It's Friday...it's farewell to Sharpe, Williams and Walker

It's Friday, it's five o'clock and it's been a while since I did one of these but we have lost a variety of artistic people this week so it felt right.

First on Thursday it was announced that novelist Tom Sharpe had died. He work black comedic novels such as Blott on the Landscape and Wilt. Both were adapted for TV the first as a series the second as a film. But another Sharpe adaptation was the one whose theme tune sprang to my mind when the news came to me that was Porterhouse Blue. Here is a brief glimpse of what sort of dark humour Sharpe could produce.


This morning we heard that Esther Williams had died. In the era of the big Holywood musical she had her own niche in that she was the one that brought synchronised swimming into the mix. Here is a glimpse of
some of her work.

 

Finally earlier in the week Graham Walker who was one of the original members of The Grumbleweeds. A comedy musical group that also had an impact during the 70s and 80s as I was growing up.

Even then he was the bald one with the long hair, a style I have not subsequently followed with my own receding hairline.

Here are the Grumbleweeds doing a very good parody of another iconic 70s/80s band ELO.

It's Friday....It's Movie Night (sort of)

It has been a while since I did one of these It's Friday it's five o'clock things. So before I start here is the prerequisite safety announcements. Even if you have read by blog and the It's Friday series please pay attention, especially around 1:40


Of course the film of the week is Skyfall which sadly because of this horrid flu I have yet to see. Though I am still looking forward to seeing it having followed the videoblogs in the built up. There were so many to choose from but here is one that gives an insight into the underwater world.




Of course the big movie news of the week was that Disney have bought LucasFilm and will be producing Star Wars Episodes VII-IX. Sadly I can't find a good parody YouTube clip yet of that merger. But here is some gratuitous Princess Leia in that dress costume parody that will please some of my readers.

It's Friday...it's time for some models

Well when I saw this Duran Duran video earlier in the week I just had to share it, because it is absolutely brilliant. the band are 30 years old this year and famous for including models in their music videos. Who Girl Panic! though they have gone one step further and have Super Models playing the five members of the band. Naomi Campbell (as lead singer Simon Le Bon), Helena Christensen (Roger Taylor), Eva Herzigova (Nick Rhodes), Cindy Crawford (John Taylor) and Yasmin Le Bon who as the guitarist is always changing says "She is not in Duran Duran", an in joke as the longest wife within the band after 26 years.




But I promised some models, so I suppose we'd better go back to early Duran Duran and some Girls on Film, their third single in 1981.



But of course some of you might have been expected some Male Models so as not to disappoint here are some of the top male models from this spring's Paris Fashion Week.

It's Friday...I just want to get my geek out

This Friday I'm just gonna geek out. So enjoy.

If you're a geek these'll need no introduction.

It's Friday...it's post conference time

Well the Lib Dem Party conference has been and gone. Sleep deprivation has been restored but the mood in this conference was so great that conference as a whole. Meeting many new friends as well as catching up on old ones, drafting speeches, one that was made and a couple that were not. But here are some of my highlights.

First up is my friend Greg Judge speaking on the Employment Support Allowance and Work Capability Assessments motion.



Now here is a message for Edwin Poots our Northern Irish health minister about blood and science from another friend Chris Ward. Watch out for the test for gayness of blood cells, and yup that is me in the background of the reaction shot.



Now there has been great rejoicing in the press about us attacking our coalition partners in song at Glee Club. But we also attack Labour and make fun of ourselves. Indeed Simon Hughes was on stage leading one of the songs that mocks him during the evening. However, this final clip is a piece of history. The evolution of a glee club song captured on 'smuggled in' hacks camera. The Twelve Days of Coalition has only been around for 2 Glee clubs (Liverpool last Autumn and Sheffield in March) but here you can see it being amended from the floor with amendment one. Amendment 2 adding the word badly came on a second rendition later in the night. And that is what Glee Club is all about, members writing and amending songs in satire. Not only about other parties but about ourselves. Live with it.



