The '39 Oscars

Tonight, tiring of modern television, I re-watched Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. I expect you've seen it many times as well.

It surprises me how a film made in 1935 stands up so well. That's a whole 75 years ago, friends and neighbours. Not that corny, and not so, well, 'old fashioned'. Though clearly of it's time, the scenes of the train, the Forth Bridge, the streets, a young but somehow no different John Laurie never fail to delight me. Perhaps I make allowances for it.

Along with Hitchcock, Robert Donat in the lead role - born today in 1905 - really deserves the plaudits for this film version of John Buchan's story. I know Donat was considered to be a fine actor in his time, in fact quite a favourite for his portrayal of 'well bred but not aloof' characters. At least that's what my father tells me.

On looking Mr Donat up, we see that he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1939 (for Goodbye Mr Chips). An Academy Award's not so bad for a lad from Great Britain in any year.

Even better when you consider that in 1939 he beat the following nominees to the big prize: Clark Gable (for Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind); Micky Rooney (for Micky Moran in Babes in Arms); James Stewart (for Jefferson Smith in Mr Smith Goes to Washington); Laurence Olivier (for Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights).

Insert:Pipe:Ignite

Happy Birthday, Robert Donat

OH FOR FFSS

Do I really need this s##t in my life? No I don't.

Tonight I thought I'd play a CD in my computer. How fu##ing quaint. I put the CD in and it didn't play. It is an old CD. It is in good condition, but still, perhaps the CD fairies have corrupted it sometime between 1988 and now. So I tried a new CD. That doesn't work either.

'Why?', I thought. Then I thought, 'Actually, I don't want to understand. I just want it to work.'

After my outbreak of petulance, I searched for 'why the f##k wouldn't a simple CD play on a fu##ing computer?'

The consensus seemed to be that I needed to download yet more software. 'Try Windows Media Player'. Yeah, why not. It's on here already but never mind let's upgrade the fu##er. I mean, after all, all we're asking here is for the first mass media piece of digital, er, media to be played on another piece of ubiquitous digital technology. I mean really, what could possibly go wrong?

And it still doesn't work. The media player offers to organise, catalogue and 'library' my 'clips'. It can 'burn', 'rip' and 'sync' things. I'm not here to pirate, rip, sync, burn, 'library' or catalogue. The only thing I want 'organising' is for the CD to play.

But, as I said before; I don't want to understand. I just want it to work. There is no button to press that says "PLAY THE CD".

F##k it, I'll play it in the car tomorrow. What s##t this all is.

Happy Friday all!

"I would willingly sell my house and all its contents to help the BBC"

Well, of course I wouldn't. But what I would do, if I had the option, is pay twice as much as I do now if it meant that the bloody adverts could be removed from ITV, and, that ITV then had enough money to make some better programmes. Rather than cancelling all the expensive ones, being over reliant on the X-Factor, and leaving most of the rest with their restrictive budgets clearly on show.

The only positive thing, albeit in a twisted way, about the commercial side's current difficulties is that it highlights just where we'll go if the BBC is ever bullied off the air. But throwing buckets of water over your neighbours whilst your own house is on fire is not the way to go.

As for the radio argument - 'nuff said already, elsewhere I think.

Bring back Primeval, that's what I say.

Twas the Night Afore Christmas

What did I say the other day about today being my Christmas Eve?



And round here, it's been snowing all day, right on cue.



WORK??

Shazzer

I've just found out that the man who wrote, sung and played lead on 'My Sharona', Doug Fieger, has gone. Only 57 as well, which makes the big Countdown clock in the sky seem a little bigger today.

Albeit the song being about a 27 year old man's lustful obsession with a 16 year old girl, (glass houses) it's a top tune and this version is the one with the proper guitar solo in. Though the Ramones pictures don't make a lot o sense.

Anyway, apparently the loving couple spent quite a few years together, and she was also with him in his last days, just last week. So no remarks at the back please, just up it loud and enjoy.



For myself, I have 4 days away from work and it feels like Christmas. It's the longest break I've had from work since last September, and that includes Christmas/NY as well. Shan't complain too much, I've been out of work and that's no holiday either.

So tomorrow is Dec 23rd. Thursday is Christmas Eve etc etc. That's if things don't go tits up at work and I have to go back early.

Might make a visit to the British Museum on Thursday. That's if I can negotiate a train ticket for three for under £100. (Don't bank on it). I want to reconnect with our stolen treasures, and Daughter is interested in Egypt. I can't tell you how many years it's been since I was at the Museum, in fact I'm not sure if I've ever been there at all. I must have though.

How the years spin by; and as Mr Fieger teaches us, you just never know, do you? Best have those mildly or wildly inappropriate love affairs while you can.

Whoositsmith?

I read that Joe Perry and the rest of Aerosmith are looking for a new lead singer and frontman, due to Steve Tyler's temporary unavailability.

Well, I'm not a huge fan of Aerosmith, but, I like the hits and the big songs like many do. I know who Joe Perry is of course, because he never fails to mention his band.

But I wonder, isn't someone in Aerosmith-land missing the point a bit here? Or is it me.