group. The show closed with Andy singing The Greatest love of All, which is a song that I don't like, but if I had to listen to anyone's version it may as well have been Andy's as he made it his own and deserved his standing ovation.

Much had been made of Louis having the best category, but for me, Sharon has the best one as even Chico had something more to offer than the boring artists that Louis selected over little James, Alexandra and Trevor.

Come the sing off it was Addictiv Ladies and Chico in the bottom two. No surprise with the former, but perhaps more people than I realise agree with Simon about Chico. At this point the judges decide who goes home. Sharon voted to send the girls home and keep her act, Simon voted to keep his act and send home Chico giving Louis the casting vote. Rightly he sent home Addictiv Ladies.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week One

This series there are twelve couples made up of celebrities of various calibre and their professional dance partners. Brucie was back along with co-presenter Tess Daly and the usual four judges.

Kicking the show off was chunky cricketer Darren Gough who was dancing with Lilia (who was Aled Jones' partner last series) who cha cha cha'd to Hot Stuff, although Darren was quite heavy they still did a reasonable routine. Ex-Eastenders actress Patsy palmer was next, waltzing with Anton DuBeke (previous partner of Esther Rantzen and Lesley Garrett). Patsy's routine was slated y the judges and she was criticised for holding back too much.

They were followed by World Record hurdler Colin Jackson with Erin Boag (previously with Julian Clary) and were very good. Colin is ever so slightly camp and was nicknamed 'hot-hips' by Judge Arlene Phillips, but they did an excellent routine and got an impressive 32 points out of 40, which is especially good when you consider it is the first week. I had never heard of the next woman Siobhan Hayes, with a new dancer Matthew, they did a very poor Waltz, her head and upper body were all at the wrong angle and it was a bit of a train wreck. They got 15 points to be at the bottom of the pile.

Celebrity chef James Martin was next with Camilla Dallerup (previously with Roger Black), and inspite of James being very big they did a promising but uninspiring routine to Something Got Me Started. TV presenter Gloria Hunniford was next with Darren Bennett, who won the last series with Jill Halfpenny. Gloria did looked very graceful and did very well, and Darren tailored the steps to suit her, it was the best waltz so far.

Casualty actor Will Thorp (another I had never heard of) danced with newcomer Hanna to Crazy Chick in the Cha Cha Cha and was later described by Arlene as Mr Charisma bypass. He was followed by Holby City actress (making it three people I had never heard of) Jaye Jacobs, with another newbie Andrew Cuerden, who did better with her waltz.

Newsreader Bill Turnbull was the surprise of the night. He and partner Karen Hardy (an older, brunette Britney Spears) did a lively, fun routine and were very popular, getting 29 points. Brendan Cole won the first series with Natasha Kaplinsky, and did less well with Sarah from Casualty last series. This time he was paired with TV presenter Fiona Phillips who struggled a lot. They were heavily penalised for doing a lift in the waltz which is illegal.

The last Cha Cha Cha of the evening was performed by snooker man Dennis Taylor and new dancer Izabela who danced to Madonna's Music, and were OK. Dennis did not try anything to flamboyant and played to his strengths, which involved not moving a lot. Last of the night was TV presenter Zoe Ball with Ian Waite (last year's runner up with Denise Lewis). Tom boy Zoe looked very feminine and they waltzed very well to Take It Too The Limit, were raved about by the judges and got a total of 35 points out of 40.

In the end it was Siobhan and Matthew who went, which was no great loss, Brendan and Fiona no doubt saved by their fame.

Who thinks of these things?

Tunewear have developed the Tunetag which is part iPod nano holder, and part i.d holder.

What is your Japanese name?

I hope it means something nice:

Your Japanese Name Is...

Ritsuko Kajuji

What's your Japanese Name?

Dinner for one?

This Bento (lunch) box style kit is for a single dinner in front of the PC - keep your food in the keyboard, use the monitor as a plate, the disc as a coaster and the mouse holds condiments or spices. The mousemat is actually a napkin. The idea that people may buy this, thinking it is a good idea, makes me sad.

New Apple iPod

Apple have launched another new iPod, just five weeks after they launched the Nano. This new one can play videos of your favourite TV shows as well as music videos, store photos and play music. It is also very thin and currently unavailable in Europe.

Crash

A stellar cast and an unusual film dealing with the racial perceptions that different people have depending on their background. From white, (middle-class and working class), to Middle Eastern, Oriental and to black (wealthy and poor). The people in this film are all tenuously linked in the space of one day in a film which starts and ends with a car crash, and features a few car-jackings. There is the token schmaltzy bit (ignoring the fact the film is set around Christmas) with the little girl and her dad with an invisible cloak. In some cases the characters (who are all convincing) try and convince themselves they are not racist but all hold some prejudices and expectations about certain racial groups. Whilst not politically correct in parts, and seemingly a bit muddled at the beginning the film thoroughly redeems itself by the end.

