Christmas singles

Stop The X Factor from being Christmas number one! Buy one -- or all (I did) -- of these!

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe
Backed by Facebook and Radio 1, this one stands the best chance.

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital
Camp and silly, this is -- believe it or not -- the best one.

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital
Almost as good. These two would fit seamlessly on all those Christmas compilations.

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital
It's got Sir Terry Wogan on it -- that automatically makes it a contender for Best Ever.

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital
Not as good as it could be, but hey, it might have a chance...

Run by Leona Lewis
iTunes | 7digital
If you have to. The others would be better than this, but this would be better than X Factor.

And I'll be posting this again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory VII

VII. Daybreak
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

Day breaks with the iridescence
of beetles. Last night remains

a beautiful, desolate thing:
me, lying

like an insect on a silver pin,
waiting for something to happen,

as if the world was about
to reach out

with the answer and you, leaving,
hiding your smile -- that thing

you do as much as with
your eyes as with your lips.

Alone, I come-to to this
clock of exquisite sadness.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

Thanks to the BBC's iPlayer being available on my TV, I now live my life by watching nothing when it's on and then having to catch up on it all. And today I have caught up on...

Lead Balloon
3x05 Spikey

Outnumbered
2x05 Episode 5

Survivors [2008]
1x04 Episode 4

Wallander
1x02 Firewall

Articles

2009 TV Preview: Law & Order UK by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Or, as I believe it's actually called, Law & Order: London. Some interesting info for those interested in the production side of TV, as this is semi-adapted from old US L&O scripts.

Elton John hits out at X Factor by David Balls
(from Digital Spy)
Go go Elton!

Christmas singles

As well as the campaign to make Jeff Buckley Christmas number one, there are a variety of other Christmas singles out now. The chances of them beating The X Factor? Small. But you can do your bit to help by buying them, so here are some handy links...

Let's Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford & the Decorations
(aka The One Show Single)
iTunes | 7digital

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth by Bandaged
(aka Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones)
iTunes | 7digital

It's Christmas Time by Status Quo
iTunes | 7digital

Once Upon a Christmas Song by Peter Kay's Geraldine McQueen
iTunes | 7digital

And, of course...

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
iTunes | 7digital | tunetribe

The Killers & Elton John were supposed to have one out too, so I'd heard, but there's no sign of that.

Heck, if you really have to, I'd rather this was number one again still:

Run by Leona Lewis
iTunes | 7digital
It's a cover, you know. You probably do, but I feel I should point it out -- it's not original. Much like Amy Winehouse's over-praised rendition of Valerie.

buy Buckley!

Today's the day people -- it's time to stop The X Factor being Christmas number one! So buy Buckley -- or any of the other Christmas singles. I'm intending to post a list & links sometime soon, but for now here are places to buy Buckley that count toward the chart:

7digital - unencumbered high quality 320k mp3 89p...

tunetribe.com - cheaper but semi-crippled WMA (windows file) only 49p

iTunes - 79p but DRM AAC file from Apple

And I'll be posting a reminder every day, just so you don't forget.

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory VI

VI. December
by Andy Brown

This week, Poem of the Day is continuing to present Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. The first five parts were published daily last week. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment of this work, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

Convinced it is a good idea, we spend
the long, dark nights unloading ourselves.
We watch each other twist and bend.

Such a weight of 'this & that' my friend:
each night we pull confessions from the shelves
convinced it is a good idea and spend

the nights awake. Where will this honesty end?
Too late, the old advice not to dig and delve
too deep; we watch each other twist and bend.

Resigned to the damage we may never mend
we drive the clock past Ten. Eleven. Twelve,
convinced it is a good idea. We spend

hours addressing the nightmare of 'The End',
cling tight together, like digger's hand to helve
and watch each other twist and bend.

Once more we see there's nothing really to defend.
Perhaps the answer lies in making love?
Unconvinced it is a good idea, we spend
ourselves, watching each other twist and bend.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

Have I Got News For You
36x08 (12/11/08 edition; extended repeat)

Top Gear
12x07 (14/12/08 edition)

TV

24: Redemption Extended Edition
[#86 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Top Gear
4x01 (9/5/04 edition)
Featuring a Lotus Exige vs an Apache gunship helicopter, possibly the coolest car-chase-like-thing you've seen outside a Bond movie.