Note to Editors: Glee Club is a self deprecation and steam letting off aspect of Liberal and later Liberal Democrat conference

It's Friday...it's the Rugby World Cup 2011

Yeah this morning the Rugby World Cup got under way. There was no surprise in the result of the first game, New Zealand's All Blanks beat Tonga, I won't give away the score in case anybody still has to watch.

So here is a preview of what you can expect over the next few weeks...in Lego.



We are in Haka country, but the hosts haven't lifted the Well Ellis Cup since the first competition in 1987, something that Addidas combines in this advert.



Of course no World Cup list of music could be complete without a rendition of World in Union which has become the Rugby World Cup theme so here is the 2007 version with top singers from around the world taking part. Probably the most ecclectic ensemble/chorus/choir of talent ever gathered.

It's Friday...it's the News of the World

I know it was a Sunday but this Friday is sort of dedicated to the 168 year old title that has been shut down so rapidly and unceremoniously this week.

First off though how can anyone get us out of the jam we're in. However, this song did come with a warning Don't believe it all, find out for yourself, check before you srpead, News of the World.



Destroyed by News International, I hate to bite the hand that feeds me. Or something like that.



Finally I read the news today, oh boy.



Bonus track And is that just his Norwegian accent or is Morten Harket really singing "The Sun always 'rrives on Sund'y" Sorry not allowed to embed this one

Although here is a live version

C'est Vendredi...c'est le Tour de France

Bon soir.

Tomorrow sees the start of the 2011 Tour de France so I'm getting really excited and indeed I have prepared a number of treats for you in advance for the next three weeks as well. My usual mix of politics and cycling  (plus other stuff) for the month of July, so bear with me.

As it is the first Friday, or Vendredi, before the kick off of theTour since I started blogging the Tour and doing my fun Friday postings the theme today is this year's Tour. First of all let's take a look at this year's route.



Pardon my French, again, but this video sums up what the Tour is all about this year.



Of course the Tour de France is all about the head to heads especially in the high mountains something that one particular bike manuifacturer has capitalised on.

It's Friday...it's Norn Iron where were you sporting moments

Last Sunday, or actually early Monday morning all of Northern Ireland seemed to still be awake. The reason of course was a young 22-year-old from Holywood winning the US Open (you should see the signs all over Holywood). It will go down as one of those where were you moments in Northern Ireland's sporting history, indeed for many younger poeple it will be that when where you allowed to stay up late moments.

Here are some highlights from that final round.



Of course for my generation that stay up late moment came in 1985. Dennis Taylor completed the absolute greatest comeback in World Snooker history, having lost all the games in the first session, he came back to win it on the final black.



Then of course was there 1982, wee Northern Ireland had to beat Spain, the hosts, to progress to the next phase of the Wolrd Cup. We were down to ten men after a sending off. Then magic happened.

It's Friday...it's Nova Albion Dreamin

Yeah it is the 17 June, one this date in 1579 Sir Francis Drake discovered a new peice of the earth and claimed Nova Albion for England and Queen Elizabeth, you may know it better by another name. Over to some sixties singers to tell you more.



This was also the birthday of two twin girls Erin and Diane Murphy, who both appeared as the young Tabitha Stevens on Bewitched! so here is Erin casting a spell.



It is also the birthday of James Corden. So what better example of his work than the 2010 Sports Relief appearance of Smithy*



* Rumours that this clip was chosen because of the number of muscled sportsmen are strenuously denied.

It's Friday...I'm in Edinburgh so this is prerecorded before a live studio audience

Ok this usually a blog post that I work on well in advance of the 5pm deadline. Indeed some are planned so far in advance when I find another good date related subject to publish.

Howe ever, this week we lost Andrew Gold so here is Thank you for being a friend a song what he wrote, which is forever associated as the theme to The Golden Girls.



That wasn't the only long running US sit-com his music was used for as the title. His song Final Frontier was used in the titles for Mad about you.



Of course he has a song that sort of sums up so many people who we have lost.



Bonus Track Regular readers will know I usually only do three clips in this slot. But Yesterday's Google Doodle to mark the 96th Birthday of the late Les Paul was too much for a guitaris and bassist like myself to let slide. So here is the first It's Friday bonus track.