8/10

More Swarovski iPod cases

Vaja have also brought out crystal iPod cases using Swarovski. I'm just glad that iPod's can't read or mine is going to feel really hard done by.

Chinese Tea

Chinese Tea
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

Taken in a Chinese Tea House in Hong Kong.

I'm A Celeb latest

Rumours of possible contestants are hotting up as the show nears - it is due to air next month. Latest rumours includes cross-dressing American basketball star Dennis Rodman, actress Lisa Faulkner, TV presenter Magenta De Vine, ex-MP Ron Davies and a former member of Blur. The really sad news is that Hogan the koala has been axed for his diva-like tendencies.

The Sims 2: Nightlife

The latest expansion pack, for the latest version of the record-breaking Sims family of games where you get to manage life for a family or families. The last expansion pack, University, was excellent too and created a new town area. Nightlife also creates a Downtown area, although I am not sure it is entirely necessary, as you can build Community lots (shops, bars, parks etc) in the regular neighbourhood, now you have the opportunity to build and design restaurants, nightclubs and bowling alleys, with increased social and romantic interactions. The game now allows you to see who your Sim is attracted to, so if you are looking for a date, you now can have a head start. The Gypsy Fortune Teller for a few thousand Simoleons will find you a match to date, and you will score points. This is made easier my getting a panel revealing your date's Wants and Fears do they can easily be pleased. There are also Vampires in the game, that can be found downtown, but I haven't had much chance to get to grips with them yet.

There are also new things to buy for your Sim and new wall and floorcoverings. There is also the new aspiration of Pleasure. One of the better objects for the Community lots is the Photo Booth, not only can you Sim take his and his friend's photo, but they can WooHoo in there also. Sims have an inventory so they can carry around objects with them, such as photos and gifts. Also, finally, Sims have cars! There is a choice of five cars they can buy and park on their drive which they can use to get to work, shops or to take their friends Downtown or to other Community Lots. The Transportation menu has been speeded up allowing you to choose straight away where you want to go, rather then going Downtown and then choosing the lot. You can also go out as a 'Group' of six or eight Sims chosen by you or randomly generated by a Sim that has invited you. You can also see neighbouring lots from each Sims' house. It seems the manufacturers and designers have listened to what fans have said and want.

The game runs slow at times, especially on Community Lots or in households with large families. The Spring expansion pack is rumoured to be allowing your Sims to have their own businesses, which I am looking forward to already.

What is your Pizza Personality?

I am glad I'm not a meat pizza being a veggie....

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Last FM Update

So far I have listened to the following artists the most:

1 Paul Weller- 56
1 Madonna - 56
3 Stonebridge - 42
4 Wet Wet Wet - 41
5 Will Young - 34
5 The Beatles - 34
5 Thompson Twins - 34
8 Stevie Wonder - 33
9 Kylie Minogue - 32
10 Goldfrapp - 29
10 Go West - 29

X-Factor Update

So Sharon took her Over 35s to LA, Luis took his youngsters to Dublin and Simon took the groups to Spain for the next and final round of auditions, to reduce seven each to four. Simon easily had the weakest category with only brotherly duo Journey South standing out for me. Simon put them through along with Irish band The Conway Sisters, boy band 4Tune and girl band Addictiv Ladies.

Louis had the strongest category but did not put my favourite little sixteen year old James through, nor talented East Londoner Alexandra. Nicholas was his strongest act, Chenai and Shayne were both OK, and I was surprised he put Philip through, but then Philip was Irish and Louis always favours his countrymen.

I was very pleased with Sharon's choices, she had a good group, but put through my overall favourite, Andy the bin man, Brenda, Maria and mad Moroccan goat herder Chico. This meant saying goodbye to Essex girl Haifa, but she was not good enough on the day.

The live show starts next week.

Novelty

Strictly a novelty, not even a self-confessed bag addict like me would actually use this one for real.

Pride and Prejudice

I have spent the better part of yesterday evening and this afternoon watching this. I am not talking about the new Keira Knightly film of the same name, but the BBC six-part dramatisation that is now ten years old.

The attention to period detail on this is impressive (not that I am an expert) and the love story is told delicately and is part of other stories that befall the Bennett family of Longbourne. The characters are portrayed realistically, although some are caricatures, but then we have to be sure about who are too like and who we are too dislike! The cast is well acted, and some of the minor cast members are now established actors (such as Emilia Fox and Lucy Davis) on British TV and, of course, Colin Firth has never needed to look back and is the eponymous Mr Darcy (inspiring Helen Fielding to recreate the character for the Bridget Jones books, who Firth ended up playing in the films).

I have not read the book, so cannot comment first hand as to how much justice this dramatisation has done it, but it was a very enjoyable way to spend six hours! The book certainly has inspired many other authors and screen writers to use the story as a basis for other books and films, but this is the original.