Films

The Aristocrats (2005)
[#87 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Cube (1997)
[3rd watch; #83a in 100 Films in a Year 2008]

Cube²: Hypercube (2002)
[#84 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Oh dear.

Cube Zero (2004)
[#85 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Equally oh dear.

Articles

2009 TV Preview: Ashes To Ashes 2 by Neil Wilkes
(from Digital Spy)
Very revealing, though not spoilersome, preview of the second series. Can't wait!

Buckley to beat X Factor at Christmas? by Michael Thornton
(from Digital Spy)
Do your duty!

Fuller bashes Heroes: Villains by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
Sounds like things should be improving...

Goyer's Magneto relying on Wolverine by Simon Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
"They're going to wait until Wolverine comes out to decide whether or not they're going to greenlight another X-Men-related film. They like the script a lot and it's definitely a movie they say they want to make, it's a movie I'm still interested in making, so we're just waiting on Wolverine." No surprises there then.

Movie Reviews: The Day The Earth Stood Still
(from Studio Briefing)
"as cold and blank as the expression on [star Keanu] Reeves's face."

Movie Reviews: Gran Torino
(from Studio Briefing)
"The notion of a 78-year-old action hero may sound like a contradiction in terms, but Eastwood brings it off... it's clearly a career-capping work." Hurrah!

Who boss reveals Morrissey helped Tennant by Ben Rawson-Jones
(from Digital Spy)
"It was particularly good for David Tennant, cos we were at the end of a very gruelling shoot, making 15 episodes in a row for the first time ever. So for him to have a good friend coming on board, right at the end, was a real boost." Aww.

Buckley to beat X Factor at Christmas!

Buckley to beat X Factor at Christmas? by Michael Thornton
(from Digital Spy)

A campaign has been launched to get Jeff Buckley to the top of the Christmas chart ahead of the winner of this year's X Factor.

[The winner] will release a cover of Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah, but Buckley fans are drumming up support for his 1994 interpretation. A Facebook group has been launched urging fans to help the Buckley track, which is currently at number 43 in the charts, reach number one by purchasing it online.

I don't care what you think of Jeff Buckley, you have to get behind this simply to stop The X Factor winning. Come on Britain, we can do it!

To make this as easy as possible we will post the download links, but make sure you WAIT UNTIL the 15th... (many thanks to Kevin Adams)

7digital - unencumbered high quality 320k mp3 89p...

tunetribe.com - cheaper but semi-crippled WMA (windows file) only 49p

iTunes - 79p but DRM AAC file from Apple

...they're all recorded by the official UK chart.

Heck, splash out £2.17 and get all three -- it's all going to a good cause!

TV

Golden Balls
(12/12/08 edition)
I know I know, utter trash, but it was on and I was curious how it worked. It's a twist on Deal or No Deal, of course, and it's equally as dull.

Films

The Green Mile (1999)
[2nd watch]
We got through all three hours of this in a single two-hour seminar, including pauses for comment and discussion. So maybe doesn't quite 'count' as a watch...

Little Miss Sunshine
[2nd watch]
It really doesn't feel like nearly two years (to be precise, 21 months) since I watched this first, as part of 100 Films in a Year 2007. But there you go, time flies & all that. Anyway, the film itself is ludicrously heartwarming and has perhaps the greatest climax of any film ever. Seriously.

DVD Extras

Alternate Endings
and
Alternate Endings with Commentary by directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
(from Little Miss Sunshine)
Four offerings that are not so much alternate endings as alternate final beats -- including one directed by Abigail Breslin, the film's 9-year-old star! It's easy to see why they were excised, though they're certainly fun to see.

Hugh Jackman to host the Oscars

I kid you not!

From People.com via IMDb:

And the hosting honor goes to … Hugh Jackman.