It's Friday...It's little Danish plastic men

I'm not sure why but my week is going to be summed up by some little Danish people and no I don't mean Sandi Toksvig.

First up of course we lost Jeff Conaway who played Kenickie in Grease so here is Summer Loving, I believe it is now officially summer, so where is the loving?



Then of course there were announcements about The Hobbit films titles part will be The Unexpected Journey while part two will be There and Back Again.  If you can't wait here is a little sneak peek of the filming going on somewhere in New Zealand Legoland. No doubt oneexwidow will be pointing out some canonical inaccuracy.



Of course the other story of the week was Lewis Hamilton who seems to be the only one in Monaco or who saw what was going on not to know why the stewards wanted to have a word. Of course IF Lewis truly were the size of a Lego man and able to make a Lego bridge for Santader he'd have caused Massa, Maldonado
or anyone else would have far less issues with him.

It's Friday...so two centenaries and someone turning fifty

There are a number of centenaries today.

The first is the man who said these words before adding his maniacal laugh

The foulest stench is in the air

The funk of forty thousand years

And grizzly ghouls from every tomb

Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive

Your body starts to shiver

For no mere mortal can resist

The evil of the thriller

Yes, Vincent Price was an unlikely rapper but that is just what he did on Michael Jackson's Thriller. But he had a film career of over 50 years making his name in the horror genre. Here is a tribute to his career, set to the song he had no small part in making memorable.



The man who lost to Richard Nixon in 1968 was Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, who was over his father's drug store in Wallace, South Dakota 100 years ago today. He is the only second generation Norwegian (on his mother's side) to have served as either PotUS or VeeP. Here is his acceptance speech for nomination to be Johnson's running mate in the 1964 election.





Finally, no she's not 100 years old, but Peri Gilpin the actress who played Roz Doyle in Frazier is half way there today. Many happy returns, so to celebrate here is a montage of Roz moments.

It's Friday...it's Queen in Ireland

Of course all this talk of the Queen being in Ireland ignores the Queen visit of 25 years ago. On that occasion Queen appeared to many thousands of people.



You'd have thought from the news coverage that Royalty was a rarity to visit Ireland not to that little corner of Meath they aren't. In 2003 some Queens of the Stone Age were unearthed in Meath in May.



Then next weekend their majesties the Kings of Leon will be making their stately progress to Slane Castle, Co. Meath.



Parts two and three of this performance are available here.

My apologies if I have her Britannic Majesty and her heirs and forebears mixed up with a bunch of men with guitars, drums and large amounts of amplification equipment.

It's Friday...it's past five blame that on blogger

I did have my weekend fun all planned earlier but blogger as we all know wouldn't let us play.

However to get us going here is what the Royal Wedding would have been like if the couple had gone South to Scotland's oldest University from the Granite City of Aberdeen.



On that note all the best to my friend Kristian Chapman who is standing in the by election for the Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone by election in Aberdeen.

Of course if it were in Aberdeen we made not have got a long enough look at Princess Beatrice's hat and then the legend that follows would not have come to be.



People may or may not have complained that while I was running Yes! operations here in Northern Ireland there was a serious lack of gratuitous male chest exposure. Fear not my female followers and fellow gay compadres the wait is over.



The delay in this Friday fun being posted, may or may not have been due to a major c*** up by a programmer at Blogger.

It's Friday...It's Halfway Through Michael and Andrew's Wedding

I did last night blog that I was back and free to blog. Well I'm not quite free quite yet, I'm currently at a count for the referendum somewhere.

However, my good friend Michael said yes yesterday, did so earlier on today at Belfast City Hall and will be doing so tomorrow at All Souls' Church. Yeah after voting yesterday, earlier today he and Andrew went through their civil partnership ceremony, but tomorrow at the their Ceremony of Commitment before God only then will they consider themselves fully married*.

 Hopefully by now I have my Argyll Jacket to go with my Highland outfit (it still wasn't ready on Tuesday), seeing as this is the only item remaining and I'm not an off the peg jacket I do hope so. But last weekend I got thinking of processionals for weddings as a result of an unusual version played at someone else's. So here today are some other's maybe not played in the way or style you typically associate them with.