The Apprentice USA 2

Sixteen candidates became two last week in this business reality show, and in the two-hour long final on Wednesday we saw ex-Military man Kelly go head to head with blonde bombshell attorney Jennifer. Kelly was charged with organising a charity polo match and dinner whilst Jen had to organise a charity basketball match and auction. Kelly was always the more professional than Jen. Even throughout the series Jen had managed to stay under the radar and keep herself out of trouble enough to avoid the boardroom, whilst Kelly stepped up to the mark and led his team to three victories.

Donald Trump claimed it was a hard decision and wanted audience and business input, who unanimously went for Kelly, so it was no real surprise when he was hired and she was fired.

The Mermaids Singing

I got The Mermaids Singing free with a magazine so didn’t have high hopes, plus a friend had described Val McDermid’s writing style as written in the style of a TV dramatisation. I am sure it is no coincidence that there are pictures of Robson Green and Hermione Norris on the cover from the TV series. With these doubts in mind I took into consideration the fact that the book was small and handbag sized, so decided to give it a go.

The sexual tension that was to develop between the male and female lead was apparent before they had even met. I also guessed the twists quite early, and I am usually rubbish at this kind of thing. McDermid’s clue dropping was still quite heavy-handed. Even though she tried to throw us off the scent on the identity of the mysterious serial killer, my first idea was always a strong contender in my mind. The process in which the police and the profiler worked on the case was interesting, together with the trickle of information we got from the killer in their diary, which no doubt is what gave me the head start over the coppers.

iKitty

There are not enough iPod accessories on the market, obviously. Speck have come up with the iKitty which has a moveable tail for all sorts of reasons, I am sure. My iPod seems quite happy in its little black clip case.

Lost in Translation

I was sceptical about this highly acclaimed film directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray as has-been film star Bob Harris, doing whiskey commercials in Tokyo and Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte, a young wife stuck in the same hotel who he hooks up with.

The film doesn't have much happening, it is not action packed, nor is it heavy on dialogue, most of the story is told in the unsaid. It is as much about the journey in the relationship between Charlotte and Bob and what they do to kill time stuck in a strange city where they don't speak the language. The film is quite dark, very quirky and highly observational. It may not always be politically correct in the way in which it pokes fun at the Japanese.

Highly recommended 8/10.

What is your French name?

At school my French name was Angele, I like this one better.

Your French Name is:

Brie Deshayes

What's Your French Name?

The X-Factor Update

The final 21 were decided on Saturday, seven in each category. There were some surprises, but next week the judges must whittle their protogees down to three in the comfort of their own home.

Shufflesome

German company, Shufflesome, have designed a huge range of stickers for the iPod shuffle. It is a shame I don't have one.

Zion NP

Zion NP
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

This park was absolutely fantastic. Described by one of my friends as "if this park was a woman it would be Pamela Anderson" (this was a high compliment). In my mind it rivals Yosemite.

June 1995

Last FM 3000th song

I am not always sure that this has included all my songs, as if I pause one and re-stert in within the first two minutes of the track, it doesn't register it, and there are other odd tracks it hasn't listed.

So according to, the not entirely accurate, Last FM, I have now listened to 3000 songs on iTunes since I installed it in February (it doesn't include iPod tracks).

The 3000th track was Kaiser Chiefs - Everyday I Love you Less and Less, which was preceeded by The Rolling Stones' Paint it Black.

Last FM Update

Top artists that I have listened to since February:

1 Paul Weller - 55
2 Madonna - 53
3 Stonebridge - 42
4 Wet Wet Wet - 40
5 Will Young - 33
6 Stevie Wonder - 32
6 The Beatles - 32
6 Thompson Twins - 32
9 Kylie Minogue -31
10 Go West - 28

BB6's Eugene gets own Radio Show

Nerdy Eugene, the runner-up in this year's Big Brother has landed his dream job as a stand in breakfast show presenter for his local radio show. More here.

More iPod Accessories

Genuine Swarovski crystals are used to cover iPods now by Crystal Icing. You can also get your phone covered.

Joke

Kate Moss met Jeremy Clarkson at a party.

"Hello Jeremy" she said, "What do you do?"
" I do Top Gear" re replied.
"Excellent" she said, "Can I have 4 grams of Coke please?"

Another good idea

I read about Swopex in the paper the other day. It is just a beta site for now, but is a good way to swap DVDs you aren't likely to watch again for new ones. Unfortunately with online rentals, I have not bought a DVD for ages, and I can get most I want to watch from there. There is more I want to watch than there is swap though and I imagine, at times, that you may have to wait for people to choose your films, before you can earn credits to receive the next one.

My copy of The Bounty that I got free is only worth one credit, but Gangs of New York is worth 4.