People's reigning Sexiest Man Alive has been chosen to host the 81st annual Academy Awards ceremony, to take place Feb. 22 The Australia star, 40, who'll be hosting the Oscars for the first time, was selected "because we want the ceremony to be fun," says Laurence Mark, producer of the telecast. "He can hold the screen and he can hold a stage. It doesn't hurt that he looks amazing in a tuxedo and he's the Sexiest Man Alive."

Jackman won an Emmy in 2005 for hosting the 59th annual Tony Awards in 2004. He was also nominated as host of the Tonys in 2005. ABC will broadcast the Oscar ceremony live from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 22.

Well I'll be damned -- they usually choose comedians!

I think Jackman will be good though -- clearly he has hosting credentials, plus he's a very likable and very funny guy. Though this rather suggests they're not expecting Australia to get any noms...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory V

V. da Capo
by Andy Brown

This week and next, Poem of the Day is presenting Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

                               da capo / Mus: 'repeat from the beginning'

You scan the line of albums, lick your lips
and ease one out. It opens in your palm.
Wetting a finger you shuffle through the pages
like a teller. A smile fields your face:

'You see, I'm right,' you say (again).
'It was here. You must remember --
'our naked bodies joined together;
'warm breezes shaking perfume

'from the clover?' Why is it, I wonder,
I don't recall a thing; but you -- oh you! --
your memory is so sharp? You slide it back.
We go to bed. Stare at the ceiling; our latest books.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.

TV

Broken Saints
Chapter 4 Epiphany
Chapter 5 Awakening
With such short early episodes, Chapter 1 can only provide a brief overview of the four main characters, while the four chapters that follow successively introduce the start of their journey. It's still a bit slow and pretentious, but there's also promise. And 19 chapters to go...

Little Dorrit
Part 13 (of 14)
Part 14 (of 14)
A feature-length dose of Little Boring -- sorry, I mean, Little Dorrit -- as it finally reaches its conclusion. The (very literal) fall of the house of Clenham was perhaps the most entertaining bit yet, and certainly the most ludicrous in a story filled with ludicrous elements. Nothing like as good as Bleak House. Most of its audience understandably dropped off before the end, which is a shame because the format works so well (as proved by Bleak House) and this may've killed off hope of any more done in a similar style.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
22x11 (11/12/08 edition) [season finale]
Josh Groban: surprisingly likable and willing to take the mick out of himself. Grant From Feeder: shouldn't really have bothered going.
Odd length series too. I rather suspect it would've been 12, were it not for the Brand episode.

Fiction

Jonah Hex: Face Full of Violence by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray & Luke Ross
(collecting Jonah Hex Vol.2 #1-6)
Issue 6 [the end]
A good set of standalone Western tales. Now, where's book two...

Poem of the Day: The Trust Territory IV

IV. Waking in Manhattan
by Andy Brown

This week and next, Poem of the Day is presenting Andy Brown's 10-part poem, The Trust Territory. I think there's much to enjoy in each individual segment, and even more so when all ten pieces are put together. Also, at least some parts of it are especially suited to this time of year.

Please see after today's piece for information on where to find the poem in print.

The night that raised my hopes now whittles down
our options. The morning's heavy snowfall
consumes the blue masses of skyscrapers
and builds on our distance. I open the grille;
imagine us both -- exiles on far shores --
staring past the smuts on our windows.
There are patterns in the bird tracks on the ledge.
I fill my eyes with their secret language:
the text of our future; the novel of our love.
All I ask today is you & I rise above
this interval in the theatre of weather,
but I am restless beneath a drift of lies,
blocking light from the glass. I retrieve the dull
hammer of my self and nail the window shut.

The Trust Territory was originally published as a poetry chapbook, now out of print. It's currently available in Fall of the Rebel Angels: Poems 1996-2006 (find the best prices online here). The versions posted here are taken from the latter. From the author's acknowledgements for that volume: "Many [poems in this collection] appear as they were first published in individual volumes, others have been edited over the years and it is these final versions I wish to preserve."

Andy Brown's latest book is Goose Music, co-authored with John Burnside.

Please see here for information on Poem of the Day and copyright.