Ancient Aliens Rule the World.

I have recently been watching a show called 'Ancient Aliens' on History channel. More due to lack of anything else to watch. So I have made it to the 4th episode fairly unscathed. But after struggling to the end of the 4th episode I am not convinced that I am going to make it any further.
For those that don't know, 'Ancient Aliens' works on the premise that thousands of years ago human kind was not doing so well until a bunch of Aliens came and helped us out.

Church in Auckland finally admits God is hung like bull

Yes, following the athiests bus campaign a church in Auckland has decided to do the "tounge in cheek" approach to getting punters on pews over the Chrissy period. They have erected (snigger) a billboard saying God has a big wang.

I Love TV and the Movies. They ROCK!!!!

Nuff Said.

This Is Not a Raleigh Grifter.

Now, as a kid I used to bike everywhere. I loved my bike. It took me all over town. I had a Raleigh Grifter and I am pretty sure there were not too many around. My skills on a bike were confined to getting from place A to place B, maybe riding through the odd creek or jumping from the curb where it dips over peoples driveways. That was it.
Nothing compares to the following dude. His name is Danny MacAskill and he is pretty handy on 2 wheels. Check out the vid after the jump for some mid blowing freestyle.

The Last Last Supper.

I have always been a fan of Leonardo Di Vinci's painting of The Last Supper. Its an iconic image done in an amazing time of art and discovery. It, like many iconic images through history has been Contemporized for various reasons.

Seriously Good Movie Reviews.

Many people out there in the World may have already had exposure to a chap called Mark Kermode, I on the other hand have just learnt about him. He features on a BBC radio show hosted by Simon Mayo which is posted as a podcast every week. He is a well informed bloke in the world of movies and from what I can gather he is somewhat influential.
He has a love of horror movies and an extensive collection of some of the worst films ever made. If you are after a decent weekly and sometime humorous movie review then download the podcast from the 5Live website and have a listen. Well worth the 40-50 minutes of your week to find out what is good and what is not.

Subscribe to the podcast here.

Jamie Oliver Cooks up a Storm.

Jamie Oliver is known all over the World as the Naked Chef and for his fresh food attitude too cooking. He has done a lot of good over the last five years or so by introducing healthy meals to kids at school and giving troublesome teenagers opportunities they might not have had through his Fifteen restaurant. He is now continuing that trend by having a dig at the average Brit’s diet and attitude to food.



It looks like he has made it his mission to rid the UK of the shitty attitude and get the country out of the rut that it has found itself in. I feel that I can comment on this what with being a staunch Brit myself, and living in NZ has given me a different perspective on the way British people live. Too many Brits are lazy and don’t care about anything other than wether they should go to the pub on Friday night or Saturday night or both. This attitude goes through to the way that people eat too. It is too easy these days to eat Fish and Chips, Takeaway curry or reheatable, microwaved, reconstituted stick thing that’s supposed to be fish, or chicken or something. Kids don’t even know what vegetables are these days.

"The people I'm telling you about have huge TV sets – a lot bigger than mine! They have state-of-the-art mobile phones, cars, and they go and get drunk in pubs at the weekend – their poverty shows in the way they feed themselves." He said.

When I grew up my Mum cooked us a proper meal every night and we knew what vegetables were and where they came from. Dad has a vegie patch that he grew a good portion of our greens. Even for those that don’t have gardens the supermarket does actually have a fresh vegetables section. I would like to think that my kids will grow up with a healthy diet and know what and were their food comes from. Fancy not knowing what a carrot is, or what a potato is.
Over the last generation the idea of having a good meal has changed in Britain from having meat and two vege to what’s the quickest thing we can nuke.
When asked to compare British and French cuisine, Oliver said the following:

"In the past, British cuisine was similar to Italian cuisine nowadays, without the pasta and risotto,".
"Steam cooking, grilled meat, herbs, spices – we used to cook fabulous dishes. It's all in the past!
"Unlike French people, and I regret it, we lost our traditions. In gastronomy, the world evolves and changes. And right in front of us, isolated from everything, you have France where nothing changes."

I really feel that people like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey can make a difference in the UK with the good work they are doing but unfortunately we live in a time where the celebrities have to do the jobs of the parents. People need to motivate themselves to live better lives and maybe having a good healthy feed is the start.