As tomorrow I will be wearing my newly purchased Highland outfit (pictures will follow) here is that famous modern Bagpipe processional by German pipers Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb Highland Cathedral played not on pipes but by a brass band.



The one that kicked off this thought process was Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D played on three Bagpipes as at Trinity, Bangor last Saturday. Here is a different take of that



Of course Felix Mendelssohn's Wedding March is another traditional bridal processional. It has been rocked up by many groups, but who better seeing as there was a Royal Wedding last week than Queen's version from Flash Gordon



* Actually they won't until the Liberal Democrat's policy on Equal Marriage is fully implemented, which includes the section that civil partnerships like theirs can be updated to full marriage if they wish.

It's Friday...It's Almost a (Digital) Christmas

No doubt this afternoon, many of hostelries in Belfast will be full with civil servants, private sector workers and others having a Christmas lunch, post work drink or whatever. Foursqaure, Twitter, Facebook and email or whatever will be going haywire keeping up with the comings and goings of everyone moving about, not just here but everywhere else. This is the last Friday that everyone will be in the office after all.

However, so many of my friends have pointed out this Digital take on the Nativity. Probably a good job that Mary, Joseph, the gospel writers and the others didn't have the digital technology that we do now. But enjoy...

It's Friday so....Allison Jannay

Happy Birthday today to Allison Jannay probably best known to all my readers as Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg the Whitehouse Press Secretary who becomes Chief of Staff in the Bartlett administration on The West Wing.

So every birthday needs a song, or at least a little lip-synch. What do you mean you haven't seen C.J. do the Jackal.



She also played herself in Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip as Allison Jannay star of the West Wing. Many of the stars of the new show made comment on her being C.J. which is especially funny when it comes from Timothy Busfield (Cal Shanley S60 - Danny Concannon WW) , Bradley Whitford (Danny Tripp S60 - Josh Lyman WW) or Matthew Perry (Matt Albie S60 - Joe Quincey WW).



Of course there was a lot of poker playing scenes in The West Wing so what happens when the stars actually play on TV, for real. Well Richard Schiff has an Allison Jannay shaped space on his charm bracelet.

It's Friday ...so...Mister GrimsDALE

Yeah this week we lost the comic genius of Norman Wisdom. Even into his 80s he was still a genius of slap-stick and the one liners. But over the last six months he suffered a series of strokes.

However, one thing well never really did was heed his words in this song.



Basically because we couldn't help put laugh at Norman. Like this scene from A Stitch in Time.



His last role was only a few years ago when he was 91. The physicality may have been whithered by age, but the timing and the facial comedy was still there, as this clip shows.



So long Norman. Watch out Mr Grimsdale.

It's Friday...so...Farewell Oscar Nominees

This week we actually lost three Oscar nominees. Some were more widely publicised than others but all had a good innings. So today I'm going to celebrate some of their best work.

First up is triple nominee director Arthur Penn. He was nominated for Alice's Restaurant (1969), The Miracle Worker (1962) and this his opus 1967's Bonnie and Clyde here is the final scene where the titular anti-heroes meet their fate.



Whereas Penn died in Manhattan the next Oscar nominee was born there. In his later days he became the lovable survivor of the studios' star system. Tony Curtis was only nominated for an Oscar once for The Defiant Ones (1958), but was of course in that iconic homoerotic oysters and snails scene from the 1960 Spartacus. Finding a scene I could embed was difficult but I eventually got this classic scene from Houdini.




Finally, although she was known to recent audiences as the elder Rose from Titanic (1997) for which she earned her Oscar nomination (as the oldest ever at 87) Gloria Stuart had a career prior to retiring in 1946. As fans of the Rocky Horror Picture Show are all too aware Claude Rains was The Invisible Man (1933) but Gloria played his fiancée, often acting to nothing, but having to look at where the noise of Rains voice were supposed to come from if he wasn't invisible at the time.



Quite a collection of noteables have passed on this week.