Thanks to stuff

The Inbetweeners - Ooooh Fwend!!!

In between the 6th form world of bullies and babes lies the Inbetweeners. The Inbetweeners is a show which aired in the UK in May this year and follows the fortunes of Will, Simon, Jay and Neil in their 6th form year at a state run school in England. Will is new to the school after being in private school for most of his school life and is an outcast because of his upper class persona. He soon attaches himself to a small group of lads who are reluctant to accept him because of his background. Needless to say hilarity ensues.

The show follows Will as he goes from outcast to accepted friend and then respected member of the 6th form. During the 6 episode run the four lads try to by alcohol illegally at a pub on the first Friday of the school year. They bunk off school so that they can get drunk on illegally bought alcohol. They go on a day trip to the local theme park after Simon passes his driving test. They fall out when Will gets himself a girlfriend. They go on a caravan holiday after Jay convinces the others that it will be a full on orgy and they have a successful Christmas party organised by Will and co. Throughout the series we get a glimpse of what life is like at a state run school, for me it brought back many memories of hanging out with mates and the problems associated with being a teenager. This program is definitely not a kids show due to the profanities throughout and the many scenes where the boys lust after different girls or proclaim that they want to get laid. In many ways it is like a British version of American Pie or a comedy version of Grange Hill. They have captured the middle class teenage life perfectly and have not straying into the world of drugs. It is a snapshot of teenage life presented it in a wickedly funny way, I can see some of the lines from the show making their way into common use, “Oooh, fwend”.
I am surprised to note that so there has been little backlash from the series due to the depiction of drinking, language and behaviour by minors.

Check out some of the funnier bits here.

Henry Rollins : Air Raid Vehicle at the Theatre

After making a concious decision to get a bit of culture in 2008, I was striding purposefully through the streets of Wellington, wondering exactly how I was going to accomplish this. Inspiration in the form of having to wait at a corner for the lights to change struck me. Well, it was more the coincidence of having Low Self Opinion blasting through my headphones, and seeing a poster for Mr Rollins on the lamp post in front of me. Aha! I thought - just the ticket. So I spoke to my bro, and we booked some tickets to see the angry Black Flag front man doing his spoken word tour through Australasia.

He was the front man for the punk band Black Flag, from 1981 to 1986, and after that disbanded he formed his own band and record label 2.13.61 (his birthdate). He also began doing spoken word tours, based on times when the mic was free during gigs and they needed someone to fill the gaps. As he said himself, it wasn't long until he was doing all the talking with some musical interludes, with the bands he had been supporting, now doing support for him.

Having turned 47 recently, Henry says he feels like an old bastard. But that hasn't changed his outlook on life or his enjoyment of new experiences. He frequently tours some rather odd places around the world, introducing everyone to Henry's brand of investigative tourism. He usually hears of a place that everyone says he shouldn't go to, and immediately books a ticket. After going to these far flung, and often dangerous areas of the planet, meeting the local citizens and makin new friends, he returns to the States and tells everyone about it. Its "my way of fucking with the man!"

We spent an enjoyable 3 hours and change listening to Henry Rollins explain his world, and many of his life experiences. It was fascinating, funny, poignant, hilarious, worrying and ultimately an excellent night out. But thanks to the Paramount theatre in Wellington, it also took a physical toll. I'm not a massive guy, but my legs are obviously long enough that I'm outside the average leg length for someone in 1812, which is when the stupid bloody seats were put in. My knees are still giving me gyp days later, and I swear my butt lost all circulation for at least 24 hours after the show.

But it was worth it - he's a great person to listen to, and as stream of conciousness goes he's the fucking master. He spoke for the 3 and some odd hours it seemed without taking a breath or a sip of water. I reckon if you get the chance, go see him and listen - amazing guy, loves the mic and good orator. He's doing the Edinburgh festival according to his website, 18 Aug - 25 Aug, so if your over there get along and check him out.

Otherwise, check out some of Henry's other stuff - he has released numerous spoken word albums, appeared on many TV shows, and also filmed a TV Series called the Henry Rollins Show for ITV last year.